Author: janicevance

It’s July and we are a little over halfway through another year.  For some, the year has flown by, and for others, it is just creeping along.  If you are a student or teacher, you are also a little over halfway through the summer break.

Halfway is not totally bad because there is still time left in the year and there is still a little time for the summer school break.  We can still accomplish goals we may have set out to achieve before the year is up.

If we take the time to examine our spiritual walk, we may surmise that we are halfway there, but our walk may be close to the end, or we may have a long walk to go.  Only the Lord knows how much longer our journey will be.  It is important for us to be always prepared, regardless of how long we think we may have.

There is another halfway mentioned in the Bible in which we do not want to find ourselves.  In John’s inspired writing to the Laodiceans in Revelation 3:14-22, Jesus is warning them not to be lukewarm, or halfway hot and halfway cold.

The Laodiceans thought they were self-sufficient in their faith, needing nothing from anyone.  This lukewarmness must have been evident by their works as Jesus goes on to tell them to repent and be zealous.

We do not know the full story of the Laodiceans, but we know enough that it is better to be fully committed or not committed at all than it is to be halfway committed.  Not being committed to the Lord and His church is a bad choice, too.

The only viable option for one wanting to live forever with the One who created us, loved us, and provided for us is to be fully committed to Jesus Christ.

by Justin Morton

Earlier this week, our boys spent a few days with their grandparents and cousins. While they were only away from us for a couple of days, Miranda and I missed them so much and kept bringing them up as we talked about different things. We could not wait for them to come back home with us.

Some of you know how we were feeling. You’ve had the same experience and felt the same way when your own children were away from you for various reasons. Others in our congregation feel this way right now as their loved ones are on a mission trip. When we are away from our loved ones, we long for their return home.

With this thought in mind, we can understand a glimpse of how God feels when His beloved children are away from Him. Any time a child of God leaves home and goes off into a “far country” (Lk. 15:13) for any length of time, the father watches and waits for that child’s return (Lk. 15:20). He doesn’t write off that child because He has other children. He doesn’t think to himself, “Oh well, It’s their loss.” No, God eagerly waits for that child to come back home. He wants nothing more than for that child to come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9) and return to the family.

We missed our boys so much while they were gone, and we are thankful they are back at home with us. Perhaps you are one of those children God is waiting to come back home. I want you to know that God hasn’t given up on you. He is watching and waiting for your return. Will you make the short walk back home to Him?

            A very popular hymn is based on Psalm 4 and entitled Hear Me When I Call. Brother Teddlie expresses so well how we often feel as we go to God in prayer. We are so dependent on our Creator and Savior that we want to make sure He hears us when we call out to Him for help – not just in an emergency but for our daily needs. Because of what Jesus and the Holy Spirit have promised, we know the avenue of prayer is always available (John 14:13-14; Hebrews 4:15-16)!

            There’s a very sad story recorded in 1 Samuel 8 when Israel demanded a king like all the other nations. Of course, Samuel took their request personally and thought they were rejecting him as their judge. You may recall how the Lord reassured Samuel in verse seven that they were not rejecting the prophet – they were rejecting the sovereignty of God Himself.

            But there’s a statement often overlooked that should have scared the living daylights (pardon the slang expression) out of the Israelites. After the Lord warned the people through His spokesman Samuel what a king would do to them, they were still adamant about wanting a king. The ending of the Lord’s warning by Samuel is in verse eighteen: “And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day.” It may be a matter of semantics, but the inspired writer does not use the normal Hebrew word for “hear” in this verse. Rather, he uses a word meaning “answer” and that is the rendering in most modern translations.

            What a helpless feeling if we knew God would not respond in any way to our prayers! Yet the foolish Israelites wanted a king more than the God who hears and answers prayers. Is it possible that we might choose to be like everyone around us rather than having Almighty God answer our prayers? 

by Justin Morton

Our family has spent the last couple of days in Knoxville celebrating our dear friends’ daughter’s wedding. We have been planning and talking about this weekend for almost a year. While I have been honored to officiate several weddings over the years, honestly, this time just hit differently. We have known the bride and her family for thirteen years. We vacationed together, ate meals together and spent countless hours in one another’s homes laughing the night away. We celebrated highs and mourned lows together. And even though we moved away from Knoxville, we remain close friends with this wonderful family.

