No Worries; God Cares

Cast all your worries to God!

Today's Scripture:

Give all your worries to him, because he cares about you.

1 Peter 5:7

There will be times in life when you feel that no one cares and no one is listening. It can hit you in a crowd at school or standing next to your family or friends at church. It isn't out of the question to feel lonely even when you are not alone. In those moments it is crucial to set your thoughts on what the Bible says rather than be drawn in by the emotion of loneliness.

Often it is worry that drives you to isolate yourself. Pulling away from God and from people who could support you is a natural reaction to pain and difficulty. Paul addressed this type of situation in his letter to a group of very discouraged Christians. Those people were being threatened, beaten, imprisoned, and even killed for believing Jesus was the Son of God and the eternal King. They felt abandoned by God. Paul urged them not to submit to circumstances and emotion, but to remain confident in the truth they had heard and witnessed.

Paul went on to say that it is the enemy, Satan, who wants to destroy faith with worry and isolation. The truth is, God loves you. Any worry you have is a concern to him. As I shared with one of my members yesterday via text;

You can safely hand over your worry to God and be absolutely confident he cares.

What we call "letting go and letting God." Despite what the enemy would like you or others to believe, you are not alone. The worries that threaten to overwhelm you will never overwhelm God.

Selah people' and friends lighten your load of worries by sharing them with the ones who love you. Start with the One who love you most ~ God. Give him what is getting you down.

"Peace be your guide as you toss all your worries into the hands of Christ."

Your pastor,

Rev Muston(PreacherPatrick) Via mobile at Mount Olive College ~ Go Trojans!

Jesus Is Alive!!!

Celebrate today Jesus is Alive!!!

Today's Scripture:


He is not here; he has risen from the dead.



Luke 24:6





Several women who had followed Jesus during his ministry got up very early in the morning on the first day of the week and, carrying the spices that they had prepared, went to place where he had been buried. When they got there, the large stone that covered his tomb had been moved to the side and the tomb was open. The women looked for Jesus's body, but it was gone. Jesus was no longer there. The women were frightened. Had someone stolen Jesus's body?





Jesus is alive. A majority of the religions in the world center on a divinity or a person who is no longer alive. Not only is Jesus alive, but he was raised from the dead. Jesus came to earth to save you from being permanently separated from God. If the story ended with Jesus's dying to save you, he would be just another dead god. But it doesn't end there. He came back to life. You have the ability to be in a relationship with the living God.





Instead of simply knowing God, you can know God personally. Think of God as you think of your best friend. A best friend is someone you can trust, someone whom you can share your hopes and dreams with. When you have questions or problems, a best friend is there to listen and to give you guidance. Your relationship with God is a special friendship.





Like any good relationship, your relationship with God will grow as you spend time with him. Spending time with God is possible because he is alive.

Join me as we celebrate a living Savior!




Selah people' and friends please take time as you read the blog to remember that only living things grow. Keep your relationship with God alive. Water and feed it with prayer and Bible study. Take time each day for prayer...that time where you just share with your best friend~ Christ!

"Peace be with you and yours as we grow closer to our living Savior."



Your pastor,





Rev Muston(PreacherPatrick)

Someone is There for You

Are you a helper? Know that you have one with you always...

Today's Scripture:

The helper will teach you everything and will cause you to remember all that I told you. This helper is the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name.

John 14:26

Jesus promised the disciples that he would not leave them alone and abandoned once he was gone. He told them he would ask God to send a Helper to his disciples. Although they would not be able to physically see his Helper, called the Holy Spirit, they would be aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit showed up just as Jesus had promised when the disciples were praying together. The Holy Spirit filled them with the energy and the abilities they needed to teach and preach about God with confidence.

The Greek word for helper is parakletos. It is "someone who is called to one's side of one's aid," a counselor, an advocate, someone who pleads another's case before a judge." The Holy Spirit is continuing what Jesus started.

Guidance, wisdom, authority, protection, and comfort all come from the Holy Spirit to you.

