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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Thank you : Green Tie. This is a good one.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Wan<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> Ohio-Communities-of-Faith [mailto:ohio-communities-of-faith-bounces@nfbnet.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Michael Moore via Ohio-Communities-of-Faith<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, April 16, 2021 7:12 PM<br><b>To:</b> ohio-communities-of-faith@nfbnet.org<br><b>Cc:</b> mmoore11@kent.edu<br><b>Subject:</b> [Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] FW: [CWWC] It's Against My Religion<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> <a href="mailto:committed-walk-with-Christ@groups.io">committed-walk-with-Christ@groups.io</a> <<a href="mailto:committed-walk-with-Christ@groups.io">committed-walk-with-Christ@groups.io</a>> <b>On Behalf Of </b>trish via groups.io<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, April 16, 2021 6:45 PM<br><b>To:</b> cwwc <<a href="mailto:committed-walk-with-Christ@groups.io">committed-walk-with-Christ@groups.io</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> EXT: [CWWC] It's Against My Religion<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div align=center><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;border-collapse:collapse'><tr style='height:22.0in'><td width=708 valign=top style='width:683.25pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;height:22.0in'><div align=center><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;border-collapse:collapse'><tr><td valign=top style='background:#574625;padding:40.5pt 0in 40.5pt 0in'></td></tr><tr><td valign=top style='background:#FFF0D8;padding:27.0pt 0in 40.5pt 0in;background-size: cover;background-position-x:50%;background-position-y:50%' id=templateBody><div align=center><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;border-collapse:collapse;min-width: 100%'><tr><td valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;min-width: 100%'><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;border-collapse:collapse;background-size: cover;background-position-x:50%;background-position-y:50%'><tr><td valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;min-width: 100%'><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=left width="100%" style='width:100.0%;border-collapse:collapse;min-width: 100%'><tr><td style='padding:6.75pt 13.5pt 6.75pt 13.5pt;border-top-left-radius: 14px;border-top-right-radius: 14px;border-bottom-right-radius: 14px;border-bottom-left-radius: 14px;min-width: 100%'><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;background:white;border-collapse:collapse;word-break:break-word'><tr><td valign=top style='padding:13.5pt 13.5pt 13.5pt 13.5pt'><h1 align=center style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;line-height:45.0pt'><span style='font-size:30.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:#222222'>It's Against My Religion<o:p></o:p></span></h1></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;border-collapse:collapse;min-width: 100%'><tr><td style='padding:6.75pt 13.5pt 0in 13.5pt;min-width: 100%'><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;border-collapse:collapse;min-width: 100%'><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;min-width: 100%'><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;border-collapse:collapse;min-width: 100%'><tr><td style='padding:13.5pt 13.5pt 13.5pt 13.5pt;min-width: 100%'><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;border-collapse:collapse;min-width: 100%'><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;min-width: 100%'><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;border-collapse:collapse;min-width: 100%'><tr><td valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=left width="100%" style='width:100.0%;border-collapse:collapse;min-width: 100%'><tr><td valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><img border=0 width=32 height=32 id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:4b90c16c12d071b2c4be2bd1683845d2_Fear.jpg"><o:p></o:p></p></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;border-collapse:collapse;min-width: 100%'><tr><td style='padding:13.5pt 13.5pt 13.5pt 13.5pt;min-width: 100%'><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;border-collapse:collapse;min-width: 100%'><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;min-width: 100%'><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;border-collapse:collapse;min-width: 100%'><tr><td valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;word-break:break-word'><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=left width="100%" style='width:100.0%;border-collapse:collapse;word-break:break-word'><tr><td style='padding:6.75pt 13.5pt 6.75pt 13.5pt;min-width: 100%'><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;background:white;border-collapse:collapse;border-top-left-radius: 10px;border-top-right-radius: 10px;border-bottom-right-radius: 10px;border-bottom-left-radius: 10px;min-width: 100%'><tr><td valign=top style='padding:13.5pt 13.5pt 13.5pt 13.5pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.5pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:24.