About The Jenkins County times. (Millen, Ga.) 2023-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 22, 2023)
jenkinscountytimes.com The Jenkins County Times Wednesday, November 22, 2023 - Page 3 A Seed From The Sower -Michael Guido An unhappy skeptic said to Benjamin Franklin, “The Constitution is a mockery! Where’s the happiness that it guarantees?” “My friend,” said Franklin, “it only guarantees the pursuit of happiness.” Our word for happiness can be misleading. The “root” hap means chance. Human happiness is dependent on the chances and the changes of life, the “things” that we consider to be the daily events or circumstances of life that come and go without warning. On the other hand, consider the beatitudes given to us by Jesus. They are not about some hope for a future or blissful state in heaven. They are for the now which belongs to the Christian at this moment in our lives. The way the beatitudes are written assures the Christian of the power of God to change us and others, the joyous thrill of His presence, and the hope of life with Him. The word blessed that is used in each of the beatitudes is a very special word. It describes a joy that has its secret within itself- a joy that is peaceful and untouchable and self-contained. It is a joy that is above and beyond and independent of all the circumstances of life. It is a joy that comes from God Himself. “No one,” said Jesus, “will take your joy from you!” The world cannot take away the joy that comes from and through Christ. Walking daily with Him, and “doing” the beatitudes assures us of a joy that no one or nothing can disturb. Prayer: Give us, our Heavenly Father, a peace that passes this world’s understanding, a joy that comes from Your presence, and hope that assures us of our home with You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. Scripture For Today: God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be nappy about it! Be very glad! Matthew 5:1-12 TAKE AWAY William Waters Help visitors find you! List your church in the directory for six months $60 or one year $120 Call: (912) 451-NEWS or 478-401-5007 T-Th-F Do you need to add, remove, or change any information of your listing in the church directory? Give us a call or email me at: deb.jctimes@gmail.com \Vek-oim* to CtiniY^ East Burke Baptist Church Sunday Services 11 a.m. Pastor: Jordan Clayton Hwy 24 Sardis, GA Please call 706-526-1733 for more information. Green Fork Baptist Church Pastor Jesse Sadler (Phone Number: 850-843-6102) Worship Opportunities: Sunday Sunday School 10:00 a.m. Morning Worship 11:00 a.m. Evening Worship 5:30p.m. Children's Choir 5:30 p.m. Wednesday Bible Study/Prayer Mtg 7:00 p.m. Millen Baptist Church Come join us!! Morning Worship 11AM Sunday School 9:45 a.m. 219 N. Gray St, Millen, GA 478-982-5411 Pastor Brad Asbury pastorbradasbury@gmail.com Millen Methodist Church Morning Worship 11AM Sunday School 10 a.m. 413 N. Gray St, Millen, GA 478-982-2664 Pastor John Drake For questions about our services, please email us @ millenmethodistchurch@gmail.com Oak Hii i Baptist Church Sunday School: 10 a.m. Sunday Morning: 11 a.m. Wednesday: 7 p.m. Adult Bible Study - Young Adult Bible Study Youth Group - Team Kids 3233 Oak Hill Church Rd., Millen, GA Pastor: Joshua Johnson 478-982-1616 www. oakhillmillen. com Scarboro Baptist Church 4204 Scarboro Church Loop Millen, GA 30442 706-466-4494 Pastor: Perry Hearn Sunday Worship: 11:00 a.m. Due to the fire, this will be our service time until further notice. Trinity Episcopal Church 4401 Country Club Rd, Statesboro, GA Sunday Eucharist 8:15 a.m. and 10:30a.m. Father Charles Todd, Rector Jonathan Murphy, Music Director. 912-489-4208 www.facebook.com/TrinityEpiscopalStatesboro Hvwn Hiltonia Trinity Church is seeking a part time pastor to leaoour church and preach God’s word. Send resumes to: s4hand(a) / yahoo.com This section is a complimentary service for Jenkins County ana surrounding area churches listed in the Church Directory. We will mn your church news for two weeks. Email announcements to thejenkinscountytimes@gmail.com or drop them off at our office Tuesday, Thursday or Friday at 425 Hwy 25 S., Millen, GA. Our deadline is noon on Fridays for the following week. Words of Encouragement By Joshua Johnson, Special Contributor for The Times Pastor Oak Hill Baptist Church, Millen “How to Have a Quiet Time” I believe that the most important thing that followers of Jesus can do every day is to have a quiet time. When I use the phrase “quiet time” what I mean is the time that you set aside every day to draw near to God through bible reading and prayer. In this article, I want to encourage you to have a quiet time, give you very practical advice to help you have a fruitful one, and help you to recognize the importance of spending time alone in God’s presence daily. Why is it so important to have a quiet time? God tells us in His word, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4 : 8) I have a daily quiet time because I must! I must be close and near to God or I will fall, and I will fail. If God doesn't keep me, I cannot keep myself. So I rise early in the morning and draw near to God, asking for His presence. His protection. His blessing. His leading for the day that He has given me to walk in. □ □ What are the things that you need to have a quiet time? The first thing you need is time. You can set your schedule for the day, or you can react to the day as it comes. All of us have enough time during the day to set aside time for a quiet time, and if we don’t, we need to reprioritize our lives. Two pieces of advice about when to have your quiet time: One, give God the best time of your day, the time when you are at your best mentally. Two, early in the morning is better than late at night. Jesus got up early to have a quiet time with His father. If you wait until nighttime, you will find that other things eat away at your time you allotted, and then you will be too tired and may fall asleep. You will need a quiet place for your quiet time - a place where you are alone with God and are not distracted. You will need your Bible to have a quiet time. We need to be reading God’s Word daily, deeply, devotionally, and systematically. You need a prayer list or a prayer book (I use the “Valley of Vision” puritan prayer book) for your quiet time. Prayer is talking to God and listening to Him. A prayer list or prayer book helps us begin to pray, teaches us to pray good prayers, and helps us stay on task while praying, keeping our minds from wandering. You need a pen or pencil, and a notebook while having your quiet time - so that you can write down anything that God brings to your mind to pray for, to search out more, or think deeply on. One additional thing that will help you have a good quiet time is devotional (I use “Streams in the Desert”). The final piece of advice I can give to you about a quiet time is, “Just do it!” You have to start somewhere, and may I just encourage you to start with 5 minutes a day? Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good!” If you will spend 5 minutes every day with God, I promise you that you will want to spend 5 more minutes with Him, and eventually you will get to the point where you don’t want to get up from your quiet time and start your day. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you! EXCITING WORSHIP^ Oak Hill Baptist Church 3233 Oak HU Church Rd, Mllen,G/\ 30442 Download Oak Hill Church APP Today! ^ Joshua Johnson, Senior Pastor j ADVERTISE SE H TRUSTED SOURCE
