SPRING FORTH NOW 2023

Jesus climbed into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town. Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.” But some of the teachers of religious law said to themselves, “That’s blasphemy! Does he think he’s God?” Jesus knew[a] what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you have such evil thoughts in your hearts? Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” And the man jumped up and went home! Fear swept through the crowd as they saw this happen. And they praised God for giving humans such authority.

Matthew 9:1-8 (NLT)

You must believe that you are God’s gift to the world and that in God’s giving it was not for your benefit solely but that all of His creation would benefit through you as you engage the world. You are a treasure and must see yourself as valuable, so valuable that God has given His only begotten Son so that you, despite your clay jar, frailties will spring forth, be Empowered as His witness. Thus, you must be generous and unselfish with you and all you possess so as to reveal God. It does not matter whether people believe you, or agree with you, or even that which you seek to transform for the good cooperates, just exercise your authority revealing God and God will do the rest. Your willingness to press out of you your treasure as a gift from God for all creation says that your Empowerment is sourced by God and His Word for all to live in the fullness of their potential by tapping into their source, God’s indwelling Spirit. Your treasure, your gift is valuable as an act of revealing God for which you were created to be His witness and walk in your Most Favored Status.