Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 February 16, 2014 Newsletter Number 452 Brother Randy Johnson, Pastor Brother Ronnie Henderson, Song Director Pastor E-Mail: pastor@sgmbaptist.com Web Site: www.sgmbaptist.com "Where The Truths Of God’s Word Have Been Taught For More Than Fifty Years”

You Were Asked To Pray For: All of Our Military, Their Family’s & All the Civilian Workers in The Middle East, Zee Mink Fuller and Family, Her son’s Bryan Armstrong and Hunter Hackie, Daughter Shannon, and Brother Philip & Sondra Thornsberry, Johnnie Stephens, Alecia Stephens, and children, Junior Baldridge, Frankie Baldridge and daughter, Buckie Thompson, Frank & Sonya Trusty, Frank & Dawana Reigel, Andrew Preston, Larry & Martha Mollette, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kerry Pennington, Kim Poole, Danny & Nita Mollette, Robert Riggs, Wendell Henderson, Judy Dunn, Martha Gray, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Ronnie and Sarah Henderson, Ronnie Henderson Jr. & Children, Ricky Henderson and Family, Jacie Henderson, Velma Hammond, Charles, Don Hammond and Families, Archie & Barbara Griffin, Bro. & Sister Bob Keller, Mary Ramsey, Donna Johnson, Fay Johnson, James and Luann Reynolds, Timothy and Nathan Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jerry Hughes, Sister Nita Bookout, Teresa Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Janie Capps, Imajo Tracy, Linda Hughes, Roy Lemmon, Rosie Tomlin, Pat Abercrombie, Donna Jones, Dale Trahan, Ricky and Margaret McCoy, Brother David O’Neal, Diane Thomas, Gina Peel, James and Lynn Tomlin, Brother Kelley and Sister Hinson, Robert, Megan Whitaker, Manual Seymour, Sr., Brother Jerry and Sister Jean Dodson, Brother Curtis Pugh, Brother Dan Sullivan and the work in Thailand, Brother Raul and the work in Romania, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

From Our Pastor: What Does Adoption Mean?"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." Romans 8:15 The word " adoption" means - the placing as a son, that is, figuratively Christian sonship in respect to God - We see God use this word several times in the scriptures in respect to the saved on earth. With this thought in mind, we ought to be blessed in heart beyond degree. That of all Gods creation He elected to make us; the most blessed in creation; His own children! There is no doubt as to who are the adoptive children of God; it is the saved and them only. One cannot just cause himself to be adopted, one cannot just choose to be adopted, you must have had "Spirit of adoption". This means you must have been delivered by the Holy Spirit and everyone whom He attempts to deliver, He concludes that deliverance because He never fails. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." verse 14. If one goes into an orphanage to adopt a child the child does not choose the parent and say "I choose you take me home" no more than those in the world orphanage does. The wanting parent chooses his child, and then the child becomes as though they were a birth child and the child even has holding rights to their riches as a though they were a natural child. Once the child is chosen then the courts deliver the child to the new parents. Well for the Christian the Holy Spirit is the deliverer as though a woman gives birth to a child the Holy Spirit "births" us where then we cry "Abba, Father." This is what it means to be Adopted by God.

For Our Weekly Meditation: Words in Season (Part 6)"My times are in Your hands!" Psalm 31:15 Then I am sure that they will be wisely ordered. You have all power in Heaven and in earth; you are acquainted with the end from the beginning; everything is subject to your control, and the future to you is as the present; therefore there can be no mistake in your purposes — no imperfection in your plans. "My times are in your hands!" Then I will not be anxious nor distressed about the future. Varied may be the times which I have yet to experience — times of sorrow or joy; of poverty or plenty; of sickness or health; of life or death; but I can calmly leave them to your disposal. I cannot foresee the events which your providence appoints — but I can wait and trust. The period and the manner of my departure hence are unknown to me — but I am free from all solicitude on these points, because you have arranged them for the best. "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits" Psalm 103:1, 2. How animating is the sight of an aged Christian, who is rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, and furnishing, by daily conduct — a bright example to others of cheerfulness and gratitude! His life is a psalm of thanksgiving; his happy look and thankful spirit fill his home with sunshine, and cast their radiance on all around him. It is impossible to be long in his society, without feeling gladdened and invigorated by it. You can scarcely tell why — but you feel less disposed to complain, and more inclined to rejoice, than you did before. Your own path seems to grow more hopeful and promising; you are reminded of mercies, which you had hitherto forgotten; and the troubles which you thought so heavy, insensibly grow lighter. The fact is, that for a time at least, you have caught his spirit and imbibed his tone of mind. A lovely instance of real and sustained cheerfulness was the late justly celebrated William Wilberforce. "A stranger might have noticed that he was more uniformly cheerful than most men of his time of life. Closer observation showed a vein of Christian feeling, mingling with and purifying the natural flow of a most happy temper; while those who lived most continually with him, could trace distinctly in his tempered sorrows, and sustained and almost childlike gladness of heart — the continual presence of that peace which the world can neither give nor take away. The pages of his later journal are full of bursts of joy and thankfulness; and with his children and his chosen friends his full heart swelled out ever in the same blessed strains; he seemed too happy not to express his happiness; his song was ever of the loving-kindness of the Lord." Everything became with him a cause for thanksgiving. When some of the infirmities of years began to press upon him, "What thanks do I owe to God," was his reflection, "that my declining strength appears likely not to be attended with painful diseases — but rather to lessen gradually and by moderate degrees! How good a friend, God is to me! When I have any illness, it is always so mitigated and softened as to give me scarcely any pain. 'Bless the Lord, O my soul.' What thanks do I owe to my gracious and kind Heavenly Father!" And so, when one of his friends had passed through a painful operation, "Seldom," he says, "have I felt anything so deeply. How thankful should I be to be spared such trials, my strength not being equal to them! I humbly commit myself unto Him who surely has given me reason to say, Goodness and mercy have followed me all my days!" Aged Christian, do you sympathize with these feelings? do you share this thankfulness? do you manifest this gladness? "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace." Every allowance must be made for natural temperament. Some people are naturally optimistic and cheerful; others are naturally gloomy and desponding. But, in either case, the promises of the gospel, if simply believed and heartily appropriated, cannot fail to gladden the heart and influence the conduct. And it is no less our duty than our privilege, to "rejoice in the Lord always;" to "show forth his loving-kindness in the morning, and his faithfulness every night;" to "be thankful unto him, and bless his name." We must cultivate this joyous and grateful frame of mind; we must strive by meditation, practice, and prayer — to acquire or to strengthen it; for we ought no more to dishonor God by our unhappiness and unthankfulness — than by our unholiness. The weakness and the infirmities of old age sometimes tend to depress our spirits and dim our hopes. Therefore let us be upon our guard; and instead of giving way to discontent and despondency, let us count up our mercies, and look more steadfastly on the bright side of things; and as often as we do, this sadness will be chased from our brow, and the self-exhortation to praise will burst from our lips: "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." By: Anonymous