A  lighting bolt lasts from 45 to 55 microseconds. The average running shoes worn by the average runner on as average surface will last 350 to 500 miles. A hard pencil can write up to 30,000 words or draw a line more than 30 miles long. Most ballpoint pen will draw a line 4,000 to 7,500 feet long. Leather combat boots have a wartime life span of 6 months; a peacetime life span of 8 months.

The projected life span of a baby born in America today is about 77 years: nearly double hat it was at the end of the 18th century. Studies show married people live longer than those who remain single.  A 100 watt incandescent bulb will last about 750 hours; a 25 watt bulb 2,500 hours. The number of times a light bulb is turned on and off has little to do with its life span. A one dollar bill last approximately 18 months in circulation.

A practice football used by professionals last 2 to 3 days,  a playing life of about 5 hours. Home teams are required to provide 24 new footballs every game, and these last only about 6 minutes of playing time…….

In the book of James chapter 4 and verse 14, we have another interesting stat. God says “…..What is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time. and then vanisheth away.”   Ask any senior citizen how long the have lived and  most likely their answer will be something like… ” it seem like it was only yesterday  that I graduated high school, or got married.”. It is then we realize this truth about life. It is indeed  short, and quickly fleeting,

It  is based on this God given truth, that life is fleeting and that death is rushing at us, that we need to prepare TODAY for our tomorrow.   One does this prep by receiving The LORD JESUS CHRIST has our personal savior. Then we need to live each day for our LORD by attending church and sharing the good news that JESUS died for ALL sinners and show them the way of salvation.

There is an anonymous poem that has been around awhile.  It goes like this:

Broken Dreams

 As children bring their broken toys with tears for us to mend

I brought my broken dreams to God, because He was my friend

But then instead of leaving Him in peace to work alone

I hung around and tried to help with ways that were my own.

At last I snatched them back and said, “How can You be so slow”?

“My child”, He said, “What could I do?  You never would let go.”

Kind of makes you want to shake your head to imagine such silliness, doesn’t it?  But think about it a minute, in a different light.  How many times have we done exactly that to the Lord?  We say, “Lord, I’ll let you save me, but I won’t bother you with my burdens, I’ll carry them myself.”  “I’ll trust You to keep me out of Hell, but my problems are all my fault – let me help you solve them.”  “God, you take care of the big problems I can’t handle, I’ll take care of the rest”.  If we can trust God to save us from Hell, don’t you think we can cast ALL our cares upon Him?  Psalm 55:22 and I Peter 5:7 tells us we can.   The Bible is full of verses and examples that tell us just that.  Why don’t we resolve to do just that in this new year?

Isaiah 64

Isaiah was a prophet of God who knew his history, he knew what God had done in the past, and he wanted him to do it again!  He was tired of things the way they were.  He admitted  the sinful nature of man.  He was longing to see something unusual.

What stands between the Christians that make up His local churches and the miracle-working power of God?  One thing is uncleanness.  In verse 6 we read, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”  We all must realize that the very things that we do thinking they are good, are evil in God’s sight.

Another problem is unconcern.  Verse 7 states in part that no one is calling on God or is even excited about Him.  They seem to be more interested in their own life and are wrapped up in their own sin.  Most people get all worked up over a ball game or a political contest, but very few get stirred up over spiritual things.  No wonder God’s power is absent from our lives and churches!

Unyieldedness is a third barrier.  The song writer wrote, “thou are the potter, I am the clay,” based on verse 8 of our text.  Clay is worthless by itself, but in the hands of the potter, it can be valuable.  God must have His way before He will share His power.

Don’t be afraid to get stirred up.  It could be the beginning of great things in your life, family and ministry.  Why not pray like Isaiah did – Lord, do it again!

Often the question is asked, “Can God use me?”  The person who asks this question has more than likely fallen into sin.  Forgiveness is forthcoming after repentance, but what about being used of God after forgiveness?  So many times, it is assumed that God will forgive that person, but He won’t use them.  What sin does God not forgive?

