Your Account

Scripture

Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.

~Philippians 4:17, NIV

Quote

“Guard against every kind or form of greed.”

~Jesus of Nazareth

I would imagine that most of you have a bank account. We have a couple that I know about but I have no idea what is in either. I could find out if it were bothering me but I prefer not to think about these things. My wife loves to handle the money and I trust her. I do have a retirement account but I can’t tell you what’s in it either. I could give you a ball park figure or look it up on line but I seldom check on the balance. Unfortunately for my family, I have gone for a decade without checking on the balance. I am not encouraging you to be that lax. My point is this: all believers have a heavenly account that Paul refers to in Philippians 4:17. You can’t get on line and check this account but it is there and it has your name and number on it. Every act of kindness you do for someone else is a deposit. Every penny you give to God’s Kingdom work is a deposit. Every witness for Christ is a deposit.

I don’t know what’s in my heavenly account or yours but I know this:

1. Its the most important account we have.
2. Its the only account that cannot diminish in value.
3. Its the only account that you cannot lose.
4. Its the only account that will matter 100 years from now.
5. Its the only account that will pay eternal dividends.

Which account are you more focused on at this point in your life? If we are honest, I think we would have to admit our focus is on the earthly rather than the heavenly. Greed is a snare, a trap but if you can avoid all forms of greed, you will in time focus more on things above. Remember what Paul told Timothy about greed, But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. If you fall into the trap of greed, you will be loving and hording money until the day you die.

• GOLDEN GIRLS HAS NOT BEEN CANCELED: June or Judy will contact you by phone sometime today. I’m almost certain we will be able to meet but we are awaiting some phone calls that might change our plans. June loves this meeting and so do I, so we will not cancel unless we have to.
• SENIOR ADULT DAY this Sunday with special guest John and Joye Tucker.

 

• Deacon’s meeting Sunday morning at 8:15
• Franklin Graham Prayer Rally April 14

NEW YORK – JUNE 25: Franklin Graham, with Bible in hand, addresses the crowd before his father Billy Graham speaks during his Crusade at Flushing Meadows Corona Park June 25, 2005 in the Queens borough of New York. Flushing Meadows Corona Park is the site for Graham’s sermons on June 24-26, which looks to draw thousands of people from across the country, and will purportedly be the aging Christian evangelist’s final crusade. (Photo by Stephen Chernin/Getty Images)

Marks Of A Good Servant

Scripture

 “O Lord, God of my master, Abraham,” he prayed. “Please give me success today, and show unfailing love to my master, Abraham.”

~Genesis 24:12, NLT

Quote

A servant of God has but one Master. It ill becomes the servant to seek riches, greatness or honor in that world where his LORD was poor, rejected and despised.

~George Mueller

Abraham’s most exalted servant was Eliezer from Damascus. Abraham trusted Eliezer with his life. Abraham sent him on a mission to find Isaac a wife. Isaac was extremely introverted and still grieving the death of his mother. The scripture above is Eliezer’s prayer before departing on this very important mission. We see in Eliezer’s life the characteristics of a good servant.

1. He listened to his masters instructions.
2. He obeyed his masters instructions.
3. He prayed before He began the mission and while he was on the mission.
4. He always puts his master’s business first. He refuses to take time off, or to enjoy himself, till he has carried out his master’s instructions.
5. He refuses to be distracted. He was focused on his purpose and he would not turn to the right or the left.

• A normal schedule today for the first time in a while and the last time in a while: Deacons at 8:15, Donuts and bisquits at 9:00, LCBS at 9:15, Celebrate Jesus in worship at 10:15. PM, AWANA at 5:30, Visitation at 5:30, and evening worship at 6:15.
• We had a great time with the GOLDEN GIRLS and Senior Adults yesterday. It must be due to my age but I am enjoying these opportunities for fellowship more than ever.
• Our Baptism today is iffy. Charles Floyd is ready but they were not at home yesterday and so I really don’t know. We will play it by ear. The water is ready.
• We need some strong men to show up 8:45 and help David restore the stage.
• Remember, David Wood is trying to get interest in a prayer time to pray before our worship service. There is a sign up sheet in the foyer.
• I think we are sponsoring 13 children for Christmas: I want to thank you for what you do for others at Christmas.
• Buford Burgess had a better night. I didn’t talk with Gary yesterday or Noah. I am assuming everyone is doing about the same or improving. Mrs. Lewis is very low. Ben Blankenship’s dad is at DGH, I am not positive about the diagnosis but I think it is very serious. Our Nephew Heath has surgery December 15. They will be going into the back of his brain. They say it is a common surgery but when you mention brain or heart, it is serious to me.

