Thoughts for Life: It's Who You Know

Dave Branon- In early 2019, Charlie VanderMeer died at the age of eight-four. For many decades, he was known to thousands and thousands of people as Uncle Charlie, the host of the national radio broadcast Children's Bible Hour.

The day before Uncle Charlie slipped into eternity, he told a good friend, "It's not what you know, it's who you know. I'm talking about Jesus Christ." (Google image, Uncle Charlie's legacy)

Even as he faced the end of his life, Uncle Charlie couldn't help but talk about Jesus and the necessity for people to receive Him as their Savior.

The apostle Paul considered knowing Jesus his most important task: "I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost al things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him" (Philippians 3:8-9).

And how do we know Jesus? "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

We may know facts about Jesus, we nay know all about the church, and we may even be familiar with the Bible. But the only way to know Jesus as Savior is to accept His free gift of salvation. He's the Who we need to know.

Let's pray-

"Father God, I pray for all who've yet to come to know Jesus by believing in Him and accepting His sacrifice on their behalf. And if I'm one who hasn't received Jesus as my Savior, may I confess with my mouth 'Jesus is Lord' today." (Prayer by Dave Branon)

~ You're invited ~

Pastor Ben Levendusky invites the congregation of Madrid, NY

to meet for prayer around the altar Sundays at 9:45.

Please Notice

The SYFC is to meet today at 31 David St. in Ogdensburg, NY,

for their Walk/Run kids and family benefit.

They'll go along the Maple City Trail, starting at 9:30 am.

511-515 one-line Scriptures for those of you who want to learn some more verses this week- or to review them from when they were first posted-

511- Ps. 35:18 "I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people."

512- Ps. 115:14 "The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children."

513- Ps. 119:105 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."

514- Ps. 116:12 "What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?"

515- Phil. 3:14 "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Quote for today-

~ Michael Brown- Who changed things from a faith that was so focused on the life of Jesus and so infused with the reality of His death and resurrection that no sacrifice was considered too great and no act of service too extreme—to the contrary, suffering for Him was considered a privilege (Matt. 5:10 -12; Acts 5 :41; Phil. 1:29)—to today's convenience-store Christianity, where we have to "sell" salvation to the sinner by spicing up the deal with perks and benefits?

When did Jesus stop being enough? When did obedience become an option? When did keeping God's commandments out of love for him become "religious" (in the negative sense of the word)? Did Jesus say that if we loved him we would keep His commandments (John 14:14, 21)? Who changed things?

Our Ambassador to Israel, Michael David Evens' comments:

"God is a loving Father, and He wants what is best for us. When we call out to Him in prayer we will never find him uncaring or unresponsive." Michael David Evens

Luke 11:9-13 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one who asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?"

Today's guest post- By Lori Hatcher

!0 Things I Hope Never Go Back to Normal After COVID-19

Excellent! A must read!

"A greater Power rules the world.

This truth has been life-changing when paired with faith. Although we’ve taken prudent measures to keep ourselves and our families safe, we’ve refused to live in fear, knowing God alone holds the power of life and death.

Recognizing our impotence and His power, we’ve learned to pray for His protection, then do what He calls us to do despite potential danger. We’ve discovered God is our provider, not ourselves or our government, and we can trust Him."

Upcoming posts

#7 Texting God

22nd-Tuesday's post by David Mccasland

#8 Miracle Rain

24th- Thursday's post by Poh Fang Chia

What Is Happiness?

26th- Saturday's post by James H. Cagle

#9 Walk Away From Worry

29th- Tuesday's post by Jennifer Benson Schuldt

The North Country Christian Fellowship Center Churches,

located in the St. Lawrence county of NY,

broadcast their Sunday services at 10 or 10:15