06/15/2026
June 14, 2023
Maci won First place in Poles at the Rodeo Bible Camp. Congratulations Maci! We’re proud of you. Tuesday, the 16th, is Randy’s birthday. Ray and Kathy’s anniversary is the 17th. Buddy and Sis got married Friday evening. We, as a church, had the privilege of getting it together. It was a very sweet, memorable wedding. Personal note, I got to be the Maid Of Honor!! I was so honored. We love both of them. Prayer requests: Buddy and Sis; I will be having shoulder surgery Tuesday; Vince will be having surgery later this month; Vince has an unspoken request; Vince and Sandra’s daughter-in-law has surgery tomorrow; Tanya’s neighbor, Myrna Barnes, has been placed on hospice; Nicholas Myles had emergency appendectomy surgery with complications, Scianna, Nicholas’ wife is Frankie’s cousin.
Today’s Message: Our Partnership with the Lord
“Give it to God” is easier said than done. Our first reaction to something that has happened: How am I going to handle this? How am I going to deal with this? What am I going to do about this? Only one correct answer, whatever I’m going to do, I’m going to do in partnership with the Lord. In any partnership, each partner has a role to play. The partnership will only work if each partner does his part—fulfills his role. In this partnership, two things we need to remember; we have to do our part, the Lord is the senior partner. Psalm 27:14, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” It doesn’t mean give it to God and then do nothing. A partnership where one of the partners doesn’t do anything isn’t going to work. We have a part to playin every single situation we take to the Lord help with. Jesus was ready to raise Lazarus from the dead, but first Martha had to remove the stone. In John 5, the story of Jesus healing the man at the Pool of Bethesda. Jesus did the healing, the man also had a role to play. He showed up. Every day for 38 years he showed up until the answer came. He showed up until one day he found himself in the presence of Jesus the healer. When we have “given it to God” we have to show up ever day and fight our way past our doubts and our impatience until one day we will find His presence and the peace and calm that will bring. He is always the senior partner. The most important part of our role is to realize that it is always to merge into His plan. Our will and our plans are secondary to His will and His plans and can’t be mixed equally. The Beverly Hillbillies was a funny show . Jed moved his family from the hills of Tennessee to Beverly Hills. They moved to a new world but they brought their old ways of thinking and doing things with them. Nothing fit. If we try to superimpose our plans over His, nothing will fit either. Once you say I have given it to God, you will know whether you really have when you experience what Paul calls the peace that surpasses all understanding. Until you experience that feeling in your soul, you haven’t really given it to Him yet. It takes a certain frame of mind, a certain attitude, it’s called surrender. We have to surrender our will to His if this partnership with Him stands a chance of working out. Mark 2:1-5, read it, the story of Jesus healing a paralyzed man. There are a lot of lessons in those 5 verses. The crowd couldn’t get enough of Jesus. The four men who wanted to help their friend. The length they went to. They had faith and determination. The paralyzed man and his friends understood one thing. If things were going to get better in this man’s life, He had to get into the presence of Jesus. He was paralyzed so they fought their way past the distance they had to carry him, past the crowd, up the ladder, through the roof, they lowered the man down to Jesus. They gave the problem to God. When we have something we can’t handle on our own , we may have to fight our way past distractions, obstacles even doubts until we are in the presence of Jesus. Jobs, family, responsibilities all demand our time. We still have to find time for Him. Not just coming to church; reading the Word or spending time with Him in prayer. Jesus is not on TV, doesn’t have a Facebook account. He has promised that we will find Him if we seek Him. When doubts creep in because you’re not sure “giving it to God “ is going to work, draw strength from the fact that it has worked before and so you know He is able, and from the fact that He gave His only Son because He loves you so much. Give it to God. It’s easier to give it to Him when we are right there in His presence than if we are afar off. Good message. I needed to hear this right now. Thanks for making your messages and the Bible understandable. Everyone have a good week.