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Dare to be Different

I remember a book we used in 4-H some years ago titled, “Dare to be Different.” What a challenge this is to Christians today. Dare to speak out for the Lord; dare to do what is right when society says sin is okay; dare to grow in knowledge of God’s Word – and live by…

Grounded in Truth

Truth is constant. Truth does not vary from one person to the next and it does not change with the circumstance. Truth is like a tree with deep roots. The winds of change may blow strong against it but that tree does not move an inch and when the storm passes by the tree is…

The Search for Spirituality

Spirituality is a highly sought after quality, and has been throughout the ages. In the ancient city of Ephesus, sacred prostitutes served daily in the temple of Diana because it was thought that sexual union brought closer union with the gods. Mothers have thrown their babies into the crocodile-infested Ganges River in the search for…

Who Will Guide You?

Think about a boat on the river with no one in it just going with the waves; side to side, bank to bank, and not knowing where it will end up. It could end up stuck next to the bank with branches all around it and not able to move. It could end up at…

Christians Should Be Industrious

An industrious person is attentive and active. An industrious person is committed and conscientious. An industrious person is dedicated and diligent. An industrious person is focused and faithful. An industrious person is hardworking and helpful. An industrious person is studious and steady. A Christian is an industrious person. Paul exhorted, “not lagging in diligence, fervent…

Finding My Worth in God

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in Iowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Phil 2:3 NKJV). One of the greatest struggles for humanity is the discovery of our own value and self-worth. People often feel so very empty and insignificant. The cares of life tend to batter…

Who Are You Living For?

Who is it that we should live life for? Is it to please others, self, or God? Remember what Jesus prayed for in the Garden of Gethsemane: “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39b). It was not about…

Frantic? Or Faithful?

When Elijah fled from the threats of Jezebel, he was asking God to take his life (1 Kings 19:4). The Lord then led Elijah to Mount Horeb (Sinai), where Elijah confessed to the Lord that he was the only prophet left. All the others had been killed (1 Kings 19:10). Even though Elijah had just…

Thoughts Not to Entertain

If Paul had thought like some today, he would have written to the Ephesians like this: “Paul the apostle to the saints at Ephesus. Brethren, I rejoiced when I went into the theater in your city to behold the shows. The play of Aristophanes was a magnificent story of a man who overcame poverty and…

Loving Good Works

Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Jesus was teaching during His sermon on the mount that we as Christians need to be seen by others of the world. How and why…

Faithful Fathers

“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD; and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the…

Is My Child Ready to Be Baptized?

[529 words] Introduction. Parents sometimes feel stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to guiding their children toward becoming a Christian. On one hand, we would never want to cause them to stumble (Matt. 18:6). On the other hand, obedience must be from the heart (Rom. 6:17), so just being able…

Your Obituary Has Not Yet Been Written

Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel awoke one morning to read his own obituary in the local newspaper: “Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, who died yesterday, devised a way for more people to be killed in a war than ever before, and he died a very rich man.” Actually,…

Dying Wedding Vows

Remember when “honor and obey” was a standard part of wedding vows? Then, the feminist movement said, “No way will I vow to obey my husband!” Today, you rarely hear a couple using this worthy vow to recognize and accept the roles and relationships God established in marriage (Genesis 2:22-24; 3:16; Ephesians 5:22-24; 1 Peter…

At Your Weakest Moment

[267 words] At Your Weakest Moment … . . . that’s when Satan will tempt you to sin. Our adversary is no fool. He’s not going to waste time and effort by working against your strengths. He will attack you when you are the weakest and where you are most vulnerable. Here’s an example: Someone…

Out of the Mouths of Babes

A family is riding in the family car and an advertisement for a current movie comes on the radio. At the end of the advertisement comes the disclaimer, “Opens Friday in a theater near you! This ﬁlm contains intense thematic material, graphic violence, nudity, strong sexual situations, drug content and course language. May not be…

Growing By Going Beyond

Introduction. We have all seen a toddler crawling around a room, eagerly eying furniture that can be used for leverage when the time comes for “pulling-up.” We have also seen, that toddler reach the pull-up stage and move to walking “with no holds.” We rightly praise and encourage such behavior. We know that growth is…

Commitment

In the book, Driven from Within, Michael Jordan (Hall-of-Fame basketball player) recounts an event from his life that exemplifies just how committed he was to the things that were important to him. Jordan asked to borrow a jacket from a friend before they went out to have dinner together. He was told where he could…

What If Jesus Had Returned Yesterday?

