READ Jan. 6 Bible Study/Prayer Requests!

We are engaging in some fresh new Bible studies as we begin this new year! We will place an emphasis on our daily walk with God with a devotional focus. We can learn to add a practical living (devotional) aspect to our Bible study.

To achieve this objective, I will be gathering and sharing some thoughts from Christian writes who have written with this priority. Let’s pray for one another as we seek to develop the skill of devotional meditation on the passages chosen for each of our Midweek studies for 2021. ____________________________________________________________________________

Here is the passage for our first one: Psalm 1

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.

3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

4 The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

____________________________________________________________________________

I came across a series of devotional material on the Psalm to share with you. The author is unknown. Enjoy!

The first psalm serves as the gateway to the entire book of Psalms. It stresses that those who would worship God genuinely must embrace His Law (revealed Word) that is, His instruction founded on His redeeming grace. This psalm addresses topics also in the Bible’s wisdom literature and makes them the subject of song.When we joyfully sing this psalm, it’s values become ours. And we are changed.

By contrast, Psalm 1 reminds us that in the end there are only two ways to live. And whatever else happens in our lives today, the crucial question is: which of the two ways described in this psalm will we embrace? Beneath the never-ending list of “to do’s” demanding for our attention lies the basic choice to receive instruction and influence from God or from the ungodly. Will we listen to the voice of life or to the voices of death? Will we breathe in God’s life-giving instructions, sinking deep roots Psalm 1:3, or will we breathe in the empty instructions of those who “will not stand in the judgment” Psalm 1:5? Will the trials we are facing now or those still to come in our lives prove us to be deep-rooted trees, incapable of being blown over, or will they show us to be chaff, blown away by the slightest breeze?

Happily, this psalm and its two ways to live are not a choice between stoic obedience or gleeful disobedience. 

The first word of the psalm makes clear that true, solid happiness is available to the godly. It is what the Bible calls in Psalm 1:1, “blessedness.” It is found in God and His Word. Psalm 1:2 reiterates “His delight is in the Law of the Lord.” 

Nothing can compare with the blessedness, the fruitfulness, the prospering, the delightfulness of a life saturated with the Word of God.

Walk with God. Soak in His Word. Take His yoke upon you – Matthew 11:29. You will be blessed, truly happy in a Biblical sense. That means a happiness, a blessedness, the winds of trial cannot blow away. (Amen).

____________________________________________________________________________

Church service for this Sunday, January 10, will be at 11 AM and 6 PM. Thank you for your effort to keep yourself and everyone safe as we gather.

Prayer requests:

*Note: These requests have been submitted in the last few days. If you want a personal request to be included

please let us know. (Parenthesis indicates someone you may or may not know, but name has been requested.)

Here are the most recent prayer requests:

Steve and Sandra Blessing are ill. Steve was not able to be with us this past Sunday. 

Billy and Roxanne Mills are ill as well. They were not able to be with us this past Sunday either.

Remember those who have asked for pray in recent weeks.

(Mark Gremert. This is a family member of a mutual Christian friend. He is very ill in another state.)

Pray for me. I will be speaking at my father-in-law’s funeral service. Also for God’s grace for Pat and family.

We want to thank everyone for taking precautions so we can safely gather. Thank you also for staying at home if you have any flu-like symptoms. This has been an important key in the mitigation of this pandemic in our church so far.

We want to have church services. But we must continue to follow the proper guidelines. Please be cautious.

Love and Prayers, Pastor Mike Owen