This is the Day

This is the day that the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 18:24

Often we hear this scripture describe any ordinary day. However, this verse is not speaking of just any ordinary day. Psalm 118 is a Messihanic psalm, meaning that it was about Jesus. The context of this verse is speaking of the Crucifixion. Verse 23 tells us that "This was the Lord's doing; It is marvelous in our eyes." As sad as the death of our Lord and Savior was, it was still the will of God. This Easter season be appreciative of the love that God showed us that day and realize that God made that day happen for us.


Sorry for my absence.

In Christ,

Pastor Rob

Cats and Dogs

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. Isaiah 11:6

Cats and dogs are not often thought of us pals or buddies; but I saw the exception of that today. As I was driving down my road I saw a large black dog sunning himself in the warm spring air. What was unusual was the yellow cat sunning himself why he laid on top of the dog. I could not help but think of this verse in Revelation. One day cats dogs getting along will not be the exception but the rule. We should comfort ourselves with this thought; God is going to fix what man has broken. Remember that the sickness and heartache we experience in this world is not the result of God's creation but our sin. However, God's grace will prevail and God will bring the cats and dogs together again.

Pastor Rob

A Few Good Men

To everything there is a season, a time for ever purpose under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, passionately preached a message, using this scripture as his text, in 1775. He adamantly proclaimed, "There is a time to preach and there is a time to fight. And now is the time to fight." He then took off his clerical robe to reveal the uniform of a revolutionary soldier.

This man realized that there are some things worth fighting for. As Christians we need to see ourselves as soldiers for the cross, defending our faith and declaring the gospel. Ask yourself these questions this morning. Do believe your faith is worth fighting for? What uniform are wearing today? Are you AWOL in the fight for souls?

Pastor Rob

Thirsty?

Blessed are they which hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6

I was so thirsty. This thought consumed my mind. "Please give me something to drink", I asked the nurse repeatedly. I was sixteen and just had an accident. The nurses refused to give me something to drink until all of the x-rays and scans came back OK. Have you ever been really thirsty? We should have this type of desire for the things of God. We should strongly desire inimacy with God, righteous living, prayer, and study time in the Word of God. If we do, God will fill us. And we shall not be disappointed.

Pastor Rob

Sinking in Mud

" . . . Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.: Ephesians 2:21

One of my earliest memories in life involved my dad and I having to walk in the mud after our car broke down a little outside of Nitro, WV. I remember that the mud was very soft and thick and how my feet would sink with every step. At one specific point I pulled my foot up, but my shoe stayed behind (my dad never did notice).

Life can often be like this mud; it is sticky, messy, and complicated. It can weigh us down and bring us to the point of desperation. However, we can have a firm foundation, with Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone. Depend upon Him and never feel like your sinking again.

Pastor Rob

Making Crayons

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away ; behold , all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

My two sons asked for and received a Crayola crayon maker for this past Christmas. In precious spare time this evening we got it out and got busy making crayons. It is a very simple machine. You add broken crayons into a tray, they are melted, and then you pour them into a crayon mold. After a few moments you have brand new crayons. What a picture we can see in this of what God does for us. He takes broken pieces of our sin shattered lives, applies the blood of Christ, and makes us into new creatures, whole and complete in Him! My children may have a crayon maker but my God has a Christian maker.

Your Looking Old Dad

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth , and the flower thereof falleth away : 1 Peter 1:24

Truth often comes from the mouths of babes. This was certainly true a couple of nights ago when getting my oldest child out of the bath tub, he pauses and then says, "Daddy you are getting more white hairs on your head. You are really starting to look like Paw-paw." This was a blow to the ego for sure. My experience and the verse above serves as a good reminder to us that time does not stop. I am getting older (not old), as we all are. Life is short. Make the most of your God-given opportunity this week to live out Christ's love and Biblical truths.

Pastor Rob

Christian Spinach

The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid. Psalm 27:1

I can barely remember hiding my face into my Dad's shoulder when I was just a little kid because the movie scared me so much. No, it was not a scary movie (well at least for most people). It was the movie, Popeye the Sailor Man; and it was the first time I had ever been to the movie theatre. Everytime Popeye got in trouble, he would just open up the can of spinach, swallow it whole, and then be ready for the fight. Well, sadly to say, there is no magical can of spinach. Instead, we can get tired, exhausted, and discouraged. But as Christians we have something much better than spinach, we have the creator of the universe on our side. When you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed this week, remember that the Lord is the strength of your life. There is nothing we can not overcome when God is with us!