Focus

SCRIPTURE

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting {a lot of} the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.

~Philippians 3:13, NLT

QUOTE

Dream big, work hard, stay focused and surround yourself with good people.

~Anonymous

I love the quote above and totally agree. In my case, I need good people around me to help keep me focused. I am task oriented or task driven but I am anything but a multi-tasker. I can do only one thing at a time and sometimes that seems like a curse. June can watch TV, bake, iron, prepare a meal and keep Chloe all at the same time. I can’t even keep Chloe and the house at the same time. It has been a tough week for me with the Block Party coming up tonight. It has been difficult for me to think about anything else and I do have other responsibilities. In my old age, I am learning to sit down, get quiet, relax and let God do the talking. This has always been hard for me but it is getting easier. One reason is I lack the energy to keep going. I’m still light years from where I need to be but I want to give the LORD credit, His grace has been amazing this week. Thank YOU Jesus. YOU are a wonderful Savior.

• Well folks, this is it: BLOCK PARTY 16 and we know it is going to rain, we just don’t know when. I think it has rained the last 5 years. We don’t want to complain about rain. I probably should not say anything until after the party but things sure have fallen into place this year. What about we give the credit to Jesus, maybe that will keep us from getting into trouble.
• It’s not only BLOCK PARTY DAY, it is Block Party weekend so here is the schedule:
  • Today: Grace Barn opens at 9:00, we have to build our gates and set up our games and tents. We start cooking at 2:30 and wrapping at 3:30 with team meeting at 4:30. Workers supper at 5:00 and be sit up and ready by 5:30.
  • Sunday: no deacons meeting, LCBS at 9:15, Worship at 10:15 with Bryan Drakes as special guest: children will be in the sanctuary with adults. Pool Party at Hartselle City Swimming Pool at 6:00. Concession stand will be open but they will also allow you to bring things in. I will be grilling some hamburgers and hotdogs but you will have to go to the concession stand for drinks, candy, etc. No one pays admission. Each family can invite another family.
  • Monday: Block Party Recuperation Day. The office will be closed tighter than Dick’s hat band.

Staying On Target

SCRIPTURE

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.

~Matthew 23:23, NLT

QUOTE

“Getting distracted by trifles is the easiest thing in the world… Focus on your main duty”

~ Epictetus

I’ll be honest, I had never heard of Matt Emmons until I read his story in a book. Matt was competing in the 50-meter three -position rifle event in the 2004 Olympics; he was one shot away from a Gold Medal. All he had to do to win was hit the target which he did but it was the wrong target. Somehow Matt lost his focus and from lane two, he aimed at the target in lane three. His shoot scored 8.1 which was more than enough to win but he shot didn’t count because he hit the wrong target.

Keeping our focus in the key to success but it’s not always easy to do because the flesh, the world and the devil are trying to distract us. Have you noticed that in a college basketball game, the student body always sits behind the opponents goal so they can distract the players. A guy is trying to shoot a foul shot and the students are screaming and waving things in an effort to distract. Once you learn technique, the greater part of the free-throw shooting is to maintain focus.

The Pharisees were very focused but like Matt Emmons, they were focused on the wrong target. The Pharisees were legalist so they focused on works; tithing, fasting, attending synagogue, etc. Jesus commended them for doing these things but He sternly upbraided them because they were not focused on the higher things such as justice, mercy and faith.

