Wednesday Devotional - 9/1/21
Prayers:
Please continue to pray for those who are trying to get out of Afghanistan, especially those who are Christian. We have heard reports from credible sources that Christians are already being persecuted for their beliefs in that country. Many preachers feel that within a month if they do not escape, they will be put to death. Pray for those who are in leadership positions in this country to make the right choice to evacuate the people who are trying to escape the tyranny of the Taliban.
Pray also for those who have been affected by Hurricane Ida. I don’t know if any of you who read this looked at some of the videos as the hurricane came on shore, but this will be an event that will take years for the gulf coast to recover from. Pray that all will be found safe, and that whatever the new normal of their lives will be will happen soon.
Finally, continue to pray that the Covid wave we have been seeing in the last few weeks will abate quickly. We know of many within the Suches community that have been affected, and we know that our healthcare workers are overwhelmed once again. Pray that God will lift this affliction from our land, and that we will be mindful of others as we make the decisions about our health as a community.
Announcements:
For those of you who receive this via email, the church has a Facebook page that has announcements and such, too. It can be reached at Facebook.com/MountLebanonSuches. We stream our Sunday morning services through that page, and also try to post events and changes in programming there as soon as possible. It is also a great resource to connect to one another!
For those of you who join us in person on Sunday mornings, we will be meeting one more Sunday in our vehicles in the parking lot for worship. Even though this is new, we are still together, and still in Suches to praise the Lord and to reach people for the Gospel. This is a great opportunity for people to come and hear the message without having to leave the comfort of their car!
Suches Brushes will be meeting on Mondays at 9 AM in the Fellowship Hall. They follow CDC guidelines, and encourage others to wear masks if they are not vaccinated yet. This is such a wonderful group of people to be around and a part of. Come and join them to create some great pieces of art!
Awetumn Joys will be meeting on the first Tuesday of every month (unless otherwise noted) at 11 AM in the Fellowship Hall. Please bring a covered dish and share in some fellowship time.
On most Sunday Nights at 5 PM, we are having our choir rehearsals again. We are already working on our Christmas Cantata for the community. We are working on a solution for continuing choir practice in a safe way. More details will be coming soon, so keep an eye on the Facebook page for the church.
Devotional:
As we enter into the month of September, we will be finishing up our series on Praying the Prayers of the Bible. I hope that you have been enjoying this series, and have been taking the time daily to say these prayers. I have found that it has enriched my prayer time, and that I feel closer to the Lord when I do these! There is great power in the words of God, and especially when we speak them to ourselves. Perhaps one of the most difficult prayers to do in our lives, though, is to pray confession of sinfulness and to humble ourselves to the Lord.
Now, when most people think of confession, it is natural to think of the confessional booth, even if we have not grown up Catholic. It seems ingrained into our thoughts that when someone wants to confess sin in their lives that it must be done to a priest. In fact, there have been times where someone has come to me and said “Hey, I need to confess sin and be forgiven for it by you.” I gently remind those people that I would love to listen to them for confession (for we are called to do that in James 5:16, which says “confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed), but that I have no power to forgive them of those sins. Only Christ can do that!
But beyond this, there must be a need in our lives to confess sinfulness to the Lord. God knows our sins already, but it’s like when a child has to talk to their parents about something they did. Most of the time, the parent already knows what the problem is, and already knows the details (of course, like I said, our Heavenly Father already knows it all!). To be able to put it into words and then have a reckoning for it makes it tangible for us. It makes us realize that, truly, we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). But there is hope for us! Romans 10:9 says “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” We will be saved if we confess to God our shortcomings, our sin, and ask for forgiveness for it.
Wednesday: You know me completely, yet you love me
2 Samuel 7:20-22
“What more can I say to you? You know what your servant is really like, Sovereign Lord. Because of your promise and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known to your servant. “How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you!
Thursday: I confess my sin
From Nehemiah 1:5-6
O Lord, God of Heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day... I confess that I have sinned against you.
Friday: You rescue the humble
Psalm 18:25-27
To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud.
Saturday: Forgive my hidden sins
Psalm 19:12-14
How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Sunday: Remember your unfailing love
Psalm 25:6-7
Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love, which you have shown from long ages past. Do not remember the rebellious sin of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O Lord.
Monday: I am so ashamed
Ezra 9:6
O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. For my sins are piled higher than my head, and my guilt has reached the heavens.
Tuesday: Have mercy on me
From Luke 18:13
O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.
