Christians Must Be Faithful
2 Timothy 4:6-8
Maybe the greatest challenge for a Christian to face is to stay faithful to God in daily living. In Revelation 2:10 we read, “Fear none of those things that you shall suffer: behold the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days, and, here is the part of the verse I really want you to notice, “ be thou faithful until death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” These words proved to be motivation for the godly when they were penned, but they also are challenging and inspirational for us today.
We should live a faithful life in whatever may come our way. Whatever the situation, it will encourage us to serve the Lord by telling each other, “Hey, I am going to be with you.” Even more important than that, God says, “I’m going to be with you. Even if you are at the point of death, I will be with you.” You will receive the crown of life.
Steven understood that importance of faithfulness to God. Stephen is one of those New Testament Bible characters who was in that group of people who were chosen as Deacons to serve in the early church. He was also a preacher who would go from place to place. He was willing to serve God and was faithful to God’s Word. He was willing to the point that he became the first Christian martyr. (Martyr means to die for a cause.) He was stoned to death after some folks he was talking to did not believe what he was preaching. Paul was another one who was faithful to the point of death. He would write, “For I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good
fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:8. This text, by the way, is our Bible reading for today. Paul is saying he is at the end of his life and realizes that he is at the point that he is going to be offered up to God, and he is still faithful.
I hope that each of us when we reach that point will be able to say, “I have stayed faithful to God.” I have done some things I’m not proud of, some sinful things and sometimes life has been hard and I’ve gone through some challenges, but even at that in the end we can say I have been faithful to God and done right to the best of my ability.
Over the next few days we are going to be looking at the importance of Christian faithfulness to God. I know some people might say, “Aren’t all Christians faithful?” The answer is, ”No, they are not.” Sometimes they get started well, but don’t finish well. We are going to talk about some things to help us finish well.
~Philip
30 November 2010
26 November 2010
God’s Riches
Romans 11:33-36
Well, yesterday was Thanksgiving which means today is the day you are looking for great opportunities and deals. Most of you are going shopping today and are going into the transition to Christmas and getting excited about all the things that are there. Someone says, “I’m just not rich enough to do all the things I would like to do.” I want to tell you today that God’s riches are really greater than all the things we have here. No matter what we have around us, the fact is, you can’t ever have it all. You can’t take it with you, but we do know this. There is something that is even more valuable and it is dealing with God’s riches--those areas that God is rich in instead of those areas we think we might be rich in. In Romans 11:33-36, our scripture reading today, we find out that God’s riches are truly great. His grace, his wisdom, and his knowledge are awesome.
We have a friend who has never seen the ocean, and we say this is what it’s like and try to describe the ocean--this is how big it is and how it looks, and how it tastes. We even mix up some salt water in a bucket and let them taste it and smell it, but they can’t really get an idea of all there is to know about it. Someone says, “That’s the same way it is with the cells today, there is still a lot we don’t know about it. We have to understand that we don’t know everything about God, but we can understand that He is wonderful. We can understand perfection because of Him. We can understand that He is Holy.
In the past few devotionals we have been studying about the fact that God hates sin, that all people have sinned. We have also talked about the fact that God’s grace is given to us and that we should be thankful for it. It doesn’t give us the license to sin, but it does give us the freedom to serve with God being in control of our lives. There is always some room for improvement because just like that turkey, none of us are exactly perfect. Over the next few days, we will learn about serving God and about how God saves us.
As we do this we will learn about this idea of getting ready to celebrate this time we call Christmas and be thankful for what God has done for us. I want you to take time to day to think again about how awesome God is, and about His power. Take time to thank Him for giving us the opportunity to know something about how to love each other, and even for the stuff that we have. All of it comes from God. Today is yet another day that we should be thanking Him for what He has done for us. We have these treasures from God , but we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that this great power is from God not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:7)
~Philip
Romans 11:33-36
Well, yesterday was Thanksgiving which means today is the day you are looking for great opportunities and deals. Most of you are going shopping today and are going into the transition to Christmas and getting excited about all the things that are there. Someone says, “I’m just not rich enough to do all the things I would like to do.” I want to tell you today that God’s riches are really greater than all the things we have here. No matter what we have around us, the fact is, you can’t ever have it all. You can’t take it with you, but we do know this. There is something that is even more valuable and it is dealing with God’s riches--those areas that God is rich in instead of those areas we think we might be rich in. In Romans 11:33-36, our scripture reading today, we find out that God’s riches are truly great. His grace, his wisdom, and his knowledge are awesome.