• The staff had a VBS debriefing yesterday and some changes are coming but we want to wait until we get them fine tuned before we announce what they are: I will say this, more adults are going to have to get involved or there will not be a VBS. Any retired senior adult can help if their health permits: Mrs. Jewel is 94 and she helps. We will have “Worker” guidelines for LCBS, AWANA and VBS.
• Tomorrow we get back to our normal schedule with GATHERING at 6:30 pm.
• Sunday is the first day of Summer and FATHER’S DAY. In honor of our Father’s and Families, we will not have pm services this Sunday.
• Carmen Livingston got moved to a room yesterday [364] and Cecil Linderman is in room 405. I think both are very sick and we feel strongly that Cecil has had a stroke.
• Kane goes back to St. Jude for a month: he and Michelle leave in the morning. Tracey and Kerri will leave for Jacksonville either tomorrow night or Thursday.

DRIFTING

SCRIPTURE

So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.

~Hebrews 2:1, NLT

QUOTE

Yes, apostasy happens. Sometimes the catalyst is flagrant sin but most of the time, it is a quiet drifting that is not reversed by the knowledge of biblical warnings.

~Sinclair Ferguson 

God’s redemptive purpose is a giant river and we are to stay in the mainstream, in the channel. God is blessing in the deep; He is moving in the current of channel. Have you noticed: when you throw a floating object into the channel of a stream, that object has a tendency to drift to one side or the other. Instead of moving down stream with the current, the object finds a resting place in an eddy or a shallow inlet. We Christians are the same way: we have a tendency to drift and it is not toward the mainstream of God’s redemptive purpose. We have a tendency to drift into the shallow, the stagnant; that part of the stream that is not moving.

Drifting is a continuous slow movement from one place to another. You don’t drift toward evangelism or missions: you drift away. Drifting is not dramatic or sudden but it effectively gets us out of the mainstream of God’s redemptive purpose. The devil does not care if it is quick or dramatic, he just wants us to waste our lives in the shallows. The fish are in the channel. Life is in the channel. Repent and push yourself out into the deep.

• Today is FRIDAY {TYJ} and we pray for FAMILY. Why don’t we lift up the Hogan family today?
• Joe David and I went to Memphis yesterday. I’ve been to Memphis hospitals before but not to St. Jude. Kane had a chemo and afterwards we got to eat lunch with him and roll him to his apartment. The kid has a super attitude. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anything like it. I can’t tell you how proud I am of Kane. He gave himself an insulin shot in his stomach. I could not watch. The child is tougher than I am. They are moving to the Ronald McDonald House tomorrow which is good news because they will have more room. The bad news is Michelle has collected enough stuff to fill a U-haul. Thanks for your prayers, cards, letters, food, money and all around support. We did meet another family from Hartselle.  I posted their pic and names on TWITTER earlier.
• On the way back from Memphis we turned at Muscle Shoals and went down to Hamilton to see the DHS girls play Basketball. There is no way this school is 4-A. Someone in Montgomery favors them. They have a McDonalds, Sonic, Hardee’s, Obryan’s Steak House, 24 traffic lights, a motel and I-22. The only thing we have two of is Fire Departments. We don’t even have two lights and our one light blinks. I’m telling the system is corrupt. BUT we beat’em and made them like it. Way to go girls. Our girls played great! 
• GOLDEN GIRLS tomorrow at Cracker Barrel, 9:00 am.
• Normal schedule Sunday…Deacons Meeting at 8:15, LCBS at 9:15 and worship at 10:15 and 6:00.
• Speaking of DHS Girls Basketball, here is a pic of mid-90’s team.

LIFE CHANGING BIBLE STUDY LESSON PREVIEW

READY WITH SEX DESTROYS

Objective: the purpose of this lesson is to inspire us to commit to a life of sexual purity and influence others to do like wise.

Scripture: Ephesians 5:1-10, NIV

1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord.

NLT

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. 3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do. 8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. 10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.

