Good morning and a blessed Thursday morning to you. 

When we turn to the Lord in prayer, we can have the confidence that God doesn't only hears our prayers, but he also answers our prayers. And one of the great prayers that all of us pray for, is that more and more people will know of the Lord Jesus Christ; that more and more people will know of God's great love for us. Jesus taking our sin on the cross.  Death overcome. The tomb is empty. God forgiving us of our sins. God claiming us as his own in the waters of baptism. We pray that more and more people will know Jesus Christ.

So often, God can use us to be the answer to the very prayer that we pray. God uses our time and our talent and our treasure as instruments that he uses through which the gospel is communicated, and people are brought to faith. Here are some great promises from God's Word.

1 Peter 4:10

“…like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.”

God then takes the time that he gives us, calls us in into service, and that through serving others by building the bridge with others. A bridge then is established over which the gospel message is communicated. And by God's grace, people are brought to faith. God is using our time. God is using our talents. And they become instruments to answer the very prayer that we've prayed… that people might come to know Christ. We then, with our time and our talents become those tools that God uses, through which the gospel is communicated. 

Malachi 3:10

“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.”

We pray that more and more people will come to know Christ. And we

become an answer to our own prayer, as God uses our tithes (the giving of

10% of what he has blessed us with)… as God uses that and the gospel is

communicated, through the various ministries that are birthed and sustained because of that tithe. 

We hear this promise in 2 Corinthians 9:8

“God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance so that by always having enough of everything you may share abundantly in every good work.”

This Sunday is a really important day in the life of the congregation. We're going to receive our pledges for 2025 of time, talent, and treasure. And may God, once again, in even greater and greater ways use us to be the answer to our prayer; that more and more people will know Jesus Christ. I encourage your prayerful consideration of your response. Bring that response to worship this Sunday, mail it in, or go on to https://mylwlc.com/response-sunday  to pledge online.  Let's have a great harvest to be used to the glory of God; a great response. And may God use us to be the answer to our prayer. 

Gracious Heavenly Father, we give you thanks for this time in your Word. Your Word is truth. We give you thanks, oh Lord, that you use us to so often be the answer to the prayer. And so, use the faithful expression of time, and talent, and treasure to your glory, to your praise, to your honor. And may more and more people, by your grace, as the gospel goes forth….May more and more people come to know Christ as Savior and Lord. In the name of the Savior, Jesus, we pray.  Amen.

God bless you today. Encourage someone!