“What Is It?”

Posted on 2013/03/02 by Shawn Thomas

It is interesting that when the people of Israel first saw the manna God gave them in the wilderness, they asked: “Man hu?” (Hebrew) — “’What is it?’” And of course, Moses’ answer was: “‘It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.’” (Exodus 16:15)
What may be instructive to us from this text is that sometimes we as God’s people may not recognize the provision God has made for us.

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Pursue Faith

Posted on 2013/03/01 by Shawn Thomas

Included in the Apostle Paul’s final admonitions to his disciple Timothy in I Timothy 6 was a charge in :11 for him to “pursue … faith.” To “pursue faith” means to put one’s self, in God’s leadership, in situations where one has to trust God. Unfortunately, the tendency most of us have is to do the opposite:

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The Warrior on the Hill

Posted on 2013/02/25 by Shawn Thomas

When Amalek came to fight against Israel in the wilderness, Exodus 17:9 says that Moses told Joshua, “Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” It is instructive to us that Moses did not see it as “cowardly” for him to stay out of the physical battle, and to station himself on the hill with the staff of God. He knew that the calling down of the power of the God for the battle was crucial.

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Cultivating The Fear of the Lord

Posted on 2013/02/24 by Shawn Thomas

Psalm 119:38 says: “Establish Your word to Your servant, as that which produces reverence for You”
The “fear of the Lord” is one of the most important qualities we can possess. Scripture tells us that it is the beginning of wisdom, and produces purity, and all kinds of other benefits for us. It is not a “craven fear”, but a respect for the presence of God, and a sense of accountability to Him. How do we cultivate this in our lives?

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Better Riches

Posted on 2013/02/23 by Shawn Thomas

In I Timothy 6, Paul commands Timothy in :17 to “instruct the rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches.” He then goes on to exhort them “to be rich in good works.” This is a better kind of riches which we can have as our ambition to obtain.

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Turn My Eyes From Vanity

Posted on 2013/02/22 by Shawn Thomas

In Psalm 119:37 the Psalmist prays: “Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, and revive me in Your ways.” This verse admonishes us: if we are going to be “revived” in the ways of the Lord, one of the crucial things we must gain control of is our eyes. He prays: “Turn away my eyes from vanity.” Everything in our lives is to be subject to the Lordship of Christ — even the things we look at.

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A Doer’s Prayer

Posted on 2013/02/21 by Shawn Thomas

In Psalm 119:34 the writer prays: “Give me understanding, that I may KEEP Your Law”! The understanding of God’s word that we are to seek is not merely for intellectual enlightenment or academic achievement.

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Grant Me Your Law

Posted on 2013/02/20 by Shawn Thomas

In Psalm 119:29 the Psalmist prays: “graciously grant me Your Law.” It should be challenging to many of us that when he makes his request to God, he asks for His Law. When many of us ask God to “graciously grant me” something — if we were honest, we would admit that it is rarely the words “Your Law” which follows!

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A Day’s Portion Every Day

Posted on 2013/02/19 by Shawn Thomas

In Exodus 16:4, God instructed the people of Israel regarding the gathering of the manna that would feed them during their wilderness journey: “The people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.” God did not give the people a week, or a month, or a year’s worth of manna in advance, but each day, the food they would need for that day. And He specifically said that this was to “test” them. It was a test of their faith and obedience.

This Exodus experience has meant much to me the past few weeks, as I have faced resigning a full time pastorate due to health issues. At first the thought of what was happening to me, all the issues involved, and hurdles we faced, seemed insurmountable and overwhelming.

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Farewell to Our Church Family

Posted on 2013/02/18 by Shawn Thomas

Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the past 12+ years of service with our church family at Moss Bluff. It would be almost physically impossible for me to write a personal note to everyone who has blessed my family and I in some special way these past several weeks. “Thank you” will have to suffice; although please be assured that it comes from a full and truly grateful heart.
The fellowship at our home yesterday was so sweet and special: so many hugs, so many tears, so many smiles, gifts, and words of appreciation … it is a day I will never forget. Special thanks go to the team of ladies who completely took care of the food, decorations and serving for us: Mona Mouhot, Kathy Bushnell, Judy Wood, Venita Barton, Sammy Miller, Chancey Mouhot, and Merci Dixon, as well as Rick, Dalton, Thomas and others. You took the burden for us and made the special day possible.

Although I had not planned for it to happen, I found myself sharing some things repeatedly with the individuals and small groups who congregated around my recliner yesterday afternoon. I realized later that this was perhaps my final, informal “message” of sorts to my congregation. These are things I want each of our church members to know:

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