Posts by Steve Smith
What a Blessing
I learned a lot of Spanish phrases this week during the trip Trae, and I made with Justo to Merida, Mexico. Mucho Gusto (Nice to meet you), dios te bendiga (God Bless You), and el cazador (the Hunter) that was the nickname the brothers gave Trae. His Elk was a great hit with all our extended Christian family in Mexico. Feel free to start calling him that, I think he really likes it! I learned much about language and culture…
That’s Something You Don’t See Everyday.
I live in Decatur, Alabama, if you know me, you know that. What you may not know is that I have a giraffe for a neighbor. Seriously, one of my neighbors owns a giraffe. On a regular basis, as I turn the street to head to my house, there is a crowd gathered to see this strange sight. In fact, a few days ago, I stopped on my way home because the giraffe was near the fence line and got…
Useless?
Corinthians 15:58 in the New Living Translation says this, “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that NOTHING YOU DO FOR THE LORD IS EVER USELESS.“ (emphasis mine) My guess is that you have a moment or even a season in your life when you felt like the things you did for the Lord were not accomplishing all that much. I have had many a young mother tell…
It’s a New Day
Lamentations 3:22-23, “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” It’s a new day. Jeremiah tells us in Lamentations 3 that with each new day comes with new mercy. Because the faithful love of the Lord never ends, his mercies are available each new day. If the Lord woke you up today then those mercies are available to you. What a gift. What a blessing. God…
Abraham, You Did What?
In Genesis 22, we have the true story of how Abraham was tested by God. He is told to take his only son, the son of every promise God had made to him, and sacrifice him on a hill far away. Abraham gets up early the next day with some servants and his son and head on a three day journey to Mount Moriah (the same mountain where Jesus was sacrificed for our sins on an old rugged cross). As…
The Coronation of King Jesus
Jesus had a traveling sermon that he preached everywhere he went. We find the outline of that sermon in Mark 1:14-15, “…Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” We tend to think of the gospel as the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, and it is, but the gospel is NOT limited to those three truths we celebrated last week.…
My Prayer this Week…
Holy God, in Jesus name, I come into your presence. I am still amazed that you invite me to talk with you, but I am so thankful. You are everything and I am nothing, but you treat me as your special treasure and call me your own! Lord, you are fully aware of what is going on in the world you created. I know that you are not caught off guard by this pandemic. There is so much I don’t know…why…
My Letter to the Church I Serve…
I was reading 2 John last week. It is a short letter, only 13 verses, addressed to the “elect lady and her children”. While I was reading, a thought entered into my mind. If I was going to write a short letter to the church I serve, what would I say? I would want to encourage my brothers and sisters, I would want to challenge them to greater faithfulness among many other things. There is so much to say…I don’t think…
From Distraction to Frustration
Most of us are heading into our second full week of quarantine (some of us voluntarily, others involuntarily) surrounding this world wide epidemic called COVID-19 or the coronavirus. Life around us has significantly changed in a very short amount of time. Many of the things that, if we are honest, we have taken for granted have been suspended, postponed, or cancelled. Sporting events (March Madness…I miss you), eating at your favorite restaurant on a Friday night, and even going to…
Teamwork?
I love basketball. Always have. I was blessed to play a bit in high school and college and I still dabble in it in my old age 🙂 One of the ways I stay connected to the game is by helping coach varsity basketball at the high school where my son attends. I really enjoy it. I think sports teaches lessons in life that really not much else can. One of the best lessons it teaches revolves around teamwork. I…
Equipped
Ephesians 4:11-12, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, TO EQUIP THE SAINTS for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” (ESV…emphasis mine) Those verses (and the others that surround them) have become so important to me. In my many years of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, I don’t feel like I have done this well. I have tried to preach lessons that convict and call people to a deeper level of…
Overwhelming Love
God could not love you any more than he does right now. There is absolutely nothing you could do to make Him love you any more and there is nothing you could do to make Him love you any less. Our salvation and acceptance in the sight of God is NOT based on what we do; it is based on what Jesus Christ has already done. Our enemy, Satan, doesn’t want us to know that. He wants us running around…
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