Acts of Kindness

Lord, help me to love with both words and deeds,

To reach out to others and meet their needs;

Lord , burden my heart for those lost in sin,

With mercy and love that flows from within, - Fitzhugh

The May Scripture of the Month

Dear Friends,

Psalm 139:23-24:
"Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting."

As kingdom people, we should constantly reflect upon the condition of our souls and mortify sin more and more every day.

The Puritan John Owen said,
"Be killing sin, or it will be killing you."
Meditate more upon His Word and open your hearts more completely to Him.

Pray for the Lord to bless Us and Our Nation this month.

National Day of Prayer "May First"

One Nation Under God

Psalm 33:12
Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord,

"Prayer does not equip us for Greater Work;
Prayer is the Greater Work." ( Oswald Chambers )

I believe that Prayer equips us for;
 All Work , All Things and All Blessings.

Pray for God's Forgiveness and Mercy
for our personal renewal and for the
renewal of our nation and its leaders.

Pray for the Word of God to be the source
of  Daily Strength and Wisdom for Each of  Us,
Our Nations Leaders and Our World Leaders.

It's All About Jesus

Romans 4:25 (NKJV) 22  And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness." 23  Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24  but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25  who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.   This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness--for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.     Thoughts for Today:   Abraham's faith in the resurrection -- a belief that life could be obtained from death -- is what God accepted from Abraham rather than his own righteousness (which he didn't have). God declared Abraham righteous because he believed God's promise to raise a son from Sarah's womb -- despite the fact that at 100 years old she was barren. This preview of God's plan for redemption and salvation through Jesus Christ, was evidenced not only in the conception and birth of Abraham's son Isaac, but also when the Lord spared Isaac's life on Mount Moriah (instead providing himself a sacrifice -- see Genesis 22:8). I believe Jesus spoke about this in John 8:56 when He said: "Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." In our passage today, Paul explains: "The words 'it was credited to him' were written not for him [Abraham] alone, but also for us."   So what must we do to inherit God's promise to Abraham?   Paul answers: "Believe in him who raised Jesus from the dead."     Questions to Ponder:   Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior ?   God justifies those who believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus.   If you haven't done so --   will you right now place your hope and trust in the Lord ?

Are You Afraid of Losing Your Salvation?

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Romans 4:16a Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace...     Thoughts for Today:   If salvation did not come by faith we would constantly run around -- working on this and that -- always wondering and worried if what we had done was enough to be saved. What a horrible existence it would be. Imagine Sunday mornings: Every request from the pulpit would result in hundreds coming forward so as to not place their salvation at risk. There would be massive numbers of people re-baptized every week; the parking and children's ministries would be fully staffed with a long waiting list of others wanting to serve; and the tithing plates would be filled to overflowing. Not such a bad image? I think there are some in church leadership who would have us believe we must do works in order to retain our salvation (maybe that's how they think ministry positions are filled). James tells us in James 2:17: "Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." Paul's theme has been the same -- just in reverse order: Works without faith is dead. The key is once we understand how much God has done for us the more we want to serve Him -- not out of obligation, but our loving response to His sacrifice. In other words, works based in faith AND faith demonstrated in works -- both necessary and operating in concert. When we understand salvation comes by the Father's grace and is based upon our faith -- not by what we do or don't do -- then salvation is not something we are afraid of losing -- we are thereby freed from the bondage of obligated service.     Questions to Ponder:   Psalm 115:1: "Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness."   I think this verse is a pretty good test if the works you are doing are based upon obligation, pridefulness, or love.   Are your works for God's glory and in response to His grace, love and faithfulness or something else?

Has fear ever stopped you from sharing your faith ?

You’re not alone.  We know that sharing the Gospel can be intimidating. But do you know what’s scarier ?  Not sharing. Missing opportunities that could change someone's life and eternity. That’s why we are excited to invite you to participate in FEARLESS,  A brand new video study that is designed to equip YOU with tools to overcome any fear of sharing the Gospel. “I am with you always.” - Matthew 28:20
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Discovering the Blessing of God's Righteousness

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Romans 4:6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works...     Thoughts for Today:   Abraham did not live under the Law because it wasn't introduced until 400 years later by Moses. However, despite this difference "the same thing" Paul references in our passage today is like Abraham -- David discovered believing God is more important than works. David learned that although he lived under the Law he could never be saved by it. I'll bet it gave David great relief to know "God credits righteousness apart from works". Why do I think so? Because many of David's "works" were evil. Remember the story of David and Bathsheba from 2 Samuel 11. David should have been leading his troops in battle, but instead he was hanging out late at night on the rooftop of his palace. He spied a beautiful young woman (Bathsheba) who was bathing nearby; he sent for her -- discovering she was the wife of one his most valued soldiers -- Uriah; regardless of this knowledge, he began an illicit affair with her which ultimately led to a pregnancy. Rather than confessing this sin and dealing with the consequences, he instead ordered Uriah to be placed on the front lines of the battle -- thereby assuring his death. David thus became not just an adulterer, but a murderer as well. I'm sure we all could agree that David's acts were evil and deserved punishment of the highest level. In fact when confronted by Nathan the prophet in chapter 12, even David agreed. I think it is interesting to note -- David's early writing in Psalms contained many references to his own righteousness (how there was no vanity in his life, or inequity on his hands). But then he stumbled with Bathsheba -- he realized he wasn't as righteous as he thought he was -- and his later Psalms reflected this discovery.     Questions to Ponder:   I think from time to time we can all begin to feel a little self-righteous. That is until like David we discover just how flawed we are. I am so very grateful God blesses me with righteousness based on belief and not on works. Are you? Or do you still think your works will be enough to earn God's forgiveness?