The Holy Spirit is the source of your ability to study and understand the Bible. The Holy Spirit is the comfort you receive from God when you walk through the difficult times in life. The Holy Spirit is that internal nudge you feel when you hesitate to do something you know God wants you to do. I speak of this often at Selah in my messages for I like you and Jonah...you know from the Whale tale; was a hesitant preacher. I wanted to help and to preach but to be a pastor full time, for a growing church? I thought I could not do it and be a husband, father and manager of a pickle company, but God made a way and had a Helper in the Holy Spirit that was and is there for me. The Holy Spirit is the quiet voice inside that assures you and guides you when you commit to living according to God's design.

Selah people' and friends you have all probably had the opportunity from the sidelines of life to be a Helper to others. Perhaps they were younger or less knowledgeable on something and you had their back and helped them to reach another level. If you yourself have not experienced the full capacity and momentum you desire in and for your own spiritual life, ask God today to reveal more about his Holy Spirit.

"Peace be with you and I as together we pray for spiritual growth and come in a closer relationship with the Holy Spirit." Remember he is your Helper sent by God!

Your pastor,

Rev Muston (PreacherPatrick) Via mobile laptop ~ VW Jetta -Mount Olive, NC

God's Gift of a Smile...

Today's Scripture:

We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.

Daniel 9:18

As I finally sit down this day and take time out for devotion I reflect back on a very busy and eventful week. Several people close to both my family, our Selah family and in my Mt.Olive Pickle' family experienced the loss of loved ones. I had the chance to visit with several others both in the hospitals and homes and still others in temporary homes as they heal from various sickness and conditions.

As a christian and a pastor I feel those obligations and longing to do all the right and perfect things and to speak and listen and pray in perfect Joel Osteen or Billy Graham fashion, but that is not how our days and weeks unfold. When you've done everything you can to be everything for other people and you still feel disappointed and perhaps it is not enough to make God happy; that my friends is when we've miss his point. That brothers and sisters is when we find out that none of can be as good as we think we need to be...ever.

As I read of the appointments the President-Elect Obama has planned to make of both Senator Hillary Clinton (Secretary of State) & New York Federal Reserve President Tim Geithner(Secretary of Treasury) I noticed how it has taken a team of lawyers and analyst to help them decide if they are good enough and if they can manage the jobs or tasks before them. Do we drag our feet this same way and try to measure where we are at before we accept his grace?

If only, when God smiles and says we are saved, we'd simply salute him, thank him, and live like those who have just received a gift from the commander in chief.

We seldom do that, though. We prefer to get salvation and forgiveness the old fashioned way: We try to earn it. To accept grace is to admit failure, a step we are hesitant to take. I see a Mixed Martial Arts clothing line that plays on Christ ability not to give up...they imprint there shirts and merchandise with "JesusDidn'tTap.com" taken from the idea of to "Tap" or "submit" to something is being a quitter or failure. You and I often opt to impress God with how good we are rather than confessing how great He is. We dizzy ourselves with doctrine. Burden ourselves with rules. Do you think all that we've done to stay on track will make God smile on our efforts. He doesn't!

Selah people' and friends God's smile is not for the healthy hiker or marathon runner who boasts that he made the journey all alone. It is instead, for the crippled leper who begs God for a back on which to ride. Choose today, like myself to humble ourselves and ask God to give us a lift. Perhaps if He has already uplifted you and you are feeling that surge from His Spirit pick up another who is down and as you do it you will pass on the Smile that He intends for us all to share.

"Peace be with you as you accept the Gift of God's Smile."

Your pastor,

Rev Muston(PreacherPatrick)

First Things First...

Have we made the Grade? It's not too late to make a change!

Today's Scripture:

Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Matthew 6:33

God has structured the world such that if you focus your attention on the things that really matter, you also get the good things that don't matter as much. On the other hand, if you focus on the not-so-important things, you miss out on the important things, and you might not even get the less-important things you were shooting for.

Think of it this way: say, instead of actually learning the material for your biology test, you cram the night before to get a decent grade. Maybe you do make a decent grade, but the next test builds on the last one, and it's even harder to make a decent grade on that one than on the first.

The more you focus on your grade, the harder it will be to make the grade...and you probably will not have learned very much.

On the other hand, if you had been focusing from the start on what really matters ~ on learning biology~ you would have found good grades to be a natural by-product of your knowledge. You would enjoy biology and enjoy the good grades you had earned as a reward for your hard work.