We have a friend who has never seen the ocean, and we say this is what it’s like and try to describe the ocean--this is how big it is and how it looks, and how it tastes. We even mix up some salt water in a bucket and let them taste it and smell it, but they can’t really get an idea of all there is to know about it. Someone says, “That’s the same way it is with the cells today, there is still a lot we don’t know about it. We have to understand that we don’t know everything about God, but we can understand that He is wonderful. We can understand perfection because of Him. We can understand that He is Holy.
In the past few devotionals we have been studying about the fact that God hates sin, that all people have sinned. We have also talked about the fact that God’s grace is given to us and that we should be thankful for it. It doesn’t give us the license to sin, but it does give us the freedom to serve with God being in control of our lives. There is always some room for improvement because just like that turkey, none of us are exactly perfect. Over the next few days, we will learn about serving God and about how God saves us.
As we do this we will learn about this idea of getting ready to celebrate this time we call Christmas and be thankful for what God has done for us. I want you to take time to day to think again about how awesome God is, and about His power. Take time to thank Him for giving us the opportunity to know something about how to love each other, and even for the stuff that we have. All of it comes from God. Today is yet another day that we should be thanking Him for what He has done for us. We have these treasures from God , but we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that this great power is from God not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:7)
~Philip
24 November 2010
License to Sin
2 Peter 3:10-18
When you were about sixteen years old you probably went took a test to get your Driver’s License. That Driver’s License was a wonderful thing in our lives. After waiting so long, we finally had a license to drive. It gave us the freedom to drive a car, not only that, but we didn’t have to have someone in the seat next to us anymore. We were so excited about that and we were going to get to go and do all those things we had been wanting to do. We thought, “I’ve finally achieved the greatest goal ever.”
You may remember in yesterday’s devotional we talked about the fact that God hates sin. What a great lesson that is to finally learn. We must all know that there are essential things to be right with God. I hope we all know it is never okay to sin. Some people think that because we have been forgiven by God’s grace, it is still okay to keep sinning. They think that is their license to sin and do wrong. That simply is not the case. In Romans 6:1-2, the Bible says, “What do you think, that you can continue sinning and God will give you more and more grace. The answer in verse two is “No! We died to our old sinful life. How can we continue to live in our old sin?” God wants us to get out of sin. He did not give us a license to sin. What He did give us is the freedom to do all sorts of great things for Him.
Our Bible reading today tells us about a time when Jesus will return to get His people. That’s why we need to be ready when He returns. We need to be ready for the acceptance of the Savior if we have been in obedience to Him. Our Bible reading today is 2 Peter 3:10-18. Allow God’s grace to come into your life today and allow God to continue to bless us and have all the freedoms in God.
As we have Thanksgiving tomorrow, let us think of all the things we have to be thankful for. There is nothing better to be thankful for than God giving us freedom from sin, from which we have benefited in our obedience to God. You might want to read Jude 4, and you will see there a verse that explains to us how people and God can be united in Christ Jesus. Let’s be in Christ and be faithful to Him, and He will be pleased with us.
If you want to know more about the Bible and maybe have questions, check out our website.
www.elbachurchofchrist.com . You can e-mail us from there and we can address any question you might have.
~Philip
2 Peter 3:10-18
When you were about sixteen years old you probably went took a test to get your Driver’s License. That Driver’s License was a wonderful thing in our lives. After waiting so long, we finally had a license to drive. It gave us the freedom to drive a car, not only that, but we didn’t have to have someone in the seat next to us anymore. We were so excited about that and we were going to get to go and do all those things we had been wanting to do. We thought, “I’ve finally achieved the greatest goal ever.”
You may remember in yesterday’s devotional we talked about the fact that God hates sin. What a great lesson that is to finally learn. We must all know that there are essential things to be right with God. I hope we all know it is never okay to sin. Some people think that because we have been forgiven by God’s grace, it is still okay to keep sinning. They think that is their license to sin and do wrong. That simply is not the case. In Romans 6:1-2, the Bible says, “What do you think, that you can continue sinning and God will give you more and more grace. The answer in verse two is “No! We died to our old sinful life. How can we continue to live in our old sin?” God wants us to get out of sin. He did not give us a license to sin. What He did give us is the freedom to do all sorts of great things for Him.
Our Bible reading today tells us about a time when Jesus will return to get His people. That’s why we need to be ready when He returns. We need to be ready for the acceptance of the Savior if we have been in obedience to Him. Our Bible reading today is 2 Peter 3:10-18. Allow God’s grace to come into your life today and allow God to continue to bless us and have all the freedoms in God.
