Christian Service

A Proverb to Ponder

[136 words] Now, not all our attenders are members, and not all our members are attenders, but if all our attenders were members, and all our members were attenders… THEN…we’d have more trouble menders, more gospel defenders and more true soul winners! BUT…we’d have fewer people offenders, fewer spiritual hinderers and fewer religious pretenders! SO…let…

Unemployed Christians?

[360 words] We continue to see unprecedented job opportunities in our nation and locally. It almost seems employers are literally begging people to work. We can find work if we are seeking. This is especially true in the work of the church.   Someone once told me, “there should never be any unemployed Christians.” Much…

Spurt and Sputter Religion

[219 words] Did you ever have a car that would run well for a short spurt and then the motor would sputter? It appears that some folks have a spurt and sputter religion. Something will stimulate their interest and they will have a spurt of enthusiasm. For a while they will be seen at all…

Mourning Without Moaning

[202 words] In His “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). Did you see that? Read it again just to make sure you got it right. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” There you have it; what Jesus…

Carry the Weight

[238 words] It might seem Paul contradicts himself in just a few verses. In Galatians 6:2 He tells us to “Bear ye one another’s burdens”, then just three verses later he tells us to “every man shall bear his own burden” What gives? Well, a bit of understanding of the original text is in order.…

What Great Things God’s People Can Do!

[275 words] The Baseball Hall of Fame is in Cooperstown, New York. A player must be voted for by 75 percent of the voters for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. If you go to Titus, Alabama where my wife Janice grew up, you will see a sign that reads, “Welcome to Titus,…

Who Sees You?

[467 words] Michael was a sculptor. At age 33, he was just starting to make his mark in the art world, working on a piece for the biggest art patron in the world. So when that patron asked him to switch projects from the one he had his heart set on and paint a fresco…

An Important Question

[295 words] The question asked in Psalm 116:12, “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?”, could only come from the lips of humans. Humans alone are endowed with the ability to be concerned about gratitude and its obligations.  Two thoughts might be considered in regard to that question. They…

When Losers Are Finders

[253 words] Most of us have had the delight of finding something of value—a dollar bill on the sidewalk, a piece of jewelry in the grass, a tool by the wayside. I recall hearing this saying in my boyhood: “Finders keepers, losers weepers.” In the spiritual realm, however, the expression sounds like this: “Keepers weepers,…

She Hath Done What She Could

[470 words] These words spoken by Jesus memorialize the actions of a woman who anointed his head with a very valuable ointment. Several denounced the apparent waste of this expensive item, saying that it should have been sold to help the poor. Jesus defended her with the words used in the title above, found in…

Condescend to Men of Low Estate

[322 words] In chapter seven of his book Balance: A Tried and Tested Formula for Church Growth, Ira North points us to the importance of helping the poor, the downtrodden, and the “lowly.” Brother North quotes Romans 12:16 (KJV) which says, “Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things but condescend…

What to Do With Treasures

[407 words] In one of Jesus’ parables a servant was handed a mina (a piece of valuable currency). There were clear instructions on what to do with it: “Put this money to work…until I come back” (Luke 19:13). Some of his fellow servants did a great job with this. They used what talent they have…

Help Wanted

[302 words] The kingdom of Christ has the following positions available for immediate employment: Ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20) – Must be willing to represent Christ honestly, honorably, and faithfully. Bakers (Matt. 13:33) – Must be able to add leavening properly. Farmers (Matt. 13:3) – Must be willing to rise early and sow the seed in…

Maybe I Can Wait

[331 words] The Houston Airport had a problem. Over and over, a major complaint from its customers was that they had to wait too long for their bags after the flight. So the executives worked to address the issue. They added new staff, streamlined the process and were able cut wait time from as long…

A Time to Rejoice

[301 words] Overheard at the Mall: “I just dread the Christmas season.” When I heard these words, I felt sorry for the one speaking them. To me, this time of year lifts my heart because of three nostalgic reasons.  First, I remember how my parents (especially my mother) worked hard to make this season of…

I-N-V-O-L-V-E-M-E-N-T Equals Church Growth

[540 words] The early church grew (Acts 2:41; 5:14; 6:1,7; 9:31; 11:24). As we read of this growth explosion, we see the key role member involvement played. Christians were spreading the word (8:4), involved in each other’s lives and in the lives of the lost around them. This is such a simple concept, but churches…

The Church is What You Are!

