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“This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

Here’s what we have to help your rejoicing:

Spend some quiet time with God
Spend some quiet time for yourself
Spend some quality time with friends
Spend some special time in God’s house with His people
“Shabat” (stop) and “Remember” (God made you and He saved you!)
Then respond by doing something good for someone who can’t pay you back!

And that, my friends, is God’s Sabbath that I offer to you. including…

The Well- because of the recent decision by the church board, in response to the COVID crisis in Lincoln, it was voted to suspend all activities in the church for the time being. This includes The Well. We’ll have to look forward to being together again next semester. But for today join “The Well” via Zoom @ 10:40am

https://zoom.us/j/95051701071

Meeting ID: 950 5170 1071

Thanks TJ and Delanie for your faithfulness to “college Sabbath School.” Each week you helped give us a reason to get out of bed and come together for spiritual strength and encouragement through this crazy semester with COVID. I appreciate you and your team.

CVC- Because of the increase in COVID in the city of Lincoln the church board has decided that until further notice all services at CVC will only be provided ON LINE. Watch it on UTV and hear, "Journey of Faith" part 4 with Pastor Harold Alomia

V2- sundown vespers @ 5:00pm in Woods Auditorium- Adreana Ward will be sharing her story this week. Thank you Savannah and Ruben; every Sabbath evening you were there providing a variety of options for us to say good bye to Sabbath and, like the Jews, look forward to only 6 more days until it will be back, only next week we’ll be home!! I appreciate all your efforts and faithfulness.

Quote for the day: “When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the fire department usually uses water.” (see John 7:38)

Favorite Blog of the Week:

Looking ahead to what He has promised can help us. It can center us in the good to come, no matter the bleakness that sometimes darkens our hearts or fills our days. But we don’t have to only look ahead.

Good things are all around you right now!

What He’s already given is more than what He’s promised to give in the future.

Consider, for instance, the gift of grace, which Paul said “is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). This grace is already yours in Christ. You are already a new creation because of it, able to live a better life and make better choices than you’ve ever made before.

Consider the gift of hope. When Paul wrote to the Romans, he said we could “rejoice in hope” (Romans 12:12). This reason to rejoice is not yours to come. It’s yours now. It’s why you can open your eyes right now — in this day — with a smile on your face and joy in your heart.

Consider what Paul described as “the greatest” gift of all (1 Corinthians 13:13). If God’s love is already — and always — for us, what other gifts could we possibly need?

When packing your bags for a vacation, you’re sure to pack your phone. This may because you anticipate seeing something worth capturing, something worth turning into a memory because of its uniqueness or beauty or both.

What if we approached every day this way?

But, instead of with a phone camera, what if we approached each day with a focused heart? What if we adjusted our lens so we could see the gifts God has placed all around us — little and big, invisible and visible, spiritual and physical, recurring and unique to today?

We have countless reasons to be thankful —start counting! Open your eyes to all He has given you and give thanks.

Grace

In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. — Ephesians 1:7 NIV

Grace — it’s the best gift we have and maybe the hardest gift to understand because it’s so unlike anything else. It never wears out. It never quits working. It’s ours, even though we don’t deserve it. It’s ours, even when we forget we have it. It’s the ultimate reason to be grateful.

Hope

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three. —

1 Corinthians 13:13

Hope is fuel. It’s what keeps us going when the days are hard. It’s what keeps us believing when valleys are long. It’s why we get back up, pushing on in faith, expecting better days to come. And they will. Because our hope is anchored in the One whom hard days and long valleys can’t touch:

In Christ we have hope. — 1 Corinthians 15:19

The book of Hebrews talks about all the “better” things Christ brings to life — both here and in heaven. How has Christ already made your life better?

What’s something in your life that you hope is made better in the future?

We don’t know how some things will turn out, but we do know about others. What do you hope for that’s “sure and steadfast,” promised to come about in Jesus (Hebrews 6:19)?

Love

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. — 1 Corinthians 13:13

If hope is fuel to carry us to tomorrow; love is a gift to carry us through today. Whatever we’re facing, whatever we wish we had or wish we didn’t have, whatever trouble or pain comes today, love comes too. It’s higher, wider, and deeper than any other thing.

And it’s here to stay (Romans 8:38–39).

Excerpted with permission from The Weekly Gratitude Journal, copyright Zondervan.