In His Praise

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” Proverbs 23:7 God’s Word has a lot to say about hearts. We are told if we give God first place in our lives then we will receive “the desires of our heart”. (Psalm 37:4) In Psalm 51:10 the writer pleads for forgiveness and asks that God  give him a pure heart. In Ezekiel 36:26 God promises to give His people a new heart. Jesus said in Matthew 6:21 that whatever we treasure the most will also hold our hearts. Then in chapter 22:37 also in the book of Matthew, Jesus said that we are to love the Lord with all our heart… Yes, the condition of our hearts is very important. Jesus explained it to His disciples like this: It…

“This is how God showed His love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”  1 John 4:9-10 Somebody loves me, and you, and everybody in the world! That somebody is Jesus and He proved it when He gave His life on the cross to pay for our sins. He paid a debt He never owed, a debt that we could never repay, and He did it out of His great love for us.  What a blessing! When we repent and accept this free pardon for our sins, we then begin a new life. We begin…

“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.” Psalm 145:13  We hear  and see so much sin in today’s world and we sometimes think that no one knows God anymore. We worry about our children and grandchildren growing up in such a world. We are concerned that the evil that seems to be everywhere will affect our loved ones in terrible ways.  But encouraging words are found in Psalm 145:13. There is hope in our Mighty God. His power is for eternity and His love is for all generations. He alone has dominion over this world and the next. God alone can deliver us from the evil that tries to overtake our lives. Christians are instructed to “put on the whole armor of God” in…

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone…” 1 Timothy 2:1 This has been a horrific week for those in the path of Hurricane Helene! We have all seen the news reports of trees uprooted,  homes being washed away, roads crumbling, dams breaking and unprecedented flooding. People and animals have been injured, lives have been lost and there are many that are unaccounted for and/or cannot be contacted. Helene has been a terrible disaster. First responders, linemen and others from different states have been called to service; agencies of all kinds are helping in anyway possible. People are doing all they can to alleviate the pain and fear that victims are suffering.   We cannot all go to the center of this disaster…

“I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,” Psalm 139:14 Our great God has uniquely created each person. Before we were even born he gave each of us a personality, talents, interests, strengths and desires. Verse 13 of Psalm 139 supports this when it says “For you created my inmost being”. God made each person special in His sight when He created us — body, soul and mind. That same chapter goes on to say, in verse 16, that all of our days were known to God before we even came to be on this earth. How great is that?! God has known all our lives what we were going to experience and He lovingly prepared us for it when He “knitted us together”…

“Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name.” Psalm 80:18 The word revival can mean many things such as remake, renew, reenergize, or rejuvenate. When someone stops breathing, measures are taken to restart their breaths, thus reviving them. When an out of date  practice from the past is restarted, we say it has been revived. We revive wilting plants by giving them water and sunshine and other nutrients they may need.   Christians are no different in our walk with Christ. We too need to be revived, renewed, reenergized, rejuvenated.  Tonight through Wednesday evening, revival services will be held at East Point Cumberland Presbyterian Church. You are invited to come join us as we hear the Word of God preached, and as…

“One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.” Psalms 145:4 Happy Grandparents’ Day! It is such a blessing have grandchildren! Few grandparents would disagree. We love those little sweethearts and enjoy the time we spend with them. We try to create memories with them that will last a lifetime. We hope we are impacting a new generation in a positive way.  Psalm 145:4 instructs us in the best way to influence future generations, that is to talk to them about God. We can share about God’s love for them, read a Bible story and talk to them about it, and pray with them and for them. We need to make sure that our faith and love for God is reflected in our daily…

“… deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:13 When Jesus was teaching His disciples (and us) how to pray, He included a request to be delivered from evil, or the evil one. Likewise in John 17:15, when Jesus was preparing for His crucifixion, He again prayed for His followers to be protected from the evil one. Jesus knew that the world could be a scary, evil place. He knew that the devil is always looking for someone to attack. But, He also knew that He and His Father could and would protect their own.   It is wonderful to know that we have  Savior that fights for us everyday and will send His angels to do battle for us!  We have a Savior that will wrap us in His…

“… the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,  To proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness the prisoners,… To comfort all who mourn. And provide for those who grieve… To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a garment of despair.” Isaiah 61:1-3 Things get broken in this world — relationships, dreams,  lives. Life can deal us some hard blows. We may feel defeated, confused, lost and unloved. We may think we can never get back up and start over, but guess what? We have a God that is a Great Restorer. We are reminded of this…

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34 We are accustomed to things that wear out. Our clothes get old, our shoes wear out, machines break down because of worn out parts. Food  and medicines have expiration dates. Almost everything is designed to be used only a short while before needing to be replaced or discarded. Nothing is made to last forever.  But, with God it is different. His love for us will last forever. We do not have to be concerned that it will become weak and slow,  or that it will end or need to be replaced, it will never change! God’s love is new every morning. (Lamentations 3:23-24) Because of God’s goodness, we can depend on His love and…