Easter is over but our resurrected Savior lives on. I was greatly blessed by our Maundy-Thursday communion service and our Easter Worship service. I am always lifted up when I am with God’s people and together we worship our Lord. 

Things are a little quieter this week. 

We will have our usual Wednesday Bible study at 2:30. Tom will continue the series on leadership. 

Sunday School at 9 AM with Sandy Schmitt teaching.

Morning worship at 10:00 AM. Pastor Bowman will continue the series from the Book of Romans. The sermon title is “The unending Struggle” from Romans 7. 

Sandy Schmitt will be leading a grief support group starting this Thursday, April 21, from 2 to 4 PM at the church continuing for 12 weeks.  You need not be a member of this church to participate. 

May your week be filled with the joy of the Lord! 

Pastor Bowman

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. 

DAILY DEVOTION, April 18, 2022

For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end
(Psalm 48:14, NIV).

Our verse declares the eternity of God. He is without beginning and without end. The idea of an eternal being is challenging for us to get our minds around. Everything we know has a beginning and an end, save God alone. He is always there for us. We need not worry that He will cease to be. There is comfort in knowing that we serve an eternal God. We can count on His guidance from the moment we are born until we leave this life.

We know that people change. I am a much different person than I was in 1961 when I graduated from seminary. God’s attributes never change. He is forever a God of love, a God who will forgive all who trust in His Son, a God who will finally judge the wicked. The book of Hebrews tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever”(Hebrews 13:8). Like the Father, the Son is unchanging. When You read of Jesus in the New Testament, you can count on the fact that He will be the same today. He will always be there for those who love and trust Him.

Father, I am so happy to know that You will always be there for those who love Your Son. I thank You that I can count on Your hand of guidance daily. I never need to worry that You will leave me or forsake me. May Your name be praised forever, in the name of Jesus, Amen.
  

Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away (Matthew 27:59-60). 

DAILY DEVOTION, April 16, 2022

 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).

Paul speculates on things that might possibly separate us from the love of Christ. The bottom line is that nothing can separate us from His love. What a comfort it is to know that as we trust in Jesus, we are safe forever! Nothing can ever drive a wedge between us and Jesus. What about the devil? Nope! He is a created being, and no created being can separate us from the love of Jesus.

God the Father accepts us into His kingdom when we trust in His Son. Jude says that God is able to keep us from falling away spiritually (1:24). When we trust in Jesus His hand is upon us and He will guide us safely through life and finally into heaven. There is no power on earth or in heaven strong enough to interfere with God’s plan. Our job is to make sure that our faith is real and permanent.

Father, I do trust in Jesus. I pray that my faith is not hypocritical. Thank You for the promise that as I trust in Jesus I am safe and secure throughout eternity. In His name, I pray.  Amen.

John 17:1-3 (NLT)[1] After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. [2] For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him.  [3] And this is the way to have eternal life-to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.

DAILY DEVOTION, April 15, 2022

For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica …(2 Timothy 4:10).

Demas was working with Paul. He has come to faith in Jesus Christ. We do not know why he turned away from the Gospel. Perhaps all the suffering that accompanied Paul’s ministry discouraged him. In any event, he made a decision. The attractions of the present world allured him. They seemed more immediate than a future heaven.

So, Demas fell in love with the present and sacrificed the future. He abandoned Paul and went his own way. Did he ever return to the faith? We do not know. We are faced with the same decision. Are we in love with this world, its glamor, and its attractions? Is our love for the world so deep that faith is crowded out? Yes, heaven seems wonderful but is it real? What is our priority? Following Jesus or pursuing the things of this world? Are you more interested in this world or the world to come? Demas turned away from the faith. Don’t let it happen to you.

Father, thank You for Jesus, my Savior, and Master. I pray that the attractions of this world never deter me from following Him. In His name, I pray, Amen. 

DAILY DEVOTION

Marie’s daily verse: John 3:16-17

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

DAILY DEVOTION, April 14, 2022 (Maundy Thursday)

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” ²⁷ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸ For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins (Matthew 26:26-27).

Tonight we gather together to remember the Last Supper. Jesus instituted this extraordinary act of remembrance as He faced the cross. He wanted His disciples and all future generations to remember that His body was broken and His blood was shed for the remission of sins. The pure and faultless Son of God was about to face the cross for us.

Most religious leaders ask us to remember their teachings. However, Jesus alone asks us to remember His death. Of course, we do remember His teachings, but our salvation comes through His sacrifice on the cross. Unfortunately, we fall far short in our efforts to follow His teachings. In the end, we must rely upon His cross. Our candlelight communion this evening service is a special time of remembrance.

Lord Jesus, we humbly thank You that You were willing to suffer for us. May Your name be praised and honored forever, Amen.