Happy Friday!

Okay…Captain Jack Sparrow is the best pirate ever. We treated ourselves to an evening out at the movies. “Pirates” is great fun!

Prayer: “Father, help me to be mindful of Your presence today. Speak to my heart with wisdom and understanding. You are my strength, and I will lift You up so that others might come to know the saving grace that only You can give. May Your name be praised forever. Amen”

Romans 14: 7, 8 and 13 “None of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s…Let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.”

Have you ever been around someone who always either had to have the last word or contradicted something you said no matter how small? Or are we ever the one who does these things? Perhaps each of us has done these things. Disagreements happen between even the most faithful believers. Disagreements have been around since Old Testament times even up through the development of the church. So here is the thing - are we disagreeing because we really have an issue with the statement by the other party or are we just looking to criticize when we should be looking for ways to bless others? This passage of scripture says, “let us not judge one on other.” When we judge someone we are saying, “You are wrong and I am right.” When in truth what really matters is not whether we are right or wrong, but whether we are right with God or not. So instead of finding reasons to disagree with someone perhaps we should try harder to be in obedience to the Scripture so that we are not a stumbling block to anyone.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes. Count your blessings and say your prayers. When we pray tonight, let us ask the Father to make us better listeners. Also, let us to consider whether being right about an issue or being right with God is more important. Pray for one another remembering that God is with us in the tough times and in the times of gladness. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.