Posts from 2022
Kindness
Expressing kindness is such a little thing, yet it means so much. An anonymous writer has well said: “The ministry of kindness is a ministry which may be achieved by all men, rich and poor, learned and illiterate. Brilliance of mind and capacity for deep thinking have rendered great service to humanity, but by themselves they are impotent to dry a tear or mend a broken heart.” Despite his busy schedule during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln often visited the…
5 Warnings for Christmas
1 Timothy 6:1-10, 17-18 1 All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered. 2 Those who have believing masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers. Instead, they should serve them even better because their masters are dear to them as fellow believers and are devoted to the welfare of their slaves. These are the things you…
The LORD is my Shepherd
I. “The Lord is My Shepherd; I shall not want” (23:1). A. Lost Sheep (Luke 15:1-7). Here Jesus pictures human beings as sheep that God cares about. He wants to keep them and bring them back to Him when they are lost. This is what Jesus does for those willing to accept the gospel. B. The Good Shepherd (John 10:1-11). Jesus is the entrance to protect for the sheep and the shepherd of the sheep. But we must also note…
Will He Find You Faithful?
When speaking of His eventual return to judge the world and transport the church to heaven, Jesus had only one question expressed in Luke 8:8, “…when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” When applied in personal terms this question becomes, “When Jesus returns, will He find you faithful?” The Bible teaches us that the return of Christ and the end of the world will come suddenly and without any warning (Luke 12:40; Rev. 3:3).…
Faith is the Victory
I like winning. If you know me well, you don’t need me to tell you that. I’ll take winning over losing any day of the week. I don’t know if I will see another Detroit Tigers world championship in my lifetime. But I do know I will see my victory over sin and death. I’m seeing little victories now, but full and permanent victory is on the way. That’s the faith talking. We read in 1 John 5:4-5, “For whatever…
Why Study God’s Word?
Just as we eat 3 meals a day to sustain our physical bodies, we must also feast on God’s word weekly to sustain our souls. If we don’t, we are in danger of losing our souls. God says in Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.” People will be lost because they did not care enough to read and study God’s instruction book on how to go to Heaven. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 2:10 that…
Pure of Heart
Pure of Heart King David asks: “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?” His answer is simple: “The one who has clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalms 24:3-4). Building upon this a thousand years later, James clarifies David’s proclamation: “Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8) to emphasize a single-minded focus. Purity Purity is a familiar word indicating a product to be unadulterated by other…
A Changed Heart
As parents, our ultimate goal in training and disciplining our children is to imbed within their hearts a desire to do what is right. Mind you, there is some necessity to instill a fear of punishment/consequences to initially turn the stubborn will of the human nature towards obedience. The scripture encourages us by saying: Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him.” Proverbs 22:15. However, in modern times,…
Do you need to repent today?
Perhaps you have at some point in your life noticed a sign bearing the word “Fresh!” Immediately we think of something that is better and healthier. Fresh fruits and vegetables have more nutrition because they haven’t had the nutrients cooked out of them or leached out through freezing/transportation. During the summer we get watermelons and cantaloupe “fresh” off the truck. I love eating fresh summer fruits. They are juicier and sweeter than the stuff usually found in the supermarket. Wouldn’t…
Listening for God’s Voice
By Mike Riley A Native American and his friend were in downtown New York City, walking near Times Square. It was during the noon lunch hour and the streets were filled with people. Cars were honking their horns, taxicabs were squealing around corners, sirens were wailing, and the sounds of the city were almost deafening. Suddenly, the Native American said, “I hear a cricket.” His friend said, “What? You must be crazy. You couldn’t possibly hear a cricket in all…
Spiritual Growth Starts with Goals
What are your spiritual goals? Where do you see yourself as a Christian in the next five years? Have you ever asked such questions about your relationship with God and Christ? It is common for people to ask such questions about their physical welfare. Job interviewers include them when evaluating potential employees. Why? No one wants a stagnant employee. They want people who will challenge themselves and grow so that their company will improve at what it does. Why shouldn’t…
Become slow to anger
Solomon said, “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention” (Proverbs 15:18). We need to become people that are slow to anger. How do we do this? Realize the need to be slow to anger. If we do not see the purpose of being slow to anger, then we will not ever change. We will continue to act with uncontrolled anger and will not change. But we need to see the effect anger…