March 01st, 2019

                                              From The Pastor's Desk

We invite you to participate in activities 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:
Kids Quest - 6:15 - 8 pm FREE - ages 3 years old  to 6th grade
Adult Sermon Discussion and Bible Study - 6:30 pm
Friday:
Youth Group  - 6-8 pm
Second Saturday of Each Month:
Men's Breakfast and Bible Study 7:30 am
Next Women's Brunch March 9th 10 am-noon
Bi-Monthly Potluck Lunch:
​March 17th following the church service.
​
See weekly bulletin
 
For additional information call the church office Mon-Thurs, 10 am - 2 pm -  760 228-1747

​Hope, honor and purpose seem to be in short supply these days. People struggle to find hope in their careers, families, friends. They long for hope that government will break the gridlock and that nations will stop rising up against nations. We struggle to find honor in a culture that seems to glorify the dishonorable as long as they’re the “winner”. And we all seem to be looking for the “why” of life. Well, there’s good news: we find in Jesus real hope, genuine honor and a noble reason to carry on. Let’s take a look.
 
 As I see it, the opposite of hope is despair. There has been a sharp increase in the number of suicide deaths in our nation in recent years. The increase in suicides, along with other factors, has caused the overall life expectancy for the U.S. to drop over the last two years. But God gives us something to live for, it’s a true and genuine hope! Jesus said come to Me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. He said that in this world you will have trouble but take courage because I have overcome the world. He said that He has gone ahead into heaven to prepare a place for us. And He promised to never leave us nor forsake us! The hope that He offers is both in the here-and-now as well as in eternity-future!
 
The opposite of honor is shame. According to Webster, shame is a consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety; a condition of humiliating disgrace or disrepute. We find in Jesus the affirmation that as humans, we are made in the image of God. However, we have sinned and come short of God’s righteous standards. Jesus met all those standards, and He offers His righteousness, along with God’s forgiveness, to everyone who believes. In essence, He has taken our shame upon Himself and credited His righteousness to our account. What an honor He bestows!
 
A bit less specific is the opposite of purpose. For a person without purpose, life tends to be aimless, pointless, fraught with emptiness, one struggles to find a reason to get out of bed in the morning. There is no greater purpose in life on planet Earth than finding and doing God’s will. Law 1 of the Four Spiritual Laws tells us that, “God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.” The principle is simple: God made every one of us with a specific purpose in mind. When we are rightly connected to Him and following His purpose for our lives, life suddenly has a point, we have a reason to persevere. Not only do we find our value as human beings when we are doing God’s will, but we discover a living, dynamic and personal relationship with God Himself! And there is no greater purpose!!!
 
Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it to the full.” He’s not talking about creature comforts and easy, luxurious living. He’s talking about hope, forgiveness, purpose and honor. When we have these things ‘to the full’, life really is worth living. God offers all of this and so much more to every human being. But it only becomes ours when we receive Jesus, believe in His name, take up our cross and follow Him.

Yours for making disciples of every nation,