[347 words] The title of this article is a question of no little importance. And when we reflect upon Jesus’ own words that “many” will choose to walk the way of eternal destruction and that “few” will ultimately make it to the gates of Heaven (cf. Matthew 7:13-14), this question becomes even richer in significance.…

Two Mules’ Burdens of Earth

The story of Naaman receiving a cure for leprosy has been well known in the brotherhood, having been taught by just about every preacher. Most of the time, however, one only hears part of the story and that is the command for Naaman to plunge seven times in the Jordan River. There’s more. Naaman made…

Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?

It was a fact that Jesus was innocent. The Roman governor in charge of Judea, Pontius Pilate, so stated himself after having examined Jesus personally (John 19:4). It is also a fact that Jesus never even committed a single sin (Heb. 4:15). And yet, they fashioned the crown of thorns and placed a purple robe…

Using ALL of Your Strength

[328 words] A father was watching his young son struggle to lift a heavy rock. The little fellow grunted and strained, but couldn’t move it. The father said, “Son, are you sure you are using all your strength?” The exhausted boy said, “Yes, I am!” The father replied, “No, you are not. You haven’t asked…

Thank God for Dirty Dishes

Thank God for dirty dishes;They have a tale to tell.While others may go hungry,We’re eating very wellWith home, health, and happiness,I shouldn’t want to fuss;By the stack of evidence,God’s been very good to us…. We are sorry, but this content is for Trial, Annual, and Lifetime members only. You either are not yet a member…

A Prior Engagement

[181 words] James A. Garfield James A. Garfield, the 20th President of the United States, took office on March 4, 1881. On his first Sunday in Washington following his inauguration, a member of the Cabinet insisted that a meeting must be called to discuss a matter that purportedly threatened a national crisis. The President refused,…

Remodeling Your Spiritual House

[361 words] There are tons of television shows centered around the idea of remodeling your home, and most of them operate on the same principle: helping a homeowner improve their living environment. Without proper care, houses deteriorate, or residents simply tire of the old furniture, paint and decorations around them. They need to remodel! Sometimes…

Is the Devil Responsible for Our Sins?

Satan desires one thing, which is the spiritual demise of all humanity. He wants every soul to end up in hell with him (Mat. 25:41). Satan accomplishes his mission by getting people to live their lives in sin. Satan “entered in” Judas and caused him to betray the Lord (Jn. 13:27; 18:1-5). Satan “filled’ Ananias’…

Think About This….

The next time you decide to put off doing something you know you ought to do, remember the little boy who squeezed the toothpaste on the cat’s back, shook apples prematurely off the tree and cut gaps in his father’s hair while the father slept. When the father awoke and surveyed the damage, he said…

Congress Gives Away Bibles

In 1777, our Continental Congress voted an expenditure of $300,000 (think how much that would be now) to buy and distribute Bibles throughout the country. By contrast, a few years ago the Supreme Court ruled that the Gideons could not even give away Bibles on public school property. In this country a rape, murder, or…

An Angry Death

Last month an ugly and tragic incident played out on a racetrack as a young driver named Kevin Ward, Jr. lost his life. This particular driver had apparently been driven into a wall by another driver during the race. Video of the event then shows Ward exiting his car and walking into oncoming traffic in…

The Bible & The Quran

This week, it has been thirteen years since radical adherents to the religion of Islam organized an attack against our country. It is hard to believe that it was that long ago. However, militants such as these continue to dominate the headlines. Groups like the Islamic State and Boko Haram seek to strike fear in…

Growing Old Gracefully

Age is relative, isn’t it? In our own way, we still search for the fountain of youth. We resist the aging process by camouflaging the spots and wrinkles. Still, aging continues its relentless march. God places a premium on age. God intends for us to be useful and active in our golden years: • God…

This Really Happened!

On Sunday, March 25, 1979 a family placed membership at one of the churches of Christ in Arkansas. This isn’t significant news at all. In fact, we probably visualize three or four people walking down the aisle at the singing of the invitation song, sitting down on the front row, putting their names on a…

Isaac: A Man of Peace

“It’s just not fair!” We all have had times in our lives when this thought crossed our minds. Someone commits an injustice to us or to our loved ones, and we don’t like it. The natural instinct is to strike back, to get even, to ﬁght for our rights. The Bible, both through command and…

Teamwork

Being a Christian is much like playing a team sport. When we work together we are strong. But if we try to go it alone, we quickly get into trouble. We train together as we study God’s Word (Acts 17:11, 2 Tim 2:15). We live together as a team, loving each other (1 John 2:9-11),…

