Jackson Chapel Church

Bro. Horace Wyatt got the morning worship service started off with “Farther Along” and “Amazing Grace.” Bro. Dennis blessed us with “Master of the Sea.”

Bro. Dennis’ text came from Philippians 3:13-14 with a message titled “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize.” We as Christians need to keep our eyes on Jesus Christ because if not, Satan would love nothing better than to cause us to lose focus on what we’re working for, and that is to make it to heaven. If we decide this Christian life is too hard to live and we give up on our blessed hope that we have in Jesus Christ, we then have lost the prize that we were working toward, and that is heaven. There is nothing in this world worth losing our heavenly home. It will be a place that we don’t want to miss.

The service ended with several coming to pray.

Bro. Dennis’ text came from 1 Thessalonians 4:3-9. As Christians we need to learn how to control our vessels. We need to live our lives to the best of our ability, no matter what curves are thrown at us. There will be situations that come our way and we have got to learn how to handle those things in a Christian manner. Satan would love for us to stumble and fall. If he can keep us from serving Jesus Christ, then he’s got us right where he wants us.

Happy birthday this week to Juanit Wyatt, Randy Satterfield, Jack Bragg and Carolina Solis

Please pray for these as you pray this week: Gail Fant, Billy Burnett, Angie Caudle, Samuel Burnett, Roy Martin’s mom, the Rev. George Williams, the Lisa Langston family, Margie Baker, our lost loved ones, and our service men and women

Upcoming event:

We will have our Christmas program on Sunday night, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend.

Samaria Baptist Church

What an awesome God we serve! On this weather-ugly Sunday, we were blessed beyond measure at Samaria.

Celebrating birthdays are Kricket Caton, Luke Stoneback, Josh Parker and Salena Stoneback (November).

Jeannie Mims sang a beautiful Latin Christmas carol, and Jeannie and Diane Fisher sang “Still Blessed,” at the request of some of the congregation.

Bro. Charles’ message text was from 1 John 4. He talked about love being a wonderful thing, but only perfect when under the direction of God. Romantic love, while a joy to all who experience it, is not enough to love someone for a lifetime. Divine love from our Heavenly Father must complete the equation in order for a marriage to be truly blessed and stable. God’s love is perfection, and while we will never know perfection in this earthly body, as the Holy Spirit abides in us, so does perfect love.

Due to the decisions of our national leaders, we live in a time of anxiety and fear, and there are problems the world over; however, there is no fear in God’s love. He was as innocent as the newborn baby in the stable, but took upon himself the sins of the world in order for us to be saved and see heaven.

Unselfish love came to the stable that night in the baby Jesus. He loves us not for how we can be, but just as we are. He can handle the changes and corrections when we submit our failures to him. He doesn’t expect us to come to him all cleaned up and saved. He takes care of the saving; we cannot save ourselves.

In a marriage, many times we have to surrender to the will of our mate. If you are the one who gets your way all the time, that is not fair to your husband or wife. Everyone has disagreements sometimes, but keeping score of your mate’s faults and misgivings is not going to grow a healthy, happy and peaceful marriage. Forgiveness must abound. Hold no grudges, and know that jealous people live miserable lives.

Base your marriage on pleasing God, and in doing so, your partner will be blessed and pleased as well. Let God be your guide and study his word to know how to love beyond measure.

Prayers this week are for Suzanne Kee and Johnny Tracy as they unite in marriage here at the church on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m.

Join us at Samaria for our Christmas special event, “Twelve Days of Christmas,” on Sunday at 10:30 a.m., and come back Sunday evening for our Old-Fashioned Christmas at 5 p.m.

God bless everyone who sees this column. May this Christmas find you safe in the peace and joy of Jesus.