As we have Thanksgiving tomorrow, let us think of all the things we have to be thankful for. There is nothing better to be thankful for than God giving us freedom from sin, from which we have benefited in our obedience to God. You might want to read Jude 4, and you will see there a verse that explains to us how people and God can be united in Christ Jesus. Let’s be in Christ and be faithful to Him, and He will be pleased with us.
If you want to know more about the Bible and maybe have questions, check out our website.
www.elbachurchofchrist.com . You can e-mail us from there and we can address any question you might have.
~Philip
23 November 2010
Broken Watches
Romans 2:1-11
A watch salesman tried to sell two watches, both of which were broken. One of these watches was a very beautiful watch, and assuming that it was intact and working it would be worth a lot. The other watch was rusty and ugly and dirty looking. The salesman tried to sell both of these watches even they weren’t working. He tried to sell the ugly watch to people but they didn’t want to buy it. Why? Because it wouldn’t work. He also tried to sell the beautiful watch, but still no one wanted to buy, again, why? Because it too was broken and wouldn’t work.
God looks at people in the world in a very similar way, probably. We are all sinners and like the broken watches in a lot of ways. Who would want to buy something broken? Well, the one who would come and buy both of those watches is the one who could fix them and restore them. God is like that with us. Who can fix a broken person? Like the skilled watch repairman, only the one who is skilled and can take us where we are in a world of sin to where we need to be in a life of faithful obedience to Him.
God hates sin, but he loves the sinner. He can take away our sin and make us right with Him. Just like that watch repairman can take the two watches and make them work again, so God can take us and make us whole again. Our Bible reading tells us in Romans 2:1-11, that God treats all people the same. It doesn’t matter if you are beautiful or ugly. It doesn’t matter if they are big sins or little sins. God will forgive all sin if you will come to Him.
One of the things this Thanksgiving to be thankful for is that God loves each of us. He loves you and wants to bring you close to Him and to be restored, to have a relationship with Him that only can be had through faithful obedience to God’s word. All people have sinned and are not good enough for the glory of God, but God loves us so much that He gave His Son to die for us. God says if we are willing to do what He says we can spend eternity in Heaven. I hope it will be the case with each of us. I hope we will hear the word, believe it, repent of our sins, confess our faith, and be baptized into Christ to live to serve Him the rest of our lives. We can then be together in Heaven with Him for all of eternity.
~Philip
Romans 2:1-11
A watch salesman tried to sell two watches, both of which were broken. One of these watches was a very beautiful watch, and assuming that it was intact and working it would be worth a lot. The other watch was rusty and ugly and dirty looking. The salesman tried to sell both of these watches even they weren’t working. He tried to sell the ugly watch to people but they didn’t want to buy it. Why? Because it wouldn’t work. He also tried to sell the beautiful watch, but still no one wanted to buy, again, why? Because it too was broken and wouldn’t work.
God looks at people in the world in a very similar way, probably. We are all sinners and like the broken watches in a lot of ways. Who would want to buy something broken? Well, the one who would come and buy both of those watches is the one who could fix them and restore them. God is like that with us. Who can fix a broken person? Like the skilled watch repairman, only the one who is skilled and can take us where we are in a world of sin to where we need to be in a life of faithful obedience to Him.
God hates sin, but he loves the sinner. He can take away our sin and make us right with Him. Just like that watch repairman can take the two watches and make them work again, so God can take us and make us whole again. Our Bible reading tells us in Romans 2:1-11, that God treats all people the same. It doesn’t matter if you are beautiful or ugly. It doesn’t matter if they are big sins or little sins. God will forgive all sin if you will come to Him.
One of the things this Thanksgiving to be thankful for is that God loves each of us. He loves you and wants to bring you close to Him and to be restored, to have a relationship with Him that only can be had through faithful obedience to God’s word. All people have sinned and are not good enough for the glory of God, but God loves us so much that He gave His Son to die for us. God says if we are willing to do what He says we can spend eternity in Heaven. I hope it will be the case with each of us. I hope we will hear the word, believe it, repent of our sins, confess our faith, and be baptized into Christ to live to serve Him the rest of our lives. We can then be together in Heaven with Him for all of eternity.
