Monday, January 31, 2011

Blessed are the meek.


"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." – Matthew 5:5
A lot of people would probably define meekness as weakness. This is not what the Bible is trying to say here in the beginnings of the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5:5. I learned from my devotions that meekness in this particular scripture means gentleness. I for one know that being gentle takes a lot of discipline!

Jesus tells us that His rule on His earth is to be a gentle one. Jesus teaches us that we are to show restraint over our own passions, stubbornness, anger, and all of the other ungodly actions that are in our sinful nature. If we can have this restraint and be gentle, showing the love of Jesus Christ, we can be rulers over much!

Lord, I pray that I can be faithful, and be more gentle towards others. It's not easy. I know that we, as Christians, are not of this world. Help us, oh God, to be gentle and show that Biblical meekness that you are talking about in Matthew 5:5.

Amen.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Blessed are those who mourn.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." – Matthew 5:4

After reading my devotions this morning, which dealt with the "Beatitudes" from the Sermon on the Mount, I learned and realized that mourning is not talked about much or even shown as much in our culture as it was in Jesus' time on earth.

Often times, in our culture, people think you need to be happy all of the time which is not always the case. Instead of avoiding pain or trying to cover it up, we need to cling to the Lord Jesus in our times of trials, which includes mourning loved ones. Death is a reality of life. Death is all around us...but we as Christians know that one day in heaven, there will be no tears, there will be no sorrow, there will be no sting of death. That is our hope in Christ. Those who may be facing these realities that we all face, please remember that Jesus is waiting to comfort us and strengthen us.

Just recently a friend of mine lost a little granddaughter, and she is handling her situation as well as she can, but as a follower of Christ. She is mourning her loss with her family. The one thing that I truly see in her is the fact that she is leaning on the everlasting arms of Christ to comfort and strengthen her. Even in mourning, what a powerful witness for Christ that can be. Please keep this lady and her family in prayer.

God bless you.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

We ALL need Jesus!


"And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." – Matthew 5:1-3

I recently learned more in a devotion, the truth about this passage. Especially in American culture...and even in children's programming, we are constantly being told, "You just need to believe in yourself! Pick yourself up by your own bootstraps....and get'r done!"

The truth is, we don't have what it takes, and Jesus reminds us that we need to be humble, poor in spirit, relying on Him if we are seeking the Kingdom of Heaven.

Being poor in spirit means that we need to be humble and go to Jesus in all things. Just like the old children's song says, "They are weak, but He is strong..." "They" meaning us, are His children....and we are weak vessels.

Yes, God has given us many different talents and abilities, but we are to rely on Him, to be used by Him, to give of ourselves to the best of our abilities for Him.

We must rely on Him for our every need.

Lord, in our weakness, you are strong. Help us to rely on you and seek you for everything. Lord, may we be your humble servants, allowing you to guide and direct our paths. May we truly seek and desire Your kingdom. - Amen.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Random Thoughts! Again?


Every once in a while I get in the mood to just make a list of the things that are going through my head.....through the whirlwind of my life!

1) I am so thankful for the salvation of Jesus Christ...my Savior....my Lord...and my God!

2) I am extremely thankful for my wife...she has to put up with a lot with a house full of boys!

3) I am thankful for my boys...they're growing up quicker than I can handle! Lord please let me be patient and do a good job as a parent. I want my boys to grow up to be Christ like and have Christian homes as well.

4) Wow! What a fun rehearsal last night with the worship team. I am praying that God has many super things in store for the ministry this new year. Who knows what He has in store...but we are looking forward to it.

5) Wow! It is sure fun watching all the basketball games. Caleb is playing varsity his senior year. Jacob is on the freshman team, and Joshua is playing rec and traveling basketball! Fun..Fun...Fun......

6) Uhhh...gasoline is expensive.

7) I'm sure enjoying the sunny / winter days....with highs above 0 degrees! Thanks Lord!

8) Got to get a lot of work done in the barn. Lots of old alfalfa to get picked up...not to mention manure to get out of there.

9) Gotta get my tools back in order after working with my friend Rick on the Volkswagen bugs.

10) It's nice to be able to drive my baja bug around for the last couple of days without having to scrape the ice off the INSIDE of the windshield!!!

11) Dreaming about fishing without ice....coming sooner....rather than later?

12) Hoping that the Worland Basketball Warriors get wins against Evanston and Rock Springs this weekend! Go Warriors!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Thanks!....and Happy New Year! We pray God has great things in store!


Wow! What a whirlwind of activity! Christmas is over and the New Year 2011 has begun.

First of all, I would like to thank all of those that were involved in the Christmas Eve service. You did a beautiful job! The kids did a super job singing under the direction of Vicki Ley. The costumes were perfect for the occasion of celebrating Christ's birth! The Christmas choir presentation with narration was beautifully done, sharing the clear gospel message, portraying why Jesus came to this earth. Hannah Compton did a fantastic job singing her solo. Tim McGee did a super job with the narration. Thanks to Jess Rollema and Rod Woodbury for covering sound. Thanks Wendy Compton, for helping with the risers...along with the rest of your family!Thanks Becci Kalfell for gluing it all together with media. Also, thanks to Pastor Jess Rollema for the Christmas message.

So, what do we have in store for FBC Worship Ministries now? We are praying that the Lord has wonderful things in store for First Baptist. Pray for us as we continue to learn new songs to praise Him, as we look for new venues to spread the gospel, but also, continue to pray for those ministries that are already in place. Please continue to pray for the team going into the Wyoming Boys' School. Also pray for the opportunities that we have had in community outreach like Praise in the Park and Celebrate Recovery this year.

Pray that the Lord will be pleased with our service. God bless you First Baptist, Worland.