Church Blog (Page 8)

When the Lord said, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” (Prov. 4:23), He obviously is not talking about that large muscle in our chests. The Bible uses the word “heart” over 800 times and almost always, if not actually always, refers to that inner part of our being. When the Lord discussed the greatest commandment, He spoke of loving God will all our heart, soul, and mind. That inner part of…

It is my belief that most Christians wish to make their lives as effective for the Lord and His cause as possible. We are not satisfied with the ordinary, just being mediocre, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might” (Eccl. 9:10). We want to give God our full measure, using to the greatest possible potential the talents He has given us. What will help us please Him in this way? One, the Christian must have “God…

Ever so often we need to give ourselves a “check up from the neck up.” This means we must deal with our attitudes. The attitudes we have, and show to the world and the church have a profound effect on all with whom we meet or speak. God speaks specifically concerning various attitudes in His Word. For instance: “Do everything without complaining or arguing . . .” (Philippians 2:14). He lists grumbling with a lust for evil things, idolatry, sexual…

This is a true story. I know personally the parties involved. Love dwindled, unhappiness and dissatisfaction grew, daily fussing and fighting characterized the relationship of the husband and wife, and, ultimately a divorce wrecked the home, leaving two bewildered, emotionally scarred children in its wake. The father gained custody and the mother went her own way, doing her own thing. The children loved their mother. Strange thing about love—it’s so often blind to the faults of those we love. Months…

There is a mistaken notion that Christianity is an adult’s religion, that the Lord’s work is reserved for those in their majority. Because of this misconception, many young people feel disenfranchised – that there is nothing for them to do- that they might as well wait until they are grown to obey the gospel and begin serving the Lord. Such is exactly what Satan would have them to do. In contrast with the above, Solomon, the wise sage of Israel,…

In the midst of confusing and conflicting confessions, where fancies and feelings are given expression to many and varied convictions, where men are confessing themselves instead of Christ, it is refreshing to tum again to the Bible and see what God has to say on the subject. The apostle Paul stresses confession in this way: “And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:11). Indeed, it is heartening to…

There are those who believe that if anything has become conventional or standard, it must be rejected in favor of the “original”. Evidently whatever is normal for the mainstream of society is put off, and pains are taken to express individuality in bold strokes that are sometimes shocking. Conformity and nonconformity are neither good nor bad inherently. What determines the acceptability of these terms is the standard either rejected or embraced. The apostle Paul said that we are not to…

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…

In contrast to the two great uncertainties that should humble us (i.e. the uncertainty of material prosperity and physical health), James provides a powerful principle to guide us as we seek to safely tread into the unknown of the new year. This powerful principle is the principle of submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Instead of arrogantly boasting concerning that of which we cannot be certain (i.e. material prosperity and/or physical health), James wrote, “Instead you ought to say,…

Not only is it the case that the uncertainty of material prosperity should humble one as he faces a new year, but the uncertainty of physical health and life should do the same. James asked a question that should cause each one to be deeply impressed with the uncertainty of physical life on Earth. He said, … “whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life?” (James 4:14, emp. added). Think about this question, and…

The uncertainty of material prosperity should humble one as he faces a new year. One may rightfully desire material prosperity (cf. 3 John 2), yet there is no certain guarantee that such prosperity will come his way. The man Job was very prosperous, but in a relatively brief period of time he lost all of his material wealth (cf. Job 1:2-3, 13-17). Those to whom James initially wrote thought they had a year all planned. Their plans included engaging in…

M. Louise Haskins (1908) captured the uncertainty of a new year in words that were quoted to the British Empire in the 1939 Christmas radio broadcast of King George VI. Haskins wrote: And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, “Give me a light, that I may tread safely into the unknown,” and he replied, “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you…