[220 words] The church is built of men and women, not bricks and mortar. As such, it can never be any more faithful or effective than the individual members that comprise it. The Lord’s church in any community will reflect the sins and attitudes of its members.  • If it is a growing church, it…

We Can Always Do Our Best

[205 words] Are you putting forth effort to make your life the best that it can be? We say we want to accomplish things, yet we choose to be less than we can be. People die much younger than they have to, many times because of bad habits. People go to work and do a…

Do It Well

[101 words] Amateur, haphazard, slipshod, hit-and-miss, inattentive, incomplete, mediocre, shallow, skill-less, unskillful, wanting. All these adjectives are ones we use to describe things that are done but not done well. It’s an attitude that is far too common today. We settle for what is easy, normal, the status quo. But was this the example of…

The Fruit of the Spirit

[462 words] Galatians 5: 22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” This well-known passage commonly inspires us to set a goal of pursuing these individual qualities, and these are wonderful goals to have. However, what many fail…

Is an Active Faith Important?

[431 words] A ship wrecked off the Rhode Island coast, one winter day. A father and son managed to get into a lifeboat. The father refused to let his son help row. Upon reaching land, the father found his son frozen to death. The boy needed activity in order to live. What is true of…

Jesus Went About Doing Good

[416 words] Peter made one of the simplest statements about Jesus that you’ll find in Scripture. But it is also packed with meaning and application. He said that Jesus “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). This understated affirmation deserves our deeper exploration. What were some of these good things that our Lord went about doing?…

The Watchers

[401 words] When I was a kid I loved collecting and reading comic books. Several characters have stuck with me even today. Among them are a group of alien beings called The Watchers. The Watchers are beings that have great powers to manipulate time, material, and space. They spend their time in observance of all…

Are You An Active Member?

[110 words] Are you an active member,The kind that would be missed?Or are you just contentedThat your name is on the list? Do you attend the meetingsAnd mingle with the flock,Or do you stay at homeAnd criticize and knock? Do you ever go and visitA member that is sickOr leave the work for just a…

Improving Your Serve

[640 words] One of the games my dad and I played when I was a teen was Ping-Pong. I played against my peers and generally won most games. But when I played my dad, he destroyed me every time. So, I practiced and I practiced and I practiced until one day we played each other…

Slacking Off

[238 words] The tendency of some modern Christians is like that of our ancient brothers who received the New Testament epistle known as “Hebrews.” These folks had not grown in their relationship with Christ (5:12-14); were beginning to forsake the assembly (10:25); had become spiritually sluggish in their religious activities (6:12); and were on the…

The Fruit of the Spirit

[263 words] In Galatians 5:22-23 the apostle Paul wrote, “Now the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Using the analogy of fruit, Paul here describes the sweet qualities that the Holy Spirit will produce in the lives of faithful Christians. But…

Who is a Servant?

[247 words] He gave himself, making the ultimate sacrifice—dying—for others; he willingly laid down his life because of his love for the whole world. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son…” (Jn. 3:16). Jesus declared, “I lay down my life for the sheep…No one takes it from me, but I…

Involvement

[320 words] The Lord’s church consists of saved sinners who have entered into Christ through gospel obedience (Eph. 5:23; 2 Tim. 2:10; Mk. 16:15-16; 2 Thess. 1:8). Anyone who has entered into Christ is a “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17). Christians are God’s “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand,…

Wanted: A Pair of Shoes

[95 words] Please check your closet for a pair of shoes that a person I know needs. They are not that picky, so any old pair will do. This person has a heart for the Lord and wants to use these shoes to spread the good news about Jesus Christ. What a wonderful thing to…

What If…

  [163 words] “I can’t.” “I won’t.” “I don’t.” These are the words that keep people from reaching their potential. There’s no telling how different this world would be if people throughout the ages would not have lived up to their fullest potential. Consider this: What if…Michelangelo said, “I don’t do ceilings.” David said, “I…

In the World, But Not of It!

[278 words] John 17 records one of the prayers of Jesus. In John 17:15, Jesus says, “I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world but to keep them from the evil one.” He goes on to say in John 17:16, “They are not of the world, even as l am not…