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Giving as of January 31, 2023

Budget for 2023 . . . . . . . .  $348,707.00
Tithes Needed to Date . . . . . $33,529.55
Received to Date . . . . . . . . . $19,591.75
Needed for weekly budget . . . $6,705.91
Tithes Received this week . . .  $3,306.20

MID-WEEK DEVOTION

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

From Our Family and Music Minister

One of the duties I inherited when I got my driver’s license was taking my grandmother on errands or appointments, especially if they were out of town. So one afternoon, after we had finished everything we had to do, Gammy wanted to try the new Ruby Tuesday that had opened in Tifton. The rest of the family decided to meet up with us, and I went in, asked for a table, and got a pager where they could notify me when our table was ready. And so it began. Not after every 5 minutes or so, but after every 1 to 2 minutes, my grandmother would ask me how much longer until we got a table. She even doubted my ability to understand how the restaurant pager worked. Finally, after a long 8 to 10-minute wait, she was ready to go elsewhere and let us know that she had never waited that long to be seated at a restaurant. My response to her was “Gammy, that is because you eat in Ashburn all the time where everyone knows you, and you get preferential treatment. Nobody knows you in Tifton, so you will have to wait like everybody else.” She did not find that comment very amusing, and it did not help that my dad couldn’t stop laughing.

In a small town, our reputation precedes us, especially if we work with the public. As Christians and representatives of the Gospel, our reputation is critical. This past Sunday in Sunday School, we talked about Joseph and how he avoided the temptations of Potiphar’s wife. As we read through the passage, what stood out to me most was that Potiphar and the prison keeper put Joseph in charge of everything for which they were responsible. They did this because they could see that the Lord was with Joseph.

Even though Joseph had been abandoned and sold into slavery by his brothers, he remained a reflection of Christ. After he resisted the advances of Potiphar’s wife and was thrown into prison for doing the right thing, he remained a reflection of Christ. Joseph was a young man who was the father’s favorite and lived a pretty luxurious lifestyle. However, he suddenly became an enslaved person in a foreign land. Yet, his character reflected that of a strong Christian, and God continued to bless him.

In the book of Philippians, Paul writes to the church of Philippi. “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.” Paul told the church of Philippi that even if he could not come to see them, he wanted to hear that they were living as they should. He wanted their reputation to be that they were living as a reflection of citizens of heaven, not as citizens of a Roman colony.

Of course, my grandmother knew that we were teasing her; however, there was truth to the statement. Everyone knew her in Ashburn. She had taught them or their child in kindergarten. She had probably, at some point, given them that stern look of ‘you better act right or else.’ So, of course, she and her lady friends got special treatment because they all were active members of the community. As a Christian, what does your reputation say about you? If someone were to list the first five things they think about you, would they reflect a Godly lifestyle? Are people blessed and led to God by your presence?