Welcome to Maple Grove serving the Lord since 1875

Do you ever read something in the Bible and have parts of your life challenged by it? Maybe it’s simple – God has said “Thou shalt not” but you do. Maybe it happens like this – God shows you through His Word how he wants you to do a certain thing, and it’s not the way you would do it – or it’s not the way you are doing it.

How do we react when that happens? We have the same choice we always have – obey God’s Word or go our own way (think Adam and Eve and how well that worked out for them, right?) We know we should obey God’s Word – we know that He has the best in mind for us – we know the Bible says:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6. What will we do? What choice will we make? It comes down to how much we treasure God’s Word, and how much we treasure Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us. If we truly understand and believe – to the point of action – that Christ is the only reason we have any hope in this world, and that Christ purchased us with His blood at Calvary, then we are more likely to obey God’s Word – even when it is contrary to all else we know, all else we feel, and sometimes, all else we want!

There were many times Jesus asked tough, pointed questions or told stories that greatly bothered the people hearing them. Some hearers accepted His words, while others ushered Him out of town, as they did not want to hear. Can you imagine – if Jesus Christ was standing in front of us telling how how to live for His glory? Would we turn away? I hope not. But we fail to realize that He is speaking to us just as real through His Bible today folks! Will we turn away?

The challenge is to live for Him – to follow His Word. Sometimes, that means:
• We have to change some things we are doing and have gotten quite used to and maybe even like doing.
• We may have to “unlearn” some old ways of thinking, acting or reacting.
• We may have to get our emotions under control and be guided by the Spirit rather than letting fleshly desires lead us.
• We may have to admit that we have been wrong in the way we have handled people or situations.
• We may have to ask forgiveness and forgive others.

God loves you and wants the best for you. But He wants you to live for his Glory. He wants us all to be more Christlike.

Let God rule in your life! Let the Holy Spirit control you! Let Jesus live through you! Be willing to surrender your will as part of your living sacrifice to God. Romans 12:1.

The only way anyone is able to do that is to know God and love God. Come join us at Maple Grove as we grow in the knowledge and understanding of His Will so that we may walk worthy of Him.

Bro. Parks