July 20, 2025 – CountUp

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday July 20TH 2025, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord + Savior Jesus Christ. Let us love our neighbor as ourself.

I’m getting close to the end of writing my 67TH sermon (and 4TH in a series) from First Timothy titled “Elders & Deacons”. I think it took me longer to write this one than it did the previous 3. I definitely need to pray on it further to come up with a worthy conclusion. I’m also looking ahead to 1 Timothy 4 which will be the subject of my next sermon after that.

A couple of weeks ago here on #SundayScripture I began transcribing my original sermon that I preached to my church family in Homestead Florida on Sunday October 16TH 2022. The title of the sermon is “Blessings & Benedictions”, and it’s my 50TH sermon as identified on my SERMONS page.

Here’s Part 3:

The start of Romans Chapter 12 explains this further:

And so – dear brothers and sisters – I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you – which is good and pleasing and perfect.

You know I look at Paul’s letter to the Romans as the Owner’s Manual of being a Christian. It’ll teach you everything that you need to know to follow our God for the rest of your time here in this world. Romans is 16 chapters, 433 verses, and a little over 7,100 words. Sounds like a lot, but you can read it from start to finish in about a half-hour. It would make for a very worthwhile half-hour.

And so – back to that Benediction:

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart – be acceptable in thy sight – O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

A lot of preachers pray that right before they preach their sermon. It’s a prayer for the Pastor at the pulpit. But it’s also a prayer to take out there – into the world. It makes for a great Benediction.

7½ years ago I arrived here, and I joined this church family. Eventually I was given the opportunity to lead Communion, and minister, and preach full sermons. In my studies and preparations – I realized that there were many verses of Scripture that can be used as Benedictions at the end of the service. And to this day I’m still finding these gems of God’s Good News – blessings that can be taken out there – blessings for you to help change the world – one person at a time.

(To be continued next week.)

My testimony is featured each week here on #SundayScripture – whether it’s part of a sermon, a testimony, or just me writing about the events of the past week. Hopefully it encourages you and inspires you to seek the Lord – and get closer to Him with each new day.

If you wish to learn more about the God I know – then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.