INTRODUCTION

Chip Ingram, a pastor in California and popular conference speaker is the writer of this READY series. Chip had a friend who was a professional base ball player. He does not give a name which is wise because he shares the man’s confession: 

 When I was playing baseball, I got a real buzz from the crowd. I started pursuing sexual relationships with women in different cities where we played. My life revolved around these sexual encounters. But one day I woke up feeling numb. I realized I had left a tiny piece of my soul with each woman and it was something that I could not get back. I am tormented by guilt, and I don’t know how to have a real relationship. I am asking God to heal me.”

I’ll go ahead and tell you what this anonymous baseball player has already figured out: he will not get those missing parts of his soul back. This is one of consequences of sexual immorality. There is no such thing as casual sex: there are always strings attached: you may not see them but they are there. Jesus said in Matthew 19,“This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. 6 Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.” If this sacred union is broken, somethings are irretrievable.

Sadly, we live in a culture that glorifies and promotes sexual immorality. The IRS even persecutes married couples. The bible runs counter to culture and Ephesians 5 is a good example.

THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS

1. Actually, we have a greater Christian influence today than in Paul’s time. The Jews had taught sexual purity for years but the pagan world was sexually immoral. In other words, some things have not changed. Paul was challenging the new Gentile believers to pattern their lives after Christ. Jesus loved women and yet He never lusted nor did anything inapproitate with them or around them. What is the difference between Jesus love for women and our love for women?
2. If we follow Christ example and love others the way He did, we will always put the needs of others first. Does this standard of love that Jesus exemplified apply to our sexual behavior?
3. God created sex for [1] Procreation [2] Pleasure [3] Climax to intimacy [4] Appetizer for heaven. Sex can be edifying or destructive. What determines if it is helpful or harmful? {Context: right person, right place, right time within marriage} [Illustration: Fire, in the right place can be comforting, delightful, serving our needs but if fire gets out of its proper place, out of control, it can be destructive and deadly]
4. Chip Ingram suggest that we memorize verse 3, “Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people.” I have two others that I think would be helpful, especially to men. Psalms 101:3, “I will refuse to look at
   anything vile and vulgar.”  Job 31:1,“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman.” Which one do you think would be the best to commit to memory?
5. The Greek word that is translated by NLT and NIV as “Foolish talk” is the word from which we get moronic. In others words, we should talk like a moron. I worked for a man one Summer who carried on this “foolish talk” and even though I was only 16, I thought it was moronic. The man was married and had a daughter. There is no place for this kind of talk in the Christian’s life. Do you know any morons? You don’t have to name them.
6. Why did Paul mix the sin of GREED with sexual immorality?
7. Which do you consider worse, greed or sexual impurity?
8. Which of the two are favored by the church?
9. Why do we minimize certain sins and give greater attention to others such as sexual immorality?
10. How can impurity be deceiving?
11. What makes sexual immorality so deceiving?
12. How can we help a brother or sister who is being deceived by sexual immorality? [Don’t be self-righteous. Examine your own motive and keep your sin in mind. Pray for the right opportunity to approach them. Be loving but do not compromise God’s standard. Follow up and do  your best to hold the person accountable]
13. What worse in the area of sexual immorality and greed: denial or deception?
14. Which of the two, sexual immorality and greed do you think produces the greatest guilt? Harm?

 

Grasping Your Purpose

SCRIPTURE

I’m not implying that I’ve already received “resurrection”{perfection}, or that I have already become complete and mature! No: I’m hurrying on, eager to overtake it, because King Jesus has overtaken me.

~Philippians 3:12, CT

QUOTE

We cannot do what God does but God will not do what we can.

~Oswald Chambers

Paul uses the word ‘apprehend’ [AV] twice in this verse. It means to grasp or to take hold to. Paul said Christ took hold of me for a purpose {Telio’os} and I intend to take hold of the purpose for which He took hold of me. God did not call you to do everything but he did call you to do something: find out what it is and get busy. To grasp your purpose in life you need three things that Paul alludes to in this passage.

