Thy Rod & Thy Staff
Nondenominational Church
A place to serve, not sit.
What We Do
Church Purpose
Our purpose at our Bible base church is to get people to be like Christ and turn from that which is contrary to Him. We would like very much to lead others to make Christ the foundation of their lives. We would like to show Jesus as a faithful friend, a loyal companion, as someone who will stand by our side when no one else will.
As a body of Bible based Christian believers, we see our whole purpose as doing the will of God so that His Spirit might be manifested in our midst. With His hand we hope to convince others that Christ is our Lord and Savior. We want to show that if we trust in Him, He will very clearly show us that He is who He claims to be.– a Provider who can supply whatever we need whenever we need it under any and all circumstances, a Physician with no limitations in His healing power, a Counselor with infinite understanding and wisdom. We would very much like to reflect Christ in our midst as the Good Shepherd (Psalms 23 and John 10:1:18), as the one and only way to God, our Father in heaven.
Consequently, our Bible based churches goal is to get others to see the love of God and act accordingly. Undoubtedly God wants us to do His will but He wants it to be done out of love. God wants us to serve Him not because we have too but because we want too. God wants us to serve Him because we see Him as He is. He wants us to do His will because we see that doing His will is for out good. This is the purpose of our church and the platform on which it stands. We want to weld together a body of believers who love Jesus Christ so much that they want to be just like Him.
What Jesus Did
‘Settling in on Death’s Necessities’ – Mark 16:1
Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body.
Key Thought
Death brings with it harsh realities. The physical absence of the person who died and the decay of the physical body are two of the harshest. The women in today’s verse were doing what was expected and what was necessary when a loved one in Jesus’ day died. At the time, people showed their honor and respect by preparing the dead body properly. When people we love die, there are necessities that have to be handled. As difficult as these necessities are, they help reinforce that the person is gone from us. Our emotions settle in on the absence of that person and all that it means. The toughest reality about grief is that the only way past it is to go through it. Though not ready to give up Jesus to death, these women did what was necessary — both for the dead body and for their aching spirits — by preparing to take care of the body properly.
Today’s Prayer
O Father, to lose a loved one is so terribly difficult, especially for those who have lost loved ones to death during this time of year. Please give your blessings and sustaining grace through this time. Help us to take comfort and find hope that victory and reunion await those who belong to Christ. Give those who are mourning strength and courage to hold on to that hope — a hope that is ours because your Son came to earth as one of us, died as one of us, and was raised as the first of us to permanently defeat death. For this victory, I thank you. In Jesus’ mighty name, I pray. Amen.
Related Scripture Readings
Ⓒ 1996-2024 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent. What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.