Monday Morning Reflections

Here are Pastor Joe’s sermon previews he posted on socials for this mini-series:

Week 1  Foolishness is believing all, or part, of God’s authority doesn’t apply to you.
Week 2 Sometimes the most powerful version of grace is the one that restrains you.
Week 3 The ability to recognize God’s grace is powerful evidence that God has given you a new heart.

#Nabal #Grace #YouBetterRecognize #LifeOfDavid #SundaySermonPreviews

Week 1

I learned that I make excuses for my behaviors . I also remember saying that other people’s business is not my problem. Well, I think differently today. As Christians, it is our responsibility to lovingly call people out. That is love. We wouldn’t just sit and watch our brother or sister in Christ drown. No, we would pull them out of the water or throw them a life raft .

Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

Here’s where we take ownership of our behaviors: when people call us out, we need to listen . We need our Abigails just as much as we need to be like Abigail. We’re in this together .

Week 2

I learned more about Nabal the fool and his wife, Abigail. What I took home that week is that, through God’s strength and through His grace and mercy, we can help save people—sometimes through tough love ‍. We reflected on how others’ tough love toward us helped save our lives.

Week 3 (Today)

I’ll start with the GraceLife Kids portion. As the kids gathered around Pastor Keith on the steps leading to the platform, he asked them, “Do your parents ever tell you no?” Of course, they said yes. I know I’ve been told “no” many times, even into adulthood. The “no’s” I received in adulthood, especially when asking for money during active addiction, likely helped save my life .

What stood out most was when a little girl said, “I tell my parents no sometimes.”

Whoa! I’ve told God “no” many times in my life .

During today’s message, I learned that keeping an open, conscious contact with God is critical. This is how I hear Him—how I become aware of His will and His plan .

Have you ever thought or said something and instantly felt it was wrong? Like, “I shouldn’t have said that,” or “That was bad advice,” or “I owe that person an apology,” or even felt prompted to correct something or pause before speaking out of anger? That’s God. That’s His voice, His conviction, His will .

Pastor Joe said to respond with gratitude when grace says no. God spoke to me yesterday. He told me no and said, “You better recognize, Lori!”

Wrapping up the 3-week mini-series, I’d say this:

I’ve learned that I need to be like Abigail, not Nabal—to help others and not be foolish. God will use others to help me, too. As Christians, we are called to speak truth in love because it can save lives. We must lead by example, putting our faith into action .

We need to keep our conscious contact with God open—to say “no” when needed and to accept “no” with gratitude . To recognize the hand of God at work . To have spiritual awareness. To be willing to respond quickly to correction and even rejoice in restraint.

Prayer : God, thank You for GraceLife Sarasota and our amazing leaders. We pray to continue living in Your will. Keep our ears and eyes open to You and Your plan for our lives, and help us to hear You clearly when You say no. Let us rejoice in it.

God, we ask that You use us as vessels for Your work to help others . We also pray for Your grace and mercy this week as we travel to Gainesville for this final test before brain surgery. Your plan is perfect, and we trust You.

Thank You for Your redemption and saving grace, for Your strength and Your love, and for all the blessings we receive .

In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Lori & Jared