Landmark Baptist Church

06/02/2026

Pride

Funny how words change meaning. Pride is one of those words whose meaning has shifted over the years. It used to be a positive thing to be proud of your work or your kids; now the word has taken on a political meaning.

A group of lions is called a pride, but that term is not commonly used in America. I have never talked about a pride of lions wandering through my town. Another meaning of pride is “a feeling of deep satisfaction, self-respect, or acknowledgment of one’s dignity.” That sounds like a good thing, to be pleased with your accomplishments and to find them worthy of boasting about.

“Thus says the LORD, ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but the him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness, on the earth; for I delight in these things.’” (Jeremiah 9:23-24) It has been noted that “pride” and “sin” both have “I” in the middle. The problem with pride is that when it gets out of control, we focus on what WE have done, as if we did it on our own, and forget that God is the One Who gave us the ability to do it. God created us; all we have is from Him, and all we are is by His design. Our sin, our pride, and our bad decisions warp the good that He designed into evil.

The antidote to the sin of pride is humbly admitting that all you have and are are gifts on loan from God.

Ruth Miller

05/31/2026

Good morning, Church!

05/31/2026

05/28/2026

Rainbows

God put His bow, the rainbow, in the sky as a sign of the covenant He made with Noah, never to destroy the earth again by flood. (Genesis 9:8-17) Without the first storm, there would not have been the first rainbow.

The rainbow appears three times in the Bible, each time in connection with God’s throne. “As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.” (Ezekiel 1:28) God’s glory is reflected in the covenant He made with Noah and all humanity.

In Revelation 4, John is taken up into God’s throne room in heaven, and the rainbow is mentioned once again. “And He Who was sitting on the throne was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.” (Revelation 4:3) The rainbow, the sign of His covenant, surrounds God’s throne and glimmers in the light of His glory.

The last mention of a rainbow appears in the storm of God’s judgment on humanity. “And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head.” (Revelation 10:1) Even in the category 5 hurricane of judgment on humanity, the rainbow stands as a testimony that God will not forget His covenant.

Rainbows follow or precede storms. Without the storm and sunlight, there would not be a rainbow. God’s covenant with us, His promise to always be with us, to protect, and to provide for us, shines brightest in the dark. The beauty of His covenant, like the rainbow, glows brighter the darker the clouds, the heavier the rain, and the brighter the sunlight.

When you find yourself in a storm, look for His rainbow. Gaze upon the beauty of His covenant to never leave or forsake you, instead of the clouds, wind, and rain swirling around you.

Ruth Miller

05/24/2026

The Storm

It sounded like a simple assignment. “Now it came about on one of those days, that Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, ‘Let us go over to the other side of the lake.’ And they launched out. But as they were sailing along He fell asleep.” (Luke 8:22-23a) Several of the disciples were experienced fishermen; going from one side of the Sea of Galilee to the other was a familiar and easy routine, so much so that Jesus fell asleep.

Jesus said, “go” and by faith they went. They did not know how much the routine trip would test and strengthen their faith. The Sea of Galilee is known for sudden, violent storms. There they are, sailing along, when out of nowhere a massive storm erupts. The gale-force wind is churning up gigantic waves that are swamping the boat. Everyone grabs a basket or bowl and starts frantically bailing out water. Over the sound of the wind, water, and waves, they hear snoring! Someone is not bailing, they are sleeping! They are in the middle of a deadly storm, the boat is sinking, they are far from shore, and they are probably going to drown. It should be all hands on buckets, but it is not.

“And they came to Him and woke Him up, saying, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’” (Luke 8:24) I would be trying to shove a bucket into Jesus’ hands. Twelve terrified men were all staring at Jesus. How could anyone sleep while this massive storm swirls around them? “And being aroused, He rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm.” (Luke 8:24) The storm did not wake Him up; the panicked disciples did. One second, they are surrounded by a violent storm, and the next, they are surrounded by still wind and water.

“And He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’” (Luke 8:25) He did not say in verse 22, “Let’s go out in the middle of the lake and drown,” or, “I have an idea! Let us go out in the middle of the lake so we can sink the boat!” His instructions were very clear: let us go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

Jesus said go and they sailed off in faith. But when the storm arose, they took their eyes off what Jesus said to do – go to the other side – and were distracted by the terror and danger of the violent storm around them. The storm did not surprise Him; He knew they were going to face it, but it also did not prevent Him from going. Do not allow the storms of life to distract or derail you from doing what God has told you to do. He will not permit the storms to blow you off the path He has told you to take. He may calm the storm, He may take you around the storm, or He may take you through the storm. However He gets you to the other side of the storm, He will get you there. Just like Jesus did not abandon the disciples in the middle of the storm, He will not abandon you in your storms.

Ruth Miller

05/24/2026

Good morning church!

05/21/2026

Opposites Attract

The Law of Magnetism states that opposite poles attract while like poles repel. God and humanity are polar opposites; He is wholly holy, and humanity is wholly sinful. “Thine eyes are too pure to look at evil, and Thou canst not look on wickedness with favor.” (Habakkuk 1:13) God is so holy that sin cannot even exist in His presence. On the opposite side of the spectrum is humanity. “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment.” (Isaiah 64:6) “There is no one who does good, there is not even one.” (Romans 3:12)

Opposites attract. When we realize how holy God is and how sinful we are, we are attracted to Him because He is the only way we can be holy. When we are deceived into thinking we do not need God, we fall into the same trap Adam and Eve did: believing that we can be a god like Him.

Are you attracted to or repelled by God’s sovereignty? There is only one God, and it is not you!

Ruth Miller