Bethel Colony of Mercy

Sr. Pastor Paul Ritchie

Paul's Pen

^{When our daughter, Shirley, was just a little
girl when we would try to help her she would respond with; "I do
it." She wanted to be independent and do it herself. Like Shirley,
many Christians think they can "do it" on their own. We do all we
can do only to find that it is not enough. The Apostle Paul speaks
to this issue in Galatians 3. He calls the Galatians foolish for
having been saved by faith and then trying to live by the law, by
"I do it". They couldn’t do it and we can’t either. If we could do
it, Jesus wouldn’t have gone to the cross. If we could do it, God
wouldn’t have sent His Holy Spirit. He would’ve said; "Go do it."
Many have been trying to do it for years and still can’t do it.
We’ll never be able to do it. John 15:5 tells us that without Him
we can do NOTHING, but thank God, Philippians 4:16 says we can do
ALL things through Christ who strengthens us!}

In Isaiah14, we read the account of Lucifer who had a spirit of self-importance. He thought he no longer needed God. That is a temptation for us today. The more capable we are, the more we think we don’t need God. That is the spirit of self-dependence and it will cause us to fail. God expects us to come to Him like little children. A little child is dependent on his parents, not independent. He is humble. He’s not trying to impress anyone with all he can do. And, he is teachable; eager to learn. In fact, a child learns more in the first 4 years of his life than he will learn in the whole rest of his life. We need to be like little children and come to God dependent, humble and teachable. The Scriptures refer to us as "little children". Look to God as one of His little children. Let Him endow you with His gifts of the Spirit. Only God is the great I AM; the self-sufficient One.

Be careful of success. It can ruin you. Romans 11:29 tells us that the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. There is no plan B. God only has plan A - His plan for your life. It’s His plan - not yours. It’s His cause - not your cause. It’s His future for you - not yours. He has a plan for your future and it’s better than anything you could ever dream of for yourself!

The gifts God has for our lives are to enable us to meet the needs of the calling He wants to put on our lives. If we’re not available we’ll never know what His calling is. God has a calling for everyone of us. We can’t meet it without Him. We can’t do God’s work in the power of the flesh. Many young preacher boys have said to me; "I feel so inadequate to do God’s work." Praise God! That’s exactly when He can and will use us. If you feel adequate to do God’s work then He hasn’t called you. You’ve decided for yourself - "I do it". And, it won’t work. It never has worked and it never will. In Genesis we read where God provided the ram of sacrifice for Abraham and Isaac on the mount. It’s His provision. It’s not our provision. God will provide the necessary gifts to fulfill the calling He has put on our lives. (Romans 11:29)

We must walk in His enabling power. It’s His power that takes us beyond ourselves. When we are in control of our lives, He is not in control. Again, we can do ALL things through CHRIST who strengthens us - not in our own strength.

Too many of us want to be saved by faith and then live by the law. "I do it." "I do it." You can do nothing of yourself but you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. If the Spirit of God is not in control in your life then the flesh will be. (Galatians 5:16) It will move in just like water fills a hole. The flesh or the Spirit will be in control - you can count on it. How can He be in control if you never spend time with Him? Spend time with the Lord. Fellowship with Him so that you can discover what wonderful gifts He has given to you to enable you to fulfill the calling He has placed on your life.

We are approaching the time when many of us make New Year’s resolutions only to be disappointed because we do not have the wherewithal to do what we have resolved to do. This Thanksgiving we need to be thankful that God has gifted us with exactly what we need to do what He has called us to do. The greatest gift given is new life in Jesus Christ. After that He gives good gifts to His children to fulfill His calling. All good and perfect gifts come down from the Father of lights - not from Santa Claus. What gift has He given to you and what does He want you to do with it? Allow His Holy Spirit to empower you to fulfill His calling on your life.

Homecoming Success

This is the day the LORD has made.

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Sing to the king Who is coming to reign!

Bill Howington, 1953 graduate of Bethel, shares a testimony of God’s grace in his life. Bill has been faithful to the LORD and to Bethel since his graduation. What a testimony to the power of God!

