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Forsaking Not!

Hebrews 10:22-25  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.  (23)  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)  (24)  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:  (25)  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Many believers are giving heed to an ever growing trend toward leaving the church or bouncing around from church to church whenever they feel like a change. This may feel good, look good and sound good as we all are experts at justifying whatever we decide we want to do in any given circumstance, but it is not God’s way. God has a place and purpose within the body of Christ for each and every one of His children. Believe it or not God’s will does not change for our lives every time we hear the preacher say something that ruffles our feathers a little bit or when a brother or sister doesn’t treat us just like we think they should. We are a local assembly of believers which God has put together to serve Him in unity of mind and Spirit. And according to God’s Holy Word we are commanded not to  forsake the assembling of ourselves together. It is sin to leave the church and it is sin to leave the church God has placed you into serve on a whim. We are His servants!

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Walking Worthy!

Lord please help us to walk worthy in your eyes. We can never be worthy of anything outside of Jesus Christ, but you did say that we could do all things through Christ. Our hearts desire is to please you in all things. Help us to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. Help us to listen to your truth and wisdom and not give ear to the wisdom of this wicked world.

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Living sacrifices?

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. How many of us are really living sacrifices ? Do not most of us usually do what we want to do and then ask or expect God to bless it? Lord help us to yield ourselves totally to you and your will.

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Josh 1:7

Josh 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

Lord help us to faithfully stay in your way and not to turn to the right or the left.

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Until I am Reminded

The irritating buzz of the alarm pierced through the early morning darkness. Two-thirty again already, but I could have sworn my head just hit the pillow! I reached to shut it off, only barely fighting off a powerful urge to hit the snooze button.  I knew I was already pushing it. I had to be on the job before four.  That left only just enough time for my morning routine and drive time.  Grudgingly I rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

“Why Lord?” I silently murmured.

The blast of frosty air was like a slap in the face as I opened the back door and headed for the truck. I cringed at the thought of another bone-chilling day working in the metal building, we all called “the barn.” The place was like a huge ice-box, the concrete slab floor and the un-insulated walls made it colder inside than out most of the time!

“Why Lord?” I silently murmured.

The boards were cupped and twisted. I was supposed to make a decent looking cabinet with this material, what were they thinking! It would take hours of tedious straightening and sanding, nothing made a twelve hour day drag by more slowly.

“Why Lord?” I silently murmured.

The clocks seemingly motionless hands finally pushed their way to four o’clock, quitting time! It was Friday, payday, but hardly a reason to smile. Bills were due and I’d be doing good if I had enough spare change left to buy me a coke and candy bar on the way home!

“Why Lord?” I silently murmured.

I put on a brave happy face as I trudged up the steps and opened the front door.  There stood the “love of my life”, waiting with a warm, tender, embrace and a loving kiss, only to be interrupted by  the joyous shout of , “Daddy!…Daddy!” as our little girl ran toward me with outstretched arms.

“This is why,” came the gentle reminder.

As we knelt to pray that evening, my wife said, “Don’t forget to pray for Brother Richard, He hasn’t been able to find a job yet and we might need to see if they need some groceries or anything.”

“This is why, “came the gentle reminder.

It was great to be back in the Lord’s house again. Nothing encouraged me more than the great fellowship, singing and the of course the preaching. What a blessing! It was offering time and the pastor reminded us of the needs of the ministry and how God said that He loved a cheerful giver.

“This is why,” came the gentle reminder.

I knelt there at the altar, thanking the Lord for being so good to me and once again reminding me of why instead of grumbling, I should be praising for the blessing of working for Him.

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Forever Thankful!

Do you remember the moment that God first spoke to your heart and convicted you of your sin? Well, I will never forget the night the Lord opened my eyes to who and what I really was. For twenty-one years I had convinced myself that I was a sure enough decent fellow, “a good ole boy,” you know. My parents had raised me with manners and respect for others and I figured that was good enough.

