DAILY DEVOTION, June 9, 2021

But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! ⁴² There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42, LNT).

We are all familiar with the story of Mary and Martha. Let’s talk about these two dear ladies for a few minutes. Martha’s problem is not that she is busy in the kitchen. We appreciate good cooks who work to prepare good food. Her problem is that she is fretting over details and also seems to resent Mary.

Jesus gently reminds her of the big picture. Yes, preparing food is a necessary part of life on earth. But there is something of far greater importance. Mary wants to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn from Him. I am sure Mary took her place in the kitchen when necessary, but on this day, Jesus is visiting. She wants to learn from Him. The most important thing any of us can ever do is to learn from Jesus. Yes, other things are essential and must be done, but other things are to be set aside when we can learn more from Jesus.

Martha could have postponed her kitchen work for a time and joined Mary at the feet of Jesus. Instead, she allowed worry and resentment of her sister to get in the way. Mary made the correct choice. Do I?

Gracious Father, I pray that I will not allow lesser things to get in the way of that which is most important. I want to sit at the feet of Jesus by studying His Word and learning from Him. Please help me to keep my priorities in order. In His holy name, I pray, Amen.

DAILY DEVOTION, June 8, 2021

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love (1 John 4:18).

I know of people who never watch the news because it is so full of scary items. We are told that global warming (or climate change!) will destroy the earth in a few years. Coastal cities will be flooded, ice caps will melt, and life on earth will be destroyed. Or maybe North Korea or Iran or China, or ? will send nuclear bombs our way. Perhaps Covid 19 will continue to spread, and that will do us in. It seems that the news thrives on fear. Maybe some of their dire predictions contain an element of truth, but I, for one, do not believe we humans can destroy God’s creation.  I do believe this old earth is marked for destruction, but not by the hand of man. Scripture tells us that this earth will one day perish, and God will create a new heaven and earth.

In any event, the closer we are to God, the less fear we have. When fears overwhelm us, we have wandered away from God.  Our faith lies dormant. We need to constantly remind ourselves that God is love and that He loves us.  When love works its way deep into our souls, fear vanishes.

So, when the newscaster says, “Global warming is coming. Be afraid!” We respond, “maybe so, maybe not. In either case, God is love, and He loves me, and I refuse to give in to fear. So there!”

Gracious God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, thank You for revealing to us that You are a God of love. Yes, you are a God with unlimited power, but it is a power wielded by Your love. Thank You for loving me and driving fear from my heart. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.

On Sunday we were happy to welcome Roger and Patti Bolinger into membership. Please pray for God’s blessings on these new members.

Our Wednesday at 3:30 PM we will continue our Bible study on church history. Our DVD teacher is very interesting and informative. And we enjoy our post DVD discussion time. Among other things, we will be looking at one of the greatest minds in church history, Thomas Aquinas.

Don’t forget to turn in your baby bottles full of money to help Crossroads Ministry as they serve mothers and babies in need.

This Sunday I will continue the series on “The Ten Commandments,” looking at # 7, “Thou shalt not Commit Adultery.” Again we will see how Jesus expanded on the meaning of that commandment. While I don’t know what else is planned I do know there will be a special observation of the 60th anniversary of my ordination to the ministry. I was ordained in June 1961. I have never regretted my decision to enter the ministry, and serving the Warsaw Christian Church has been a special blessing.

Following the worship service, our annual church picnic will be held at the Bowman’s. If it rains we will move the picnic to the church. Dress in picnic clothes for church Sunday.

May you all have a wonderful week.

Pastor Bowman

Nothing unusual this week. We are slowly getting back to normal in our everyday lives. It’s nice not to have to wear a mask all the time! Our attendance is still below normal but as we learned in our Wednesday Bible Study it is not about numbers. Our goal is to be faithful to Jesus regardless of the numbers. Numbers do not always mean success. Faithfulness equals success.

Wednesday Bible study will continue our DVD study of church history. We will be looking at what happened between 500 AD and 1300 AD. The church became divided around the year 1000 AD many years before the Protestant Reformation. We will learn what happened to cause the split.

On Sunday we will be looking at the 6th Commandment, “Thos shalt not murder.”

Looking ahead, Official Board will meet on Tuesday, June 8th.
The all-church picnic will be held on June 13th after church at the Bowman’s. If the weather does not cooperate we will have the picnic at the church. I have learned that there are plans to observe the 60th anniversary of my ordination to the Christian ministry on that Sunday.

Stay close to Jesus and you will have a wonderful week.
Pastor Bowman

Just a reminder that Sunday School has resumed. Adults meet at 9 AM in the sanctuary. Children are upstairs. Church begins at 10 AM. Marie continues to disinfect the sanctuary.

Please pick up a baby bottle and fill it with money to help Crossroads Family Ministry. Crossroads ministers to women who struggle with unwanted pregnancies.

Bible study meets Wednesday at 3:30 PM continuing the study on church history. We have learned that for the first 300 years the church faced persecution. Once that ended the struggle to define what is central to the Christian faith began. Last week we focused on the Arian controversy leading to the Council of Chalcedon. This week the struggle to define the faith continues in the dispute between Augustine and Pelagius.

Remember the church picnic at the Bowman’s on June 13 after church. I learned that there is a plan on that Sunday to recognize the 60th anniversary of my ordination. I was ordained to the ministry on June 4th, 1961. I have never regretted that decision to enter the ministry.

Sunday we continue the series on the Ten Commandments. I will be speaking on the 4th commandment concerning the Sabbath. It is one of the most difficult commandments to relate to today but I will try!

God bless you all and be safe! Pastor Bowman