Kelleytown Baptist Church

09/07/2026

🔹What a great picture of God’s goodness as we witnessed the baptism of Meredith Melton as a church yesterday. Let’s continue to celebrate the goodness of God!

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09/07/2026

09/07/2026

Day 1: One Master, One Heart

Devotional:
Most of us would never say out loud that we are trying to serve two masters. But if we are honest, our daily choices often tell a different story. We check our bank accounts before we check in with God. We measure our worth by what others think before we remember what He says about us. We hold tightly to the world with one hand and reach for Jesus with the other, and then wonder why we feel so unstable. Jesus is clear in Matthew 6. You cannot split your loyalty and expect peace. A divided heart is an anxious heart. When anything, whether money, status, relationships, or approval, competes with God for first place, it creates a kind of inner tension that no amount of planning or striving can fix. Here is the good news. You do not have to keep living that way. Jesus is not pointing out your divided heart to shame you. He is inviting you to let go of what was never meant to carry you in the first place. Wholehearted devotion to Him is not a burden. It is actually where rest is found. Today, take an honest look at what is competing for the throne of your heart. You do not have to have it all figured out. Just begin by surrendering one thing you have been gripping too tightly, and trust that He is more than enough to fill that space.

Bible Verse:
"No one can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." - Matthew 6:24

Reflection Question:
What is one thing in your life right now that you are holding onto so tightly that it might be competing with your devotion to God?

Quote:
"You can't be stable when you're trying to hold on with all that you've got to the world. You can't put any effort in trying to hold on and walk to God when you as a saved person are trying to hold onto the world."

Prayer:
Lord, reveal the places in my heart where I have been trying to serve two masters. Give me the courage to let go and the faith to trust that You are enough.

09/05/2026

What if the key to truly living is actually giving your life away? Jesus flips everything we think we know about life upside down.

09/04/2026

Day 5: Remember, Follow, Worship, Proclaim

Devotional:
Every time followers of Jesus gather at the Lord's table, something significant happens. It is not just a ritual. It is a declaration. We are saying out loud, with our presence and our participation, that we have not forgotten what Jesus did, and we are not done telling the world about it. Paul wrote that as often as we eat the bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. That word "proclaim" is active. It is outward. The table is not just a private moment between you and God. It is a public statement to everyone watching that Jesus died, He rose, and He is coming again. We come to the table to remember a love that was costly. We come to follow, not out of obligation, but because we genuinely love the One who first loved us. We come to worship, the way Thomas fell to his knees before the risen Christ. And we come to proclaim, because there are people all around us who need to hear the story. Do not let the table become routine. Let it be the moment each week that reorients everything. Remember Him. Follow Him. Worship Him. And then go tell someone.

Bible Verse:
"For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes." - 1 Corinthians 11:26

Reflection Question:
When you participate in the Lord's Supper, are you fully present in what it means, or has it become a routine? What would it look like to approach the table this week with fresh eyes?

Quote:
"He said, 'Don't ever forget what it cost me for you to live. So take this bread and eat from it. And as you do it, remember me.'"

Prayer:
Lord, do not let me forget what it cost You for me to be free. As I come to Your table, renew my wonder, deepen my love, and send me out ready to proclaim who You are. Amen.

09/03/2026

Day 4: What the Cross Really Cost

Devotional:
God darkened the sun at the moment of the crucifixion. That detail is easy to read past, but it carries enormous weight. The darkness was not just atmospheric. It was a veil drawn over the most costly transaction in all of history. The full weight of judgment, every sin, every failure, every broken thing in every human life, was being poured out on Jesus. He did not stay at a safe distance from our pain. He stepped directly into it. He became what was troubling us so that God could judge it fully and we could be set free from it. The condemnation that should have been ours, He took as our substitute. This is why the cross must stay central in our lives. Not as a symbol we grow familiar with, but as the defining reality of who we are and why we live the way we do. When you feel the weight of guilt or shame, remember that it has already been carried. When you feel far from God, remember that He crossed every distance to get to you. The cross was brutal. It was costly. And it was entirely for you.

Bible Verse:
"Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself." - John 12:31-32

Reflection Question:
When was the last time you truly sat with the weight of what the cross cost Jesus on your behalf, and how does that reality shape the way you live today?

Quote:
"I'm the only one who can remove the trouble. I'm the only one who can remove the sorrow. I'm the only one who can remove the suffering. I'm the only one. But for me to be able to remove it from you, I have to place myself in the very midst of it."

Prayer:
Jesus, I do not want to take the cross for granted. Remind me of what You carried so that I could be free, and let that truth change the way I live every single day. Amen.

09/02/2026

09/02/2026

Day 3: Clearing the Path

Devotional:
Philip and Andrew did not perform miracles that day in John 12. They did something simpler and just as powerful. When a group of searching Greeks said they wanted to see Jesus, Philip and Andrew made a way. They brought the request to Jesus and stepped aside. That is the calling on your life too. You are not the one people ultimately need. But Jesus has placed you exactly where you are so that through the way you live, others can find their way to Him. The question is not whether you have the right words or the right platform. The question is whether your life is clearing a path or blocking the view. Every day, you are doing one of two things. You are either pointing people toward Jesus or making it harder for them to see Him. That is a sobering thought, but it is also a freeing one. You do not have to have it all together. You just have to be willing to make a way. In Darlington County alone, 60% of residents report no religious affiliation. Those are real people, your neighbors, coworkers, and friends, who are searching. Be someone who points them in the right direction.

Bible Verse:
"Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast; these people then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and were making a request of him, saying, 'Sir, we wish to see Jesus.' Philip came and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus." - John 12:20-22

Reflection Question:
Think about the people closest to you who do not yet know Jesus. Is the way you are living your life right now clearing a path for them to see Him, or is something getting in the way?

Quote:
"Philip made a way. Andrew made a way for those people who were searching to find Jesus, to see the real Jesus."

Prayer:
Jesus, make me someone who points others to You. Remove anything in my life that would block someone from seeing who You really are. Amen.

09/01/2026

🍂September is here and so is the new Advent newsletter for the month. There are so many exciting things at Kelleytown Baptist Church this fall! Check them all out here. 👇👇👇

Church in Hartsville, SC

09/01/2026

Day 2: Dying to Live

Devotional:
There is a principle woven into the very heart of the gospel, and it runs completely against our instincts. Jesus said it plainly: unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone. But when it dies, life comes from it. This was not just a description of what Jesus would do on the cross. It was an invitation for every person who follows Him. When we cling to our own comfort, our own plans, and our own desires above everything else, we end up with less, not more. But when we are willing to lay those things down daily, something beautiful happens. Space opens up for God to work, in us and through us. This kind of dying is not dramatic or loud. It often looks like choosing patience when frustration is easier. It looks like serving when you would rather be served. It looks like staying when leaving feels simpler. Here is the encouragement: you are not doing this alone. Jesus walked this road first. He modeled it completely. And because He did, you can trust that the same God who brought life out of His death is more than able to bring fruit out of yours.

Bible Verse:
"Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it the seed dies, life actually comes from it."
- John 12:24

Reflection Question:
What is one area of your life where you are holding on tightly to your own agenda, and what might God be asking you to release so that He can bring life from it?

Quote:
"Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it the seed dies, life actually comes from it."

Prayer:
Lord, help me to loosen my grip on the things I am holding too tightly. Teach me to trust that when I lay my life down for You, You are faithful to bring something greater in return. Amen.