False Teachers
Jude 15:19
There are many false teachers in our world today. These false teachers try to get teachers to stop obeying God. Many of these false teachers use the Bible and take God’s Word, twisting it to support their own beliefs. Sometimes they even use some other book and say, "This is God’s Word." There are those teachers who are very desperate in converting people to their thinking. Often people do not even realize that they are leading people away from God. Sometimes the people who are doing it don’t do it intentionally, but they still lead people away from God.
Our Bible reading today warns Christians against false teachers. In the Bible reading today, Jude 15-19, Jude says these false teachers complain. They boast about themselves; they laugh about God. They don’t do the things for God instead they do things against God. He also adds that God will punish people for all the evil things they have done against God. He will punish them for all the bad things they have said against God.
If you study your Bible, you will know what is the truth. Knowing the truth makes a difference in life, doesn’t it. There are so many times in life when people tell lies .It is especially dangerous when it comes to religious matters because it is literally a matter of life and death. Sometimes people will lie about other things. One of things I often tell people about. How common it is that we tell lies. For example, the phone will ring at home, the wife will answer, the husband will say, "Tell them I’m not here." She answers the phone and says, "He’s not here right now." And we’ve just told another lie.
Sometimes it seems that some of them are little white lies like that one, but lying is lying. We need to tell the truth, not only about God’s Word, but about everything in life. As a matter fact, these false teachers should be aware of what God’s Word says–apply it themselves and teach it themselves. These guys and ladies too, who are trying to lead people away from God, need to change what they are doing. The Bible says we need to be like Christ. This is the Christlike spirit we need to have if we are to be obedient servants to God.
Those Christians at Berea, for instance in the book of Acts 17:11, who studied the scriptures daily. Do you know what they wanted to see? They wanted to see what was true and what was false. They did not want to be taken away by anyone who was a false teacher–by anything that was not true.
I think as you read this and hear preachers on the radio and TV there are ones who are very sincere about what they are doing, and may believe they are doing exactly what God says. But we have a responsibility to check it out for ourselves.
Let me just challenge you today to read and study to see exactly what God wants, sowe as God’s servants can hear God say, "I am well pleased." Each of us should examine ourselves and make sure we are headed in God’s direction.
~Philip
28 January 2010
27 January 2010
GOD’S PLAN
Acts 26:19-23
Our Bible reading today comes from Acts 26:19-23. Let me encourage you to read this with 20/20 vision. Read the 20 verses before and the 20 verses after our text to make sure it’s not taken out of context, and that we are using God’s Word correctly. That is what Christians, people who are interested in obeying God, should be doing....checking for themselves to make sure things are so, and then applying those things to our lives. That is what I want to tell you about to today.
Paul is talking to King Agrippa. Hel is talking about when God appeared to him on the way to Damascus. In Verse 19, Paul tells King Agrippa, "After I had this vision from heaven, I obeyed it." Do you see that picture? Paul says as soon as he understood what it was that God wanted him to do, he did it. If you are a Christian you probably remember a time when you understood what it was that God had planned for you, and you wanted to be a part of that plan. You took those steps to be right with God. You wanted to obey so you repented your sins, confessed your faith, and you were baptized. It seemed that you were on the track that God wanted you to be on, and as time went on God seemed very near to you, and God’s plan seemed very clear in your life. Sometimes it does doesn’t it. Oh, what a blessing it is when we can clearly see God’s plan and obey it.
But what about those of us who have never seen God’s plan for us, or maybe it has become cloudy for some reason. It is just not a clear as it once was. Maybe we have forgotten about God’s plan in our life. We just get busy, or we get trapped in sin, or whatever it is that pulls us away from God. It’s at those times that we need to remember God’s plan for our life. Paul clearly remembered what it was that God had wanted him to do, and he was busy doing it.
Let me encourage you today to take a few minutes and think about when you were on the track, when you knew God’s plan, and when you were committed to it. Trust Him again and let Him lead you in the right direction. The Bible says that we should allow God to direct our steps. It’s not in man to direct his own steps. Instead we should allow God to lead our life. If you were once committed to God, become committed again to God--be on fire again for Him, and begin doing those things He wants you to do.
If you have never been down that path towards God. Maybe you have been thinking about and say to yourself, "You know, one of these days I might go to church." Let today be the day that you start, let today be the day that you get your Bible and know what it is God wants you to do, then get busy doing it. It is interesting that in Acts 15, we see what God had said for Paul to do. "You will be a witness to all people, you will tell men of what you have seen and heard." so says Acts 22:15. Paul was on the right track wasn’t he. Are you? I hope the answer is yes. If we can help you any way in making sure that you are headed towards heaven and in God’s direction, please give us that opportunity. Call us or write us, and check out our website at www.elbachurchofchrist.com.
~Philip
Acts 26:19-23
Our Bible reading today comes from Acts 26:19-23. Let me encourage you to read this with 20/20 vision. Read the 20 verses before and the 20 verses after our text to make sure it’s not taken out of context, and that we are using God’s Word correctly. That is what Christians, people who are interested in obeying God, should be doing....checking for themselves to make sure things are so, and then applying those things to our lives. That is what I want to tell you about to today.
Paul is talking to King Agrippa. Hel is talking about when God appeared to him on the way to Damascus. In Verse 19, Paul tells King Agrippa, "After I had this vision from heaven, I obeyed it." Do you see that picture? Paul says as soon as he understood what it was that God wanted him to do, he did it. If you are a Christian you probably remember a time when you understood what it was that God had planned for you, and you wanted to be a part of that plan. You took those steps to be right with God. You wanted to obey so you repented your sins, confessed your faith, and you were baptized. It seemed that you were on the track that God wanted you to be on, and as time went on God seemed very near to you, and God’s plan seemed very clear in your life. Sometimes it does doesn’t it. Oh, what a blessing it is when we can clearly see God’s plan and obey it.
But what about those of us who have never seen God’s plan for us, or maybe it has become cloudy for some reason. It is just not a clear as it once was. Maybe we have forgotten about God’s plan in our life. We just get busy, or we get trapped in sin, or whatever it is that pulls us away from God. It’s at those times that we need to remember God’s plan for our life. Paul clearly remembered what it was that God had wanted him to do, and he was busy doing it.
Let me encourage you today to take a few minutes and think about when you were on the track, when you knew God’s plan, and when you were committed to it. Trust Him again and let Him lead you in the right direction. The Bible says that we should allow God to direct our steps. It’s not in man to direct his own steps. Instead we should allow God to lead our life. If you were once committed to God, become committed again to God--be on fire again for Him, and begin doing those things He wants you to do.
If you have never been down that path towards God. Maybe you have been thinking about and say to yourself, "You know, one of these days I might go to church." Let today be the day that you start, let today be the day that you get your Bible and know what it is God wants you to do, then get busy doing it. It is interesting that in Acts 15, we see what God had said for Paul to do. "You will be a witness to all people, you will tell men of what you have seen and heard." so says Acts 22:15. Paul was on the right track wasn’t he. Are you? I hope the answer is yes. If we can help you any way in making sure that you are headed towards heaven and in God’s direction, please give us that opportunity. Call us or write us, and check out our website at www.elbachurchofchrist.com.