I Am The Way

A man wishing to travel across a certain desert hired a local guide to take him across. When the two men arrived at the edge of the desert, the traveler, looking ahead, saw only trackless sands without a trace of a footprint, nor a path and certainly no road. Turning to his guide he asked,…

Rules For Growing Christians

Don’t neglect your prayer time. It is the breath of the soul (Luke 18:1). Don’t neglect your Bible. It is your sword for conquest, your hammer for construction, your guiding light for dreary days (Rev. 1:3). Don’t neglect your body. It is the capital on which you are to do business for the rest of…

How Quickly The Gate Opens

An old farmer from the country went to the big city hospital to visit a dear friend. He was told he would have to park in the parking lot. He was so surprised when he drove up to the entrance and the little gate lifted immediately. He drove right in and parked his car in…

Understanding Others

“Make sure you see what you are looking at.” This was a recommendation handed out to all drivers at Federal Express one morning. The new safety division had decided that this bit of advice would help us avoid an accident. The common thought among all the drivers, though, was that we were paying somebody a…

One at a Time

The story is told of a business man who was overworked and decided to take some time off. While vacationing on the coast, a terrible storm hit. When it died down, he decided to take a walk down the cost to see what damage had been done. As he walked along the shore, he noticed…

Authentic Freedom!

[342 words] “Freedom” is a powerful word, full of all sorts of meaning to different people. Some people think freedom refers to political liberty, such as we have in the United States under the constitution. Others think freedom means being able to do whatever one wants morally. Some even think freedom means doing whatever one…

Independence

[234 words] This week we will celebrate another “Fourth of July.” I enjoy the hot dogs and the fireworks and especially the arrival of family. Yet, l always contemplate the history of what happened back in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 courageous men. They, and many others of their generation,…

Nearsighted People

An eye doctor once said that there are more nearsighted people in New York City than any other city. He thought the reason was because people were hemmed in by skyscrapers, and their vision was restricted in such a way that the only opportunity they had for long-range vision was to look straight up, which…

Using All Your Strength

[135 words] A father was watching his young son struggle to lift a heavy rock. The little fellow grunted and strained, but couldn’t move it. The father said, “Son, are you sure you are using all your strength?” The exhausted boy said, “Yes, I am!” The father replied, “No, you are not. You haven’t asked me…

Removing Ancient Landmarks

In various places throughout the world today ancient landmarks are still recognizable and in force. Many of those ancient landmarks were built to establish boundaries, without which confusion would have ensued. Unfortunately, many ancient landmarks have been removed or destroyed, leaving no identifiable traits of any past existence. Tragically, the same can be said spiritually.…

How Do You Spell Love?

A class of little children was learning to spell. They spelled a number of words such as cat, dog and cow. After each word they were asked to imitate the sound that the animal makes. When Mary was asked to spell love, she didn’t stop to spell the word but ran and threw her arms…

The Judgment Seat of Christ: Looking For Loopholes

One of the most popular entertainers of the Vaudeville era was W.C. Fields (1880-1946). While Fields could make audiences roar with laughter, he was certainly not a Christian and made no pretense of his disdain for the Bible. Thus, it came as a great shock when one of Fields’ friends, visiting him in the hospital…

A Fable of Complaint

A fable is told of a rabbit, a mouse and a chicken who all took up residence together. They worked out a very good plan wherein all of them shared the workload. The rabbit cooked the meals, the chicken brought in the ﬁrewood and the mouse brought in the water from a nearby brook. They…

Parents Have To Live It

At one point during a game, the coach said to one of his young players, “Do you understand what cooperation is and what teamwork is all about?” The little boy nodded in the affirmative. “Do you understand that what really matters is not whether we win or lose, but that we play together as a…

What Did You Think Of Church, Daddy?

Every Sunday, just about noon, families walk out of church, get in the car and begin the drive home. Crucial religious instruction takes place then. Here are some of the positions a parent can take as these minutes tick away. Act like you have never been to worship services. Do not mention anything that happened.…

Little Things

The story is told of a giant tree in Colorado which fell to the ground after having stood majestically on a hill for over 400 years. A mere sapling when Columbus landed in San Salvador, over the centuries it had been struck by lightning 14 times, braved great windstorms, and even defied an earthquake. ln…

You Never Asked Me

When Henry Ford purchased a large insurance policy, the newspapers carried a story about it, since the amount was so large and the man so prominent. An old friend of Ford’s who was in the insurance business was surprised by the report since he had not heard that Ford was in the market for insurance.…

Be All You Can Be!

