Samaria Baptist Church

What a wonderful day to serve our Lord Jesus Christ! After a week of snow and the troubles that accompany it, we were so blessed to be able to gather in God’s house. Many of our families were stranded in schools, traffic and workplaces, and we are so thankful that blessings outnumbered the stresses.

Bro. Jimmy Hardee brought the morning message due to the illness of Bro. Shane Wyatt. Jeannie Mims blessed us with “Cast My Bread Upon the Water.”

There were many things last week that would try our patience and endurance; however, nothing happened that Jesus didn’t see. We praise him for blessing our loved ones and friends.

Bro. Jimmy brought his message from Matthew 6:33: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”

We all suffer daily stress. Being human, we are sometimes beaten down, feeling miserable and helpless in our own right. However, we do not encounter anything that God is unaware of or that he cannot take care of. We have to be willing to submit all we have to him and allow him to answer the stirring questions in our lives. We may feel unloved and unlovable, but Christians are never unloved. Friends and family will disappoint us, and sometimes we doubt their sincerity, but we never have to doubt what Jesus says and what he means. His love is unending and can never end.

Our days start better with prayer and Bible study. Seeking him first is the key. Obedience is critical in having joy as a Christian. We discipline our children out of love and because we want them to be good citizens. Giving them everything they want is not the answer to teaching them about reality.

Our government is out of fellowship with God and has decided to make it legal to be homosexual and to smoke drugs. They will never provide the way for us to follow when their legalities are clearly outside of God’s will and his Word.

Allowing others to see Jesus in you is the best witness. It accomplishes more than any words can ever convey. Acting on our faith is always blessed. God will rebuke the devourer in our lives. Satan may be stronger than us, but he will never be stronger than God. When we bring our tithes and offerings in faith, God has promised to pour out a window of blessings upon us. Let your light shine. He knows all your troubles, but he wants you to talk to him about it.

God bless you and your family this week. Prayer requested for Mr. Staggs, the Owens family, Shane Wyatt, Justin Driver and family, and our church as we seek a new pastor.

Mountain Springs Church

Services started on Sunday with Bro. Kenneth Moates leading the church in the following hymns: “Just A Little Talk With Jesus,” “I’d Rather Be an Old-Time Christian,” “I’m In a New World” and “Heaven’s Jubilee.”

Bro. Ashley Bice gave a devotion from Job 26:5-14. The Lord, who upholds this universe by simply his word, is in control of our lives. We feel like we’re hanging on nothing sometimes, but God is always there with us.

After Sunday School, Bro. Kenneth led the church in the hymn “When We All Get to Heaven” and Bro. Sam Ross sang “We Need to Thank God.”

Bro. Heath Vines preached from Deuteronomy 28:1-2. Today is the day we need to make things right with God because we are not promised tomorrow. We may not have much on this earth, but we have God, and if we serve him, he will bless us.

Sunday night’s service began with Bro. Kenneth leading the church in the hymns “Jesus is Coming Soon,” “My Lord Keeps a Record” and “Come and Dine.”

Bro. Wayne Barnett gave the devotion and sang “I Know That He Is Able.”

Bro. Heath preached from 2 Corinthians 1:1-4. If you ask God for anything in your life, he will tell you what direction you need to go. God can touch your life for anything, whether it be comfort or to help comfort someone else. Whatever God does for you, he expects you to do the same for others.

Hope to see you at church on Sunday!