On Sunday, February 5, the morning service of Mount Calvary Baptist Church was dedicated to recognizing and honoring the Scouts of Dillon County. This day was chosen to coincide with National Scout Day. In honor of this special day, the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts of Dillon County helped lead the 11:00 worship service.
The Scouts handed out bulletins and collected the tithes and offerings. They led the congregation in saying pledges to the United States flag, the Christian flag and the Bible. The groups then recited their Cub Scout and Boy Scout pledges. A few of the young men acted out a skit. Then, Blake Tyler, Preston Johnson, William Allen, Pierce Watson and Jackson Powers sang, “I’m in the Lord’s Army” and “He is Lord”.
Pastor Greg Hyler preached from Matthew 5:1-5 about how to have a blessed life. He shared that being blessed means to have a deep joy, and an inner blissful satisfaction. The blessed life is something that can only come from God. It is given as a grace of God. It cannot be lost once it is received. Verse 3 states, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” To be “poor” refers to someone who is crouching down and begging, and speaks of one’s desperate need and absolute dependence on another. Only humble people who understand their unworthiness before God may experience the blessing of God. Only those who understand their spiritual bankruptcy are able to experience the blessed life. The poor in spirit know they cannot fix themselves, so they turn to Jesus. Verse 4 states, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Mourners understand their sinful condition. They are mourning over their sin and desire to change. Only those who are convicted over sin and are desperate to be rid of sin may be blessed. Mourners turn to Jesus to take their sin away and to give them a new life. Verse 5 states, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Meekness and weakness are not the same. Meekness is power under control. The meek are blessed because they have surrendered. A blessed person is one that has submitted to the Lordship of Jesus.
God wants to bless you. You may receive the blessing of God only through salvation offered by Jesus. He is the only one who gives joy, peace and rest. If you desire to have the blessing of God, this is a prayer to help you: “God, I am a sinner. I am not worthy of you. I am sorry for the sins I have committed. I believe Jesus is you Son; He died for me, and is alive today. Jesus, I ask you to take my sin away. I surrender to you. Please take over my life and make me a new person. Amen.”