As I prepared for the wedding, I was reminded of how important it is to have deep, godly friendships as we walk through this life. Even Jesus, the very Son of God, had a close group of friends while He lived on this earth (Matt. 10:1-4; Mk. 5:37). Deep relationships are vital. The Bible teaches essential thoughts such as, “A friend loves at all times” (Prov. 17:17) and “The sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel” (Prov. 27:9). You and I need people in our lives we can count on to not only love us, but to be there for us and to share godly wisdom with us.

This weekend has been special for my family as we celebrated this momentous occasion with some of our closest friends. We couldn’t imagine not being a part of it. Are you making the effort to build lasting relationships with other believers? If not, start today! Invest in relationships with brothers and sisters who will laugh with you, cry with you and help you get to heaven.

            Moses E. Lard once wrote that “perhaps no passage in the New Testament has given rise to more extended controversy than” Romans 8:28-30.[1] While a discussion of all the misunderstandings about this passage are beyond the scope of this article, I believe most would agree that God’s plan for all mankind is “to be conformed to the image of His Son.” Christians often say they want to be Christ-like or to look like Jesus and we know that man was originally created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). However, sin soon separated man from God and redemption/reconciliation became necessary – as God knew before creation began (Ephesians 1:3-7; 2 Corinthians 5:17-19).

            When we obey the gospel by being baptized into the death of Christ (Romans 6:3-4), we become a new creation – a new man (or woman) – created in the image of Christ. Like the growth of children into adults, we must grow “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” to become like Him (2 Peter 3:18a).

            May we resolve to let God mold us into what He wants us to be! That does not absolve us of our responsibility but becoming more like Jesus requires the total submission of our lives to the Father’s will. Consider the words of Isaiah 64:8 –

            But now, O Lord,

            You are our Father;

            We are the clay, and You our potter;

            And all we are the work of Your hand.  

Perhaps these hymns will drive the point home:

29 — All to Jesus I Surrender

197 – Have Thine Own Way, Lord

426 – More Like Jesus

619 – Take Time to Be Holy

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[1] Moses E. Lard, Commentary on Paul’s Letter to Romans. (Lexington, KY, 1875. Reprint, Delight, AR: Gospel Light Publishing Co.), 279.

by Justin Morton

Have you ever drawn the wrong conclusions about someone simply based on your first impression of that person? We may have drawn some unfair conclusions based on a limited experience with that individual.

Do you remember the story of Hannah? While she was at the temple praying, Eli watched her from a distance (I Samuel 1:12). Hannah was praying to the Lord for a son. What was odd to Eli was that this woman’s mouth was moving but he didn’t hear any words. That’s when Eli misjudged Hannah. Thinking she was drunk, Eli told her to put her wine away (I Samuel 1:13-14). Hannah had to explain to Eli that she was not drunk; she was pouring her heart out to the Lord in prayer (I Samuel 1:15-16). Eli drew a conclusion about Hannah that was false.

While we would like to think Eli is the only person to ever do such a thing, that’s simply not the case. Sometimes we are just as guilty of making assumptions about people that are not true. Maybe it happens with someone we work with, someone we go to school with or someone we see around town. Sadly, sometimes it even happens within the walls of the church building where we attend. People occasionally come and might be dressed or act a little differently compared to everyone else. When that happens, are we quick to draw conclusions?

Eli made a judgment about Hannah that proved to be inaccurate. Are we guilty of making judgments about people based only on what we are able to see on the outside? Let’s heed the words of Jesus and not judge according to appearances (John 7:24). The person we are making snap judgments about might be going through something we know nothing about. Instead, let’s spend time with these individuals and get to know their true character.

              Happy Mother’s Day!  In Paul’s Wednesday evening class, we have been studying the book of 1Samuel.  Several weeks ago, we studied about Hannah and how she prayed earnestly for a son, and how she would “give him to the Lord all the days of his life” (1 Samuel 1:11)  and how the Lord remembered her and blessed her with a son, Samuel.  We also studied about how Hannah brought Samuel to Eli the priest after he was weaned and entrusted him to the care of Eli to minister to the Lord.   

Then we read in 1 Samuel 2:19 that Hannah would make for Samuel a little robe and take it to him each year.  Sometimes we read right past this verse and don’t really take the time to think about the magnitude of what Hannah has done.  Imagine the faith and the strength that Hannah had to pray, to the point of weeping, for a son, and then leave him with the priest when he was a small child.  The love that she had for Samuel was no doubt strong, but her faith in the Lord was stronger.  It is hard to fathom the strength and love it took Hannah to leave Samuel.    

