Marie’s daily verse: Lord, you are my God; 

I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things,things planned long ago (ISAIAH 25:1). 

DAILY DEVOTION, October 7, 2022

And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory (Colossian 3:4. NLT).

There is a day coming when everything will be changed forever.  Jesus will return to planet earth. He will come in triumph to inaugurate the final redemption of His people and to judge the wicked. His second coming will not be like His birth in Bethlehem. Few were aware of His first coming. The whole world will be aware of His second coming.

The good news for us is that we will share in His glory forever. I find myself wondering what that will be like. While I cannot comprehend the details of what life will be like in heaven, I know it will be glorious beyond our imaginations. As we await that day, we live this present life in union with Christ. He is our life. We are connected to Him as a branch is connected to a vine. Christ’s life flows into us. We are His, and He is ours. What a blessing it is to be a Christian! We live each day knowing that we are loved by God and that when we leave this life, we enter an incredible eternity. Keep the faith! The blessings are out of this world.

Father, as I await the culmination of Your plan, I thank You for Your saving grace. This present life can be hard, but You are always with me. You have promised never to leave or forsake those who trust in Your Son. I pray that as I await the return of Jesus, I may find ways to serve You in Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Marie’s daily verse: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 JOHN 1:9).

DAILY DEVOTION, October 6, 2022

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21).

I recall a church I visited in Decatur where those baptized were given a “life verse.” It was a verse from Scripture with special meaning to the one baptized. I think if I were to select a “life verse” for myself the above would be in the competition, along with John 3:16.

Paul summarizes the Gospel in a few words. During his life on earth, he wanted Christ to be at the center. He understood that his joy and meaning in life all came from Jesus. His daily life with all its decisions was centered on Jesus. I want my life to reflect that attitude, don’t you?

Then Paul turned his attention to the future. He understood, as do we all that his earthly life was brief. We all hope to live a long and meaningful life Then what? Paul then anticipates eternal life. This life is good when Christ is at the center. The future life is even better, infinitely better. It is a big gain over this earthly life. The Christ we now see through a dark glass, then we shall see Him face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Is there a better way to live than to live for Jesus now and then graduate to eternal life which will be a vast improvement? Paul says a lot in 12 words. I think I will adopt Philippians 1:21 as my life verse.

Father, I do want to live for Jesus. I want Him to be the center of all my thoughts, words, and deeds. I thank You so much for the promise that those who trust in Jesus in this life will enjoy an even better life in heaven. May the name of Jesus be honored in my life, Amen.

Marie’s daily verse: Titus 3:4-5 NIVBut when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

DAILY DEVOTION, October 5, 2022

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” (Romans 10:16).

How do we obey the Gospel? The Gospel is the good news that our sins are forgiven, and heaven is our destiny. The benefits of the Gospel are given to us as a gift.  What is there to obey? Our obedience operates at two levels. First, the Gospel must be believed for its benefits to be applied to us. Our first level of obedience is faith – – – faith in Jesus as our Savior. We are to set aside any idea that we can earn salvation and simply trust in Jesus.

Our second level of obedience is how we live after receiving the gift of salvation. Those who trust in Jesus as Savior want to serve Him as Lord. They want to live by His commandments. We obey the Gospel by obeying the One who is the Gospel, even Jesus. Those who obey Jesus as the first level are given new birth. That new birth gives us the desire to obey Jesus. We want to live as faithful disciples. Obedience to the Gospel begins with faith and continues with faithfulness.

Father, may Your name to exalted. You have given Your only begotten Son to be our Savior. Your Gospel is all wrapped up in Him. I do trust Him, and I want to live as an obedient child. I want to honor the One who has redeemed me. In His name, I pray. Amen. 

Marie’s

daily verse: 

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer (Romans 12:12). 

DAILY DEVOTION, October 4, 2022

No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God (1 John 3:9).

This morning we continue thinking about the genuineness of our faith. Yesterday we looked at the positive side of faith, and obedience. Today John focuses on the negative side of faith, sin. When true faith is born in us the very seed (Greek, Sperma) of God is implanted in us. Just as human parents implant their DNA into us, faith brings to us the DNA of God, if you will. Thus, we cannot sin as a way of life (Greek lesson: a present infinitive form of the word “sin” in Greek implies continual or repeated action).  John is not saying Christians are sin free (see 1:8). He is saying that we do not habitually sin. That is impossible once God’s seed is implanted in us.

True Christians hate it when they slip into sin. They quickly repent and return to the path of obedience. God’s indwelling presence (seed) makes it impossible for Christians to sin habitually. We hate the sin that drove Jesus to the cross to atone for our sins. Now our highest goal is to honor Him by living obedient lives.

Father, when I stray from Your will, I pray the Holy Spirit will act in some way to get me back on track. I do want to live a life of faithfulness to my Savior, in whose name, I pray, Amen. 

THIS WEEK AT WARSAW CHRISTIAN CHURCH, 10/3 THRU 10/9

With all the drugs and crime in our society, I was blessed on Sunday to hear the Christian testimony of Justine and Jayln Barb. I am encouraged to know that we have such strong Christian teenagers in our church. 

 FCM meets at 8:00 AM tomorrow (Tuesday) for breakfast and fellowship.

FCW meets at 9:30 on Wednesday. They have a special guest speaker. All ladies are invited.

Wednesday Bible study at 2 PM. We will wrap up our study on praying according to the will of God. The following Wednesday, Tom resumes the study on “Ten Questions to Diagnose your Spiritual Health.” 

On Sunday, B.J. Leonard will teach in Sunday School and bring the message during the worship service. B.J is our new missionary to Kenya, replacing Lynn and Dori Cazier. 

Following our morning worship, we will enjoy a ham and bean dinner. Ham and beans and cornbread provided. Bring a dish to share. 

Have a blessed week (Proverbs 3:6-7). 

Pastor Bowman