Wednesday Devotional - 8/4/21
Prayers:
Please continue to pray for our church and that God will bless us with revival. We have seen God doing great things over the summer, and we know that He has more in store.
Also pray for those who are sick within the Suches community. We know that there are some who are struggling with both short-term and long-term illnesses. Pray that God will ease their troubles.
Announcements:
Suches Brushes will be meeting on Mondays at 9 AM in the Fellowship Hall. 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.
Starting on August 8th, we will start having our choir rehearsals again. We will meet at 5 PM at the church. Come and make a joyful noise!
On August 29th, there will be a 5th Sunday Night sing. More information will be forthcoming, but make plans to join us for this special evening of music!
Devotional:
I recently purchased a book entitled “Praying the Prayers of the Bible” by James Banks. I intentionally purchased it knowing that I wanted to use it for our devotionals when we were in Chattanooga at McKay’s . God takes our prayers very seriously, especially those that are within His will. As Banks puts it, “the prayers of the Bible are an amazing gift from God.” (Banks, 25)
The first set of prayers that we will look at are prayers to praise and honor God. As you well know, the Bible is full of prayers that praise God for everything. It fills us with encouragement to know that God is always there for us, and that he created the wonders and amazing things of this world. But praying them challenges us and changes our lives forever as well. Because true praise of the Creator is a challenging thing for us to do.
Banks points out that “true praise - praise with an active faith that is greater than only emotion - is a daring thing.” (32) It challenges us to leave the pathways of our heart and emotions and reach out for the greater. We have to give ourselves fully up to God to be able to do that, to truly die to the old way of life and to take up our cross daily and follow Him.
God’s word commands us to take delight in him. Psalm 37:4 states to us “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” This verse is a verse of action. It moves us out of complacency, and it calls us into a way of life that truly praises Him! This, of course, much like many things in our lives is something we must work at. But just like those things in our lives that we have to work at, the payoff is amazing. We see from this verse that the payoff for our work in praising the Lord is that he gives us the desires of our heart. What are those desires? When we pray the way that brings us closer to Him, the desire of our heart is to do what God wills us to do. It is to bring others closer to Him. It is to follow Him and to be more like Him. And that is why it is important that we give God the proper praise through prayer.
Take time this week to daily read these prayers from the Bible. You will find you heart becoming even closer to Him when you do!
Wednesday: The Lord is my strength and song
Exodus 15:2
The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; He is my God and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt him.
Thursday: No one is stronger than you!
Exodus 15:6-7
Your right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed away the enemy in pieces. And in the greatness of Your excellence You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth Your wrath; It consumed them like stubble.
Friday: You have rescued me
1 Samuel 2:1-2
My heart rejoices in the Lord; My horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation. No one is holy like the Lord, for there is none beside You, nor is there any rock like our God.
Saturday: You keep your promises with unfailing love
1 Kings 8:23
Lord God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.
Sunday: You alone are God
Nehemiah 9:5-6
Stand up and bless the Lord your God forever and ever! Blessed be Your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise! You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.
Monday: Your majestic name fills the earth!
Psalm 8:1-2
O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the Heavens! Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that you may silence the enemy and the avenger.
Tuesday: I will praise you with all of my heart
Psalm 9:1-2
I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
Memory Verses:
Galatians 6:2
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Wednesday Devotional - 8/11/21
Prayers:
Pray for the children and the teachers that are heading back to school this week in Union County. Their year last year was so hard. Specifically pray that this year will be much easier, without disruptions from outside sources, and without constant changes.
Pray for those who are sick within the Suches community. We know that there are some who are struggling with both short-term and long-term illnesses. Pray that God will ease their troubles.
Announcements:
Suches Brushes will be meeting on Mondays at 9 AM in the Fellowship Hall. 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.
Sunday Nights at 5 PM, we are having our choir rehearsals again. We are already working on our Christmas Cantata for the community. If you want to be involved in this, come and make a joyful noise!
On August 29th, there will be a 5th Sunday Night sing. More information will be forthcoming, but make plans to join us for this special evening of music!
Devotional:
Just as I stated last week, we are working through the book “Praying the Prayers of the Bible” by James Banks. This week, we look at the prayers to say thank you to our God.
