Pleasant Hill Baptist Church

“Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,”
1 Corinthians 1:25-28

“…..that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:5

When the evil people of this world seem to be winning I am encouraged once again by the truth of God’s Word. There are brilliant minds that God created, some use their wisdom for good and others use it for evil. They are the devil’s pawns who would plot and scheme to destroy that which is good and that which is of God.

There is nothing new under the sun. Kingdoms come and kingdoms go. Nations rise and nations fall but God is always the same. When we put our faith in man we discover that he eventually falls and fails to measure up to our expectations. God will never fall or fail us. We can’t figure out God’s ways at times, if we could we would be on the same level as He is.

His foolishness is wiser than we are and His weakness is stronger as well. God has chosen to use the foolish and things to shame the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; God’s ways are beyond our comprehension and HIs ways are always right and good. Let’s not put our hope or trust in the wisdom of men. Let us put our hope and trust in the power of God.

Heavenly Father, You are mighty, You are wise, You are Holy, You are right, You are faithful and true to Your Word. May we confound the world as we walk with You in complete submission. Please show us Your ways that are higher than man’s ways and help us to walk so that the world will see Your power, wisdom, & most of all Your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

God bless your day today,
Chris

Devotion By Billy Graham

“Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O LORD,“ Ps 94:12

A child develops muscles through exercise. Only when our muscles encounter resistance, do they become stronger. In the same way, the bible tells us that we become stronger spiritually through exercise-through using our spiritual “muscles” to meet the challenges of life. This is especially true when we face suffering and affliction, for they are one of God’s ways to make us strong. One reason God allows suffering to come to His people, the Bible says, is to discipline, chasten and mold us.

In the last essay he wrote before he died, the great Christian writer C.S. Lewis said, “We have no right to happiness; only an obligation to do our duty.” Sometimes our God-given duty will include suffering. When it does, ask God to teach you through it. Remember the Psalmist’s word I quoted above: “Blessed is the man whom You instruct,O Lord.”

Heavenly Father, Thank you for your word through Billy Graham today. Thank you for instructing us and training usin and through our challenges and suffering in life. You are always with us and that truth brings us much comfort. We praise you in the good times and the not so good times. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

In Christ’s love,
Chris

Devotion by Lori Hatcher

“I want you to give something that costs you.”

My husband was encouraging our church’s students to pray about what they could give to help a college student go on a mission trip. “I don’t want you to give what you have left over, or what you don’t need. I’m challenging you to give sacrificially. This is the type of giving that most honors God.” He had a scriptural basis for challenging the students in this way. He shared an example from 2 Samuel 24.

King David was preparing to offer a sacrifice to God on the threshing floor of Araunah. Eager to assist the king, Araunah offered him his land and oxen free of charge. This was David’s response: “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD . . . offerings that cost me nothing.”

Shortly after my husband challenged our students, Jim and Sarah came to him with money to give toward the mission trip. Of all the students in our youth group, these two are the least affluent. They live in a single parent household and work part time jobs to earn cash for necessities like clothes and shoes. Just recently, the moped they shared to get back and forth to work was stolen. They had many reasons to give sparingly, or not at all, but each quietly handed my husband a significant amount of money.

When the apostle Paul was collecting money to help the impoverished Jerusalem church, he used the Macedonians as an example of sacrificial giving. “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints” (2 Cor. 8:2-4).

When we were raising support for our family’s mission trip to Mexico, one man gave to us sacrificially. Instead of writing a check from the family bank account, He regularly skipped lunch and donated the money to our trip. We were greatly humbled. The students from our youth group shamed me. God used them to show me that instead of planning to give generously and sacrificially, I’d been calculating an amount that would cause me the least amount of discomfort or inconvenience. I had been planning an offering that cost me nothing.

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” ~Jim Elliot, martyred missionary to the Auca Indians

“Lord, sometimes I am so selfish. I forget that giving is a privilege, not a chore. I fail to remember that you love a cheerful, generous giver, not minimal one. Forgive me for losing sight of the debt of gratitude I owe You for your generous and sacrificial gift of your precious Son Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Help me to seek first your kingdom, and trust you to take care of everything else I need.”

Jim and Sarah, I want to be just like you when I grow up. “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38).

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Heb 11:1

“Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

I have some things going on in my life right now that require faith believing prayers. I seem to have more faith to believe for other’s circumstances than I do for my own stuff. When it’s so close to home and the “what if” thoughts are trying to steal my joy I tend to fear instead of trust. Now that I have confessed to you my weakness, I also want to confess to you my resolve. Today I will enjoy today and not worry about tomorrow. Today, I will trust in the Lord who is faithful to provide all of my needs. Today I will believe without seeing so that I will be blessed!

How about you? Are you struggling to believe God over uncertain circumstances that are happening now or perhaps, like me, some future concern? We can choose today to be hopeful in what we don’t see because God is. We don’t need to know how He is going to answer our prayers, we just need to trust that His plans and purposes for us are good and for our good.

Dear Lord, Thank you for being the great, “I Am.” You are, therefore, we have hope and trust in You for our future. Please help our unbelief and forgive us for doubting you at times. You alone deserve all praise, honor, worship and thanksgiving for today and for what tomorrow holds. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Blessings to you all today,
Chris

“For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Ps 30:5

“You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy” Psalm 30:11

As I read the above scriptures, memories of my darkest hours came flooding into my mind. Times when I thought that sorrow would consume me until I died. Times when I seriously wondered how on earth there were any tears left in my head (or wherever tears come from).

I was greatly comforted by God’s Word and encouraged by my Christian friends and mentors to know that we all go through seasons of pain and darkness and it doesn’t mean that God is not with us or that we will always feel the pain so intensely. Joy truly does come in the morning and only God can turn our mourning into joyful dancing! God is the God of all comfort.

I am encouraged by Ps 56:8 that says God saves our tears in a bottle. Someone once told me that when I get to Heaven maybe God will let me use all of those tears He saved to water a beautiful garden. I liked that thought a lot. Whatever you are sorrowful or grieving today I pray that you will be encouraged to know that, “weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning.”

Dear Heavenly Father, You comfort and soothe our hurts and pain. You know exactly how we feel and aren’t leaving us in a pit of despair. Thank you that your joy will come. Thank you that you take away our clothes of mourning and replace them with clothes of joy. May we be used to comfort others in their pain as well. May we rest in your loving arms today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Blessings,
Chris

“I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin” Psalm 32:5

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

I‘m seeking a deeper revelation about sin & forgiveness. I realize that I sin everyday but sometimes days go by before I realize that I have un-confessed sin. Confessing our sin(s) is an act of humility. To acknowledge that we have missed the mark and that God’s standard has been compromised takes courage. Do we take God’s forgiveness for granted? It seems like we battle between 2 camps, either we are struggling to ask forgiveness or we are struggling to receive forgiveness.

I used to be afraid that if I was still enough before God to show me my sin that I wouldn’t be able to handle His response. The truth is that His conviction is gentle and after confession comes such joy and peace as we are cleansed from all unrighteousness. Oh what joy there is when we are in unity with our God and there is nothing that stands between us. The enemy of our souls tells us to hide but God’s Word says to expose the darkness and be free!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for your sacrifice that afforded us forgiveness for all of our sins. Thank you that when we confess our sins that You remove them as far as the East is from the West. Thank you for the joy and peace that comes from being humble before you and for your restoration and reconciliation as we turn from our sins and back to you. Thank you for the freedom we have in You, the freedom from the bondage of sin and the freedom to walk with our heads held high because we are forgiven.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

In Christ’s love,
Chris