I’m excited you’ve joined our church family in this exciting adventure as we experience The Power of Everyone coming together to thank and seek God. Over the next 21 days we’ll pray, fast and seek God’s direction personally and for our church. I hope you’ll pause at 10pm each night and pray for about 10 minutes; do this individually, as a couple, or as a family.
For the next 21 days on this blog, I’ll list a scripture for you to read and consider. I’ll also share a few thoughts of my own, but my primary desire is that you ask God to reveal to you what this passage means in your life and how you should apply it. I would also ask that you pray and ask God to speak to the hearts of all the people in our church about this particular passage. It’s going to be a great adventure. Bless you – Pastor BJ
Nov. 3 Matt 6:19-21
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
While reading In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day I came across this sentence: “Don’t accumulate possessions; accumulate experiences.” I think many of us are about accumulating possessions. We tend to treasure things, when God actually says we ought to treasure Him and others. It’s pretty easy to test yourself on this; what’s the inclination of your heart? What are your passions and desires?
I believe you store up treasures in heaven through the experiences of life where you invest in the things of God and people. Intellectually, we all know that things here on earth don’t last. Our homes need repair, our cars wear out; even our bodies wear out eventually. Things don’t last, but the things of God do!
If you want to experience incredible joy, I challenge you to consider investing in the things of God – things that eternal. Think about that for a moment; what things are actually eternal? Only 3 things are eternal: God, His Word, and people. People are eternal; they’ll spend eternity in heaven or hell – think about it! I think the greatest treasure I’ll have in heaven are the people who are there because I chose to invest in the things that helped them get there.
God is doing a miraculous work through Grace Fellowship; Janet and I are “ALL IN” when it comes to investing in things eternal through the ministries of this church family. I hope you are too!
BJ Rutledge 
Dear BJ,
I’m not really sure how this blogging thing works, so I don’t know if you will even see this! I just want to say thank you for a wonderful service yesterday. You targeted 3 areas for me that I struggle with: obedience, obligation, and optimism.
It is so refreshing to be encouraged, even reminded, that we should be obedient to God. And that as Christians we are obligated to serve Him with our actions, words, money, our entire beings! And your references to the city that was surrounded by the armies, and yet remained steadfastly focused on God, just seemed to shout at me that no matter what the situation, God wants us to focus on Him, and that as we do this, we can hold onto optimism and live joyously, optimistically, because of His power and His promises!
In shame I say that I have often wondered if God truly cares about our happiness. But, whether you intended it or not, His message to me through your service is that even in tumultuous times, times of despair, He wants us to remain optimistic! That indeed, because of Him, we do not have a reason to be anything but optimistic!
Your challenge to us to fast was indeed a sword to my heart! Chocolate, a trivial thing, came to mind. I tried throughout the service to come up with a valid excuse not to meet your challenge. But again, God’s voice was loud and clear: “I gave you my son’s life…..” And so in obedience I am fasting from chocolate! There are so many enormous struggles in our world. At least I am assured I will provide entertainment for our Lord for these next 20 days as I struggle to abstain from chocolate! If anyone deserves a good laugh, it is certainly He!
Thanks again for all you do for the Lord!
Tammy