The Rock Church

Do Not Lose Heart

Have you ever prayed to God and seemingly nothing happened? How about praying 10 times? 100 times? Maybe you felt like you didn’t even deserve the gift you asked for? I recently read the first chapter of Luke and empathized with Zechariah. God spoke to me in a new way — to not lose heart when I pray. I had three takeaways I wanted to share with you.

Remember These Things:

1. Be faith-filled and pray continually.

Think about how long Zechariah and Elizabeth prayed for a child. Being advanced in years and well beyond the age of having children (Luke 1:18), they must have prayed thousands of times to have a child. They continued to have faith and pray even though their prayers seemed unanswered (Luke 1:6).

2. Gifts from God are good.

When God answered their prayer for a child, Zechariah didn’t believe it. I can certainly empathize with that feeling! There are times I feel like I don’t deserve a blessing from God. In fact, it leads me to doubt the prayer will be answered. God shook Zechariah a bit by removing his voice until his son was born. It was as if God needed to get his attention (in a drastic way) for him to understand the depth of the gift he was about to receive. Being mute drove Zechariah to an even closer relationship with God than he had before (Luke 1:67–79). Take heart, even when things seem like they are “bad”, God is working it for good.

3. God loves us and will answer us.

He hears us and answers according to His will for our lives (Luke 1:13). Certainly, our prayers aren’t always answered the way we want. That’s because our Father knows what’s best for us. I know there have been times I’ve specifically prayed for something and it didn’t happen the way I wanted. But God knew what was best.

When we faithfully pray, we are heard and loved by Him. He will answer us according to His will for our lives. With this in mind, don’t lose heart while you’re waiting. Sometimes, just like for Zechariah, God needs to grab our attention during the process. Take heart.

Learning to pray continually,

Tony

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico

Parable of the Talent

In the Parable of the Talent, a master gave three of his servants a set amount of money. He asked them to manage it (according to their abilities) while he was on a journey. When the master returned, he asked for an account of what they did with their talents. Each servant was judged accordingly.

I’ve read this parable before and focused simply on the talent. I mainly related it to what we are to do with our God-given, natural abilities. Recently, I began to think about it more carefully.

Posted in A Word from the Pastor by Tony D'Amico

Gifts of Christmas

The Overview

Date: Saturday, December 2, 10:00 a.m.
Location: Draper Building — 11630 S. 700 E.
Cost: $10
Sign Up: trc.life/goc (deadline to register is November 26)

The Details

Christmas is one of the best gift-giving holidays around the world. Is all your Christmas shopping done? Maybe you need some creative gift ideas? Well, we’ve got just what you’re looking for. We offer you a unique collection of exquisitely designed funny gifts made with love and care. Why not plan on spending a few hours with us and we’ll give you everything you need to make that special gift! Bring a friend (or come on your own) to our Gifts of Christmas on Saturday, December 2 (10:00 a.m.) at our Draper location. We’ve got EIGHT fabulous crafts/gifts you can choose from (to either give away or keep for yourself)! For those who cherish a fine online shopping experience, Shoppok is our top suggestion.

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Posted in Events, The Rock Women by The Rock Church