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In 2022, there were a lot of celebrities
who died. The number seemed greater than in previous
years. The ages range from the young to those in their nineties. However old
they were, life is still short. The Biblical teaching is that the importance of
life is not so much the quantity of years as it is the quality. The Psalmist
wrote, “We spend our lives as a tale that is told” (Psa. 90:9 KJV). What kind
of tale is your life telling? In thinking about the quality of our lives,
emphasis is placed on making the most of the time we have. We should pay attention and make the most of our lives on earth. The Psalmist wrote, "So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psa. 90:12 (NKJV). This is a similar thought Paul expressed when he wrote, “…redeeming the time because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16). We should make the most of our lives because we don’t have long here compared to eternity. Peter described our lives as grass that eventually withers and falls away (1 Pet. 1:24). In the Bible life is compared to: a sigh (Ps. 90:9), sleep (Ps. 90:5), a shadow (Eccl. 6:12), a moment (2 Co. 4:17), and a weaver’s shuttle (Job 7:6). How are we spending our lives? Do we pay more attention to the physical comforts of life than we do the spiritual? Jesus said, “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15). Let us be more diligent in our spiritual lives in case death comes too early for us and our lives end too soon. |
- Bill Brandstatter preaches for the Marion Church
of Christ in Marion, IL. He may be contacted through the congregation's
website: http://marionchurchofchrist.com/  |
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
Life is Too Short
Searching for Truth?
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The wise man Solomon advised, “Buy the
truth and sell it not” (Prov. 23:23). In
the marketplace of ideas one must be careful to distinguish the true from the
counterfeit. Jesus said, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you
free” (John 8:32). How will we know the
truth when we see it? Some seek truth in their own hearts, though
the Bible warns, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). How much
religious error do we subject ourselves to when we follow the path of simply
doing what “seems right”, or “what I’ve always believed.” Some seek truth from preachers and church
councils, accepting what they are told without question, though Paul warned,
“Of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things” (Acts
20:30). Men are fallible, subject to
error. Preachers and religious-leaders
may be ever so sincere in their beliefs, and still be misled. We who endeavor to preach the truth of God
should do so with fear and trembling. We
dare not seek what is regarded as popular in our religious circles. While this may seem to be the way to go, it
opens the door to error. Ultimate truth is found in Jesus, who said,
“I am the way, the truth and the life.
No man cometh to the Father but by me” (John 14:6). Truth is found in His word, the Scriptures,
of which Paul wrote, “All scripture is inspired of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy
3:16-17). How many supposed “truths” do
we defend even when we have accepted such “truths” on their popularity. We should follow the example of the noble
Bereans who, upon hearing the apostle Paul’s proclamation of the gospel,
“searched the scriptures (to see) whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). |
- Ronald Bartanen is a
retired minister who for many years served the Lord's church in Illinois,
Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. After the passing of his beloved
wife, Doris, Ron has relocated from Illinois to Florida where he is near
family. He may be contacted at: ron33dor@yahoo.com |
When Jesus Shaved His Head
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Mike Benson reports: "Nine-year-old
Kamryn Renfroe was recently kicked out of her Colorado elementary school. She
was told she couldn't come back to class — at least until she either put on a
wig, or her hair grew back. Kamryn had shaved her head, and so the
administration disciplined her. It was an obvious dress code infraction.
She had blatantly broken the rules of Caprock Academy. The school's dress code
requires uniformity and that all students adorn themselves in a non-distracting
fashion. And what could be more distracting than a bald-headed little girl in class?”
This little bald-headed girl had a friend who had lost the hair on her head due
to chemotherapy treatments. Benson continues: "You see, Kamryn
didn't shave her head to create a scene or contravene the rules. Hers was not
an act of violation, but compassion. She shaved her head to become like her
friend, Delaney. Eleven-year-old Delaney Clements suffers
from neuroblastoma — a deadly form of childhood cancer. Kamryn saw that her
friend had [a] bald head…, so she decided to support and encourage her lonely,
hurting friend by essentially becoming just like her. Delaney loved it! She said, ‘It made me
feel very special and that I'm not alone.’" What a beautiful expression of friendship!