~Philip
25 January 2010
ALWAYS FORGIVE
Ephesians 4:25:32
I’ve heard all sorts of stories, and I know you have as well, about people who didn’t get along well, and didn’t always forgive each other. That is the idea of our time together today. I want to always encourage everybody to be willing to forgive. Jesus is a perfect example of that. People were crucifying Him and as He hung dying on the cross of Calvary, He said, “Forgive them for they know not what they do.” He was willing to forgive, and we should too.
I heard about a girl named Kerrie who was playing with her sister and accidently bumped into her, breaking her toy. They became very angry with each other and began pushing each other. They cried and made each other mad to the point, the parents had to run in and separate them. Years later, Kerrie and her sister were still mad at each other over some toy that had been broken years earlier.
We have all heard about road rage and other things. I heard about two men who were driving cars separately. They knew each other as neighbors. One man almost hit the other, making the man who was almost hit very angry. He began to blow his horn and flash his lights, and all this time was shaking his fist. They started chasing each other and eventually crashed their cars into each other. These two men should have been ashamed of what they were doing. I heard a joke recently about a policeman who was behind a lady at a red light. The lady became very angry at the person in front of her who had not gone through the yellow light, and started blowing her horn. She dropped her makeup and cell phone on the floor. The police then arrested her and took her to jail. A couple of hours later he came in and told her she could go. She says, “Why did you bring me in?” The police answered, “Because I saw the Jesus fish and the bumper stickers on your car I knew you were a Christian, so when I saw the way you were acting, I thought the car was stolen.”
We should be forgiving and kind to each other. When somebody does something that makes us mad, we may become angry, but the Bible says we should be angry and not sin. When we do this, God is happy. He always wants us to forgive. He always wants us to treat others kindly and be willing to forgive whatever it is that has gone on. God is sad when we do bad things, and wants us to be willing to forgive to the point that he was willing to forgive. He was willing to forgive man of everything--are we? I want to learn to forgive, and I hope you will do the same. Ask God to help you forgive others. Be kind. The Bible says forgive. That is our scripture for today. If you aren’t involved in church, get involved.
~Philip
Ephesians 4:25:32
I’ve heard all sorts of stories, and I know you have as well, about people who didn’t get along well, and didn’t always forgive each other. That is the idea of our time together today. I want to always encourage everybody to be willing to forgive. Jesus is a perfect example of that. People were crucifying Him and as He hung dying on the cross of Calvary, He said, “Forgive them for they know not what they do.” He was willing to forgive, and we should too.
I heard about a girl named Kerrie who was playing with her sister and accidently bumped into her, breaking her toy. They became very angry with each other and began pushing each other. They cried and made each other mad to the point, the parents had to run in and separate them. Years later, Kerrie and her sister were still mad at each other over some toy that had been broken years earlier.
We have all heard about road rage and other things. I heard about two men who were driving cars separately. They knew each other as neighbors. One man almost hit the other, making the man who was almost hit very angry. He began to blow his horn and flash his lights, and all this time was shaking his fist. They started chasing each other and eventually crashed their cars into each other. These two men should have been ashamed of what they were doing. I heard a joke recently about a policeman who was behind a lady at a red light. The lady became very angry at the person in front of her who had not gone through the yellow light, and started blowing her horn. She dropped her makeup and cell phone on the floor. The police then arrested her and took her to jail. A couple of hours later he came in and told her she could go. She says, “Why did you bring me in?” The police answered, “Because I saw the Jesus fish and the bumper stickers on your car I knew you were a Christian, so when I saw the way you were acting, I thought the car was stolen.”
We should be forgiving and kind to each other. When somebody does something that makes us mad, we may become angry, but the Bible says we should be angry and not sin. When we do this, God is happy. He always wants us to forgive. He always wants us to treat others kindly and be willing to forgive whatever it is that has gone on. God is sad when we do bad things, and wants us to be willing to forgive to the point that he was willing to forgive. He was willing to forgive man of everything--are we? I want to learn to forgive, and I hope you will do the same. Ask God to help you forgive others. Be kind. The Bible says forgive. That is our scripture for today. If you aren’t involved in church, get involved.
~Philip
22 January 2010
The Kingdom of Heaven
Matthew 13:44-46
When Jesus taught He often told stories to help people understand something about the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven is the people who love and obey God. This is the Kingdom Jesus teaches about, and hopes that people will understand.
In one of the first stories in our Bible reading today, which comes from Matthew 13:44-46, Jesus told about a man who found a treasure in a field . He wanted the treasure for his own, so he sold everything he had and bought the field. Then by buying the field he had bought the treasure. Then He told about a man who found a pearl. This man did the same thing, he sold everything he had and bought the pearl. Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven is like that pearl. Being a part of the Kingdom of Heaven is very important. As a matter of fact, Jesus would say, and we would certainly agree that we should be willing to give up everything we have to be a part of that kingdom.
In another New Testament text, Paul wrote, "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. That which I now have in the flesh, I live in the flesh, I have faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." Paul is saying, "Look I died. My old life is over with, and stuff that used to matter is not important any more–what’s important is my living for Christ. We need to make the decision today to be obedient to God. Remember that being a part of the kingdom of Heaven is the most important thing to do.
Someone says, "Well, okay, I realize it’s important to be a part of God’s kingdom, but how do I do it?" Well, let me express it to you this way. There’s an equation that we give you a lot of times–we try to do it every day even. We quote it at church services and other times when we have the opportunity. FAITH + OBEDIENCE = SALVATION is how you achieve being a part of the Kingdom of Heaven. The faith part of that is to hear God’s Word and believe what we have heard. The Bible says that this belief, or this faith is a must. Without it, it is impossible to please God, so says the book of Hebrews. In Mark 16:16, the Bible says "He that believes and is baptized will be saved. He who does not believe will be condemned." So we know then, that belief is a must. That’s the faith part of the equation.
The obedience part of the equation is the repenting of sins. That is putting that faith into action, you see. You are willing to stop sinning and start doing right and repent of sins. You confess your faith in Jesus Christ with your own mouth. You are willing to be baptized into Christ because the Bible tells you to. Again, you can look in your Bible and see that these things are so. In Acts 2:38, for example, we find out that we must repent. In Matthew 10:32, we find out the best deal in the Bible about confession. We find out about being baptized in many verses. We have already given you a couple of them, as well as others, such as Acts 22:16.
On and on the Bible tells us that we should willingly obey God. So, okay, we have already heard, and repented, confessed, and was baptized long ago. So what is it then that I should do? Well, again, the Bible says that faith + obedience is what it takes to continue to serve in the Kingdom of Heaven. We need continually to put God first. The way we do that, is to come to all the church services, give of our time, talent, and treasures. We pray, we study, we teach others–we do those things we ought to be doing. If we are not, start today.
~Philip
Matthew 13:44-46
When Jesus taught He often told stories to help people understand something about the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven is the people who love and obey God. This is the Kingdom Jesus teaches about, and hopes that people will understand.
