300-399 words

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…

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…

The Cumulative Weight of Bees?

[335 words] We often fail to consider the gradual, cumulative effect of sin in our lives. Keep reading. In Saint Louis in 1984, a woman noticed a few bees buzzing around the attic of her home. Since there were only a few, she thought, she made no effort to deal with them. Over the summer,…

Good Sense vs. Lacking Sense

[393 words] With a name like “common sense,” one would think that everybody has it. That does not seem to be the case though. Someone with common sense would surely think they need to tie down trash bags in the back of their truck filled with junk if they are going to exceed 50 mile…

Let Your love Light Shine

[339 words] One of the most famous light houses in America is Minot’s Ledge Light House off shore from Scituate, Massachusetts. It is not known for its age or beauty. Though it has a rich, interesting history, it is perhaps best known for its light flashing, in nautical code, “1-4-3.” The flashing lantern was installed…

Get in the Wheelbarrow!

[370 words] There was a tightrope walker, who did incredible aerial feats. All over Paris, he would do tightrope acts at tremendously scary heights. Then he had succeeding acts: he would do it blindfolded, then he would go across the tightrope, blindfolded, pushing a wheelbarrow. An American promoter read about this in the papers and…

Will You Deny Him?

[370 words] Peter looked boldly into the eyes of the Lord and said without hesitation, “though all men shall be offended because of you, yet will I never be offended.” To which Jesus replied, “assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” But unwaveringly, Peter…

Who Are We?

[396 words] Many seem to be confused as to what it means to be a member of the church of Christ. The following observations will be helpful in clearing their minds. • We are a band of imperfect followers of Jesus. We have been saved, not because of our goodness or merit, but by the…

Life With A Purpose

[357 words] Our life upon this earth is of few days and full of trouble. Some days are the best of times; some days are the worst of times. There are moments that look like the spring of hope; others look like the winter of despair. Through it all we need to live a life…

Don’t Tell Bryce Weiler It’s Impossible

[337 words] Inspiring stories of people who succeed against all odds come to our attention all the time, but the case of Bryce Weiler is a little different. The 30-year-old from Claremont, Illinois, is a huge sports fan, and has worked his way up the ladder to be a radio commentator. So far he has…

Dedicated

[355 words] I have an affinity for big trucks of all kinds. My daddy was a truck driver most of his life, picking up “canned milk” in the 1950’s to delivering feed to farmers in the 1960’s and 1970’s, then back to picking up milk in a tandem tank truck in the late 1970’s. As…

Four Parts of Ephesians 2:16

[300 words] Paul wrote, “and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity” (Ephesians 2:16). There are four parts to this verse that answer four questions: Who, What, Where, How? The “Who” is Jesus. None less than the Christ, the Messiah, the Prince…

Some Thoughts on Jesus Coming to the Earth

[365 words] I found an interesting quote in my files recently. I don’t know who to attribute it to, but it is really thought provoking. The quote is this: “Socrates taught for 40 years, Plato for 50, Aristotle for 40, and Jesus for only 3. Yet the influence of Christ’s 3-year ministry infinitely transcends the…

What is Christ Worth to You? 

[367 words] Is He worth studying the Word for? Are you willing to give up your free time and put your effort into studying God’s Word? “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV). Is He worth forsaking…

Say it With My Life

[338 words] Out of the things that Jesus taught during His ministry, there is one that has a supreme importance. It can be summed up in only four words: “Say it with my life.” Jesus said: “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”(Luke 6:46). He is teaching…

Are You Missing Ingredients?

[373 words] Recently we had a lot of bananas get really ripe, so I started to make a big batch of banana muffins. I took them out of the oven, gave them a taste, and realized right away that something was wrong. I had forgotten to add the butter. I had put the amount of…

The Lord’s Supper: Save It From COVID-19

[340 words] One of the most disruptive things to me about COVID-19 has been the Lord’s Supper. For more than forty years, I’ve had a structured meditation for the Lord’s Supper. There are reflections while I’m eating the bread and another series of thoughts for the fruit of the vine.  During the year, we’ve visited…

The Good Word

[385 words] We are to hear and obey the word of God! The Master said, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (Luke 11:28). We are often admonished from the pulpit and in Bible class to study and apply the Bible daily. This is good advice for the Bible is…

Don’t Forget to Light the Fire

[317 words] In one of Jack London’s short stories, he writes about a fellow who was a newcomer to the Alaska gold rush. As he outfits to go out to “stake his claim and strike it rich,” a seasoned veteran gives him some advice. “It’s winter, so whenever you pause from hiking, be sure to…

Handling the Pressure

[363 words] For ages, people have wondered what was on the ocean floor. On August 15, 1934, Otis Barton and William Beebe came closer than ever before. On that day, they descended to a depth of 3,028 feet into the dark ocean, a record that remained unbroken for 15 years. The way they achieved this…

The Road of Resolution

[348 words] It is this time of year many like to make New Year’s Resolutions. A resolution is defined as, “a firm decision to do or not to do something.” It is good to make godly resolutions or firm decisions. Maybe the following can help you to keep on the right road with God throughout…

The Important Question: Who Is Jesus?

