Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Trust”
Our Bible verse for today: “Say among the nations: “The Lord reigns.” The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken.” Psalm 96:10 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Trust that God is in control.”
Do you ever find yourself getting discouraged about the things going on in the world today? Wars, famines, cataclysmic weather events, economic woes, corrupt government officials, biased news media, and the list goes on. And then there are all of our personal problems such as bills, job problems, cranky kids, troubled marriage, inconsiderate neighbors, those ten pounds you can’t seem to lose …
Well here’s the good news: “The Lord reigns”. Yes He does. God is in control. In street language they say “He is large and in-charge!” In theological language we say that God is “Sovereign”. This is the biblical teaching that God is king, supreme ruler, and lawgiver of the entire universe. His sovereignty is expressed in His active involvement in world affairs as well as in the affairs of our daily lives, to bring everything into conformity to His purposes.
What this means is that God is in ultimate control of all things. Real sovereignty does not belong to the idols of the world; nor does it depend on money or power; it does not belong to the rich and famous; not to multi-national companies or CEOs; not to kings or presidents. It is the Lord who rules and reigns. And because He does, we His people are not judged by the standards of the world, and it’s not the world that ultimately matters.
We belong to a loving, gracious, benevolent God who is able to control all things and who has our best interest always in mind. So trust in Him, not in your job or your spouse or your talents or in any other person or thing or set of circumstances. He alone is Supreme and you can trust in Him.
To really lock that truth into your mind and heart, I encourage you to attend worship services this Sunday so you can worship the One who rules and reigns. If you have a good church home, then go there. If you don’t have a church home, then visit with us at Oak Hill Baptist. Sunday school begins at 9:00 and worship is at 10:00. Then at 6:00 we will begin a new Sunday evening Bible study series entitled “Fresh Encounters”. It’s about personal and corporate spiritual renewal and it will go a long way towards helping each of us to focus on the One who rules and reigns, rather than on the problems and distractions of life.
I have a personal paraphrase of Psalm 96:10 which I try to apply to my own life. It reads like this: “The Lord reigns in my life. Therefore my world is firmly established and it cannot be shaken.”
If you fully surrender your life to God then your world will be firmly established and it will not be able to be shaken. The storms of life will come, as they always do, but your life will be established on the firm foundation of trust in God. He will help you to be strong and solid and unshakeable. You can trust Him for that.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 