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In today’s message, we explore some ways to magnify The Lord. Taking a closer look at His relationship with us and to us, and ours with and to Him.

If you find it hard to think of a reason to rejoice, you can at least remember that you have been forgiven of sin. Rejoice in that. Because you’ve been forgiven, you have access to more of God’s blessing through prayer. Because of these blessings, you can have peace knowing He loves you and the promises that He has made. Philippians 4:4–7; John 1:14; Revelation 21:3–4; John 14:27

Preparing the way for The Lord depends on where you want Him to go. You want Him to go to your neighbor or relative, you show love and speak truth from His Word. You want Him to go to a tribe in the jungle, you bring love and use their language to speak truth from His Word. You want him to go into your finances, you obey because of love and receive the truth of His Word. The thing to remember to know how to prepare no matter the destination is that the valleys be filled in, the mountains made low, and the crooked paths made straight. Essentially, make as smooth and straight a shot as you can between the destination and the Gospel. These are the margin notes. Listen to this message from Pastor Harrison for the full breakdown. Luke 3:1–6; Deuteronomy 8:15–18; Ephesians 2:13–18

Do you have hope? Not a wish or a wonder but looking forward to something you are sure is coming. Like Monday or a paycheck. This is the hope we have in the One who has already saved us and told us what the future will hold if we stand with Him at our backs. What are the present troubles compared to knowing what awaits us? Therefore, we can act with boldness on behalf of the lost and generously pass on resources passed on to us for a purpose. Luke 21:25–36; Ephesians 1:10; Colossians 1:20; Revelation 21:1–4

As you get older, you may notice yourself forgetting things. It’s not really that you forget. Certain memories don’t surface as often as we are continually dealing with new situations. You may randomly recall something from years before and wish you had remembered it more frequently. Especially a beloved memory of something you are thankful for. It would be difficult to remain grateful without something to be grateful for. Therefore, the effort in cultivating a heart of gratitude is in remembering what we should be thankful for. So how do we remember? Listen as Pastor Harrison guides us in today’s message. 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18; 1 Peter 7:8–9; Philippians 4:4–7; Psalms 103:8–18; Exodus 3:2–4; Romans 8:28

Observing the Lord’s Supper is a periodic reminder of the hope we have in Christ. That His time on earth was a tangible demonstration of God’s Love and Will. That He died so that we don’t have to. That He rose and ascended to heaven as proof that death has no power over Him or those who believe these things to be true. We reflect on our own sin and how undeserving we are of any grace from the One who made us. And we are thankful that He chose to make a way for us to spend eternity with Him anyhow. If our lives haven’t reflected this, we can resolve to start at the Lord’s Table. Ephesians 2:11–16; John 14:25–27; Revelation 21:1–4; 1 John 4:15–21; Colossians 2:6–15; Ephesians 2:3–10

Courage is the will to act when that act causes you rational or irrational fear. There are many ways to allow courage to overcome your fears. In this message, courage is gained by experience in trusting The Lord. You can start with the experiences of others, but each of your own experiences with God will make you even more bold when you know you are acting according to His will. When the ultimate force in the universe has your back because you have His front, what is left to fear? This is both the beginning of, and the result from, faith. Daniel 3:16–18; Matthew 2:1-2; Matthew 27:11; Mark 15:2; Luke 23:3; John 18:33; John 15:13; Mark 10:41-45; Hebrews 1:11

Most of us have had the experience where a time in our life was spent away from God. It usually doesn’t happen overnight. When needing extra time for a big work project or family event, you might sacrifice your personal study time or decide to skip a gathering of your local church. “Just this once” can easily turn into a few weeks or months if we’re not paying attention. At a point we feel God pulling at our heart and realize how long it’s been. Then we try to slowly reengage those times and activities. Deacon Simeon’s message today is an invitation to not just get a sprinkling of God as you seek Him again, but to stand in the rain and let God drench you with His Word, His Love and run headlong into fellowship with your brothers and sisters. This method could be far more beneficial to you and those around you. Hosea 6:1–3; 1 Kings 17:17–23; Genesis 45:25–27; Psalm 80; Isaiah 58:11; 2 Corinthians 4; Proverbs 4:23; Acts 3:19; Hosea 6:1; Exodus 5:2; Romans 11:33; Acts 17:28; James 1:17

If you are for God, God is with you. We often need reminding that we were not promised a pain-free life because we accepted God’s gift of salvation. The metaphor of water being a struggle we are in and the fire a trial that does us physical harm but does not destroy us. What we were promised is that we are children of God and have access to His blessings, one of them being peace. Maybe not total peace depending on the circumstance, but we are certainly more at peace than those without Him. If you need more, just ask. And whatever you have, try to share. Here is a message to help remind you what you have as you walk through the water and the fire. Isaiah 43:1–2; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 1 John 4:20; Luke 22:42; 2 Corinthians 12:9–10; Romans 5:3–5

You cannot stop time. You can anchor yourself in an activity or mindset as time moves around you, but the seasons will still come and go. Be prepared to adjust to the changes life brings to your environment, the people around you, and your own understanding and wisdom. Pastor Harrison has prepared some things to keep in mind that apply to all seasons of life. To help you adjust as time marches on. Ecclesiastes 3:1–11