May God bless this cup as we drink Your Blood, Jesus and bless this bread as we break it to remember Your broken body on the cross; altogether to blot out our sins and your resurrection as our hope and justification in You. In Jesus name, amen.
My prior reading was on charity. I hear the Holy Spirit saying that there is a difference between chaotic charity and organized charity; the latter being the better for edification of both the church and preaching the gospel to our neighbors.
Today is the last verse of 1 Corinthians 14. If you want to know the context of the verse, you're gonna have to seek out what Paul was referring to regarding being decent and in order ;). I suggest read the whole chapter but do as you will, siblings. Chapter 13 prior will also help.
1 Corinthians 14:40
40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
I hear the Holy Spirit telling me that charity is a heart matter yet it goes even further than that.
I'm reminded of Thomas Welch and His work with finding a way to make unfermented wine so to (i would assume) prevent a stumbling block to alcoholic tendencies within the church mingling indulgence with the Lord's supper. Jesus drank wine so there's no question alcohol is good. However a Christian saw a need in the church toward the weaker congregants in temperance and laboured his way to make a way to include them despite their weakness toward alcohol.
Father, make us more charitable in such ways as we remember Your Son Jesus and His Sacrifice for us all this morning. Not just in word but in deed. Not just in chaotic wildness, but decently and in order. God bless you all siblings and have a happy week. In Jesus name, amen.
Check out the daily prayer thread: https://communities.win/c/Christianity/p/12j0MZyYVP/
Mine is NOT about Communion but I have wanted to give my testimony for a long time. It has to do with my husband, and since I don't want to testify this in church for fear of hurting him, I feel I can tell it here as no one here knows him.
After 2 years of working nights and being together, he lost his job. He took a day job while I still worked nights. He promised me everything was good and that he'd never hurt me. I took him at his word because for the first time in my life, I felt truly loved by a man; period.
After about 3 months I started suspecting things because he started acting differently towards me. I suppose it could have been partially my fault since I told him if he wanted to go hang out with his buds at the bar,it was fine with me. WAS THAT A BIG MISTAKE. It seemed that the bartender who was 6 years my junior decided that my husband was someone she deserved more than me. To beat it all, I kept hearing about this SAM thinking she was a man. Anyway, the Woman is always the last to know and so it came to me as a surprise.
The week before Christmas of 2004 he left me for her. I was in shock. I don't know how I didn't lose my job. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I lost 20 pounds. I smoked 3 packs of cigarettes a day. My children were worried about me. My friends were worried. I didn't want to go on living. Everyday I was home I would lay in bed and watch TV and cry. I would watch Joyce Meyers, Andrew Womack, the 700 Club, anything to get close to God. I would go in my bathroom and kneel in front of my bathtub and cry out to God. I asked him many times "WHY" did this have to happen to me again. I felt unlovable. The smile George had put on my face had once again returned to a frown. I didn't want to live. Even my daughter prayed for me when she would hear me crying and praying to God to send George back to me, along with all the TV ministries I called to help me pray for his return.
Christmas turned into Valentines day of 2005. Still I was a desperate mess. One friend of mine who I went to school with made her husband take me out to the VFW where he set up his Karaoke and also cleaned up at the end of the night. Martha made him take me because she said I needed to get out and have some fun. Needless to say, there was no fun. I drank COFFEE all night long and spent the majority of my time in the bathroom praying for faith. All night long I listened to the singers do their Karaoke songs and normally I would join the singing. But my heart just wasn't into it without George by my side. It seems the most popular song that night was "Devil Woman" by Marty Robbins. It has my name in the song and it was like God was trying to tell me something as I know it was sang at least 4 times. Everytime I went to the bathroom to pray, I know those people thought there was something wrong with me. All the women coming in would see was my feet around the bottom of the toilet; so they must have thought I was sick. All I could do was cry and pray for faith.
At the end of the night, my friend was clearing out his Karaoke equipment and I thought we were ready to leave when he told me there was a new cleaning lady coming in and he had to wait to show her the ropes. I told him I didn't mind so we waited. Sure enough, here came a lady in and she instantly went toward me and Butch my friend. She asked, "Are you Butch?" He said yes. Then he said, "This is Mary." She said, "Hello, Mary, My name is Faith."
You could have bought me for a dime. Cold chills went up my spine. My only hope is that Faith didn't think I was crazy as I started crying and jumping up and down thanking God for my sign. I knew I would be alright. Then it started lightly snowing outside as if God was purifying me.
So the moral to my testimony is, God ANSWERED my prayer. That following Monday night when I went outside at 8:30 for supper break, there sat George in his truck. He hollared at me to come over because he wanted to talk to me. That has been 16 years ago. And I thank God for everyday he has blessed me with him. Everyone is allowed 1 mistake of this kind. And George knows never to do that again. Sorry this is long, but I've waited a long time to tell this. God bless all my friends.
You sister. Did the one thing God told Hosea to do to his adulterous wife. You did what few are able to do. Forgive their spouses wrong. Reconciliation is far better than division to God. Although it must needs be in certain circumstances and that's understandable. But God views marriage for life. What God brought together, let not man tear asunder, as Jesus said regarding marriage.
Please read Hosea chapters 1-3. I promise you won't regret it. You did exactly as Hosea was told to do. You showed that you can forgive a cheating spouse. Which is an example of how God forgave us despite our own whoring around with idols and loved us even when we were yet committing adultery against Him.
God bless you for this testimony, sister. In Jesus name amen.
Thank you for understanding. God bless.