Posts by Needmore Road Church of Christ

It is a sobering fact. It’s almost half-time at our house, and I’m talking about something far bigger than any ball game. Greater even than the Super Bowl, I am speaking about what could be called the “Soul Bowl.” You see, half of the time my wife and I have with our children before they go off to college and start their own lives is just about gone! We’ve been blessed to have the “home field advantage” for a number…

One of the unseen blessings of memorizing Scripture is that doing this opens the door to our souls. Solomon showed this when he said that a man is what he thinks in his heart (Prov. 23:7). What is perhaps even more remarkable is that what we memorized when we were children is so much a part of what we are today. We all know about what happened to Jack and Jill, Little Miss Muffet and the Old Woman Who Lived…

We do not have the option of lighting our light one moment and then putting it out at the moment we are ridiculed or persecuted. Our light must shine brightly – shine forth for the Lord year in and year out! The year 2024 is about to come to an end and the year 2025 will begin. It is traditional for people to gather together on New Year’s Eve to enjoy each other’s company and acknowledge the beginning of the…

When Paul wrote his epistle to the church at Rome, he reminded them of the urgency of being prepared for whatever was in their future. The Romans knew the times that lay before them (13:11), and Paul told them how to prepare. Their approaching trial may be different from one each of us faces—the end of our lives—but Paul’s words seem so applicable to what each of us must do as we see the end approaching. As the end approaches,…

“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” (1 Peter 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…

For as long as I can remember, I have heard preachers sound the alarm about the sad state of preaching in many pulpits throughout the country. Johnny Ramsey would often talk about preachers who “didn’t preach enough Bible to fill a thimble.” I recall Andrew Connally lamenting an occasion on which he stepped into a pulpit for a gospel meeting and found a sermon outline book the local preacher had preached from the night before without any study or preparation…

The writer of Hebrews could so easily see the dangers faced by those Jewish Christians. The nation that killed God’s Son turned its wrath on the church almost from the day it began. Jesus had warned them about the trials that were coming. Obviously, they persecuted those Gentiles who had become followers of Jesus, but their persecution was even more fierce on the Christians addressed in this epistle. They had begun their walk with Jesus and faced many trials which…

Today we live in a world in which many have lost the desire to care for others. Some have become so self­ centered that the only people they will look out for are themselves. This is not what the Lord intended. When we study the Scriptures, it is evident that we are commanded by God to be concerned for others, not only ourselves. Even in the first book of the Old Testament (Genesis), God showed that we all have a…

Sometimes words are easy to dole out. Things like love, caring, giving, etc., are all spoken with great frequency, and it is proper to have such concepts in our minds. The real challenge, however, is to show our concern for others by taking an active role in their lives. Perhaps we go out of our way to give a ride to someone who cannot drive. Or, maybe we take money from our own pockets and give to someone who needs…

How do you view God? Think carefully about how you answer that question because your answer determines your response. There are many people in the world who have a distorted view of God and therefore respond to Him in a completely unacceptable fashion. For example, there are some who live lives of complete, open, and unmistakable rebellion against the Lord, yet when they die their friends and loved ones adamantly declare that they have “gone to a better place.” The…

Several years ago I read an article written by Dan Jenkins that impressed me greatly. It had to do with what some who call themselves Christians will do when put to the test, and also what one Christian refused to do, and it cost him his life. Please read the following and ask yourself, “Which of these would I be?” Following a recent Friday night football game many high school students were having a “victory party.” The air was full…

One of the great challenges facing Christians is peer pressure. We all want to be liked and so the tendency is to alter our lives just enough so we will be accepted by others. How many Christians have compromised values simply because they did not want to stand out and be different? One lesson each of us must learn is how fickle those around us are. Look at two incidents in the life of Paul. When he cured the crippled…