First Baptist Church Valley Mills

06/18/2026

Thursday June 18, 2026

Matthew 6:1-4
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Being careful of the motivation behind doing what we do should lead us to be generous without letting the world or even ourselves live in the pride of the moment. Cheerfully giving (2 Corinthians 9:7) is important and needed. We give to honor the Lord. We give in a way that we don't tempt ourselves to take pride or praise to our own selves in what we give. We give open handed and trusting God to use the gift for what He deems needed and let Him control the outcome. We are faithful in recognizing others and giving them value because God loves them. In turn, we recognize that any reward or benefit we get is ultimately Gods. He is in control and to Him belongs the glory. We in essence join the heavenly celebration of laying our crowns before the Lord (Revelation 4:10-11). Your faithfulness to give today, allows you to join in the praise chorus in heaven. Live today, as one that is connected to God's Kingdom and His heavenly purposes for you, your family and your neighbors around you. Love God, Love people, Make disciples of Jesus Christ, and do it all for God's glory.

Worship Songs:
"I Give You My Heart" and "Holy, Holy, Holy"

Scripture Reading:
Judges 16; Psalm 142; Proverbs 18; Matthew 6

06/17/2026

Our Mission Team to Colorado has started their voyage. Please be in prayer for safety and for the Holy Spirit to guide us.
Others arriving separately so pray for our team to unite tomorrow.

06/17/2026

Wednesday June 17, 2026

Matthew 6:1-4
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Giving is something we should do to honor the Lord. This passage is dealing with giving alms or an offering to help the poor or those in need. This is above and beyond the tithe and other offerings that were given. Thus, the temptation was to announce to the world how great you are and how rich you are that you can still afford to give. The issue here isn't if one should give, but as mentioned the motivation behind giving. We need to give and we need wisdom from God on how to give and how much to give above and beyond our tithe. However, we do it with the right reasons behind it. If we desire for people to praise us and give us seats of honor and other perks, then we will receive our treasure and reward here on earth. Today, think about how you give and the motivation behind your giving. As you give think about Colossians 3:23 and do it as unto the Lord and not for man.

Worship Songs:
"Heart of Worship" and "I Love You Lord And I Lift My Voice"

Scripture Reading:
Judges 15; Psalm 141; Proverbs 16; Matthew 5

06/16/2026

Tuesday June 16, 2026

Matthew 6:1-4
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Practicing the acts of righteousness and living to help others is a good thing. What we find in this passage is that the motivation behind why we do what we do is important to God. God knows the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Jeremiah 17:9-10 and Hebrews 4:12-13) remind us that God sees the unseen and as verse 4 tells, He sees in secret. This very fact should encourage us to continue to do things that bring glory to His name. Unfortunately, we live for the momentary pleasure and we as humankind find ourselves desperate for affirmation instead of right motivation. Today, we will give to help others, not to make people happy and for them to think we are amazing, but because helping others and valuing them is important to God. Today, make it a habit in your life to give to God what is God's and to give to help others in their time of need.

Worship Songs:
"Here I am to Worship" and "Gratitude"

Scripture Reading:
Judges 14, Psalm 140; Proverbs 16; Matthew 4

06/15/2026

Monday June 15, 2026

Matthew 6:1-4
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

We begin this week living out the last verse of Chapter 5. We are to be perfect as God is perfect. This is lived out in practicing our righteousness. We saw that apart from Christ we cannot live up to this standard but praise God for passages like 2 Corinthians 5:21, we find that we can. Jesus changes the topic from laws and what has been said, to the more practical ways of living out one's faith. He begins with a question of the why behind the actions that we do. The practicing our acts of righteousness is a good thing but with the wrong motivation can lead one astray. Today, check your heart and the motivations of the heart to allow what you do to be done for God's glory. Don't seek the reward of man but of God.

Worship Songs:
"I Surrender All" and "Remember Him"

Scripture Reading:
"Judges 13; Psalm 139; Proverbs 15; Matthew 3

06/14/2026

Join us for worship this morning, Sunday, 6/14/26 at 10:55am.
Generous
Matthew 6:1-4

GenerousMatthew 6:1-4Videos of live streams from services held i...

06/13/2026

Tomorrow June 14, 2026 we gather again as the corporate body.

We will be looking at Matthew 6:1-4 and the idea of being generous. How is that we can gibe to God and not brag but allow those around praise His Name.

We have something for all ages. From the babies to Senior adults and all in between. Come and join us.

Sunday School/Bible studies for all ages at 9:45 am.

Worship service at 10:55 am.

You will be blessed!

06/12/2026

Friday June 12, 2026

Matthew 5:43-48
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers,[a] what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Who is my enemy? In Ephesians 6 we learn that our true enemy is not flesh and blood but there is a spiritual enemy that seeks to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). It is against, sin, death, Satan or hell. Jesus has defeated our real enemy, and we get a chance to walk in the freedom of life found in Jesus. If Jesus defeated all our enemies, then what or whom do we have left as an enemy? Today, remember to pray and love them. Invite them to dine at your table and be a peacemaker as you represent the Kingdom of God as His sons and daughters. Afterall, Jesus sat at tables with His enemies and this is the model for us. Today, don't be afraid to break bread with those around you that may be far from God and not part of your life, but that need to see God's love in action.

Scripture Reading:
Judges 12; Psalm 138; Proverbs 12; John 2

Worship Songs:
"Forever" and "A Mighty Fortress"

06/11/2026

Thursday June 11, 2026

Matthew 5:43-48
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers,[a] what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Do you remember that you were once an enemy of God? We were not who we are today and God loved us. Romans 5:8 helps us understand His great love for us. In this passage we find the statement of being perfect. This is a difficult and impossible statement. Martin Luther would say it deals with right behavior; Calvin would say that it steers us to true generosity, Wright would say it is an overflowing generous love. This statement says that we need to be perfect in love and to love everyone the same as if they were a native or insider in your group. Who is my enemy? The reality is that we shouldn't have any. God sent Jesus to die for all, and we get the opportunity to demonstrate His love to the world around us. Today, treat others as if they are part of your inner circle. Remember God's love for you and praise Him that you are part of the heavenly banqueting table.

Worship Songs:
"You are the Lord" and "Behold"

Scripture Reading:
Judges 11; Psalm 137; Proverbs 11; Matthew 1