Mark 8:34-35 “When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” NKJV

Life Lesson: Loving God and loving people – leaves no room for our self.

There is a whole lot of ‘self’ going on in the world today. “What is in it for me” is a question we ask ourselves more often than we realize or would ever probably admit. The world media today would have us believe that to make a real impact on this world; we need to take care of ourselves first. It is selfishness justified with a loss of cabin pressure mentality. What is that you ask? You know how aircraft stewards will announce that in the case of a loss of cabin pressure an oxygen mask will drop from the ceiling. What do they tell you next? They tell you to place the mask on yourself before helping anyone else…including your own children! That is the mentality that we tend to have in life. If I do not help myself first, how can I help others? “I need to win the lottery so that I can give to someone else.” “I would be glad to help except the NCAA Championship is on TV.” “Sorry, that’s my dinner time.” What self-serving excuses do you make to avoid sacrifice? That mentality is so not Jesus.

Jesus says we are to lay down our lives, actually denying ourselves, in order that we may place others first. Jesus told us to take up our cross, knowing full well that His cross was a literal instrument of sacrifice…the means by which He would give His own life for you. I will bet that championship game seems less significant in light of His sacrifice. Loving God and loving people leaves no room for self.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for loving me. Thank You for dying for me. I want to live as Your vessel to share the Gospel to others. Lord, I have been selfish with my time. Help me to deny myself and place the needs of others first. Allow me the opportunity to make a ‘missional’ impact on the lives of others and the world around me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Living to tell what He died to say,
Pastor David McGee
Senior Pastor
Calvary Chapel of the Triad
Reachthetriad.com
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336.996.6880

1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” NKJV

Life Lesson: You cannot fake fruit.

What a blessing it was to have Alex McFarland as our guest speaker this Sunday. I was freshly reminded of the tremendous potential impact of the full outpouring of God’s love by God’s people on this world.

These are days of self-deception and lies. These are times marked with focus on ‘self.’ Many are deceived and many Christians have clothed themselves with a candy coating of worldliness. The average American spends 142 minutes a day watching television. By age 65, you will have spent nearly 9 years of your life, watching television. Sticky sweet idolatry marked with slogans such as “A diamond is forever,” “Because you’re worth it” and “Have it your way,” proclaimed hourly to wide-eyed zombies ready to tow the line of “in.” It is no wonder so many have bought into the lie.

Have you bought in to today’s “self-worth” mentality? A good way to tell is to examine the fruit in your life. Good fruit comes by love for God and love for others. Bad fruits are the product of concentrating on ‘self.’ Be discerning about the fruit in your life. There is great potential for every child of God to bear awesome fruit. What are your priorities? Whom do they point to? Do they point to you, or do they point to Jesus?

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for loving me. Thank you for dying for me so that I can be forgiven. Lord, help me not to live a life of deception, but rather strive to live and walk in the Holy Spirit always showing my ‘fruit.’ In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Living to tell what He died to say,
Pastor David McGee
Senior Pastor
Calvary Chapel of the Triad
Reachthetriad.com
Twitter.com/CCOT
336.996.6880

1 Chronicles 7:20-22 “The sons of Ephraim were Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eladah his son, Tahath his son, Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead. The men of Gath who were born in that land killed them because they came down to take away their cattle.22 Then Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him.” NKJV

Life Lesson: Live the way you want to be remembered.

What a legacy to leave behind. Ephraim’s sons were killed stealing cattle. I remember seeing a series of commercials on television for Tombstone brand frozen pizzas. The commercial that I remember most is a gangster scene. The commercial opens at the shipyards on a foggy night. A well-dressed man is in cement shoes, about to be thrown into the river. A gangster says to the man, “So, Tony, it’s nothing personal. Before we get started, what do you want on your tombstone?” Tony smiles and then replies, “Pepperoni and sausage.” Obviously, Tony was distracted from the seriousness of the situation. It was life or death, and he is thinking about pizza. It is funny because it is absurd, yet so many of us go about life ignoring the obvious fact that someday we are going to die. We may have made some poor choices in life, but the one we don’t want to get wrong is whether we have accepted Jesus. I have done some difficult funerals. I have done some funerals where we just did not know if the person was saved or not. Why is that? Shouldn’t someone have known? Their lives did not demonstrate their salvation, so questions lingered.

What do you want people to say at your funeral? Do you want them to feel as if they should lie? Do you want them to skirt around the obvious? Or…do you want to leave a legacy that inspires people to follow Jesus? Should the Lord tarry, we will each have a funeral. Will those you leave behind be saying, “See you later” or will they be saying “Goodbye?”