That's how all of life works, not just biology class. As you focus on the things of God, you will find that the other good things you've been seeking ~ friendship, love, the respect of your peers, security, self-esteem ~ will begin to fall into place. I know many of you are hanging in there for Thanksgiving break...cling to God and his ways and all the other details will work themselves out.

Selah people' and friends what have you been seeking before the kingdom of God? Give that over to God; let him give you those things in his way ~ as a by-product of a life lived for him.

"Peace be with you as look to God to help you truly make the grade. Grab someone, anyone...and hug them and tell them just how much God loves them!"

Your pastor,

Rev Muston(PreacherPatrick) Mobile ~Headed to Chapel Hill

Offer Someone Forgiveness

We can all live happily ever after!

(Note: Don't throw stones as our scripture is a little longer than normal)

Today's Scripture:

"Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.

John 8:5-7

Jesus found himself in a tricky situation. A woman was caught breaking the law. According to the law at that time, the punishment was death by stoning. A crowd of men stood around with rocks in their hands, waiting to throw them at the woman. Jesus didn't have a rock. Here is the tricky part - this was a setup, not for the woman, but for Jesus. If Jesus picked up a rock and helped stone the woman to death, he would prove he was just like everyone else. If Jesus didn't throw rocks at her, he would be in trouble for not following the law.

Jesus came up with an alternative and taught tow important lessons in this one situation. By asking for anyone free of sin to throw the first stone, he pointed out that no one is perfect. As the mob surveyed their lives, they realized they had sinned at one time or another. Eventually everyone dropped their rocks and left. Then Jesus talked to the woman. Jesus offered her forgiveness.

The same two lessons apply to you and I today. You have the opportunity to treat people better than they deserve when they get caught doing something wrong.

Love and forgive other people when they make a mistake or mess up.

Jesus is the role model for doing what is right.

Selah people' and friends you can offer forgiveness instead of judgment; the choice is up to you. In your relationships with friends, your classmates, those we work with our your spouse or other family members this is critical to happy and growing relationships. Try to see every situation from the other person's perspective, and remember, no one is perfect.

"Peace be with you as we grow in Christ and learn to forgive others. Choose today as new beginning and go out and share the love of Christ with all you come in contact with...yes even the ones who have done you wrong."

Your pastor,

Rev Muston(PreacherPatrick)

I Will Love You Forever

Today's Scripture:

Long ago the Lord said to Israel: "I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.

Jeremiah 31:3

When God's chosen people turned away from him, God sent Jeremiah as a prophet or messenger. God's people had forgotten and neglected God's love. Through Jeremiah, God faithfully promised to restore his people once they turned their affection and attention back toward him.

Whom is your messenger sent from God to direct you? Know for sure that even today God uses many was to get his message to us.

God placed in your heart a desire for pure, everlasting love that only he can fill. The love of a good mom and dad is a tiny sample of the nurturing love of God the Father.

When you meet and marry Mr. or Miss Right, their love will give you a glimpse of the intimate love of God.

The love you feel for others is a taste of how God feels about you. But none of these come close to the extent of God's love for you. People will always let you down and no matter how close you are it can't compare to how close and pure God's love is for you. Even when you turn away from God, his everlasting love draws you back to him. Do not be afraid to allow yourself the blessing of being loved. That is what is heavy upon my heart to share with you and others today as I type this message.

Falling in love can be an intense experience, especially in the beginning. You can be swept away in the wonderful emotions that fill your heart. God is constantly calling you back to the moment you first realized his love for you. God's love, like his character, is unchangeable. He can't love you any more or any less than he has before; his love for you is perfect and complete. God draws you to himself with an everlasting love that will never die.

Selah people' and friends God's love is the love you have been looking for. I know your thinking ~ Patrick I'm looking for Love but I'm not sure this is what I was looking for. Trust and turn to him to fulfill your heart's desire for true love. Allow yourself to fall in love with God and He will show the to true love. He can even help direct that Mr. or Miss Right into your path because you know He's got the power of Love!

"Peace and Love be with you and I as we seek the true Love of Christ forever."

Your pastor,

Rev Muston(PreacherPatrick)