Notes from a Prayer Journey - November 16, 2009
By Shirley Goodwin

I Will Be Your God Through All Your Lifetime

Ps 86:5-7

5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; And attend to the voice of my supplications.

7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, For You will answer me. (NKJV)

Philip Melanchthen said, “Trouble and perplexity drive me to prayer and prayer drives away perplexity and trouble.”

Truly, the result of prayer is that situations change and God gives us strength to cope with perplexity. David’s assurance of answered prayers was the foundation of his calling upon God in times of trouble. In Psalm 86:6-10, David writes from speaking of God's willingness to answer prayer to God's omnipotent power to help. David had a firm confidence in God at all times and an unwavering belief that God is a hearer of prayer.

This confidence in God is our foundation of hope when we approach God in prayer. We, like David, know that God hears and answers our prayers and that He is our Savior all the days of our lives.

Isa 46:4 I will be your God through all your lifetime, yes, even when your hair is white with age. I made you and I will care for you. I will carry you along and be your Savior. (TLB)

Prayer for the day:

My Lord, my God, today, I thank you that you know all things and I thank you for your mercy, your love and your forgiveness. I ask forgiveness of all of my sins and I thank you for always hearing my prayers. Thank you for giving me answers to the perplexities of life. Lead me Lord and I will follow. Amen.

Email: shirley.prayerjourney.goodwin@gmail.com

Viewpoint - November 16 , 2009
By Pastor Steve Harris

“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15).

A dentist in Philadelphia practiced out of a small building that had only a few parking spaces in front of it. This was an inconvenience to many of his patients, who were forced to find parking wherever they could along a busy street. One day he learned that the vacant lot next to him was for sale. This lot could easily provide the much-needed parking for his patients.

However, there was one problem. The dentist did not have enough money to purchase the property and would have to take out a loan in order to buy the lot. He discussed the matter, including all of the financial benefits of such an investment, with his father, but his father was firm in his counsel: “Do not borrow for it.” Was this the “voice of God” or the outdated thinking of a cautious, elderly man?

Based on the Scriptural principles of honoring your father and mother (see Exodus 20:12 and Proverbs 23:22), the dentist decided not to buy the lot. What happened? The city purchased it and turned it into a first-class parking lot, assuming responsibility for all of its future maintenance needs as well!

We will miss the voice of God if we do not recognize the truth of Scripture in the teaching and counsel of our human authorities.

God’s primary mode of communication is His inspired and infallible written Word. The Spirit of God inspired Godly men to write the Scriptures, and the same Holy Spirit guides us in understanding and applying its truth to our lives. (See II Peter 1:21 and John 16:13.)

God also raises up pastors and others to teach the Word of God and explain how to apply it to our lives. (See Ephesians 4:11–12.) However, regardless of how wise and Godly these messengers are, we must confirm what they tell us with the Bible itself. Paul commended the Bereans because they checked his teaching against Scripture. “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11).

In addition to pastors, teachers, and parents, God speaks to us through government officials. We are to honor them as ministers of God and obey them as long as their directives are in harmony with God’s Word. (See Romans 13:1–7 and I Peter 2:13–14.) The Book of Proverbs tells us that God speaks to us and directs us through government officials: “A divine sentence is in the lips of the king …” (Proverbs 16:10). “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will” (Proverbs 21:1).

I am deeply indebted to the God-ordained messengers in my life through whom I have heard God’s voice over the years. Indelible truths have been engrafted into my soul by gifted communicators of God’s Word. Who are the people God has used in your life to communicate to you His truth, starting in your childhood up until now? Let’s be alert to hear God’s voice as He speaks to us through many different individuals in our lives.

(Steve Harris is pastor of the First United Pentecostal Church of Center and host of the daily radio devotionals, Morning Manna, heard Monday-Fridays @ 8:45 a.m. on KDET 930 AM & KQSI 92.5 FM)

Pull Up a Chair - November 20, 2009
By Bro. Michael

“On Being Thankful”
What do we have to be Thankful For?

Why should we be thankful to God when times are so hard? The Bible teaches that every good thing in life comes from the Lord. There’s the old hymn that says to “count your blessings name them one by one.” We often live life looking at what we don’t have and fail to see the blessings that God has given us.

James 1:17 - "Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning. By His own choice, he gave us a new birth by the message of truth so that we would be the first fruits of His creatures."

Those of us that know Jesus Christ as Lord and savior ought to be thankful for the grace of God that has been freely given to us. We know that in ourselves we will never be good enough for God to accept us. The Bible says “all have sinned and fallen short”. We can be thankful for His forgiveness in our lives. We deserve hell but by God’s grace we will one day gain heaven.

The Lord does not tempt us to do evil and He is not tempted by evil and James 1:13-14 tells us that He does not tempt anyone. James 1:17 teaches that our God is the Giver of every good and perfect gift. He is the Father of lights, and in Him there is no shadow of darkness! One side of the moon is always in the dark while the other side is always in the light. With the Lord there is no dark side, He’s always light, there is no dark side. The Lord never varies; he is not like a yo-yo that’s up and down! He’s always brings into our lives good, because He is by nature the good God. During these days let us give thanks for all the good gifts that the Lord brings into our lives.

Happenings at FUMCJ - November 15, 2009
Submitted: Randy Smith, Pastor

Happenings at FUMCJ

Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Today is the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary and I used the Old Testament Lesson from 1 Samuel 2 as my text. The Song of Hannah is a joyous song and poem of Thanksgiving for the people of Israel . It is a promise of God’s justice and the restoration of hope. Allison McKenzie came with her grandparents, Avis and Barry Moss and helped Ms. Avis as Ms. Avis played the piano. Syble and Gene had a surprise as their grandson, Mark, stopped by to say hello. Mark and his friend had been hunting in our neck of the woods. Needless to say, they were surprised. Linda Parker was back at Sunday School and church this morning and it was certainly great to see her. Linda moved into her new home on Friday and her family will be hosting a “house warming” on November 29th. Everyone at church is excited for Linda.

The second phase of our church’s renovations was approved at a special meeting after the church service and work on replacing the carpet and tile will start after the Christmas holidays. It is hard to believe that we are already half way through November. The Community Thanksgiving Service will be next Sunday at 6:00 PM. Our friends at Jackson Baptist will host the program this year. The Service will be at the JHS auditorium. The collection from the Thanksgiving Service will go to Joaquin Christian Services and will be used for providing Christmas for many people in our community.

The last two weekends many volunteers having been working to get the greater Joaquin area looking like Christmas. Lights and decorations have been strung and put together. The Christmas Festival and Parade will be Saturday, November 28th. This year’s festival promises to be great. Everyone should come and enjoy all the activities and really get into the Christmas spirit.

At our Wednesday Evening Bible Study (6:00), we will continue examining the second rule of Christian living—“Do no harm.” Thursday morning we have prayers and a short devotional in the sanctuary and then we go have breakfast at BBs Café. Come join us—we would love to have you.

Our worship time is 11:00 AM. We have communion during the regular service on the first and third Sundays. Sunday School begins at 10:00 AM. Our website is joaquinumc.com. At the website you can look at photos, request prayers, and read the pastor’s sermons. Our email address is joaquinumc@hotmail.com. The church phone number is 269-3661. The Christian Services number is 269-4099.