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When God delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt, they had to learn what true faith and trust in Him were all about. No sooner had they left their slave quarters than they ran up against the Red Sea. Pharaoh’s army was hot on their trail and there seemed to be no way of escape.

So, God provided a spectacular means of deliverance. Afterwards, the children of Israel lined up along the sea shore and danced and sang praises to God for their dramatic rescue. “The people believed the Lord.” They said, “We will obey you forever.” (Exodus 14:31)

How long was “forever?” 48 Hours. In two days they began to murmur, “What shall we drink? It would have been better to die in Egypt than to die here in the dessert.”

One would think, after their spectacular deliverance by the hand of God, they would never doubt or question again. But doubt they did. So God began a program of feeding them. A little every day. Each day’s “daily bread.” And so he still deals with us.

At times, we pray for the big miracle: a healing or a financial deliverance. And sometimes, God intervenes in a spectacular way; but usually, He supplies us with the little daily blessings that sustain us and teach us that He can be trusted.

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 8.31. Live for God, on purpose, trusting him each and every day to supply your need according to His riches in glory.

Why Go to Church?

by Pastor Paul Blizard

“Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my doorposts.” — Proverbs 8:34

“Why go to church, after all can’t we worship God on the golf course or at home?” “My church is in the park on Sunday morning.” “I can walk down a country lane and worship God, I don’t need to go to church.”

What is it about the `body of Christ’ gathering that is so special? Why go to church? I guess as a pastor for many years, I have heard all the reasons not to go to church. Those who claim to be worshipping on the golf course are just lying. When I used to play golf pretty regularly, I never saw anybody praying. (except when they needed to sink an important putt)

Why go to church? If we examine the New Testament, whenever God did something special, it was when His people were gathered together. Jesus promised, “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” (Mat 18:20) Do we really believe this? Think about the gravity of these words. Jesus is saying, whenever believers are “gathered” in His name, He is there! Isn’t that reason enough to get together?

If Billy Graham was appearing at our church Sunday, our building couldn’t contain the crowds. Yet, Jesus promised when we gather in His name, He is present. If that is true why is it we are so bored or disgruntled when we are in church? Perhaps we are spiritually lazy or expect nothing. Or perhaps we are demanding that God meets us on our terms. If we expect nothing we will receive nothing.

Do we expect to encounter Jesus each time we go to church? Of course, attending church is no guarantee we will encounter God. Many go out of duty or religious habit. They are faithful to attend, yet leave the same way they entered. Evangelist, Vance Havner once said, “Many folk arrive at church at eleven o'clock sharp and leave twelve o'clock dull.” The truth is, no one who has meet Jesus face to face is the same. There are changed.

The above text speaks of the temple at Jerusalem, for us it is the place of worship. Notice the text begins with, “Blessed is the man who...”

If you want to receive a blessing by encountering Jesus each time you go to church there are three things the text tells us to do. We need to listen, be watching and waiting. Each takes deliberate concentration. Listening takes focus.

Since we are easily distracted, we need to be keenly aware that the devil will attempt to keep us from hearing God’s voice. With anticipation, we listen for God to speak. He may speak in the Bible study, in the music, the preaching, a song or in a testimony but God will speak. Since Jesus is there, we need to actively listen. Watching means we believe that God is going to do something wonderful in our meeting together.

When Jesus is present we expect Him to do something. With joyful expectation, we watch. Waiting is the hardest. We have become slaves to clocks. Most of us are not willing to wait for God to move. We race out the door before God acts. We demand God to move within our time schedule. Yet, God’s Word promises, “Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.” (Isa 40:31) Is it any wonder we have missed a blessing?

This week believers will be meeting in Jesus name. He has promised to be there. He will be speaking and changing lives. Will you be there?