In one of the first stories in our Bible reading today, which comes from Matthew 13:44-46, Jesus told about a man who found a treasure in a field . He wanted the treasure for his own, so he sold everything he had and bought the field. Then by buying the field he had bought the treasure. Then He told about a man who found a pearl. This man did the same thing, he sold everything he had and bought the pearl. Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven is like that pearl. Being a part of the Kingdom of Heaven is very important. As a matter of fact, Jesus would say, and we would certainly agree that we should be willing to give up everything we have to be a part of that kingdom.
In another New Testament text, Paul wrote, "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. That which I now have in the flesh, I live in the flesh, I have faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." Paul is saying, "Look I died. My old life is over with, and stuff that used to matter is not important any more–what’s important is my living for Christ. We need to make the decision today to be obedient to God. Remember that being a part of the kingdom of Heaven is the most important thing to do.
Someone says, "Well, okay, I realize it’s important to be a part of God’s kingdom, but how do I do it?" Well, let me express it to you this way. There’s an equation that we give you a lot of times–we try to do it every day even. We quote it at church services and other times when we have the opportunity. FAITH + OBEDIENCE = SALVATION is how you achieve being a part of the Kingdom of Heaven. The faith part of that is to hear God’s Word and believe what we have heard. The Bible says that this belief, or this faith is a must. Without it, it is impossible to please God, so says the book of Hebrews. In Mark 16:16, the Bible says "He that believes and is baptized will be saved. He who does not believe will be condemned." So we know then, that belief is a must. That’s the faith part of the equation.
The obedience part of the equation is the repenting of sins. That is putting that faith into action, you see. You are willing to stop sinning and start doing right and repent of sins. You confess your faith in Jesus Christ with your own mouth. You are willing to be baptized into Christ because the Bible tells you to. Again, you can look in your Bible and see that these things are so. In Acts 2:38, for example, we find out that we must repent. In Matthew 10:32, we find out the best deal in the Bible about confession. We find out about being baptized in many verses. We have already given you a couple of them, as well as others, such as Acts 22:16.
On and on the Bible tells us that we should willingly obey God. So, okay, we have already heard, and repented, confessed, and was baptized long ago. So what is it then that I should do? Well, again, the Bible says that faith + obedience is what it takes to continue to serve in the Kingdom of Heaven. We need continually to put God first. The way we do that, is to come to all the church services, give of our time, talent, and treasures. We pray, we study, we teach others–we do those things we ought to be doing. If we are not, start today.
~Philip
20 January 2010
CONTINUE STRONG
1 Corinthians 13:1-7
Our Bible reading today, which is 1 Corinthians 13:1-7, tells us we are to love. It tells us love is patient and love is kind. Love is not selfish or boastful. Verse 7 even says love patiently accepts all things, always loves, always trusts, always hopes, and always continues strong.
There are a couple of things I want to encourage you about today. One is to take the love test yourself. Go to that text and as you read it, insert your name there. In my case it would be Philip, so I would say "Okay, Philip is patient." Well, yes, sometimes, or maybe all the time, or whatever the case might be with you". As you test each of those, you will see where you are when it comes to loving other people and caring about them the way we should.
I also want to encourage you to look at the last part of that text. There in verse 7, it says, "continue strong". When I think of continue strong, there are a lot of things that comes to mind. We might think of a football team or a some other sports team. We might think of something that we see around. There’s a rose bush at my house. I was thinking of that when I read again those words, "continue strong". I’ve tried to kill that thing with a lawn mower, and cut it off with a hedge trimmer. Winter has come, and all those things have still not taken out that one little rose bush. Bugs and frost and other things have tried, but it continues. When bad things happen to that bush, it seems as if it makes it stronger, and it grows even more. Now one of the branches of that rose bush has come out through one of the bushes next door, and I think if I don’t do something about it, it will eventually take over the whole flower bed around the corner of my house.
We see this rose bush continuing strong regardless. Our love for other people should be that way too. No matter what happens, what problems come, or whatever is going on with our family and friends. No matter how hard they hit us or cut us back, our love should just continue and keep coming back. Then our love will be strong like the Bible speaks of strength. Is our love strong like that? Does our love continue, and doesn’t let anything cause it to stop growing? I hope the answer is yes. As a matter of fact, we know from reading the Bible that God loves us that way. He loves us to the point that He was willing to send His son to die on the cross for us. He gave Himself freely for us as He died there looking out over a people who had not even asked for forgiveness, and said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
Wow, how God loved us, and how Jesus loved us, and how they continue to love with the gift of the spirit dwells in the Christian. The question is-- are you a Christian? Are you loving Him and loving others the way that God would have us to love? I hope the answer is yes. I know we try to love people. We try to reach out and show that love. Continue to do that today. Let me just challenge you to do that today. Let today be the day when you show love for those people around you.
Let me encourage you to come to our Wednesday night fellowship meal tonight at 6pm, and to our Family Bible Class at 7pm. Come be with us.
~Philip
1 Corinthians 13:1-7
Our Bible reading today, which is 1 Corinthians 13:1-7, tells us we are to love. It tells us love is patient and love is kind. Love is not selfish or boastful. Verse 7 even says love patiently accepts all things, always loves, always trusts, always hopes, and always continues strong.
There are a couple of things I want to encourage you about today. One is to take the love test yourself. Go to that text and as you read it, insert your name there. In my case it would be Philip, so I would say "Okay, Philip is patient." Well, yes, sometimes, or maybe all the time, or whatever the case might be with you". As you test each of those, you will see where you are when it comes to loving other people and caring about them the way we should.
I also want to encourage you to look at the last part of that text. There in verse 7, it says, "continue strong". When I think of continue strong, there are a lot of things that comes to mind. We might think of a football team or a some other sports team. We might think of something that we see around. There’s a rose bush at my house. I was thinking of that when I read again those words, "continue strong". I’ve tried to kill that thing with a lawn mower, and cut it off with a hedge trimmer. Winter has come, and all those things have still not taken out that one little rose bush. Bugs and frost and other things have tried, but it continues. When bad things happen to that bush, it seems as if it makes it stronger, and it grows even more. Now one of the branches of that rose bush has come out through one of the bushes next door, and I think if I don’t do something about it, it will eventually take over the whole flower bed around the corner of my house.
We see this rose bush continuing strong regardless. Our love for other people should be that way too. No matter what happens, what problems come, or whatever is going on with our family and friends. No matter how hard they hit us or cut us back, our love should just continue and keep coming back. Then our love will be strong like the Bible speaks of strength. Is our love strong like that? Does our love continue, and doesn’t let anything cause it to stop growing? I hope the answer is yes. As a matter of fact, we know from reading the Bible that God loves us that way. He loves us to the point that He was willing to send His son to die on the cross for us. He gave Himself freely for us as He died there looking out over a people who had not even asked for forgiveness, and said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
Wow, how God loved us, and how Jesus loved us, and how they continue to love with the gift of the spirit dwells in the Christian. The question is-- are you a Christian? Are you loving Him and loving others the way that God would have us to love? I hope the answer is yes. I know we try to love people. We try to reach out and show that love. Continue to do that today. Let me just challenge you to do that today. Let today be the day when you show love for those people around you.
