What Does It Really Mean to be Faithful?
Is a person “faithful” merely because they have been immersed, have a pulse and show up at services with some frequency? Or is “faithfulness” an expression that can only be used of those who seem so good that they must be practically sinless? The question certainly is an important one since Scripture says, “Be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). Yet way too much confusion seems to exist concerning this question. The…
Wisdom defined in Four Little Creatures
May we never get to a place in life that we think we cannot learn. Learning is something you can do every day, no matter who you are. School might not be in session for the summer months, but learning never takes a break! Near the end of the book of Proverbs, four very small animals are listed with lessons to be learned. What can we learn from them and their life-styles? Examine Proverbs 30:24-28 for the answer. The ant:…
God-Centered Parenting
There is only one perfect parent – God, and the rest of us have an awful lot to learn, don’t we? Parenting often can be so humbling; its tests our communication skills, our heart, our wisdom, our energy, our ability to live without sleep and our patience! Yet few blessings can compare to the tremendous joys given by God to godly parents. We can literally say, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in…
How the Mighty Have Fallen!
These words were part of David’s lament for Saul and Jonathan (2 Samuel 1:19-20). Yes, the mighty CAN fall. It is a reality that happened with King Saul, and it’s something that can happen to any of us too. No one – not elders, deacons, preachers or teachers is completely above such a possibility (1 Cor. 10:12). However, an amazing thing about Saul is that he remained king of Israel for approximately 20 years AFTER God had rejected him (cf.…
Keeping God in Godliness
It is significant that 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus give special stress to godliness. As a matter of fact, the vast majority of the New Testament occurrences of the word is to be found in these books. The noun “godliness” is found ten times while the adverb “godly” occurs twice. “Godliness” has reference to a manner of life that reflects awesome respect and devotion to God. The fundamental message of 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus is that God’s…
10 Signs of a Growing Church
Growing churches have elders who are spiritual men of wisdom, knowledge and vision, and who are deeply interested in the souls they are shepherding (1Thess. 5:12-13: 1Tim. 3:1-7). Growing churches have deacons who believe in servanthood, and who rejoice for the privilege that is theirs to work in special ways to God’s glory (1Tim. 3:8-13). Such deacons “kick up” dust by hastening to serve; they don’t “collect” it by being still! Growing churches have preaching that exalts Jesus Christ and…
The Stone Rolled Away
Sometime after Jesus cried out His final words on a Friday afternoon, the lifeless body of Jesus was removed from the cross. His work in bringing about man’s salvation was complete, “It is finished,” was His cry. Once removed, it was a man named Joseph who would make the request to Pilate for the Savior’s body and have it granted. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where it was laid (Mark 15:47) and it was these women…
When Love is Lacking
Scripture exhorts us to love out of a pure heart (1 Tim. 1:5). Christian love is to be without hypocrisy (Rom. 12:9); it is to love “even as” the Lord loves us (John 13:35). We are commanded to have a love that is fervent and sincere (1 Pet. 1:22), as well as one that is ever increasing (1 Thess. 3:12). True love is an attitude of the heart and will that must display itself in action. It is not lethargic…
Answers from An Ash Heap
Lessons About God and Suffering from the Book of Job Here are a few quotes that are really worth thinking about- God would sooner we had holy pain than unholy pleasure. God sometimes has to put us on our backs in order to make us look up. Calvary is God’s great proof that suffering in the will of God always lead to glory. Job was already a wonderful man of faith, but he came to learn more about himself, suffering,…
Helps in Overcoming Pride
“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1Peter 5:5-6). Since there are times when all of us suffer from sinful pride, what are some helps for overcoming it in our lives? Remember That God Hates Pride. The Bible makes that very clear in passages like Proverbs 6:16-17 and 8:13. And anything God hates should be as far removed as possible…
Choosing What’s Better
Almost everywhere we turn today we are exposed to the idea that having is the key to happiness. After all, more and bigger obviously are better! There’s the idea that “a bigger and better” house, car, computer, education, job, bank account, etc is really what we “need.” And there’s the idea that these things will provide the key to joy and happiness people so desperately seek. The bigger and better mentality always is “in,” but our Lord called a rich…
My Replacement
It was difficult to leave the church building last Sunday afternoon without a smile on your face. We had nine outstanding young men lead our worship and each was well prepared and did a fantastic job, to the glory of God. It was a former elder of this congregation, nearly 90 years of age, who summed up best what had just taken place. “None of us is going to live forever, we better be preparing for the future, today.” We…