"Sandwich" It in!

By Adam Faughn

Many of you can agree with this statement: "There is always something else to do." When we go to bed at night, we do so knowing there is something we didn't accomplish that day.

As Christians, there is always another person to encourage or teach. We always could read and study more of our Bible, or we could always spend a little more time in prayer and devotion. There is always another lesson to apply.

Amazingly, though, we often leave all of that out of our daily routine. While we known (as the song states), "There is much to do, there's work on every hand," we often put our relationship with God on hold while we finish other tasks.

It is commonplace for us to complete our tasks for our occupation while not taking a few moments to read God's Word each day. It is the usual practice for us to make sure our homes are clean and that we are caught up on laundry and bills, without ever thinking about taking a few minutes to pray.

This article is not meant to cause guilt; rather, it is meant to show us that there is time to do both! There are many times in each day when we have "free" time, but we nearly always devote that time to activities other than those dealing with God. I've told many folks, even if you'll just read the Bible for 5 minutes on your lunch break, you'll be amazed at the difference it makes in your life! That's just one simple suggestion; there are many other times when you could "sandwich" in some time with God.

Could you rise 10 minutes earlier? How about stay up 15 minutes later? Could you take a Bible to work and read on your breaks? How about listening to sermons in the car?

After some time, you'll find you want more and more time in these efforts, so start making the time now.

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

The Refiner of Silver

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh that's easy--when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.


- via THE SOWER, a weekly publication of the Arthur church of Christ, Arthur, IL. Ron Bartanen, who serves as minister and editor, may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.arthurchurchofchrist.com

For Your Soul

By Paul L. McElroy

Jesus of Nazareth died for You, "and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world." (1 Jn. 2:2). It is by His blood that You may be forgiven of your sins. "The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!" (John 1:29).
It does not matter how bad you have been, only that you are now willing to turn from your unrighteousness and submit to Lord’s will. (Acts 3:19, Heb. 5:9, Acts 2:38).

For people to be saved, They must hear the gospel. The apostle Paul said, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (Rom. 1:16). It is by the power of the gospel that a person may be born again. (1 Pet. 1:22-25). So, the gospel must be declared and is the reason why Jesus commands us to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." (Mark 16:15).

- Paul L. McElroy preaches for the Columbia church of Christ on Broad Street in Columbia, MS. Paul may be contacted at cc0c@bellsouth.net

To Obey Is Better

By Kevin Williams

Would anyone argue that there are no sacrifices involved in the practices of those in various religious institutions throughout the world? On the contrary, there are many sacrifices that are made by many religious people in many ways. Consider Buddhist monks. They sacrifice much socially and monetarily by living their lives in solitary temples. Consider the Amish. They sacrifice the comforts and conveniences of technology in order to live differently from the rest of the world. Consider those in “Protestantism.” There is a lot of sacrifice of time, efforts and money in order to exist and function in their religious affiliation. The same could, and should, be said of the Lord’s church.

Yet, consider the question “Is what is being sacrificed what God asks?” Asked in another way, “Are the sacrifices that are being offered based on the Word of God?”

In the text of 1 Samuel 15, King Saul (Israel’s first king) was told by God to “Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and to not spare them” (v. 3). He was talking about the Amalekites. They were the ones who ambushed the Israelites at Rephidim as they were coming up out of Egypt (Ex. 17.8ff). To “utterly destroy” them meant that they were to devote all the people and all their goods to destruction, to totally annihilate them in war (man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey). What did Saul do?

Saul proceeded to set an ambush in the valley near the city of Amalek. He allowed the Kenites to leave because they had showed Israel kindness when they left Egypt. He then attacked “from Havilah to Shur” (from Arabia across the Sinai Peninsula). However, since Saul and the people were unwilling to utterly destroy ALL of them they spared King Agag and the best sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs, and all that was good to SACRIFICE to the Lord. The problem with the actions of Saul and the people was that God did not want them to be taken and sacrificed to Him, He wanted them utterly destroyed. Furthermore, Saul’s stark disobedience caused God to regret making him king in the first place.

