A Jeffery Journey

Back in the DR, enjoying some of God’s creation and the wonderful people. Please, pray as I preach God’s Word to God’s people. We will be discussing why it means for us to actively love God and love others from Matthew 22:34-40. (at Santiago, Dominican Republic) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByfHQ0UHnWw/?igshid=1lmo7egl01551

God’s justice points to our sin, everything we have done wrong and says, “You are guilty of breaking the Law a holy God. Justice demands your life.” Jesus points to the cross and answers, “Take My life instead. That debt is paid in full” He paid a debt he did not owe. I owed a debt I could not pay. #goodfriday2019 https://www.instagram.com/p/BweeN1mn4hl/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=hw2ouq47c9xk

“So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!” - 2 Corinthians‬ ‭9:12-15‬ Our gratitude is not limited to those blessings we enjoy ourselves. Whenever others have a reason to praise, so do we. That God would even use us to convey His blessings to others is a privilege of inexpressible proportions. He doesn’t need us. He owns all things and could provide for any need with a word, yet has chosen to use us to help others in such a way that they give glory to Him. How could we ever put our gratitude for this into mere words? ———————————————— “Porque la ministración de este servicio no solamente suple lo que a los santos falta, sino que también abunda en muchas acciones de gracias a Dios; pues por la experiencia de esta ministración glorifican a Dios por la obediencia que profesáis al evangelio de Cristo, y por la liberalidad de vuestra contribución para ellos y para todos; asimismo en la oración de ellos por vosotros, a quienes aman a causa de la superabundante gracia de Dios en vosotros. ¡Gracias a Dios por su don inefable!” ‭‭2 Corintios‬ ‭9:12-15‬ ‭ Nuestra gratitud no se limita a esas bendiciones que disfrutamos nosotros mismos. Cada vez que otros tienen una razón para alabar, nosotros también. Que Dios incluso nos use para transmitir Sus bendiciones a otros es un privilegio de proporciones inexpresables. Él no nos necesita. Él posee todas las cosas y podría satisfacer cualquier necesidad con una palabra, pero ha elegido usarnos para ayudar a otros de tal manera que le den gloria a Él. ¿Cómo podríamos expresar nuestra gratitud por esto en meras palabras? https://www.instagram.com/p/BqR_TQyF0bN/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1bglvjnx1oixg

What do you do for your anniversary? Why, go golfing and go-kart racing, of course! We tied the knot eight years ago and tied up last night (Adria won the race, Aaron won golfing). Thank you Zeiders for giving us a free night and watching the kids so we could be kids again! #jefferyanniversary2018 ————————————— ¿Qué haces para tu aniversario? ¡Pues, vaya al golf y a las carreras de karts, por supuesto! Amarramos el nudo hace ocho años y lo amarramos anoche (Adria ganó la carrera, Aaron ganó el golf). ¡Gracias, Zeiders por darnos una noche libre y observar a los niños para que pudiéramos volver a ser niños! #jefferyaniversario2018 (at Tussey Mountain)

There is only freedom in Christ. Not the freedom we are used to, freedom to do whatever we want whenever we want to. That would simply leave us as slaves, bound to our own desires and impulses, forced to endure the consequences of our limited perspective. Instead of living how we want to, the freedom that comes from Spirit-filled, Christ-centered living allows us to live as we were meant to, life to its fullest. We were made to reflect God, to bear His image. We are only free to fulfill that purpose in life through the power and leadership of the Spirit. Today, as we gather for worship, I pray we gain a deeper sense of what that freedom and purpose is, what it looks like in our lives, that we would allow the Spirit to lead us into the freedom God has promised. Let’s live free. #freedominJesus #lettheSpiritlead ———————————————— “Porque el Señor es el Espíritu; y donde está el Espíritu del Señor, allí hay libertad.” (2 Corintios‬ ‭3:17)‬ ‭Solo hay libertad en Cristo. No es la libertad a la que estamos acostumbrados, la libertad de hacer lo que queramos cuando queramos. Eso simplemente nos dejaría como esclavos, atados a nuestros propios deseos e impulsos, obligados a soportar las consecuencias de nuestra perspectiva limitada. En lugar de vivir como queremos, la libertad que proviene de la vida llena del Espíritu y centrada en Cristo nos permite vivir como debimos, la vida al máximo. Fuimos hechos para reflejar a Dios, para llevar su imagen. Solo somos libres de cumplir ese propósito en la vida a través del poder y el liderazgo del Espíritu. Hoy, mientras nos reunimos para la adoración, oro para que obtengamos un sentido más profundo de lo que es esa libertad y ese propósito, cómo se ve en nuestras vidas, que permitamos que el Espíritu nos guíe hacia la libertad que Dios ha prometido. Vivamos libremente. #libertadenJesús #dejaqueelEspíritudirija (at Tyrone, Pennsylvania)

