Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our sermon or
midweek study. You will normally see us posted on Sunday and Wednesday. I am
Rev. Laura A. Neff. Our ministry was built on the truth of God’s love. It
doesn’t conform to society’s wishes. This ministry shares the Word of God, the
Spirit of Christ Jesus. Those who know me well will recognize that there are
definitive differences in the creation of every sermon from this point forward.
It is God’s will that has brought this to be. We wish only that God’s truth
will be shared within His words as brought to us by the Spirit as it fills my
heart, mind, and soul to be shared with my hands, but with His words alone.
You will find us in the following location: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Prayer List: We have many on our prayer list.
Some wish to remain anonymous, and others only wish to have their first names
mentioned. Our prayer list grows or changes every week. This is our current
list.
- Please pray for Elder Cal Jennings who has been suffering
greatly with his health. May the Lord bring his spirits up and help heal him.
- Pray for my parents and youngest brother who would have
lost their dog Shadow just two days ago now. He was a faithful companion for
nearly sixteen years.
- Please pray for relief in the trials and tribulations for
Sister Theresa and myself as we have had a great many over the past year and
more.
- Be thankful for each day we live as we do not know what
tomorrow brings.
- Pray for our nations that the voice of God be heard through
the Spirit.
- Pray for our friends and families that their tomorrows
bring blessings and pray our own be the same.
- Pray for those suffering as a result of the terrors that
have occurred just this past week around this world.
- Pray for our sick and wounded that they may heal.
Prayer: Father in heaven, our prayer today is
to have the Spirit bring clarity to each of our decisions. We thank You for
that gift and the many more You have brought us. May our fears be drawn out of
us. Help us to see the many gifts Your love brings and the unknown locations it
might be found. May our pain and sorrow be eased. May peace be brought from our
hearts and shared with others. May Your gifts of love shine through us toward
others. We pray for the poor, the sick, the sorrowful, the wounded, and the
frightened. We pray for the soldiers, the Samaritans, the children, and the
rest. We pray in thanksgiving for every gift brought us. We pray that every
tomorrow bring good things. For each of these we pray in Your Holy Name,
through our Savior Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen and so
it shall be.
Opening Song: I Saw the Light
Sermon: Today’s sermon came to me via an
interesting consideration. I actually woke up wondering about a single point of
view I’ve shared with many within our mission statement. There are many ways to
view the words ‘walking in the light’. So today we’re going to explore that one
beginning here in the Gospel as spoken by Jesus.
John 14:6-7 KJV – Jesus
saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
If ye have known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
If ye have known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
There are lots of ways to view walking in the light. Every
person has their own method to get to that path. Each of our paths would be
different. Yet we are all heading for the same direction.
John 1:4 KJV – In
him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Jesus gives us light. When our hearts have experienced
darkness all we have to do is let Him in. That will bring us light and the
willingness to look toward a brighter tomorrow even with the gloom and sorrow
found in yesterday and today. It’s the hardest thing for us to remember.
Tomorrow is a brand new day. All we have to do is close our eyes on a prayer
and wake up to a brand new one for a better day. This is the way Jesus wants us
to look forward to. Our tomorrows all reach for that special destination
promised us through Christ as we walk in His path even in our own way.
John 10:9 KJV – I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved,
and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
See this? Not only can we go in, we can go out as well. This
is the epitome of freedom, the gift of choice. Remember, in the very beginning
God gave man freedom of will. We have to be willing to enter that door and stay
there in that beautiful place. Love is that pasture. It is the ultimate gift,
an unchanging, unconditional part of life that we have to first find within us
and then share with those around us. Peace is that gift of love. Remember, when
following the light, we are the peacemakers, and so much more. This is what
Jesus shared for those of us who are the peacemakers.
Matthew 5:9 KJV – Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the
children of God.
Give peace and you’ll feel it within you, heart, mind,
spirit, and soul. When we release our fear, our anger, within the love of peace
we’ll find peace ourselves. No, I don’t mean by venting our anger. I mean by
sharing our sorrows at the many terrible things that cause us anger and fear
and more. Now that’s something to think about as we pray in the prayer that
Jesus taught us saying:
Our Father, which art in
heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will
be done, in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily
bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13)
Closing Song: Walk With You https://youtu.be/7CZKIrRTIRs?list=PL614A115BF39E5936
~ Shalom ~
Rev. Laura A. Neff
Elder Calvin Jennings
Covenant of Hope Ministries Main
Site: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Scripture Excerpts: The New Open
Bible Study Edition: Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible:
Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible:
Copyright ©circa 1890-1910: International Bible Press, The John C. Winston Co.;
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Sermon or Study Copyright © 2015 http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries is not to exploit
fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together
as the bringers of the light of Jesus found in the midst of darkness.
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