Ziphites, Do You Have Them?

SCRIPTURE

“Listen to my prayer O God, pay attention to my plea! For strangers are attacking me; violent people are trying to kill me. They care nothing for God.”

~Psalm 54:2-3, NLT

QUOTE

“Peace if possible, truth at all cost”  

~Martin Luther

Benedict Arnold

Psalm 54 is a prayer of David which he wrote when he was trapped in the wilderness of Ziph [10 miles South of Jericho]. The Ziphites were descendants of Judah, just like David. They were supposed to be his brothers but he refers to them as “strangers” or “foreigners” because they betrayed him twice. They were King Saul’s spies and they alerted Saul every time David took refuge in their land. Three things characterize a ZIPHITE. [1] They are not what they profess to be. We do not betray our brothers. Benedict Arnold was a great commander in the field. He was brave and Washington respected him for his courage. Arnold had the misfortune of serving under a glory hog, General Horatio Gates. Arnold would fight the battles and Gates would write up false reports taking all the glory. Congress continued to promote Gates and they ignored Arnold. Eventually Arnold, influenced by his new wife [a Tory] betrayed Washington and could have cost us the war had he not been found out. Betrayal leaves a deep scar. Washington trusted Arnold and that is what makes betrayal sting so deeply. It hurts to be betrayed. [2] The Ziphites were self-seekers. They betrayed David because they believed it was in their best interest. They didn’t care for David or the Kingdom of Israel, they only cared about pursuing their own personal interest. [3] The Ziphites cared nothing for God which explains why they had no concern for David. Christian brotherhood is always greater than biological kinship. When David was having a bad day, he wrote a song or sang one. How do you handle a bad day?

When you have no where to turn, turn to Christ. His love is proven and His faithfulness is unblemished. He is our refuge in time of trouble.

TODAY WE PRAY FOR FAMILIES OR FRIENDS FACING TRIALS

Saeed Abedi in prison in Iran

VBS AND VBX JUNE 8-12

VBS Coke Wagon Crew: Don, Jewel and Jan

• WOW! What a night. The band loved the kids being with us and it was great to have a crowd for praise and worship: just think, we could have a crowd every Wednesday night if we were all in love with Jesus. I was blessed by the band and Shohn and her crew. What a great job she does with our children and what about those AWANA workers. I should have took their picture. Way to go guys, we appreciate you! A special thanks to Big Mama for ordering and picking up the pizza. That deep pan is something else!
• SENIOR DAY this Sunday in the a.m. service: Seniors will be recognized in the a.m. service and Joe David and Lori will take them to lunch.
• BACCALAUREATE Sunday Night at 6:00. We have a great line up and we are doing something we have never done before: imagine that!
• WEE CARE Graduation Sunday evening at 2:00.
• We will have a Deacon’s meeting this week at 8:15.
• May 29 Senior Adult Cook Out.
• June 6…Rally for Biblical Marriage in Montgomery. I think the time is 3:00 PM
• June 8-12…VBS and VBX
• June 14…Vote on Minister of Music [AM in the foyer, secret ballot]
• I learn something new everyday about computers, I just can’t always remember what it is the next day but I accidently came across a page on the dashboard of the blog that rated the top ten and so I copied and pasted one from February 10, 2011. There was a snow on the ground. When it popped up, I thought “Who posted this, I don’t remember anything about Ziphites,” but it all came back to me as I read it. Mandy and Floyd did not read in in 2011 or today…they just glace through the extra to make sure I’m not slipping something by them. I have a good story on both. I know that Ginger reads it wall to wall everyday.

Purity

SCRIPTURE

And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in Him.

~I John 3:5, NLT

QUOTE

All those who were close to Jesus had the same testimony, He was the Lamb of God, spotless and unblemished.

~T.W. Hunt

Jesus was pure but He never talked about it, not in relationship to Himself. No man ever lived who had more adoring women around Him than Jesus. They followed Him and supported Him with their means [Luke 8:3]. They were there at the cross, unafraid to be close, they stood vigil until His suffering was over and then they watched the men put Him in a tomb. If Jesus had been lustful, He could have taken advantage of their affection but He was not lustful, nor was he puritanical as are so many men of the cloth. Jesus was not worried about reputation: He befriended prostitutes and tax collectors which earned Him the title “Friend of Sinners.” He also had meals with the Pharisees. According to the testimony of those who knew him, He never yielded to lust in any form or fashion: He was pure, perfectly and completely pure.

• TODAY WE PRAY FOR SENIORS
• LCBS at 9:15, Worship Celebration at 10:15 and 6:00. This morning we will be talking about Jesus before Pilot and tonight the unnecessary mocking and abuse that Jesus endured.
• Beautiful Weather: LORD we thank You for Spring.

FriendsF

SCRIPTURE

A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.

~Proverbs 17:17, NLT

QUOTE

Friendship improves happiness, and abates misery, by doubling our joys, and dividing our grief.

~ Marcus Tullius Cicero

Job said, “How frail is humanity! How short is life, how full of trouble! Jack says, “Job is right.” Very few people live a life time without some adversity. It is awfully difficult to get through this broken world without some pain and heartache.

