Imagine yourself as a living house God comes

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. ”

“But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of…”

“…throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself. ” - C. S. Lewis

Jeremiah 18: 1 -3 1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message. ” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel.

Jeremiah 18: 4 -6 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. 5 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does? ” declares the LORD. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand”

“To love someone is to desire and work toward their becoming the best version of themselves. The one person in all the universe who can do this perfectly for you is God. ” – John Ortberg

“I don’t want to miss the dance. I get hung up on so many things in life, worrying about what I will never do or achieve or have. But I don’t want to miss the dance. I want to love my spouse, care for my kids, and give life to my friends. I want to do the work God made me to do. I want to love God and the world He made. I want to do my part to help it flourish, for my spiritual maturity is not measured by following rules. ‘The me God made me to be’ is measured by my capacity to love. When we live in love, we flourish. That is the dance… There is a me I want to be. ” - John Ortberg

“Flourish”: 1. to be in a vigorous state 2. to be in one's prime; to dwell in excellence 3. to be successful; prosper 4. a period of thriving or growing

Psalm 92: 12 -14 12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; 13 planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green

Ephesians 2: 10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. ”

“Pieces” of Me • Spirit • Mind • Time • Experiences • Relationships

Romans 6: 4 “Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. ”

2 Corinthians 5: 17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

Colossians 3: 9 -10 “You have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ”

Ephesians 4: 22 -24 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

1 Peter 1: 3 -4 3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade— kept in heaven for you”

2 Corinthians 4: 16 “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ”

Lamentations 3: 22 -24 22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for

Zephaniah 3: 5 “The LORD within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail”

Ezekiel 36: 26 -28 26 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. ”

Isaiah 42: 9 -10 9 “See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you. ” 10 Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth

Revelation 21: 1 -2 1 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

Revelation 21: 3 -5 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. ” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything

“Life’s Healing Choices” A Transformational 8 -Week Sermon Series & Bible Study Sermon Series Starts on Jan. 23 DVD-Based Bible Study: Monday Nights, Starting Jan. 24 6: 00 P. M. - In the Sanctuary Please Invite Loved Ones to Come and Learn How to Be Set Free From Life’s Hurts, Hang-ups, and Habits