Valley View Baptist Church

Ruth and Naomi decide to return home. When they get back to Bethlehem, they are swarmed with people amazed to see them. They had returned home, right back to where God wanted them. In essence, they had returned back to the center of God's Will. Things are about to happen, and God is about to bless, in ways that never would have been possible had they not been in the middle of God's Will.

Are you struggling with finding God's Will in your life? Perhaps you know what God's Will is, but you are afraid to give in and follow it. Just like with Ruth and Naomi, when you are living in God's Will, He will always make a way for you! Where God guides, He will provide!

Finding God's Will for your life is not easy. But we often find that actually following God's Will is harder because of fear. There's fear of failure, fear of inability, fear of making the wrong decision, fear of coming up short. In essence, we do not trust God to take care of us once we follow His Will for our life!

Learn from Ruth and Naomi. Find God's Will, follow it, and watch as be provides handfuls of purpose on your life!

Just before Jesus ascended into Heaven, he left one, last commandment for the Apostles. To go and preach the Gospel all over the world, to every creature. That commandment didn't have an expiration date. It's still a commandment for us today. Take the Gospel to every creature all over the world.

But, do you take it seriously? Does your church? When is the last time that you bowed your head in prayer specifically for a missionary?

Tonight Pastor Justin showed us how God intends for us make missions a major priority of our church and our heart. But how can we? And what would it mean for the Kingdom of God?

Naomi had spent ten long years away from Bethlehem. A lot has changed in those ten years. Her husband and both of her sons have died. One of her daughters-in-law has left her. Only Ruth remained by her side. They had received word that the famine was over, and Ruth and Naomi make the decision to return home.

The city moved around about them, amazed to see Naomi return home. But she's different. She's changed. It's been a hard ten years, and Naomi asks them to no longer call her by her name which means pleasant and beautiful. Instead she wishes to be called Mara, which means bitter.

Instead the city welcomed them back home, back where God was, back where she belonged, and refused to call her Mara.

Isn't it comforting to know that God will welcome us back home the exact same way!? When we've been living in the world, and the hard living has taken it's toll, and we finally return home to God He opens His arms, and welcomes us back home!

Tonight we had a visiting missionary from Argentina, Bro. Shawn Bateman, and his family join us to present their work and preach a soul-searching message on Christian Service. Bro. Shawn presented to us three women (two of which were widows), who served the Lord where they were with what they had. One served with her prayer life, another served with what little money she had, and the third served by serving others.

Ask yourself, how are you serving God? Just serve where you are with what you have, and God will acknowledge it.

If you would like to follow Bro. Shawn and his family on their mission journey, you can find his blog at https://batemansinargentina.com/

Mother's Day means different things to different people. For most, it's a day of joy, honor, and happiness. For others, it's a day of sadness because their mothers have passed away, or because they long to be parents themselves but are unable. Some find themselves facing the struggle of motherhood along. Some juggle one or two or even three jobs to provide for their children. Whichever group you find yourself in, we want to wish you all a happy Mother's Day, and pray that God would provide you that which you need today.

This morning we celebrated Mother's Day by taking a

look at one of the Characteristics of a Godly Mother. In 2 Kings we find what the Bible calls "a great woman." This was a woman who was barren, blessed with a child for her dedication to the man of God, and faced the death of that boy she had waited so long for. She was a Godly woman, a faithful woman, who knew what it was to have God's Grace poured out on her.

Regardless of which category of mother you find yourself in this morning, or perhaps you're not a mother, or your children have grown and moved on, may this message be a blessing to you today. Take these truths and apply them to your life to become "a great woman."