Who Are We - by Susan Jensen

On September 21, Pastor Rod continued his message series “7 Critical Life Questions” with the message –  “Do You Know Who You Are?” Only two messages into the multiple week series, as usual, I am finding the series a very relatable.  In this series, Rod is delving into the life of Joseph as it begins to play out in late the book of Genesis. Midway through this past week’s topic, Pastor Rod points out 2 reasons why Joseph didn’t give in when tempted into an affair by Potiphar’s wife.

Reason #1:  Joseph’s boss, Potiphar trusted him with everything he owns
Reason #2:  Joseph refused to do this “wicked sin” against God.

Now here is a personality confession, I have a terrible habit of rushing through a thought without always pondering beyond the surface why something is important. So when the 2 reasons were pointed out, my initial reaction was, well of course #2 is important… why bother with #1. #2 supersedes it. Enough said.

Then something made me go back and think about why #1 would matter. The obvious reason is that Joseph would lose his credibility with Potiphar as well as making a grave enemy of him. Again, this seems to be a distant second to the consequences of sinning against God. Granted, we all sin and fall short of the glory of God, but in my mind #2 is a heavier deterrent than #1. And then it hit me, as Rod asked earlier in his message. If we are to be any kind of Christian role model, #1 is hugely important. Now remember, throughout this story we are constantly reminded that God was with Joseph and all he did was blessed. If Joseph is a Christian role model to all around him just think of the damage Joseph could do by giving into temptation.  Remember the quote referred to a few weeks back from D L Moody: “Out of 100 people, one will read the Bible, the other 99 will read the Christian.” It would be easy for those around Joseph to say if a Christian can act like that, then what’s the difference, why bother being one?

If I had to put the reasons in order of why Joseph most likely chose to withstand temptation I would lean toward starting with #2, because Joseph valued his relationship with God and wanted to honor God. But #1 is definitely a huge benefit to #2.

So who are we? Do we belong to God? And if we belong to God, where does our loyalty lie? How deep does it run? Will we be easily swayed by temptations time and time again, or will we remember we belong to a loving God whose love is so strong for us that He gave His only Son to redeem us?

If you missed this past week’s message you can listen to it at www.dewittredeemer.org by clicking on the podcast.

Slavery still exists, even in our community - by Kim Metzer

There is a lot of talk in this country about being free and how we’re “free” because of our military.  Our military does do an amazing job of keeping this country free from tyranny and oppression and helping other countries free themselves from those things, but they can’t help everybody in every situation.

Slavery still exists – in our country, in our state and, yes, even in our own community.  The kind of slavery that occurs in the present day is not something that we can send in our military to eradicate.  No, freeing people from modern day slavery is a task that must be tackled by the average everyday citizen – in a word, YOU.

The best way to get started is to be aware of it, how it can happen and learn ways to prevent it from happening.  To help you get started in this effort Redeemer Church of DeWitt is sponsoring A Night of Hope and Freedom on Tuesday September 23, 2014 from 6 to 7:30pm.  On this night we will have two speakers from The Hope Project in Muskegon, MI; Julia Koch the Director of Development and Advocacy at The Hope Project and Malynda Jennings a survivor/ advocate on The Hope Project’s advisory board.

It is our hope that YOU will attend this event and come away with practical tips to not only help in the rescue of people trapped in the world of human trafficking, but also to keep your loved ones from becoming victims.

Contact me in the church office (517.669.3430 x116 or kim@dewittredeemer.org) for more information!

What is God reminding you of today? - by Sue Campbell

Well, the deadline for my turn at the DeWitt Redeemer blog has come and gone, but I was extended grace due to a busy 1^st day back in Christian Education this past Sunday.  No more excuses today though! While it would be fitting to write about the excitement and happy faces I saw in Kingdom Kids and Kingdom Quest last Sunday, something else came to mind as I sat down to write.

Thinking back a few weeks or more, to the lazy days of summer, I was reminded of a particular morning’s walk.  Up north, I like to walk on a quiet dirt road which winds through trees and past fields.  No cars - just the occasional sound of a bird chirping or squirrel rustling through the leaves.  This one morning, I came to the fork in the road where I usually veer to the right and circle around to head back.  But instead I had the thought that I should go to the left for a change and headed that way.  I saw something on the crest of the hill in the road and had decided it was a tree stump sticking out, but then it moved.  I waited and waited some more and was rewarded with seeing a deer cross the road, followed by her little one a short time afterwards.   After they disappeared into the brush, I circled back intending to head home.  But then, I decided to take the fork in my usual direction (being a creature of habit).  I walked down that way a little farther than normal and much to my surprise and delight, I saw another deer cross the road ahead of me! Two unexpected choices had led to two unexpected blessings. 

That made me think of a few things I often need to be reminded of ---

·    God’s blessings are all around us if we take time to notice them
·    Waiting can be hard but also very rewarding
·    You never know what might happen if you don’t step out of your routine and go a different direction
·    Good timing might just be God’s timing

What might God be reminding you of today?