Are You Thankful for Your Leaders?

As you approach the Thanksgiving holiday and pause to consider all God’s blessings, are you thankful for your political leaders? ALL your political leaders?

In 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Paul challenges us to make it a priority to pray for our political leaders (“for kings and all who are in authority”). He uses four distinct words for prayer: entreaties, prayers, petitions, and THANKSGIVINGS. We are to be thankful for the leaders God has set up to rule over us. The leaders of whom Paul spoke in his day were those of the Roman Empire. They were immoral, brutal, and corrupt, soon to bring great persecution upon the church. Yet Paul exhorted the church to offer God thanksgivings for them.

We are to be thankful for all our leaders, regardless of party or ideology. This becomes easier when we remember they are established by God (Romans 13:1; Daniel 2:21) and are God’s servants (Romans 13:6).

We should be thankful for the order our government and its leaders provide as opposed to the chaos and disorder that would result in their absence.

We should be thankful that God is in control and has a purpose and plan to work out through the leaders He has put into place.

We should be thankful for how God is working in the hearts and lives of leaders and pray they would turn to Christ and grow in their walk with the Lord.

We should be thankful for Christian leaders who take a stand for the truth and pray they will have a tremendous testimony for Christ before those they serve as well as their colleagues.

As you take time for giving thanks, please remember to be thankful for the leaders God has placed over our communities, our state, and our nation.

Pray for Interim Committee Meetings & Bible Studies

Every month our legislators gather in Charleston for three days of interim committee meetings. Each lawmaker is assigned to one or more committees in order to work on various issues throughout the year.

In these meetings they deal with a variety of topics, many of which will be taken up during next year’s regular session.This month's interim meetings will be held on November 15-17.

During the interim meetings, Capitol Commission provides Bible studies for our legislators and elected officials at the capitol. Our studies for this month entitled "Final Thoughts on Treasuring God's Word" from Psalm 119:10 will be held on Tuesday, November 16.

Please pray for our legislators as they gather for these meetings:

Pray for safety as they travel.

Pray for them as they take this time away from their families and jobs.

Pray for them as they deal with many issues important to our state.

Pray that our Bible study and other aspects of our ministry will be a challenge and encouragement to our leaders.

You can learn more about the legislative interim committee assignments and meetings at the West Virginia Legislature web site.


You can download the complete study HERE.

Interim Bible Study: "Final Thoughts on Treasuring God's Word"

From next week's interim Bible study at the West Virginia state Capitol:

"How can we begin to treasure God and love Him more deeply? We can do so simply by looking at the cross of Christ. It is at the cross we see God’s absolute holiness and hatred of sin. It is at the cross we are reminded of our own wretched sinfulness and the fact that there Jesus bore the wrath and punishment for our sin. In so doing we cannot help but grow in love and affection for Him."

Read or download the complete study HERE.

Pray for God to use His Word to impact hearts and lives at the capitol next week.

Pray for Our New West Virginia Legislators

We will have 21 new lawmakers serving in the West Virginia Legislature beginning with the regular session in January. Please pray for these leaders as they assume new positions of leadership:

West Virginia Senate

David C. Noe - 3^rd (Pleasants, Roane, Wirt, Wood Counties)

Ronald F. Miller - 10th (Fayette, Greenbrier, Mercer, Monroe, Summers Counties)

Mark Wills - 10^th (Fayette, Greenbrier, Mercer, Monroe, Summers Counties)

Gregory Tucker - 11^th (Clay, Fayette, Nicholas, Upshur, Webster Counties)

Making the move from the House to the Senate:

Robert Beach - 13th (Marion, Monongalia Counties)

Orphy Klempa - 1st (Brooke, Hancock, Ohio Counties)

West Virginia House of Delegates

Erikka Storch - 3^rd (Ohio County)

Ryan Ferns - 3^rd (Ohio County)

Brian Savilla - 14^th (Mason,Putnam Counties)

Rupert Phillips, Jr. - 19^th (Boone, Lincoln, Logan, Putnam Counties )

Marty Gearheart - 24^th (Mercer County)

