Utica Baptist Church Men’s Ministry

06/13/2026

06/13/2026

SATURDAY • JUNE 13

Isaiah 40:28-31
But those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength (v. 31a).

Exercise your spiritual muscles.

I have a pair of light-weight water shoes that I really like to wear, especially on warm days. Wearing these shoes is almost like going barefoot, only better. I can feel where I am walking without the discomfort of stepping on sharp objects or rocks. However, I find myself hesitant to wear these shoes for fear that I’ll wear them out. I’ve even gotten into the habit of only wearing my water shoes indoors, which kind of defeats their intended purpose. These shoes are certainly not like the “use them or lose them” quality of our physical muscles. Many studies have proven time and time again that our muscles, including our brains, improve and get stronger the more we use them. Unfortunately, even with the best of care our human muscles will eventually weaken and wear out, unlike our faith muscles.

Our imperfect human bodies need rest and renewal. Likewise, spiritual renewal results both from rest and from working for the Lord (exercising our faith muscles). Various forms of the word renew from today’s verse are used multiple times in most modern Bible translations, primarily attributed to God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit. Biblical renewal refers to being set apart for God’s purposes and continuously being made to be more Christlike. Believers are considered renewed at salvation, but sanctification is also a progressive work in believers’ lives, making us more like Jesus day by day. Renewal –– and sanctification –– is not just an event, but an ongoing transformation, a journey or a process of becoming stronger and more righteous in the sight of God. Although physical muscles are strengthened by consistent use, spiritual muscles are intended to be everlasting. Wouldn’t it be nice if everything in our lives was like our faith muscles and got better with use, instead of getting old and wearing out?

Lord, I pray that through Your power I will grow stronger in faith daily.

CONSIDER THIS
▪ Read: Isaiah 40:28-31.
▪ How have you experienced trust in God renewing your inner strength?
Response
Enter your response

▪ How might you share your daily life examples of faith in God with others?
Response
Enter your response

LifeWay Men, Stand Firm - Devotional eBook - June 2026 (LifeWay Press, 2026), Lifeway digital edition, 17–18.

06/10/2026

WEDNESDAY • JUNE 10

2 Kings 7:1-2
Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord says: ‘About this time tomorrow at Samaria’s gate, six quarts of fine flour will sell for a half ounce of silver and twelve quarts of barley will sell for a half ounce of silver’” (v. 1).

A lot can happen quickly with God.

A friend shared a story of how God moved miraculously fast in a difficult situation. She was in charge of securing volunteers and funding for a ministry facility that fed lunch to hundreds of out-of-town church youth serving in her community. Churches in the city often sent manpower and purchased food to feed the teens, but on a certain week, three days were unaccounted for. She needed $2,700 after calculating meals at $3/person. One church gave her $450; a friend donated $100. But she was still drastically under-resourced. All she could do was trust God to provide. Unexpectedly, she got a phone call the next day from a church in town that had heard about the need and gifted her the $2,700 she needed, as well as volunteers to meet the pressing need of feeding hundreds. God was in control of the situation!

There are multiple accounts in the Bible of Elisha taking charge, making timely decisions, producing spectacular miracles, and warning kings of their impending actions. In today’s verse, Elisha made a bold prediction. Despite the grim outlook for a city under siege and the inflated prices for unfavorable food (see 2 Kings 6:25), he declared the Israelites would eat favorably and at a good price the following day. The reality was that four desperate lepers in the city decided to stroll into the Aramean enemy camp with nothing to lose and hopes of finding food. What the lepers discovered was an abandoned camp due to God striking fear into the Arameans and causing them to flee. God’s promise came to fruition (see 2 Kings 7:16). In life, there are moments of extreme frustration and hardships — moments when we struggle to envision God working things out quickly. But He has shown that He is capable of acting quickly and meeting needs swiftly. He can deliver better and faster than you can even imagine.

God, help me believe that You can change my circumstances immediately!

CONSIDER THIS
▪ Read: 2 Kings 7:1-2.
▪ Can you think of a time in your life when a circumstance changed quickly? What happened?
Response
Enter your response

▪ What can happen to a person’s faith when they witness God moving LifeWay Men, Stand Firm - Devotional eBook - June 2026 (LifeWay Press, 2026), Lifeway digital edition, 14.

06/10/2026

TUESDAY • JUNE 9, 2026

Doug Painter welcomed everyone and Jim Goodroe had the opening prayer. Dexter Friesen lead everyone in singing “Turn Your Eyes on Jesus.” Dexter shared that in a recent message by Pastor Ryan Goodroe, he thought about the song. Our attendance was 28.

Doug asked for praise reports and prayer requests. Several men had requests and praises. See Utica’s Weekly email for the praise reports and prayer requests. Jerry Preiser opened our prayer time. Different men prayed and Dan Scott closed in prayer.

Travis Brian had our Devotion, “Psalm 1, What is being Blessed - Walking Faithfully in the Lord” (See Below)

Travis Brian closed in prayer.

Summary: Richard Ledford, Photographs: Richard Ledford and Joe Steele.

