Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Keeping first things first.”
Our Bible verse for today: “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a blanket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “We must stay focused on the things that really matter.”
We live in a world that is quite literally “going to hell in a hand basket.” All around us every day there are broken families; we see lives destroyed by substance abuse; there is crime and corruption; people suffer from sickness, disease, hunger, and social injustice; and we see moral decline beyond anything previous generations could have imagined. And, everyday innumerable souls are lost to an eternity in hell.
God’s answer to the horror of the human condition is His Church. The followers of His Son Jesus Christ have been commissioned to go into all the world, bless people with acts of mercy and compassion in the Name of Jesus, and tell them the Good News of the Gospel. God’s answer to the problems of the world is you and me – the Church.
Unfortunately many churches, and many individual Christians, are focused on other things, often silly things. Much of their time and attention is focused inward on their own lives and on their own church life. In their personal lives they’ve allowed themselves to become overwhelmed with the busyness of daily living. When it comes to church life they’re often preoccupied with personal preferences, styles of ministry, social events, and many other minor issues, while the world around them is dying.
Today more than ever it is crucial for individual Christians to stay focused first and foremost on the things that have eternal value, rather than on the temporary and less important issues of daily life. In our church life we have to ensure that we don’t allow ourselves to become little more than a social club with religious overtones; and we have to guard against allowing silly issues, personal preferences, and petty squabbles to disrupt the fellowship and distract us from our first and most important priority of shining the light of Jesus in a dark and dying world.
We will spend our time together this month thinking about what it means for Christians to keep first things first.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 