Banks poses this question to us to start this study: “where would you be without Jesus?” (55) It’s a good question to pose to yourself from time to time. Where would I be without Jesus? Certainly not in the place I am now! I would likely have destroyed myself well before this time. Ephesians 2:12-13 reads “remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” When we were not Christians, we were far away from the Lord, and unable to ever have a true hope in this world. But we have been brought near to God, like a father pulls a child into his arms to hold and to love them, because of the blood of Christ.
We can never truly thank God enough for freeing us from the bondage of sin. When we pray the prayers of thanks, it opens our hearts and opens our eyes to “the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:8). It also reminds us that God is the one that we must always thank for our deliverance. Take time this week to thank God for all that he has done for you in your life!
Wednesday: I trust you and praise you with all my heart.
Psalm 28:6-7
Praise the Lord! For he had heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
Thursday: I will give you thanks forever!
Psalm 30:11-12
You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothes me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!
Friday: I will thank you with all of my heart.
From Psalm 138:1-3
I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart; I will sing your praises before God. I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name. As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength.
Saturday: All wisdom and power are yours
From Daniel 2:20-23
Praise the name of God forever and ever, for you have all wisdom and power. You control the course of world events; you remove kinds and set up other kings. You give wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. You reveal deep and mysterious things and know what lies hidden in darkness, though you are surrounded by light. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength.
Sunday: Thank you for the simple message of salvation!
From Matthew 11:25-26
O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!
Monday: Salvation is a gift from you!
From Revelation 7:10, 12
Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb! Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever!
Tuesday: You will rule forever!
From Revelation 11:15, 17
The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever. We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign.
Memory Verses:
Galatians 6:2
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Wednesday Devotional - 8/18/21
Prayers:
As we have seen the events unfold in Afghanistan, it has been very hard to see it. Pray especially for our Christian brothers and sisters at this time that are in that country. Pray for our soldiers who are still attempting to help those who are wanting to be free from tyranny. And pray especially for our leadership in this country and in Afghanistan that they will come to know the power of Christ.
We also want to keep the people of Haiti in our prayers this week as they have experienced both a major earthquake and tropical storms within a few days of one another. Pray that God will give them relief, and that they will turn to God during this difficult time.
Continue to pray for those who are dealing with Covid-19 as well. We know that there have been some within our community and circles of friends who have been dealing with this virus. Pray that they will continue to recover, and that God will keep his hedge of protection around us all during this time.
Announcements:
Suches Brushes will be meeting on Mondays at 9 AM in the Fellowship Hall. 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 11:30 AM in the Fellowship Hall. Please bring a covered dish and share in some fellowship time.
Next Sunday night at 5 PM, we are having our choir rehearsal. We are already working on our Christmas Cantata for the community. You do not need to be a member at Mount Lebanon Baptist to participate in the Christmas Cantata. This is truly for the entire community! Come and make a joyful noise!
On August 29th at 6 PM, there will be a 5th Sunday Night sing, hosted by Mount Lebanon Baptist. Come and join our sisters and brethren in making a joyful song to the Lord that evening.
Devotional:
This week we continue to look at the “Praying the Prayers of the Bible” by James Banks. This week, we will look at the prayers to strengthen faith and give ourselves to God.
In Luke 12:34, Jesus spoke these words: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Jesus spoke these words when he was speaking about worrying about things in your life. But beyond this, it is a reminder to us that the treasures that we have in Heaven are always worth more than anything that we can have here on Earth.
When we set our prayers on what we want to store up in heaven, we realize that our lives here on Earth are being done according to God’s will. As Banks puts it, “the prayers that ultimately make us happiest aren’t ‘God give me what I want’. They are, ‘Lord what do you want? How can I serve you? What do you want me to do for you and your kingdom today?” These prayers not only lift us up, but in greater ways it lifts everyone around you up as well. Why is this? Because when we concern ourselves with others, when we concern ourselves with the well-being of others and put others before us, we are truly following Christ’s example. We are giving ourselves to God!
Wednesday: You have only begun to show what you can do.
Deuteronomy 3:24
Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do?
Thursday: Help me to be faithful to you
Psalm 51:10-12
Create in me a clean heart, O God. renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.
Friday: I will wait quietly before you
Psalm 62:5-8
Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. You alone are my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. You are my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.
Saturday: If I hadn’t confessed my sins
Psalm 66:18-20
If I had not confessed the sins in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.
Sunday: I want you more than anything.
Psalm 73:25-28
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.
Monday: Who can stand before you?