He calls me to His banqueting table; His banner over me is love!

Dr. Billy Martin

Homecoming and Bible Conference speaker

To hear Dr. Martin's Homecoming message.....click here

Dr. Martin's Conference messages:
60 Minutes And Then Payday
Balance The Books
Significance Of The Insignificance
The Grace Of God

Bethel’s students singing under the direction of Mrs. Eldora Ritchie (Mama El)

Counseling Corner

Reverend Don Loss

Holiday Loneliness

Soon Thanksgiving and Christmas will be upon us. The holidays can be a time of joy or a time of brooding. Some will succumb to the latter and come under a cloud of loneliness. In reflecting upon their circumstances, a person may say to themselves; "Why does the Lord our God do these things?" Jeremiah 5:19.

You may even share Jeremiah’s emotion of despair. "Woe to me, my mother, that you have borne me". Or, "Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable which refuses to be healed? Will you surely be like an unreliable stream as waters that fail?", as Jeremiah cries out to God.

Oh, my friend, I know some of you will be tempted to voice Jeremiah’s words as you reflect on the loss of, rejection of, or abandonment of a husband, a wife, children or parents during the coming holiday season. Or it may be for financial or geographical reasons that you cannot be with your family and loved ones. This can be the time when your brooding sprouts up and breeds further loneliness, self-pity and depression.

Beware that by feeding these negative emotions they will "give place to the devil". (Eph.4:27) And when the devil has you in this place he will then take you further into the ‘Slough of Despond’ by the means of alcohol, drugs, or prescriptions to diabolically attempt to alleviate your loneliness and pain.

Now let me suggest a remedy for this diabolical plot against you. Understand first of all that the Lord cares for you. He knows that there will be times when you will be sad or lonely. We read in the Scripture that we should come to Him when we are feeling this way. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matt.11:28) "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you." (Psalm 55:12)

You can come to the Lord in prayer asking Him to relieve the cloud of loneliness and to comfort you. James 4:2 says; "You have not because you ask not." You can pray for your heart’s desire for fellowship with your family. Nevertheless, concede to the fact that it may not happen and accept it. Once you accept your circumstances, you are no longer bound to a disappointing situation beyond your control to change. Your emotions are then set free to focus on more positive things.

I suggest you use the time to give the Lord thanks for His goodness. "Oh, that man would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness!" (Psalm 107:8) Maybe find a place to get away that you can lift up your loved ones to the Lord. Maybe there are grievances that you have against your loved ones that you need to ask God’s forgiveness for. You will be surprised how the Lord will minister to you when you do this.

Some of you have been so self-centered that you need to confess this to the Lord. Being self-centered in itself is a problem. It is all focused on what I want, isn’t it? Ask the Lord to show you where to give of yourself this Thanksgiving and Christmas season and not to be consumed with being a taker. Let love flow out of you even in the most disappointing event that you may experience.

What about praise?! Dig up some praise music and listen to it. It will lift up your heart and subdue the spirit of loneliness.

Think about getting out of the house. Go somewhere that will lift your spirit. Visit a friend that loves the Lord; one that can encourage you and pray for you. Maybe you need to seek out a church or return to church for fellowship with the body of Christ if you have been neglecting that.

Lastly, remember to celebrate the Savior during Thanksgiving and Christmas. "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matt. 6:33) Remember that our fellowship is not only with one another, but "...truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ." (I John 2:3) Make it a priority to give thanks to the Lord during Thanksgiving. And during Christmas, give praise to the new-born King of kings who has come to give you life. (I John 5:12) Set your eyes on Him and you will not be disappointed.

During the holidays do not mope in sadness; rather; hope in gladness.

Paul and Eldora Ritchie,

the Staff, & Students

Thanks for praying for us . . . Let us pray for you

Bethel Colony of Mercy is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, gifts to which are deductible as charitable contributions for Federal income tax purposes. Financial information about this organization and a copy of it’s license is available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at (919) 733-4510. The license is not an endorsement by the State.

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