This is only for people who believe the Bible to be God's word.
Materialism is the top priority in the lives of many. People will strive and sacrifice important things like God, family, and others for material gain. These type of people are never satisfied—all they are concerned about is how to get more "stuff," which includes houses, cars, clothes, jewelry, food, cash, etc. Jesus warned of being too concerned about the things of this life in the story of the rich fool. This man was very materialistic and had no time for the Lord. He died before he could enjoy all he had stored away (Luke 12:13–34). Nothing is guaranteed—our life can be gone in a minute, and we cannot take our "stuff" with us (1 Timothy 6:6–12; Job 1:21; James 4:13–17). For that reason we must not be foolish enough to forget the Lord. Now don't get me wrong, I like nice things as well as the next man, however I draw the line when it comes to sacrificing God, family, and others. Greedy Judas betrayed our Lord for 30 lousy pieces of silver and then lost his soul (John 12:4–8; Matthew 26:14–16; Mark 8:36–37; Acts 1:15–21). Don't put a million dollars, or any other material thing before God, because it is by His hand that people are able to have what they have (Deuteronomy 28:1–68; James 24:15; Matt. 6:19–34; 2 Kings 3:10–14; Job 42:12–17; Malachi 3:8–10; Colossians 3:1–3; Matt. 5:45; John 3:27). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. This is only for people who believe the Bible to be God's word.
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variation, neither shadow of turning," (KJV). About three weeks ago the lawns in this area were all brownish and drying up more and more each day. Home owners put their water hoses and sprinkler systems to work and little relief was accomplished, but there still was a lot of dryness. Now, with the rains of the last week, just look at the lawns now, they are all green again! No water hose or sprinkler could have done that because it was done by the rain! The point is this. Man may try to liven himself up, but man cannot do so. Man doesn't know how—he needs the help of God (Jeremiah 10:2–24). Man has nothing to fear from the hand of God, even though man acts like he does. Every time God extends his hand to help man, man pushes it away (Proverbs 1:20-33). Just like God helps the grass to grow by sending the gift of rain, God can help you grow if you don't view Him as a threat. God will do you no harm—all He wants to do is lift you up, wash you off, teach you to stay away from poison, and assist you in growing. Why not let Him be your green thumb? Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. This is only for people who believe the Bible to be God's word.
President George W. Bush said in a speech this week that radical Islam wants America to bow down to their beliefs and convert in order to have peace, or we can die. The president went on to say that this will never happen as long as he is in office because America is a land of democracy. Mr. Bush is 100 percent correct. No one should be forced to convert or else! Jesus Christ, the Son of God, never threatened men with death for refusing to follow Him—instead the Lord left that to the listener to make his own decision. In the Bible, we read of the story of three young men who were servants of God, and they were challenged by King Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonian Empire. Daniel 3:1–30 tells us that the king threatened to throw anyone who refused to bow down to the statue he had made into a pit of fire. These men refused because they knew that would be wrong. They went on to tell the king that even if God choose not to save them, they would still be willing to die rather than bow down before an idol. Their conviction was strong, and so must we be today. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me," (John 14:6). The apostle Peter went on to say, "there is no other name among men by which men can be saved," (Acts 4:12). With all this being said, why would anyone want to convert to, or bow down to anything else? Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. Let us not forget what happened on September 11, 2001. This is only for people who believe the Bible to be God's word.
We heard of the crash of a plane at the Lexington Kentucky airport last week. As of this time we have been told that the crash occurred because of pilot error—they were taking off from a runway that was too short to accommodate a plane of that size. This accident brings to mind the importance of being totally sure about everything we do. Now even with that being said, humans aren't above missing something and having a mistake occur as a result. If something doesn't look right, it probably isn't. If a red flag waves in your mind about something, there is probably a good reason for that. It appears that man has a sense of when something is suspicious, so we need to make the most of that God-given talent and check things out. From the black box recorder, we are told the pilots were talking about how the runway had no lights. In other words it was strange to them that a runway wouldn't be lighted; but they went on with the flight anyway. Remember, if you need to take time to look something over, do so. If you need time to think something over, do so. Don't rush yourself nor allow someone else to rush you (Genesis 3:1–6; Proverbs 7:7–23; Gen. 27:1–38; Joshua 9:1–27; 1 King 13:1–31; Luke 14:28–32). Make all things as sure as you can (Matthew 27:65; 1 Thessalonians 5:21; Revelation 2:2). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. |