Appreciation for Prayers:

Vev and I want to thank all of you for your prayers and concern regarding Tatum's surgery and recovery for her broken finger/hand. The surgery was successful with pins being placed in the middle finger of the left hand. 

Yes, Camp Poppa continued even though Tatum was not able to join us. We had a very good trip and thoroughly enjoyed being with Tyler and Tindol. Yes, I zipped and rode crazy water rides.....

This week Vev and I will be in Asheville, NC to spend some time with our youngest daughter. We will return for the June 26 lesson..... 

Here is the synopsis of this week's lesson..............

JUN. 19: TRANSFORMED IN MY POSSESSIONS
By Gene Price Pastor, Tumbling Creek Baptist Church, Gleason

Focal Passage: Matthew 6:19-24

This section of the Sermon on the Mount deals with wealth and possessions. Possessions are important to all people of all ages. Jesus warns to invest in things that will last. Life is too short and eternity too long for us to seek fool’s gold and imitation pearls.

In vv. 19-21, we are told to be careful where we store wealth. We are not to treasure our treasures. It is not wrong to have money (I Timothy 6:17). Whatever God has given us, He wants us to enjoy. So there is nothing wrong with having possessions. The “wrong” comes into play when possessions possess the person. In biblical times, much wealth was found in clothing, food, and money. Much clothing was made with wool and it could be eaten by moths. Clothing didn’t last very long. Grain, another source of wealth, could rot. Some people had their wealth in gold or perhaps silver. With no banks in that day, a thief could easily and very quickly steal your money. Jesus warns us not to put our treasures in anything that can be ruined, rotted, or robbed. Knowing that, a person should invest their money in eternal things.

In vv. 22-23, Jesus tells us to be careful how we see our wealth. Just as the physical eye brings light and direction to the rest of the body, spiritual vision helps a person find true happiness and correctly see the true value of things. Eve’s eyes (Genesis 3:6), Achan’s eyes (Joshua 7:21), and David’s eyes (II Samuel 11:2) were out of focus and brought trouble into their lives. Jesus taught that the spiritual condition of our eyes can have direct effects on our conduct. Sin enters our lives by an unfocused eye. When it comes to wealth, if a person sees wealth the way God sees wealth, they will generously invest in God’s work. With proper focus, a person realizes God gives wealth not only to bless the life of the one possessing wealth, but also to be a blessing to others. If the eye is out of focus, the whole body will be in darkness because the person will not see or realize the presence of God. An unfocused eye will deceive people into putting bodily and earthly treasures ahead of everything else, including God and His work.

In v. 24, we are to be careful not to be a slave to wealth. A person cannot serve God and mammon. Just as a person cannot walk in two directions at the same time or think two thoughts at the same time, it is impossible to serve two masters at the same time. Inevitably everyone will serve one or the other. Many in the church serve mammon in spite of Jesus’ warning. The late Larry Burkett once said, “Christ said the greatest threat to Christianity is not drugs, sex, murder, rape, or even politicians; the greatest threat is materialism.” A person is to serve God and not the things of this world. There is only one throne within the human heart. Jesus is to be on that throne, meaning He is to be our Lord and our Master.

In plain everyday language, a person can focus on eternal things and have earthly things. But you cannot focus on earthly things and have eternal things. We were made to serve the Lord and wealth was created to serve us. The days following the events of the disaster of the World Trade Center caused many to change their priorities and not focus on the things of this world. It was a reminder that God should be first and foremost in our lives every day.

THIS WEEK'S LESSON - JUN. 12: TRANSFORMED IN MY PRAYER

PRAYER REQUEST:

Vev and I have a prayer request: Tatum Mitchell, our oldest granddaughter, fractured and dislocated her middle finger on her left hand. After further examinations, it is apparent that the growth plates are cracked and there is concern that knuckle of her hand is cracked. So, she will be having surgery (pins) on Friday of this week in Pensacola at the Anderson Institute's Hand Center. Please be in prayer for Tatum as she goes through the surgery, recovery, and rehabilitation. 

THIS WEEK'S LESSON

JUN. 12: TRANSFORMED IN MY PRAYER

By Gene Price
Pastor, Tumbling Creek Baptist Church, Gleason

Focal Passage: Matthew 6:9-15

Jesus reminds us of the importance of prayer. He warned not to pray as the hypocrites do, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Now Jesus shows us the proper way to pray and this prayer is often called, “The Model Prayer” or “The Lord’s Prayer.” The first part of prayer deals with God and the second part deals with mankind.  The ingredients of the type of prayer that God answers are found in this prayer. This prayer reminds us what our real needs are in this life. When real needs are determined, then we do not waste God’s time and ours in praying meaningless prayers.

