Category Archives: Uncategorized

Today’s daily verse: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (2 Peter 2:9). 

Posted on by
Reply

DAILY DEVOTION, Nov. 2, 2021

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly  (John 10:9-10).

How shall we ever find a relationship with God? God is holy, and we are not. Jesus uses a metaphor to answer the question. He is the door that leads to salvation. Others claim they can lead you to God, but Jesus refers to them as thieves. If you follow them, you will end up as an enemy of God. Jesus is the only door leading to salvation. He alone can bring us abundant life.

This is one test of the reality of our faith. Are you living an abundant life? Despite all your problems and worries, are you enjoying a relationship with God? The abundant life Jesus promises will reach its culmination in heaven, but He gives us a foretaste of the glory that awaits us. Even while we live in a world overflowing with evil, Jesus blesses us with abundance. We enter the door leading to salvation by faith in the Son of God. Have you opened that door?

Father, thank You for making salvation easy to understand. You bid us trust in Your Son, and as we do, we receive salvation. Faith will also lead us to an abundant life. Father, we thank You for Your great love. In the name of Jesus, Amen. 

Today’s daily verse: God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). 

Posted on by
Reply

DAILY DEVOTION, Nov. 1, 2021

You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels (Revelation 3:4-5).

Sardis represents a dying church. Only a few in that church remain faithful. We do not want to be like the church in Sardis! Garments refer to character. Many in Sardis had defiled their character by their failure to follow Jesus. We are encouraged to overcome such character flaws. We are to keep our faith strong and follow our Master. That includes repentance when we fall short. Those who walk in repentance and faith will see their character cleansed. They will be dressed in white garments. Their names are inscribed in the Book of Life and will never be erased. They possess eternal life.

We see two categories of people in these verses. Some have defiled their character so badly that they no longer follow Jesus. Was their faith ever genuine? Others have also defiled their character but have overcome through repentance, faith, and a sincere effort to follow Jesus. As a result, they are forgiven, cleansed, and clothed in white, symbolizing that they are true Christians. What will become of those whose garments remain stained? I think you know the answer. The church at Sardis reminds us to keep our faith, obedience, and repentance active. Then we will walk with Jesus in white garments and He will tell the Father that we belong to Him.

Oh God, I confess that my character is far from perfect. I am so sorry that I have failed You. I trust in Your Son, and His shed blood to forgive me. Please help me to walk with Jesus on the path of faith, obedience and repentance that I may dwell in the house of the Lord forever. In His name, Amen. 

This will be an active week at our church. 

Posted on by
Reply

The men’s group (FCM) will meet at 8 AM on Tuesday, 11/2. Marvin is hoping we will have enough help to relocate the pastor’s office after the meeting. If you do not attend FCM but want to help move stuff from upstairs to downstairs please come at 9 AM. 

We will again offer covid vaccines at our church on Tuesday from 10 AM to 2 PM thanks to Katy Trial. . There is no charge. All three vaccines are available along with boosters. 

The women’s group will meet on Wednesday at 9:30 AM with a special speaker on Haiti. 

Wednesday Bible study at 3 PM will continue our study in the Gospel of John. 

Remember to set your clock back on Saturday. Daylight savings time ends. 

On Sunday, Nov. 7 the Cornwell Twins will be visiting us again with their special music. 

May your week be filled with the blessings of God.

Pastor Bowman

Marie’s daily verse:  As for God, his way is perfect:     The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields(C) all who take refuge in him For who is God besides the Lord?     And who is the Rock except our God? (Psalm 18:30-31). Daily Devotion, Oct. 31, 2021Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us (Ephesians 3:20).Yesterday we saw God’s abundant grace poured out upon us to meet our every need, and then bless us beyond our needs so that we have resources to help others. Today we focus again on God’s abundant grace. As we pray, we ask God to act in our lives or the lives of others. We should anticipate that He will answer our prayer and bless us abundantly beyond what we have asked. It seems that God enjoys surprising us by gifting us way beyond what we have asked Him to do. Again, faith is the key. This verse does not apply to those who pray, expecting nothing in return.Paul then mentions the power that works in us. What is that? It is clear from many places in Scripture that faith brings the presence and power of the Holy Spirit into our lives. The Holy Spirit is called the encourager. He works in us to increase our faith, continually encouraging us to trust in God. As our faith grows, we begin to see Ephesians 3:20 in action. We see that God not only answers our prayers. He also surprises us by blessing us way beyond what we asked Him to do. Is this your experience? If not, why not?Heavenly Father, thank You for this promise that assures me of Your love. You are eager to bless me abundantly. May my faith not waver when I pray. Help me to give free control to the Holy Spirit who works in my heart. In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen. 

Posted on by
Reply

Marie’s daily verse: Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;( praise his holy name.( For his anger( lasts only a moment,    but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping( may stay for the night,    but rejoicing comes in the morning. {Psalm 3:4-5).

Posted on by
Reply

DAILY DEVOTION, October. 30, 2021

The Lord has need of it (Luke 19:34)

In context, Jesus has sent his disciples to obtain a donkey for Him as He prepares to enter Jerusalem. Sometimes those of us in the senior citizen category wonder if we can be useful in the Kingdom of God. Yes, we can! May I respectfully suggest that if He can use a donkey, He can use you! I am still serving a church at age 85, so you can do things if you are around my age. We can all pray. We can be encouragers to one another. Many can teach, serve on the board, serve as elders, donate to Christian causes, share our faith . . . the opportunities to serve Jesus are endless, even for the aged.

 I like Isaiah 46:4: “I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you” (NLT).  God is with us and can use us even in our old age. One thing we can certainly do is grow old gracefully, being a witness to others that our faith is strong. We may retire from our jobs, but we never retire from our Christian faith. God will never forsake us. We should never forsake Him with the excuse, “I am too old.”

Father, I thank You that I am still able to serve You whatever my age. I prayerfully ask You to guide me into paths of service. I want to be useful in the Kingdom of God until You call me home. In Jesus’ name, Amen.