A True Love Affair

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Psalm 1:2

I remember when I was a 12 year old boy our church having a special revival during the spring. The evangelist had brought boxes full of a variety of study bibles to sale during that week. Ever night I would go look at this table full of new bibles. They all had that new book smell and the pages stuck together as I tried to leaf through them. There was one particular bible that I wanted. It was a hard back blue bible that had caught my eye. I had never had my own bible, I wanted so much to have that one but my parents could not afford it. The last night of the revival had come and the service had ended. The evangelist had begin to pack up the unsold bibles when a kind lady from our church came and took me back to the evangelist to buy me that bible. I could not express to you the excitement I felt that night and the closeness to God that overtook me. This evening Carla and I presented Evan with his first real bible. His face lit up and he gave that brand new bible a great big hug. I was a little envious of my son this evening because I saw the love he had for that God-breathed book that was once in my own eyes. Let us pray that we develop the child like love for God's word that we should have.

Pastor Rob

Even Tsunamis

Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey him. Mark 4:41

The events of the last 24 hours illustrate to me a couple of things. First, when I see the destruction broadcasted across across our tv screen from an earthquake ravaged region, I am reminded of the sin sick world in which we live. The curse that it has been brought under by Adam's sin is becoming more apparent with every passing day. But secondly, I am struck by the grace that God gives us. Waiting with nervous hearts, the American people (especially those who are connected with Hawaii) watched to see if the defenseless island would be hit by a tsunami. We thank God tonight that we those people were spared. We also know that we serve a God that even the wind and the sea obey.

Pastor Rob

Smart Fools

For the Wisdom of this world is foolishness with God . . . I Corinthians 3:19

It was a long semester while I endured endless attacks on the Bible and Christianity from an agnostic professor my junior year of college. As God's people we must be careful that we do not entertain such foolish notions of ignorance and unrighteousness. God's enemies are always on the attack and sometimes they wear us down. We must take into account how God views the thoughts and wisdom of an unholy and unregenerate mankind. The scripture here is very clear; God believes them to be foolish. That should also give us the boldness and courage to stand up against such attacks.

The Big Small God

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which you have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? Psalms 8:4-3

The universe is now estimated to be 156 billion light years wide. There are thought to be more stars in the universe than grains of sand on the earth. The nearest galaxy to our Milky Way is 2.3 million light years away. When we consider how big the universe is it forces us to realize how small we actually are. Consider this: If the universe is that big, how big is the God that created it. Amazing isn't it. But there is something even more amazing; that big God made himself very small so that he might provide away of salvation for us. Remind yourself of this tomorrow; The great big creator of the great big universe is small enough to indwell inside of you today.

Pastor Rob

Hurry Up and be a Godly Parent

Chasten thy son will there is still hope, and do not set your heart on his destruction. Proverbs 19:18

"Hurry up, its time to go!" It seems like as my children get older that phrase is used more and more often in my house. There is school, church, activities, and sports. We always have some where to be. In the midst of all of the busy chaos involved with our day to day to lives, our children are quickly growing up. They are forming values and developing ideas about what is right and wrong. This scripture reminds us that we must stay focused upon the task of raising our children. We have to be about the business of "bringing up our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord." Always remind yourself that raising your children is a priority that can not be put off. Instill the Bible and godliness into them now. Pray for them now. And then leave them in the hands of God. Once they are grown the opportunity to raise your child will be gone.

Private Property

Remove not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set. Proverbs 22:28

Amazement filled my eyes as I stood in front of the Lincoln memorial and a sense of awe overcame me while standing at the tomb of the unknown soldier. It has been over twenty years since I visited Washington D.C. as a wided eyed sixth grader. I will never forget the sense of history and patriotism I felt that day. Could you imagine if it was decided to tear down the Washington memorial or paint over the Vietnam War memorial? There would be outrage and disgust and rightfully so. Landmarks were used in biblical times to mark private property so that a landowner would know where the property line was located. Unfortunately in America we have begun to remove and deface the spiritual and institutional landmarks that set this country apart from it's founding. Landmarks like the Bible, absolute truth, family values, and a desire to serve others. Like tearing down the Lincoln memorial and replacing it with a parking lot, these landmarks have been replaced with broken homes, faithlessness, and situational ethics. Let us protect the spiritual landmarks that made this country "One nation under God."

Pastor Rob

Dinner Time

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20

My wife prepared a wonderful meal for the family this evening. It is rare for everyone to enjoy the meal being served in our home (especially with a couple of picky boys). But this evening was the exception. As we sat around the table, I could not help but notice how much everyone was enjoying the food and the time together. Have you ever noticed how much fellowship and food go together? We see a picture of this in the verse above. Jesus was not just inviting the church of Laodicea to dinner but to something of much more significance, fellowship with Him. This invitation was to the church of Laodicea, not an individual. As the congregation of First Baptist, we must make sure that Jesus is not on the outside, knocking on the door. We should strive to be sure that we are fellowshiping with him continuely. This is the difference between a hot and luke warm church!

Pastor Rob