​It’s Saturday morning, September 26th, and I am sitting in the Springfield/Branson National Airport waiting for my flight that will take me back to SW Florida via Dallas.  Each year, I fly back to my hometown to spend a week with my parents.  It’s an annual pilgrimage I look forward to in the autumn months.

I have found that going back to places I’ve known and people I’ve loved for over half-a-century has a stabilizing effect.  Having a firm foundation is important in an ever-changing world that seeks to uproot time-honored establishments.  In response to those voices urging me to forsake my convictions and adapt to cultural evolutionary trends, I take an even stronger stance on “those things most surely believed among us” (Luke 1:1).  In a world of unbelief, I choose to believe!

Yes, I believe in the Bible and in the God of the Bible.  I believe that He, not the forces of nature, created the heavens and the earth.  I believe that all life has its origin in God, the Giver of life.  I believe the God of the Bible exists in the form of three divine persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s Son.  Compelled by all-surpassing love, I believe that Jesus came to the earth He created, became one of us, lived among us, died for us, rose again, and is coming back again for us.  I believe that Christ alone is the author of salvation.  No one comes to the Father except through Him.   I also believe that life has a divine purpose and once it is over all humanity will spend eternity either in heaven or hell.

My belief system is not based on supposition.  It is based on the absolute truth of Scripture.  I maintain a resolute belief system because of the existence of absolute truth.  Jesus testified, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17).  While the world is in a state of constant change, absolute truth never changes.  What was true for Abraham, Moses, David, and Paul is still true for us today.  

So sink your roots deep in God’s eternal Word and declare with conviction, “I believe!”

Pastor Todd Weston

Dale Carnegie made the following observation, “One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living.  We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our window today.”

He’s right.  Some live in the past - tied either to the good-ole-days (which in reality weren’t all that good) - or to the mistakes and failures.  Others live in the future - dreaming of what might be and wishing their lives away.

Of course, there is a place for remembering just as there is a place for dreaming.  But to live in the past or the future is foolish according to the Bible.  Scripture teaches us to live today.  One is because today is all we have.  Twenty-four hours.  That’s it!  Yesterday is a canceled check.  Tomorrow is a promissory note.  Only today is legal tender.  As far as time is concerned, our sole possession is today.  Let that sink in.  Now, spend it wisely.

Not only is today all we have, it’s all we can manage.  Life must be lived on the installment plan because we can only manage one day at a time.  Some people try and live yesterday, today, and tomorrow all at once.  The results are always disastrous.  No one can handle yesterday’s failures, today’s challenges, and tomorrow’s unknowns all at the same time.  One day at a time is all we were designed to manage.  But that’s okay because today is all we need.  

What is God’s will for my life?  To live for Jesus today.  You see, it’s what you do today that counts.  So live for Jesus today.  Serve Him today.  Put the sins of yesterday under the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ.  Put the worries about tomorrow in the capable hands of the Father.  Then lift your voice with the the psalmist and sing, “This is the day the LORD had made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

Pastor Todd Weston

Last Sunday’s message dealt with Satan’s lie about sex.  From 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 we saw six reasons why sexual sin is wrong.  It’s no new revelation that our society has an obsession with immorality.  While the Puritans of past generations may have lived like there was no such thing as sex, our generation lives as if there is nothing but sex.

There is a contributing issue to this problem that I believe needs to be addressed.  It’s the issue of alcohol.  In and of itself, alcohol is a spiritually neutral substance.  There is nothing inherently evil with alcohol.  The problem lies in the effects of alcohol on the human body and the potential consequences.

In an article found at www.sciencenetlinks.com titled, Alcohol and Your Brain, the writer discusses the effects of alcohol on the Central Nervous System (CNS) which controls motor function, thinking, understanding, reasoning, and emotion.  According to the article, alcohol is a direct depressant of the CNS.  This is a commonly known fact of medical science.  Indicators of alcohol in the blood system include:

• Altered speech
• Hazy thinking
• Slowed reaction time
• Dulled hearing
• Impaired vision
• Weakened muscles
• Foggy memory 

This explains why drinking and driving do not mix. But drunk driving isn't the only danger presented by alcohol. As a depressant of the CNS, alcohol also lowers inhibitions. In other words, alcohol leads people to engage in risky behaviors they ordinarily would avoid.

A biblical example of this is found at the end of Genesis 19 in the story of Lot's daughters. In order to get their father to engage in incest with them, Lot's daughters made their father drunk with wine. Under the influence of alcohol, Lot did what he would never have done in his right mind, and he didn't even remember it! Lot wasn't the only one to go beyond the boundaries of his own moral code and do the unthinkable because he has too much to drink.

The dangers of alcohol are many. While some may point out arguments supporting moderate consumption, I believe the Bible presents many more arguments in favor of total abstinence. When you include evidence from medical science, not to mention statistics concerning alcohol's involvement with crime, domestic abuse, injuries and fatalities from driving under the influence, and sexual immorality, I believe it's an open and shut case.

So set the drink aside. Stay full of the Holy Spirit. Hold the standard high. Keep yourself pure.

Pastor Todd Weston

One of the hot news stories of recent days is that of the jailing of Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.  Citing her religious beliefs in regard to same-sex marriage, Davis refused to follow the ruling of U.S. District Judge David Bunning (which the Supreme Court upheld) ordering her to issue the licenses.  Charged with contempt of court, Davis was immediately jailed by Bunning without bail.  No agenda there!

Kim Davis’ story reminds me of the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; the three Hebrew captives who were drafted into service in the Babylonian government (Daniel 3).  Along with Daniel, these three Hebrew men were among the top leaders in Nebuchadnezzar’s administration.  When asked to violate their religious beliefs by bowing down to an idolatrous statue of gold, they drew the line and refused to comply.  Instead of bowing, they stood for what was right.

To stand for what is right requires convictions.  The saying is true, “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything!”  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego stood on their God-given convictions and refused to do anything that would be in violation of those standards.

To stand for what is right also requires character.  How easy it is to compromise.  Satan could have pressured the three Hebrews saying, “You don’t have to bow all the way.  Just lean a little.”  But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refused to compromise because they were men of character and integrity.

To stand for what is right requires courage.  Kim Davis is faced with an indefinite jail sentence.  The three Hebrews were faced with the fiery furnace.  A fiery furnace is no one’s idea of a good time, yet Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego stood strong and faithful in spite of the very real threat of death in the furnace.

Finally, to stand for what is right requires commitment.  The three Hebrews refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s image because of their commitment to God.  The command to bow was a test of allegiance.  Because of their commitment to God, they would bow to none other than Jehovah Himself!

Martin Niemoller, a WW1 hero in Germany who later became an anti-Nazi theologian, was imprisoned for eight years by Hitler.  He spent time in prisons and concentration camps, including the dreaded Dachau, where thousands were executed in the gas chambers.

Hitler realized that if Niemoller could be persuaded to join his cause then much of the opposition would collapse overnight.  So he sent a former friend of Niemoller’s to visit him ( a friend who had sold out to the Nazis).  Seeing Niemoller wasting away in his cell, the former friend said, “Martin, Martin!  Why are you here?”  Niemoller held his onetime friend in his gaze for a moment then replied, “My friend, why are you not here?”

Sadly, many cave when the pressure is on.  May we be among those heroes and heroines of the faith who in the face of great opposition, stand for what is right!

Pastor Todd Weston