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black'>You've likely heard the phrase, "It's against my religion", used as an excuse to avoid unpleasant tasks. You'll also know that religions tend to have forbidden practices. That's true across the branches of Christianity. Can you think of any that apply to you now? Or does it seem that anything goes these days? Of course, that's untrue, if we consider Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, such as these words:<br><br><em><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life."</span></em><span class=apple-converted-space> </span>(Matthew 6:25a NIV)<br><br>There it is! Worry is against our religion! Yet, we do worry over our lives. We worry over daily needs. We worry over being accepted. We worry over future security. We worry over potential health risks. We even worry for those who don't worry, who show no concern over their irresponsible ways. Worrying can feel right: Why, if I don't worry, it means that I'm not caring enough.<br><br>Interestingly, Jesus did not coddle the worriers in the crowd. Instead, He criticized them, saying,<span class=apple-converted-space> </span><em><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>"O you of little faith!"</span></em><span class=apple-converted-space> </span>Worry, he said, is for unbelievers; that's why they run after material things -- food, clothes, and such. God's children have no reason to worry because their heavenly Father knows their needs and cares for them. God's children are to be occupied with matters related to the kingdom of God: God's presence, power, and kingdom purposes.<br><br>Worry is "against our religion" for a good reason. As with any sinful habit, it harms us and accomplishes nothing. It also harms God's reputation. When we worry over temporal matters and chase after them, we convey the message that God isn't sufficient.<br><br>What about huge worries like climate change, pandemic, and global catastrophe? Such worries are definitely against our religion! Isn't God bigger than our entire universe? Can God's eternal purposes ever be overruled by human behaviour? Can God be outmaneuvered by political or corporate empires? Can He not sustain our earthly home as long as our presence here fulfills His purposes? Hasn't He got the whole world in His hands?<br><br>Jesus essentially claimed that worry-free living is a distinguishing mark of the Christian. Through resolute trust in Him, Christians convey to the world that God is sufficient, no matter what the circumstance.<br><br>By now, you might suspect that my thread title is woefully deficient. It is. It tempts us to focus more on what's forbidden than on what's gained in exchange. Our Lord didn't merely prohibit worrying. He pronounced something far better in exchange.<br><br>Can you see from the following text what's to be gained? Doesn't our gain make it worth surrendering all our worries?<br><br><em><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."</span></em><span class=apple-converted-space> </span>( Philippians 4:6-7 NIV)<br><br>Prayer:<span class=apple-converted-space> </span><em><span style='font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>Heavenly Father, convict us of our needless worries. Inspire us to repent of our wobbly faith that we may receive Your inestimable peace and become available for Your higher purposes. Amen.</span></em><br><br><a href="https://sermonillustrator.org/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/r/nugget/129893795892/0d3c445e83af8ab5bb96820dbea0a6e1/"><span style='color:#007C89'>Diane Eaton</span></a><br>Paisley, Ontario, Canada</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr></table></div></td></tr><tr><td valign=top style='background:#211E18;padding:33.75pt 0in 47.25pt 0in;background-size: cover;background-position-x:50%;background-position-y:50%' id=templateFooter></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:white'>_._,_._,_<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center></div><p class=MsoNormal>Groups.io Links: <o:p></o:p></p><p>You receive all messages sent to this group. <o:p></o:p></p><p><a href="https://groups.io/g/committed-walk-with-Christ/message/7589" target="_blank">View/Reply Online (#7589)</a> | <a href="mailto:committed-walk-with-Christ@groups.io?subject=Re:%20%5BCWWC%5D%20It%27s%20Against%20My%20Religion" target="_blank">Reply To Group</a> | <a href="mailto:trishzoellers@icloud.com?subject=Private:%20Re:%20%5BCWWC%5D%20It%27s%20Against%20My%20Religion" target="_blank">Reply To Sender</a> | <a href="https://groups.io/mt/82154827/21951" target="_blank">Mute This Topic</a> | <a href="https://groups.io/g/committed-walk-with-Christ/post">New Topic</a><o:p></o:p></p><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><hr size=2 width="25%" align=center></div><p class=MsoNormal>Questions, concerns, suggestions? 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