First Baptist Church Macomb Il.

02/04/2026

Good Wednesday

Ezekiel 16:17

“You also took your beautiful jewels made of My gold and of My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images that you might play the harlot with them.”

This chapter is unique in that it refers to the beginnings of the nation Israel when they were almost annihilated. Ezekiel calls it “squirming in your blood”.

God blessed them and they lived and grew into a powerful nation. But as with most humans- they forgot where all those blessings came from and started honoring false gods.

So God reminds them that the gold and silver that He made and gave to them-
they used to make statues of other gods. Then they praised these false gods for the blessings that the Lord sent them.

Do you understand now why God let Israel go into captivity?

Be very careful. When you use God’s gifts and give someone or something else the praise- it does not sit well with our Creator.

Remember- it’s not “lucky me”- it’s “I am blessed”.

It’s not destiny or fate- it is the hand of the only living God.

02/03/2026

Good Tuesday

1 Kings 11:38

“Then it will be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.”

God is speaking to Jeroboam in this verse. He was telling Jeroboam that the nation Israel would be divided and he would be king over the northern kingdom.

God promised Jeroboam an enduring house just like He had promised David. All Jeroboam had to do was listen to the Lord and obey.

This young man was promised the kingdom with ten tribes and the prosperity from the Lord. All he had to do was follow the Lord.

Unfortunately- Jeroboam wasn’t that bright. As soon as he was king- he made two golden calves to worship and made the nation sin by worshiping these false idols.

The sad truth is that the northern kingdom never stopped worshipping those golden calves.

God may not promise us kingdoms and power- but He promises blessings and love and peace. All we have to do is listen and obey.

Don’t be a Jeroboam! God’s commitment to you is real. Make sure your commitment to Him is just as real.

02/02/2026

Good Monday

Deuteronomy 9:6

“Know, then, it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stubborn people.”

Moses was reminding Israel that they had nothing to do with the victories that they would enjoy. It is human nature to brag a little when things go smoothly.

“Well- look what I accomplished.”

Be careful. Any success I’ve ever had is not because of me- or my righteousness. I’m one of those stubborn people Moses is talking about.

And so are you.

God brings victory. God brings success. God makes us righteous through Jesus. It has absolutely nothing to do with us.

So let’s start this new week and new month with humble hearts that acknowledge the Lord as our only source of hope and peace.

He provides because He loves us- not because we deserve it.

01/30/2026

Good Friday

Ephesians 1:7

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.”

We don’t use the word “lavish” very often. It means to bestow something wonderful and free on someone. Sound familiar? This is what Jesus did for us on the cross of Calvary.

We are saved by His blood.
We are forgiven by His blood.
We are redeemed by His blood.

See a pattern yet?

What else can save me? Nothing.
What can I do to save myself? Nothing.

This is just an end of the week coming up on Sunday reminder that we are saved only by the blood of Jesus.

Absolutely nothing else.

God bless your weekend.

Background provided by:Videos2Worship

01/29/2026

Good Thursday

Colossians 3:23-24

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”

Do you try to do your best? Most of us do. The question is why do we try to do our best? For many- they are trying to please someone. For others- their purpose is to impress.

Each of us has to determine our motivation. Our verses today remind us who we work for and who we should be trying to impress. That would be the Lord- and not anyone else.

If I try to impress you- and you praise me- that’s my reward. And it doesn’t last.

When my goal is to do my best to honor the Lord- then someday He will reward me for my faithfulness. That reward is eternal life.

Look at the last sentence. We serve the Lord. We work for Jesus. We work for the King.

01/28/2026

Good Wednesday

Isaiah 64:4

“For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides You, who acts on behalf of the one who waits for Him.”

There are lots of gods in this world- there always have been. People like to think they worship the only god. We who believe in Jehovah- the Creator- and His Son- Jesus Christ- we truly worship the only living God.

So let’s back this up with our scripture today. Our God has always backed up what He said. He has revealed Himself to mankind- and ultimately came to earth as Emmanuel- God with us.