~Philip
22 November 2010
Dirty Sand
Genesis 2:8-9; Genesis 2:15-17
I heard about a little boy and his mother who went to a park. The mother sat on the bench while the little boy made a sandcastle. He made it with a little shovel and pail. He worked for a very long time making a moat around the castle and all the rest, that we all have probably done as some time in our life. As this boy was playing in the sand he became more and more curious about how the sand would taste. You know what happened next…..he put some of the sand in his mouth. The next question doesn’t even need to be asked, but,…What do you think the mother did? Well, she went to him and said, “No, no, don’t eat the sand!” You see, the mother thought the sand was dirty and harmful for her son. Whether that is true or not is probably not important for our thought for today, but the mother thought the sand was harmful to her son. She wanted to take action.
That is sort of the way God acts with us and sin. When we get around sin, if we are not careful we will find ourselves playing in it and wondering what it would be like if we participate in some of those things. We start to do it ourselves and God is saying no, no! God hates sin, He hates all sin and wants us to get rid of all sin in our lives. None of us are perfect, but some of us are worse than others. I know I have done those things I had no business doing. It seems you can’t say enough times that you are sorry for what you have done when you realize you have done things you shouldn’t. You are truly penitent.
We know that God and sin cannot mix, but God is willing to forgive us. God and sin are like oil and water. They cannot work together, but God is willing to forgive those sins. Sin separates us from God’ but God will help us to overcome that temptation.
Our scripture reading today comes from a couple of different passages, Genesis 2:8-9, and verses 15-17. You might want to read the whole text . Here is the idea of sin, that temptation, coming, and man falling into it. But, what we should do is avoid it and stay close to God. In Romans 6, of the New Testament, verse 23 says, when people sin, they earn what sin pays….death. But God gives people a free gift, life forever in Christ Jesus, our Lord. God wants us to live eternally with Him. He doesn’t want us to be in that group that He has to punish, but in order to have that happen, we must be faithful in obedience to His will.
-Philip
Genesis 2:8-9; Genesis 2:15-17
I heard about a little boy and his mother who went to a park. The mother sat on the bench while the little boy made a sandcastle. He made it with a little shovel and pail. He worked for a very long time making a moat around the castle and all the rest, that we all have probably done as some time in our life. As this boy was playing in the sand he became more and more curious about how the sand would taste. You know what happened next…..he put some of the sand in his mouth. The next question doesn’t even need to be asked, but,…What do you think the mother did? Well, she went to him and said, “No, no, don’t eat the sand!” You see, the mother thought the sand was dirty and harmful for her son. Whether that is true or not is probably not important for our thought for today, but the mother thought the sand was harmful to her son. She wanted to take action.
That is sort of the way God acts with us and sin. When we get around sin, if we are not careful we will find ourselves playing in it and wondering what it would be like if we participate in some of those things. We start to do it ourselves and God is saying no, no! God hates sin, He hates all sin and wants us to get rid of all sin in our lives. None of us are perfect, but some of us are worse than others. I know I have done those things I had no business doing. It seems you can’t say enough times that you are sorry for what you have done when you realize you have done things you shouldn’t. You are truly penitent.
We know that God and sin cannot mix, but God is willing to forgive us. God and sin are like oil and water. They cannot work together, but God is willing to forgive those sins. Sin separates us from God’ but God will help us to overcome that temptation.
Our scripture reading today comes from a couple of different passages, Genesis 2:8-9, and verses 15-17. You might want to read the whole text . Here is the idea of sin, that temptation, coming, and man falling into it. But, what we should do is avoid it and stay close to God. In Romans 6, of the New Testament, verse 23 says, when people sin, they earn what sin pays….death. But God gives people a free gift, life forever in Christ Jesus, our Lord. God wants us to live eternally with Him. He doesn’t want us to be in that group that He has to punish, but in order to have that happen, we must be faithful in obedience to His will.
-Philip
16 November 2010
Walking Where It's Uncomfortable
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Sometimes it's good for us to walk where we are not comfortable.
Comfort is, maybe, difficult to define. It is generally the feeling we have when we know the people around us, are familiar with the place we are, and know pretty well what's going to happen next.
On the other hand, discomfort is that feeling when we don't know the people, the place, or what to expect. We would all rather be comfortable.
As followers of Jesus we need to walk where it isn't so comfortable. It isn't comfortable to stand beside someone's hospital bed, but Jesus needs to be there. It isn't comfortable to go to the home of someone who has recently died, but Jesus needs to be there. It isn't comfortable to go to someone who is in distress because of a rocky marriage, a wayward child, or a moral violation, but Jesus needs to be in all these places. So He sends us.
We are the ones who go, not seeking comfort, but giving it. We are the ones who are to stand in the presence of difficulty so that God will be remembered there. We are the ones who are to be more concerned with the wellbeing of others than we are about our own comfort level.
