Stop Looking for the Ram Caught in the Thicket
Darrell Powell (adapted)

God commanded Abraham, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of..." (Genesis 22:2). So Abraham set out to do God's will, and he came to the place and said to his servants, "Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you..." (22:5). But, just as Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son, the angel of the Lord called out to him, "Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me..." (22:10-12). Just then, Abraham saw a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. He offered it up as a burnt offering to the Lord, and then he named the place "The Lord will provide" (22:14).

God had given Abraham instructions on how he was to worship Him. Abraham was then bound to that command, and it was only when God Himself amended it that it could go undone or be altered in any way. After God changed His command, He provided an alternative sacrifice to take Isaac's place. But without God's authorization, Abraham by no means could have altered his worship.

I fear that today many are busy searching for the "ram in the thicket" rather than accepting the will of God. People seem to be ever ready to change God-authorized worship. They are looking for what they feel is a "better" or "more spiritual" way to worship. They want to take "the fruit of our lips" (Hebrews 13:15) in song, and add mechanical instruments and/or hand clapping. They want to partake of the Lord's Supper less frequently so that it will not "lose its meaning."

I urge you to stop looking for the ram caught in the thicket. No longer will God change His instructions for worship. His Word, which contains "all things that pertain to life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3), has been "once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). It is complete, and will never be changed again. "Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man" (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

We thank God for each of our mothers. May He bless them in all that they do.
Happy Mother’s Day

Calendar Revisions
Please note the following:

There will be NO Visitation Team “A” meeting today.

The May Home Devotional scheduled to be hosted at the home of Lawrence and Rita Bauer this coming Saturday (15th) , has been rescheduled for the following Saturday evening, May 22nd.

The monthly Home Devotionals have been cancelled for the summer months of June, July and August. However, we are still in need volunteers to host the devos in the months of September, October and November. There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the foyer.

Restored
Brother Jeff Cox came forward last Sunday morning confessing sin and asking for the prayers of the congregation. We rejoice with the angels in Heaven at his response to the gospel and pray that we may be an encouragement to him and he to us, as we continue the race that is set before us.

Graduates
We offer our sincere congratulations to High School graduates John Paye, Amanda Thompson and Bryan Walling. We pray that God will bless each of them as they enter the next phase of their lives and that they might continue to look to Him for guidance in all that they may do.

NOTE: There will be an “Open House” in honor of J.P. and Amanda this coming Saturday, May 15th, from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Auburndale Women’s Club. All are invited.

The apostle reminds us, "No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous." But that's not all of the story, "nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." Don't overlook the afterward!

Don’t forget the weekly prayer session in classroom #3, each Sunday evening at 5:30 p.m.