It took God’s Holy Word, preached by a Holy Ghost filled man of God to show me, that I like all men was a wicked sinner deserving of nothing better than God’s eternal wrath. But thanks be to God, He opened my eyes to more than just my sin. In His wonderful mercy and amazing grace He poured out His unspeakable gift of faith on me and I trusted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour! What a moment to remember!

How could I ever forget the moment that I recognized God the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth as my loving heavenly Father who loved me so much that He sacrificed His only begotten Son for a wicked sinner like me?  How could I ever forget the moment that Jesus Christ became so much more to me than just a baby in a manger? How could I ever forget the moment that the precious blood of Jesus Christ washed me clean and pure?  How could I ever forget the moment that all my sins were forgiven and forgotten? How could I ever forget the moment God gave me His peace, the “peace that passeth all understanding”?  How could I ever forget the moment that the Bible became God’s Holy, infallible, inerrant, inspired Word in which I could trust whole heartedly? How could I ever forget the joy of the new life in Jesus Christ!

I am 56 years old now. It has been 35 years and I tell you from my very heart and soul that I am forever thankful for that precious moment when God spoke to my heart and saved my soul! He has given many, many more things in my life for which I continually give Him thanks. I could easily make a list that would fill a book. But if it had not been for that one precious moment, I would never have known what it is to be truly, eternally thankful.

2Co 9:15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

Sincerely,

Marlin Prentice

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Life Changing Decisions, Where Will They Lead

Life Changing Decisions, Where Will They Lead

 

Have you ever thought about the fact that every decision you make is life changing? There are of course those that have a greater effect on our lives than others, none the less from the largest to the smallest all of our decisions are life changing. Stop and think about it for a moment and I’m sure you will see what I mean.

What you are doing at this very minute is a result of a decision you made at some point in the past. Regardless of whether it was planned or spontaneous, whether it resulted in you spending the evening watching TV or putting you on a trip around the world, you made this life changing decision.

Where we are in our lives right now is a direct result of the decisions we have made in our life time.  Our spouse, our career, where we live, what we live in, what kind of car we drive, who our friends are,  where we go to church, if we go to church and the list goes on and on.

Our pastor has been preaching a series of messages on the Doctrine of Stewardship and until now I have always associated stewardship with using your finances wisely.  I am learning however, that in its’ fullest sense it is much more. God commands us to be a good steward over all He has given us.

Therefore, since every decision we make is life changing, then God expects us to be good stewards of those decisions. It makes me cringe as I look back at some of the choices I’ve made over the years. I have at best been very unwise at times. I’m sure you can probably spot a few blemishes in your past as well. Thanks be to God, He is merciful, longsuffering and very, very patient.

The question is, what kind of life changing decisions will we make today? And how can we ensure that those choices will be ones which will be pleasing our heavenly Father? According to the scriptures, it is the Lord we have to answer to, not our friends, family or acquaintances.  Therefore our desire first and foremost ought to be to please Him.

I believe there are some very simple guidelines we can follow to help us in each and every decision we make. Mind you I said, “Simple” which does not mean the same thing as “easy.” One of our problems is that we want everything to be “easy,” but God has a different plan.  It is a plan that will indeed be life changing! The question for all of us is: “Am I ready and willing to put God’s plan into action in my life”?

If you are interested and willing we will learn from God’s Word how to make good and right life changing decisions that will honor and glorify our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

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Lord Jesus Help Me To Be a Faithful Steward

Our pastor, has started a series of messages on the “Doctrine of Stewardship.” We have been blessed to hear a couple of great messages so far and are looking forward to more of the same.

Have you ever looked at stewardship from the aspect that because God is the Creator of all things, He is the rightful owner. Therefore, nothing actually belongs to anyone but God himself, and believe it or not, that even includes us.

1Co 6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the
Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1Co 6:20  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God 
in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Lord Jesus help me to be a faithful steward of everything you have so graciously entrusted to my care.