Saturday, September 12, 2026
Praising God together!
Mark welcomed us to worship and shared announcements. There is a baby shower for Jake and Mariela Sept. 19, and a business meeting, Oct. 10.
Becky led us in prayer for Pastor Judith and Joel and their church in Puerto Rico,
“Lord, please heal relationships in their church, and bless the new work there. We pray the same for our church – for healing of memories, and for new vision. We lift up those who need healing, and thank you for the healing you have brought. We pray for your protection over all our children, for housing situations, and we pray for our government leaders, and for the wars to end in the Ukraine and Iran.
Help us to live up to your plan for our lives as we surrender to you completely.”
The children praised God, led by Susie as she read from Psalm 150
And welcome guitar-player Davis to the worship team!
Dean Fox read the scripture from John 15:1-8 reminding us of the words of Jesus. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener… No branch can bear fruit by itself… I am the vine and you are the branches… if a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit … apart from me you can do nothing… this is to my father’s glory, that you bear much fruit—showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Brother Jake shared about God’s gift of work.
He gives us meaningful work.Our purpose as humans is to:
- Love and worship God
- Love others as yourself
- Be fruitful and multiply
- Fear God and keep His commandments
- Care for the earth.
What am I supposed to do with this time I have now? Work. For others and for God’s Kingdom. Work is referenced through the entire Bible, from before the Fall, to ultimate glory:
Gen. 2:15 – The Lord put man in the garden to work and take care of it.
I Timothy 5:8 – …anyone who does not provide for their own relatives… is worse than an unbeliever.
Rev. 22:3 – Our ultimate work will be to serve God in His Holy City.
Jake defined work as mental, physical activity to care for creation, others, and for God.
There are many ways to work: paid labor, volunteer work and gracious acts such as ministry. Is volunteer work free? No. And we are grateful to our veterans – our freedom is not free.
What does work cost the worker? Toil, time, fatigue, sometimes grief and pain (Ecclesiastes. 2: 22 ,23 “What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving… even at night his mind does not rest…”
What matters is doing it with a proper heart – working as unto the Lord – serving Christ. –Col 3:23.
Biblical examples: Paul was a high-ranking Pharisee who gave up everything for the work of the Kingdom. Lydia, was a businesswoman in the clothing industry. Daniel, was a high ranking government official. They all traded their skill and labor to benefit others and benefit the Kingdom.
Retirement is not mentioned in the Bible. A job may end, but we should never retire from working for the kingdom of God.
Work is rewarding. Is not always a bad thing. We can enjoy the fruits of our labor. “Be happy and do good while you live – eat and drink and find satisfaction in your toil for this is the gift of God.” Ecclesiastes 3:12, 13
Our joy comes from God. We our grateful to God for His work. We thank you God for your work at the cross!
Amen.
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Pataskala Seventh Day Baptist 