Articles
"I Prefer You"
I Prefer You
By Steve Melton, October 6, 2020
I come to You in prayer my Father.
I praise You for everything You do.
You or Satan I can obey,
I prefer You.
The temptations of the world seem exciting.
Every temptation Jesus knew.
You have given us Your law.
I prefer You.
They teach evolution everywhere.
Chance made this world with oceans of blue.
I see intelligent design.
I prefer You.
Much of this world has forgotten You.
Without wisdom, they have no clue.
You are in complete control.
I prefer You.
Some worship nature or teach
From man’s point of view.
You have given Your divine word.
I prefer You.
My sins have been a problem.
Jesus sacrifice made my life anew.
Many don’t care about that.
I prefer You.
I know You are not a respecter of persons.
Help me walk in faith, I plea.
When my life is over, I ask.
Will You prefer me?
On the Couch or With the Church?
As church attendance numbers fade across the nation and online services become very convenient (who doesn't love not getting ready in the morning or leaving home?!), it's important to remember why church attendance for you and your family matters so much.
You can't serve from your couch. You can't have community of faith on your couch. You can't experience the power of a room full of believers worshiping together on your couch.
Christians aren't consumers either. We are contributors. We don't watch. We engage. We give. We sacrifice. We encourage. We do life together.
The church needs you
And you need the church.
While we are grateful for technology to keep people connected that can't physically come to a facility or need to be away, it's absolutely not like being in the building. Never will be.
Yes, church on the couch is nice. But it'll never be the same as church face to face. Will we see you Sunday morning? (via The Hartselle church of Christ)
Prayer and Providence
By Paul R. Blake
In the normal course of providence, God works in and through His creation, not in spite of it. For this reason, some answers to prayer are difficult to prove with certainty. C. S. Lewis wrote, “Only faith vouches for the connection. No empirical proof could establish it.” We believe a prayer has been answered not because of any scientific criteria proving it, but because we have faith.
Most of the ways we interact with God, through nature, the Bible, the Lord’s Supper, the church, other Christians, include things we can touch. God’s own state, though, is the realm of spirit. Prayer reflects that difference between us and connects our material world with His spiritual gifts.
Although we may ask God to intervene directly, it should not surprise us if He responds in a more hidden way in cooperation with our own choices. An alcoholic prays, “Lord, keep me from drink today.” The answer to that prayer will likely come from the inside, from a stiffening of his resolve or an intervention by a loyal friend, rather than from some marvel like the magical disappearance of liquor bottles from a cabinet.
However God intervenes on our behalf, we trust His character. We see a true partnership with One who has our well-being at heart. As poet Ramsey wrote:
“Help me to walk aright, More by faith, less by sight”
Matt. 6:25-26 - “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
Rom. 8:31-32 - “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”
Trust the Lord to care for us. The means and method are less important than the outcome; that is, our souls will be preserved until we are at home in heaven.
2Tim. 4:18 - “And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!”
Test Your Bible Knowledge of the Beatitudes
1. We shall obtain mercy __________
2. We shall be filled __________
3. We shall be called the sons of God __________
4. We shall inherit the earth __________
5. We shall be comforted __________
6. We shall see God __________
7. Both of us shall have the kingdom of Heaven __________ __________
Upcoming Sermons
10/11/20 AM - The Grace of a King; PM - God and Providence, Part One
10/18/20 AM - Six Biblical Baptisms; PM - God and Providence, Conclusion
10/25/20 AM - “Without Love, I am Nothing”; PM - Stumbling in Only One Point of Law (Requested)