••••••••••••

Devotion - Travis Brian - Psalm 1
What is being blessed - walking faithfully in the Lord

- Opposite of being in the world
the blessed man does not walk with the wicked
- Delight in the Law of the Lord
- How often are we meditating on things of God
- Planted and rooted in God's word.
- Who can condemn you? God knows you. Travis shared how brave and encouraging it was to hear the testimony of Mary Brit Gibson last Sunday. She had talked with him about sharing her testimony and he asked her if she was sure she wanted to share what she did. She was very positive about it and said she knows the Lord.
- Walk faithfully in the Lord - do no wither
- Have a desire to be like God
- Don Harper shared that Psalm 1 was what he based his book on - "Blessed Is The Man"
- Usually the first chapter of a book is a gateway to the book. Psalm 1 is the gateway to the book of Psalms
- I think it was Jerry Priser who talked about reading David Jeremiah's book "The Promise of Heaven.” He briefly shared how he became a Baptist christian. Background was as a Catholic. He said during the Air Traffic Controllers strike he got divorced and hit a low point. Could not participate in the sacraments of the Catholic Church so reluctantly visited a Baptist church. His life got turned around and he says, not wishing, but he is completely ready to go to heaven. He shared that the image of an hour glass, he doesn't have much time left on earth. This is when he mentioned reading "The Promise of Heaven".

- Older saints - you have a joy to share with others
- Walk in the spirit

06/09/2026

TUESDAY • JUNE 9

Luke 11:9-10
“For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (v. 10).

Have the courage to ask.

I’ve always believed you’ll never know unless you ask. It’s a principle that has guided me through job searches, life decisions, and even meeting one of my heroes. In one particular instance of meeting a hero of mine, I was completely over the moon. In 2021, while working for a senior adult community, I learned that sportscaster Jim Nantz had just visited; his mother was a resident at the time. Through an incredible act of providence, my coworkers arranged to have Jim endorse my copy of the book he had written about his father. Jim signed the book from the broadcasting booth prior to the Cowboys-Raiders football game on Thanksgiving Day 2021. Years later, in 2025, I decided to thank him for that act of kindness. I learned the best way to reach him, expecting nothing. To my shock, Jim actually called me on my cellphone and left a voicemail of appreciation.

Today’s Scripture passage is a great reminder to humble ourselves and ask for what we need in faith. Jesus spoke to His disciples, commanding them to employ the use of three different verbs: ask, seek, and knock. Take stock of what it is you want to ask the Lord for and then approach Him with confidence and humility. Seek Him and His will for your life as you wait. In other words, do not be discouraged if you don’t receive what you asked for. Continue to seek Him regardless of the answer. Knocking implies getting someone’s attention –– announcing your presence to someone and letting them know you are there. The emphasis on knocking here is not to force your way in, but to let God know that you’re still trusting Him and that you’re staying in His presence. May you encounter God hearing you when you speak, meeting you when you seek, and welcoming you when you knock.

God, help me to wait patiently, to seek You earnestly, and to walk humbly in Your will, no matter the outcome.

CONSIDER THIS
▪ Read: Luke 11:9-10.
▪ What does it look like for you personally to keep knocking in prayer?
Response
Enter your response

▪ When have you asked the Lord for something meaningful, and how did that shape your faith? LifeWay Men, Stand Firm - Devotional eBook - June 2026 (LifeWay Press, 2026), Lifeway digital edition, 13.

06/07/2026

SUNDAY • JUNE 7

Mark 1:35-38
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he got up, went out, and made his way to a deserted place; and there He was praying (v. 35).

Get alone with God.

We all live busy lives, and with life comes many responsibilities that occupy our time. A man who is about the Lord’s business should be diligent in his work; he should be busy. The kingdom of God is rarely built by idle workers. However, sometimes the busiest ministers are so committed to serving God that they never get alone with Him. This was certainly true of me in my early days of ministry. Like many young believers, when the doors of our church were open, I was there. If there was a need, I was first in line to meet it. And despite God’s daily call to sit with Him in stillness and solitude, I was convinced that what I was doing was too important to stop or slow down. Unknowingly, I had made ministry — not God — my first love, and before I knew it, I had become too tired, too dry, and too distracted to effectively serve anyone.

Literally no one in history had a more important mission and a greater ministry to accomplish than Jesus. From the Gospels, we see that He had a lot of work to do and people to minister to every day. And yet, here in one of the earliest verses of Mark’s Gospel, we read that Jesus routinely stepped away from His ministry, the crowds, and even His disciples to be alone with the Father. For Jesus, getting up before sunrise and going to a secluded place afforded Him the time, space, and solitude to commune with God in prayer. Make no mistake, Jesus never abandoned His mission. He never abandoned those He loved by stepping away. Time alone with the Father prepared Him to better meet the needs of others; and no one had a more effective and fruitful ministry than Jesus. What should that tell us about our own abilities and ministries when the very Son of God made time alone with the Father such a discipline and a priority?

Father, help me develop the discipline and the desire to be alone with You every day.

CONSIDER THIS
▪ Read: Mark 1:35-38.
▪ How can you rearrange your life to make spending time alone with God a priority?
Response
Enter your response

▪ What is the benefit to your ministry and your relationships when you get alone with God more? LifeWay Men, Stand Firm - Devotional eBook - June 2026 (LifeWay Press, 2026), Lifeway digital edition, 11.