When Dark Days Come

By Phil Sanders

“I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor wealth to the discerning nor favor to men of ability; for time and chance overtake them all. Moreover, man does not know his time: like fish caught in a treacherous net and birds trapped in a snare, so the sons of men are ensnared at an evil time when it suddenly falls on them” (Ecclesiastes 9:11-12).

It is not a question of if dark days come but when. Time and chance overtake us all. It usually happens when we least expect it. Tragedy is usually an interruption that takes our breath away and leaves us stumbling through the motions. Befuddled and distressed, we are never more aware of our need for God and His love.

When tragedy strikes, turn through the pages of your Bible. Find those marked verses that give hope and promise. Too often we read those passages and smile. Now read them as your own. Believe them with all your heart. God never bears false witness; He is the God of truth.

When tragedy strikes, turn your heart to God and not away from Him. He is not unaware of your pain and confusion. You can be assured that not a bird falls outside the knowledge of God. He sees and knows every detail. He hasn’t abandoned you, but he can and does take the hurts of life and make good out of them (Romans 8:28).

When tragedy strikes, pray more earnestly. When the lord Jesus faced his harshest night, He spent it praying. he cried out for the will of God to be done. His prayer that fateful night has blessed humanity for two thousand years.

When tragedy strikes, weep in your loss but rejoice anyway in the Lord and in the love of good people. Remember that Paul’s advice, “rejoice in the Lord always, and again I will say, rejoice” came from a prison cell. Paul did not know whether he would live or die (Philippians 1:21-23; 4:4). He could rejoice, however in the wonderful promises of God. Whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s (Romans 14:7-9).

- Phil Sanders, Edmond, OK; Encourager, the weekly bulletin for the Calvert City church of Christ, Calvert City, KY. Lance Cordle preaches for the congregation. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.calvertchurchofchrist.com

Your Choice

By Charles V. Cash

In the Canadian Rockies is a stream called Divide Creek. At a point in its course the creek divides around a large boulder. Waters which flow to the left of the boulder rush on into Kicking Horse River and finally into the Pacific Ocean. Waters which travel to the right flow into the Bow River which courses into the Saskatchewan River, on into Lake Winnipeg, the Nelson River, Hudson Bay and to the Atlantic Ocean. Once the waters divide at the rock, there is no turning back

How like life this is. Decisions are made daily. Like is a series of decisions. Some are very difficult, complicated, with far-reaching results. What we wouldn’t give sometimes to have an opportunity to make a certain decision again. It behooves all of us to weigh our decisions carefully. Things of seemingly immediate value will not necessarily be of ultimate value. Always take the long-range view!

We choose our priorities and life-styles. Should we not ask, “What sort of person do I want to be?” The demands and offers of God every person must accept or reject. “Choices are the hinges of eternity.” The option remains the same, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 23:15).

- Charles V. Cash, Siloam Springs, AR; via The Reminder, the weekly bulletin of the Dexter church of Christ in Dexter, MO. Travis L. Quertermous preaches for the congregation. He may be contacted at minister.church@sbcglobal.net or through the church’s website: http://www.dexterchurchofchrist.com/

Christianity on the Jobsite

By Adam Faughn

What is Christianity?

For some, it is simply one piece of life. We can take it out, and it doesn’t leave any effect on other aspects of our life. We can put it on when needed, or we can leave it at the church building when we desire to do something else.

However, that’s not the Biblical picture of Christianity. As Jesus enumerated the two “greatest” commands, the first contained “all” four times. If we paraphrase it, Jesus taught that we should love God with all we have.

Paul continued the thought in Romans 12, where he told the readers to offer their bodies “as living sacrifices” (v. 1). To follow that directive, all we do must have God at the center.

Christianity, then, should be more like the center of an old wagon wheel. Every time the center of that wheel turns, everything turns with it. It holds every part of our life together. It provides stability to the whole.

As Paul continues his letter to Titus, he reminds the young preacher that some aren’t the “boss” of their situation. Slaves, though often treated poorly (or extremely poorly in some cases), were still to follow Christ and show His light in their working lives.

In our modern society, we are growing ever more lazy and disillusioned with the concept of work. We go to work only to earn a paycheck, never thinking that our place of employment could be a mission field and a place to show the love of Christ.

Chances are, you work with someone who needs to become a Christian. Have you ever thought that how you work and your attitudes on the jobsite could influence that person towards (or away from) Christ?

Sure, bad days will come in any job, but Christians should continually be diligent in work, and should continue to show a shining light on the jobsite.

Let’s think about that this morning.

- Adam Faughn serves as the pulpit minister for the Lebanon Road church of Christ in Nashville, TN. He may be contacted through the congregation’s website at: http://www.lebanonroadchurchofchrist.org

Step By Step

He does not lead me year by year,
Nor even day by day;
But step by step my path unfolds,
My Lord directs my way.

Tomorrow’s plans I do not know;
I only know this minute.
But He will say, “This is the way,
By faith now walk ye in it.”

And I am glad that it is so,
Today’s enough to bear,
And when tomorrow comes,
His grace shall far exceed its care.

What need to worry then, or fret?
The God who gave His Son
Holds all my moments in His hand
And gives them one by one.

- Author Unknown