DEC 2013/JAN 2014
HOPEFORMACON.COM office@hopeformacon.com 660.385.3714 facebook.com/HopeForMacon @maconfbc
READING THE BIBLE THROUGH
JANUARY 10-12 Illusions cloud our minds and distort our vision of reality; affecting the way we see and understand truth. People view their world through their own lenses— their eyes. They see what they want to see and live in a way that seems right to them. But what happens when our eyes betray us? Unveiled truth shines clearly from God’s Word. His ways are right and his plans for his people will never betray
The thought of a new year signals, for many of us, the stirrings of new beginnings. We long for fresh starts, slates wiped clean, and second chances. We gear up for a new year of physical fitness and healthy eating. We begin planning our Bible readings for the next year. We look eagerly toward the basement storage room fiasco with grand thoughts of organization. This year will be the year of success and conquest! New beginnings are gifts of grace. God our God is so kind and so merciful isn’t He? If not for grace there would be no new beginnings, no second chances, no hope of success. Our sin plagues us like a racking cough that will not depart. As you begin this new year with a passionate urge to succeed where you failed this past year, let me encourage you with Psalm 1.
I want to be a blessed man who prospers in whatever he does. I have no desire to be a wicked man who is driven away to perish under the righteous judgment of God. What then is the distinction between these two men? It is found in the influence to which they submit in faith and thus obey. The blessed man avoids the influencing counsel of the wicked, the exemplary way of life of sinners, and the influence of mockers who ridicule all that is holy and right. Rather than listening to the voice of the serpent in the counseling voice of unregenerate sinners, or watching the example of life provided for us by unredeemed friends, or laughing along with the mockery Hollywood provides of all that God has declared to be right and good we be-
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! BUT HIS DELIGHT IS IN THE LAW OF THE LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous FOR THE LORD KNOWS THE WAY OF THE RIGHTEOUS, But the way of the wicked will perish. The Psalmist draws attention to the distinction between the righteous and the wicked. This distinction highlights the fates of these two distinct individuals, one is blown away in judgment while one stands forever prospering in the presence of God. The wicked will perish. The righteous will not. It seems fairly obvious then which group one would prefer to be in, wouldn’t it?
come men and women who guard our hearts from such voices and seek the voice of heaven. Our delight must be in the law of the Lord. Our preferred counselor, our most excellent example, our most joyful source of influence must be the very words of God. We must love the Word of God. It is to be our delight. When we view the Word of God with disdain or boredom you can rest assured that you will be or already are being influ-
enced strongly by the voice of the serpent who silkily seduces you to distrust and thus disobey God so that you may perish along with him. Pray for God to give you a love for His word as David did! (Ps 119:33-40). Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Deut 8:3). Food is necessary to sustain physical life. Scripture is also necessary to sustain life. Without the Word of God we starve and perish. Without the Word of God we stumble and stagger like a man dying of thirst looking for water (Amos 8:11-12). Without the Word of God we will not prosper and thrive. We will wither and die. Do we understand this? I think we do not. We spend hours laughing with the mockers on television. We spend hours scrolling through Facebook posts that whisper the serpent’s counsel. We spend hours with friends and family observing lives of disobedience and rebellion against God’s authority, becoming callous and indifferent to God’s instructions about the details of life. Brothers and sisters, one thing is needed in our lives this year. If we are to prosper and thrive spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and even physically
PASTOR SAM OWENS A
REASON TO LOVE THE SEASON
I was going to write an article about all the things I hate about this time of year: the materialism, the spending of money, the decorating and many other things. But I decided instead to write about what I love about this time of the year in an attempt to be more positive! What I love about this time of the year can be summed up in the word BABIES. This is the time of the year we celebrate the baby Jesus being born. The virgin born babe, of course, does not stay an infant. You cannot, nor should you talk about the baby Jesus without connecting the dots to the man Christ Jesus who lived a perfect life never committing any sin. The baby grows into the sacrificial Lamb of God who goes to a Roman cross in our place to drink in the wrath of His Father so that we could be forgiven, redeemed and adopted. He takes our sin and punishment so that we can take his righteousness, be reconciled to the Father and live eternally with Him. So, the birth of this baby is cause to celebrate. Indeed, if you have not embraced the birth of this baby and all that came with Him, then you have no cause for joy this season or any season. We celebrate Jesus’ birth not because he was such an adorable baby but because we know the rest of the story. The baby ends up a grown man crucified and then resurrected. This baby is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The Christ baby is not the only baby that gives me reason to express joy during this season. There are 3 others. They are my daughters: Ashley, Jessica and Natalie. Our house was quiet and still for many years. It is neither quiet nor still any longer. That is because God has blessed us with 3 beautiful little princesses. He gave them all to us during this time of the year. We received a call from our social worker about the twins on the afternoon of December 21, 2007, the Frithrough the cross/resurrection day before Christmas. We did not work of the sinless man Christ then we must devote ourselves (and I know anything about the twins before mean DEVOTE) ourselves to the diligent Jesus who was born as a baby that call. We were in the social workand faithful study of God’s Word. A tree in Bethlehem. Through this spirplanted by a stream of water is unmover’s office a few hours later. When itual adoption, we are able to ing. It is permanently fixed near the we got home at midnight, we had the leave the family of Satan and stream of life so that it grows unhindered. twins with us and it has been full become children of God. We are A tree moved away from the stream is speed ahead since then. What a dependent upon the instability and infremoved out of darkness into the Christmas gift! I call them our double quency of rains. God’s Word is the light. We are redeemed out of stream. Are you planted in his Word? blessing. the bondage of slavery into a There will never be a point in life where devotion to, study of, and reading carefully through His Word is finished. If we are to produce the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:2223) then we must meditate (diligent thinking) on God’s Word day and night – continuously. Chart the hours you spend under the influence of the serpent through television, radio, Facebook, YouTube, News, friend’s conversation and life, etc. Compare that with how much time you spend diligently studying God’s Word through sermons, Sunday School, reading, listening, memorizing, studying, and writing about Scripture. Does it even compare? Why are we so surprised that sin comes so easily to us when godliness is so hard? We have planted ourselves in the desert wasteland of the serpent’s influence instead of the roaring river of God’s precious Word.
Of course, you know more of Natalie’s story since we got her since we have been here. Did you realize that November 26th was the year mark? We took custody of her in a hotel lobby in a city in China just over a year ago now. That was the culmination of 7+ years of praying and paperwork. So you can see why this time of year is special. It is when all of our “gotcha” days have occurred. God has used this time of the year to give us our daughters through the gift of adoption. This theme of adoption is what connects these stories. The Bible teaches us that God adopts us
life of freedom in Christ. We are given life and are thusly no longer dead. Through the adopting of our girls we model this Gospel to a watching world. The reason I love this time of the year is wrapped up in babies, more specifically, the arrival of babies. I celebrate the arrival of our Savior. And I celebrate the arrival of our little princesses. What are you celebrating during this time of the year? Do you have a reason to love this season?
We often think nothing of going to our son’s ballgame or our daughter’s recital and we make time to go to a movie or dine out for a good steak. Do we take time to FOCUS on what’s really important and has the power to change our life? Come and be empowered by the Word of God for a weekend. Pack your Bible, pen & notebook and retreat with us...
WELCOME PASTOR LUKE BRAY and WORSHIP PASTOR, CAMERON BECKERDITE from Jeffersontown Baptist Church—Louisville, KY