This past Sunday at First UMC Siloam there was a fun family attitude within the service as we learned about what it means to trust God, and that it is so important to allow him to use our talents to lift up the body of Christ.

A new song was introduced to start the service off. The first thing that I liked about this song is it's entrance and folksy, fun style. But what really got me addicted was the words... "Yours will be the friendship and affection I need, to feel my Farther smiling on me. The only name that matters to me. And yours is the name the name that has saved me... and Your love is all I've ever needed."  Here is the song, Yours will be (the only name) http://worshipleadermedia.com/churchleaders/downloads/ 

We then sang Oh for a thousand Tongues David Crowder style to encourage all of us in coming together as a body of Christ dedicating ourselves to worshiping him alone.  Followed with How He Loves Us by John Mark McMillan to remind us that as we choose to trust him and dedicate ourselves to worshiping him, he will provide the best for us. He loves us enough to provide what we need, not what we want.

Which lead into our Children's time where a malfunctioning pen was used to illustrate how each part of the body of Christ is important. So when one person in the body of Christ does not trust God and allow him to use them, they keep the body of Christ from functioning as it should.

Pastor Randy followed all of this with a sermon helping us grow in our understanding of what it means to truly allow God's love to be enough. Telling us that it's okay for us to ask for whatever our heart desires, yet we have to be happy and thankful for whatever He provides. It's great to be a part of the family of Christ, but our attitudes should be focused on allowing God to use us to uplift the family we have in Christ. We cannot focus more on our gifts, talents and blessings than we do on Christ himself. They have been given to use to be used by Christ, so allow him to do his work through you.

We followed the Sermon with One Pure and Holy Passion by Mark Altrogge, because this world is empty pale and poor compared to know Him as one true Lord, and if we allow him, he will lead us in how we are to use our gifts for him. The service ended with Everlasting God by Brenton Brown, emphasizing that he is in control and that if we will allow him to use us, we will not grow weary, he will sustain us.

His love is all you have ever needed and as you live within that love you are able to share it with those around you. It is then and only then, that the church becomes the family it is suppose to be.

 This is a Sunday Setlist. If you want to read other Sunday Setlists you can find them here- http://www.theworshipcommunity.com/sunday-setlists-186/

           I have discovered of recent that I am really good at throwing myself a pity party. I get so caught up in the "I use to have this", "I want life to be like this", "I wish I had this". I know that I am not alone in this. Come on... I know that others out there that have found themselves sitting and complaining because "it just isn't fair!!!".
           This is exactly where we find Job in Chapter 29, "The man who was dieing blessed me; I made the widow's heart sing... but now they mock me." Living in the once was of life instead of life itself.
Something I was told recently has affected my perspective on pouting, "If you don't get it back, then you never had it to begin with." HOLD THE PHONE AND SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!! I never really had it to begin with? But I clung to it like I did... But I surrounded my whole life with it like I did... But you are telling me I never really had it? You are telling me it isn't mine?
          This is exactly where we find Job, me, you and the guy across the street.

          Well, I would just like to share that, isn't this the whole point to life? This life has absolutely never been mine, yours, or anyone's. We (as people) for some reason believe that this life is actually ours to keep. That we have some sort of entitlement to it. The life that we have is a gift and blessing that is to be cherished and nurtured. As my Pastor said last week, we like to receive these "Passive Blessings", blessings that we don't actually have to put any work into but we receive the full benefits of.
           The life job and you and I, once had was a gift, and it was to be cherished. But it was never ours. Whether a follower of Christ or not, this life is not our own and death will take it from us, or even terrible circumstances will take away the life we once had, or even thought we would have.
              Wait for it though... There is good news! As Christians we most certainly get a much better life after we give up the one we are given. Although this doesn't happen as a "Passive Blessing", its something that we have to put effort into and a better life does not mean we will never have hurts and problems. But by believing that Christ stands in the gap for us as we fall short, we are to strive for something greater. We can no longer blindly attend church, pray, and read our Bibles expecting to check off our "Christian for the Day" to-do-list and then say we are sacrificing our life for Christ. We have to intentionally seek Christ. Denying ourselves and daily picking up our cross as Christ did. And Heck, WHY NOT? This life isn't yours... so why not live it for something far greater? Why not live it for something that has conquered death itself? Knowing that when you intentionally give back the life that wasn't yours to begin with, you then receive a life far greater in return.
                  Therefore, I will be intentional about my life, how I live it, the choices I make and how I make them. When this life is taken from me, I want to be able to know that I lived intentionally, not just fumbling around aimlessly.
                   We have all lived life on autopilot, but that won't fly for long. So, it's time to come awake and live a life intentionally devoted to worshiping our heavenly Father?