Shelby County Today

October 17, 2018 - Many are they who would say, ”Oh, that I too might be blessed, that I might live a life of less trouble, a life of joy and not sorrow."

There is just such a life available to all who seek it, for as the Bible says, “Seek and you shall find.”

“Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!” (Psalm 119:1-3)

If you seek the blessed life there is but one place it can be found. In the Lord our God, walking with him in his ways, by his will and his wishes, forsaking the world and all its iniquities for the Lord and his righteousness.

For as the Bible tells us, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33)

And what, you might ask, will this do for me, if I do seek the kingdom of God and accept his precepts and keep his testimonies?

“Ask, and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matt. 7:7)

As the psalmist pleads that he might be able to do as the Lord asks, that he might be among the blessed of the Lord.

“Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.” (Psalm 119:5-6)

For as the Bible tells us, “There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2)

God has given all people the way to eternal blessing. By sending his own Son, making him in the likeness of sinful flesh, having him be born as a man, yet keeping all of God’s wishes and laws during his life on earth. Having him to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind, once for all, fulfilling the righteous requirement of the law, not by the flesh but by the Spirit. For those who are freed by the Spirit are free indeed, no longer governed by the sins of the flesh, but set apart from the world and kept by the Holy Spirit of God for the great day of the Lord that is to come. 

God has given us his law, written in his word, the Holy Bible, that we might study and understand his precepts, and know his will for us that we can carry out his wishes for us each day.

It is for those of us who choose to follow the Lord to talk to him each day, asking him as did the psalmist, “Teach me, O Lord the ways of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.” (Psalm 119:33)

“Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart. I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.” (Psalm 119:111-112)

“I call to you; save me, that I may observe your testimonies.” (Psalm 119:146)

“Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified (made righteous), and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:9-10) Be blessed today, call on him to save you. He will…

October 15, 2018 - Hillcrest Baptist Church in Center is hosting a Trunk or Treat at 6pm on October 27th. The church is asking all to please come out and join us.

October 9, 2018 - One cannot turn on the television, or listen to the radio, or read the newspaper without seeing evidence of all the hate and turmoil in our world today. Everyday, without exception, I hear others saying; “Oh what is wrong with us, why is America in such turmoil.”

This is no secret except for the ignorance of the teachings of Gods Word for as we shall see within the next few lines of print, there are answers to our questions, solutions to the problems of society today, just as there have been for generations.

“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:1-4)

Pretty plain spoken words from James the brother of Jesus Christ our Lord. 

We have all these troubles because, as a people, we have turned from the Lord; turned to the world and its passions. 

As long as we continue to ignore God and do as we please we will continue to have these problems and they will continue to increase in both strength and duration. Get ready people for the worst is yet to come for those who continue in the world and away from God.

And you say, “I want out of this mess I find myself in, help me to get out of it.” Ok, let us look more at Gods Word for the solution to our problems.

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (James 4:8-10)

Now, let us look at just what the Lord has told us through James. He says first, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” Yes, God waits for every person on earth to come to him asking for help, for forgiveness of sin. He wishes that not one of us should perish in hell but that all would be saved by his grace, but we must first come to him.

He next says to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts. We cannot do either of these on our own, the only solution for cleansing and purifying us lies in our total acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ as our Sovereign Lord.

Thirdly, we must repent of our sinful lives, we must realize what we have done by living in sin. We must be truly remorseful of our sins which is what he means by being wretched, and mourning and weeping. We must first realize the error of our ways and be truly repentant of that past life and accept the new life of living in righteousness if we are to be lifted from the pit of destruction and into the light of salvation. As the scripture says; “Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.” (James 4:10)

“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts; I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.” (Isaiah 44:6)

“There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy.” (James 4:12)

Do you truly want to see an end to the carnage in American everyday life? Then here is the way, we must repent of our sins, turn to God and humble ourselves before him and do his will every day and not the will of the world or mankind. Then and only then will he hear our pleas, forgive our sins, and heal our land. May his grace be upon you… 

October 8, 2018 - Huxley Helping Hands, a local Mission Group from the Huxley Community, are holding a food pantry for the residents of Shelby County. It will be held Saturday, October 13, 2018. Identification and proof of residency will be required. Only (1) box per household will be given.

Sogm om starts at 9am until food is gone. The Food pantry is at Hillcrest Baptist Church, 901 Southview Circle, Center, Texas.

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6