May 2013, Vol. 32, No. 5 Archives

The Victor’s Crown

[441 words] God has promised us many wonderful blessings in His word. The grandest blessings are reserved for those who are faithful to Him unto the very end. One of these grand blessings is the crown of life. This was the promise to the church at Smyrna who was suffering and would suffer even greater…

Worthy of the Lord

[188 words] Paul prayed that the Colossians would “be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col 1:9-10).…

The Devil’s Sinkhole

[424 words] In 1983 the residents of a Florida apartment building awoke to a terrifying sight outside their windows. The ground beneath the street in front of their apartment building had literally collapsed, creating a massive depression that Floridians call a sinkhole. Tumbling into the ever-deepening pit were automobiles, sidewalks, and lawn furniture. The apartment…

Every Good Gift

[152 words] A poor man was given a loaf of bread. He thanked the baker, but the baker said, “Don’t thank me. Thank the miller who made the flour.” So he thanked the miller, but the miller said, “Don’t thank me. Thank the farmer who planted the wheat.” So he thanked the farmer, but the…

What Can I Do to Help the Church Grow?

[280 words] A George Barna survey studied people who visited a local congregation. He found that: • 78 percent loved being greeted by individuals who sat around them at the end of the service.• 72 percent did not want to stand and be recognized during service.• 70 percent liked receiving information about the church.• 65…

History Channel’s ‘What’s the Earth Worth?’

[269 words] This week the History Channel aired a special episode about the value of our planet. They examined aspects such as diamonds, gold, lumber, water, and nearly everything on earth and came up with a price tag. From their calculation, our earth is worth $6,873,951,620,979,800, or to put it in words, nearly seven quadrillion…

Keep Your Heart With All Diligence

[369 words] “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). You have probably heard the saying concerning computers, “Input equals output.” Or, the more popular term, “Garbage in, garbage out.” That does not apply to just computers, but also to human beings. If what we feed…

The Light

[251 words] “Then Jesus cried out, when a man believes in Me, he does not believe in Me only, but in the one who sent Me. When he looks at Me, he sees the one who sent Me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me…

Mothers: The Heart of the Family

[359 words] Nations rise and fall, empires prosper or crumble and men are stirred to great accomplishment s or driven to shameful failure often because of the influence of a wife or mother. The wise poet has properly said, “The hand that rocks the cradle, is the hand that rules the world.” For most women,…

Mother’s Day is Remembrance Day

[92 words] We pause on the path of the yearTo pay honor and worshipful tributeTo the Mother our heart holds dear…For, whether here or in heaven,Her love is our haven and guide,For always the memory of MotherIs a beacon light shining inside…Time cannot destroy her memoryAnd years can never eraseThe tenderness and the beautyOf the…

Appreciating Mother

[66 words] Not until I became a mother did I understand how much my mother had sacrificed for me. Not until I became a mother did I feel how hurt my mother was when I disobeyed. Not until I became a mother did I know how proud my mother was when I achieved.Not until I…

When You’re Feeling the Pressure

[586 words] ”And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). The comprehensiveness of this passage is mind-blowing. It’s also amazing how the same passage of Scripture can lift us up AND…

The One Thing Worse Than Being Lost

[404 words] When you read the title, you probably said to yourself, “What could possibly be worse than being lost?” Good question. Here is the answer: Being Lost Again! One of the great themes of the epistle of 2 Peter is faithful Christian living. Peter himself knew how easy it is to fall from a…

The Power Of Can’t

[220 words] Words have meanings, and words have power. The Old Testament writer tells us that, “the power of life and death are in the tongue.” Think about the power of that little statement, “I can’t.” It cripples and destroys opportunities. It robs us of growth and kills initiative. Once we convince ourselves that we…

Honesty Works

[536 words] Billy Ray Harris is a homeless man in Kansas City, Missouri, who, each day, would set out his cup for folks to deposit their coins. One day a lady, Sarah Darling, put some money into the cup and when she did her engagement ring fell off into the cup. Mr. Harris did not…

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…

What We Believe

[448 words] One of the most misunderstood religious subjects pertains to whether or not the Christian today is under any law from God. This confusion may be eliminated, however, by realizing that the Christian is not under the Law of Moses but rather the Law of Christ. The Law of Moses, which encompasses most of…

There Are Only Two Ways

[281 words] Many times we hear people today say, “We are all headed for the same place, we are just going in different ways.” In a sense this is true in that we are all headed first to the Judgment. The Bible says, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after…

Truth Shapes Conscience

[448 words] Paul, looking intently at the Council, said, “Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day” (Acts 23:1). In the Bible’s account of his life, Paul—earlier known as Saul—is as close to “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” as anyone you will find. The evil Mr.…

Who’s First in Line?

[217 words] A little boy was given two nickels—one for the Lord on Sunday and one for some candy. He put the two nickels in his pocket and when out to play. When he came back inside, he reached deep into his pockets and found that one of the nickels was gone. “Oh, my,” he…

There Is Room At The Cross

[386 words] “The cross upon which Jesus died is a shelter in which we can hide; and its grace so free is sufficient for me, and deep is its fountain, as wide as the sea.” These words written by Ira F. Stanphill in his song, “Room at the Cross” should give a great sense of…

Marriage Means Being In Love for Life

[96 words] Marriage is love walking hand in hand together. It’s laughing with each other about silly little things, and learning to discuss big things with care and tenderness. In marriage, love is trusting each other when you’re apart. It’s getting over disappointments and hurts, knowing that these are present in all relationships. It’s the…

Jesus the Good Shepherd

[220 words] “Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever” (Psalm 28:9). As Jesus is “in the beginning” and the agent for creation, history is His story. Therefore, we should be able to see Jesus in the Bible’s poetry. We see Him as the living redeemer in Job, the…

Please Read This Slowly and Think!

[252 words] Submitted by a member at East Hill church of Christ. The following questions were contained in a bulletin from January, 1943. 1. Does your life please God? Do I enjoy living the Christian life? 2. Am I studying my Bible daily? How much time do I spend in real prayer? 3. Have I…

Jesus Did Not Quit

[248 words] Jesus did not quit meeting with His disciples because Judas was a thief, nor because Peter was fickle at times. He did not quit preaching and living right because some of his brethren were unforgiving and unkind. He did not quit his post of leadership because He had in His presence the adulterous…

Needed: Personal Evangelism

[392 words] How wonderful it is to be needed! One of the joys of marriage. One of the joys of parenthood. One of the joys of Christianity. There are physical needs, and there are spiritual needs. Everyone has a need for something or someone. True of kings and true of hermits. True of Christ, the…

What is True Love?

[299 words] “Love” is one of the most loosely-used words in the English language. This creates a lot of confusion about what true love really is. In 1 Corinthians 13:8, the apostle Paul said, “Love never fails.” Yet many times couples will say they have fallen out of love with one another. Such an attitude…

On the Lighter Side (May 2013)

As a man is walking down the street with his friend, he says, “Look at me. I’m a walking economy.” His friend replies, “And just how do you figure that?” “Well, my hairline is in recession, my stomach is a victim of inflation, and the combination of these factors is putting me in deep depression.…