And, truly, this is one of the ways He leads us to greater adventure. Because of Him we end up going places we would never have dreamed of going, doing things we would never have dreamed of doing, and changing the lives of people we would never have met. God has a way of providing what people need, and often, they need us.
Pat Peters, Custer Ave. church of Christ Clinton. OK via BULLETIN DIGEST
.
Sometimes it's good for us to walk where we are not comfortable.
Comfort is, maybe, difficult to define. It is generally the feeling we have when we know the people around us, are familiar with the place we are, and know pretty well what's going to happen next.
On the other hand, discomfort is that feeling when we don't know the people, the place, or what to expect. We would all rather be comfortable.
As followers of Jesus we need to walk where it isn't so comfortable. It isn't comfortable to stand beside someone's hospital bed, but Jesus needs to be there. It isn't comfortable to go to the home of someone who has recently died, but Jesus needs to be there. It isn't comfortable to go to someone who is in distress because of a rocky marriage, a wayward child, or a moral violation, but Jesus needs to be in all these places. So He sends us.
We are the ones who go, not seeking comfort, but giving it. We are the ones who are to stand in the presence of difficulty so that God will be remembered there. We are the ones who are to be more concerned with the wellbeing of others than we are about our own comfort level.
And, truly, this is one of the ways He leads us to greater adventure. Because of Him we end up going places we would never have dreamed of going, doing things we would never have dreamed of doing, and changing the lives of people we would never have met. God has a way of providing what people need, and often, they need us.
Pat Peters, Custer Ave. church of Christ Clinton. OK via BULLETIN DIGEST
05 November 2010
We Meet All Kinds of People
A Compassionate, Loving Man
Luke 10:25-37
All this week we've been looking at the story in Luke 10:25-37, of a man whom we refer to as a good Samaritan. Jesus is asked a couple of questions by a lawyer: The questions were "How shall I inherit eternal life?" and "Who is my neighbor?". He answered the last question with a parable about the good Samaritan. We meet all kinds of people in this story: a man traveling alone, some evil, cruel men, two selfish and heartless men who were supposedly religious in this story. I was recently asked who I thought was-- worse the robbers in the story or the heartless religious men. Both were wrong and not doing what God wanted them to do, but in many ways, I think the religious men were worse than the robbers.
We meet one final man--the one I want to talk about today. This man was compassionate and loving. He is a certain Samaritan, as Jesus described. He was a man of a different race, but like Jesus he made this unfortunate man's life better, unlike the robbers who made him worse, or the religious men who didn't make him worse or better. This Samaritan was a kind person who made the world a better place. He knew he was the one who needed to do something to help the man. He helped...and this is where in the story we find the challenge for us to go and do likewise. This Samaritan was a good man who not only made the world a better place for the poor man, but for a lot of people. Our world needs more people like him, so let us imitate his example. Let us do what he did and never be cruel and selfish people, but compassionate like the Samaritan.
~Philip
A Compassionate, Loving Man
Luke 10:25-37
All this week we've been looking at the story in Luke 10:25-37, of a man whom we refer to as a good Samaritan. Jesus is asked a couple of questions by a lawyer: The questions were "How shall I inherit eternal life?" and "Who is my neighbor?". He answered the last question with a parable about the good Samaritan. We meet all kinds of people in this story: a man traveling alone, some evil, cruel men, two selfish and heartless men who were supposedly religious in this story. I was recently asked who I thought was-- worse the robbers in the story or the heartless religious men. Both were wrong and not doing what God wanted them to do, but in many ways, I think the religious men were worse than the robbers.
We meet one final man--the one I want to talk about today. This man was compassionate and loving. He is a certain Samaritan, as Jesus described. He was a man of a different race, but like Jesus he made this unfortunate man's life better, unlike the robbers who made him worse, or the religious men who didn't make him worse or better. This Samaritan was a kind person who made the world a better place. He knew he was the one who needed to do something to help the man. He helped...and this is where in the story we find the challenge for us to go and do likewise. This Samaritan was a good man who not only made the world a better place for the poor man, but for a lot of people. Our world needs more people like him, so let us imitate his example. Let us do what he did and never be cruel and selfish people, but compassionate like the Samaritan.
