Only One Right Way

[237 words] There is only right and wrong. In true religion, there is only one right way, and that way is made plain in the Bible. King David learned this. His decision to have an adulterous affair with Uriah the Hittite’s wife was wrong. His adultery with her violated God’s law in the Ten Commandments…

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…

Are You One of Jesus’ Sheep?

[519 words] One would have thought Jesus’ sayings would engender unity and love everywhere he went because that was his message, right? That was not the Jew’s reaction. Their reaction was division. In John 10:19, the apostle John wrote, “There was a division therefore again among the Jews” about Jesus’ sayings. Some claimed he was…

Are You a Spectator?

[362 words] The American League and National League division games in Major League Baseball have been great, haven’t they? Okay, so the Tigers didn’t have the start we’d like, but there are more opportunities to win, aren’t there? When one goes to a baseball, football or basketball game, that person goes as a spectator. There…

A Fitting Memorial

[372 words] On the morning of February 19, 1945, the fourth and fifth divisions of the United States Marine Corps invaded Iwo Jima after a 72-hour bombardment. Four days later, the men of the 28th regiment of the fifth division captured Mt. Suribachi. Five Marines and a Navy corpsman planted the U.S. flag in what…

Two Mules’ Burdens of Earth

[324 words] 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.…

Beware Small Problems

[232 words] Take some snow and form it into a ball. Roll the ball downhill and it will get bigger and bigger. The faster it rolls, the faster it becomes a danger. It’s even possible for a deadly avalanche start from the effects of just one small snowball. Take a small problem in a church…

How to Be Content

[427 words] In Philippians 4:11, the apostle Paul said he learned “how to be content.” How did he do that? Over his years living the Christian life, Paul learned contentment does not depend upon circumstances. Happiness in life can exist in poverty or in riches. It is not the presence or absence of money that…

Find True Power

[364 words] People often look in the wrong place to find real 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…

Ten Minutes With Jesus

[327 words] If the Lord Jesus Christ gave you ten minutes with him, what would you ask? There are some who wouldn’t want to speak to the Lord for two minutes, or even one minute because they don’t believe in him. They think he may have been a good teacher, but certainly he wasn’t the…

The Problem of Evil

[433 words] “Why doesn’t God keep children safe? Why does He allow children to die from cancer or accidents?” These are questions that are often asked in our world. Some people stop believing in God because terrible things happen to innocent children. Sometimes, folks have difficulty understanding how a good and benevolent God could allow…

What is Your Response?

[393 words] What characterizes your response to Jesus? All of us will respond to him in one way or another. Will our response indicate our rejection of his word, or will it indicate our desire to trust and obey him? Several different responses are seen in Luke 13:11-17. In what was one of the last…

You Make the Choice

  [280 words] Bible study is great because it makes us set our minds on things we ought to consider.  Two Sundays ago in our adult class, we studied Jesus’ miracle in Mark chapter 5 when he healed the man possessed by many demons. Our teacher brought up the point that people were upset with…

Leaving Your Bible?

  [507 words] My father and mother used to carry a Bible to church with them every Sunday. My brothers and sisters and I, when we were old enough to read, were given a Bible so we could do the same. We didn’t leave the house without our Bible because my father would surely tell…

What About Our Reach?

[394 words] The Impala is an amazing creature that has a vertical leap of more than 10 feet and can jump an amazing 30 feet. With such abilities, one would think zoos would have to take extraordinary measures to build enclosures to keep these nearly airborne creatures inside the zoo, but they don’t. It seems…

Tell the Story of True Suffering

  [319 words] A sports news network reported an NFL’s investigation showed an offensive lineman for one of the teams was harassed by one of his teammates last year. An investigation ordered by the league said it found evidence that a player had been the subject of racial slurs and bullying during his time with…

What Does it Mean to Be Loved by a Father?

  [368 words] What does it mean to be loved by a father? Let the apostle John answer. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1 NKJV). “Behold” See, behold, and understand. God wants us to understand how he loves us.…

The True Tragedy

[184 words] A USA Today article about former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez that he “had played in a Super Bowl and signed a $40 million contract extension before his 24th birthday. His future was one of endless possibilities.” The article went on to say, “the tight end sits in jail, now a convicted murderer;…

Vessels of Honor

[222 words] “I’ll never attend that church again,” some people say. “There are too many hypocrites in it.” If we think about this for a moment, we may come to understand that since the church is composed of human beings, there will always be imperfection. Should we, then, condemn the church and refuse to attend…

God Wants to Tell You Something

[284 words] Saul arrived in the prophet’s city hoping to get information from Samuel. What he got was something he did not expect. Saul’s father had sent him to find some missing donkeys. The future king of Israel and his servant looked but could not find the animals. Saul’s servant thought they should go to…

Me and Self

I live with my beautiful bride, Judy, and a cranky old man named My Self. Sometimes, when I rise early for my 45-minute walk, Self tells me, “You can’t go out and walk today. Your knee hurts.” “Well, we’re going out anyway,” I reply. “I’m just trying to say your right knee is going to…

A Real Benefit Package

  [276 words] People will often change jobs for better benefits. More paid health insurance coverage is a major benefit people seek. A liberal retirement plan with earlier investment is also a premium job seekers consider. For a moment, let’s consider a different source of benefits from someone who loves you very dearly. It is…