To the Graduates:

June can be a busy month with the end of the academic year, vacations and celebrations! We invite you to  worship with us at the Evangelical Free Church of Yucca Valley where we encourage a multi-generational community of followers of Jesus Christ. There is something for everyone.
Sunday:
​Adult Sunday School - 9 am
Join us for fellowship, coffee and snacks 
     at 10 am
Worship Service 10:30 am
Tuesday:
Ladies' Bible Study 6 -7:15 pm
Wednesday:
Adult Sermon Discussion and Bible Study - 6:30 pm
Youth Group  - 6:15 - 8 pm
Second Saturday of Each Month:
Men's Breakfast and Bible Study 7:30 am
Women's Brunch 10 am-noon
Bi-Monthly Potluck Lunch:
​
See weekly bulletin
 
For additional information call the church office Mon-Thurs, 10 am - 2 pm -  760 228-1747

A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT
FROM GOD'S WORD
​
'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 nasb)
 
God knows everything (Ps. 139:1-4). God has a plan for every person (Jn. 3:16). His fundamental purpose for every person is that they know and experience His best (Eph. 1:3-8). Thus, His plans are positive, for our welfare (Rom. 8:28). The greatest harm and calamity come when we choose to operate outside of His plans for our lives (Heb. 11:6). Thus, His plans for me/you are not for our calamity. Jesus came to give all people a future and a hope (Jn. 10:10).
 
So, while Jeremiah 29:11 has specific application to a unique group of people (the children of Israel in Babylon who were carried away into captivity before the final destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, the ones who were reading this letter from Jeremiah), it expresses truths for everyone that are taught throughout the Scripture. So, if you don’t want to apply this specific verse to your life because you think it only applies to those ancient Israelites, then look at it as a paradigm of Bible truth that expresses God’s intention for all our lives and apply it accordingly.
 
So, graduates (and the rest of us), think about this: Let God’s complete knowledge motivate your faith. He knows the plans that He has for you. He not only gave you life, He gave you a unique personality, unique talents and abilities, unique life experiences, and, as a born-again Believer in Jesus, He gave you unique spiritual gifts. All of this to equip you to carry out His specific, personal plan for your life. He knows the plans that He has for you, and you need to know them too. I estimate that about 90% of God’s plan for your life has already been revealed and it’s right at your fingertips. Most of what we need to know about God’s will for our lives is found in the Bible. So, open the Book of books; read the Scriptures.
 
Now, for the other 10%, continue reading in Jeremiah:
 
Jeremiah 29:12-13, 12 'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
 
When we seek Him and search for Him, the Lord promises to let Himself be found by us! And when you find Him, you find the other 10%, that is, that part of His will for your life that is not already revealed in the Scriptures; the specific, right now stuff. What career path should I seek? Does God intend for me to be married? If yes, then who? Where should I live? Should I buy a car? Do I go to college? What’s my major? Should I take out a student loan? etc. God wants us to know His plan for our life! But we have a responsibility to not be passive about our relationship with Him, we need to keep on seeking Him. We’re told in the Book of Hebrews,
 
Heb 11:6, And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
 
God wants you to have a future and a hope. That doesn’t mean life here is going to be easy. In fact, Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation.” He then finished the thought with the admonition, “…But take courage, I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33). Our overcoming the world is directly tied to Jesus. The best future, the best hope we can imagine, comes to us through God Himself when we are completely surrendered to His plan for our lives.
 
Without God, this is a scary, dangerous world. But He knows all that and He still knows the plans that He has for you, plans that include a future and a hope. When we follow His plan, we can be assured of His strength and provision to do everything He has called us to do. Graduation is just one more step in the journey of your life. And because God’s plan is for our welfare, you can take the next step without fear, confident in the God who loves you and is looking out for your very best. I wish you many blessings in the months and years ahead as you continue your journey in God’s care.
​To the graduates. A word of encouragement from God’s word.
 
'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 nasb)
 
God knows everything (Ps. 139:1-4). God has a plan for every person (Jn. 3:16). His fundamental purpose for every person is that they know and experience His best (Eph. 1:3-8). Thus, His plans are positive, for our welfare (Rom. 8:28). The greatest harm and calamity come when we choose to operate outside of His plans for our lives (Heb. 11:6). Thus, His plans for me/you are not for our calamity. Jesus came to give all people a future and a hope (Jn. 10:10).
 
So, while Jeremiah 29:11 has specific application to a unique group of people (the children of Israel in Babylon who were carried away into captivity before the final destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, the ones who were reading this letter from Jeremiah), it expresses truths for everyone that are taught throughout the Scripture. So, if you don’t want to apply this specific verse to your life because you think it only applies to those ancient Israelites, then look at it as a paradigm of Bible truth that expresses God’s intention for all our lives and apply it accordingly.
 
So, graduates (and the rest of us), think about this: Let God’s complete knowledge motivate your faith. He knows the plans that He has for you. He not only gave you life, He gave you a unique personality, unique talents and abilities, unique life experiences, and, as a born-again Believer in Jesus, He gave you unique spiritual gifts. All of this to equip you to carry out His specific, personal plan for your life. He knows the plans that He has for you, and you need to know them too. I estimate that about 90% of God’s plan for your life has already been revealed and it’s right at your fingertips. Most of what we need to know about God’s will for our lives is found in the Bible. So, open the Book of books; read the Scriptures.
 
Now, for the other 10%, continue reading in Jeremiah:
 
Jeremiah 29:12-13, 12 'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
 
When we seek Him and search for Him, the Lord promises to let Himself be found by us! And when you find Him, you find the other 10%, that is, that part of His will for your life that is not already revealed in the Scriptures; the specific, right now stuff. What career path should I seek? Does God intend for me to be married? If yes, then who? Where should I live? Should I buy a car? Do I go to college? What’s my major? Should I take out a student loan? etc. God wants us to know His plan for our life! But we have a responsibility to not be passive about our relationship with Him, we need to keep on seeking Him. We’re told in the Book of Hebrews,
 
Heb 11:6, And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
 
God wants you to have a future and a hope. That doesn’t mean life here is going to be easy. In fact, Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation.” He then finished the thought with the admonition, “…But take courage, I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33). Our overcoming the world is directly tied to Jesus. The best future, the best hope we can imagine, comes to us through God Himself when we are completely surrendered to His plan for our lives.
 
Without God, this is a scary, dangerous world. But He knows all that and He still knows the plans that He has for you, plans that include a future and a hope. When we follow His plan, we can be assured of His strength and provision to do everything He has called us to do. Graduation is just one more step in the journey of your life. And because God’s plan is for our welfare, you can take the next step without fear, confident in the God who loves you and is looking out for your very best. I wish you many blessings in the months and years ahead as you continue your journey in God’s care.
 
                         Yours for making disciples of every nation,
                          Pastor Bill
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