~Philip
04 November 2010
We Meet All Kinds of People
Selfish, Heartless Men
Luke 10:25-37
Two questions were asked by that lawyer of Jesus. Jesus answered his question about "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?", and answered his question about "Who is my neighbor?" by teaching a great lesson from the story of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. I hope you have already read that text. We are looking at it with 20/20 vision, and getting all that we can from that great story. We have been talking this week about the fact that we meet all kinds of people. We meet all kinds of people in this parable too. Maybe we have met this man traveling on the road alone, or the evil, cruel thieves who beat him.
Today I want to point out too, that we meet some very selfish, heartless people. These are some men who might surprise you. The Bible refers to them as the Priest and the Levite. These two men observed the outward form or religion but they were selfish, heartless and therefore, also godless. The focus of their lives was self. They did not want to get involved. What they had, they wanted to keep instead of sharing. They did not rob or beat the poor man beside the road, but they didn't make his life better either. People like them do nothing for the suffering and hurting.The Bible talks about this kind of person in Matthew 25:41-45.
There Jesus is telling of some events that happened. He says something like this "I was hungry and you didn't feed me. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not take Me in. I was naked and you did not clothe me.I was in prison and you didn't visit me." Their response was, "Lord, when were you ever that way?" Jesus answered, "Look around you. If others are that way then I am with them. If you are taking care of them you are taking care of me."
So let's get to the point that we are never Godless, but are involved in other people's lives. We are caring for the needs of those who are hurting. We are traveling with the lonely and alone. We are even concerned about the ones who are evil and have done wrong.
~Philip
Selfish, Heartless Men
Luke 10:25-37
Two questions were asked by that lawyer of Jesus. Jesus answered his question about "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?", and answered his question about "Who is my neighbor?" by teaching a great lesson from the story of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. I hope you have already read that text. We are looking at it with 20/20 vision, and getting all that we can from that great story. We have been talking this week about the fact that we meet all kinds of people. We meet all kinds of people in this parable too. Maybe we have met this man traveling on the road alone, or the evil, cruel thieves who beat him.
Today I want to point out too, that we meet some very selfish, heartless people. These are some men who might surprise you. The Bible refers to them as the Priest and the Levite. These two men observed the outward form or religion but they were selfish, heartless and therefore, also godless. The focus of their lives was self. They did not want to get involved. What they had, they wanted to keep instead of sharing. They did not rob or beat the poor man beside the road, but they didn't make his life better either. People like them do nothing for the suffering and hurting.The Bible talks about this kind of person in Matthew 25:41-45.
There Jesus is telling of some events that happened. He says something like this "I was hungry and you didn't feed me. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not take Me in. I was naked and you did not clothe me.I was in prison and you didn't visit me." Their response was, "Lord, when were you ever that way?" Jesus answered, "Look around you. If others are that way then I am with them. If you are taking care of them you are taking care of me."
So let's get to the point that we are never Godless, but are involved in other people's lives. We are caring for the needs of those who are hurting. We are traveling with the lonely and alone. We are even concerned about the ones who are evil and have done wrong.
~Philip
03 November 2010
We Meet All Kinds of People
Evil Men
Luke 10:25-37
Over the last couple of days we've been looking at Luke 10:25-37,and we see the story of the good Samaritan. We've been talking about the fact that we meet all kinds of people. Jesus is talking to a lawyer and he is answering a couple of questions: The first question was "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" and the second, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus answers both of them with one parable.
Yesterday we talked about the man traveling alone, and that we don't have to be alone. We can have God with us, and even our Christian family to support us through trials. We all the time tell folks, "we invite your family to join our family" here at the Elba Church of Christ.
The second group of people we have in this story is this evil group that comes and is involved in the story. We meet some evil men who were robbers. These men were evil and cruel. They were thieves and were heartless. They were under control of the devil who had deceived them. There is a verse over in Revelation 12:9 that says this about the devil."So the great demon or dragon was cast down, the serpent of old, called the devil and satan, who deceives the whole world." He was cast to the earth with his angels, as they were cast out with him. It would have been better for these men if they had never been born. They have taken from people. They have robbed and stolen. They have done terrible things and are those kind of folks that we don't want in the world.
Their presence makes the situation worse, not better. So, a couple of things we should remember. First of all let us resolve not to be in that number of people who are just simply doing wrong. Secondly let us also remember that even though we may have all tried not to be, we all have been in that group. We might say......"Now wait a minute I have never robbed anyone or left anyone for dead like they did when they robbed this man on the way to Jericho and left him for dead."
