Just finished up our third weekend at Briar Ridge, and to me it was one of the best. It’s amazing when God does awesome, and you don’t think it can get any better, and then better comes. This weekend we had one of our smallest weekends to date. We had several that had to cancel due to circumstances beyond their control. We ended up with six kids and 12 overall.
We had a great time hunting with two kills by Sunday morning. One doe, and an eight-point buck. It was a first for both boys as one had never killed a doe, and the other had never killed a buck. Both of the kids were excited and everyone got to see deer this weekend.
The great part came in hearing the messages. Bro. Lance Hobby, a missionary from Lucedale, MS brought the messages and he did a great job relating to the kids as well as the adults. He gave his personal testimony and explained how God has always had a plan for his life as well as everyone else’s. Every message left the kids thinking and there was a lot of talking in the box stands as well as afterwards.
The most important thing he spoke of was having a personal relationship with Christ. What hit my son the hardest was that ‘If don’t know if you’re saved or not, then you aren’t.’ And that is where this week’s blog begins.
Being saved is about having a relationship with God. When you ask yourself if you’re married, then you definitely know whether you are or not. Salvation should be the same. When we ask ourselves if we are saved, then we should be able to answer the question easily. Do you talk to God every day, do you let Him talk to you? Are you living a life that would please Him? Are you letting Him direct your path? In Jeremiah God says that He knows us before we are born. In Joshua, Joshua tells how he has decided that ‘As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord’. Have you realized that God knows more about you than you know yourself? He has numbered the hairs on your head, he knows the intent of our heart. And if you are saved, the Bible says that your steps are ordered by God! You know the Bible is amazing, because every story, every book, every psalm, every word… they all lead you to Christ. They teach us how to live by giving us examples, by giving us laws and precepts, by instructing us in righteousness. What an amazing, loving God, he gave us a book to help us in our day to day lives. But as Bro. Lance said in his last message this weekend, if we don’t open that book, and let God speak to our hearts, well, its just a book. The true secrets to a happy and prosperous life are in a book that most of us already have, but few of us actually study and explore.
I pray that you have a relationship with Christ, I hope you can call Him your Best Friend and talk to Him everyday. But if you haven’t made a decision to follow Christ yet, or you’ve become slack on spending time with Him. I pray that God will draw you into a deeper relationship with Him. I hope you have a blessed week, and if you have anyone that needs to know more about God and that relationship that He wants to have with them, send them our way. And if you may be interested in becoming a part of this ministry, feel free to give us a call and find out how!
Love in Christ,
Briar Ridge
Michael Smith 601-493-3903
Kristy Smith 601-441-3257