Proverbs 3:29-30 teaches us not to scheme evil against our neighbors. Verse 30 also teaches not to hate or fight with a person if they have done you no harm. One of the worst sins that man can commit is to hold animosity toward someone simply because your friend might hate the person.

Why should you hate a stranger who hasn’t done anything to you simply because your friend might have something against the person. If your friend jumped out a window; would you? Plus your friend could be the one that is in the wrong in the dispute, and you will have foolishly joined forces with him.

If there’s a problem between your friend and another person; stay out of it. Let those two deal with the situation and remember also that God will judge us for our hatred that we show toward one another (Ecclesiastes 12:13; John 12:48; Matthew 12:36; 2 Corinthians 5:10).

Hope to hear from you or see you at the services.

Churches are to be made up of mixed races—I mean blacks, whites, Asian, Mexican, etc. etc. If people speak the same language and can understand the teaching of the word, there is no reason for them not to be in the same service (John 6:45; Acts 2:5-11; 1 Corinthians 14:9). God didn’t create different races so they can stay apart, and most certainly not when it concerns worshipping Him (Acts 10:34-35; Isaiah 2:2-3). Therefore, no race is better than another because God made men of one blood, meaning the human race (Acts 10:28, 17:24-26).

So the word out is: if you are white, don’t stay away from a sound church because the people are black. If you are black, quit trying to start or continue what is know as “the African American church.” Instead, attempt to make converts from all who will listen to the words of Christ (Matthew 28:18-20). There are people who study the Bible only with their own race and never make an attempt to do so with others. In the Bible there is no black church or white church. Jesus’ body is simply the church, and it is for all who desire to worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:24; 1 Cor. 12:27; Ephesians 2:10-22).

Hope to hear from you or see you at the services.

There is a beautiful, strong tree around the South, called the Cottonwood tree. Every year, the tree releases its seeds which float in the air like beautiful puffs of cotton. They fill the air, and it is kind of pretty the way the seeds are blown here and there on every breeze that comes along.

But as pretty as that is, the seeds will never grow into the strong cottonwood tree unless they come down to earth and drop some roots.

We are the same way. Tossed to and fro on every wind of new doctrine. We won’t grow into a strong, mature Christian until we come down to earth and get grounded in God’s truth (Ephesians 4:14).

Hope to hear from you or see you at the services.

Lots of people are talking about the polls concerning how Obama is running the country. Let’s be clear that a poll is simply the thoughts of people and not a standard of what is right or wrong. People can think something about a matter, but that doesn’t mean it’s right (Proverbs 12:15, 14:12; Isaiah 55:8-9). When the majority rules, that still doesn’t constitute right, for if it did, most people would go to heaven (Matthew 7:13-14).

Consider past polls that were taken in the Bible:

Most people thought Noah was a nut for building the Ark (1 Peter 3:20).

Most people thought that Jesus deserved death (Matt. 27:15-26).

The homosexual rapists in Sodom and Gomorrah all agreed that Lot was wrong for not allowing them to molest the two men who were staying at his house (Genesis 19:4-14).

The people in Egypt under the influence of Pharaoh all agreed that the Israelites were to be slaves (Exodus 1:8-14, 5:20).

The polls among the Jews was that all Samaritans were worthless people (John 4:9).

The conclusions of all the above polls was that the people were wrong on every account. Remember that polls are the thoughts of people not authority.

Hope to hear from you or see you at the services.

Ford trucks are built tough says the commercial, and we can understand what the Ford motor company is saying. But what would you do if you met someone who said that Ford trucks have no creator? That person simply believes the trucks came from nothing. What would you say to prove him wrong? Do you believe the design features of the truck show evidence of a creator? What about the airbag? Tilt steering? AM/FM stereo? etc? The truth is yes, all these functions are the work of a mind that put them into motion—they have a creator.

Now what about a more sophisticated thing like a human being? King David took one look at himself and declared “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14; Genesis 2:7). David didn’t have the knowledge of the human body like we do today, yet he knew that the body was the most complex working function on earth. So why do we have atheists and skeptics? If we can see a creator in the design of other things, why not in the creation of man? To question the existence of God is to close your eyes to the work of his hands, which can be clearly seen (Romans 1:19-22; Psa. 14:1, 19:1-4, 102:24-28, 104:1-5). And for a bonus, the next time you see a rainbow remember God said that this would be a sign that he won’t destroy the earth by a flood (Gen. 9:8-17).