Really though, what they did is just sin. It goes against God's will. They were not treating others the way they would want to be treated. They were certainly not obeying the law of God that would say, "Let those who have stole, steal no more." They failed to follow God's will. The fact is we have all failed to follow God's will at one time or another. The Bible says, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." So we may all need to move from a position of being with the devil to being those who are following God's law. In order to do that we must faithfully obey God, by hearing his word, believing it, repenting of our sins, confessing our faith, and being baptized into Christ. Then we must live faithfully for God the rest of our lives.
~Philip
Evil Men
Luke 10:25-37
Over the last couple of days we've been looking at Luke 10:25-37,and we see the story of the good Samaritan. We've been talking about the fact that we meet all kinds of people. Jesus is talking to a lawyer and he is answering a couple of questions: The first question was "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" and the second, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus answers both of them with one parable.
Yesterday we talked about the man traveling alone, and that we don't have to be alone. We can have God with us, and even our Christian family to support us through trials. We all the time tell folks, "we invite your family to join our family" here at the Elba Church of Christ.
The second group of people we have in this story is this evil group that comes and is involved in the story. We meet some evil men who were robbers. These men were evil and cruel. They were thieves and were heartless. They were under control of the devil who had deceived them. There is a verse over in Revelation 12:9 that says this about the devil."So the great demon or dragon was cast down, the serpent of old, called the devil and satan, who deceives the whole world." He was cast to the earth with his angels, as they were cast out with him. It would have been better for these men if they had never been born. They have taken from people. They have robbed and stolen. They have done terrible things and are those kind of folks that we don't want in the world.
Their presence makes the situation worse, not better. So, a couple of things we should remember. First of all let us resolve not to be in that number of people who are just simply doing wrong. Secondly let us also remember that even though we may have all tried not to be, we all have been in that group. We might say......"Now wait a minute I have never robbed anyone or left anyone for dead like they did when they robbed this man on the way to Jericho and left him for dead."
Really though, what they did is just sin. It goes against God's will. They were not treating others the way they would want to be treated. They were certainly not obeying the law of God that would say, "Let those who have stole, steal no more." They failed to follow God's will. The fact is we have all failed to follow God's will at one time or another. The Bible says, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." So we may all need to move from a position of being with the devil to being those who are following God's law. In order to do that we must faithfully obey God, by hearing his word, believing it, repenting of our sins, confessing our faith, and being baptized into Christ. Then we must live faithfully for God the rest of our lives.
~Philip
02 November 2010
We Meet All Kinds of People
A Man Alone
Luke 10:25-37
Again with our Bibles open to Luke chapter 10, we are looking at the story of the good Samaritan. We are talking about all the different kinds of people we meet in this story, and that at some time or another we have been all these people, or could have been.
The first person we meet in this story is a certain man traveling alone on this rough, rugged road from Jerusalem to Jericho which covered about a twenty mile stretch. Why he traveled alone is not known, but he had a right to travel the road and to travel it alone. There are a lot of things in life we could do that might not be the smartest thing to do. That might have been the case here. Many traveled this road, and many travel the road of life alone. Sometimes we feel lonely and depressed because we are lonely and feel we are absolutely by ourselves. I think we should observe, and try to lift up those lonely travelers on life’s road alone, because the Bible teaches we should travel through life together. Maybe you are in this position today and feel like you’re alone.
The Bible doesn’t give us any details about this man’s journey…..maybe he was hearing every little thing going on around him and was nervous about the danger he was in. Maybe he was aware of these men approaching him. Maybe there are people like that in our lives that are by themselves and need us to be with them. Obviously we need not travel alone without God. If we are God’s children…if we faithfully follow Him, then He will be with us. He will be with us even until the end of the age, as Jesus would say to His disciples as he was about to ascend into heaven.
There is no reason why we should ever be alone. We might be alone physically for a while but God is always with us. Also, as Christians we have a great family, a Christian family, who will be there with us to help us and support us as we travel life’s road. Psalm 23, says “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me, Your rod and Your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, You anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over, Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. “
~Philip
A Man Alone
Luke 10:25-37
Again with our Bibles open to Luke chapter 10, we are looking at the story of the good Samaritan. We are talking about all the different kinds of people we meet in this story, and that at some time or another we have been all these people, or could have been.
The first person we meet in this story is a certain man traveling alone on this rough, rugged road from Jerusalem to Jericho which covered about a twenty mile stretch. Why he traveled alone is not known, but he had a right to travel the road and to travel it alone. There are a lot of things in life we could do that might not be the smartest thing to do. That might have been the case here. Many traveled this road, and many travel the road of life alone. Sometimes we feel lonely and depressed because we are lonely and feel we are absolutely by ourselves. I think we should observe, and try to lift up those lonely travelers on life’s road alone, because the Bible teaches we should travel through life together. Maybe you are in this position today and feel like you’re alone.