How blessed we are at Walter Hill with so many babies!  The Elders love to hear the cries of the little ones in the auditorium because we know that means the church will have servants and leaders in the years to come.  How thankful we are that we have Mothers that know the importance of children being in the worship assembly.  As we celebrate Mothers today, let’s be especially thankful for the Moms that we have here at Walter Hill and the amount of work that they put into making sure their children know, at a very young age, the importance of worshipping the Lord each Lord’s day.

Connected Through Christ

This weekend our teens are on our annual spring retreat, a time for our teens to get away from the world and focus on growing closer to God.  This year our theme is “Connected Through Christ”.  The goal is to spend time studying how Christ connects us to God, connects us to one another, and how we can connect others to Christ through sharing the Gospel.  It is my hope our teens will leave our retreat encouraged by what Jesus has accomplished on the cross.  Through His death on the cross, Jesus reconciled us to God, established the church, and gave us great news to share with the world.

2 Corinthians 5:21 has become the backbone of our retreat, as Paul summarizes the significance of Jesus’ death on the cross.  It reads, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (ESV)  Jesus is our substitute.  We, as sinners, deserved death – Jesus did not.   Yet, Jesus died taking on the sins of the entire world, giving us His righteousness.

Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross also made it possible for us to enjoy fellowship as brothers and sisters in Christ.  Galatians 3:26-27 is where Paul explains, we are baptized into Christ therefore becoming children of God. The connection we share with one another would be so much less significant if Christ had not made us family.  I am thankful for the way our church family at Walter Hill loves one another and demonstrates to our youth what it means to be a part of God’s family.

What a blessing to share the message of Christ with those who need to be connected to God and His church.

            We live in uncertain times with inflation and its impact on living expenses and retirement accounts. Coupled with rampant immorality and international tensions, we all need something to hold on to – someone in whom we can trust. Everyone reading these words knows who that someone is! Only God Almighty can supply our every need. We all need to pause and heed His words recorded in Psalm 46:10a – “Be still, and know that I am God.”

            It is so easy to focus on the negative news and fail to heed inspired wisdom: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

            There are several scriptures describing how God cares for His people such as Matthew 6:25-33, 10:29-31; Luke 11:9-13; and Ephesians 3:20-21 – to name a few. But a splendid example is given of God’s goodness when He came in the flesh and miraculously fed the 5,000. This miracle is so important because it is recorded in all four gospels – Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:31-44; Luke 9:11-17; and John 6:1-13. Please take two minutes and read this familiar account again.

            I want us to notice four things to encourage us – even in the worst of times. First, God is compassionate and sensitive to our needs. Secondly, no matter our age or our physical or social stature, God can use us. Thirdly, God can use whatever we have to His glory. In this case, five barley loaves – the cheapest bread available – and two “small” fish in God’s hands fed 5,000 men and an unknown number of women and children. Finally, God’s provisions are always sufficient. Everyone’s hunger was filled and there were twelve baskets of leftovers.

            Don’t you believe God understands what we’re going through? If not, let Him know through the avenue of prayer!

by Justin Morton

Each year nearly 10,000 people from across the Southeast assemble at the Opryland hotel in Nashville for the Lads 2 Leaders convention. If you are not familiar with Lads 2 Leaders, or L2L, this annual event is held at nine different sites throughout the United States and focuses on leadership and service training for young people.

Several of us were blessed to watch as participants boldly and courageously stood before large groups and led songs, gave speeches, participated in puppets, answered Bible Bowl questions and debated the topic of human life beginning at conception. All of our students who participated represented Walter Hill well! If your child or grandchild is not involved in L2L, will you consider investing in this wonderful program? L2L offers many different ways to be involved, even if one cannot attend the yearly convention. More information about Walter Hill’s plans for next year is coming soon.

For now, let’s just say thank you! Thank you to the parents who supported and encouraged their children to participate. Thank you to the volunteers who helped our young people prepare for their different events. Thank you to Scott and Heather Miller for being our L2L coordinators. And thank you to all the young people who participated: Maizie Bailey, Josie Cooper, Will Cooper, Emma Dickerson, Charlotte Foster, Ian Foster, Ryan Foster, Halaina Harris, Izzy Jernigan, Katie Jernigan, Dylan Knox, Tyler Lancaster, Kate Lykins, Robert Lykins, Kayla Miller, Josh Miller, Eli Mitchell, Ella Mitchell, Caden Morton, Cameron Morton, Elijah Phillips, Jacolby Rainey, Danek Smith, and Zoie Smith.

We are so proud of each one of you. We cannot wait to see what Lads to Leaders 2024 teaches us about serving our God and our church family!