Let me encourage you to come to our Wednesday night fellowship meal tonight at 6pm, and to our Family Bible Class at 7pm. Come be with us.
~Philip
19 January 2010
WISDOM
2 Chronicles 10:6-19
Our Bible reading comes from 2 Chronicles 10:6-19. King Reoboham is serving as King over Israel. He goes to some older men and asked these men for advice. These older men told him some things he didn’t like to hear. He didn’t want to follow their advice, and refused to pay attention to these guys. He went out and got some guys who were much younger and not so wise. He told these guys they would be his top advisors instead.
You Bible scholars may remember that Reoboham’s kingdom had a lot of problems. It didn’t go so well for Reoboham because he didn’t listen to the wisdom of others. Sometimes we don’t like the advice get from our parents, or grandparents, or teachers, or people we go to church with, or for that matter, even from God as we look to His word and see what He would have us to do. Older people and those people around us can help us. They have some wisdom that will help us if we will listen. Take some advice sometime.
If you have a problem, it is sometimes good to ask a fellow Christian, or your teachers, or friends. It is good to ask advice. This really is a Godly principal. Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:16, to pay attention to wisdom.” Let the teaching of Christ live inside you richly.” First of all pay attention to the wisdom that was inside Christ that was Christ. Pay attention to Godly wisdom that He shows us and tells us through His Word. Then the verse continues saying, “Use all wisdom to teach and council each other.” There is a verse in our Bible that tells us we should be teaching each other, counseling each other and helping each other overcome things? The answer is yes. Learn from other Christians you see. Then we have a wisdom that we can not only overcome what we’re facing, but we can help others.
Maybe you are facing some problem today. Let me encourage you to share those problems with a mature Christian. Go to a person that you trust and know who is trying serve God, and then pay attention to their wisdom. Listen to what they are telling you.
By the way, if you are on the other end. If you are the one people are coming to and saying, “Help me with this problem”, ask God for wisdom. Say, “Help me with this problem, give me the words. Tell me what I need to say.” I think God will really help us. Be willing to help, be willing to share, and talk about those things. It will make all the difference in a person’s life.
The Bible says, “Be friends, to people who are wise, and you will become wise. Isn’t that an interesting verse? “Be friends with people who are wise and you will become wise. But if you choose fools to be friends, you will have trouble.” Proverbs 13:20.
Look around today at your friends. Are you living and listening to people who have some wisdom to give you. I hope your answer is yes, and that you’re going to the right source, the right place for all the questions that you have in life. Make sure you ultimately go to God for the answer. Again, put God first in your life, walking by faith and not by sight.
2 Chronicles 10:6-19
Our Bible reading comes from 2 Chronicles 10:6-19. King Reoboham is serving as King over Israel. He goes to some older men and asked these men for advice. These older men told him some things he didn’t like to hear. He didn’t want to follow their advice, and refused to pay attention to these guys. He went out and got some guys who were much younger and not so wise. He told these guys they would be his top advisors instead.
You Bible scholars may remember that Reoboham’s kingdom had a lot of problems. It didn’t go so well for Reoboham because he didn’t listen to the wisdom of others. Sometimes we don’t like the advice get from our parents, or grandparents, or teachers, or people we go to church with, or for that matter, even from God as we look to His word and see what He would have us to do. Older people and those people around us can help us. They have some wisdom that will help us if we will listen. Take some advice sometime.
If you have a problem, it is sometimes good to ask a fellow Christian, or your teachers, or friends. It is good to ask advice. This really is a Godly principal. Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:16, to pay attention to wisdom.” Let the teaching of Christ live inside you richly.” First of all pay attention to the wisdom that was inside Christ that was Christ. Pay attention to Godly wisdom that He shows us and tells us through His Word. Then the verse continues saying, “Use all wisdom to teach and council each other.” There is a verse in our Bible that tells us we should be teaching each other, counseling each other and helping each other overcome things? The answer is yes. Learn from other Christians you see. Then we have a wisdom that we can not only overcome what we’re facing, but we can help others.
Maybe you are facing some problem today. Let me encourage you to share those problems with a mature Christian. Go to a person that you trust and know who is trying serve God, and then pay attention to their wisdom. Listen to what they are telling you.
By the way, if you are on the other end. If you are the one people are coming to and saying, “Help me with this problem”, ask God for wisdom. Say, “Help me with this problem, give me the words. Tell me what I need to say.” I think God will really help us. Be willing to help, be willing to share, and talk about those things. It will make all the difference in a person’s life.
The Bible says, “Be friends, to people who are wise, and you will become wise. Isn’t that an interesting verse? “Be friends with people who are wise and you will become wise. But if you choose fools to be friends, you will have trouble.” Proverbs 13:20.
Look around today at your friends. Are you living and listening to people who have some wisdom to give you. I hope your answer is yes, and that you’re going to the right source, the right place for all the questions that you have in life. Make sure you ultimately go to God for the answer. Again, put God first in your life, walking by faith and not by sight.
18 January 2010
GOD IS FIRST
Matthew 6:25-34
Gal.1-10
Today we see a lot of advertisements that tell us we always need something better-a better car, a bigger TV, a better house. If we get something better do you know what happens quickly? It becomes our old TV, our old car, and becomes kind of worthless to us in a lot of ways. It is always a constant process of renewing and upgrading and spending time, talents, and treasures on trying to find that illusive thing. Sometimes people worry about “Stuff. Some of us have probably spent some time, maybe this day or recently, worrying about our things. It is stuff though, that God has given us, and we need to look at it that way.
Our Bible reading today comes from Matthew 6:25-34, where we are reminded again that birds don’t own farms. They don’t worry about what they are going to eat, they know God is going to take care of them. Jesus tells us in this text that the thing you should want most is God’s kingdom, and doing the good things that God wants you to do. Some verses of the bible say, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all the things will be added to you.” Jesus continued beyond that and said, “God has to be first in your life.” Everything that you need is found in Him. You can’t find it anywhere else.
It is good to know that God will give us what we need each day. We do not need to worry what we will eat, or wear, or even where we are going to live, or what we need each day. You see, God takes care of those thing if we take care of our relationship with God. Verse 32 of our text says, “Don’t worry because your Father in Heaven know the things that you need.” Thank God today that we don’t have to worry. Thank God today that He takes care of us and loves us to the point that it really is a child/Father relationship and He knows what we want. You know, I do what I can to take care of my kids, and when they really want something I go out of my way to do what I can to see that they get it. God does the same with us. He tries His best to take care of us.
God is the only one whom I need to please, and in return, He will take care of us. Gal. 1-10. What are you doing today? Are you doing what it takes to please God. Have you heard His word? Have you believed, repented of your sins, confessed your faith, and been baptized. If not, why not. Maybe you have done those things, but have not been faithful, maybe you have been worried. Maybe you are thinking, “That is a sinful thing. I need to ask God to forgive me, and then be restored to His service and walk with God.”
If You haven’t already, begin to walk by faith and not sight, this day and every day.