No other god ever pulled that off. Their words are in a book that people memorize but those gods never walked among us. They are pie in the sky gods.

God takes care of you. He provides physically- emotionally- and spiritually on your behalf. Your well being is His priority. There is no god like Him.

Whom shall I fear? No one.
What shall I fear? Nothing.

God is there on my behalf.

01/28/2026

February is almost here! Keep up the good work reading through the Bible in a year.

01/27/2026

Good Tuesday

Proverbs 19:17

“One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed.”

What does God need? What does Jesus need? Absolutely nothing. How do I lend to the Lord? What can I give Him?

We have talked about this before but in light of the current weather and economic situation- there may be more people hurting right now than usual.

When we help others- we are helping the Lord. We are obeying Him. After all- God dropped these people in our path for a reason.

Jesus tells us the same thing in Matthew 25:40- “The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”

God will bless our generosity but this is not our motivation. We give to others so that they can catch a break for themselves and their families.

And when we give- now we know that we are giving to the Lord. If we are able to help someone in need- then let’s thank the Lord for the opportunity to honor Him.

01/26/2026

Good Monday

Isaiah 55:10-11

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

Most everyone who is reading this has snow in their front yard. Some a little. Some a lot. God dropped a lot of snow across America this past weekend.

While we may complain and gripe and maybe even whine a little- snow is just frozen raindrops that fall and they have one purpose: water the ground.

I know it’s a hassle and I know it can be hazardous- but in the big picture of life- God is blessing the soil for this year’s crops.

God uses this analogy of rain and snow watering the earth to remind us that His word waters our souls and hearts. We aren’t just talking about the Bible but also what God directs and moves through His Holy Spirit.

Just like moisture has a purpose- God’s will always has a purpose. There is no random with God. He is perfect and so is His will.

May God give all of us the eyes to see more than the inconvenience in front of us but be able to see His big picture.

01/25/2026

Celebrating the baptism of Will Riley.

01/23/2026

Good Friday

Matthew 9:13

“But go and learn what this means: 'I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners”.

The Pharisees mocked Jesus for eating lunch with sinners- at least they were sinners in the eyes of the Pharisees.

I love how Jesus put them in their place by saying He didn’t come for righteous people- He came to save sinners. He was right where He was supposed to be.

Many people misunderstand what Jesus meant with the words- “I desire compassion rather than sacrifice”. It is a quote from Hosea 6:6.

Some versions use the word loyalty- or mercy- or compassion. All of these represent things that come from the heart.

Sacrifice is something that can become repetitive and just going through the motions. I can put $100 in the offering plate and call it a day. I tell myself that I made a sacrifice.

If I help buy someone’s groceries or medicine or pay their water bill- this is compassion. This is loyalty to God and His word.

Don’t go through the motions. Show the love of Jesus to others with compassion.

God bless your weekend.

01/22/2026

Good Thursday

Proverbs 30:33

“For the churning of milk produces butter, and pressing the nose brings forth blood; so the churning of anger produces strife.”

To churn means to agitate milk vigorously to produce butter. If you squeeze your nose vigorously- you might make it bleed. And if you vigorously churn your anger- you will find yourself in a mess- often of your own making.

Most of us know what a milk churner looks like and how it works. There is constant motion needed to get the desired results.

When it comes to churning our anger- the exact opposite is needed. Stop all motion- stop dwelling on it- and
find something positive to focus on.

If you do not get angry that often- good for you. Please bottle your secret and make millions. But for those of us who can flare up quickly- there is a need to stop the churning sooner.

God helps all of us with our individual quirks and shortcomings. One size does not fit all. Walk away- count to 25- change the subject- all of these will help some but the one thing that will help all of us is prayer.

Instead of lashing back- pray for the person.
Pray for peace of mind.
Pray for clarity.
Many times after I’ve cooled down- then I could see how I should have handled things.

Before you churn- pray for wisdom.