Joe Ellington - 25^th (Mercer County)

Rick Snuffer - 27^th (Raleigh, Summers Counties )

John O’neal - 27^th (Raleigh, Summers Counties )

John Pino - 29^th (Clay, Fayette, Nicholas Counties ) (Del. Pino is returning to the House)

Erik Nelson - 30^th (Kanawha County)

Harold Sigler - 35^th (Nicholas County)

Denise Campbell - 37^th (Pocahontas, Randolph Counties)

Amanda Pasdon - 44^th (Monongalia County)

Anthony Barill - 44^th (Monongalia County)

Gary Howell - 21^st (Minera County l)

Larry Kump - 52nd (Berkeley, Morgan Counties)

Erik Householder - 56th (Berkeley, Jefferson Counties)

We look forward to ministering to these new leaders as they serve in Charleston.

Let Christians Vote as Though They Were not Voting

John Piper at the Desiring God Blog posted a great article which will challenge us as believers to consider our priorities when it comes to politics and elections. He reviewed Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 7:29-31:

The appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:29-31)

Dr. Piper goes on to share:

...So it is with voting. We should do it. But only as if we were not doing it. Its outcomes do not give us the greatest joy when they go our way, and they do not demoralize us when they don’t. Political life is for making much of Christ whether the world falls apart or holds together.

...So it is with voting. There are losses. We mourn. But not as those who have no hope. We vote and we lose, or we vote and we win. In either case, we win or lose as if we were not winning or losing. Our expectations and frustrations are modest. The best this world can offer is short and small. The worst it can offer has been predicted in the book of Revelation. And no vote will hold it back. In the short run, Christians lose (Revelation 13:7). In the long run, we win (21:4).

These are great words to keep in mind as we approach the coming election.

Read Dr. Piper's complete article

Interim Committee Meetings & Bible Studies

Every month our legislators gather in Charleston for three days of interim committee meetings. Each lawmaker is assigned to one or more committees in order to work on various issues throughout the year.

In these meetings they deal with a variety of topics, many of which will be taken up during next year’s regular session.This month's interim meetings will be held on October 11-13.

During the interim meetings, Capitol Commission provides Bible studies for our legislators and elected officials at the capitol. Our studies for this month entitled "How Can Someone in Politics Keep Their Way Pure?" from Psalm 119:9 will be held on Tuesday, October 12.

Please pray for our legislators as they gather for these meetings:

Pray for safety as they travel.

Pray for them as they take this time away from their families and jobs.

Pray for them as they deal with many issues important to our state.

Pray that our Bible study and other aspects of our ministry will be a challenge and encouragement to our leaders.

You can learn more about the legislative interim committee assignments and meetings at the West Virginia Legislature web site.


You can download the complete study HERE.

You can download our New Testament 90-day reading guide HERE.

Interim Bible Study: "How Can Someone in Politics Keep Their Way Pure?" (Psalm 119:9)

From next week's Bible Study at the West Virginia State Capitol:

Psalm 119:9 - "How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word."

Most of us reading these notes do not fall under the description “young man”. Yet this verse is very practical for each of us in our particular life situation. There are temptations and sins that are particularly common to “young men”. Thomas Manton shared how young men need the guidance of the Bible due to “being inclined to liberty and carnal pleasures, and apt to be led aside from the right way by the motions of the flesh; being headstrong in their passions and self-willed.” Manton vividly describes how “unbroken colts need the stronger bits”.[i] There are temptations and sins that are particularly common to politics and government service. There can be a temptation to pride. In the heat of campaigns or debates it is easy to become angry and hold grudges. Extended time away from family and community can lead to the enticement of moral failure. The barrage of dinners and receptions might tempt one to drink more than they should. We can point to those who have given in to the temptation to use their position of influence for personal gain. Indeed, there are many temptations especially prevalent in life in the political realm. So I do not believe it is a stretch in the application of this verse to ask, “How can someone in politics keep their way pure?”

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[i] Manton, Thomas. Sermons Upon Psalm 119. Sermon 10. (Vol. 6, pg 82)

You can read or download the complete study HERE.