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for loving me. It is through Your Son, Jesus that I am an adopted child of God, and I am so grateful. Lord, I want to live out my life as an inspiration to others. May my life demonstrate the love and Truth of Your Word. Empower me Lord, to make the most of the time You have given me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Living to tell what He died to say,
Pastor David McGee
Senior Pastor
Calvary Chapel of the Triad
Reachthetriad.com
Twitter.com/CCOT
336.996.6880

Romans 15:15 “Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God” NKJV

Life Lesson: We often forget what we should remember and remember what we should forget.

Satan loves to remind us of our past sins and failures. He finds great pleasure in bringing up things that God has long forgiven us of. Revelation 12:10 refers to Satan as the “accuser of our brethren.” That’s what he does, but not because he’s really got anything on us. If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the Bible tells us that your sins have been separated from you as far as the east is to the west (Psalm 103:12). So, what does it profit the enemy to bring up what you’ve been forgiven of? He wants to distract you from following Jesus. If he can get you to listen to his accusations, maybe he can shame you into believing that you’ve crossed some line of forgiveness that doesn’t exist. That is his game and he is betting that he can pull you into it. Remember the words of 1 John 1:9…
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” NKJV
Has Satan distracted you from following Jesus? Don’t believe his lies, and friend, in love, you need to quit listening to your enemy. You have got a great future ahead of you. Satan, on the other hand…well…his future is not so good because he will be thrown into the lake of fire. He will be destroyed. He knows it. So, the next time the enemy tries to remind you of your past, remind him of his future.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for loving me. Thank You for the forgiveness of my sins. I rejoice in knowing the future that lies ahead of me is so much better than the past that is behind me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Living to tell what He died to say,
Pastor David McGee
Senior Pastor
Calvary Chapel of the Triad
Reachthetriad.com
Twitter.com/CCOT
336.996.6880

1 Chronicles 6:57-60 “And to the sons of Aaron they gave one of the cities of refuge, Hebron; also Libnah with its common-lands, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its common-lands, Hilen with its common-lands, Debir with its common-lands, Ashan with its common-lands, and Beth Shemesh with its common-lands. And from the tribe of Benjamin: Geba with its common-lands, Alemeth with its common-lands, and Anathoth with its common-lands. All their cities among their families were thirteen.” NKJV

Life Lesson: The church should be a city of refuge. This church should be a city of refuge.

Jesus equated hating someone with murder because murder is what lurks in the heart of all who hate. Jesus also equated lust with adultery because adultery is what lurks in the heart of all who lust. It is a heart issue. Without physically committing murder, we have still done so because it is in our heart. Sin has many tentacles and it will find its way into all the cracks we leave open in our lives. Who can say they have never hated? Who can say they have never lusted, lied or stolen? We all need a refuge.

It has been said that the church is a hospital for sinners and not a mausoleum for saints. The perfect church does not exist because all churches are made up of people and all people have sinned (Romans 3:10, 23). The church is a refuge where murderers, adulterers, liars and idolaters come to the One who can forgive our sins, Jesus. When the church puts on an air of righteousness and unobtainable holiness, we cease to be a refuge and become a mausoleum instead.

Hebrews 6:18 “So God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence.” NLT

Dear Father,
Thank You for loving me. Thank You for providing Your Son as a refuge for my sins. Lord, I need you. Through You, I can lay down the chains of my past and lay hold of the hope You have set before me. Help me to be strength to others. Give me the ability to use my gifts and talents to draw others closer to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Living to tell what He died to say,
Pastor David McGee
Senior Pastor
Calvary Chapel of the Triad
Reachthetriad.com
Twitter.com/CCOT
336.996.6880

Romans 15:8-9 “Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: ‘For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, And sing to Your name.’” NKJV

Life Lesson: Jesus came for everybody.

It is good to be reminded that Jesus came for everybody. The next-door neighbor who mows his lawn at 6 A.M.; Jesus came for him. The drug dealer on the street corner; Jesus came for her. The murderer, the newborn baby, the single mother and the person who cut you off in traffic; Jesus came for all of them. Jesus came for the Jew and He came for the Gentile. Don’t be selfish. Treat others like you would treat Jesus.

Matthew 25:40 “And the King will tell them, ‘I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” NLT

So, now let’s make it more personal because, friend, Jesus came for you. Do you realize that? It doesn’t matter where you’ve been or who you’ve been because Jesus knows who you are and He loved you so much that He died for you. God has invested an eternity in you… All of history is leading up to this moment where you realize that forgiveness is just one prayer away.

