God’s Imprint on Our Lives

1. God’s Imprint on Our Lives Fearfully & Wonderfully Made “For you created my inmost being;    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;    your works are wonderful,    I know that full well.”Psalm 139:13-14 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.2 Corinthians 12:9-11 …we were made for God’s glory, pleasure & purpose

2. The Two Sides of Love • We’ve journeyed through the book, The Two Sides of Love by Gary Smalley and John Trent • What has it enlightened us about? What have we learned? • Do we know everything we need know to put balance into our lives and walk in a way that honors God and serves others? • As the disciples of Nike, now let’s “just do it”!

3. Saved by “Self-Help” Books! Nike 3:16 – “For Nike so loved the world (and it’s money), that they gave us their athletic shoes and self-help philosophy, that whosoever should embrace their slogan shall have no need and should be self-sufficient forever!” • Would you classify Two Sides of Love as a “self-help” book? • Why or why not? • Is becoming more “Christ-like”, more “balanced” to serve God and His people just a matter of working with more dedication and effort to be “softer” or “harder” when needed? “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (Kings Jame)

4. WORK HARD! (really?) “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (New International Version) “Make every effort to give yourself to God as the kind of person he will approve. Be a worker who is not ashamed and who uses the true teaching in the right way.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (New Century Version) “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (New Living Translation) "God helps those who help themselves!"Hezekiah 6:1 • Contest: Whoever finds this verse in Scripture 1st, gets $100 today!

5. God Helps those who help themselves! The phrase originated in ancient Greece, and this sentiment appears in many ancient Greek tragedies and writings of which only fragments now remain. • In his Philoctetes (c.409 BC), Sophocles wrote, "No good e'er comes of leisure purposeless; And heaven ne’er helps the men who will not act." • And in the Hippolytus(428BC) of Euripides appears the speech, "Try first thyself, and after call in God; For to the worker God himself lends aid.“ • The same concept is found in the fable of Hercules and the Wagoner, first recorded by Babrius in the 1st century AD. In it, a wagon falls into a ravine, or in later versions becomes mired, but when its driver appeals to Hercules for help, he is told to get to work himself. • Aesop is also credited with a similar fable about a man who calls on the goddess Athena for help when his ship is wrecked and is advised to try swimming first.

6. In Whom should we trust? “This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD." Jeremiah 17:5 (NIV) “He who trusts in himself is a fool... " Proverbs 28:26(NIV) “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.”Ephesians 2:8-9(NIV) “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”Titus 3:5(NIV) “As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.”Romans 3:10(NIV) • What does God do? What do we do? “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2 (NIV)

7. What are we called to do? “You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.” Psalm 59:17 (NIV) • If God is our source of strength, our hope, our future, our creator, our sustainer, our redeemer, then what are we to do? • Seek God’s face • Exercise our “gifts” • Give back to God • Confess & repent • Study God’s Word • Serve others • Pray without ceasing • Praise Him • Trust & obey • Be witnesses of God to others • Love God & love others “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. ” James 4:8 (NIV)

8. A Purpose Driven Life Pastor and author Rick Warren enumerates five reasons why people are on this earth. • We were plannedforGod's pleasure • so your first purpose is to offer real worship. • We were formedforGod's family so your second purpose is to enjoy real fellowship. • We were createdtobecome like Christ. so your third purpose is to learn real discipleship. • We were shapedfor serving God • so your fourth purpose is to practice real ministry. • We were madefor a mission so your fifth purpose is to live out real evangelism.

9. The Secret to Wholehearted Love • Is whole-hearted love always easy? Can it come from “within” us? Copy and paste this link into your browser and view the video to see Tony Melendez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlZPYGBXQ44 • Where does love like Sara Melendez come from? • Where does courage to live joyfully by faith for Tony come from?