Memory Verses:
I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me. - Philippians 4:13
Wednesday Devotional - 9/8/21
Announcements:
Make sure to visit the Facebook page and like it! It’s www.facebook.com/mountlebanonsuches. Also, I’m asking this week if you would take the time to share this post on Facebook. We are trying to reach out to people, and this devotional is a good way to do it!
Also, look at the Facebook page this week. We will be posting about how we will be meeting for worship this coming Sunday. We hope that you will join us no matter how we meet!
Suches Brushes will be meeting on Mondays at 9 AM in the Fellowship Hall. They follow CDC guidelines, and encourage others to wear masks if they are not vaccinated yet. This is such a wonderful group of people to be around and a part of. Come and join them to create some great pieces of art!
Awetumn Joys will not be meeting this month. More information will be forthcoming about the meeting in October.
On most Sunday Nights at 5 PM, we are having our choir rehearsals again. We are already working on our Christmas Cantata for the community. We are working on a solution for continuing choir practice in a safe way. More details will be coming soon, so keep an eye on the Facebook page for the church.
Devotional:
Have you ever been lost driving? My Mom is perhaps the best at getting lost while driving someplace that she doesn’t quite know where it is. One time in the mid-1990s, we were invited to a party at a friend’s house in Atlanta. Dad had already gone ahead and told Mom the approximate way to get there. Well, being that we had just moved to Atlanta, Mom did not know exactly what to look for or where to go. Mom drove to the area where she knew the house was, but could not find the street that Dad had said to look for. We drove down the road one way for a while, then realized we were too far. We turned around. We drove back past where we had turned onto the road, thinking we may have gone the wrong way. We drove and drove, looking for the road to turn off on. Back and forth on this road, even into other counties! After two hours, of looking and frantically calling Dad on his cell phone (remember, this was pre-smart phones), we finally turned around and went back home because we had missed the party.
I know that many of you have stories of times where you were lost because you didn’t have directions for where to go. It can be very frustrating, and you can feel like you have missed a great thing. And our relationship with God can honestly feel that way sometimes. We are unsure of what God wants us to do, and we pray. When we pray, God will reveal what he wants us to do in our lives through either opening doors that will lead us a certain way, or by prompting us through our conscience to do something. God wants to hear from us, especially when we don’t know what road to take. The prayers asking for guidance and direction always bring us to Him.
Wednesday: Don’t let me miss the way
Psalm 5:7-8
Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe. Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow.
Thursday: Show me the right path
Psalm 25:1, 3-5
O Lord, I give my life to you. No one who trust in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others. Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.
Friday: Send your light to guide me
Psalm 43:3-4
Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. There I will go to the altar of God, to God - the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!
Saturday: What should I do?
From Acts 22:10
What shall I do, Lord? I asked.
Sunday: Show me how to have more faith.
From Luke 17:5
Show me how to increase my faith
Monday: Show me your presence, Lord.
From Exodus 33:18
Show me your glorious presence.
Tuesday: Speak to me Lord
From 1 Samuel 3:9
Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.
Memory Verses:
I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me. - Philippians 4:13
Wednesday Devotional - 9/15/21
Announcements:
Make sure to visit the Facebook page and like it! It’s www.facebook.com/mountlebanonsuches. Also, I’m asking this week if you would take the time to share this post on Facebook. We are trying to reach out to people, and this devotional is a good way to do it!
Also, look at the Facebook page this week. We will be posting about how we will be meeting for worship this coming Sunday. We hope that you will join us no matter how we meet!
Suches Brushes will be meeting on Mondays at 9 AM in the Fellowship Hall. They follow CDC guidelines, and encourage others to wear masks if they are not vaccinated yet. This is such a wonderful group of people to be around and a part of. Come and join them to create some great pieces of art!
Awetumn Joys will not be meeting this month. More information will be forthcoming about the meeting in October.
On most Sunday Nights at 5 PM, we are having our choir rehearsals again. We are already working on our Christmas Cantata for the community. We are working on a solution for continuing choir practice in a safe way. More details will be coming soon, so keep an eye on the Facebook page for the church.
Devotional:
Have you ever been in a life or death situation? I know that some people within Mount Lebanon have truly been in that spot! It’s not a very nice place to be, and it truly can be a place where we feel closest or, in some cases, furthest away from God. As noted in our book, “the number of cries for help in the Bible is surpassed only by prayers of praise” (Banks, 133). It is not unusual for people who are in dire situations to call out to God for help. Just think to yourself how many times there was true trouble in your life. You may have reached out to those who think that could help you, and there’s no problem with that. You may have reached out to law enforcement or other protective services to help, and again, there’s no problem with that. But the ultimate help comes from above with the intercession of the Heavenly Father on our behalf when we call out to him in times of distress.