We have nothing to offer God. Everything we have came from Him. If you, like me, find yourself lacking in natural talents and abilities, take heart. That makes us perfect recipients for His strength, power, and wisdom. It does not matter what you can or cannot do if God is leading your life because His strength reaches its intended goal when it fills our weaknesses. Our lack of strengths and resources ensures that nothing else will rob the glory and praise from God. God delights in using unexceptional people like you and I to accomplish exceptional things to draw the focus off of us and onto Himself. We have nothing to offer God, but that is all He wants. You don’t hace to be great to do great things. You just need to depend on the power of our great God. #hisstrengthnotmine —————————————— No tenemos nada que ofrecerle a Dios. Todo lo que tenemos vino de Él. Si usted, como yo, se encuentra carente de talentos y habilidades naturales, anímese. Eso nos hace recipientes perfectos para su fuerza, poder y sabiduría. No importa lo que puedas o no puedas hacer si Dios está liderando tu vida porque su fortaleza alcanza su objetivo deseado cuando llena nuestras debilidades. Nuestra falta de fortalezas y recursos asegura que nada más robe la gloria y la alabanza de Dios. Dios se deleita en el uso de personas excepcionales como usted y yo para lograr cosas excepcionales que nos desvíen de nosotros mismos y hacia Él mismo. No tenemos nada que ofrecerle a Dios, pero eso es todo lo que quiere. No hace falta ser genial para hacer grandes cosas. Solo necesitas depender del poder de nuestro gran Dios. #sufuerzanomía (at Tyrone, Pennsylvania)

Not nearly as good as fresh off the tree mangoes, but it will have to suffice. #missingtheDR ————————————— No es tan bueno como recién salido de los mangos de árbol, pero tendrá que ser suficiente. #faltalaRD (at Tyrone, Pennsylvania)

This Week's #OTRUpdate : Break, Bash, & VBS. Keep Building, On The Rock! (at On The Rock)

Can’t believe this kiddo is done with his first year of school! He has grown and learned so much in Pre-k K3. Thank you, Mrs. Raabe, for all your work with our kids. Words can’t describe our appreciation! (at Tyrone, Pennsylvania)

This week's #OTRUpdate : Guests, Review, & Bash. Keep Building, On The Rock! (at On The Rock)

Let the Faith test you. This is so contrary to our conventional perspective of the Faith. We would rather test the Faith, pressing it and examining it with with more scrutiny than we would apply to any other force in our lives, all in an attempt to expose any potential or perceived weakness. Instead, Paul commands us to allow the Faith to examine and scrutinize us, to test us for our weaknesses. When we come to a portion of the Faith with which we disagree, it has exposed a flaw in us, rather than a flaw in the Faith. #testyourself

This Week's #OTRUpdate : Moms, Guest, & Context. Keep Building, On The Rock! (at On The Rock)

This week's #OTRUpdate : Strength & Mother's Day. Keep Building, On The Rock!

When the righteous wound, it is for the benefit of the other. When they confront and point out error, it is a blessing. Not all confrontation is judgement. It may just be the thing that brings health back to your spiritual life. #oilforyourhead #psalm141:5

This week's #OTRUpdate : Purpose, Guys, and Reevaluating. Keep Building, On The Rock! (at On The Rock)

This week's #OTRUpdate : Clay, Sex&Dating, and Cracks. Keep Building, On The Rock! (at On The Rock)