faithfulness

A Dogged Servant

[297 words] If you were to go to the Shibuya train station in Tokyo, Japan, you would see a bronze statue honoring a dog named Hachiko.  Hachiko was born in 1923. His master was a professor at the Tokyo Imperial University. The professor would commute home on the train, get-ting off at the Shibuya train…

An Important Question

[295 words] The question asked in Psalm 116:12, “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?”, could only come from the lips of humans. Humans alone are endowed with the ability to be concerned about gratitude and its obligations.  Two thoughts might be considered in regard to that question. They…

Paper Dolls

[345 words] Paper dolls, paper people that came with paper clothes and could be cut out and played with. They never were a very durable toy, but they could be printed on the back of a cereal box cheaply and kids could get a free toy to play with. What happened when two kids wanted…

Will Our Kids Tear Their Clothes?

[415 words] When I was a kid in the 70’s, tearing your clothes was a horrible event. A mother’s admonition was, “Don’t tear a hole in your jeans, or I’ll have to patch them!” It was an accidental, tragic thing, usually occurring due to a child’s negligence.  In Bible times, though, tearing one’s clothes was…

What If God Took Your Excuses Away?

[327 words] Several years ago, while living in another city, one of the elders in the church here and this writer were making some calls on some of our members who had become negligent in their attendance with the house of God at the times of worship. As we sat in one home, we listened…

Appropriate Responses to Jesus

[156 words] In Luke 4 there is a major focus on who Jesus is and the way people respond to Him. Obviously, there are both appropriate as well as inappropriate ways to respond to His presence and call. Some appropriate responses to Jesus would be: Praise Him for His powerful message (Luke 4:15). Jesus reveals…

Pleasing to God

[379 words] Do you ever wonder if you are pleasing to God? Do you consider if you are living a life that is pleasing to Him? Jesus stated in John 8:29 that “I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” God acknowledged that he indeed was pleased with Jesus as the apostle Peter…

Do You Ever Forget What You Are Doing?

[362 words] Have you ever deliberately walked into a room, gone back to your house, or driven to a store only to forget why you went in there, in the first place? Many of us have done this, unintentionally, of course! We may feel dumb or scatter-brained when it happens. We may even get frustrated.…

A Little Resolve

[562 words] “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank” (Daniel 1:19-20). All the students in the Cape and Jackson area have officially begun the 2014-15 school year. Each year as this time period comes I can’t help but think about my time…

Drop-Outs

[370 words] “Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.” (Luke 8:14). Frequently members of the church, apparently for no reason at all, quit attending the services. This is usually preceded…

God’s Faithful Children

[308 words] “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15). This verse from the Psalms causes our minds to reflect on the many Christians who have passed from this life. We know that, in spite of the great strides in the world of medicine, death comes to everyone.…

A Living Martyr

[211 words] “Stephen wasn’t a martyr because he died; he died because he was a martyr.” After reading that sentence, you may be saying, “Steve, I don’t get it. What do you mean?” Well let me see if I can explain. Did you know that the Greek word translated as “martyr” (Gr. martureo) is the…

Being Faithful

[147 words] There can be nothing more important in any relationship than faithfulness. It is the test of true devotion and love. It is the virtue that authenticates the bond and communicates an invention to “stick with” one another to the end. We value faithful friends, family members, and especially spouses as the people in…

Looking Back

“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). I remember as a young boy learning the proper techniques in lawn care. The first few times on a lawn mower was with my father. He pointed out various…

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…

The Missing Sponge

A surgeon was very selective with the people he wanted to work with. It was the first day on the job for a young nurse and the surgeon decided to issue a test. As the young nurse assisted the surgeon during a procedure, she noticed a problem. “You’ve only removed eleven sponges, doctor,” she said…

Stop and Drop!

[76 words] Christianity is much like an airplane: When you stop — you drop! When you stop praying, you go down. When you stop studying your Bible, you go down. When you stop attending, you go down. When you stop being involved, you go down. No wonder Paul wrote, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast,…

Hymns for the ‘Sorta’ Committed

[217 words] Some Christians, by the way they are living their lives, would obviously like for some of the songs we sing to be changed to the following: • I Surrender Some• It is Fairly Well with My Soul• Fill My Spoon, Lord• Oh, How I Like Jesus• He’s a Little Bit to Me• I Love…

How to Keep People in the Church

What can be done to stop the churning? Well, it may be tempting for a congregation to compromise their convictions to attract people. But, this is certainly not the answer. We are sorry, but this content is for Trial, Annual, and Lifetime members only. You either are not yet a member (Register), have yet to…