The Lord Placed Me Here; I Didn’t Choose Genesis (His Good Pleasure for His glory)

June 12th, 2026

Forty years of Pastoral and Church Ministry- that’s what we’re celebrating in the month of June. Join us as we receive encouragement from one another as we read about the when and the how the Lord led each writer to Genesis! Bible Fellowship Church. Enjoy today's devotional and may it remind you of when you were led to this branch of Zion!

SCRIPTURE: “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.” 1 Corinthians 12:18

Stop thinking you are in control. The Lord is sovereign. Many of us thought that we chose Genesis Bible Fellowship Church as our home. In 1995, my young family and I were looking for a place to grow and call home. Three-points, sound familiar, learned at Genesis under the Leadership of Pastor C.

1. I didn’t choose Genesis; God placed me here. Many things drew me to Genesis—the teaching of the Word, my brokenness, and the example of believers faithfully walking with God through life’s highs and lows.
2. Why? For His pleasure and glory. Over the past 30 years, I have grown in Christ within His body. I came broken and hurting, but through God’s Word and the leadership of Pastor C, I learned, served, and became a testimony of His grace. Through life’s highs and lows, we remained committed to rightly dividing the Word of God. In all things, it is for His pleasure and His glory.
3. What has it produced? The growth of my family and me. I learned how to become a man of God, love my family, and lead them according to the Lord’s will, Word, and way. This led me to our family verse:
“And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

Was it truly my choice, or was God leading? Praise the Lord for Pastor Cockrell’s 40 years of ministry and for his faithfulness in staying the course despite the spiritual battles around him. Keep pressing on for Christ.

PRAYER: Lord, help us understand that this life is about Your pleasure, not our own. Lead us by Your Spirit, not by our flesh. Let Your will be done. To God be the glory. Amen.
By Dea. Melvin Buck

Would you like to share your testimony? Follow the Devotional format above and email your devotional to paula1028smith@gmail.com.