At Temple of Praise, we tackle a new theme every week - in hope that God will touch us with a brand-new message and lead us closer to him for the new week ahead. This week was no different.
Are you struggling to find time for God? If so, that’s completely normal. Most of us are easily distracted - and we have families, jobs, and commitments we need to attend to. We’re so caught up in worldly things that it can be hard to put just five minutes aside to talk to him. But it’s so important to do.
At the service there was a demonstration of a lady wanting to talk to God, but different things got in the way. The Olympics, the door knocking, getting herself cosy so she can relax & talk to him about her struggles. This was an important piece, to remind us that God should be at the centre of our lives - and shouldn’t be someone we talk to when we feel we “have time.”
Spending more time with God can deepen our relationship with him, and we must make him a priority. This might involve setting aside some designated time or having social media breaks and focusing purely on God.
Remember; To know God, we have to set aside time for God.
2 Corinthians 9:7
Each should give according to what he has decided in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Pastor Modupe discusses how we can show our love and gratitude to God by giving. As the quote above explains, God doesn’t want us to give begrudgingly, but to give joyfully. There are many ways to give to God, as Pastor Modupe says it is an act of worship.
Are you struggling to know what to give?
Ask God. In your heart, ask God what it is you want to give to him. Remember it could be anything, nothing is too small or too big. You’ll know the answer when it comes to you.
Rev David is our guest speaker for today, and he really focuses on the disciples in John Chapter 13,14 and 15. The disciples thought they were going to be with Jesus as he leads the revolution, but now they’re aware he’s going to die and it’s up to them to spread the gospel. He discusses the ‘liminal’ stage the disciples are in, which is categorised with confusion, anxiety, and disorientation.
He speaks about how the disciples were Jewish, Christians living in a hostile environment. It was uncertain times for them, and Rev David believes they were living very much like ourselves today in a post-covid world. We lived in a time of uncertainty, just like the disciples did.
We’re all aware of what we could do in the past. How life was back then. But we have no idea what the future holds, or whether things will go back to how they were before.
Jesus offers the disciples an immunity from the fluctuations and disorientations which cloud their world. Similarly, God offers us John Chapter 15, as a message for us to abide if we want to flourish in this world now.
If you’d like to read the message Jesus is giving to you in John 15, click here.
Rev David rounds it off by asking us to do three things:
1. Tell God that you’re off-centre, and that you want to find centre in him.
2. Once you’ve done this, ask God to give you a new rhythm for life, a new way in engaging with scripture and thinking about prayer.
3. And then, ask God to give you rest.
If you’d like to watch the full service, click here. If you’d like to watch us live every Sunday, please follow us on Facebook for updates – we hope to see you soon!
Blog written by Rachel Johnson for more blogs written by Rachel click here