~Philip
Matthew 6:25-34
Gal.1-10
Today we see a lot of advertisements that tell us we always need something better-a better car, a bigger TV, a better house. If we get something better do you know what happens quickly? It becomes our old TV, our old car, and becomes kind of worthless to us in a lot of ways. It is always a constant process of renewing and upgrading and spending time, talents, and treasures on trying to find that illusive thing. Sometimes people worry about “Stuff. Some of us have probably spent some time, maybe this day or recently, worrying about our things. It is stuff though, that God has given us, and we need to look at it that way.
Our Bible reading today comes from Matthew 6:25-34, where we are reminded again that birds don’t own farms. They don’t worry about what they are going to eat, they know God is going to take care of them. Jesus tells us in this text that the thing you should want most is God’s kingdom, and doing the good things that God wants you to do. Some verses of the bible say, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all the things will be added to you.” Jesus continued beyond that and said, “God has to be first in your life.” Everything that you need is found in Him. You can’t find it anywhere else.
It is good to know that God will give us what we need each day. We do not need to worry what we will eat, or wear, or even where we are going to live, or what we need each day. You see, God takes care of those thing if we take care of our relationship with God. Verse 32 of our text says, “Don’t worry because your Father in Heaven know the things that you need.” Thank God today that we don’t have to worry. Thank God today that He takes care of us and loves us to the point that it really is a child/Father relationship and He knows what we want. You know, I do what I can to take care of my kids, and when they really want something I go out of my way to do what I can to see that they get it. God does the same with us. He tries His best to take care of us.
God is the only one whom I need to please, and in return, He will take care of us. Gal. 1-10. What are you doing today? Are you doing what it takes to please God. Have you heard His word? Have you believed, repented of your sins, confessed your faith, and been baptized. If not, why not. Maybe you have done those things, but have not been faithful, maybe you have been worried. Maybe you are thinking, “That is a sinful thing. I need to ask God to forgive me, and then be restored to His service and walk with God.”
If You haven’t already, begin to walk by faith and not sight, this day and every day.
~Philip
15 January 2010
PSALMS OF PRAISE
Psalm 100:1-5 Psalm 100:1-2
The book of Psalms over in the Old Testament is a collection of 150 Psalms. Some people call this book or talk about this book as their favorite book of the Bible. These 150 Psalms make up a song book for the Israelites.
Psalm 100 is maybe one of the favorite for many people. It is a short Psalm, but it tells many wonderful things about God and about His people. This Psalm tells us that we should thank and praise God. Why? Well, because God made us, verse 3 teaches us. He is good, verse 5 says, and we can trust Him forever. This Psalm tells us we should praise God and serve God, because it is the way the people who love Him obey God. It tells us God made us, we are His people and He is our shepherd. We are His sheep. God wants us to know He loves us and will take care of us, and He wants us to follow Him where He goes. God takes care of us like a shepherd takes care of his sheep.
Take time today to think about the wonderful things God has done for you. Maybe you should make a list of all the things God has done for you. Just list number 1, 2, and 3, and so on. Maybe number one could be--“He gave us His son Jesus to die for us.” It should be number one on all of our lists. We could follow that with God has given me a family, and we could list the family members. Then a number could be He has given us a church family in which to be a part. Then just keep adding to your list, thinking of every little thing God has blessed you with. This is a way we can thank Him for his goodness and love.
“Earth,” the Bible says, “sings to the Lord. Be happy as you serve Him. Come before the Lord with happy songs.” Psalm 100: 1.
Sometimes Christian people don’t seem very happy, and it shouldn’t be that way. Christian people should be the happiest people in the world. Let me encourage you today to change, to become the way you should be, to act the way God would have us to act. Be happy in our service to God. Maybe we should say, ”I’m not going to complain anymore.” Instead, I’m going to be happy about life and look for the good. God would be happy with that and others would as well. That is a part of walking by faith and not by sight.
~Philip
Psalm 100:1-5 Psalm 100:1-2
The book of Psalms over in the Old Testament is a collection of 150 Psalms. Some people call this book or talk about this book as their favorite book of the Bible. These 150 Psalms make up a song book for the Israelites.
Psalm 100 is maybe one of the favorite for many people. It is a short Psalm, but it tells many wonderful things about God and about His people. This Psalm tells us that we should thank and praise God. Why? Well, because God made us, verse 3 teaches us. He is good, verse 5 says, and we can trust Him forever. This Psalm tells us we should praise God and serve God, because it is the way the people who love Him obey God. It tells us God made us, we are His people and He is our shepherd. We are His sheep. God wants us to know He loves us and will take care of us, and He wants us to follow Him where He goes. God takes care of us like a shepherd takes care of his sheep.
Take time today to think about the wonderful things God has done for you. Maybe you should make a list of all the things God has done for you. Just list number 1, 2, and 3, and so on. Maybe number one could be--“He gave us His son Jesus to die for us.” It should be number one on all of our lists. We could follow that with God has given me a family, and we could list the family members. Then a number could be He has given us a church family in which to be a part. Then just keep adding to your list, thinking of every little thing God has blessed you with. This is a way we can thank Him for his goodness and love.
“Earth,” the Bible says, “sings to the Lord. Be happy as you serve Him. Come before the Lord with happy songs.” Psalm 100: 1.
Sometimes Christian people don’t seem very happy, and it shouldn’t be that way. Christian people should be the happiest people in the world. Let me encourage you today to change, to become the way you should be, to act the way God would have us to act. Be happy in our service to God. Maybe we should say, ”I’m not going to complain anymore.” Instead, I’m going to be happy about life and look for the good. God would be happy with that and others would as well. That is a part of walking by faith and not by sight.
~Philip
14 January 2010
COMMANDS
Mark 12 28-34 Ro 12:10
In the book of Exodus we read that God gave his people, the Israelites, some commands to follow. These commands are often called the Ten Commandments. Maybe some of us even memorized The Ten Commandments when we were young.
The question is, and was back in Jesus’ day, “Which of these commandments is the most important?” In our bible reading today, which comes from Mark 12:28-34,we see the teacher, Jesus asked this question by another teacher or lawyer. They are having this discussion, and in verse 30, Jesus answers the question about which of these are the most important. All commandments of God are important and we should follow them, certainly. Some commands are for everybody and some for select people. For example, God told Noah to build an ark, and we don’t have to build an ark today.
Jesus was looking at all the commandments, and with that in mind, the answer came, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, your mind, and all your strength.” The most important thing you can do is love God. Everything we do should show that we love God. Everything should show that God is first in our life. God says it this way, “If you love me you will keep my commandments.
Jesus also told this teacher that the second most important is that you must love other people the same as yourself, verse 31. We should treat people the same way we want to be treated. If we mess up we should just say we are sorry. If it takes a card or something like that to make things right we should do it. I hope you will think about God today, and think about loving other folks. As you think about loving God today I hope you will faithfully obey His will. That you will say to God whatever you say to do, I’ll listen. If you say I should repent, I will. If you say, I should confess my sins, and be baptized for remission of sins, I will. God says we should be doing things His way.
By the way, “Romans says 12:10, “Love each other in a way that you feel close to each other like brothers and sisters.”I hope you will not only love God enough to keep His commandments, but that you will love those around you enough to let them know that you are concerned and caring for them. Maybe you will find some way today to make a special effort to help someone or be kind to someone. Whatever you do today, make sure you’re doing it for God’s glory. Make sure you are reflecting His light in a dark world. Make sure that we are putting Him first each and every day. We do that by walking by faith and not by sight.
