Gymnasiums and Recreation Centers

Our character must matter more to us than our reputation.

PRAYER - "It Is Good For Me To Draw Near To God"

Asaph expressed his frustration with himself for envying the prosperity of the wicked and how they seemed to escape punishment. He felt that his attempts to live righteously had gone unrewarded. He reminded himself how proud, corrupt, violent and blasphemous they were. "Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction."

Psalms 73:28 - "It is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works."

PRINCIPALS - "The House Of God"

No man-made building on earth is more sacred than the house of God. In these days of multi-purpose buildings, gymnasiums and recreation centers, we need a place where we can find a sanctuary, a holy, sanctified environment for prayer, praise and the preaching of the Word. I love God's house.

Psalms 27:4 - "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple."

PRINCIPLES - "God Provides A Safety Net"

Famed aerialist, Karl Wallenda died at age 73 while attempting to walk a wire suspended 123 feet in the air between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He had no safety net. An aerialist's life depends on the safety net. One simple mistake can result in sudden death. In the same way, only one transgression against God's laws means certain death. But God's amazing grace saves our lives again and again.

Psalms 37:24 - "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand."

PROPHECIES - "Asaph, The Seer"

Asaph, the choir and orchestra conductor and composer, wrote Psalm 50 and 73-83. Decades later, King Hezekiah called Asaph a seer (prophet). Asaph lamented great spiritual decline in Israel in Solomon's latter years. Asaph mourned the profaning of the sanctuary and heathen insurgencies throughout the land. "We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long." Asaph yearned for God to intervene.

Psalms 74:12,22 - "God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. ...Arise, O God, plead thine own cause."

• Being criticized is to be expected when you are an influencer or a leader.

• “Nothing can be more compassionate than the severe admonition which calls another Christian in one’s community back from the path of sin.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

• Our character must matter more to us than our reputation.

• We must learn to love the light, even when it exposes the darkness in us, instead of running and hiding from the light.

• “The final proof of greatness lies in being able to endure criticism without resentment.” Elbert Hubbard

• “Even if only 20% is true, we can profit from criticism given by people who are badly motivated or whom we don’t respect.”Tim Keller

The shepherds who visited Jesus birth were no ordinary sheep herders. Click here Rather, they were Levitical shepherds, trained and tasked with the responsibility of tending and guarding the flocks used for sacrifices in the temple in Jerusalem. Not only that, but Jesus was likely born in a cave reserved for the birth of Passover lambs