In His Praise– May 20, 2018

Kathy TuckerMay 21, 2018Uncategorized

The good news today is a reminder that as Christians we have help with us at all times. That help is the Holy Spirit. Here is a list of  some of the things the Holy Spirit does for us.

  1. He dwells within us at all times. (John 14:17, 1 Cor. 6:19, Romans 8:16, 2 Timothy 1:14)
  2. He guards our salvation and assures us we belong to God. (Romans  8:16, 2 Cor. 1:22, 5:5))
  3. He gives us hope and peace during difficult times. (Romans 14:17, 15:13, 1 Thess. 1:6)
  4. He gives strength and endurance during trials. (Eph. 3:16)
  5. He brings conviction. (John 16;8, 1 Thess. 1:5)
  6. He provides power over temptation. (Galatians 5:16)
  7. He grows us into holiness. (1 Peter 1:2)
  8. He helps us pray. (Rom. 8:26-27, Eph. 6:18, Jude 20)
  9. He gives wisdom for decision making. (Eph. 1:17)
  10. He provides understanding of God’s word. (1 Cor. 2:9-16)
  11. He guides and directs into specific events. (Acts 13:4, 16:6, Rev. 17:17)
  12. He calls us unto salvation. (Eph. 4:4)
  13. He gives us confidence over fear. (2 Timothy 1:7)
  14. He gives us the right words to speak about God. (Acts 1:8)
  15. He gives every believer spiritual gifts. (1 Cor. 12:7, Heb 2:4)
  16. He frees us from the letter of the law and gives us the spirit of the law. (2 Cor. 3:16-18)
  17. He grows the fruit of the spirit within us. (Gal. 5:22-23)

Thanks be to God for His wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit!

In His Praise — May 13, 2018

Kathy TuckerMay 14, 2018Uncategorized

Happy Mother’s Day! What a privilege it is to be a mother and what a blessing it is to see Christian mothers. God thought motherhood was important enough that He chose a special young woman, Mary, to be the mother of His very own son.

Jesus could have come to earth in any way He desired, He is all-powerful, but God’s plan was for Jesus to come as a little baby, born to a human mother. We may not think of it often, but God’s plan spoke volumes about how we should view motherhood. It is a God-given privilege and responsibility that should not to be taken lightly. 

When the angel informed Mary that she had been chosen to give birth to the holy Son of God, she of course did not quite understand how all this was to come about , but Mary trusted God and submitted herself to His service. She gladly accepted her role as mother and was blessed because of it (see Luke 1:41-56).

We too are blessed when we accept the role of motherhood. No, we are not going to have the Son of God, but every child is a blessing sent from God. Motherhood is a gift from God full of love, joy and untold blessings. If you are a Christian mother, thanks be to God for you. If you know someone who is struggling with the blessing of motherhood, perhaps you can encourage them and share this good news. 

In His Praise — May 6, 2018

Kathy TuckerMay 7, 2018Uncategorized

Right before Jesus ascended to heaven, he promised His disciples that the Holy Spirit would come to empower them to be His witnesses. This promise was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit appeared as  wind and flames of fire. Those present were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in languages unknown to them before. This story is found in Acts 2.

Jesus’ promise is for us too. That same Holy Spirit is still with us today. We may not speak in unknown languages, but the Bible teaches that there are other gifts that the Holy Spirit bestows upon God’s people. Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12:8-10 speak of some of the gifts that we may receive as a child of God.

The Holy Spirit not only gives us gifts to help us in our witness for God, but also comforts, guides and helps us in our daily life. What a blessing to know that God himself, through the Holy Spirit, is with us everyday, all day and will never leave us. 

Now that is good news!

In His Praise — April 29, 2018

Kathy TuckerApril 29, 2018Uncategorized

“All you need is love” or so the song goes. Love is a word, and an emotion, that is tossed around a lot in today’s society. There are many different kinds of love too — there is romantic love and love for family and friends. Sometimes we say we love our job or a particular activity or a work of art or food and on and on it goes. The word love can have  a myriad of meanings and rarely is it all we need.

It is difficult sometimes to determine if the “loves’ in our lives are real and lasting. Sometimes we end up disappointed and hurt. But there is one love that we can always count on and that is the love of God. God’s love is genuine, it will never end. God’s love is trustworthy, He will never forsake you and God’s love is complete, it can fill every void in your life. It really is all you need.

God is love and He loves you! Read 1John 4:7-21 to hear more good news about the love God has to offer. 

