Loved ones, it’s quite obvious that if you are reading these words, you are alive. I believe we would all agree that the dead cannot read. And those that are alive are well aware that the ability to read is a vital need for our existence and well-being while we live on planet earth. We must be able to read to complete our education. It’s important to be able to read if we want to get a driver’s l…

Loved ones, the song writer wrote: 1. Room at the Cross for a trembling soul, Room at the Cross for you; Where the sin laden may be made whole, Room at the Cross for you. 2. Room at the cross for a breaking heart, Room at the Cross for you; Choose the, like Mary, the better part, Room at the Cross for you. 3. Room at the cross for the sad and worn, Room at the Cross for you; Come, then, O come, t…

Loved ones, in talking about the importance of maintaining our reputation, the Proverb writer said, “A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, favor is better than silver or gold” (Proverbs 22:1). However, besides just teaching about the value of a good reputation, this comparison to wealth also provides some clues as to how we can earn and maintain our good name. How can one acquire…

Loved ones, we can occasionally be overwhelmed by some of the complexities found in God's word. We may even fail to see the true simplicity and clarity of the information found in the Scriptures. What approach should we use to gain a good understanding of God's word? We begin by reading the passage to arrive at a summary of what we think the verse means. We would also want to take note of the qu…

“13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus…

Loved ones, one of the ways to measure the spiritual health of a congregation is to consider its attitude toward preaching and toward those who do the preaching. Throughout the Bible, God has chosen to spread His message through human messengers, imperfect men who carry a perfect gospel. Because of that, our attitude toward preaching is never a small matter. It reflects how we view the Word of Go…

Loved ones, do you consider it "bad form" to talk about religion? Should a person keep his religion to himself? Most of us at one time or another have had to deal with someone who used little tact in their approach to speaking about their faith. To put it mildly, they were obnoxious! So perhaps then and there we decided that from now on we would be silent about our Christian faith. If that has b…

Loved ones, looking at optical illusions made me think about spiritual illusions that deceive many people. To help us clearly distinguish between man-made illusions and divinely revealed truth, here are a few spiritual illusions to consider. 1. “One church is as good as another.” This illusion assumes that all the churches men have established are pleasing to God (2 Cor. 5:9-10). But Jesus built…

Loved ones, the false “saved by faith only” teachers say, “Men are baptized because they have been saved, not in order to be saved.” How would anyone come to that conclusion if he reads what the Bible teaches about baptism? Consider this prophecy: “76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; 77 to give knowled…

Loved ones, a little girl and her mother were discussing the child's Sunday Bible class lesson and how that Jesus had gone up to Heaven and is now sitting beside the Father. A little while later the mother noticed a rainbow and not wanting to waste the opportunity to mention God, said to her daughter, “Look at the pretty rainbow God has painted for us.” The little girl agreed and then said, “And…

Loved ones, never did a day begin with such gloom and end with such glow! Those faithful women who had viewed the crucifixion from afar were now making their way to the garden plot where the body of Jesus had been tenderly laid. They were wondering how they would manage to roll aside the stone which blocked the entrance to the cave-like tomb. The anguish of the stark tragedy which they had so la…

Loved ones, there is both a divine side and a human side to Christian faith. God is the author of the faith and men are the respondents. From the human side faith is composed of right belief and right action, both of which are legislated by God. That being the case, right belief may properly be thought of as the ground on which all else pertaining to faith stands. One may adopt a personally desir…