But one thing that we have to remember is that when we do get out of that trouble, we continue to call out to God to continue to help us, and to tell all those who are around us about how God helped us in our time of need. In this way, we honor God, and we acknowledge the greatness of our Heavenly Father. When we do this, we are truly showing how God is working in our lives, and we can ensure that His message, the message of hope, is spread.
Wednesday: Save me so I may praise you!
Psalm 9:13-14
Lord, have mercy on me. See how my enemies torment me. Snatch me back from the jaws of death. Save me so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem’s gate, so I can rejoice that you have rescued me.
Thursday: You know the hopes of the helpless
Psalm 10:17-18
Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them. You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them.
Friday: Save me so I may praise you!
From 1 Chronicles 16:35-36
Save me, O God of my salvation! Gather and rescue us from among the nations, so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you. Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting!
Saturday: You protect when times are evil.
Psalm 12:6-8
The Lord’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over. Therefore, Lord, we know you will protect the oppressed, preserving them forever from this lying generation, even though the wicked strut about, and evil is praised throughout the land.
Sunday: Don’t let me suffer the fate of sinners
Psalm 26:9-11
Don’t let me suffer the fate of sinners. Don’t condemn me along with murderers. Their hands are dirty with evil schemes, and they constantly take bribes. But I am not like that; I live with integrity. So redeem me and show me mercy.
Monday: Fight my battle, Lord
Psalm 35:1-3
O Lord, oppose those who oppose me. Fight those who fight against me. Put on your armor, and take up your shield. Prepare for battle, and come to my aid. Lift up your spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Let me hear you say, “I will give you victory!”
Tuesday: Jesus have mercy on me!
From Mark 10:47
Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!
Memory Verses:
I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me. - Philippians 4:13
Wednesday Devotional - 9/22/21
Announcements:
Make sure to visit the Facebook page and like it! It’s www.facebook.com/mountlebanonsuches. Also, I’m asking this week if you would take the time to share this post on Facebook. We are trying to reach out to people, and this devotional is a good way to do it!
Also, look at the Facebook page this week. We will be posting about how we will be meeting for worship this coming Sunday. We hope that you will join us no matter how we meet!
Suches Brushes will be meeting on Mondays at 9 AM in the Fellowship Hall. They follow CDC guidelines, and encourage others to wear masks if they are not vaccinated yet. This is such a wonderful group of people to be around and a part of. Come and join them to create some great pieces of art!
Awetumn Joys will not be meeting this month. More information will be forthcoming about the meeting in October.
On most Sunday Nights at 5 PM, we are having our choir rehearsals again. We are already working on our Christmas Cantata for the community. We are working on a solution for continuing choir practice in a safe way. More details will be coming soon, so keep an eye on the Facebook page for the church.
Devotional:
When you say the word ‘wrestling’, the instant image that comes to your mind likely is that of very large men in tights in the squared circle. But when it comes to wrestling with God, it’s a completely different matter! You see, God has given us free will, and he lets us make our own choices. God has given us the ability to talk with Him, and even make arguments with Him. This is the way that a good teacher, and a good father, will have learning happen. When it comes, though, to doubt, we can truly wrestle with God over what the right path is for our lives.
Of course, the great doubter in the Bible was supposedly Thomas, the apostle. He was labelled the doubter because in a time of weakness after Christ’s death, he wanted physical proof that Christ had returned from the dead. Would you not be in the same place if you had known someone to be put to death by people who were terribly efficient in that work? We forget that Thomas was the one that, when Jesus stated that they were going to go back to Judea, said that he was going to follow Jesus. He said in John 11:16 “Let’s go too, and die with Jesus.”
Thomas’ great sin was that he doubted his Lord. It seems to not be a great sin, does it? But Jesus forgave him of that sin instantly. When he gave himself completely to Christ, proclaiming “My Lord and My God!” (John 20:28), he was the first disciple to completely understand Christ as the savior of all mankind. God used Thomas’ struggles to get him to complete faith in Jesus. And that is what God does with us when we struggle: he takes those doubts and those fears and turns them into faith. Thomas is proof of this - proof that God is able to shape every facet of our darkest doubts until they shine with everlasting light.
Wednesday: Have compassion on me!
Psalm 6:1-4
O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage. Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. I am sick at heart. How long, O Lord, until you restore me? Return, O Lord, and rescue me. Sve me because of your unfailing love.