1. YOU NEED A GOOD ATTITUDE–A Jay Cutler type attitude will not do the trick. You need a Tim Tebow type attitude.
2. YOU NEED TO NARROW YOUR INTEREST–A jack of all trades is a master of none. You will never excel at anything as long as you are trying to do everything. A laser is concentrated light. It is light with a narrow focus. It is the narrow focus that gives the laser incredible power.
3. YOU NEED TO INTENSIFY YOUR EFFORT–Paul was a sports fan and “press” is a sports word…He said, “I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me”.… [v.12, NLT]….”I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Are you as intense about the LORD’s work as you once were? Why are you letting up? The clock is running out, it is time to pick up the pace. It’s time to go into a full court press.

Do you really want to know your purpose {Why Christ laid hold of you}? Begin with a good attitude, narrow your interest to pleasing only HIM and intensify your effort. Bro. Inman use to tell the story of the woman who kept coming to her pastor complaining that the LORD never used her. Finally he told her, “Lady, if you will get usable, God will wear you out.” I concur.

For those who heard this last night, I apologize but I did not see many there who read the blog and I was tired.

• Don’t know exactly how many we had last night but we were down. I had a good time but I always do. Next Wednesday night I will offer communion at 6:00 and on December 31, we do not meet. Many of the LCBS classes have parties on that night which is good. Our class is having ours on December 28 and we are meeting at Cracker Barrel. What a shock, right?
• Today we pray for those having TRIALS. Russ and Katie were thrilled that Preston’s surgery went well and two hours later Katie Sparkman gave birth to triplets. DBC has four babies in the infant ICU at Huntsville Women and Children. I think that is 6 in the last 5 weeks and 7 or 8 in the last two months. Continue to pray for Kenny Holladay.
• Remember the Sunday schedule is different: Deacons and wives at 8:55, LCBS at 9:00 and one worship celebration at 10:15. No pm services for the rest of the year which is two Sundays: unbelievable!

Focus

SCRIPTURE

I don’t mean to say …that I have already reached perfection. But …. I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

~Philippians 3:12-14, NLT {Selected}

QUOTE

The goal of a virtuous life is to become like Christ.

~Gregory of Nyssa

Most of our readers do not remember Korean Air Lines Flight 007 which departed New York on August 31 en route to Seoul, Korea via Anchorage, Alaska. On September 1, 1983, the airliner serving the flight was shot down by a Soviet Su-15 interceptor near Moneron Island, west of Sakhalin Island, in the Sea of Japan. The interceptor’s pilot was Major Gennadi Osipovich. All 269 passengers and crew aboard were killed, including Lawrence McDonald, representative from Georgia in the United States House of Representatives. President Nixon had a seat on this flight but decided not to go. When they flew out of Anchorage, their heading was a few degrees off to the North and they flew for five and one half hours without noticing the mistake. The result was the plane was 346 miles North of its international airway and 17 miles into Soviet airspace. No one knows why the crew lost focus.

It is easy to lose focus. Sometimes we just get busy doing things that have nothing to do with our goal and we forget our purpose. The writer of Hebrews gives us some good advice, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus the Author and Perfecter of our faith.”

• I assume that everyone has gotten rain: we get a flood every day. As Hugh always said, “It beats a draught” and do concur with Hugh but our corn is on the ground and our tomatoes are rotting. It is a minor problem. Joe David was telling me about a 38 year old mom who just died physically from cancer leaving a husband and two heart broken kids. My Aunt Angie has cancer in her lungs and lymph nodes. Our friend Kenny Holladay has stage 4 cancer and it in constant discomfort. Wanda Yarbrough has to go to dialyze three times a week which is not pleasant but she had a marvelous attitude. A fellow shouldn’t complain about his corn being on the ground, should he?
• Full schedule today: Deacon’s at 8:00, LCBS at 9:00 {Great Lesson} and worship celebration at 10:15 with VBS commencement at 6:00 followed by picnic. VBS is a ministry of DBC, don’t stay at home because it has nothing to do with you. You are being selfish. You may not have kids in VBS now but you will someday…it may be grandkids. I guarantee you will miss a blessing if you lay out and use this “nothing in it for me” excuse. I am not going to tell you what you will miss but you have never seen this at a VBS commencement.
• I don’t usually post the Sunday blog on Saturday night but it is storming here as I type: our TV is out and internet may go at anytime so here goes…just remember, this is the Sunday blog.

