This page has various series of Daily Devotions that the Staff and members of Second Baptist have written and shared. These devotions have been for both specific times – Christmas/Advent and a January Bible Study – as well as for general encouragement and hope. 

January Bible Study

Understanding our Gift

The following devotion was originally written in 2015 by JD Bowen. Our church has been greatly blessed by his faithfulness over the years. His is an enduring legacy and the short devotional below is a symbol of how he has ministered to so many.

As a Christian have you ever asked yourself; “What is my gift?”

Perhaps the works of others has made you feel inferior or lacking in capability. Let’s stop and think about this. First, consider what instructions are given by our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus gave us a clue in His sermon on the mount. This is what we know as the Golden Rule.

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Matthew [7:12]

This speaks loudly about our relationship with our fellow man. Think about it – we are to reach out to others with a helping hand rather than wait for them to reach out to us. He is saying take the initiative wherever there is a need including within the church and in the world. Consider this is in Luke [10:29]-37

Jesus defines who our neighbor is by telling the story of a man going from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves. As he lay helpless on the roadside, two religious men, a priest and a Levite, who failed to minister to him, but along came a despised Samartian who ministered to him. Jesus asked “who then is the neighbor?” The answer, of course, is the Samaritan who ministered.

Jesus tells another story that reveals more clearly the spiritual side of ministering through good works. In Matthew [25:31]-46, Jesus describes the separation of the righteous from the unrighteous. The criterion for judgment was their ministry to Him. Those who were on the right had ministered to Him were congratulated and rewarded. Their reward was the kingdom prepared for them. Their response was total surprise. They asked, when did we see you hungry and gave you food, was thirsty and gave you drink. “When did we do all this to you?”

His answer was equally shocking. He said, “I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” What a wonderful surprise. However, let us not think that Jesus is saying that works saves us. We do good works because we are saved. Paul reminded us that we do good works because we are saved. His word to the Ephesian church in his letter is very clear about this.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:8-10

As born-again children of God, let us have the attitude Isaiah had after hearing the Lord say, “whom shall we send, and who will go for us?” Then Isaiah said, “Here am I! Send me.”

Are you ministering as you should? There is much work to do through your church and the world about you. What are you waiting for?



Close to Home

Have you ever had one of those weird coincidences that just makes you wonder? Today’s devotion is a result of just such an occurrence – which I just had.

I have been reading the Gospel of John for a few months as part of my personal Bible study. With this on my mind I wrote a devotion that you will have an opportunity to read in a few days. The focus is on John the Baptist and his surrender to serving God.

Knowing that we needed a devotion for today I stopped some of the work that I was doing and grabbed one of my daily devotion books and turned to today’s date. The devotion you will read below is dated for the day in which I am writing; August 6, and I read this following the devotion which I wrote and will be published on August 11.

John the Baptist knew who he was and what he was called to be. “I am not the Mesisah; I am sent before him. It is the groom who has the bride. The groom’s best man waits there listening for him, and is overjoyed to hear his voice. That is my joy, and it is complete. He must increase, while I must decrease.

Who am I? What are my reasons for wanting to go on living? What are my goals, dreams, desires, aspiration? What is stirring, moving, surfacing in my soul? In a broad stroke of the brush, I would say, paraphrasing Thoreau, that as the hour of my particular sunset approaches, I would be appalled to discover that I had died without having lived.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Philippians [1:21]

The above devotion was taken from Reflections for Ragamuffins, by Brennan Manning. If you would like to join a 10 day reading plan for these devotions please visit https://my.bible.com/reading-plans/1015-ragamuffin-reflections-from-brennan-mannin



Making Bricks

Genesis 11:1-9
3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

While studying for our Kid’s Church lesson for the following Sunday, I stumbled across this verse. I know I have read it many times, but it hit me like a ton of bricks (Get It!).  Come, let’s make bricks, the Holy Spirit and a resource on the internet, noted that the people making the Tower of Babel were making their own bricks.  What a visual that brings to my mind, people covered in mud and clay with straw being thrown into a pit, while constantly stomping up and down in thickening mire.  The more they stamp and churn the more the more difficult the task becomes.

Have you been there, are you there now? That feeling when you get up to go to church or serve in a position, not for the pure joy of serving your Lord, but churning your bricks in the mud pit of obligation with a pinch of pride thrown in. Those pits are hard to get out of once you have tromped yourself a gigantic rut.

There is hope!

In Genesis [20:25], it says ‘If you make an altar of stone for Me, you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your tool on it, you will profane it.