Paul Blizard is the pastor at Memorial Baptist Church in Beckley, West Virginia. You can contact him at paulblizard@hotmail.com

$3.85 A Gallon

by Leslie Snyder

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life... Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry...? So, do not worry... Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow... ” — Matthew 6: 25, 27, 28, 31, 34

When the pump emptied its last gulp into my gas tank, I should have braced myself for the impact. The price read $72.00 and I almost passed out. I felt like I’d been sucker-punched. I’d been putting off the trip to the gas station for far too long, telling myself that gas prices couldn’t possibly stay this high for this long. So, I’d been putting in $10.00 on one trip and $15.00 on the next, never even filling the tank half-full. But this time, I had already driven for two days with the gas light on and the dashboard gauge resting comfortably, almost mockingly, on empty. So with paycheck in hand, I decided to fill the tank. Needless to say I’m thinking of alternate transportation.

With gas prices and other costs soaring, it is easy to worry. Questions begin to plague our minds like, “How am I going to get to work?” “What can I do to make ends meet?” “How creative can I be with my cooking to stretch our food supply a little longer?” This is really the first time in my life that I’ve ever had to ask questions like this and it has me seeking creative solutions. But ultimately it is reminding me to trust God.

On my morning run a few days ago, I passed a lake and happened to catch a poignant sight. A blue heron was fishing along the edge of the lake and had a small fish secured tightly in its beak. My mind went immediately to Matthew 6: 26: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” I continued on my run a little more at ease. God really is in control. He really does love me and I really can trust Him no matter what the price at the pump.

as seen in “Today’s HomeWord,” a daily devotional with Jim Burns. Visit them online at www.homeword.com

Don’t Save It for the Funeral

by Alan Smith

An elderly man lay dying in his bed. In death’s agony, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favorite chocolate chip cookies wafting up the stairs. He gathered his remaining strength, and lifted himself from the bed. Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the bedroom, and with even greater effort forced himself down the stairs, gripping the railing with both hands.

With labored breath, he leaned against the doorframe, gazing into the kitchen. Were it not for death’s agony, he would have thought himself already in heaven: There, spread out on the kitchen table were literally hundreds of his favorite chocolate chip cookies. Was it heaven? Or was it merely one final act of heroic love from his devoted wife, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?

Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself toward the table. His aged and withered hand made its way to a cookie at the edge of the table, when his wife suddenly smacked it with a spatula.

“Stay out of those,” she said. “They’re for the funeral.”

She’s not the only person to save something for a funeral that should have been shared long before. It often seems a shame that flowers are sent at a funeral rather than beforehand when they could truly be enjoyed. Many of the comments made at a funeral reflect the realization that we didn’t express our feelings adequately to those we love while they were alive: “What a wonderful friend she was. I never told her how much I appreciated what she meant to me!” “I hope he realizes how much I loved him!”

If someone means something special to you, don’t save it for the funeral. Share it with them now!

“Therefore comfort one another and edify one another, just as you are doing.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:11

This article by Alan Smith, Senior Pastor of the Helen Street Church of Christ in Fayetteville, North Carolina. You can visit his site at http://www.TFTD-online.com

Great Value in Disaster

Thomas Edison’s laboratory was virtually destroyed by fire in December, 1914. Although the damage exceeded $2 million, the buildings were only insured for $238,000 because they were made of concrete and thought to be fireproof. Much of Edison’s life’s work went up in spectacular flames that December night. At the height of the fire, Edison’s 24-year old son, Charles, frantically searched for his father among the smoke and debris. He finally found him, calmly watching the scene, his face glowing in the reflection, his white hair blowing in the wind.

“My heart ached for him,” said Charles. “He was 67 – no longer a young man – and everything was going up in flames. When he saw me, he shouted, “Charles, where’s your mother?” When I told him I didn’t know, he said, “Find her. Bring her here. She will never see anything like this as long as she lives.”

The next morning, Edison looked at the ruins and said, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.”

Three weeks after the fire, Edison managed to deliver his first phonograph.

by The Sower’s Seeds, from A 3rd Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul. As seen in Laugh and Lift. Read all about Laugh and Lift at http://www.laughandlift.com/list.html.

Blessings We May Not Recognize

1. If you own a Bible, you are abundantly blessed – about 1/3 of the world does not have access to one.

2. If you wake up each morning with more health than illness, you are blessed to rise and shine, to live and to serve in a new day.