A Star

SCRIPTURE

A Star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel.

~Numbers 24:17, NLT

QUOTE

It is not about me or you.

~Max Lucado

COMMENTARY

A star can be a self-luminous celestial body consisting of a mass of gas held together by its own gravity but that is only one definition of a star; there is another. A star can also be the person playing the leading role in a performance or movie. Hence we get the term “Movie Star”. Think of history as a play and we humans as the characters in the play. Who is the star of the show? Who is in the spot light? Who is the focus on? Some people seem content to stay in the shadows or behind the curtain but there are others who want to be front and center. Who makes the decision as to who will be in the spotlight? It would be the author of the play and the director. In this case it is one in the same and our heavenly Father has made His beloved Son the STAR of the show. There is only two ways, possibly three that you can respond to the Father’s decision to make Christ the center: [1] You can applaud it with great joy and enthusiasm. [2] You can resent it due to the fact that you want to be the center or [3] I suppose you could be indifferent. Has anyone ever told you that the world does not revolve around you? They would be right of course but all of creation revolves around Jesus Christ. He is the Star and all the Christmas haters resent HIM being the center.

EXTRA

Thrilled to get back to the hospitals yesterday after be unable to visit for a couple of weeks. Dana was sitting up and talking to us. She was tired because she had been walking. When she gets up to 15 laps, she gets to come home and she is excited about coming home. Had a very interesting visit with an old friend whose husband is also at UAB. I got to make a new acquaintance and share the gospel with him. He is struggling with assurance. He confesses a love for Jesus but seems to be struggling with the idea of grace. He is asking a lot of questions and wants me to come back. It was refreshing experience for me.

Full slate today beginning with Deacon’s meeting at 8:00.

Mary, Martha and MY HOPE

Pray For MY HOPE

MY HOPE

Dr. Billy Graham will be 95 on November 7 which is the scheduled night for MY HOPE parties to begin. Dr. Graham will be speaking to the nation on this historic night. There are many professing Christians and even Para church groups that are ignoring MY HOPE. They are pressing on with their agenda as though MY HOPE was a passing fad. I believe that Dr. Graham is America’s pastor and the LORD laid this on his heart. I believe it is a God thing. I believe Dr. Graham has been sitting at Jesus feet. We have a lot of Martha’s who are doing things in Jesus name but in reality, they are pursuing their own selfish agenda. Martha was doing a good thing for Jesus but He neither commanded it or desired it: it was all her idea and in most instances, it would have been a good idea. I beg you folks, don’t be distracted by good things from doing the main thing and I am convinced that MY HOPE is the main thing.

SCRIPTURE

Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing.

~Luke 10:39-40, NLT

QUOTE

Evangelism is not a professional job for a few trained men, but is instead the unrelenting responsibility of every person who belongs to the company of Jesus.

~Elton Trueblood

COMMENTARY

Martha was not doing anything bad or evil but she was distracted from the main thing. Sometimes we allow good things to keep us from the main thing. Martha assumed that she knew what Jesus desired and needed but she was actually trying to serve Him her way. His hunger for food was not as great as His hunger for love and understanding. The most difficult thing in life is to keep our focus on the main thing.

EXTRA

I question the judgment of America. We have made some very poor and idiotic decisions. Dr. Graham warned us last September about the danger of re-electing a man who has no Christian values and we did not listen. Dr. Graham made Gallops top 50 “Most Admired Persons” for 50 of the last 53 years. This includes 49 consecutive years running. This is something that no other person has accomplished. I challenge you to go to YouTube and listen to Michael W. Smith song written for Dr. Grahams 95th birthday…it is called TAKE ME HOME. Folks, this great saint is ready to depart but before he goes, he wants to see REVIVAL in America. It is a crying shame that American’s, including millions of professing Christians are turning a deaf ear. I dare you to watch the video.

95 on November 7