Romans 10:13 “Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” TLB

It’s not an exclusive offer. You are in if you ask to be…it’s that simple. All you have to do is ask. Why don’t take that moment right now? If you would like to ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior (or if you have wandered, off and want to come back), please pray something like this…

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for loving me. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins, rising again from the dead and breaking the bonds of sin over me. I have sinned. Please forgive me. Please give me the ability to live for You all the days of my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Living to tell what He died to say,
Pastor David McGee
Senior Pastor
Calvary Chapel of the Triad
Reachthetriad.com
Twitter.com/CCOT
336.996.6880

PS: If you prayed that prayer, please let us know so that we can send you a New Believers Bible and some information to help you get started in your new life.

Colossians 1:10 “that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;” NKJV

Life Lesson: Our goal is to please God.

Pastor D.A. did an incredible job teaching Thursday night. I relish these opportunities to see how the Lord is expressing Himself in the lives of the assisting pastors and receive from them. What? You mean the Senior Pastor can receive from the Lord through the assisting pastors? Yes sir – that is exactly what I mean – and you will receive through them, too. God’s Word does not return void and the same Holy Spirit that speaks through me speaks through them. Now, let me share something I received through Pastor D.A. last night.

This is a Bible teaching church. We will never have service and read through a book other than the Bible. I’ve heard people say that they’ve learned more in three months here than in three years somewhere else. That is due to our verse by verse and chapter by chapter approach to the Bible. All that we are learning is not to make us better, smarter, more well adjusted. It is to please God. We are learning about God and how to follow Jesus. We are learning about characteristics we should see in our life to please God. That is what this is all about.

Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.” NLT

Every time we live for our own pleasure sooner or later we will come to regret it. That is because our lives are meant to please God and not ourselves. It is a good thing to pray that we live a life that is pleasing to Him.

Dear Father,
Thank You for loving me. Thank You that through Your Son I have forgiveness of my sins. Fill me with the knowledge of Your will with all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Help me to live my life pleasing to You and be fruitful in every good work. Lord, I surrender my life to Your will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Living to tell what He died to say,
Pastor David McGee
Senior Pastor
Calvary Chapel of the Triad
Reachthetriad.com
Twitter.com/CCOT
336.996.6880

James 5:4 “Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.” NKJV

Life Lesson: Make your request known to God.

Who better to go to with our troubles than One who can truly help? All of your pains and all of your sorrows – take them to Jehovah Rapha (Exodus 15:22-27), the LORD who Heals you. All of your worries and anxiety – take them to Jehovah Shalom (Judges 6:24), the LORD of Peace. All of your insufficiency and all of your lacking – take them to El Shaddai (Genesis 17:1-5), the All Sufficient One. When you are fearful of what the world holds, go to Jehovah Nissi (Exodus 17:8-15), the LORD is my Banner. When you are lonely and all alone – know Jehovah Shammah (Ezekiel 48:35), The LORD is There. When you are wandering and lost, wait for Jehovah Raah (Psalm 23:1), the LORD my Shepherd. When you stumble or fall go to Jehovah M’kaddesh (Exodus 31:12-13), the LORD who makes You Holy. Who are these? These are One, Elohim, God – Creator and Keeper of Covenants. The One who says, “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Your heavenly Father loves you and will “never leave nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.” NKJV

Dear Father,

Thank You for loving me. You are my LORD who is my hope and strength. In my weakness and helplessness, give me a sense of Your presence. It is only through Your perfect love I can find rest. When I am brokenhearted Lord, help me to remember to draw close to You and have trust in your protecting love and strengthening power. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Living to tell what He died to say,
Pastor David McGee
Senior Pastor
Calvary Chapel of the Triad
Reachthetriad.com
Twitter.com/CCOT
336.996.6880

Chronicles 5:24 “These were the heads of their fathers’ houses: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of their fathers’ houses.” NKJV

Life Lesson: We are in a battle over our souls and the souls of those we love and care about.

We are in a battle. It’s all around us. Your family, friends, Pastor and church are in the battle. The enemy of your soul is out to divide and destroy, and if you allow your guard to drop, you will fall victim to his perilous plans. Satan is not stupid. He is going to go after those on the fringe of fellowship. Like a lion that picks off the young, the sick and the weak, he is watching to see who wanders outside the flock. Be mindful of yourself, your family and friends. Is someone lagging behind? Now is the time to encourage them to get back into the flock. Are you wandering? Friend, you are in danger of being picked off. Don’t let that happen!
Dear Father,
Thank You for loving me. Lord, give me the wisdom to and discernment to recognize when I have dropped my guard. Help me to encourage my family, friends and co-workers in the midst of trouble. When the battles come, help me to find rest in you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Living to tell what He died to say,
Pastor David McGee
Senior Pastor
Calvary Chapel of the Triad
Reachthetriad.com
Twitter.com/CCOT
336.996.6880