Serve (John 13:1-20)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the word of the day is “serve.” Towards the end of Jesus ministry I am sure that he thought much about leaving his disciples behind to continue building the king them.  You can imagine the stress and concern with which he lived.  Out of all of the lessons that he taught these men and women who followed him, he always focused on the most important part of his ministry... Jesus was always ready to serve others.

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

John 13:3-6

My question is: who are the people in your life that you associate most with serving others?  I would imagine that these are the men of women that you should follow.  My prayer is that each of you live a life of service, both to one another as teammates, and also others with whom you come into contact.  We don’t have a lot of time here at Azusa Pacific.  What we do have is the opportunity that God has given.  Use it well, and always put others before you.

Praying for you,

MO

Beginning (Jeremiah 29:11)

Good morning ladies,

Welcome!  Today marks the first practice day of our swim season. God has dealt with this concept for quite some time. In fact, have the creator of the universe he has a pretty good idea of what it means to start something anew. Many people in the Bible struggled with what God might do in their lives. One of the most famous for young people is a verse that reads:

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

~Jer. 29:11

My question is: what will make this year special for you? For you froshies, this marks the beginning of a new season of life - college. Grab hold of the upper-class peeps and glean some perspective on what lies ahead. For those of you returning, the faster you understand God's purpose for your year the better you will be able to serve others.  Remember, like Jeremiah experienced a new beginning to a new season of life... each of you have the opportunity to make this a great year. God fulfills promises and answers prayers. I continue to see him do big things all around us. My prayer is for God to move boldy in your life... and God will do so.

Praying for you,

mo