First Baptist Church of Eustace Texas

Good Morning Everyone,

Let's look at Galatians 3:28

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Galatians 3:28 makes it absolutely clear that men and women stand equal in privilege and position before God. In God’s sight, there is no male and female; there are only those created in His image who are redeemed and placed into the body of Christ. In the church of Jesus Christ, we all submit to one another—bond or free, Jew or Gentile, male or female. That is the clear intention of God, for there is one Lord over all in the church to whom we submit. 

But when it comes to the functioning and the operation of the Christian home, God has given guidelines so that the home will work according to order and according to His plan. He has said, “I’m going to give you the joy of personal relationships within the context of a loving environment called the home,” which He established in the Garden of Eden. And He said, “Here’s how I want this to work. I want the husband to be the lover and the learner and the leader, and I want the wife to be supportive and submissive in that relationship. When you do that, there will be blessing, joy, and honor, and it will be an exciting experience.”

Bro. Paul

Good Morning Everyone,

Let's look at Proverbs 1:7

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Mark Twain is given credit for the following remark: “When I was a boy of fourteen my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” If that were a true record of a young man’s awakening to wisdom, Mark Twain would not be the first to whom it happened. Many a young man has listened to advice from his father and discounted it—until the day he needed it. Then it turned out to be more wisdom than advice.

One of the oldest father–son talks in history is recorded in the Book of Proverbs. Solomon, the world’s wisest man in his day (and likely in ours), used his throne as king of Israel to dispense his wise sayings to his subjects and to those who came from afar to sit at his feet and learn. Solomon was known throughout the surrounding nations for processing uncanny wisdom, discernment, and insight.

The principles of wisdom will work for anyone who puts them to use. But it is only those who fear the Lord who will want to practice them over a lifetime.

Bro. Paul

Good Morning Everyone,

Let's look at Ephesians 3:13

"Do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory."

Sometimes we discover that a major reason for our suffering has been what God intended to do in someone else’s life. That may not be obvious to us. But Paul says that his sufferings were for the glory (or means of blessing) of others (Ephesians 3:13).

“But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear” (Philippians 1:12–14).

 We do not always see the realization of God’s purposes. None of us has the ability to interpret God’s perfectly wise purpose in the sufferings of our fellow believers (or of ourselves for that matter). But in order to encourage them, we need to have some awareness of what God may be doing. By sharing the biblical teaching on what God does in our lives through suffering, we may encourage others to serve God in it.

Bro. Paul

Good Morning Everyone,

Let's look at 1 John 1:3

"You also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ."

A famous British playwright was leaving Liverpool by ship. He noticed that the other passengers were waving to friends on the dock. Just before the ship was to leave, he rushed down to the dock and stopped a little boy. “Would you wave to me if I pay you?” he asked the boy. “Of course,” he agreed. The writer gave him a few shillings, then ran back aboard and leaned over the rail. Sure enough, the boy was waving to him. The playwright disliked solitude and loneliness so much that he had gone so far as to create an artificial friend. To him, though, even the semblance of friendship was better than the crushing loneliness he felt. 

The key to assurance in life is fellowship. Fellowship with people locks out the grim feelings of loneliness. And fellowship with God keeps away the threat of eternal solitude. 

In this epistle, John wanted to make it clear to his readers that they could fellowship with God through Jesus Christ. He stressed the importance of love: Since Christians have experienced the love of God in their lives, they have no need to fear either in this life or in the life to come.

Bro. Paul

Good Morning Everyone,

Let's look at 1 Timothy 1:16

"For this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe in Him for everlasting life."

You’ve probably heard the great American prayer: “God give me patience, and I want it NOW!” We are constantly being reminded that everything can be done in a hurry. Yet God says He wants to teach us to wait.

God wants to develop within us a quality of being patient and longsuffering. Someone has defined long-suffering as a long holding out of the mind before it gives way to action or passion. It is the power to see things through.

If there is any quality we need in our lives today, it is patience. It is the hardest of all the qualities for us to learn today because we think everything has to be done quickly. But it is the virtue I believe is closest to the heart of God. God is a God of longsuffering, patience, and for-bearance.

A person who has the fruit of longsuffering is patient with people who nag. He or she does not criticize and irritate when criticized and irritated. This person does not disappear when frustrated or angered. Patience, longsuffering, knows how to sit still and wait its turn. It is slow to retaliate and does not seek to get even. It waits patiently with joy.

Bro. Paul