The Bible doesn’t give us any details about this man’s journey…..maybe he was hearing every little thing going on around him and was nervous about the danger he was in. Maybe he was aware of these men approaching him. Maybe there are people like that in our lives that are by themselves and need us to be with them. Obviously we need not travel alone without God. If we are God’s children…if we faithfully follow Him, then He will be with us. He will be with us even until the end of the age, as Jesus would say to His disciples as he was about to ascend into heaven.
There is no reason why we should ever be alone. We might be alone physically for a while but God is always with us. Also, as Christians we have a great family, a Christian family, who will be there with us to help us and support us as we travel life’s road. Psalm 23, says “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me, Your rod and Your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, You anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over, Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. “
~Philip
01 November 2010
We Meet All Kinds of People
Luke 10:25-37
Two questions asked by a lawyer allowed Jesus to use a parable to introduce us to several kinds of people. The lawyer’s first question was just meant to trap Jesus. The question was: ”What shall I do to have eternal life?” Luke 10:25. The second question was asked to justify himself. “Who is my neighbor?” Luke 10:29. This text, Luke 10:25-37, is probably a familiar one to you and will be our text all week. ”. I hope you will read your text each day, and really study it.
We are looking at all kinds of people. The first one is known as “the Good Samaritan”. There are several kinds of people involved in this story. Maybe we can see some of ourselves reflected in one of these individuals. At least we should. Maybe we have at different times been different ones in the story. We can see ourselves in different positions in the story, and see how we would react. Whether we are the good Samaritan or one of the others involved in the story, we can get a good clear picture of how God wants us to behave. That is what it is all about in being a Christian, isn’t’ it? To understand what it is that God would have us to do and simply doing it. If we will do that God will be pleased with us. If we fail to do that He is not pleased.
As we begin reading the text , we see Jesus telling us a story that will help us to become more of what we should be. He starts out in Luke chapter 10 dealing with the questions asked by the lawyer. His answer is to tell the story of a man traveling on the road to Jericho, and the man fell among thieves on the road. These thieves were up to no good. They beat him up and stole his belongings. A religious guy passed by, then other folks whom we would think would be the ones to help passed by. The last guy though who passed by, was one we thought would not help, actually was the one who helped. It made a big difference in this man’s life and teaches us a great lesson.
We hope you can come be with us here at the Elba Church of Christ. Our schedule has changed a little bit. We are not having fellowship meals during the months of November and December. There is a lot going on during those two months. Our services are at 7pm on Wednesday nights, 9am for class on Sunday morning, 10am for worship, at 5pm for evening worship.
~Philip
Luke 10:25-37
Two questions asked by a lawyer allowed Jesus to use a parable to introduce us to several kinds of people. The lawyer’s first question was just meant to trap Jesus. The question was: ”What shall I do to have eternal life?” Luke 10:25. The second question was asked to justify himself. “Who is my neighbor?” Luke 10:29. This text, Luke 10:25-37, is probably a familiar one to you and will be our text all week. ”. I hope you will read your text each day, and really study it.
We are looking at all kinds of people. The first one is known as “the Good Samaritan”. There are several kinds of people involved in this story. Maybe we can see some of ourselves reflected in one of these individuals. At least we should. Maybe we have at different times been different ones in the story. We can see ourselves in different positions in the story, and see how we would react. Whether we are the good Samaritan or one of the others involved in the story, we can get a good clear picture of how God wants us to behave. That is what it is all about in being a Christian, isn’t’ it? To understand what it is that God would have us to do and simply doing it. If we will do that God will be pleased with us. If we fail to do that He is not pleased.
As we begin reading the text , we see Jesus telling us a story that will help us to become more of what we should be. He starts out in Luke chapter 10 dealing with the questions asked by the lawyer. His answer is to tell the story of a man traveling on the road to Jericho, and the man fell among thieves on the road. These thieves were up to no good. They beat him up and stole his belongings. A religious guy passed by, then other folks whom we would think would be the ones to help passed by. The last guy though who passed by, was one we thought would not help, actually was the one who helped. It made a big difference in this man’s life and teaches us a great lesson.
We hope you can come be with us here at the Elba Church of Christ. Our schedule has changed a little bit. We are not having fellowship meals during the months of November and December. There is a lot going on during those two months. Our services are at 7pm on Wednesday nights, 9am for class on Sunday morning, 10am for worship, at 5pm for evening worship.
~Philip
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