It is my privilege to wear the title of Pastor of Belmont Baptist Church for 45 years. However, the position of Pastor is not a one-man position. It is like a pie that has many different slices. Each of you make up a part of the Pastor and allow me to do my job well. Thank you for sharing my job and making it easy for me to serve. Help me pray for others to recognize their role as Belmont’s Pastor and help us do the work needed to change the world for Christ.
Everything resumes on Wednesday this week. The kids will be downstairs and the adults will be upstairs in the auditorium. See you this week.
Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart:
Mark 1:35, “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”
It is encouraging to realize that the early-rising life has been received by us with much grace (1 Cor. 15:10).
This means that spending time with the Lord by rising early is a matter of depending upon the energizing work of the resurrected Christ within us, and then cooperating with that grace by choosing morning by morning to rise up early to spend time with Him.
Watchman Nee’s testimony, in his book A Living Sacrifice, is very helpful.
He says, “Let me quote the words of Miss Groves, a co-worker of Miss M. E. Barber, who has helped us greatly.
She stated that the first choice giving evidence of one’s love towards the Lord is the choice between one’s bed and the Lord.
If one chooses to love his bed more, he sleeps longer; but if he chooses to love his Lord more, he will rise up a little earlier.
She spoke these words to me in 1921, but I still sense the freshness of them today.
Yes, a man has to choose between the bed and the Lord.
If you love your bed more, sleep on longer; but if you love the Lord more, you must rise up earlier.”
We must accept the fact that the Lord’s life within us is stated as being “our life,” according to Colossians 3:4.
Regardless of how we feel about it, when we received Christwe received an early-rising life (Mark 1:35), a prayer life (Heb. 7:16, 25), a love-life (Gal. 4:6), a fellowshipping life (1 John 1:3), and a feasting-upon-the-Word life (1 Pet. 2:2-3).
These are the main features of this life which has now become “our life.”
If we follow this life every morning by rising a little earlier, we will discover that there is a special capacity early in the morning to enjoy the Lord.
Until Tomorrow
With a Shepherd’s Love
Pastor
TODAY’S PRAYER LIST
Loretta Bailey – Funeral – Oct 23RD at Scott Ward FH
Ashley & Jason’s Friend
Bill Lawhead
Doris Strickland
Jeff Fowler
Jill Haines
Johnny Page
Richard Blount – Home
Amy Garner’s Mother
Ashley Burn’s Sisters
Barbara Shed’s Family
Bill Moody
Carol Lawhead
Charlie Sessom – Waiting
Colby/Connor – Allison’s G’sons
Denise Stubbs – Kim Allison’s Mom
Greg Payne – Lisa’s Brother
Hanna Hall – Pray For Grace
James Garner’s Brother, G’Son, & Daughter
Kimberly – Dustin’s Sister
Larry Barker
Linda Breedlove’s Sister – Sarah
Lynn – Nancy Brown’s Daughter
Mary Sims
Marynell Ford
Michael Stanley
Nancy Brown’s Daughter
Nora Allison – Dustin’s Mom
Pastor Stucke– Nikki’s Dad
Paula Ferus’ Missionary Friend
Ricky Stubbs
Roseleigh Osborn
Scott Lanier – Linda’s Son
Shaelyn – Jill’s Friend
Sharon Blalock
Sheila Simmons Cousin
Tom Witcher