Impact Your CitySample

God Loves Cities

I'm a native Houstonian. I love our city. You don't get any more Houston than me. I was born in Hermann Hospital, raised in Houston, and I've been here my whole life just about, with the exception of going away a little bit for college. A while back, somebody gave me a 1941 edition street guide to Houston. Now what’s amazing about this guide, is that the phone numbers in the advertisements are four-digit phone numbers. So at that time you only had to dial four numbers to get someone on the phone. There was also a map in there, to help you find the business that were listed in the street guide. It looks like an old pirate's map. I went to a couple of stores to see if I could find another one of these guides and I couldn't, but I did find one from 2007. The city has grown tremendously, even from 2007 to now. For each of these periods though, Downtown was still the heartbeat of what was going on in the City of Houston. From 1841 to 1941 to 2007, and now in 2018, there's something that's happening in the city. 

There are things that God is doing in our city and in your city too. God loves cities. Why? Because cities are filled with people and God loves people. The population is growing. What God is doing is growing. You have a moment in your time and in your city to make history. 

In 1900, 10% of the world lived in a city. In 2005, 50% of the world lived in cities. Now, 80% of the world lives in cities. The cities are where everyone is going. On a planet filled with vast amounts of space, we congregate in cities. The cities are the heartbeat and you have been placed where you are. Therefore, it is crucial for you to reach out to your city. Reach out to the suburbs, for sure. Also, though, in the heart of your city be willing to say, "I want to be a part of what God is doing in the smack-dab middle of my city; the epicenter."

It is a part of your heart and it is a part of history to reach your city. Go to those difficult places and reach out in a great way. Through this Bible plan we will read Peter’s declaration in 1 Peter, where he encourages the people of the city to go out and make an impact.

If you would like to know more about this devotional, watch the full sermon by clicking on the following link.  https://houstonsfirst.org/message/impact-your-city