The Bible clearly shows us what kind of people God used, beginning with Moses.  He was a man who committed murder, but God forgave him and used him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt.  Then there was King David who committed adultery AND murder.  He repented of his sin and was greatly used of God, including authoring many chapters found in the Bible.  What about Jonah, a prophet who disobeyed God’s direct instructions but, after seeking God’s forgiveness, conducted a citywide revival.  And Peter, who cursed God and was in a backslidden condition just 50 days before he was used mightily of God at the Day of Pentecost.  This does not mean it is okay to sin; this just shows us that God will forgive and use believers if they will yield themselves to Him.  Psalm 130:3 says, “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?”  If God keeps records and won’t use those who have sinned, who then will He use?

Recently I heard television preacher say that 1 John 1:9 was only to be used has a prayer when you were getting saved.
That verse reads “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” In case anyone should believe that, I wish to set the record straight there is a difference between the sin that will send a man to hell and sins that a Christian might commit has he goes through this life.

Adam’s sin (singular) plunged all of his family(human race) into sin. It was the sin of unbelief which led to the partaking of the forbidden fruit. Every man is guilty of that sin of unbelief and ultimately is condemned to hell because of it. Matthew 12 speaks of the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Verse 32 says all matter of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men. But blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. Unbelief condemns a man to death, but all other sins can be forgiven John 3:17 – 21. Verse 18 says ” he that believe is on him is not condemn; but he that believe
not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God.” First John 1:9 is given to the Christian to take care of the sins he may commit has he navigates through this wicked world . Not one of us can say we have not sinned. The Bible says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That means every one of us is a sinner in need of a Savior. If we say that we have not sinned, we lie, we lie to ourselves, we lie to God and as long as we continue in that lie the list of sins will grow longer.

Let’s review: 1 John 1:9 is to be used for those sins mentioned in Matthew 12:32. Where it says all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven. There is one sin that cannot be forgiven and that is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit it. The way a person blasphemes the Holy Spirit is to reject his witness concerning Jesus Christ. In other words to reject salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ, that is the sin that would send a man to hell.

As Jesus told his disciples that they were to be witnesses, pastors in churches all across America are exhorting their members each week to be witnesses as well. What we mean by witnessing, however, may not be exactly what the Lord means by witnessing. In John 21:15–25, there is a conversation between Peter and the Lord. Peter is told in that conversation that he will die as a witness. Peter is also told in the same conversation that John’s life, work, and end are none of his business! We believe, from what we understand from tradition, that Peter was crucified upside down as a witness for his Savior. John, on the other hand, may have lived to be 100 years old as a witness for Jesus Christ. They were both witnesses.
The Greek word for witness in our text is “MARTYS”, from which we get the word martyr. Jesus tells his disciples that they are to be martyrs for his cause. They were not all told how each of them as individuals would die, but they were all informed has to how they should live.
The apostle Paul said that he died daily in first Corinthians 15:31. We are told that we are dead with Christ, Colossians 2:20. In acts 5:41, we are told that the early Christians rejoiced when they were counted worthy to suffer for his sake. Being a witness may have much more to do with attitude then with actions. With the right attitude, we can all be better witnesses for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, while we live. How this life ends is not ours to say, but until then, we need the attitude of the apostle Paul which said” for me to live is Christ!” Philippians 1:21.

CAN I GET A WITNESS?

we are praying for you sister Paula…

Has a nurse ever asked you, “on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your pain?” The Bible tells of an incomparable believer name Job. No man in his day was has God-fearing has Job was, yet he was tested with incredible sorrows. Satan’s first blow wiped out his finances and his family, his finances and 10 children gone in a moments time. While he was still really from the first punch, Satan second blow came and wiped out his health. Then the third blow came into his life; his friends turned on him in the midst of his grief. That is what a “10” looks like in reference to personal pain.

How did Job survive? In spite of the incomprehensible circumstances, Job knew that God is good. The Bible tells us that he worship God in the midst of his grief. Job abiding conviction of God’s goodness is an example to us of how the Lord will carry any child of God through the worst sorrows he faces.

