January 2018, Vol. 37, No. 1

Looking Back, Pressing Forward

[333 words] As a new year approaches, many of us are reflecting upon the past year, and looking toward the hope and promise of what lies ahead. One passage we often turn to when thinking about hope for the future is Phil. 3:13-14. Paul talks about putting to rest things of the past, and pressing…

Good Fruit

[261 words] “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). My brother has worked over 35 years in a produce department. He knows fresh fruit when he sees it and he easily recognizes fraudulent freshness, too. Daily, he’ll…

New Year’s Resolutions

[340 words] Yes, it’s that time again. It is the time of year when we usually commit ourselves to several worthy goals. We do this because we want to make our lives and faith better. We want to improve and that is a worthy goal. I have noticed that most of our resolutions revolve around…

Do You Believe?

[478 words] A brand new calendar year is upon us! As such it is a great time to evaluate where we stand in a number of different areas. Experts tell us that nine out of every ten “New Year’s Resolutions” will fail…and most of these failures occur by February. This means that for the average…

Mother of Hope

[309 words] Recently, I wrote an article that was centered around a newborn baby named Hope Holets. Hope was born addicted to drugs and was adopted by the Albuquerque police officer who found her mother in the act of shooting up heroin. Since her adoption, Hope has gone through the agonizing, month-long process of drug…

A New Year with The Lord

[133 words] A new year is about to unfold,With new opportunities to explore.Doors will open for new experiences,New adventures with the Lord.Remember not the former things,The things of this past year.The Lord will do new things in us,Much more than we are aware.For He will make a way for us,As we put our trust in…

The Two Greatest Dangers in the Church Today

[394 words] In my opinion, the two greatest dangers in the Lord’s church today are that of ignorance and inactivity. Proper knowledge and actions are absolutely essential for a congregation to please the Lord. Consider that… …if a church does not have any biblical knowledge or any activity, then it is dead (or near-dead, anyway).…

How to Make 2018 Better Than 2017

[455 words] The time for resolutions is here. If you are among those who like to refocus with the dawning of a new year, here are some ideas. Assess the Past Year. Self-examination is important and helpful. “Examine yourselves” is the admonition of 2 Corinthians 13:5. In the spirit of that passage, set aside some…

Is God Pleased With You?

[226 words] “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way…” (Colossians 1:10). We love because the Lord first loved us, though we were enemies to Him and separated from Him, and sent Jesus as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.…

Do You Believe the Bible is True?

[210 words] “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). Jesus, the Word made flesh Himself, claims in His Word, that the Word of God is truth. Well, many worldly skeptics would argue that just because the Bible claims to be truth doesn’t make it so (even though they would accept that…

Do You Follow God’s Son?

[175 words] “And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’ Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry…” (Luke 3:22-23). After many convincing proofs from His birth and childhood about who Jesus was, Luke, writing from his investigations and…

Who Do You Understand Jesus to Be?

[214 words] “Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:20-21). For centuries, God’s chosen people had been expecting a Savior,…

National Clean Your Desk Day

[442 words] Cathy brought to my attention Monday morning that Jan. 8 was National “Clean Your Desk” Day. And just for those who have been terribly concerned about my desk “clutter”, here is a picture of my hard work Monday morning. Now just for clarification, I did not clean the desk because of a “National…

True Food

[157 words] I’ve been told that there’s a health-food restaurant in the northeast with a billboard that says. “Eat here and live a long life!” Not wanting to be outdone, the barbecue place next door put up a sign that reads: “Eat here and die happy! Food is essential to each of us, without it…

Our Creator

[112 words] With various shapes and colorsOf flowers, trees, and birds,To say there is no GodIs really quite absurd. Try to count the stars,The number quickly mounts;God, however, does it,The many stars He counts.(Psalm 147:4) The hair that’s on your head,How many strands are there?Your God is one who knows,He can count every hair.(Matthew 10:30)…

On the Lighter Side (January 2018)

[227 words] All in How You View ItAn optimist stays up to see the New Year in. A pessimist waits to make sure the old one leaves. Perfect TimingThe last time we changed from daylight saving time, a preacher friend posted, “For those who habitually show up 15 minutes late to church, allow me to…