Southern Gospel News SGNScoops Digital

Amy Oxenrider: What is your purpose?

Amy Oxenrider

Sweet Water: What is your purpose?

By Amy Oxenrider

We all have a purpose for this life.

Stress, anxiety, depression, doubt – you fill in the blank – often causes us to lose focus and allow fear to enter our mind to make us feel worthless.  

The good news is Christ has already overcome all of these feelings.

Are they real feelings? Of course these feelings are real to you. Are we allowed to feel these things? The answer is yes.

But the key is we are not allowed to stay in the place these feelings take us. The darkness and hopelessness is not of God. He is light. He is love. He is peace.  

Philippians 1:3-6 says:”I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Your purpose in this life is to complete the good work that Christ has begun in you.  

What is your work? Have you become discouraged in your work for the Kingdom of God? Do you feel you can’t do anymore without completely breaking?  

Look at the aforementioned scripture. This says He, speaking of Jesus, will, not maybe or perhaps, but he will complete this work in you.

Rest

Sometimes we need to rest. God is more aware of this than we are ourselves. He created our body and created it in a way that rest is a necessity.

Take some time for yourself and spend it with God. Do not allow guilt to sneak in and attempt to steal your joy and peace.

It is God’s will for us to take time to rest. When we rest, our body rejuvenates and heals itself. Imagine how beneficial it will be for our body, spiritually and physically, if we take time to rest in God.  

The year 2018 has come and gone.  How are you going to react to your physical and spiritual needs in 2019?  Are you going to continue in your purpose and allow God to bring it to completion?  

One thing we all have to remember is that God’s character enters each and every person he has created.  

Remember, we are created in his image. That includes you. He is more than willing to work in you to completion.  

When you allow God to work in you, then he works through you. Others are able to see his hands and feet go before them through your words and actions.  When you feel down and worthless, remember that Jesus lives in you and therefore he goes with you each step of your way.

You must have as much respect for yourself and your part in building God’s kingdom as our creator has for you. He loves you beyond all measure. Don’t ever think he will leave you. He will be with you until you have fully completed his purpose for you while living in this world.

I want to leave you with this scripture that I feel is perfect to meditate on especially while starting a new year.

Philippians 1:9-11: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise to God.”

Amy Oxenrider

By  Amy D. Oxenrider 

Read the latest issue of the SGNScoops Magazine HERE.

Rob Patz asks: Does God care about You?

Happy September birthday Rob Patz

Welcome to the September edition of the Publisher’s Point. I hope everyone had a fantastic summer. Of course, September means we are drawing to the end of the great weather. I have to admit that fall is my favorite time of year, partially because my birthday falls in the fall … September to be exact. That’s what we’re going to talk about this month in the Publisher’s Point. No, not my birthday, though if you want to send birthday cards or gifts, get in contact with me, and I will give you my address … just kidding.

Rob Patz at six weeks

I have been thinking a lot lately about how amazing God is. Not only does He know us before we were even formed in our mother’s womb, but He selected a date for us to enter this world. How amazing is that, that the Creator of the universe thought enough about me to select a date for me to be born and a set of parents for me. If you really think about it, it is pretty incredible.

I know all of us at times struggle with feeling important, or wanted, or special, but if you look at this one point in our existence, how God orchestrated everything in the universe to coincide with our birth, how cool is that to think He loved us so much that He planned the date of our arrival? So, not only does He care for us enough to plan the date of arrival, but He has a plan for our daily life if we are sincere and ask Him for direction.

Rob Patz celebrates his birthday Sept. 24

I also think about the fact that God planned the arrival of His Son. He knew the beginning, He knew the end, and He knew the reason for both. Not unlike His plan for Jesus, He has a plan for your life. He knew your beginning. He knows your middle, and He knows your end. Think of how amazing that is, that the God of the universe, who loves us so much, has planned the date of our birth and planned our life. He has a desire for you to fill His great plan.

So many friends of mine will tell me, “well, I can’t share the gospel,” or, “I can’t be a soul winner, because I have a full-time job.” There’s nothing further from the truth. We all have opportunities daily to live out our faith.

Recently, I heard a story from Jesse Duplantis about how he witnessed to a gentleman at the gas station, and the entire conversation started because of his boots. Let that sink in for a minute. Jesse won this man to Christ by the boots he wore. You stop and think today about what it is that you have in your life that you can use to win others to Christ. Not all of us are going to preach from the stage. Not all of us are going to sing a song that will change someone’s life. Sometime, in the most unusual place, you can be Jesus to someone.

Mrs. Shirley and her son, Rob Patz on his first birthday

So, as I celebrate my birthday month, I feel a sense of peace about my relationship with Jesus, knowing that He loves me so much that He had a plan from the very day that I was born, to this very minute as I write this to you.

I know you might be struggling today with loneliness. You might be struggling with feeling unloved, or you might be struggling with a direction in your life. However, I want to tell you this … instead of looking at the problems that you see, put your focus on what Jesus says in the Bible, in Jeremiah 29:11, “for I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)

Just reading that encourages me. I hope it encourages you.

Join Rob Patz at Creekside

Join me in October for Creekside as I truly believe this is going to be the best year ever. Creekside Gospel Music Convention is being held in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., from Oct. 30 through Nov. 2 at the Smoky Mountain Convention Center. For more information, check out the Creekside update in this month’s edition.

Until next month, this has been the Publisher’s Point.

Don’t miss the latest issue of SGNScoops Magazine.

Find out more Gospel music here.