Hope to hear from you or see you at the services.

People seem to pick the wrong solutions to ease their pains. With suicide you don’t escape your problems, you create new problems. The person died committing self-murder, and after death there is no repentance (John 8:21; Galatians 5:21).

Many turn to booze to ease their pain but that doesn’t help. After recovering from the hangover, the problem is still there and probably will be worse because of the drinking (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Isaiah 5:11; Proverbs 23:29-35, 20:1).

Many turn to selling drugs and prostitution, hoping to escape their poverty. Drugs are the scum of neighborhoods, and it is sinful to use them (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17; Rom. 13:11-14). A woman selling her body is fornication, and that person will be condemned on the Judgment Day (Prov. 6:23-35; 1 Cor. 6:15-20).

The way to deal with our problems is to commit our lives to God, so He can give us peace (Matthew 11:28-30; John 14:6, 6:45).

Hope to hear from you or see you at the services.

Some criminals claim no fear of death, so they shoot others and get shot themselves. But the truth is, Satan has the thugs fooled because every child of the devil should be afraid to die. For after death, all deeds will have to be answered for to the Creator and nothing will be forgotten or hidden (Ecclesiastes 12:14; Psalm 9:17; Revelation 20:12-15; Hebrews 9:27).

Now imagine a guy getting killed while trying to carjack a car. That man’s final deed was attempted robbery, so he will be doomed to the eternal fires of hell (Mark 9:43-48). Death is no picnic! It is the final stamp on a person’s life, and there is no way to change afterward. So if a person dies in his sins, he will not spend eternity with God (John 8:21). Yes thugs do not make a wise choice when they begin a life of crime—instead they chose a life that will get them a first class seat in the hottest fire imaginable and they don’t have sense enough to realize it. Yes, evildoers should be afraid to die because unrighteous souls won’t enter Heaven (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21).

Hope to hear from you or see you at the services.

In Acts 17:21 we learn that the Athenians spent their time gossiping, and even today people continue to gossip about everyone and everything.

Why can’t people be concerned about their own affairs and leave the business of others alone (1 Thessalonians 4:11). When one is busy with his own affairs, it gives no place for Satan to make suggestions (Ephesians 4:27).

Gossip is very bad—rumors and whispers cause much hardship by destroying lives, and the people who spread gossip are like mosquitoes carrying a plague (1 Tim 5:13; 2 Thess. 3:11; Proverbs 11:13, 20.19; Leviticus 19:16; Prov. 18:8, 26:20,22; James 3:5-10). Don't gossip!

 We hope to hear from you or see you at the services.

No one can prove that the Bible didn’t come from God. In this great book we find many things spoken centuries ago that man only found out recently. Notice that men thought the earth was flat, but the Bible confirmed it to be round. (Isaiah 40:22). Long before satellite pictures, the Bible said the Earth hangs upon nothing (Job 26:7). It was recently that ship captains found that there are paths and springs in the sea, however the Bible had already said so (Psalm 8:8; Job 38:16). Moses had no way of knowing the earth had many seas, yet he wrote that it did (Genesis 1:10). Only after advance learning did man know that the sun cannot shine on all parts of the earth, and that is why we have time zones. However the Bible speaks of it being night and day at the same time on the Judgment Day (Luke 17:31-36).

Doctors studied the human body and in this century found that the key to life is the blood, though the Bible had already said that centuries ago (Leviticus 17:11). How did the writers of the Bible know such things? God told them! The Bible is the word of God, and we better believe it.

Hope to hear from you or see you at the services

You don’t have to look very far to find a homeless person—some are in that condition because they filled their lives with alcohol, drugs, and rebellion. But on the same token, there are those who were forced into homelessness though changes that they couldn’t control. Because of the uncertainty of life, we have to admit becoming homeless can happen to anyone. We all must learn to be thankful to have any kind of home, be it ghetto or suburbs (Ephesians 5:20).

I realize there could be problems with the living conditions of homes and neighborhoods. But such is life, and we must find a way to overcome those hardships. Don’t you know that Jesus had no regular place to call home? (Luke 9:57-58). Yet, He was the perfect example of what it meant to be thankful (John 17:1-26). Since tomorrow isn’t promised, we need to reflect on how important the current day is and be thankful for the roof over our heads (Colossians 3:15; Psalm 136:26; Hebrews 13:15).

Hope to hear from you or see you at the services.