Psalm 76:4-10
You are radiant with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game. The valiant lie plundered, they sleep their last sleep; not one of the warriors can lift his hands. At your rebuke, God of Jacob, both horse and chariot lie still. It is you alone who are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry?From heaven you pronounced judgment, and the land feared and was quiet—when you, God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land. Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.
Tuesday: I will obey you.
Psalm 119:105, 111-112
Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. Your laws are my treasure; they are my heart’s delight. I am determined to keep your decrees to the very end.
Memory Verses:
Galatians 6:2
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Wednesday Devotional - 8/25/21
Prayers:
We have been hearing of so much more deaths and sickness with Covid-19 in the last few weeks. We know that there have been friends who have lost loved ones to this disease, and we know that there is the possibility that things may go back to where they were a year ago. Pray that we do not have that happen. Pray that God beats back this virus, that He obliterates it completely. Pray that we will be loving in the way that we react to others that may not have the same views that we do on this virus. Pray that we will overcome this obstacle, and come closer to the Lord. Pray that we will not be lonely, and that God will bless us through this time of hardship.
We also want to continue to pray for those who are under the extreme persecution of the Christian church in Afghanistan. Although there have been assurances of peace by the Taliban, there has already been reports from missionaries and Christians that there has been violence against them, persecution because of their faith, and deaths among them. Pray that God will keep them safe, that He will provide them a way out of the country, or if they decide to stay and to win more to Christ, that God will put HIS hedge of protection around those people.
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. If you want to be involved in this, come and make a joyful noise! Keep an eye on the Facebook page or this devotional for details on when we will be meeting again.
Due to the uptick in Covid cases in the Suches Valley, we will be postponing the 5th Sunday Night Sing until a later date. Again, keep an eye on the Facebook page or this devotional for more details.
Devotional:
The silly smile on the face of the magazine, the large block letters, and the missing tooth with the phrase “What, Me Worry?” on the bottom was the siren call for hijinks and hilarity in MAD magazine for young people, mostly boys, from 1952 until 2018. The mantra of Alfred E. Neuman’s fictional character was that he was so stupid that he wouldn’t worry about anything! But in the real world, we truly do have many things to worry about. We worry about how we are going to pay the bills every month. We worry about what might or might not happen in our lives. We worry about what happens when we get sick, or if we get MORE sick than we already are. We worry about the next generation, and worry about if we have made an impact in our lives at all.
But there is a salve for this: Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:31-33 this: “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘what will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of the unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Jesus understood the problem of worry. I was told one time that worry is not believing that God will come through for us in our time of need. I truly believe in that axiom. We are like children, where we want to try to fix everything on our own. Even as adults, we do this, but in more sophisticated ways. We will tell God all about our problems, and pray to Him to fix it, but when we have the opportunity to listen and obey, we instead say to God “well, good chat, but I’ll just go ahead and try to fix this myself. I know you can fix it easily, but I’d rather struggle with it.” Now, that may sound silly to us, but aren’t we all guilty of it at least once in our lives?
God does truly want us to bring our troubles to Him in prayer, and to put it at the foot of the throne and leave it there. Yes, we are to be proactive and work with the Lord to complete the work that He gives to us, but there is a difference between being told what to do and blindly attempting to do it on our own. When we bring needs to the Lord, we must do it in faith and in expectation so that we will live in a loving dependence upon Him and know the blessing of being caught up in His purposes. When you pray this week, know that God wants us to follow Him, and know that He wants to help us with our problems.
Wednesday: Your arms hold me close
From Dueteronomy 33:26-27
There is no one like the God of Israel. You ride across the heavens to help me, across the skies in majestic splendor. The eternal God is my refuge, and your everlasting arms are under me.
Thursday: Nothing compares to the joy you give
Psalm 4:6-8
Many people say, “Who will show us better times?” Let your face smile on us, Lord. you have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.
Friday: I ask two favors, Lord
Proverbs 30:7-9
O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty or riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” And if I am poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.
Saturday: Be my strong arm each day
Isaiah 33:2-3
Lord, be merciful to me, for I have waited for you. Be my strong arm each day and my salvation in times of trouble. The enemy runs at the sound of your voice. When you stand up, the nations flee!
Sunday: You don’t miss a tear
Psalm 56:8
You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.
Monday: You can heal me.
From Mark 1:40
If you are willing, you can heal me.
Tuesday: I long for you.
Psalm 42:1-2
As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before you?
Memory Verses:
Galatians 6:2
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