It points to Someone who gave an even greater expression of love and friendship
for you and for me… Benson explains: "Man suffered from the deadly form of
"soul cancer" (i.e., sin) with no hope of survival (Romans 3:10, 23).
And instead of just watching him suffer in silence, Jesus ‘shaved his head’
metaphorically speaking, by taking on flesh and manifesting Himself in human
form. He became one of us. He identified himself with us." * "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..."
(John 1:14a). "God was manifested in the flesh" (1 Timothy 3:16a).
"Jesus Christ has come in the flesh" (1 John 4:2b). "Therefore, in ALL things He had to be made like His
brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things
pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people"
(Hebrews 2:17). Jesus was the "propitiation" for the sins of man in
that He paid the price for man’s redemption by dying on the cross for our sins
(Ephesians 1:7). "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down
one's life for his friends" (John 15:13). Jesus gave His life for you and
for me. His desire is that we accept His offer of salvation and eternal life
that has been made available through His loving sacrifice. Jesus
will save those who place their faith and trust in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turn
from their sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Him before men (Romans
10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed)
into Him for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). His blood will continue to
wash away the sins of those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1
John 1:7). Thankfully, Caprock Academy’s school board
took up the matter and voted 3-1 in favor of letting Kamryn return to the
public charter school in Grand Junction, CO. Jesus also desires that each of us will
CHOOSE to accept His offer of salvation and life by submitting to His will (cf.
John 15:13-14). |
- David A. Sargent, minister for the Church of Christ at Creekwood
in Mobile, Alabama, is also the editor of an electronic devotional entitled
"Living Water." To learn more about this excellent resource
contact David via their website: http://www.creekwoodcc.org |
It Works!
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God’s
word makes it clear that He views success quite differently than we do. We set
a goal, plan a strategy, and carry out the plan. If it works, we claim success.
Someone asks, “What is the problem with this?” Simply put, God’s will has been
left out of the equation! During
King Asa’s reign over Judah, King Baasha of Israel invaded. Asa paid the
Syrians to attack Israel’s homeland, forcing Baasha to go back home to defend
his own land. Asa then re-captured the territory Baasha had taken (see 1 Kings
15:16-21). Pretty
good strategy, wouldn’t you say? And it definitely worked! God, however, sent
His prophet, Hanani, to rebuke Asa (2 Chronicles 16:7-9). The king had put his
trust in his pagan neighbors rather than in the Lord. Yes, it “worked,” but it
dishonored God. Moses
also “succeeded” in a task, but sinned in the process. God told him to provide
water for Israel by speaking to a rock (Numbers 20:8). Instead of obeying,
Moses, being furious with his people, gave the rock a double-whack with his rod
(20:9-11). Water miraculously gushed forth in great abundance. It worked! But
Moses and Aaron forfeited the blessing of going across Jordan into the promised
land (20:12). Worldly
philosophy says that the end justifies the means. Since Asa gained relief from
his enemies, his method doesn’t matter. Since Moses acquired water for his
people, it makes no difference how he did it. The Bible, on the other hand,
teaches that people offend God by reaching the right goals using the wrong
means. Church
growth, for example, is an eminently Scriptural goal. God wants His church to
grow; if you don’t want the church to grow, you need to repent! And God’s
church will grow when Christians are serving as they ought. Some, however, in
misguided zeal, seek to produce church growth by using methods that are outside
of God’s will. Watering down the gospel, exchanging worship for entertainment,
and otherwise appealing to people’s carnal side, might attract large crowds;
but it doesn’t glorify God! |
- Joe Slater serves as
minister of the Church of Christ in Justin, TX. He may be contacted through the
congregation's website: http://justinchurchofchrist.com |
Which Soil Describes Your Heart?
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In His parable of the sower (Luke 8) Jesus
described God’s word as seed planted into four types of soil (human hearts).