Saul’s responses to Samuel are interesting. He continually insisted that he had done the Lord’s will even though the evidence suggested the contrary. First, Saul told Samuel, “Blessed are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD” (v. 13). Samuel knew that he had not done so because he heard the sheep and oxen he brought back. Saul did that part of God’s will that he wanted to do. He did not fully obey. Samuel describes Saul’s disobedience as “evil.” I wonder if we are ever like that? Do we pick and choose what we want to do? Or, do we have the conviction to do what God wants regardless of the circumstances? To do otherwise, according to the text, would be “evil!”

Second, Saul reassured Samuel that he had obeyed the Lord, but that “the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal” (v. 21). He tried to “pass the buck.” He blamed the disobedience on the people. I wonder if we are ever like that. When we come up with excuses for not obeying God (whatever those excuses are), we are the ones who are at fault. We cannot place blame on anyone when we fail to do what God wants us to do.

The text concludes with Samuel telling Saul, “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams” (v. 22). The truth is that God delights more in obedience to His Will than to sacrifices that we might make that are not authorized in His Will! Furthermore, God does not accept just any sacrifice or worship, only what He prescribes in His Word. So let each of us remember that when we offer sacrifices to God in our daily Christian lives that those sacrifices must be based on His Word and not what we, or anyone else, decide to offer Him. If we follow this basic principle we will truly understand that “to obey is better!” Think about it.

- Kevin Williams preaches for the Walnut Grove church of Christ in Benton, KY. He may be contacted through the church's website: http://walnutgrovechurchofchrist.org/

Attitude Make a Difference

By Patrick Hogan

The story of Joseph, recorded in Genesis, is familiar to many people. One interesting aspect of Joseph's experiences is his response to them. His experiences include the following: He is Jacob's favorite son, which produces resentment in the minds of his brothers. Their resentment builds to the point of hatred. They sell him into slavery. Joseph is separated from his family and taken to Egypt. He is falsely accused by Potiphar's wife and imprisoned. He is forgotten by Pharaoh's butler and remains in prison for two additional years. Finally he is freed and exalted to the second most important position in all of Egypt. These years of disappointment and frightening situations could have caused him to become bitter, hateful and vengeful.

Instead of these negative reactions, Joseph is able to forgive his brothers. When they come to Egypt seeking food, they are eventually reunited with Joseph. His comment to them, recorded in Genesis 45:4-8, reveals a remarkable attitude. When his brothers were afraid that Joseph would avenge himself against them, he reassured them with these words: "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved nor angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life." After the death of their father, Joseph again reassured them: "Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive" (50:19-21). Joseph could see that even in adversity and undesirable circumstances, God was working to bring about good that could not be foreseen during the suffering.

From Joseph's words we can take a valuable lesson. Even in our darkest hours, God is at work to bring about results that we cannot image (see Romans 8:28). In whatever circumstance we find ourselves, let us resolve that we will continue to trust God and be faithful to Him.

- Patrick Hogan serves as a minister and elder of the Shady Acres church of Christ, in Sikeston, MO. He may be contacted through the church's website at http://www.shadyacreschurch.com

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY (Phil. 2:12; 3:13, 14; 4:13)- Blaming others, parents, or the environment for one's difficulties or experiences in life is unreasonable (Ex. 32:22-24; Luke 14:28). Failing to accept the consequences of one's behavior is immaturity (cf. 1 Cor. 3:1-2; 13:11; 14:20). One should own up to taking responsibility for changing weaknesses into strengths. N.B. Hardeman said, "The best place to pray for potatoes is at the end of a hoe handle." What was his point? Prayer is more effective when coupled with action.

- Across the Desk, Jacksonville, Alabama, 3-3-'05; via THE SOWER, a weekly publication of the Arthur church of Christ, Arthur, IL. Ron Bartanen, who serves as minister and editor, may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.arthurchurchofchrist.com

The Comforter

One Sunday after church, a Mom asked her very young daughter what the lesson was about in Sunday school. The daughter answered, "Don't be scared; you'll get your quilt." Needless to say, the Mom was perplexed.

Later in the day she saw the child's class teacher and asked her what that morning's Sunday school lesson was about. She said, "Be not afraid; thy Comforter is coming."

- via THE SOWER, a weekly publication of the Arthur church of Christ, Arthur, IL. Ron Bartanen, who serves as minister and editor, may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.arthurchurchofchrist.com