3. If you have anyone on the planet, just one person that loves you and listens to you; count this as a blessing.

4. If you can freely attend a church meeting without fear, then you are more blessed than over 1/3 of the world.

5. If you have a yearning in your heart to parent a child, you are blessed because you still desire what you cannot see.

6. If you pray today or any day, you are blessed because you believe in God’s willingness to hear your prayer.

7. If you pray for someone else, you are blessed because you want to help others also.

8. If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and a place to sleep; all at the same time; you are rich in this world.

9. If you have a brother or sister in Christ that will pray with you and for you, you benefit from a spiritual unity, bond, and agreement, which the gates of hell cannot stand against.

10. If you have any earthly family that even halfway loves you and supports you, you are blessed beyond measure.

11. If you attend a church with a church family that offers you one word of encouragement, you are blessed with some form of fellowship.

12. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, or some spare change in a dish someplace you are among the world’s wealthy.

13. If you can go to bed each night, knowing that God loves you, you are blessed beyond measure.

14. If you try each day to imitate our Lord Jesus Christ for even a minute, you are blessed because you show a willingness to grow up in Him.

15. If you can read this message, you are more blessed than about 1/3 of the world who cannot read at all.

16. If you have never had to endure the hardship and agony battle, imprisonment, or torture, you are blessed in indescribable measure.

17. If you have a voice to sing His praises, a voice to witness God’s love, and a voice to share the gospel, you are blessed. About 1/3 of the world do not even know who the one true God is.

18. If you can hold someone’s hand, hug another person, touch someone on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer God’s healing touch.

19. If you can share a word of encouragement with someone else, and do it with His love in your heart, you are blessed because you have learned how to give.

20. If you have the conviction to stand fast upon His Word and His promises, no matter what, you are blessed because you are learning patience, endurance, and tenacity.

21. If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because most people can, but many will not.

May God Bless You And Keep You Safe.

Leave Room for God

by Robert Morgan

One night when I was worried sick about something, I found four words sitting quietly on page 1291 of my Bible. I’d read them countless times before, but as I stared at them this time, they fairly flew at me like stones from a slingshot. The four words, now well underlined in my New International Version, are “leave room for God.”

The immediate context, Romans 12:19, involves retribution. When someone harms us, advised the writer, we shouldn’t try to get even, but should leave room for God’s wrath. There are times when we need to let Him settle the score. But if we can leave room for God’s wrath, I reasoned, can we not, when facing other challenges, leave room for His other attributes? For His power? For His grace? For His intervention? I underlined the words “leave room for God” and have leaned on them ever since.

I can’t solve every problem, cure every hurt, or avoid every fear, but I can leave room for God. I don’t have the answer to every dilemma, but I can leave room for God to work. I can’t do the impossible, but He is able to do “exceedingly abundantly above all” that I could ask or imagine (Eph 3:20). The Lord delights in the impossible.

from Robert Morgan’s “The Red Sea Rules,” pp.50-51. As seen in Rocky Henriques’ July 28, 2008 issue of “The Timothy Report,” www.timothyreport.com

The Last Impression

A Sunday school teacher was giving her class the assignment for the next week.

“Next Sunday,” she said, “we are going to talk about liars, and in preparation for our lesson I want you all to read the Seventeenth Chapter of Mark.”

The following week, at the beginning of the class meeting, the teacher said, “Now then, all of you who have prepared for the lesson by reading the Seventeenth Chapter of Mark, please step to the front of the room.”

About half the class rose and came forward.

“The rest of you may leave,” said the teacher. “These students are the ones I want to talk to. There is no Seventeenth Chapter in the Book of Mark.”

It’s going to be a fantastic day this Sunday here at WFA! As we write this, all of the final preparations are being made, and the entire facility is being transformed and readied for our annual Vacation Bible School. You will be blessed as Pastor Trish and the SuperKIDS Network share God’s Word with us on Sunday morning, and we have a sneak peak at what is in store for hundreds of children throughout the coming week! Don’t miss it!