DAILY DEVOTIONAL, May 28, 2021

Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name (Psalm 103:1).

This verse presents a challenge to us when we worship God. When we worship God, we are to do so with all that is within us. God is God, and we are not God. God is worthy of our highest praise. Often when I attempt to worship God, I feel the need to repent! I am so easily distracted. My mind so quickly drifts to other matters. I have even been known to fall asleep during a worship service!

God is worthy of our full attention when we gather to worship. He is holy. His name is holy. He is our Creator and our Redeemer. I wonder how often I give it my all when I worship Him? Do I put my all into singing His praises? During the prayers, does God have my undivided attention? During the sermon, is my mind open to receive His Word eagerly? During the Lord’s Supper, is my heart rejoicing as I remember that I am forgiven once again?

The text from Psalm 103 presents us with the ideal. That is what we strive for when we worship God. I doubt that we ever live up to the words “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.” We reach for the ideal and then graciously accept God’s pardon because we have not reached the ideal. That is why in our church we observe the Lord’s Supper every Sunday. Not only have we failed to live a perfect life in the previous week, but even our worship also falls short of the divine standard. One thing that should be present in our hearts when we worship is thanksgiving. God accepts our inadequate worship because of what Jesus has done for us. Thankfully His love and the sacrifice of His Son make it possible for us to draw near to Him despite our many imperfections.

Gracious Father, I do thank You for Your grace. You are worthy of my best – – – my full attention – – – but I know I fall short. Because of Jesus and what He has done for me, I can draw near to You with confidence, not because I am flawless, but because He is flawless. Glory and honor and praise be unto Him, Amen. 

DAILY DEVOTION, May 26, 2021

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life (John 8:12).

What an audacious claim! Who would make such a claim? I certainly would not. You would have to be someone very special – – – like the Son of God – – – to make such a claim. Jesus did make such a claim. Do you believe Him? We have eyes, and we can see the physical world, but that is not the meaning of Jesus’ words. Walking in darkness refers to walking in disobedience to the Father. We are persons who walk in spiritual darkness, unless…

We walk in darkness unless we are following Jesus. When we follow Him as His faithful disciples, we walk in the light. By faith, we can see the will of God and walk in it. The minute we try to please God apart from following Jesus, we fail. And yes, we do fail. That is when we turn to Jesus again for His forgiveness and cleansing.

There is no spiritual light to be found apart from Jesus. Follow Him, and you will walk in the light.

Father, I thank You for the gift of Your Son. He has done everything for me. He not only provides for my forgiveness (which I desperately need!) but then promises to light the way for me as I follow him. I want to walk in His light as a faithful disciple. In His name, I pray, Amen. 

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

DAILY DEVOTION, May 25, 2021

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? ²⁰ For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s (1 Corinthians 6: 19-20).

Apparently, some at Corinth did not understand what it meant to be a Christian, a faithful disciple of Jesus. They did not seem to realize that their physical bodies are God’s temple because the Holy Spirit dwells in us. The result is we do not belong to ourselves. Life is not about me.  It is about Jesus. He purchased us when He went to the cross for us. When you trust in Jesus, you relinquish your rights to self and surrender them to Him.

So what does that mean? We are to live in such a way that God is glorified. That applies to our physical appearance and our inner spirit. When we allow our physical health or appearance to go to pot, God is not glorified.  When we do not allow our spiritual life to grow and develop, God is not glorified.

As Christians, we now belong to Jesus.  He bought us with the price of His blood. The goal of life is not to glorify self but to honor Him. How are you doing?

Gracious Father, help me to grasp the truth that I belong to Jesus. Help me understand that my life’s goal is to honor Him, both with my body and spirit. Forgive me when I fall short, and renew me by the power of the Holy Spirit. In His holy Name, I pray. Amen

DAILY DEVOTION, May 22, 2021

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Prayer is not a duty.  It is a privilege. Paul tells us to pray without ceasing. He does not mean we should be in prayer every minute of our waking hours. I think he means that prayer is so important to us that we never abandon the practice. Prayers continually pop into our heads as we go about each day. We hear that someone is sick, and we immediately pray for them. We hear about a death, and instantly our prayers go out to the family. Pray for the lost. Pray for our children.  Pray for our ministers. Pray for our missionaries. Pray for our government.

Does prayer make a difference? It does unless God has asked us to do something that has no impact. I doubt that is the case. Our text says prayer is the will of God. If God wills that we pray, we should pray! Our prayers should be full of rejoicing and thanksgiving.

Prayer should never be a last resort. It should be our first action when confronted with a problem/issue/sickness/death – –  a need of any kind. God works through our prayers in ways we often do not understand. But He does hear and answer the prayers of His people, so pray!

Father, forgive me when I face problems and forget to pray. Teach me to reach out to you daily. There are so many needs in the world. I want to do my part by praying continually. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

It was great seeing almost 50 people in church yesterday. I don’t think anyone was wearing a mask. There is so much confusion regarding that issue. Masks remain an option in our church but we are leaving it up to each individual to make their own decision. Most of our congregation has been vaccinated. We continue to thank God that no one has caught the virus from attending church, and those who did get Covid-19 have all recovered. We are almost back to normal.

Remember to pick up a baby bottle and fill it with money to aid the ministry of Crossroads. They provide counsel and other resources to pregnant girls. David Cox is a volunteer at Crossroads.

Wednesday Bible study at 3:30.

Looking ahead, the Bowman’s plan to host our annual church picnic on June 13 at their home, weather permitting. All are welcome. Meat in furnished. Please bring other picnic items like potato salad, baked beans, etc. to share.

The sermon Sunday will focus on commandment # 3, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain.” It is Pentecost Sunday when we celebrate the Gift of the Holy Spirit to the church. There is a clear relationship between the Gift of the Holy Spirit and the Ten Commandments.

The Lord be with you all, Pastor Bowman