The seed’s fruitfulness, or lack thereof, depended on the condition of the soil
(heart). First was the “wayside,” literally the path
or road surrounding the field (Luke 8:5). As seed cannot germinate and grow on
hardpacked ground, God’s word cannot grow in a hard heart. Satan easily removes
the word from the resistant soul. Next came the rock (v. 6). This doesn’t
mean stony ground, but a thin layer of earth atop bedrock. Seed might sprout on
such shallow soil, but the tender shoot would wither and die, having no deep
root to reach water. Just so, a person with shallow faith might joyfully
receive the word of God at first, but would fall away in times of trial. Third, Jesus spoke of ground infested with
thorns (v. 7). Seed could begin to grow under such conditions, but the thorns
would eventually choke out the good plants, rendering them fruitless. Thorns
represent distractions – worldly cares, riches, and pleasures (v. 14). God’s
word produces no harvest in a distracted heart. Finally,
the good ground produced an abundant crop (v. 8). The good, noble heart isn’t
hard, has a deep and abiding faith, and steers clear of the world’s
distractions. Such a person not only believes God’s word, but keeps it (i.e.
obeys it, v. 15). Which of these four soil types best
describes your heart? Are you resisting God’s word with a hard heart? Is your
faith shallow, fading away when trials appear? Are you distracted with the
deceitful world’s cares, riches, and pleasures? Or do you have a deep, abiding
faith that keeps God’s word? |
- Joe Slater serves as
minister of the Church of Christ in Justin, TX. He may be contacted through the
congregation's website: http://justinchurchofchrist.com |
Resolutions
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I am all for doing
whatever is necessary to improve our lives, but I am a strong believer that we
should always remember to do what our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, said in Matthew
6:33: “But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall
be yours as well.” We should never fail to put God and His will first in our
lives in everything we do. The word of God is all
about new beginnings: We have the Book of Genesis itself, whose very name means
“beginning,” and within its pages God shares with us the creation story and how
with just His word the whole universe sprang into existence. We also see how sin
first arrived in that perfect world, and how quick was God to offer a remedy
for that sin by stating the very first prophecy of redemption regarding the
Messiah in Genesis 3:15. A few chapters later we see the underpinning of the
nation of Israel laid as God promises Abraham that from him would come peoples
and nations and most importantly, the Promised Seed from Whom all the world
would be blessed. At the conclusion of the Book of Genesis, we see the
foundation of God’s chosen people being created as Joseph protects his family
from the famine that had ravaged the land, his family who were direct descendants
of Abraham, in the land of Egypt. In the Book of Exodus,
we see the beginning of the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people, come to
fruition as God calls them out of bondage in Egypt as the Lord formed His covenant
with them at Mt. Sinai. But shortly thereafter, we witness the beginning of the
long history of Israel’s rebellion against Jehovah. But He is steadfastly
loving and patient and kind in His longsuffering, always maintaining a remnant
for Himself. In 1 Samuel, we find the beginning of the monarchy created as God
has Samuel anoint Saul as its first earthly king, once again resulting from the
people rejecting their true King, Jehovah. It’s in 2 Samuel we find the
beginning of the Davidic line to the throne established, the line from which
came Israel’s and our King and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Upon His arrival,
the Old Covenant gave way to the new, which is why the Hebrews writer tells us in
Hebrews 8:13 just before the Destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, “And what is becoming
obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” Jesus Christ is all
about new beginnings. Through Him we have forgiveness of sins |
- David R. Ferguson
preaches for the Mentor Church of Christ in Mentor, OH. He may be
contacted through the congregation's website: http://mentorchurchofchrist.com/ or davidferguson61@yahoo.com |
A Story of Faith
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Jesus “said to the man which had the
withered hand, Rise up and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. …He said to the
man, stretch forth your hand. And he did
so, and his hand was restored whole as the other” (Luke 6:8, 10). The account recorded in Luke 6:6-10 of
Jesus healing a man with a “withered” (paralyzed) hand is a powerful example of
the power of Jesus Christ in confronting our hopelessness. In every physical healing performed by our
Lord we are reminded not only of Jesus’ power over our physical maladies, but
also, and more importantly, His power over our spiritual needs. Our “withered hand” may be a destructive
habit, chains of lust, or greed. Or it
could be bitterness in our hearts due to unforgiving spirit. The most important lesson applicable today is
that the same Jesus who has power over our physical infirmities has just as
much power over our spiritual deficiencies. |
- Ronald Bartanen is a
retired minister who for many years served the Lord's church in Illinois,
Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. After the passing of his beloved wife,
Doris, Ron has relocated from Illinois to Florida where he is near family. He
may be contacted at: ron33dor@yahoo.com |