O my Lord, Let not my ministry be approved only by men, or merely to win the esteem and affections of people; But do the work of grace in their hearts, call in thy elect, seal and edify the regenerate ones, and command eternal blessings on their souls. Save me from self-opinion and self-seeking; Water the hearts of those who hear thy Word, that seed sown in weakness may be raised in power; Cause me and those that hear me to behold thee here in the light of special faith, and hereafter in the blaze of endless glory; Make my...

O Christ, All thy ways of mercy tend to and end in my delight. Thou didst weep, sorrow, suffer that I might rejoice. For my joy thou hast sent the Comforter, multiplied thy promises, shown me my future happiness, given me a living fountain. Thou art preparing joy for me and me for joy; I pray for joy, wait for joy, long for joy; give me more than I can hold, desire, or think of. Measure out to me my times and degrees of joy, at my work, business, duties. If I weep at night, give me joy in the...

Good morning heavenly Father, good morning Lord Jesus, goodmorning Holy Spirit. Heavenly Father I worship you as the creator and sustainerof the universe. Lord Jesus, I worship you, Savior and Lord of the world. HolySpirit I worship you, sanctifier of the people of God. Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Heavenly Father I pray that I may live this day in yourpresence and please you more and more. Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I maytake up my cross and follow you. Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you willfill me...

Prayers are prophecies. They are the best predictors of your spiritual future. Who you become is determined by how you pray. Ultimately, the transcript of your prayers becomes the script of your life. - Mark Batterson, The Circle Make, p. 14

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Yesterday ended our 2012 Prayer Emphasis Week. It hasbeen a powerful week of prayer. The week climaxed with our first All-Night PrayerMeeting. It started Friday night at 10 PM and went through Saturday morning at6 AM. What a time! Thanks to all of our staff and volunteers. It was a longweek. But you made it happen! Saturday afternoon, I spoke at the Christian EducationsConference for the Progressive National Baptist Convention. I spoke on thePersonal Develop of the Christian Educator. Thanks to Pastor Streeter for theinvitation and opportunity. We held a rally during out Bible...

This is Prayer Emphasis Week at Shiloh Metropolitan BaptistChurch. We are climaxing it with an All-Night Prayer Meeting. Itbegins tonight at 10 PM and will last through 6 AM. The Psalms frequently mention praying to God in the nightwatches. Jesus spent all night seeking the will of the Father. Throughoutchurch history, devout Christians have set times where they have sacrificedsleep for prayer. We are gathering as a church family for a night of prayer tocall on God for a special work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are alsoasking for the favor of the Lord on our church...

Corporateprayer is an expression of Christian fellowship. Therefore, it should be ourgoal that our prayer meetings promote our unity in Christ. Here are tenpractical guidelines that will help us honor the Lord Jesus in our times ofprayer together. 1.    Recognize the appointed leader of the prayermeeting. Look to this person to give direction. 2.    Use prayers that bless, are biblical, and brief(The 3 B’s). A.  Bless: Are others up or torn down? (1 Co. 14:26)B.   Biblical: Does my prayer align itself with theword of God? (John 15:7) C.  Brief: Am I respectful of others who also wantto pray? (Matt. 6:7)3.    Direct prayers Godward. Avoid prayers thatteach,...

Yesterday began Prayer Emphasis Week 2012 at the ShilohMetropolitan Baptist Church. What better way is there to start a new year than in prayer?This week we give ourselves to pray as a church family,seeking God’s face, submitting ourselves to God, and petitions God’s blessingson our disciple-making efforts. Our congregation will pray through prayer guides this weekthat will enable us to be praying about the same things throughout this week. There will be prayer meetings each day this week at thechurch from 12-1 PM. Pastor Carison Adams of the St. Paul Baptist Church inMarion, Indiana, will be our guest speaker Wednesday....

O Source of all good, What shall I render to thee for the gift of gifts, Thine own dear Son, begotten, not createdMy Redeemer, proxy, surety, substitute, His self-emptying incomprehensible, His infinity of love beyond the heart’s grasp. Herein is wonder of wonders: he came below to raise me above, was born like me that I might become like him. Herein is love; when I cannot rise to him he draws near on wings of grace, to raise me to himself. Herein is power; when Deity and humanity were infinitely apart he united them in indissoluble unity, the uncreated and...

I thank you, Lord Jesus, for becoming a human being so I do not have to pretend or try to be God. I thank you, Lord Jesus, for becoming finite and limited so I do not have to pretend that I am infinite and limitless. I thank you, crucified God, for becoming mortal so I do not have to try to make myself immortal. I thank you, Lord Jesus, for becoming inferior so I do not have to pretend that I am superior to anyone. I thank you for being crucified outside the walls, for being expelled and excluded like...

Part of my devotional reading this morning was the following prayer on how to receive reproofs with a godly attitude. It was an "accident of providence" that my reading landing on this prayer this morning. May you find it to be as convicting and encouraging as i have. When I hear of disagreeable things among Christians, It brings an additional weight and burden on my spirit;I come to thee in my distress and make lamentable complaint; Teach me how to take reproofs from friends, Even though I think I do not deserve them; Use them to make me tenderly afraid...

It was a good day of worship and fellowship today at Shiloh. The Lord blessed both of our services today in a special way. We had quite of few guests in worship with us today. Some were special guests - teachers and administrators from local schools. And others who were invited by our members. However, they got there today, I was glad to have them in worship. For the record, a church cannot grow if no guests are attending. When is the last time you personally invited someone to church? Praise God for the one who was baptized today. Our...