[332 words] The Bible shows us two sides of the most important person in history. The Lord is like us “in every respect” (Hebrews 2:17). There is no shortage of biblical evidence concerning Christ’s humanity. He experienced physical reactions, such as hunger (Matthew 4:2), thirst (John 19:28), and weariness (John 4:6). He wept (John 11:35),…

Are You Starving?

[345 words] Are you starving? This is probably a funny question to ask, especially since we just celebrated Thanksgiving and most of us probably ate more than we needed to. For most of us the holiday season includes good food and more desserts than you can shake a stick at. I know I enjoy all…

Masks

[383 words] Do you wear a mask? I can remember being so excited one year at Halloween. I found a mask on clearance. It was a full head mask with light up eyes and a voice changer built in. That thing was so hot, and my breath condensed on the inside, but man, I can…

Not a Joking Matter

[367 words] There was once a farmer who was going broke farming, so he quit and started selling hammers. He would buy hammers for $3 apiece and sell them for $2 each. He was selling a lot of hammers and seemed happier than before. A friend soon reminded him that for every hammer he sold…

Finding True Power

[365 words] People sometimes look in the wrong place to find power. Sometimes, folks look for power in the teachings of human beings. We humans are sometimes amazing. But, when it comes to true power we suddenly find ourselves unable to do very much. The teachings of Confucius are great, but are not divinely inspired…

The Angry Man

[352 words] “Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare” (Proverbs 22:24-25, ESV). When I was growing up, I had a friend with whom me and a couple of other hung around. He was a good fellow,…

Wisdom is Obeying God

[336 words] Jonah heard the call of the Lord. “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me” (Jonah 1:2). Jonah, however, made an executive decision to ignore those clear instructions. By doing so he became one of the premier Biblical examples of what not…

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…

‘I Am’ Able to Help You

[316 words] Each of the “I am” statements of Jesus in the book of John displays an important aspect of how He can meet our true needs. When Jesus said, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35), He stated that He can sustain our souls forevermore. He is that which nourishes and satisfies. When…

What Would You Take For It?

[363 words] When my dad bought me something or gave me something he knew I really wanted, after a period of time, he would grin and say, “What would you take for it?” Knowing I wouldn’t part with whatever gift he had bestowed upon me, he liked to test me and reassure himself he had…

Abraham’s Early Mornings

[363 words] I am not really a morning person. I loathe early alarms. Most days, it takes me a while to really get going. If, however, the day promises something out of the ordinary and pleasant, like the beginning of a vacation, I’ve been known to wake up before the alarm clock goes off. But…

Five Wise Sayings for Life

[381 words] I love sitting and listening to older, wiser folks than myself. I love history and learning it from people who loved it. There is something about sitting on a porch swing with someone old in days who has seen so much change and endured so much through their walk in life. The proverbial…

I Am the Only One!

[346 words] Have you ever felt like you were alone? Maybe at work you felt like you were the only one who does any real work. We can feel isolated like we are the only one going through struggles. The devil uses these feelings to break us down and attack us. We start to feel…

Shelter in the Storm

[391 words] A young man named Gus was taking a walk through the English countryside one day in 1753 when a sudden storm swept across the landscape. Running for cover, he spotted a wide rock formation with an opening where he sought shelter until the storm passed. He had been fortunate to find this hiding…

Nothing But the Blood of Jesus

[398 words] Robert Lowry composed both the words and music of the beautiful hymn, “Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus.” In the hymn we are asked, “What can wash away my sins?” and “What can make me whole again?” Each time we respond, “Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” In Lowry’s hymn we sing of…

Worship God

[335 words] Fact One: We are worshiping God! Fact Two: God sees our worship! Fact Three: Being conscious of these facts should greatly impact our worship! Fact One: We are worshiping God! When we sing, we sing “to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). When the lesson is taught, we are studying to present ourselves “approved to…

Inconvenient

[368 words] Power was off at the house and church building (and other places) Sunday night until about eleven o’clock Monday morning. Inconvenient! I came into work Tuesday morning ready for a day of working on sermon and class notes and found that the power had knocked out the church internet and phone lines. Inconvenient!…

What You Can’t See

[345 words] Sometimes I know when I’m in error. I’ve been around enough to know the sins that I am most tempted by. When my willpower fails and I commit one of these sins I know immediately afterward that I did wrong. God, forgive me for “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”…

Signs of Grace

[370 words] Paul began his second letter to the Thessalonian church with these encouraging words, “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; therefore, we ourselves speak proudly…
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