White House First United Methodist Church: Loving, Growing, Serving

1 Samuel 16:1-13 Blatant errors Saul did as king:Saul acted impulsively (1 Samuel 13:1-15), swore pledges (14:24-35), disobeyed God (15:1-9), killed priests (22:6-19), tried to kill David with a spear (18:10-11), consulted a witch/medium (28:3-25), had a poor relationship with his son Jonathan (20:30-34), and finally kept spoils of war that God had told him to completely destroy (15:1-9; 24) The cookie-cutter approach may be the world's way, but not God's way!1 Samuel 16:71 Samuel 16:13David was a man after God's own heartReflect the image of God in us, and to live as people who authentically love and are loved1 Corinthians 1:27-29

Psalm 121:5-8 Let the Lord be our shade!Psalm 121:7,8The Lord allows pain in our life“With His help, we profit immensely more from walking through the pain than from avoiding it.” Dr. Charles StanleyIsaiah 43:2God Is My Keeper!

Psalm 121:1-5 Psalm 121:1Psalm 121:22 Samuel 22:2,3Psalm 121:4Psalm 121:5a

Matthew 5:9-12Godly ways to handle persecutionMatthew 5:9Psalm 34:14Matthew 5:9bMatthew 5:10: (New Living Translation) “God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” 2 Timothy 3:12Matthew 5:11,12Persecution can be good in the following ways: (1) It takes our eyes off earthly rewards(2) It strips away superficial belief(3) It strengthens the faith of those who endure it(4) Our attitude through it serves as an example to others who followIf the devil is not trying to get you, he's already got you!

Matthew 5:6-8 The hungry and thirsty. The merciful. The holy.Matthew 5:6Matthew 5:7Matthew 5:8Psalm 51:10Matthew 5:8b3 Beatitudes covered today: hunger and thirst for righteousness, being merciful, being pure in heart-Which of these Beatitudes are you strongest in?-Which of these Beatitudes are you weakest in?-Is there room for improvement on all 3 of these Beatitudes in your life?

Matthew 5:1-5“Blessed” means more than happinessMatthew 5:3Luke 5:4Luke 5:8bRomans 7:15 There is nothing we can do to make ourselves spiritually acceptable to GodLuke 5:5: "God blesses those who are gentle and lowly, for the whole earth will belong to them." (New Living Translation)Quick Review:-We must embrace our helpless condition before Jesus-We mourn and feel guilty of what we've done and turn to Jesus and ask Him in our lives and ask for forgiveness for where we've failed Him-We can then start living for Him, and being meek/gentle/humble to the needs and desires of others.

John 1:43-51 We have the same invitation from Jesus as the first disciples3 Rules to become a licensed disciple of Jesus:1. Follow John 1:43John 1:45John 1:46aJohn 14:62. ComeJohn 1:46:b: “Come and see.”3. SeeJohn 1:49John 1:50b

John 1:35-42 John 1:29John 1:38, 39aAndrew did something with his strong case of the "can't help its." Are you?It's time to reclaim the "can't help its" if we've lost them!"If God is leading you to it, He will lead you through it."Will you embrace the challenges of the one and one?

Matthew 2:13-23 Divine guidance comes only to prepared heartsThe reason why God led Joseph, Mary, and Jesus to EgyptHosea 11:1Only natural to ask why, just be willing to embrace His timingTiming is everything!Embrace the timing of our Lord

Matthew 2:1-12Wise men lived up to their namesMatthew 2:12Can we decipher the right voice to listen to?Do you know the Lord's voice when He speaks to you?Two questions to decide if you are making the right choice:Of the two choices you have in your mind, which one follows biblical guidelines? Which of the two choices glorifies God more than you?Don't wait until you're in a dilemma, prepare daily!John 10:4b,5

2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 2 Timothy 3:16Can’t share what you don’t have2 Timothy 4:2Preparation requires time and effortEach of us make time for our prioritiesSOAP model: Scripture, Observation, Application, and PrayerIf the Lord is a priority, He is worth the effort and time to prepare for whatever is in store!

Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 Psalm 80:3,7,19 begin with “Restore”How can we obtain restoration? 1st and foremost, one must come to repentance.Psalm 80:6Psalm 80:3,7,19: "Make your face shine so that we can be saved!"Matthew 1:23

Luke 1:39-55 Luke 1:39-45 Luke 1:37: "Nothing is impossible for God!"Luke 1:46-55 Luke 1:47,48aLuke 1:52Luke 1:54,55Jesus was born to live in you and me!

Isaiah 11:1-10 Isaiah 11:1-5Jesus fulfilled this Old Testament prophecyIsaiah 11:2Isaiah 11:4d: "by the breath of His lips He will kill the wicked."Isaiah 11:6-10Let a little bit of heaven be on earth to people around us

Matthew 24:36-44Matthew 24:36-44Christ is our hope!Jesus’s return will happen like a thief in the nightJesus’s return hasn't happened yet, bu you better believe it will eventually!3 promises in Scripture before leaving physically but constantly with us spiritually:Hebrews 13;5b, 1 Peter 5:7, John 14:3

Psalm 100:13 questions to ponder:-Do we make a "joyful noise" when we come to worship, or do we settle for sighs of boredom or the sharp sound of complaint?-Do we worship the Lord with "gladness," or do we do so out of obligation or the mentality that I may be forced to be here but I’m going to make sure I don’t make the most of it?-Do we come into His presence with singing, or are we largely silent?Psalm 100:3Psalm 100:4Psalm 100:5God is great!

Luke 8:26-39 Jesus gave Legion hope when he seemed to have no hopeHow the Gerasene people reacted to the miracleLuke 8:37The healed man had a choice to make, just like usLuke 8:39It takes all kinds to reach all kinds!Glorify our Lord where we are

Psalm 23:4-62 words in verse 4 that define the scripture-"though" and "through"Psalm 23:4b:“Thou art with me” The valley of the shadow is something one goes "through"When facing the difficulty and pain of a valley experience, we mature spirituallyAccepting the Lord’s help means asking the Lord two questions: What is Your goal for this time, Lord? and How am I to respond to You, Lord?

2 Timothy 2:8-15 Paul stressed to Timothy and us we need to take the license to serve Him just as seriously as we do in obtaining any other license2 Timothy 2:8The importance of endurance2 Timothy 8:14Rightly explaining the word of truth

Judges 7:8-25300 with God is much better than 32,000 without Him!Encouragement in tough times Judges 7:10,11Judges 7:13,14Joshua 1:9Victory depends not on strength or numbers but on obedience and commitment to HimThe turning point for Gideon and us is to listen and follow the Lord’s leadingSoak in the encouragement from others as well as give it