Loved ones, why should we memorize the Bible? In Colossians 3:16 we find Paul telling the Christians in Colossae to, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…." Memorizing God's word places it in our hearts and minds where it is always available to us. It transforms our mind so that we can know God's will for our lives (Romans 12:2). The memorized word helps us to stand against t…

Love you, Bible education is the most important investment a person can make for the future. It is critical to producing not only righteousness but also ultimate happiness. Therefore, we should diligently seek to learn God's word, realizing that it will require motivated effort on our part. The wife of a former US president said: "Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ard…

Loved ones, the song writer wrote: O Spread the tidings ‘round, wherever man is found, Wherever human hearts and human woes abound: Let every Christ like tongue proclaim the joyful sound; Our Lord is Lord of lords. Lo, the great King of kings, with healing in His wings, To every captive soul a full deliverance brings, And thro’ the vacant cells the song of triumph rings, The Lord is King of kin…

Loved ones, parents usually expect the children to answer when they are questioned about their behavior. We wonder what we would do if we questioned one of our small children, and he responded with, "I don't have to answer you." Now that we are adults, things are much different. We find considerable satisfaction in not having to answer for our behavior if we do not want to do so. We can readily…

Loved ones, one of the saddest contexts in the New Testament, in my opinion, is the sixth chapter of John. Not because of the great miracle of feeding the multitude with the five loaves and two fishes (vs. 1-14); that was anything but sad. It filled a benevolent need and furnished indisputable proof that Jesus was in fact the Son of God. And not because of the subsequent miracle of the Lord's wal…

Loved ones, in Luke 6:47-49, Jesus says that a man should listen to His words. He is NOT talking about just letting the words fall on one's ears. Just because a person is within hearing distance, and just because he is looking at the person talking, does not mean he is actually attempting to think about what is being spoken. The same holds true for reading. Just because one allows his eyes to sca…

Loved ones, suppose that anywhere in the world on the equatorial line, a pilot decides to take off 20 degrees north-northwest. He stays on this course, never correcting his flight position. Would our pilot come out at a point he thought of, or would his airplane put him totally out of course? Our life needs a fixed course and a constant control and correction of our walk toward the goal. Marketi…

“5 Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return… 20 The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” (Jeremiah 8:5, 20, KJV). Loved ones, the above two verses in the 8th chapter of Jeremiah tell us something about the condition of Judah in that time period. They were “slidden back by a perpetual backslid…

Loved ones, it seems to be difficult for some Christians to think of themselves as ministers of God. All Christians are servants; thus, they are ministers. We have made a great difference between the ministers who preach the Gospel and receive support from the church and the brethren who do not receive support. We believe this is one reason many will not accept the responsibility of being soul-wi…

Loved ones, these statements could be made about any local congregation, anywhere in the world: “The church isn’t as evangelistic as it could be. We’re not doing enough to reach out to lost sinners.” “We don’t do enough to support the weak and to encourage those who are struggling with hardships in their lives.” “The church isn’t as friendly as it could be. We don’t do as well in welcoming visi…

Loved ones, in 2 Timothy 2:15 Paul told Timothy (and us) to “... rightly divide the truth.” What does this mean? It means to handle the Word of God properly, not to put one's own private interpretation on it, but to leave it in its context, and compare it with other related Scriptures in order to see what God is saying. It is only when a verse or passage harmonizes with other teachings on the sam…

Loved ones, Paul, knowing the importance of continued teaching and encouragement approached Barnabas about visiting the brethren in all the cities in which they had previously preached. Barnabas strongly desired to take his cousin John Mark on the journey. Paul did not want to go with the man who had left them at Perga (Acts 15:36; 13:13). Paul and Barnabas were so firm in their opinions, even to…