~Philip
Mark 12 28-34 Ro 12:10
In the book of Exodus we read that God gave his people, the Israelites, some commands to follow. These commands are often called the Ten Commandments. Maybe some of us even memorized The Ten Commandments when we were young.
The question is, and was back in Jesus’ day, “Which of these commandments is the most important?” In our bible reading today, which comes from Mark 12:28-34,we see the teacher, Jesus asked this question by another teacher or lawyer. They are having this discussion, and in verse 30, Jesus answers the question about which of these are the most important. All commandments of God are important and we should follow them, certainly. Some commands are for everybody and some for select people. For example, God told Noah to build an ark, and we don’t have to build an ark today.
Jesus was looking at all the commandments, and with that in mind, the answer came, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, your mind, and all your strength.” The most important thing you can do is love God. Everything we do should show that we love God. Everything should show that God is first in our life. God says it this way, “If you love me you will keep my commandments.
Jesus also told this teacher that the second most important is that you must love other people the same as yourself, verse 31. We should treat people the same way we want to be treated. If we mess up we should just say we are sorry. If it takes a card or something like that to make things right we should do it. I hope you will think about God today, and think about loving other folks. As you think about loving God today I hope you will faithfully obey His will. That you will say to God whatever you say to do, I’ll listen. If you say I should repent, I will. If you say, I should confess my sins, and be baptized for remission of sins, I will. God says we should be doing things His way.
By the way, “Romans says 12:10, “Love each other in a way that you feel close to each other like brothers and sisters.”I hope you will not only love God enough to keep His commandments, but that you will love those around you enough to let them know that you are concerned and caring for them. Maybe you will find some way today to make a special effort to help someone or be kind to someone. Whatever you do today, make sure you’re doing it for God’s glory. Make sure you are reflecting His light in a dark world. Make sure that we are putting Him first each and every day. We do that by walking by faith and not by sight.
~Philip
12 January 2010
THE GOOD LIFE
John 10:7-13
A lot of times we see people on TV and other places talking about having a good life. These people say they have all the good life and try to tell us that their good life is a result of money and possessions.
There is a show I like to watch on MTV. It’s called “Cribs “. It shows the person’s house and all the things they have. It’s kind of interesting to watch. A few years ago there was a TV show that was very popular. It was called “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”, and at one time it was the number one rated television show in the United States.
In our Bible reading today Jesus says, “I have come to give you life. A life that is full and good.” That comes from John 10:10. Also in our Bible reading today, which comes from John 10:7-13, Jesus says I’m going to give you a good life. I don’t think Jesus was talking about wealth and having a lot of things, although God certainly blesses, doesn’t He.
Often we forget--I hear people sometimes poor mouth, saying “I don’t have this or that. What we ought to do is like the old song tells us; we should count our many blessings. We often forget how good God really is to us, whether we are rich or poor, having a good time, or going through something tough. Jesus was talking here about a life only He can give, a life filled with love and service. If we follow Jesus we can have a life that is full, and a life that is good. It doesn’t matter whether we are poor or rich, handicapped, or healthy, happy or sad, going through a divorce or our marriage is strong. We can have the life that we want, and that God wants for us, if we live close to Jesus each day. If we do the best things we can with this life in His service, Jesus doesn’t stop loving and giving and blessing.
Not only does it stop with this life at all. We can live eternally with Him. Jesus loves you and wants you to have a life that is full and good. He wants to help you with that kind of life. In order to do that though we need to obediently follow God’s will. We need to hear what God says, believe what He says, repent of our sins, confess our faith, say with our lips, “I believe Jesus is the Son of God”, then be baptized into Christ, have our sins washed away, and finally live a faithful life in His service. If we will do that, truly our life here will be the very best possible, and then for eternity, wow, words cannot describe what that will be like. So, just remember to walk by faith and not by sight.
~Philip
John 10:7-13
A lot of times we see people on TV and other places talking about having a good life. These people say they have all the good life and try to tell us that their good life is a result of money and possessions.
There is a show I like to watch on MTV. It’s called “Cribs “. It shows the person’s house and all the things they have. It’s kind of interesting to watch. A few years ago there was a TV show that was very popular. It was called “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”, and at one time it was the number one rated television show in the United States.
In our Bible reading today Jesus says, “I have come to give you life. A life that is full and good.” That comes from John 10:10. Also in our Bible reading today, which comes from John 10:7-13, Jesus says I’m going to give you a good life. I don’t think Jesus was talking about wealth and having a lot of things, although God certainly blesses, doesn’t He.
Often we forget--I hear people sometimes poor mouth, saying “I don’t have this or that. What we ought to do is like the old song tells us; we should count our many blessings. We often forget how good God really is to us, whether we are rich or poor, having a good time, or going through something tough. Jesus was talking here about a life only He can give, a life filled with love and service. If we follow Jesus we can have a life that is full, and a life that is good. It doesn’t matter whether we are poor or rich, handicapped, or healthy, happy or sad, going through a divorce or our marriage is strong. We can have the life that we want, and that God wants for us, if we live close to Jesus each day. If we do the best things we can with this life in His service, Jesus doesn’t stop loving and giving and blessing.
Not only does it stop with this life at all. We can live eternally with Him. Jesus loves you and wants you to have a life that is full and good. He wants to help you with that kind of life. In order to do that though we need to obediently follow God’s will. We need to hear what God says, believe what He says, repent of our sins, confess our faith, say with our lips, “I believe Jesus is the Son of God”, then be baptized into Christ, have our sins washed away, and finally live a faithful life in His service. If we will do that, truly our life here will be the very best possible, and then for eternity, wow, words cannot describe what that will be like. So, just remember to walk by faith and not by sight.
~Philip
11 January 2010
REBELS
John 14:15-24
Some people are rebels, and I’m not talking about people who go to school at Zion Chapel. I’m talking about people who think they can live without rules or laws in their life. They say, “Nobody is going to tell me what to do. I’ll do what I want to do and I’ll do it my way.”
Usually these people learn that they need laws to live peacefully with others. Think about the world without any traffic laws. Some of us would like some of this, I guess. It would be nice to drive as fast as you wanted to drive. But can you imagine the first intersection you came to. We could drive as fast as we wanted to go, we could drive on either side of the road. We wouldn’t have to stop at red lights or stop signs. It might go okay for a little while, but pretty soon there would be lots of problems--a lot of car accidents, a lot of pain and suffering. We need laws to keep us safe, and some guidance to keep us in the right direction.
We should remember that God has given us rules to follow too. If we follow God’s rules, we will not just be God’s children, but we will be in the right relationship with God, doing those things that God wants us to do. God said if you love me, you will keep my commandments. Our scripture reading today comes from John 14:15-24. I remind you again this week as every week, daily bible reading is important. You ought to take some time today to read from you Bible and see what God would have you to do, and apply those things to your life. Check out the things on the radio, too. Make sure they are true, and not somebody’s opinion, and if so, apply them to your lives. If they are not true, dismiss them, don’t follow them.
