« The Ozark Letter – July 2008 | Main | The Ozark Letter – September 2008 »
The Ozark Letter – August 2008
By MMCG.ORG | August 1, 2008
AUGUST GREETINGS: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13
A Publication of the Mid-Missouri Church of God
August, 2008
Volume XII, Issue 8
The Ozark Newsletter
Lake of the Ozarks
For those followers of the puzzle that is usually on the last page of this newsletter, did you have a problem with July’s puz-
zle? What about the word rebel? I think that we had an E and I transposed in line four of the puzzle.
Summer is definitely here! And August is the month that youngsters either dread or look forward to, depending upon how
much they look forward to going back to school and/or seeing their friends again. I hope that you have had an opportunity
to enjoy this summer. In Missouri, we are blessed (???) with the four seasons and I, for one, do look forward to the change
in the seasons. We had lots of rain in the spring, but not as much as many of our neighboring counties and states. The
counties in the northeastern part of Missouri were late getting their crops planted; therefore, will be later with their harvest.
Locally, they have just started baling the hay and normally, they start baling around Memorial Day and anticipate a second
cutting – not so, this year. Are you concerned that we are using corn, a major food product, to produce ethanol in order to
power our vehicles? In the state of Iowa, ethanol is ten cents cheaper to purchase than the regular gasoline, but your vehi-
cle won’t get as good gas mileage. What has happened to our common sense?!!!!
We want to mention again that Mid-Missouri Church of God will be sponsoring a Feast site at their Eldon location. Hank
and Ruth Weinmeister are the coordinators and can be reached at 573-392-0915. A block of rooms has been reserved at the
Heritage Inn just outside Eldon. Call 573-392-2100 to make reservations and mention Hank Weinmeister’s name to get the
discounted rate of $69 plus tax. Since other groups will be keeping the same dates, you are encouraged to make your reser-
vations as soon as possible. We will be having some of the same activities that we have had in the past, but are open to sug-
gestions if you have any new ideas or if you want to volunteer your services in any way. The theme this year is “The Sec-
ond Coming of the King of Kings”. Check the website for a tentative schedule and you can also register on the website if
you plan to attend with us. csh>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.
2008 HOLY DAY CALENDAR
• Sept. 30—Feast of Trumpets (Tuesday)
• Oct. 9—Day of Atonement (Thursday)
• Oct. 14-20—Feast of Tabernacles (Tuesday-Monday)
• Oct. 21—Eighth Day Festival (Tuesday)
Coping With Trials by David Hines
Reprinted from CHURCHLIGHT July/September, 2007
Did you ever feel like, “Why me Lord? What did I do to deserve this? Or like you are the only one who is under fire?” You
might say to yourself, “If only I could be more like that other person who never seems to have any problems, life would sure
be a lot easier then.” Unfortunately trials come to everyone, not necessarily the same trials. Everyone is different and there-
fore God allows difficult trials to befall us all because He knows we will all react or respond differently to various trials. Why does God allow us to undergo various trials? What exactly is God’s purpose for this? In 1 Peter 1:6-9 notice Peter’s
advice, “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various
trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be
found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love
Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” We might say that is easy for Peter to say because he
isn’t going through what we are, but on the other hand, we did not undergo Peter’s trials.
Acts 5:40-42 reminds us of the trials Peter experienced, “And they took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they
flogged them and ordered them to speak no more in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way
from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every
day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”
Peter and the disciples were being beaten by their own countrymen for preaching the gospel, but they did not say, “O God,
why me God, what did I do to deserve this? Instead they were rejoicing and considered it worthy to suffer for His name. In
spite of all his trials, Peter rejoiced.
In 1 Peter 1:17, Peter stated “even though tested by fire.” Proverbs 17:3 states, “The refining pot is for silver and the fur-
nace for gold, but the Lord tests hearts.” God allows us to undergo various trials to see how our faith will stand up. To il-
lustrate the phrase, “furnace for gold”, reflect upon how a goldsmith puts the ore in the furnace and it gets hot. It has been
said that when the goldsmith can see his own reflection in the gold, he knows it is ready to be poured into a mold of his
choice. Can God see His reflection when He looks at us when we are undergoing fire? It is easy to be Christlike when
things are going good, but what about when trials come and we are under fire? Do we maintain our Christlike attitude or
begin doing something unchristian?
If God cannot see a reflection when He looks at us under fire, how can He be expected to mold us into what He wants us to
be? Certainly something to think abut. So Peter used the illustration of the gold being refined by fire. That is something
the people of that culture would be very familiar with. The reason being to result in praise and glory and honor and the
revelation of Jesus Christ. Our very salvation depends on our faith to be able to endure various trials and to be molded and
changed by them to become more Christlike every day.
Jesus Himself said “he that endures to the end is the one that will be saved.” Does that mean we are on our own, must pull
ourselves up by our bootstraps and rely on our own strength to make it through trials? The writer to the Hebrews quoted out
of the Old Testament when he wrote “for He himself has said, ‘I will never leave you, nor will I ever forsake you” (Hebrews
13:5). So we have God’s promise that we are in this together and He will help us through. In fact, Solomon wrote in Prov-
erbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge
Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Many times when trials occur even Christians become depressed. Sometimes to the point of staying away from a fellowship
which is the very thing that they need. The writer to the Hebrews 10:25 said, “do not forsake the gathering of yourselves
together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” At times
like this, fellowship one with another is important.
