“But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?”” (ESV – Read the chapter)
What do you expect from people? We live in a day in which there is a growing deficit of public trust. People are generally suspicious of one another and expect the worst out of them. The thing is, this blanket distrust doesn’t come naturally to us. It is a learned skill. But once it has been learned, it’s hard to unlearn. Read the rest…
This past weekend, our community, like many others, was impacted by Hurricane Florence. By God’s grace we have not been devastated to the level others have experienced, but we couldn’t meet in person. Instead, I was able to take to Facebook Live and share a message with the community that way. Here’s what I shared as the storm raged around the region. Thanks for reading.
A Message for a Stormy Day
Well, good morning. For many of you, good rainy morning. My name is Jonathan Waits and I have the privilege of serving as the pastor of First Baptist Oakboro.
I don’t know about you, but it’s been rainy here the last couple of days. Actually, for a whole lot of folks in this region, “rainy” doesn’t begin to cover it. Florence has given us the kind of rain that would have given Noah some much-needed relief after building a boat for 100 years. We’ve had the kind of rain that will leave people’s land and lives devastated for a long time. It’s the most rain this nation has seen since Hurricane Harvey dumped part of the ocean on southeast Texas last year. Like that one, this terrible storm has already claimed a few lives. Those grieving families are in need of your prayers. And if you want to give toward the relief efforts that are already underway, consider one of the many faith groups with ready-made armies of volunteers who are knowledgeable and skilled in the various aspects of disaster relief—groups like Samaritan’s Purse and the Southern Baptist Convention (specifically, the Baptist State Conventions of North and South Carolina, and the Baptist General Association of Virginia). You can go directly to their websites and give or sign up to volunteer just as easily. Read the rest…
“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Have you experienced something disappointing yet today? Not to start you off on a downer here, but the odds are pretty good that you will. It may be a small disappointment–the parking space you were really hoping to be able to nab gets filled at the last minute. It may be a big disappointment–someone close to you fails in some significant way. Or, more likely, the disappointment will fall somewhere in between these two ends. Whatever exactly is the extent of the disappointment, you are probably going to face one before the day is out. Read the rest…
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Living the life of Christ day-in-and day-out is a tall order. It’s a huge task. If we let it, the thought that we are to live each day following after the pattern of Christ and doing what He said can be an overwhelming thought. If we think about it in the wrong way, it can leave us wondering whether it’s really all worth it. How are we supposed to do this on our own? Read the rest…
“And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.'” (ESV – Read the chapter)
This has always struck me as one of the more remarkable stories in the Exodus narrative. Here were Joshua and the people of Israel ready once again to cross the Jordan and enter the Promised Land. The bounty of God’s provision and promise lay ahead of them. The only thing that stands in their way is the Jordan River. But, this should present no real trouble to them. After all, God had already parted a whole sea for them. What threat does a river pose? Read the rest…
The Nexus 