The Providence of God

Today I had the privilege of serving the Lord at "Our Daily Bread."  If you don’t know what that is it is Pascagoula's version of a soup kitchen where hungry people come and get a good tasty hot meal once a day. 

I always enjoy seeing the people. People that God dearly loves and created for His purposes.  Each of them has an individual story, a past and another day of life to live for God's glory.  Today I saw many seniors, kids, women and men, but the one that stuck out above the rest was a tall guy with many bumps, scars and wrinkles from a hard life. It was one of my childhood friends. He and I grew up on the same street in Moss Point, MS over 50 years ago. He lived across the street and four doors down. We road bikes together and played sandlot football together. He was brutal, strong as an ox and quick on his feet.  My how the years of a difficult life had broken Him down. He is all by Himself now. No family and only a handful of friends, most of which are the shady type.  These days he rides a worn out mountain bike from place to place. His past is full of hair raising experiences and he is always looking over his shoulder to see if someone is about to hurt him.  

Then here is me. More friends than I can shake a stick at, a nice comfortable home, two cars and a retirement plan.  I get to pastor the greatest church family in town and have two grown kids both serving on staff at great thriving churches. I have three healthy beautiful smart grandkids and the best wife a man could desire.  So I began to wonder, how could two boys from the same side of the tracks be so different. One blessed beyond belief and one living from hand to mouth? Grace was the answer I got from God. Yes, by grace I had been saved at a young age and it was by grace that God made me to be who I am. Again it was by grace that blessings had fallen on me.  Even through the difficult times in my life it was God's grace that sustained me.  

I can't help but remember what God told the prophet to tell David when he got a little to big for his britches. "I took you for the pasture from following the sheep and made you king of my People Israel." I don’t begin to know why God called me from that short street on the west side of Moss Point and why He has let my friend journey through such a tuff life, but I do know I and my friend can have faith in knowing that by his grace we shall walk the streets of Heaven together one day in eternity.  

Thank you Lord for your kindness and provision.  My prayer is that You will bless my friend above and beyond all that he can think or ask today and that You will use me to be a blessing to his life.  Jesus be Jesus in me so that I can be Jesus to my friend.  

Love Your Neighbor

By nature I am a non confrontational person, but studying the life of Jesus has taught me that love without confrontation in not love. The Gospels are loaded with Jesus's confrontations with the people he loved.  

 Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as yourself." What does that mean? In a nutshell it means let's want for others what we desire for ourselves. I want to be happy, healthy and spiritually sound. I want to walk in the way of Jesus and experience His love, grace and mercy in an incredible way. In order to do so I must let the truth of God's Word define who I am and let the Holy Spirit that God has placed in me develop me into the image of Jesus. This means I must let God's Word expose my sin and point me towards a better more healthy spiritual me.  So,  if I really love someone and want for them what I want for myself I must expose them to the Word of God even when I know it will lead to a confrontation and a painful conversation. Without confrontation spiritual growth does not take place. Therefore, I must confront the people I love with the uncomfortable truth of God's Word. Every word I say and everything I do is to be seasoned with love for others.  

Wandering Doulos

The other day my faithful dog Midnight Max Doulos and I went fishing. We had been in the boat for about an hour or so when I cast my line towards the bow. As the line was about to hit the water I heard a loud kerplunk! Doulos, who is just a puppy, jumped out of the boat and into the river. At this point we were about 25 feet from a lump of marsh grass with a sand bar about three wide and two feet deep. The rest of the space was all marsh, mud and water.

Doulos swam to the bank and quickly ran into the thick marsh grass just sloshing away. Meanwhile, I had gotten the boat close to that little spot of sand where he came to my whistle. As I stepped out of the boat into foot deep water Doulos looked at me as if to say, “I’m going my own way.” Then he took off into the swamp marsh and all I could see was the tip top of each blade of grass swaying to his movement. I whistled, hollered and called telling him the way to no avail. He could hear me but he was going his own way. Then things got much worse. A violent thunderstorm began to roll in. Lightening was popping all around and the pounding sound of rain was getting louder by the second. Once again with all I had I called to my dog trying to show him the way to safety. That is when I heard a very loud terrifying sound of him falling, splashing then total silence. My heart stopped. All I could think of was the large gator I had seen in that area just a week or so before. My mind could just imagine that gator grabbing him and taking him under the water and I would never see Doulos again.

After a few moments of dead silence a bolt of lightening reminded me of the storm just seconds away. Now I had to make a decision do I leave Doulos here and take myself to safety or do I wait as lightening and rain fill the sky. If I leave him he will surely die before I can return.

After uttering a silent prayer, I decided to lie down in the boat and wait the storm out. After a few minutes there was a lull in lightening and rain, so I stepped out of the boat whistled and called his name hoping to show Doulos the way. This time I saw the marsh grass sway and move. Soon Doulos popped out of the tall marsh grass and into the river just a few feet away. He had heard his master’s voice showing the way away from danger and into safety. When he reached the boat this time he jumped right in the boat! Then off we rode to take shelter under the I-10 bridge.