Like Job, James tells us that God is good even when we are sorrowing (James 5:10 – 11). We need to remember that every good and perfect gift comes from God. Even though I am a child of God, adopted by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, I have no rightful claim to joy. Job said that he entered into life naked. He confessed, the Lord gave. Job never said, “I deserved
to be pampered by God.”

Envious people treat God like a genie who dutifully grants their wishes. Gain is not godliness. We must learn to thank God for what we have rather than to cry for more.

Job survive by Faith, how will you survive the pains of life? Hopefully, your answer is by the same faith Job had, faith in God. If you need to learn how to place your faith in God, come visit us at Morningside Baptist Church Sunday morning 10 AM, and we will be happy to share our faith in God with you.

In John 18:4, the Lord Jesus Christ ask a question “whom seek ye?” The shepherds sought the Savior, the wise men sought the King of the Jews; King Herod sought a rival; the Greek believers sought the wisdom of the ages, and in this verse, the Temple guards sought one Jesus of Nazareth, a local troublemaker. Everyone sought for the same person, but each saw Him differently. I guess we truly do find what we seek.
If you see yourself as someone with a reputation, like King Herod did, Jesus is a possible rival to the throne of your life, and Jesus must therefore die. However, if you see yourself as a lowly outcasts, like the shepherds, Jesus, the Savior, is the best news you have ever heard. How we see Jesus is determined by how we see ourselves. Some see Jesus has an archaic myth when men believed that God could have wrath and punish sinners. They see no need of Jesus. Some “Christians” see Jesus as a means to the blessed life of financial and physical prosperity. Some see Him has only a comforting friend who understands our needs, and who knows we really didn’t mean to do wrong when we cursed, lied, cheated, committed fornication, and stayed out of church. But then some, who have honestly looked into the mirror of God’s word, and have seen there that wretched sinner that they really are, come broken to the Christ of Calvary, CRYING OUT, “O GOD, have mercy on me a sinner”. Afterwards, they walk and talk with Him who joyously saved their soul. So, I ask you today, “whom seek ye?”

Yours and Christ,
Pastor Dan McBride
Romans 10:4

Once again the school year has started, some of the children could not wait to get back and see all their friends, while others walked with their head down and their hearts hardened hating to see summer end. In Hebrews 3:8; the Bible says “harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, and the day of temptation in the wilderness;.”
The illustration used is that of Israel in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. It wasn’t long after departing from their slavery that their hearts were hardened, and they tempted God. As a result, that generation was never able to enter “his rest”. Pictures are important in Scripture. Israel entering the promised land is not a picture of a Christian entering heaven, but rather of a believer living the victorious Christian life. I’m glad there will not be  enemies and giants to battle in heaven! This generation never entered into the rest, the promise land. Why? Because of a hard heart. The reason given for their hardened hearts was rebellion (verses 8, 9).
How often Christians end up  rebelling against God, Not from a lack of opportunity to learn, But from  negligence of the word of God. At times, they just chose not to believe His word. At other times their love of sin led them to their hardened hearts.

Sadly my friends,there are many  today that have grown hard hearts against God’s word. They no longer listen for His voice, rejoice in His blessings,and many have even lost the sense of His conviction.

Bro. Dan

Mother’s Day around here is very busy, at least for the men. We started early this morning with James Blair at 7am, cleaning and wrapping the potatoes for baking. Then to DQ with Billy, Trish and Leah Shifflett. After breakfast, then to the best donut shop in town, Donut Supreme on 16, to get some sweets for fellowship in between SS and worship. Rush back to the church, deliver donuts ect. unlock all the doors for jr. church, nursery and main auditorium, turn on the A/C and lights, then back to the big fellowship hall to check on the men. They are a GREAT bunch to worship and work with, our cook,David McBride, was there setting up the grill for the steaks.

The day was  an absolute blessing,  we had 14 first time visitors, and several repeat visitors.  The members went all out inviting people to come, thanks everyone you all did a great job.

The message was titled THE PERFECT MOTHER’S DAY GIFT! The alters were full as God did His work on our hearts. If you missed this years celebration, there will be another one next MOTHERS DAY,