“Be all that you can be!” “Aim high!” “You can be anything you set your mind to be! These are but a few examples of nice-sounding slogans intended to build up our self-esteem, or self-concept. While it is true that we live in a nation of vast opportunities, it is not factual to say we…

Echoes of Love

[120 words] The other day a boy refused to obey his mother. Angrily he ran to a ravine and cried, “I hate you!” Suddenly the words came echoing back, “I hate you!” Frightened, the boy ran to his mother and said, “There’s a bad man in the woods. I heard him say, “I hate you.”…

Power vs. Power

Have you ever considered how the Bible views where Christians were before they were Christians? Notice Colossians 1:13: “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.” Those outside of Christ are under the “power” of darkness. The word “power” here is the same…

Parenting

One Sunday a preacher was entertained in a farm home of a family of a rural church. The preacher was impressed by the intelligence and unusually good behavior of their only child, a little four-year-old boy. Then the preacher discovered one reason for the child’s charm. The mother was at the kitchen sink, washing the…

A Clean Heart

How does a worm get inside an apple? Perhaps you think the worm burrows in from the outside. No, the worm comes from the inside. But how does he get in there? Simple! An insect lays an egg in the apple blossom. Sometime later, the worm hatches in the heart of the apple, then eats…

In The NAME of the Lord Jesus

[309 words] “And whatever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (Col. 3:17). Paul plainly states that what we say (word) and what we do (deed) should be done in “the name of the Lord Jesus.” But what does…

It Will Die

Take a leaf from a branch, lay it carefully aside and watch. Slowly the color fades, the leaf goes limp, curls up and dies. Take a ﬁsh out of water, lay it carefully on the ground and watch. Frantically it twists, struggles, gradually weakens, quivers and dies. Take a Christian away from the fellowship and…

The Heart Of A Fighter

[185 words] Sometimes it’s so easy to feel as if you’re down for the count. Alone. Face on the mat…you’ve been dealt one of life’s toughest blows. I’ve felt this way more than once. And in a daze I’ve heard the count, four, ﬁve, six. And something in me says, “Get up. This is no…

Did You Remember To Light Your Candle?

A circus owner walked into a restaurant to see everyone crowded around a table watching a little show. On the table was an upside down pot and a duck tap dancing on it. The circus owner was so impressed that he offered to buy the duck from its owner. After some wheeling and dealing, they…

Living Expectantly

Have you ever heard the tale of old Shep? Near where our daughter and family live in Montana, overlooking the Missouri River and the Great Northern Railroad, is a monument erected to pay tribute to old Shep, a collie dog that had belonged to an old shepherd. Wherever the man went Shep was always at…

Are You Hitting the Mark?

An old evangelist was telling another man how he might improve his lifestyle. “You know,” answered the fellow, “I’ve been aiming to do that.” “Well,” said the preacher, “quit aiming and start shooting.” The Bible says, “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). This literally means to miss the…

Bring Those Babies to Church

My heart goes out to the parents of small children. l know ﬁrst hand the kind of problems they face (and my wife knows even better). Training up a toddler in the way he should go is a constant job, a continuous battle, a seven-day-a-week task, not to mention an awesome responsibility. After six days…

The Blessings Never End

Sir Walter Raleigh was continually submitting requests to Queen Elizabeth on behalf of convicts. Once the Queen said to him, “Sir Walter, when will you stop being a beggar?” “When Your Majesty ceases to be a giver,” was the wise answer. Oh, how wonderful it is to know that God is the inexhaustible source of…

In a World Gone Mad

Little Ana Rosa Rodriguez was born into a world gone mad. In 1991, her mother, then 7 1/2 months pregnant, decided to have an abortion. Dr. Abu Hay, a reputed New York abortionist, agreed to perform the abortion. However, Dr. Hay failed. A few days later Ana was born missing her right arm. It had…

None of Self, All of Thee

An old preacher once said he could always tell when a Christian was growing because a growing Christian would always talk more about Christ and less about himself. When a Christian matures, he sees himself getting smaller and smaller until, like the morning star, he gives way to the rising sun. “He must increase, but…

Our Greatest Need

If our greatest need was entertainment, God would have sent a performer. If our greatest need was technology, God would have sent a scientist. If our greatest need was money, God would have sent an economist. But since our greatest need is forgiveness, God sent us a Savior. “For God so loved the world that…

God Is Faithful To His Promise

God said in the long ago, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22). The changing seasons are proof of God’s faithfulness to His Word. Even in the bleak deadness of winter, we can be sure that the spring will…

Buzzards, Bats, and Bumblebees

If you put a buzzard in a pen six or eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of his ability to ﬂy, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a ﬂight from the ground with a run of ten or twelve feet. Without…

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