Wring it Out Like a Sponge

For our May 12, 2024 Sunday School lesson, we started off by talking about "grace", which as the Pastor put it, stands for God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Earn God's blessings and riches through the expense of Jesus Christ, not by you trying to earn them through your own expense and works. Thank God, praise and worship Jesus Christ who paid the price, and everything on earth and in the heaven is yours.

Ephesians 2:10 says "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Our life is a work of God. He works within you to get you to him. Everything you have done has been influenced by God, and though you have had free will to make your decisions and choose your path, he's the one who brought you to where you are now. He has always known where you will end up and where you are going to be. So what are you going to do with it?

Some of the things we can do with it is by helping to take care of our neighbors. We can help those in need. We can talk to people about God. We can help out with the church.

Something we have to think about is - are we the sinner or is God the sinner? Of course it's us. So all of this going to church and trying to be a good person - is this really about God? Or are we just in this for ourselves? Sure, in the beginning it might be. But don't let that become the only reason for you to be going to church or helping someone out. Don't do it because you're just trying to feel better about yourself. Do it because you want THEM to feel better.

Remember JOY. You put Jesus first, then Others, and then Yourself. In the beginning, we come to church like a sponge. We soak it up, taking in the good stuff and learning about everything, but then eventually you gotta wring it out. The church does what it can to help you out, but eventually you should be wringing it out on others, or as they say - Pay it forward.

Just don't wring yourself out so much that you can't help others because SOMETIMES you gotta take care of yourself too. Life is not about ourselves. That is when we are most miserable. When we focus on our self, we either start to see our flaws more and don't like ourselves, or we become so overconfident that we don't like others, or they don't like us.

But as 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 says, "Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love." Take care of yourself so that you don't become stretched too thin, but do everything in love. Put others before yourself, and do it with love.