As we rode I couldn’t help but think about my relationship to my Master, Jesus Christ. He is constantly showing me the way through His Word and by His Spirit. As I walk with Him I hear Him say, “Whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: ‘this is the way. Walk in it.’” (Isaiah 30:21) May we all as followers of Christ learn to respond to the voice of God quickly as He leads us away from danger and towards the still waters and green pastures.

Trusting God Wholeheartedly

“For the eyes of Yahweh roam throughout the earth to show Himself strong for those whose hearts are completely His.” (2 Chronicles 16:9)

God’s eyes are on the earth and He is looking for people who completely trust His hand and when He finds them He does the impossible as they walk in His way. In every believer’s life there arises circumstances that cause them to wonder, “Can I really trust God on this?” It might be a health crisis, a broken or fractured relationship issue, the possibility of financial ruin or the loss of a home or loved one. As we live our lives hard times will most certainly find us. But the good news is you can completely and wholeheartedly trust God because if need be He will move Heaven and earth to protect and provide for you.

This is by His design. Quite frankly God lets us walk through valleys of darkness at times so that we can find out if we really trust Him. Like Hezekiah and his diseased foot (2 Kings 20) or King Asa’s battle against the Ethiopian army (2 Chronicles 14:11). God uses impossible circumstances to test our wholehearted faith. In each of these cases the kings completely trusted God and He worked everything out for their good and God’s glory.

There is somewhat of a formula for those who trust in God. They take delight in Him and by the power of the Holy Spirit they surrender themselves to God and He works out their particular situations for His glory and their individual good. By trusting God wholeheartedly and delighting themselves in Him as they walk in absolute obedience waiting expectantly they experience God’s hand of provision and protection.

A man’s steps are established by the Lord, and He takes pleasure in his way. Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, because the Lord holds his hand. I have been young and now I am old yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or his children begging for bread. He is always generous, always lending, and his children are a blessing. Turn away from evil and do what is good, and dwell there forever.

(Psalm 37:23-27)

Why Read the Bible?

Why Read the Bible?

Today as for so many days of my life I started with the Word of God. Not long ago someone asked me, “Why do you read that Bible of yours everyday?” they shouldn’t have asked this gray hair old man that question. I told them that partaking of the Bread of Life was how I feed my soul. The body needs food or it will die; the soul does too (Matthew 4:4). So, for about 20 minutes he had to listen to me rant on its importance.

Because the Word of God is perfect in every way no one has ever proved it to be false and believe me many have tried. The words of the Lord are pure (Psalm 12:6) and true (John 17:17). Therefore when you read it, heed it and live it its reliability goes from a spoken statement to a practical life reality. God Himself inspired 40 plus men in various ways and at various times to write down the everlasting truths of God’s way. This truth teaches Jesus’ followers as it corrects them and trains them in right living (2 Timothy 3:16).

Knowledge is a wonderful thing but far greater is wisdom that is gleaned from Scripture. By God’s Holy Spirit the perfect way of God is revealed to those who feast on the Bible daily. When a person of faith receives input through the reading of the Word the Holy Spirit brings enlightenment as to how a person is to react to the events of any particular day. The wisdom obtained through each day’s study leads them away from sin and towards a deeper revelation of whom Jesus is and what He has and is doing.

As for me I will start every day with a healthy serving of soul food, God’s Holy Word. I pray that you will too.

Dear Church Family,

Thank you for being such an outwardly focused body of believers. So far this calendar year, which is already half over, you have been able to minister to so many diverse people in numerous ways. We just had a team return and report on their mission in New Orleans. Our youth worked tirelessly in Jackson, MS in June and at present we have one of our fellowship in Southeast Asia. Earlier this year you sent two to Honduras to feed the hungry and still others to various parts of the U.S.  In the next two weeks we will see one leave to finish construction work started in Alaska and another to fly to Guatemala to help build homes.

In addition to all of these you are very active locally at the Home of Grace, the prison, Mission of Hope, Haven, Seaman's Center, Our Daily Bread, and Ronald McDonald House. Most of our small groups are connected with particular individuals and families that you help navigate the troublesome waters of life, and still many of you as individuals do mission work in your own neighborhoods. We are the body of Christ. We are His hands reaching,we are His feet going all in His Name. Keep up the good work in His Kingdom!

Each year in the summer we supplement our missions with a special offering. Please pray and give a free will offering as you are able. This offering will be received during the month of August. Just mark your special offering with the word "Mission." 

     

God loves you and so do I. "I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." Phil 1:3-6

Steve Cirlot

Pastor

At times the way of life is heavy. 
My burden is a load beyond my strength.
Therefore, my strength is exposed as weakness.
Now I am where You long for me to be.

Let me call to You for perseverance
because You will respond with power.
Your shield will keep me safe,
Your armor proves to be ready. 

In my weakened condition I cry out.
You hear and work in accordance to my need!
My weakness is swallowed up by Your strength. 
Let me praise Your Holy name. 

Victory may not be mine today but it will be Yours. 
I shall see the glory; maybe not yet.
Might be in the "hear after," but it will come. 
So, I rest in Your presence. That is enough.