Moreover, the crown jewel of wisdom’s accumulation is the fear of the Lord.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline” (Proverbs 1:7).
The fear of God positions you to receive wisdom. Having no fear of God means you lack wisdom. No wonder our world is filled with fools. — Bible App Reading Plan
“Fully Surrendered to God’s Agenda!”
Pastor Kerry Willis
Today, i will preach the memorial service for my mentor of presence, Dr. Stephen Manley, in Lebanon, Tennessee. Nearly a year ago standing in a church parking lot, Dr. Manley and i were sharing tenderly in the wake of his recent brain cancer diagnosis. When i asked if there was anything i could do for him other than to pray, he said, "Yes, you can preach my funeral." i was breathless.
As i write, it’s about four hours before the memorial service. i have been preparing for weeks and am still shuffling spiritual thoughts around in my mind.
Surely, these words spoken by Jesus will be part of what i speak: "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 5:3) This verse is what Dr. Manley called "The Premise of the Sermon of the Mount" taught by Jesus. In other words, if we forget that we are spiritually helpless apart from Him, we have no hope of living His requirements in the Sermon. So freeing.
i will likely begin my time of sharing about how my first impression and my last impression of Dr. Manley was that he was a true worshipper of Jesus. His personal worship and undeniable intimacy with the Lord is really what made his evangelistic messages so powerfully appealing. He was truly merged as one with the Master.
We met in December of 1992 at Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he was my professor of evangelism. That encounter changed the trajectory of my ministry forever. This hero of the faith became my faithful and forever friend. Speaking of forever, we shall meet again on that beautiful shore, because friends are friends forever if the Lord’s the Lord of them. Amen.
"Fully Surrendered to God’s Agenda!"
Pastor Kerry Willis
“Jesus, You embraced our darkness, so we could enter Your Light. You are Faithful. We are grateful. Amen.” -kww
Prophecy about the passion week of Jesus: “You have taken My loved ones and friends far away from Me. Darkness is My only friend.” Psalm 88:18 GW
“Fully Surrendered to God’s Agenda!”
Pastor Kerry Willis
"To continue in sin is to futilely seek soul fulfillment apart from an intimate relationship with the Savior, Jesus Himself." -kww
"Listen! Whoever is thirsty, come to the water! Whoever has no money can come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk. You don’t have to pay; it’s free! Why do you spend money on what cannot nourish you and your wages on what does not satisfy you? Listen carefully to me: Eat what is good, and enjoy the best foods. Open your ears, and come to me! Listen so that you may live! I will make an everlasting promise to you-- the blessings I promised to David." Isaiah 55:1-3 GW
"On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus was standing ⌞in the temple courtyard⌟. He said loudly, "Whoever is thirsty must come to me to drink. As Scripture says, ‘Streams of living water will flow from deep within the person who believes in me.’ "Jesus said this about the Spirit, whom his believers would receive. The Spirit was not yet evident, as it would be after Jesus had been glorified." John 7:37-39 GW
"Fully Surrendered to God’s Agenda!"
Pastor Kerry Willis
“If anyone lives in Almighty God's safe place, the Most High God protects them. I will say to the Lord, ‘You are the strong place where I will be safe. You are my God, and I trust in you.’ God will keep you safe, so that no trap will catch you. He will not let any illness kill you. He will keep you safe, like a bird keeps its babies safe under its wings. Because he is faithful, he will keep you safe like a shield and armour. Do not be afraid of danger that comes in the night, or of your enemy's arrows during the day. Do not be afraid of any illness that comes when it is dark, or any trouble that comes in the middle of the day. A thousand people may die near you. Even ten thousand people may die at your side. But nothing will hurt you. Your own eyes will see this happen. You will see wicked people receive the punishment that they deserve. You have come to the Lord to make you safe. The Most High God has become your home. No bad thing will happen to you. No illness will come to your home. For God will tell his angels to keep you safe. They will protect you wherever you go. They will hold you safely in their hands, so that you do not hurt your foot on a stone. You will win against lions and snakes. You will walk over them! The Lord says, ‘If someone loves me, I will keep him safe. Because he worships me, I will protect him. When he calls to me for help, I will answer him. When he has trouble, I will be with him. I will rescue him, and people will respect him. I will give him a long life, so that he is happy. He will see that I have the power to save people.’” Psalms 91:1-16 EASY
“Fully Surrendered to God’s Agenda!”
Pastor Kerry Willis
This morning I awoke at 1:35 AM, after dreaming about being in a worship service. The song we were singing was one I had never heard, and so when I awoke, I was careful to write down the lyrics that I remembered. It truly inspired me:
"Who can build a home in us? (3 times) Jesus!"
After writing down the line from the new song, i immediately remembered this verse:
"Jesus replied, "All who love Me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and We will come and make our home with each of them." John 14:23 NLT
"Fully Surrendered to God’s Agenda!"
Pastor Kerry Willis
“God’s provision frees us from traps. Simple obedience is our role; provision is God’s. Scarcity is a tactic the enemy often uses to dissuade us from following God’s purposes. God delights in sustaining His children in the work He calls them into.” -Bible App Devo
“Give us this day our daily bread.” -Jesus
“Fully Surrendered to God’s Agenda!”
Pastor Kerry Willis
