My notes from church

I forgot my notebook, but thanks to ever-so-faithful-and-wonderful- :) Allison ( who had her notebook) I was still able to take notes. This Sunday was a little different. We watched a pod cast or telecast or video or whatever it was called of the general council meeting for the Assemblies of God churches. Speaking was the Super Intendent of the AOG's and his message was bsically on "legacies." And how people should follow God's gift to them and follow through with their Love for JEsus. He was saying how the Assemblies of God was founded by three men who had no money to work with and no building to preach in but they stood on street corners preaching of their love of Jesus. Their legacy began with nothing and now years and years later God has grown their love into a huge ministry. Sit back, relax, and enjoy your reading of a very profound 'summary' of church this morning. (And again Im gonna be super annoying with reinforcing for you readers to go to church :) )

*This guy( I don't remember his name) strated off service leaving me wondering where is he going with this. He started off reviewing Genesis 29-49. (It's all about Leah and how her LEGACY left a huge mark on the entire Bible and she literally shaped history.) Her story to sum it up is that she was not as pretty as her younger sister Rachel, and she was sold off I guess is the term, to her husband Jacob, but Jacob doesn't love her, he loves her sister rachel. So he is married to Leah and Rachel. Rachel could not bear children, but Leah could, so he had kids with Leah. well Leah kept poppin out the kiddies to win Jacob's love but all the while he was in love with rachel. Leah had these kids who all basically had kids who went all the way on to Jesus (Yup leah was JEsus's ancestor). Leah was very trusting in God and she just wanted Jacob's love, and when she passed, Jacob finally fell in love with her. So moral of the story is, whatever you are doing for GOD NOW may impact people and be life chanign years and years and years later. So don't give up even is it's not working out!
Whew that was a lot so to get the full story read Genesis 29-49, cause I might have missed something.

* Leah's name means weary and weak and also cow, rachel's name means sheep.
Leah's first son's name was Ruben which means behold a son or He has seen my misery, second son Simmion (the Lord hears and sees that I was not loved), Levi (means attached, now my husband will be attached to me for I have bore him children) and Judah (This time I will praise the Lord) Rachel saw Leah was giving Jacob a family and she couldn't bear him one she gave him her servant to hold her children. Her servant bore him two sons, dan and Nephtali ( which mean he has vindicated and my struggle).
Leah also gave him her servant to have more children and she named them Gad (good fortune or troop) and Asher (means happy). Leah than bore another son Issachar (means reward) and Zebulan (which means Honor) and a daughter Dina. Rachel also had mroe children. My favorite part of births from the bible is that they all sortof begin with God blessed them with or God heard their prayers and gave them, but golry is almost always given to God for these babies of the bible. I also added the meanings because they really show how faithful people are in bibleical times and Leahs names almost always have to do with trusting the Lord and reaping rewards of trusting the Lord.

*The purpose of Leah's story is that the effect of life cannot be measured in a few decades. She trusted the Lord with this and did all of these births to win her husbands love. She was not able to win it while she was alive, but did after her death and even more importantly if it were not for her trying to win her husband's love by having children we would not have Jesus, and we would not have eternal life today!!!! (Research the geneology of Jesus Christ and you will see that Jesus ancestors all go back to Leah's children.) So keep in mind that what you are doing with your life right now IS going to effect people decades later. And do you think Leah knew that she was setting the stage for all man kinds eternal life ( I don't think so)

* Never give up, never give in, and never sit in self pity or defeat. Leah worked and worked at winning her husband's love, and she earned it. She finally earned it.

*Also, never judghe a book by it cover, Leah was not the prettiest of the sisters but her beauty was God given from within.

*Again, without Leah the Christmas story NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED!

* Everything you do matters. It matters to the people you encounter today and people after you are gone. Choices you make today will impact others long after your gone.

*"We need time and distance to understand what God is doing in your life" __Robert Wood ( I sort of stole that from Allison's notes. It caught my eye and is very relevent to some situations I am going through!)

*He gave a story of how his parents tried and tried and drained themselves on trying to save a failing church. They eventually could not do it and had to leave, another person tried and could not do it, so they sold it. A woman bought the church and it completely thrived. He said he went there and was upset knowing that church was his parents only failure. He said he asked why they couldn't save this church. God spoke to Him and said "they knocked, and they knoced hard. and their fists were worn fro all that knocking. Another person came along and knocked as well. And they kept knocking. Until this lady came and she just put her fists through those spiritual walls." This really speaks to me personally. "Keep knocking on those spiritual walls, don't give up you are weakening the walls. You may not break them down, but you weakening those spiritual walls for a breakthrough." I feel like this speaks to me because God has placed some people on my heart. Sometimes, I get sooo discouraged, but this is telling me to KEEP knocking, God may ntop use me to help save them, but he is certainly using me to thin them out for a breakthrough! And sometimes God will break them down before He lifts them up, and *(on a side note) I pray that He will continue to use me and give me strength for this spiritual knocking!

* Do not lean unto your own understanding but in all ways acknowledge Him, and He willdirect your path. This is huge for me because I of course am an over analyzer, and my main prayer for myself right now is God will use me. This is so humbling to me because I know I do not have to analyze His plan and I just need to do what I am told and TRUST that He will not steer me wrong.

*ANother interesting note to Leah's legacy in addition to giving birth to the faore father (I guees you could call them) of the good Jesus Christ Himself, they go farther than that. When you arrive in heaven you are greeted by 12 angels at 12 pearly gates. And half of theses gates are named for Leah's sons :) What a beautiful legacy huh?