Also, when trials occur, many times we don’t feel like reading God’s Word. And yet fellowship with our God is needful.
James wrote in James 4:8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…” When we read God’s Word, we are re-
minded of God’s promises and that is encouraging when things sometimes look so bleak in our lives.
What did Jesus do when tempted by Satan? He appealed to God’s Word for the answer to each temptation thrown at Him.
If He is our example and we are to walk even as He walked, we should be doing the same. Jesus also took His requests to
God the Father in prayer. Philippians 4:6 reminds us, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Page 2 The Ozark Newslet ter Volume XI I , Issue 8 Page 3 The Ozark Newslet ter Volume XI I , Issue 8
We must also remember God has a purpose in our undergoing trials. In Romans 8:28, it reminds us “that God causes all
things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” We often com-
plain about how this can possibly be for our benefit, but we must learn to surrender to God’s will. Even as Jesus said, “not
my will but Thy will be done.”
Just as we know what is best for our children, our heavenly Father knows what is best for us – His children.
We must remember that God knows each one of us very well and even knows how many hairs are on our heads. If He
knows us that well, He knows just how much we are able to bear.
1 Corinthians 10:13 reminds us, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who
will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that
you may be able to endure it.” That is a great promise. So we must trust God for strength also and rely on His power to
carry us through various trials.
Another promise is in Isaiah 40:29-31, “He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power.
Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain
new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become
weary.
When we think that we can’t go on, we need to allow God to give us the strength to go on. A good text to remember is, “I
can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phillipians 4:13).
We do not need to rely on our own finite power, which we know will fail, but to rely on the infinite power of our God.
Isaiah 41:10 encourages us, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will
strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
If we sometimes question why God allows these various trials in our life, we can imagine that we have our own business
and have to leave for a business trip and must leave someone in charge while we are away. Can we trust our business in the
hands of those new employees we just hired or a high school friend we helped because they couldn’t seem to hold a job? Or
do we put those in charge who have proven themselves to us under fire in the heat of the battle? If we would put those more
tried and tested in charge of our business, don’t you think God would also be more willing to put those who have been tried
and tested in charge of His business – that is – His Kingdom?
When we look back on how God was betrayed by Satan, the one called Lucifer, star of the morning, doesn’t it make sense
He wants to be sure of our loyalty to Him? After all, we have the opportunity for a pretty lofty reward ahead of us.
Revelation 10:4 reminds us, “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the
souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who
had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they
came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” We have an opportunity to rule with Christ Jesus for a thousand
years. That is a pretty grand reward for our various trials. Romans 8:18 states, “For I consider that the sufferings of this pre-
sent time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
In order to cope with trials today, first of all we must rejoice. To think that God would consider us worthy to suffer for
Christs’s name, not worthy of our own selves, but through Christ’s blood, that has to make us rejoice.
Next, we must remember the fire is there for a reason. God is the goldsmith and we are the gold. He must turn up the heat
so He can see if His reflection is visible in us so He can mold us and make us the way He wants us to be. We must rely on
God for we know He will never leave us nor forsake us.
Our fellowship and encouragement of the brethren and fellowship with God through His written Word can be beneficial for Page 4 The Ozark Newslet ter Volume XI I , Issue 8
us to be reminded of His promises for us. God has a purpose in all this and we need to acknowledge God’s will be done,
not ours. He also knows what each one of us is able to bear and will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear,
but will also provide an escape so that we may endure it.
We must remember the reward – the promise to rule with Christ for a thousand years and also Paul’s words in Romans 8:18,
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to
us.”
In summation, “As the diamond cannot be polished without friction, so the Christian cannot be perfected without trial.”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.
M O S E S K D S L B
G N L Z K C I W A U
S O H C I R E J C R
N E L F B P D V W I
G U E P T U D R J E
O B E N T N U O M D
Z A U H S O J C U T
J O M G U M L M K E
P R O P H E T L O J
P F S D N A L B I K
MID-MISSOURI CHURCH OF GOD
PO Box 92, Eldon, MO 65026/mailing address. Street address is: 602 East North Street. Phone: 573-392-1232 or 573-498-3775;
Email: todd@craigcomputers.com Website: www.mmcg.org The Mid-Missouri Church of God (MMCG) holds Christian
Sabbath services each Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at 602 East North Street, Eldon, MO… A Bible Study and song service is scheduled
at 10:30am before Sabbath services. Potluck meals after services are planned for the fourth Sabbath of each month. A weekly
Bible study is held each Thursday at 6:00pm. It is best to call ahead and confirm times if you are traveling any distance to visit us
(see the phone numbers above). Occasionally we will cancel local services to attend en masse elsewhere. Come and enjoy the fel-
lowship! Also, the first Wednesday of each month the ladies meet for a “get together” and you can contact Martha Roberts at
573-496-3203 or Charleen Gitthens at 573-392-5965 for location and time if you plan to attend.
WORD LIST
BURIED
DIED
JERICHO
JOSHUA
LAND
MOSES
MOUNT NEBO
PROPHET
SEE
WEPT
The Death of Moses
(Deuteronomy 34)
Topics: The Ozark Letter | Comments Off
Comments are closed.