2026 THEME — “SEEING LIFE FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE”                      

February – Seeing Stewardship and Giving from God’s Perspective

Next Sunday, when you hear from Mr. Haile, you may see a missionary—but I see his wife as the Headmaster who walks our school grounds, who greets us by name, and who reminds us every morning that we belong to Jesus. I am one of the thousand children at Providence Christian School, and because he obeyed God, I sit in a classroom where we pray, learn the Word, and are taught that our lives have purpose beyond poverty or pressure. When he tells you about crusades in dusty fields and villages hungry for hope, those are not stories to us—they are part of our world, and because you gave, the gospel reaches our families and our neighbors. You may feel far away, but your obedience built my desk, helped train my teachers, supported the crusades that changed my community, and made me realize that we are not alone—we are one family under one Lord, serving in the same harvest together.

SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY

I’ll be honest—when you talked about Faith Promise and said missions is the heartbeat of God, I wasn’t sure I believed that; it sounded like something churches say to raise money. I’ve wondered if my small commitment would really matter or if it would even make a difference somewhere I will never see. But hearing how a mother carried her sick child into a clinic with fear and left with medicine, prayer, and the hope of Jesus has unsettled my skepticism. If obedience truly has a face—if heaven can use someone’s quiet “yes” to lower a child’s fever and open a soul to Christ—then maybe Faith Promise is not about pressure at all, but about participating in something eternal that I can no longer ignore.

GO TO www.belmontbaptistchurch.com/sermons and listen to Sunday’s message.

Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart

When Obedience Has a Face

“And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.” — Matthew 10:42

Obedience is often discussed in sermons and sung about in hymns, but heaven never sees it as theory. In God’s kingdom, obedience is always personal. It is not an abstract virtue floating in the air—it is an action that touches a life. It feeds someone. It shelters someone. It strengthens someone. It carries the gospel to someone. When Jesus spoke of giving a cup of cold water, He was not minimizing obedience—He was magnifying it. He was showing us that what feels small to us is never small to Him. In God’s perspective, obedience always has a face attached to it.

Obedience Is Personal, Not Theoretical

Jesus said, “one of these little ones.” That phrase changes everything. He did not say, “support a cause.” He said, “give to one.” Obedience is not about statistics. It is about souls. When you pray, when you give, when you go—there is a name, a story, and a future attached to that obedience. Somewhere, a child sleeps safely because someone obeyed. Somewhere, a mother hears the gospel because someone surrendered. Somewhere, fear is replaced with hope because someone said “yes” to God. From earth’s perspective, obedience can feel small. From heaven’s perspective, obedience is deeply personal.

Obedience Does Not Wait for Ideal Conditions

The Wachira family in Kenya did not wait for perfect stability before saying yes to God. They did not wait until the economy was strong. They did not wait until resources were abundant. They obeyed in difficulty. That is biblical obedience. Abraham did not wait for clarity—he obeyed (Genesis 12). Peter did not wait for full understanding—he stepped out of the boat (Matthew 14). The early church did not wait for safety—they preached in persecution (Acts 4). Obedience rarely feels convenient. It often feels costly. But heaven keeps record even when earth never applauds.

Obedience Always Costs, But It Always Counts

Jesus promised, “he shall in no wise lose his reward.” God misses nothing. Every surrendered dollar.
Every whispered prayer. Every unseen sacrifice. Every message sent in encouragement. The world may never write your name in a headline, but heaven writes it in reward. Obedience may cost comfort, time, reputation, or resources—but it never costs you eternity. It invests in it.

Imagine a child rescued from danger. She now sleeps in a safe bed. She eats daily meals. She hears the name of Jesus every morning and every night. What changed her story? Not a headline. Not a global conference. Not a celebrity. Someone gave a “cup of cold water.” Someone obeyed. And obedience had a face. One day in heaven, we will see clearly what our obedience truly accomplished. We will meet the faces behind our faithfulness. Obedience is never abstract. It has fingerprints. It has names. It has futures. When you obey God—when you give, pray, serve, or surrender—you are not participating in an idea. You are touching eternity through a person. From our perspective, obedience may feel small. From God’s perspective, it shapes destinies. Heaven keeps record. Heaven sees. Heaven rewards.

Warfare Prayer: Father, in the name of Jesus, we reject every lie that says our obedience does not matter. We bind the spirit of fear that hesitates and the spirit of apathy that delays. We declare that our obedience will not be postponed by comfort or paralyzed by uncertainty. Let every seed sown for Your kingdom break strongholds of darkness. Let every prayer push back spiritual opposition. Let every act of surrender carry eternal weight. Guard our hearts from selfishness. Protect us from distraction. Strengthen us to obey quickly and fully. Use our obedience to rescue lives, to strengthen missionaries, to feed children, and to spread the gospel where darkness once ruled. We declare that our obedience will have a face—and that face will glorify Jesus. In His mighty name, Amen.

Daily Challenge: This week, do one intentional act of obedience that touches a specific life:

• Send a personal message of encouragement to a missionary or ministry.
• Pray by name for someone serving in difficult places.
• Give to Faith Promise with a specific person in mind.

Ask God to let your obedience reach farther than you can see.

THURSDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS

Baby Mary Marin – RSV – ICU CHOA – Greatly Improved

Britany Smith ~ Breast Cancer

Darlene Kelley – Cancer Treatment

Don And Carol Franklin – Mae’s Uncle

Ed Franklin’s Son In Law – Heart Surgery

Gloria Young

Jason Gibson

Jean Partee

Sandra Mitchell

Tammy Shelnutt

Amy Garner’s Dad

Bentley Smith – Broken Leg

Carol Lawhead – Riverside in Conyers

Joni Oberhage

Linda Mays

Myles Elliott

Rose Fuller – Pruitt-Monroe Nursing Home, Forsyth GA

Brando Echarte

Debbie Foskey 

Don Franklin’s Daughter, Darlene, Son, David

Ed Adkins – Friend of Brian Edwards

Jake Jenkins

June Cronan

Jean Partee’s Sister

Kim McClain’s Daughter, Amanda

Deon Lotter

Doris Loyd

Nancy Brown

Annette Ford

Andrea Nix– Friend of the Shelnutt’s

Angela Bryan’s Sisters

Ann Stanley  

Danny Jarrard  

Darlene Wiggins

Doris Loyd

Dr. and Mrs. Davis

Eric Magnusson’s Mother

Eric Ward

Friend of Linda Hodge

Gayle Sparks

James Burnette

Jessica Headrick  

John McClain’s Mother

June Cronan’s Sister

June Davis

Kailey Bateman

Kim McClain’s Mother 

Kim’s Sisters – Ann & Brenda 

Lee Cronan

Lillianna Magnusson’s Mom

Lonzo Christian 

Lori Blount’s Mother

Mary Williams

Mary Williamson – Dana Jackson’s Mom

Mrs. Franklin 

Nora Allison

Ron And Johnnie Barry – Friends Of Ashton & Glenda Bateman

Scott Lanier 

Scotty Nix

Stephanie Seivers – Friend of the Shelnutt’s

Steve Michaels

Tom Witcher