Newsletter | January 27, 2021

CHURCH FLOWER CALENDAR

If you would like to place flowers in the sanctuary in memory or in honor of someone, please call the church office, so Nikki can get it on the calendar. Please call early to get the date you want.

ASSOCIATIONAL EXECUTIVE/BROTHERHOOD MEETING

The Turner Baptist Association Executive Committee and Brotherhood Meeting that was scheduled for Thursday, February 11th, at Inaha has been cancelled. There are no current plans to reschedule this meeting.

Sanctuary Flowers

The flowers in the sanctuary this Sunday have been placed in loving memory of Jack See.

Giving as of January 27, 2021

Budget for 2021 . . . . . . . .  $320,880.00
Tithes Needed to Date . . . . . $24,683.08
Received to Date . . . . . . . . .  $15,639.60
Needed for weekly budget . . . $6,170.77
Tithes Received this week . . .  $3,251.35

MID-WEEK DEVOTION

Don’t forget to check out Brother David’s Mid-Week Devotion on the book of Psalms. They are uploaded each Wednesday on the sermon page.

From Our Pastor

     Have you ever felt overwhelmed?  I’m sure that every one of us has gone through a period in our lives when we thought we would be sunk by our circumstances.  If we live long enough, we will face such times again.  You may be in such a period now.

     In Mark 4, the disciples faced a literal storm that threatened to sink them.  Their circumstances were so bad they woke the Lord Jesus and said, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (verse 38).  Our Lord calmed the storm and then asked them why they were afraid (verses 39-40).  He asked them, “Do you still have no faith?”  (verse 40b).

     He could probably say the same thing to each of us.  In our storms, we are just as bad (if not worse!) than the disciples.  How we need to be able to trust Him in the wind and waves of life!

     What would help us to trust our Lord in the storms of life?  First, we need to remember His presence.  We often envy the disciples because the Lord was physically with them.  But, He is with us just as much as He was with them.  Through His Spirit, He is with us everywhere we go (John 14:16).  Our Lord even said that having the Spirit within us was better than the disciples having the Lord with them (John 16:7).  Believer, the Lord is with you in even the most difficult times in life.  He will never leave you (Hebrews 13:5b).

     Next, we need to remember our Lord’s unlimited love for us.  The disciples doubted this wonderful truth.  Their asking “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” shows they really didn’t believe that He loved them.

     Believer, please realize how deeply God loves you. He loves you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3).  In love, the Father sent the Son to die and rise again for you (John 3:16).  The Son went to the cross for you because He loves you (Galatians 2:20).  In love, He predestined you to be His child (Ephesians 1:5, 1 John 3:1).  Child of God, you are deeply, eternally, infinitely loved by Him.  You can trust Him.

     Last, we need to remember our Lord’s power.  In verse 39, our Lord rebuked the wind and told the sea to be still.  The storm stopped and it was calm.  The disciples were in awe over this great display of power (verse 41).

     We must remember that our Lord is unlimited in His power.  There is nothing that He cannot do (Genesis 18:14, Luke 1:37).  All creation obeys our Lord – even the circumstances that we are experiencing.  We can trust Him.

     Believe, we don’t have to be overwhelmed.  We can trust our Lord.  He is with us, loves us and is unlimited in His power.