Thursday: Help me overcome my doubts!
From Mark 9:24
I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!
Friday: In anxiety I cried to you
From Psalm 116:10-11
I believed in you, so I said, “I am deeply troubled, Lord.” In my anxiety, I cried out to you.
Saturday: When doubts filled my mind, you comforted me
Psalm 94:18-19
I cried out, “I am slipping!” but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.
Sunday: Where are you, Lord?
Psalm 10:1
O Lord, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I am in trouble?
Monday: If you are with me, why has this happened?
From Judges 6:13
If the Lord is with me, why has all this happened to me? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about?
Tuesday: Remember me, Lord
Psalm 106:4-5
Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people; come near and rescue me. Let me share in the prosperity of your chosen ones. Let me rejoice in the joy of your people; let me praise you with those who are your heritage.
Memory Verses:
I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me. - Philippians 4:13
Wednesday Devotional - 9/29/21
Announcements:
Make sure to visit the Facebook page and like it! It’s www.facebook.com/mountlebanonsuches. Also, I’m asking this week if you would take the time to share this post on Facebook. We are trying to reach out to people, and this devotional is a good way to do it!
Also, look at the Facebook page this week. We will be posting about how we will be meeting for worship this coming Sunday. We hope that you will join us no matter how we meet!
Suches Brushes will be meeting on Mondays at 9 AM in the Fellowship Hall. They follow CDC guidelines, and encourage others to wear masks if they are not vaccinated yet. This is such a wonderful group of people to be around and a part of. Come and join them to create some great pieces of art!
Awetumn Joys will not be meeting this month. More information will be forthcoming about the meeting in October.
On most Sunday Nights at 5 PM, we are having our choir rehearsals again. We are already working on our Christmas Cantata for the community. We are working on a solution for continuing choir practice in a safe way. More details will be coming soon, so keep an eye on the Facebook page for the church.
Devotional:
This is our last devotional for the Praying the Prayers of the Bible by James Banks. I hope that you’ve enjoyed it, and that it has truly blessed you over the last few weeks. It’s funny that I should mention blessings, because that is the final topic of this series! When Solomon was asked by God what he wanted more than anything in this world, he did not ask for riches, for fame, for even the death of his enemies. He asked for the blessing of wisdom to rule his kingdom fairly. Solomon wanted to bless others rather than himself, and because of that, God blessed him more than he could have even imagined.
Blessings multiply when they are done for others in the name of Christ. Now, a word of caution: many prosperity gospel preachers will use this to mean that you will be monetarily rewarded more if you give to others. That’s not how this works, exactly. God’s blessings are great, are rich, and are more than what we could ask for. He will provide for our monetary needs, and often in more time than we will ever need for it! But to expect God to reward you a certain way because of an act that you have done is dangerously close to thinking that those works are what saves you. As we well know, only the grace of God through his Son’s sacrifice on the cross and rising from the grave is what saves us. It is the work that we do in His name that shows the mighty and amazing power that Christ has over the grave in our lives!
That all said, prayers of blessing lift our vision to the goodness of God and stretches our soul. Spurgeon said this about the benefit of blessing others through prayer, stating:
I commend intercessory prayer, because it opens man’s soul, gives a healthy play to his sympathies, constrains him to feel that he is not everybody, and that the wide world and this great universe were not after all made that he might be its petty lord, that everything might bend to his will, and all creatures crouch at his feet. It does him good… to make him know that the cross was not uplifted alone for him, for its far-reaching arms were meant to drop with benedictions upon millions of the human race. Thou lean and hungry worshipper of self, this is an exercise which would make another man of thee, a man more like the Son of Man. (Banks, 174)
God wants us to replace the old ‘lean and hungry’ self-focus of our old sin nature with better things. When we do that, we are compelled to pray for the well-being of others, starting with their salvation! When you bless others, you are truly blessing God, and in turn, our Heavenly Father will bless us greater than we can ever imagine.
Wednesday: Blessings belong to Jesus forever!
From Revelation 5:13
Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.
Thursday: Blessings on the King!
Luke 19:38
Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!
Friday: A blessing for God’s people
Numbers 6:24-26
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you peace.
Saturday: A prayer for harmony
Revelation 15:5-6
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Sunday: Grace and peace from the Father and Son
1 Corinthians 1:3
May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Monday: Blessings on you, Lord Jesus
From Mark 11:9-10
Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest heaven!
Tuesday: May God himself be with you
From Romans 15:33
And now may God, who gives us his peace, be with you.
Memory Verses:
I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me. - Philippians 4:13
