The Rock Church

The Cup of Blessing

^“Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine. The land you have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance!” — Psalm 16:5-6

Have you ever wondered where your life might be apart from knowing Jesus as your Savior? If not, spend a moment pondering what that might have looked like.

It certainly doesn’t take long to realize how richly blessed we are to be His children. It always goes far beyond the material blessing of His provision. We no doubt find that in our homes or aligning with our interests. Looking deeper, however, we also see a life filled with grace, forgiveness, purpose, hope, and beauty.

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The Circle of Blessing

“Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found.” — Psalm 119:35

As people, we look for happiness in a variety of places. Often, we look for happiness in our hobbies, careers, or even our family and friends. Indeed, these things can contribute to joy and happiness for all of us. I, too, find much comfort in many of them.

I love what the Psalmist prayed. Without a doubt, we find happiness in the Lord’s commands. What a wonderful truth and tremendous reminder to us all. Walking in the “path” of God’s commands means naturally living in obedience to His Word and fellowship with Him.

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What God has Prepared

“However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’— but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.”— 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 (NIV)

I recently taught on a section of verses from Romans 8. As a result, it got me thinking about Heaven. We are told in Colossians 3:1-2 to get our minds and hearts on Heaven and not be fixed on earthy things. As I tried to apply that verse, I was reminded of a Christmas at our home many years ago.

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20/20 Vision

“O Lord, I give my life to you.” — Psalm 25:1

This is undoubtedly the most profound prayer of my heart. It’s a simple little sentence found at the top of Psalm 25 — “O Lord, I give my life to you.”

Christian, is there anyone (or anything) more wonderful, more powerful, more satisfying than Jesus to give our lives to?

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Entrusted

“Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” — Luke 12:48

Recently, I taught a message from Romans 3:1-8. Those verses are clear. God entrusts us with His Word. In fact, as disciples, we must unapologetically share the Good News of the Gospel of Grace to a lost world.

If we want to see lives changed, we need to take personal responsibility for this charge. But, if you are like me, we can often feel like Moses when he complained, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.” — Exodus 4:13 (NIV84)

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Right Here, Right Now

Do you realize that God could have chosen any time in history for you to live? Not only that, but He could have placed you in any geographical location to live your days. However, in His perfect sovereignty, He chose to put you right here, right now, for a specific reason.

In Acts 17:26 (ESV), Paul tells the deep-thinking Greeks that God “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.”

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It Shall Not Return Empty

“so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” — Isaiah 55:11

If you’re like my family and me, you take in and process a lot of words throughout the week. These words come to us through various means, whether reading books, watching the news, or listening to podcasts or sermons. We certainly live in a time when we hear words constantly. 

For all of this reading and listening, God promises that only His Word will fulfill His purpose in authentic spiritual growth. 

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Owner’s Manual

“Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.” — Psalm 119:98-100

The clock radio alarm went off at 5:40 a.m.; I turned it off and got out of bed. My wife said, “What was the rest of that commercial? The one that was just on?” I said, “I didn’t hear.” (A statement to my auto-piloting when I get up.) She replied, “The commercial said, ‘If only there were an owner’s manual for relationships?’” However, since I turned it off, we will never know. 

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Transformed

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” —  2 Corinthians 5:17

I recently gave a message called “The Transforming One.” In it, I talked about the importance of accurately understanding our identity in Christ. I can’t stress that enough. The Bible says in Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (NKJV) Who I think I am, absolutely affects what I do. For this reason, there is power in understanding our God-given identity. 

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Real Love

In the pursuit of “real love” in my life, I’ve come across only one, truly reliable source. That source is Jesus, the lover of my soul. Many things fight for the attention of my mind and the affections of my heart; only Jesus fills me with what I so desperately need. He is honest, trustworthy, dependable, fulfilling, sustaining, intimate and complete love. I like this verse:

“We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters” — 1 John 3:16

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