June and I are very blessed and tonight we are thankful for Mr. Ray our gracious landlord and a warm cottage to shelter us from the cold. We are thankful for our children, grandchildren, extended family and church family. We are thankful for a kind and gracious Savior who loves us beyond what we can imagine.

We are also thankful that everything went well at Henry’s Celebration of Life Service. It was a celebration of life that I believe honored Henry and exalted Jesus. Speaking for the Bailey’s, we are deeply indebted to all our friends who have over the years stood by us in the difficult times. You buy land, vehicles and houses but you cannot buy a friend nor their loyalty and love. I learned a while back that anything you can put a price tag on has no real worth. Tonight I want to thank God for our friends. Life can be tough but it would be unbearable without friends.

Thank you friends and thank you Sardis Springs for you gracious hospitality and a delicious meal: not to mention a shelter from the cold.

• Today we pray for those who have TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS. There are two families I ask you to lift up, both have their backs to the wall so to speak. Kenny Holladay went to Doctor yesterday and was totally exhausted last night. He is still in a lot of pain. Pray for a break through today in this area: most of the pain is coming from his stomach. Jimmy and Debbie Gilliland have their plate full: Debbie’s mom Mary Wilbourn fell and broke her hip. She had surgery yesterday and it went well. Debbie and siblings will have 21 days to make some hard decisions. Pray for Jimmy and Debbie.
• Considering the weather, we had a good crowd last night. Youth was up but AWANA was down. It’s so cold that Jerry Segars who loves January came in from the woods to get warm. It is so cold that John said he was not going deer hunting. When it gets to cold for deer hunters, it is cold. It is about 10* right now and supposed to drop down to 5*.
• Communion this Sunday morning at 10:15…Deacons wear jacket and tie. New schedule worked like a charm last Sunday. We had a room full with only one person late.
• GOLDEN GIRLS is still on for Saturday morning unless I hear otherwise from Judy or the girls. June thinks it may be too cold to get out but Lou was at church last night. We’ll do whatever you want to do.
• SENIOR ADULT FELLOWSHIP will be Friday January 30: the week after June and I get back from Mobile. My sister June Daphney is coming down to make homemade rolls. I imagine we will have some of that L.A. roast and mashed potatoes to go with the rolls and Mandy will be making apple dumplings.
• Holly named the pic below: I will not say which Holly.

THE FAVORITES

Loyalty

Prayer For REVIVAL in America

SCRIPTURE: But when the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,  all their mighty warriors traveled through the night to Beth-shan and took the bodies of Saul and his sons down from the wall. {I Samuel 31:11-12, NLT}

QUOTE: “You can buy a person’s hands but you can’t buy his heart. His heart is where his enthusiasm, his loyalty is. ” ~Stephen Covey

COMMENTARY: In the beginning, Saul did not want to be a king. When Samuel announced him, no one could find him; Saul was hiding in the supply tent. One of Saul’s first acts as king was to rescue Jabesh Gilead. The people of Jabesh Gilead were surrounded by the Ammonites who were led by a guy named Nahash. He was threatening to poke out the right eye of every person and make them slaves. Saul mustered up an army and came to their rescue. The citizens of Jabesh Gilead never forgot Saul’s kindness.

Saul’s last 20 years in office were chaotic to say the least. Everyone, including members of his family and staff knew that Saul was not stable yet his family did not abandon him. His three sons die defending his honor. The Philistines carried the body of Saul and his sons to Beth Shan and hung them on the wall. They mutilated the bodies before impaling them and stripped them of their armor. This was their sick way of casting shame on Saul and his sons. When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard what had happened, they mustered their own army and marched all night. They did not stop until they had retrieved the bodies of their beloved and brought them home for burial. Although they did not encounter opposition, they did risk their lives for the honor of their fallen friend.

If not for the courage and loyalty of the people of Jabesh Gilead, I Samuel would end on a very sad note. Loyalty is not a hot commodity these days, I doubt that many understand what the word loyalty means. Loyalty is faithful allegiance to one’s lawful sovereign,  government, person or friend to whom fidelity is due or it could be to a cause, ideal, custom, institution or product.

We could use an Auburn football fan as an example or any fan for that matter.  The fan that we admire is the one who sticks with the team through thick and thin. Most folks in Alabama or either Auburn fans or Alabama fans. UAB has about 7,000 bless their hearts. The people we don’t admire are those who go back and forth depending on which team is winning. These are what we call “Fair Weather Fans”. They support you as long as you are winning but when things get tough they look for another team.

What kind of premium are we putting on loyalty these days? I don’t think we value it that highly, do you? Do you have any true blue through and through loyal friends? Does anyone consider you a loyal friend?

EXTRA: The Popeye Biscuits were a big hit and so was the chicken. I think we had three pieces left. It was the first time we have had enough fried squash but our turnout [18] was low. We were thrilled to have Eddie with us but he will not be here long. He is going to be traveling here in the States most of the time he is here. Seth gets home today: Kelsey Rae and I pick him up at 2:30 and the girls have to leave for Douglas. July is the longest month of the year for us. I think we will do things a bit different this Sunday. Instead of meeting with the deacons at 8:00; I want to meet with all the MATTHEWS at 8:45 in the sanctuary.

Gigi look alike