Mount Pleasant Baptist Church

“Well, I need to get up.  It is Sunday.  I really do need to go to church,” he thought; as he rubbed sleep out of his eyes. He struggled to make the first move of the day out of his bed. “But then again, why do I have to go?  God is everywhere.  So why can’t I worship Him here or on the lake. I know; I can take the boat and go fishing.  It will be okay with God.  I’ll just talk to Him out in the boat and admire all He has made.” From the heavens, the convicting voice of the Holy Spirit, whispered to him, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is …” (Heb. 10:25a) . That fleeting remembrance of the verse soon left, as the half-slumbering sluggard, drifted in and out of sleep. Minutes later, he again awoke and continued his thoughts.  “Besides, the preacher is not always right anyway.  He thinks the Bible is the only source of knowing God’s way.  Why, it’s just a book, and probably has a lot of mistak...

Daily Nugget: King David felt what others often feel, that the wicked are getting away with their sin. Sometimes it seems like God is nowhere to be found and is not helping the godly in their time of trouble (vs. 1). It appeared to David that the sins of the ungodly were not being dealt with by God. Those rampant iniquities included: persecution of the poor, boasting, covetous, pride, disobedient to God’s commandments, rebellion (vs. 6), cursing, deception, fraud, trouble-making (vs. 7), murder, and ignorant that God would deal with their wickedness (vs. 13). No matter how out of control and rampant the sin is, a prayer can summon God’s intervention (vs. 12). A plea from the humble godly will unleash the judgment and wrath of God on the evilness. God sees what they have done (vs. 14), and He will be the helper of those that are weak. He will stop the attacking of the evil ones. “The LORD” is king no matter what is happening around us. He is always in charge even though it m...

Daily Nugget: All, especially God’s own, should praise the Lord for His goodness. This ancient Hebrew song did just that; it bragged on God. David made it clear to others: What marvelous things God had done in his life (vs. 1). How God protected the King (vss. 3-8) and how the unsaved should fear the mighty power and righteous judging of their Creator. The Lord is a safe place and protection for all (vss. 8-10, 13). God does not forget the pleas of those in desperate need for protection (vs. 12, 18). That the ungodly will reap the consequences from the sin they sow (vs. 13, 15-17, 19-20). Today’s Christians have a similar responsibility to tell others about how God works in personal lives, and how he watches over His own. If we do not tell them, who will? Because of so many Christian’s silence on praising God for what He is doing the world knows little of how God is working in lives today. Perhaps that is why so many cry there “is no God” because they have not heard a...

Daily Nugget: The purpose of good godly music is to glorify God, not the singer or the flesh, as so many modern Christian songs do today. This ancient Hebrew hymn does just that; it glorifies God. Psalm 8 puts many of God’s accomplishments to music in: Verse 1, 9: God has done more than any man has ever done. Verse 1: He has made beautiful Heaven higher than our skies. Verse 2: God has protected His own. Verse 3: God has made the celestial bodies. Verse 4: Yet with all God has made, he has put man, that He also created, of great importance. God has: Verse 4: Allowed His son to come to this Earth for a great purpose. Verse 5: Although man is not as important as angels, God has given him great responsibilities and respect. Verse 6-8: God has put man in charge of His earthly creation. Today’s Thought:  The difference between God and man is God gives, gives, gives, and forgives, while man gets, gets, gets, but still forgets. — Author Unknown Words to Understand: E...

Daily Nugget: In the previous Psalms, King David made it clear that no one got away with sin, and if they did commit trespasses, the righteous Judge in Heaven would deal with their iniquity. In this song, the king is confessing to God that he expected to be judged similiarly if he violated any of God’s commandments. Verses 3-5 shows David’s examination of his heart. He told God that if he had done wrong to those that meant him no harm he did not expect any special treatment from God. He assumed the Lord would not protect, and that the enemy would do its worst to him (vs. 5-6). So often many want God to be hard on another sinner, but somehow give themselves a “get out of sin card” and not face God’s fair judgment. David was saying, “What is good for the goose, is good for the gander.” Expecting God’s stern and firm judgment for our iniquities will help keep us for sinful error. Realizing that we deserve God’s hand of discipline in our lives will also help us be more compassionate...

Daily Nugget: King David knew himself quite well. He knew he let God down many times. The leader recognized that he deserved nothing from His Lord but rebuke and chastisement (vs. 1). Knowing what he deserved, the king pleaded for God’s compassion and kindness to overlook his weakness and errors (vs. 2) and to deliver him. The spiritual, mental, and physical battles (vs. 3, 4) David fought were devouring and tiring him (vs. 6). He was weary of all the hours and nights he thought and struggled over the obstacles he faced. Again, no matter what he faced and what troubled him, he knew that he would be victorious. He was confident that God heard his earnest pleas (vss. 6-8) and that God would deliver him from the worrisome challenges and trials. Today’s obedient Christian should also have that type of confidence. When God knows that we are relying on Him and sure of His giving us the victory, we can have the same peace the King had. Our tears and earnest pleas will not be for...

Daily Nugget: Again, David found himself having to deal with the onslaughts of an ungodly enemy. He knew the only way they could be defeated was with God’s help. The king had the Lord on his mind as he meditated (vs. 1) on the situation during the day. We see that he desperately cried out to the Lord (vs. 2.) and prayed to Him in the morning (vs. 3). As much as David was troubled by his adversary’s sin, he knew that God was aware of their iniquity and would not tolerate it. Their foolishness (vs. 5) and dishonesty (vs. 6) would also be dealt with. All the trouble that surrounded the leader would not alter his faithfulness to the Lord. He still worshipped the Lord and was waiting on the Lord to make His will clear to David (vs. 8). There may have been chaos surrounding him, but he had peace within. King David shared his faith and confidence with others that may be in a similar predicament. He encouraged them to “rejoice” and to be joyful as they would see their mighty Protecto...

Daily Nugget: As King David experienced, most of our problems are caused by or from interactions with others. David’s antagonists twisted around the accomplishments he was proud of and made them look shameful. The good he did was not relevant to them. Their main concern was about things that were not important and lying was not beneath them to get what they wanted (sounds too much like many of our politicians today). “O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.” Psalm 4:2 As vocal and vicious as were those that opposed his ideas and victories, David had a way to battle their accusations and attacks. The king knew, no matter what distress he was facing, none was anything God could not defeat, and the way to summon God’s help was prayer. It was clear to the leader that He was set apart for God’s use. The Lord’s help and mercy would allow him to accomplish God’s will. As devious and deceptive as the en...