February 2020, Vol. 39, No. 2 Archives

Jesus Will Help You Overcome Temptation

[123 words] Being tempted is something we will all face; let us stand boldly against the devil and have the courage to resist temptation. Matthew wrote, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) In James 1:12 we read, “Blessed is the…

The Intelligence of the Intelligent

[194 words] There is an urban legend about a group of famous scientists who stopped for lunch at a small-town diner. Seated at the table were six of the greatest thinkers of our day. Their average IQ was in the 160s. They noticed that their salt and pepper shakers had been reversed. One with the…

How To Make Sermons Last

[272 words] A preacher posted recently that someone had commented to him, “sermons are ineffective because they are forgotten by the time people get to the restaurant after church.” This statement concerned me because I feel the person who suggested this idea to the preacher put preachers in a negative light (probably not intentionally). I,…

The Cure for All Ills

[97 words] You may have the best of doctorsWho can treat the best of menBut there’s an ill he cannot cureIt’s the ravages of sin For sickness and diseasesCan take a mighty tollBut their dark and gloomy fingersCannot reach or touch the soul But sin, with its ugly natureHarms body, mind, and spiritAnd no man…

Thanks For Ruining It For The Rest Of Us

[198 words] Oscar Wilde said, “Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.” I’m sure you know what he was talking about. Those folks of whom your best memory involves a door swinging shut as they walk out of it. Yet they may not be the most damaging of folks. It’s those that…

Are You in it for the Long Haul?

[458 words] A very interesting word occurs in a familiar Bible passage that helps us to understand something of our Christian lives upon the earth. The passage is Heb. 12:1-2 and the word translated “race.” “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight,…

Securing Their Hearts

[387 words] How shall the young secure their hearts and guard their lives from sin? Thy Word, the choicest rules impart to keep the conscience clean! Where in the world can young people learn what is holy and pure and right? The words of that old song clearly and lovingly convey the solitary truth that…

Family in the Faith

[328 words] Throughout Paul’s missionary journeys recorded in the book of Acts, he interacts with a number of young men who variously traveled with him, ran errands for him, and continued the work in a congregation begun by him. However, while the text mentions a few of these younger preachers, the relationship Paul had with…

Seeking the Lost Coins

[521 words] During the reign of Oliver Cromwell, the British government began to run low on silver for coins. Cromwell sent his men on an investigation of the local cathedrals to see if they could find any precious metals there. After the investigation they reported: “The only silver we could find is in the statues…

God’s ‘House-Law’

[643 words] Every home has some kind of system in place to keep order. Maybe you were told to take your shoes off at the door, keep your elbows off the table, make your bed in the morning, or brush your teeth more than twice a month. Every home is different and the expectations for…

His Yoke is Light

[509 words] The commands of God are wonderful. They guide our lives and bring healing to our souls. People, however, sometimes have the bad habit of making these commands a little less enjoyable than they should be. Once the disciples were following Jesus on the Sabbath. Which is a good thing. And the Sabbath is…

The Extra Mile of Honesty

[150 words] Did you know that Abraham Lincoln went into the general store business with another fellow and it failed? Lincoln ended up $1,100 in debt. He could have pleaded divided responsibility and found a legal loophole of escape but that wasn’t Lincoln’s way. Instead, he went to his creditors and promised to pay them…

How God Speaks Through Nature

[174 words] George Washington Carver said, “I love to think of nature as unlimited broadcasting stations, through which God speaks to us every day, every hour and every moment of our lives, if we will only tune in and remain so.” There is an element of truth to what Carver said. The Bible says, “For…

A Restoration Observation

[131 words] If I want to grow watermelons in Tennessee today, I do not have to have an unbroken watermelon vine stretching down through all the millennia from the Garden of Eden to Tennessee. All I have to do is plant watermelon seeds in Tennessee today. They will produce in Tennessee today what they have…

Do You Need a Lawyer?

[133 words] I see billboards advertising lawyers. Do you need an attorney? Someone to plead your case. The psalmist said he did. “Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation” (Psalm 43:1). Because of sin, Satan, and unjust men we need an attorney to defend us today before a holy God.…

Times of Grief

[343 words] Have you ever been in such emotional pain that your heart felt like it was literally aching? The worst pain in this life is not always physical. Often times it’s the emotional pain of saying “good bye” that can drive us to our knees. It can make us lash out in anger. It…

How a Christian Should Walk

[221 words] • “Walk while you have the light” (John 12:35) • “Walk in the steps of faith” (Rom. 4:12) • “walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4) • “walk…according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1) • “walk properly” (Rom. 13:13) • “as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk” (1 Cor. 7:17)…

Masquerade

[268 words] Some years ago, the singer George Benson had a hit song called “This Masquerade” (1976). I always thought the song was okay, but never smitten by it. The other day I heard it again for the first time. “Are we really happy here with this lonely game we play?” These are the words…

Were You Praying for Us?

[255 words] It has always been difficult for this writer to understand why half the membership of the body of Christ finds no Christian joy or spiritual satisfaction in mid-week Bible Study. During this period, we sing, pray, and study the Lord’s Book. We enjoy the spiritual presence of our heavenly Master and add another…

Say It Now!

[100 words] I would rather have one little roseFrom the garden of a friend,Than to have the choicest flowersWhen my stay on earth must end. I would rather have a pleasant wordIn kindness said to me,Than flattery when my heart is still,And life has ceased to be. I would rather have a loving smileFrom friends…

Bible Quiz: Hebrews 10:26-31

[55 words] “For if we sin __ after we have received the knowledge of the truth…” True or False: Those who trample underfoot the Son of God will receive punishment. Can a person insult the Spirit of grace?“‘Vengeance is Mine, I will __’ say the Lord.”“It is a __ thing to fall into the hands of the…

Bible Quiz: Hebrews 10:32-39

[52 words] True or False: The original readers of Hebrews had endured a great struggle with sufferings.True or False: The writer of Hebrews had been imprisoned.True or False: The original readers of Hebrews were stingy with their possessions.“Therefore do not cast away your __, which has great __.”“For you have need of __ …” Solution:…

Bible Quiz: Hebrews 11:1-3

[59 words] “Now faith is the __ of things hoped for, the __ of things not seen.”It was by faith that the elders obtained a good __.True or False: The word of God is powerful enough to create.“By faith we __ that the worlds were framed by the word of God.”“…the things which are __…

Bible Quiz: Hebrews 11:4-7

[45 words] Who offered a more excellent sacrifice than his brother?“…and through it he being dead still __.”Who was taken away so that he did not see death?Without this it is impossible to please God.Noah became an “— of righteousness” which is according to faith. Solution: Abel; speaks; Enoch; faith; heir BulletinDigest.com… We are sorry,…

Quotes and Sayings (February 2020)

[243 words] “In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” — Margaret Atwood “Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn.” — Lewis Grizzard “Some old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat.” Laura Ingalls Wilder “There is something infinitely healing in the…

On the Lighter Side (February 2020)

[628 words] History According to SchoolchildrenThe following excerpts are actual answers given on history tests and in Sunday School quizzes by children between 5th and 6th grade ages in Ohio. They were collected by two teachers over a period of three years. Ancient Egypt was old. It was inhabited by gypsies and mummies who all…