In verse 15 of our text, Jesus says, If a person knows my commandments and obeys my commandments, that person truly loves me. If we obey God’s rules, we are pleasing to Him, and God will give us life fully to enjoy that true happiness, the true joy that comes from being in Him, and His follower. If a person loves me he will obey my teaching, and my Father will love that person, verse 23 of our text.
What about you? Are you living in a way that God can not only love you the way that He wants, but you can love Him back, and you can have a relationship with God that each of us needs to have. I hope the answer is yes. I hope you are not trying to be a rebel and live without rules, but instead, you are living under God’s rules and guidance. Let Him direct your steps. It will make a difference, not only in this life, but all eternity. We do that by walking by faith and not by sight.
~Philip
John 14:15-24
Some people are rebels, and I’m not talking about people who go to school at Zion Chapel. I’m talking about people who think they can live without rules or laws in their life. They say, “Nobody is going to tell me what to do. I’ll do what I want to do and I’ll do it my way.”
Usually these people learn that they need laws to live peacefully with others. Think about the world without any traffic laws. Some of us would like some of this, I guess. It would be nice to drive as fast as you wanted to drive. But can you imagine the first intersection you came to. We could drive as fast as we wanted to go, we could drive on either side of the road. We wouldn’t have to stop at red lights or stop signs. It might go okay for a little while, but pretty soon there would be lots of problems--a lot of car accidents, a lot of pain and suffering. We need laws to keep us safe, and some guidance to keep us in the right direction.
We should remember that God has given us rules to follow too. If we follow God’s rules, we will not just be God’s children, but we will be in the right relationship with God, doing those things that God wants us to do. God said if you love me, you will keep my commandments. Our scripture reading today comes from John 14:15-24. I remind you again this week as every week, daily bible reading is important. You ought to take some time today to read from you Bible and see what God would have you to do, and apply those things to your life. Check out the things on the radio, too. Make sure they are true, and not somebody’s opinion, and if so, apply them to your lives. If they are not true, dismiss them, don’t follow them.
In verse 15 of our text, Jesus says, If a person knows my commandments and obeys my commandments, that person truly loves me. If we obey God’s rules, we are pleasing to Him, and God will give us life fully to enjoy that true happiness, the true joy that comes from being in Him, and His follower. If a person loves me he will obey my teaching, and my Father will love that person, verse 23 of our text.
What about you? Are you living in a way that God can not only love you the way that He wants, but you can love Him back, and you can have a relationship with God that each of us needs to have. I hope the answer is yes. I hope you are not trying to be a rebel and live without rules, but instead, you are living under God’s rules and guidance. Let Him direct your steps. It will make a difference, not only in this life, but all eternity. We do that by walking by faith and not by sight.
~Philip
07 January 2010
LOVE OTHER PEOPLE
Matthew 22:34-40 1 John 3:18
One of my friends and I were recently talking about when we were in
junior high school. Get this picture, this is a guy who is now in his
forties, and has been out of junior high school for a long time, but
still remembers this going on. He transferred to a new junior high
school and people were trying to talk to him. He is deaf. They were
coming up to him, and some could sign some and some couldn’t. They
were struggling. It was uncomfortable.
He decided he would just ignore people, so he walked alone and sat
alone. Pretty soon people started ignoring him too. During this
period of time he had one friend and she just kept on trying to talk
to him. She tried again and again. He finally got mad at her and
told her, “Just be quiet.” She gave up.
The next day though, she thought, “No, I’m not giving up.” So she
came back again. Just when I thought I had gotten rid of her, she
came back, my friend told me. She kept coming back and coming back.
Today she is still his friend and they talk to each other on a
regular basis. She has learned sign language, and they get along
great. This is a friendship that has lasted many years now.
Because of that my friend learned a great lesson. He told me, and I
think it is true, that we need to remind people that God loves us,
and we are to love other people. It seems like a simple kind of
thing doesn’t it. Jesus talked about it in the Bible all the time.
As a matter of fact, our Bible reading today is Matthew 22:34-40.
Verse 39 says, and this is Jesus himself talking, “The second
commandment is like the first, you must love other people the same as
you love yourself.” My friend had just learned an important lesson,
a Biblical lesson -- to care for and love other folks. Not only does
this apply to my friend, but to all of us equally.
Today you may meet someone who is scared, or who is alone. Maybe he
doesn’t even speak the same language you do. Take the time to
encourage them. Maybe we could just smile, open a door, or just say
hi. I think if we do that, we as Christians will be reflecting
what we should be reflecting, and that is Jesus Christ. Jesus would
go and tell people that he loved them.. He would tell them what
they needed to hear.
We should obey his commandments today. It is only as we obey his
commandments today that we have hope for the future. We should love
God and other people the way that we love ourselves. Another verse
from the Bible says, “My children, should our love be words and talk,
no, our love must be true love. We should show our love by the
things we do, 1 John 3;18. What a neat verse. I hope that today you
will show your love by the things that you do. I hope you will give
us the opportunity to show you how much we love you, by visiting our
church and getting to know us. I hope you will live by faith and not
by sight.
~Philip
Matthew 22:34-40 1 John 3:18
One of my friends and I were recently talking about when we were in
junior high school. Get this picture, this is a guy who is now in his
forties, and has been out of junior high school for a long time, but
still remembers this going on. He transferred to a new junior high
school and people were trying to talk to him. He is deaf. They were
coming up to him, and some could sign some and some couldn’t. They
were struggling. It was uncomfortable.
He decided he would just ignore people, so he walked alone and sat
alone. Pretty soon people started ignoring him too. During this
period of time he had one friend and she just kept on trying to talk
to him. She tried again and again. He finally got mad at her and
told her, “Just be quiet.” She gave up.
The next day though, she thought, “No, I’m not giving up.” So she
came back again. Just when I thought I had gotten rid of her, she
came back, my friend told me. She kept coming back and coming back.
Today she is still his friend and they talk to each other on a
regular basis. She has learned sign language, and they get along
great. This is a friendship that has lasted many years now.
Because of that my friend learned a great lesson. He told me, and I
think it is true, that we need to remind people that God loves us,
and we are to love other people. It seems like a simple kind of
thing doesn’t it. Jesus talked about it in the Bible all the time.
As a matter of fact, our Bible reading today is Matthew 22:34-40.
Verse 39 says, and this is Jesus himself talking, “The second
commandment is like the first, you must love other people the same as
you love yourself.” My friend had just learned an important lesson,
a Biblical lesson -- to care for and love other folks. Not only does
this apply to my friend, but to all of us equally.
Today you may meet someone who is scared, or who is alone. Maybe he
doesn’t even speak the same language you do. Take the time to
encourage them. Maybe we could just smile, open a door, or just say
hi. I think if we do that, we as Christians will be reflecting
what we should be reflecting, and that is Jesus Christ. Jesus would
go and tell people that he loved them.. He would tell them what
they needed to hear.