The Lord never asks for altars to be built by human hands. He has done all of the work. All He asks from us is to use His created gifts to present His Message. It is His altar, He provides the sacrifice, (Gen.22:9-12) all we must do is receive.  No work of our own hands, just hearts with a heart for Him. When we are directed in the center of God’s Will, there is a freedom and joy that is totally liberating.  Like a deep breath of complete rest.

Let us place our “All On His Altar” today.

Jackie Gillespie



Simplicity

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish,
but have everlasting life.

Several years ago my husband and I
had the privilege of attending the Billy Graham Crusade when it came to Jacksonville,
Florida. As I sat there, in awe of just even being there, I was anxious to hear
a deep profound message from the great Rev. Graham himself. The evening did not
disappoint. However, I was surprised at how simple the words were. John 3:16. A
verse I’ve known since…forever. (Hey, I’m a preacher’s kid.) His gift of
salvation is FREE. Why do we try to complicate this? Over the years I’ve often
been reminded that what God desires of us is just that: simple.

    -Give thanks.

    -Do not fear.

    -Love one another.


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A Call To The Church

II Chronicles [7:13]-14  If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

What if we had said 6 months ago that something was going to happen that would shake up the whole world.  That would dramatically slow down the rat race.  We would have said that would be impossible.  And yet it has happened.  

And what has been our response as Christians?  As those who are called by the name of Christ?  We are shouting at people in social media, and hoarding supplies.  Perhaps buying guns.  Some of us are defiantly demanding that things go back to normal.  Demanding that we have our rat race back!

We are given this opportunity to humble ourselves, and seek God’s face, and turn from our wicked ways.  This scripture does not say “Everyone on earth” should do these things.  It says If MY PEOPLE WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME.  We as a church have access to a power that can make a difference and we are so tied up in the world that we are not seeing it. 

God help us to see our current situation through Your eyes and respond according to Your will!

Harriet Bowman



Faith and Obedience: Day by Day

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James [2:26]

A memory I have of doing baptisms in Northern Nigeria is one of doing some of the secret or hidden baptisms which we had to do from time to time to avoid people being attacked during a baptismal service. We would find a secluded stream and then post lookouts on one or two nearby hilltops who could observe the surrounding area while we conducted the baptism. We would climb down through the grasses and bushes into the stream and find a place deep enough to do the baptism. Then after sharing from scripture and having a prayer, the ones to be baptized would enter the water and wade out to me. We would then allow them to publicly profess their faith and baptize them. Usually the witnesses would be only 10 to 15 in number to avoid drawing too much attention. On one occasion a service similar to this was conducted by some of our Nigerian friends in a nearby state and it somehow was found out about. An attack occurred and one of the newly baptized men was killed there by the river in which he had just been baptized.

Baptism doesn’t save us. Scripture is clear on this. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). However, following Jesus’ example of being baptized is very important. If it wasn’t important, He would not have commanded His disciples to baptize new believers (Matthew[28:19]). So why baptize? Why would these Africans risk death to follow through with baptism? It is a public physical statement of the change which a person has gone through as he has died to his old self and is resurrected as a new person in Christ. An outward example of an inward change, as one old pastor used to say. It is also one of our very first acts of obedience to Christ.

Following Christ is all about faith and obedience. We begin with baptism. Then we grow in our faith and we learn to follow Christ’s teachings in all areas of our lives. If we are living in disobedience, yet we claim to be a follower of Christ, where is the truth in that situation? As James said, faith without works (obedience) is dead (James [2:26]).

The point of this little devotion today is this: Are we walking the walk of faith or are we only talking the talk of faith? Let us always strive daily to be sure we are walking the walk of faith and obedience in all areas of our lives for His glory.

Clint Bowman



The Boat Sanctuary

But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. Psalms 3:3

I was studying for a lesson in Mark
4:35-41. You probably recall the story of sleeping Jesus in a boat with His
disciples and a storm came up suddenly and He calmed the storm with His
command.  So while doing some research on
the subject, I ran across an article that talked about cathedral architecture.
Just as I was going to click back because the search engine had pulled up
something I thought was totally unrelated, it caught my attention.  The article said that churches during the
middle ages were constructed with a rectangular sanctuary with a curved ceiling
to remind their worshippers of the fact, that first century Christians in
hiding had their churches under large boats. 
That the curved ceilings with the large columns represented the spars of
the boat, so it was an homage to those who had to resort to worship the Lord in
hiding for fear of persecution. Never saw that before!


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