The First Call

"And He appointed twelve (whom He also named apostles) so that they might be with Him and He might send them out to preach." Mark 3:14 (ESV)

Dr. Bobby Boyles said lots of things during our Fall Revival last week at FBC Atwood that caught my attention and made me reflect deeply on the Word of God. But, few things he said impacted me more profoundly that his assertion that the first call of God upon the life of His followers is, "that they might be with Him..." Before ministry; before mission; the first call is to be with Him!

It is stunning to me how easy it is for me to allow everyone and everything else to take priority in my schedule over spending time with Jesus. Oh for the joy of just being with Jesus! Not to seek His blessing, not to fulfill an obligation, but simply to be WITH HIM.

Of the many family and friends whose fellowship we appreciate, the thing we ought to desire most is spending time with Jesus. Dr. Boyles went on to mention a time when he began to "pencil in" time for personal devotion on his weekly calendar. I have been guilty of that; and worse, there are weeks in my life that I set aside very little time just to be alone with Him. As we focus on our calling to be the people of God and to do the work of God, let us focus first on our first call: to be with Jesus!

Praying for Revival!

George Mueller is famous for saying, "Prayer can do anything God can do, and God can do anything!" I have been reminded again today that prayer is real help. It seems that when we pray and we do not immediately see God's answer, we come to think of prayer as a "Cry for Help" and not much more.

God has said to us, "Call to Me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known." - Jeremiah 33:3 ESV. Prayer is real help! Almost everyone I know is praying for revival and it seems that revival still tarries. So, what do we do? Keep on praying and keep on expecting God to send revival.

We need revival in our lives, our Churches, our Association, and our world. The only way to ever see real revival is to pray that our mighty and merciful God will "Hear our prayer, forgive our sin, and heal our land." - II Chronicles 7:14b.

Lanny

Great Day in the Morning!

Yesterday morning I was privileged to be part of a great service at SBC Sullivan! Each year they have a "9-1-1" Service in which they honor those who serve their community as emergency responders. This year a large group was present that included the Moultrie County Sheriff, other uniformed police officers, firefighters and EMT's, and several men and women who are part of the Disaster Relief Team that is sponsored by the Church and supported by our Association!

As always at this great church, Dr. Don Evans graciously led the service where the worship was very good and a sweet and welcoming spirit was felt. I am thankful to have been invited and that I was able to share a simple gospel message from Matthew 20:28 and Philippians 2:5-11 on "The Greatest Act of Sacrificial Service Ever Rendered on Earth."

Thanks to everyone at Southern Baptist Church Sullivan for making the service such a blessing to everyone there!