blueskychurch.com

By Pastor Joe

It has been said that everyone will answer three questions: What do you want to do in this life? Where do you want to do it? Finally, who will you do it with? Some of us are methodical and we write down our answers. Others, let life be and then fall into the answers.

No matter how you go about these answers, you have a plan. Yet, how do you know that God will bless it? Pastors scheme to reach others, businessmen do market analysis and then write applications for loans, and students spend thousands on an education in hopes of employment and a meaningful career. How do you know God is in this?

Here are some simple thoughts which I never clearly told from the second chapter of Nehemiah. What can we learn?

For starters, God blesses plans which are his plans. Nehemiah 2:12 states, “I slipped out during the night, taking only a few others with me. I had not told anyone about the plans God had put in my heart for Jerusalem.” God blesses his plans. He blesses anything he is in.

Too often we start with the question: What do I want? What fulfills me? What do I desire? Then we go to prayer, ask God to sprinkle his blessings and then three days later accuse him of not being good and faithful. The problem here is the subject of the sentence. These plans are about us. No doubt some of these plans have good intentions and Bible verses to support. They can be for a good cause. Yet, they still can be about us.

Begin your plans with this question: What do you want God? What is on your heart Lord? How do you want to build your kingdom (not my kingdom). Perhaps God will be so generous to use us today.

(Part 2 of this blog is coming. Much more to say as we make our plans. Many more questions to ask).

by Pastor Joe

We concluded our series with prayers from the saints. These prayers are on behalf of the community as we make a covenant before God and before each other. This was a challenging series for me as it is controversial in the Christian community. We do look forward with anticipation that as we draw near to him, he will draw near to us (James 4:8).

• May the Lord continue to reveal His plan and works to the leadership team and keep Blue Sky in His Blessings.
• Lord, may you guide us as a body of believers. Lead us in this amazing journey, everlasting. Direct our hearts to you alone. May we keep our eyes ever on You. You are good.
• That we would take time out of our week to intentionally and prayerfully look through the proposed covenant. I pray that we would see God’s guidance and ask for wisdom about where He needs us to serve, how He wants us to be committed and for the decisions we will make as a church. I pray that people who call BSC their church would be moved to volunteer and be invested and an active part of what makes us grow and brings people from our community into an introduction with Christ.
• I pray that your decisions would be made confidentially and will peace, that God is with you and he is being glorified.
• We pray that the Lord will lead us very graciously that He will increase our local and global impact. That we would be known as a loving community of worshippers who are friends of God.
• I pray the members of BSC would know and feel the presence of God and they would know joy. I pray everyone would find someone they could invite to come to BSC.
• I pray that BSC generates new believers that would be willing to die to themselves for the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven. I pray we will discover the true personality of Christ and live it out in our lives daily.
• My prayer for BSC is a body of people who celebrate together at the wedding reception.