In His Praise — April 22, 2018

Kathy TuckerApril 22, 2018Uncategorized

Our pastor here a East Point, Rev. Phil Nickles, participates in a prison ministry. The group he works with spends a weekend from time to time inside a prison witnessing and sharing the word and love of God with the inmates. This program has been very successful in helping many lost souls find Jesus.

But as Bro. Phil pointed out, many people today are in other kinds of prison. Satan can twist the circumstances of a situation around and make it appear that there is no hope. His desire is to keep people bound in sin, lost and helpless.

But God has a different plan!

The good news is that Jesus’ love can set people free and break the bondage of sin. His love can bring forgiveness, peace and joy.  Luke 19:10 reminds us that Jesus came to “seek and to save what was lost.” Our Lord and Savior stands ready to change your heart and  restore your life. The best part is that it is free to all that will accept it. 

In His Praise – April 15, 2018

Kathy TuckerApril 15, 2018Uncategorized

Today Rev. Hughlen Murphree preached at the 11:00 worship service. He read the scripture from Luke 24:13-32 and shared the story of  Jesus appearing to two followers as they walked along the road to the village of Emmaus. This took place after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. These two were discussing all the events of the past week, but they did not understand everything that was happening. When Jesus first struck up a conversation with them  they did not recognize Him either. But eventually they came to realize that this was their Savior and they were overjoyed that He really was alive! 

Now, what does this story have to do with us today? We, like these two Christians, are sometimes confused, overwhelmed and plainly do not understand everything we see happening. But just as Jesus was with them, He is always with us too. Even when they did not recognize the Savior, it was still Jesus with them. He patiently explained the scriptures to them and then when the time was right He revealed His identity to them. 

The good news is that as Christians we can be assured that Jesus is always with us, to help and guide us. Even if we don’t see His hand in the situation right away, we can be sure that He will never leave us alone and He is always with us.

In His Praise — April 8, 2018

Kathy TuckerApril 9, 2018Uncategorized

God is good! With so much bad news in the world today, it is great news to know that God does not and will not change! He still loves us and His salvation is still available through Jesus Christ.

We can always depend on God’s love to be there for us. There is nothing that can separate us from it (Romans 8:37). No matter how bad our life has been God can make it all new again when we repent and accept His saving grace.  2 Corinthians 5:17 assures us  “that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

What great, good news! God is so good!

In His Praise — April 1, 2018

Kathy TuckerApril 1, 2018Uncategorized

The good news today is found in Matthew 28:6, “He is not here; He is risen, just as he said.” Jesus is alive and well! He lives in every Christian heart and His light shines in all His children.  

Jesus loves each of us as if we were the only person on earth. He showed His love by dying on the cross for all our sins. But Christ did not stay dead, He arose from the grave and He lives forever! He gives us salvation, eternal life and a peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

Thanks be to God for His wonderful gift!

In His Praise — March 25, 2018

Kathy TuckerMarch 25, 2018Uncategorized

Do you ever feel lonely, left out or forgotten? Do you think that no one cares about you or is interested in anything you do or say? Do you sometimes feel that you have no friends? If so, I have some great news for you!! God loves you and cares about you! He is interested in what you are doing and wants you to talk to Him and spend time with Him. He wants to be your best friend!

You may say, “That can’t be, I am not important in the world, I am not special.” But you are wrong! In God’s eyes you are very special. He created you, He loves you, and He will forgive you.

God desires that we “seek His face”, (2 Chronicles 8:14) that is try to live as though He is our constant companion. Proverbs 18:24b describes the Lord as a friend that is closer than a brother. God even sent Jesus to die for the sins of all humanity so that everyone could have a relationship with Him. (John 3:16)

What more could God do to prove His love for you? God does care deeply for you and He greatly desires to be your friend. It’s all up to you, just accept His love and salvation and you’ll never be alone again.

In His Praise — March 18, 2018

Kathy TuckerMarch 18, 2018Uncategorized

Rev. Phil Nickles asked the question today, “Are you walking like a forgiven child of God?” As Christians we often forget that when God forgives us He completely forgets our sins. We allow Satan to keep reminding us of our past and the wrongs there. But God’s word says, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”(Hebrews 8:12)

When we accept God’s salvation through Christ, God forgets our past and gives us a new future. A future filled with joy, peace and contentment. Life on this earth will never be perfect, but with God, we can live triumphantly everyday!

Now that is great news!

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