Raisethe Bar...Connect with God!

This is the theme for the next couple of weeks at Sunrise Church so I am going to share it with you all. I love how our Pastor started off the sermon: Imagine talking on your phone and whispering to God: "Can you hear me now?" You hear nothing in response, so you say it a little louder, "Can you hear me now?" still you hear no response. Finally, you yell it at the top of your lungs, "CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW!" and God responds back to you, " I could hear you loud and clear the first time."

Sometimes if we are not connected to God we will not hear Him as clearly. Our connections may be like poor cell phone service and interrupt intermitenly. The connection may drop from time to time, or we may not get any reception at all. Whatever the case may be, we need to stay connected to God by raising the bar in our lives. And God wants to help us raise the bar in various areas in our life.

1. God wants us to raise the bar in our achievement. God doesn't just want us to succeed professionally or have material success. But instead God wants us to have eternal life achievement. (Mathew 4:19, Mathew 17:20, John 14:12)

2. God wants us to raise the bar in our relationships. Satisfaction will come in your relationships when you connect with God. (John 4:17, 13-14; 1 John 4:7)

3. God wants us to raise the bar in our family. According to statistics, americans have a 1 in 2 divorce rate, among those that attend church the divorce rate is 1 in 25, among those that attend church weekly AND read the Bible the divorce rate is 1 in 1,100. What chances would you like to take? This statistic proves tht if we connect with God our family will be united. (Mathew 15:22, 28; Psalm 127:1a) The Lord must build your house to make it a strong foundation.

The key to raising the bar is connecting with God....to be continued!