We should obey his commandments today. It is only as we obey his
commandments today that we have hope for the future. We should love
God and other people the way that we love ourselves. Another verse
from the Bible says, “My children, should our love be words and talk,
no, our love must be true love. We should show our love by the
things we do, 1 John 3;18. What a neat verse. I hope that today you
will show your love by the things that you do. I hope you will give
us the opportunity to show you how much we love you, by visiting our
church and getting to know us. I hope you will live by faith and not
by sight.
~Philip
06 January 2010
THE BEST BOOK
Psalm 1:1—6 Psalm 1:3
Maybe you have already said your resolutions for the new year, and are excited about getting started. It always seems we have
established some things that are priorities for us, things we need
to change and do better. Whatever it may be for you I hope that you
have decided that in this year you will read the best book that has ever been written.
I love to read. The bookshelves in my office are filled with all kinds of books. Books are like good friends many have said. Most
people today don’t like to take the time to read books, but before
television and computers and all the things that we have to spend so
much time on today, people seemed to have more time to take a book,
read it and really study the verses.
The verses in our Bible are there for us because they are importantto God. God uses the Bible to direct our steps. In the Bible we canread about all kinds of people. We can read great love stories. Wecan read about what it takes to be saved, and it really is a page turner. We can learn about God himself and the promises He has given us.
Our scripture reading today comes from Psalm 12;1-6. In verse 2, the Bible says a good person loves the Lord’s teachings. He thinks about them day and night. The Lord’s teachings, of course, are in the Bible. We should be wanting to spend some time with God each day. If we want to please God we will want to be reading and studying the best book in the world, the Bible. If we do that we will become like a strong tree. Then we can think about what we have read and meditate on Gods’ love day and night. Verse 4 says “he will become like a strong tree planted by the water and everything he does will be successful.”
Be sure to take time to day to read God’s word. That wonderful book containing 66 smaller books in one cover to make one book. We have 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the new combined to make the best seller of all time. Learn what it is God wants you to do and
then don’t stop there but share that message with those around you.
Teach them about God's word, the Bible, and together become more
faithful in what God would have you to do this day and everyday. Let
me also encourage you to resolve this year to put God first your with time,talents,and treasures.
~Philip
Psalm 1:1—6 Psalm 1:3
Maybe you have already said your resolutions for the new year, and are excited about getting started. It always seems we have
established some things that are priorities for us, things we need
to change and do better. Whatever it may be for you I hope that you
have decided that in this year you will read the best book that has ever been written.
I love to read. The bookshelves in my office are filled with all kinds of books. Books are like good friends many have said. Most
people today don’t like to take the time to read books, but before
television and computers and all the things that we have to spend so
much time on today, people seemed to have more time to take a book,
read it and really study the verses.
The verses in our Bible are there for us because they are importantto God. God uses the Bible to direct our steps. In the Bible we canread about all kinds of people. We can read great love stories. Wecan read about what it takes to be saved, and it really is a page turner. We can learn about God himself and the promises He has given us.
Our scripture reading today comes from Psalm 12;1-6. In verse 2, the Bible says a good person loves the Lord’s teachings. He thinks about them day and night. The Lord’s teachings, of course, are in the Bible. We should be wanting to spend some time with God each day. If we want to please God we will want to be reading and studying the best book in the world, the Bible. If we do that we will become like a strong tree. Then we can think about what we have read and meditate on Gods’ love day and night. Verse 4 says “he will become like a strong tree planted by the water and everything he does will be successful.”
Be sure to take time to day to read God’s word. That wonderful book containing 66 smaller books in one cover to make one book. We have 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the new combined to make the best seller of all time. Learn what it is God wants you to do and
then don’t stop there but share that message with those around you.
Teach them about God's word, the Bible, and together become more
faithful in what God would have you to do this day and everyday. Let
me also encourage you to resolve this year to put God first your with time,talents,and treasures.
~Philip
01 January 2010
Children of God
1 John 3:1-10
Today is a new beginning for many of us. Today is the beginning of a new year. 2010! God has truly blessed us and I have a feeling this year will be a great year for us. We know God is in control of this year just as He has been in control of every year.
Many of us have made resolutions and are excited, and ready to get started on those. Many of you are already working out this morning or thinking about it. Many of you are wanting to lose weight and get into shape, and find yourself saying “I am committed.” That is the new word for me.
We describe ourselves in many ways. When we are a Christian we can describe ourselves by saying, “I am a child of God.” If you are a Christian you don’t have to be concerned about who you are. Our Bible reading today is I John 3:1-10. The very first verse of that text says “We are called children of God.” We really are God’s children, so we don’t have to worry about who we are, because we know whose we are.
This year we will be committed to being just Christians. If you are a Christian you are God’s child. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, that we belong to God. In 1 Corinthians 12:27, the Bible tells us we are a part of the body of Christ. In Philippians 3:20 the Bible says that our home is in heaven.
If you are God’s child then you want to grow every day. So our resolution should add up to continued growth. We ought to get better every day. In Romans 12:1-2, the Bible tells us that we can grow. So offer your life as a living sacrifice to God. Let God change you inside with a new way of thinking. With a new year coming, it should bring a new way thinking for us. With a new year comes new life, new challenges, a new commitment to God.
If you are a Christian I want this year to be a year you are not going to be worried about who you are because you know whose you are. You can know for sure today that if you are a Christian you are God’s precious child and God will take care of you. Take renewed strength today and have new courage that God is with you. He is for you, he is on your side. If you will be faithful and obey His way, then the end will be better than the beginning. Let me again encourage you to commit to being faithful in your service to God this year.
~Philip
1 John 3:1-10
Today is a new beginning for many of us. Today is the beginning of a new year. 2010! God has truly blessed us and I have a feeling this year will be a great year for us. We know God is in control of this year just as He has been in control of every year.
Many of us have made resolutions and are excited, and ready to get started on those. Many of you are already working out this morning or thinking about it. Many of you are wanting to lose weight and get into shape, and find yourself saying “I am committed.” That is the new word for me.
We describe ourselves in many ways. When we are a Christian we can describe ourselves by saying, “I am a child of God.” If you are a Christian you don’t have to be concerned about who you are. Our Bible reading today is I John 3:1-10. The very first verse of that text says “We are called children of God.” We really are God’s children, so we don’t have to worry about who we are, because we know whose we are.
This year we will be committed to being just Christians. If you are a Christian you are God’s child. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, that we belong to God. In 1 Corinthians 12:27, the Bible tells us we are a part of the body of Christ. In Philippians 3:20 the Bible says that our home is in heaven.
If you are God’s child then you want to grow every day. So our resolution should add up to continued growth. We ought to get better every day. In Romans 12:1-2, the Bible tells us that we can grow. So offer your life as a living sacrifice to God. Let God change you inside with a new way of thinking. With a new year coming, it should bring a new way thinking for us. With a new year comes new life, new challenges, a new commitment to God.
If you are a Christian I want this year to be a year you are not going to be worried about who you are because you know whose you are. You can know for sure today that if you are a Christian you are God’s precious child and God will take care of you. Take renewed strength today and have new courage that God is with you. He is for you, he is on your side. If you will be faithful and obey His way, then the end will be better than the beginning. Let me again encourage you to commit to being faithful in your service to God this year.
~Philip
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