The focus of this prayer is on the Father. Our focus should never be on ourselves, but always on Him. “Our Father” means we acknowledge that we are His children. It is acknowledging that God gives His children what they need rather than what they want. When we pray, our focus is off the earth and looking to our source of help.

Next, The Lord’s Prayer calls for some areas of commitment from His children. God’s name is hallowed, which means holy, sanctified, and set apart. When we come into His presence through prayer, we acknowledge that He is holy and we are committed to personal holiness as well (Matthew 5:48).  “Thy kingdom come” means we are committed to participating in His work. We are to pray for the salvation of sinners and the putting down of Satan and all evil. “Your will be done” means we are committed to obedience to the will of the Father. Whatever our God wills, we pray that will be our will as well.

Following a call to commitment, the prayer calls for petition and deals with trusting God. We are to trust God for physical provision as we pray for daily bread. Daily means every day that comes, or on a fresh and new basis every day. Bread represents food in general or anything necessary to support life. God supplies our physical needs but now we are also to look to Him for spiritual needs. Forgiveness is one of the spiritual needs we desperately seek. Spiritually, a person hungers for forgiveness the way he physically hungers for food. Therefore, we are to trust God for cleansing from sin. Daily we should ask God to forgive us and search our own hearts for unforgiveness. Since we have confessed our sin and have received forgiveness, now we want to do God’s will. We are to trust God for power over temptation. There is a recognition that we are spiritually weak and need to ask God to help us in our daily confrontation with temptation.  The evil one is constantly seeking whom he may devour and we pray for deliverance.

The statements about God and the petitions are climaxed by the doxology. “Yours is the kingdom” focuses on His rule. We humbly claim His name and submit to His reign and will in our lives. “The power” focuses on His sufficiency. God is the power meaning we praise Him for His omnipotence to feed us, forgive us, protect us, and preserve us. “The glory” focuses on His presence. God is the glory meaning He alone possesses the attributes of perfection, eternity, and holiness.

Every element of need in our lives is covered in these words from our Lord. The Master Teacher took time to teach us how to pray. Jesus’ prayer was intended to show us how to establish the prayer life that the Father intended for us to have with Him as His children.

 

Don't miss out on BREAKFAST this Sunday!!!!

A little something to get you through to Sunday!!! Great story at the end.......

Receiving God’s Blessing of ABUNDANCE!
Dr. Jay Wolf

Jesus boldly promised, "I have come that you might have life and have it ABUNDANTLY!" (John 10:10)

I recently gleaned some encouraging news from the book "Abundance" by Peter Diamandis. The opening illustration was captivating and instructive. In the ancient world, aluminum was exceedingly rare and valuable. For instance, the Emperor of France - Napoleon Bonaparte - hosted the King of Siam for a state dinner in 1812. They used sterling silver goblets and golden plates for the most important guests.  As an extravagant crowning feature of the event, Siam’s King and Napoleon ate with aluminum dinnerware because that metal was exceedingly scarce and rare. However, in 1886 an American chemist named Charles Martin Hall discovered the innovation of using electricity to liberate aluminum. Aluminum is actually the third most abundant element on earth. 8.3 % of the world's weight is aluminum, but it is bound to oxides and silicates and is very difficult to release. Yet Charles Hall's discovery proved to be an innovation that suddenly unlocked aluminum as a source of inexpensive, lightweight, pliable and non-corrosive metal that is now abundantly available to everyone.

Here is the point: History is full of stories about once-rare resources that are now abundant because of innovation. On the spiritual level, abundance is not so much linked to innovation as it is to intercession. In Luke 11, Jesus invites His children to ask, seek and knock and they will receive in abundance. Paul explains that we serve a God who delights in answering His children and will give us "more than we can think, ask, or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20) because our Father desires to supply His children's needs in abundance. "My God will supply all your needs according to His RICHES in glory in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19) God invites you to ask for His abundance. Then our Father expects for you to use your abundant blessings to bless others! “Your abundance will supply your brother’s needs.” (2 Corinthians8:14)

Let me conclude with the classic story about Arnold Palmer receiving an abundant blessing linked to requesting. In the 1960s, the great golfer was invited to Saudi Arabia to inaugurate their first golf course. Palmer's host explained that the King of Saudi Arabia wanted to give him a gift of his choosing. So Arnold asked for a golf club, expecting to receive a new driver or a wedge. Instead, two attorneys appeared the next day at his hotel and they presented to him a deed to a 36-hole golf club in Florida!

Remember, through innovation and intercession, God releases abundance to His children for your blessing and for blessing others!