SINCE 4 OF OUR TEACHERS ARE QUARRANTINED,                                            WE WILL NOT HAVE OUR WEDNESDAY SUMMER CLASSES TONIGHT!                                                                                     NO CLASSES WILL MEET THIS WEEK!

MAE & I ARE FINE & WILL BE BACK SUNDAY FOR OUR SERVICE!

Daily Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart:

Philippians 2:12-13, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

We need to understand, from God’s point of view, what it is to take the initiative. 

It is our response to and cooperation with God’s operation in our being. 

Let me say that if you are born again and Christ is living in you, then there is present within you a divine working that is one-hundred percent bent on beholding the Lord. 

There is something already in you that matches the Word of God concerning spending time to behold Him. 

You do not have to produce something in yourself in order to take the initiative. 

Check with your inner man. 

Look for the hidden desire within you, and see if there is not a corresponding burden and feeling about your spending time with the Lord.

If you are honest with your deepest sense, you will realize that there is a still small voice within you day by day speaking to you about spending time with the Lord to enjoy Him and to behold Him. 

In fact, on the negative side, it feels like something nagging you. 

When you live neglecting your time with the Lord, there is something within you that spontaneously feels dissatisfied. 

You sense an incompleteness in your daily life even to the point of an inner protesting. 

Also, on the positive side, there is a desire and a longing to be with the Lord in a definite way–to wait upon Him, behold Him, and enjoy Him. 

This desire and longing is God working in you.

Taking the initiative simply means to cooperate with what God has already put within you. 

The Greek word translated “work out” in Philippians 2:12 and the word “beholding” in 2 Corinthians 3:18 are both in the middle voice. 

This means Paul was emphasizing that believers need to take the initiative to actively be involved and participate in the working out of their own salvation. 

However, the basis for taking this initiative is clearly defined by the following words: “For it is God who operates in you.” 

This means that the initiative we take is actually our going along with the operating God within us. 

This is a crucial point in all our experiences of the Lord. 

God works and operates in us to a certain extent; then we need to take the initiative to complete and finish what He is working in us. 

Until Tomorrow,

With a Shepherd’s Love

Pastor

…….

TODAY’S PRAYER LIST

Bill Lawhead In Hospital

Brandon Black / Brandon’s Dad & Grandmother  

Carol Lawhead – Surgery Tomorrow

Debra Roberts – Angels Are Near

Hanna Hall – Pray For Grace

Jeanie & Joanie’s Mom

Jeanie Acord – Covid

Joe Johnson – Recovering

Marynell Ford – Pray For Guidance  

Philip, Scarlett, & Jackson Byrd – Covid

Amy Garner’s Mother  

Ashley Burn’s Sisters

Barbara Shed’s Family 

Bill Moody 

Charlie Sessom –Waiting  

Colby/Connor – Allison’s G’sons 

Denise Stubbs – Kim Allison’s Mom 

Doug Fritzel 

Greg Payne – Lisa’s Brother

James Garner’s G’Son  

Joyceann – James Garner’s Daughter 

Kimberly – Dustin’s Sister  

Larry Barker  

Linda Breedlove’s Sister – Sarah  

Lynn – Nancy Brown’s Daughter  

Mary Sims  

Michael Stanley 

Nancy Brown’s G’Daughter  

Nora Allison – Dustin’s Mom  

Pastor Stucke– Nikki’s Dad

Ricky Stubbs  

Roseleigh Osborn  

Scott Lanier – Lisa’s Cousin 

Sharon Blalock  

Shaelyn – Jill’s Friend

Sheila Simmons Cousin  

Tom Witcher