When a bottle of liquid has a skull and cross bones on it, you should be smart enough not to drink it. If one notices the sign “slippery when wet,” one should be smart enough not to speed that way. If the shark tank has “no hands allowed,” you should be smart enough not to put your hand in there. The point of all this is, we wish that people would learn without having to suffer the consequences of being hard headed. A man may know the risk of picking up hookers, but not learn his lesson until he is arrested, or is a victim of a transmitted sexual disease (Proverbs 5:11-13).
If the word is out, “Don’t send text messages while driving,” man should learn from those words, and not from having an accident. In Luke 15:11-32, we read of a young man who demanded his inheritance and wasted it after moving far away. This young guy didn’t listen to anything until he was broke, alone, and sitting among the pigs, desiring the slop they ate. Likewise the word of the Lord warns men, but are we listening? (Prov. 1:20-33, 22:3). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. What happen to cordial debate? When one disagrees with another the proper way is to allow each opposing side to present their argument and once that is done, rebuttals can be presented in an orderly session.
I say this because there was a public gathering in Russellville, Arkansas, this past weekend where those who believe that marriage is a union of one man and woman met at the courthouse to give speeches on the subject. When the same sex advocates heard about it, they showed up in huge numbers and began to shout the speakers down. That shouldn’t had been done. In any dispute, people must be orderly as they seek a conclusion. If there is yelling and name calling, rude attempts to silence another point of view, there will be all kinds of confusion and evil work (James 3:13-18). As it has been said, each person must be allowed to present their arguments without being disrespected. All men have a right to speak and a right to be heard. And refuting a position can always be done; as long as it is done decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40). Let us all learn to respect the other while they are speaking (1 Cor. 14:29-31). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth, and He did so by speaking all things into existence. He fashioned man from the dust of the earth and breathed into man the breath of life, thus man became a living soul. God added to His creation a woman, in order that she might be the companion of the man. That act was the creation of marriage by the divine mind of the Creator, which is for the benefit of the sexes.
So both the man (Adam) and the woman (Eve) were lord over all animal and plant because they were made in the image of God. Later both man and woman fell out of favor with the Lord because they ate of the tree which was forbidden and God drove them from the garden of Eden (Genesis 1-3). This is being told because many have no clue where mankind came from. We all came from Adam, and child birth was first experienced by Eve and since that time, every mother has followed in her footsteps. Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. Just when you think you have seen the worst that man can offer, you are then shown that such isn’t the case. A few weeks back, a man walking his dog was shot dead by thugs! This time a special needs man in a wheel chair, who cannot verbally express himself, was left alone in a wooded area with only a blanket and a Bible! And guess who did this low down deed? His mother! She then got on a bus and travelled South to visit her boyfriend, while her hapless son was lying on the ground in the darkness and cold. She left a Bible with him and I cannot understand why she didn’t open the Bible and read the scriptures which teach that parents must not do harm to their children (Genesis 42:22; 2 Kings 17:16-18; Isaiah 49:15; 1 Kings 3:16-27; Proverbs 22:6; Matthew 2:17-20; Titus 2:4; Matt. 18:2-5; Luke 6:31, 9:38-42; Mark 7:25-30; Luke 11:13; 1 Thessalonians 2:7; 2 Corinthians 12:14).
But, thanks to God, that a rescue was made by a hero who took a walk in the park and saw this young man suffering and alerted the authorities. Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. In 1 Samuel 8, the Israelites rejected the Lord as their King and asked for the appointment of a man as King. They did so in order to be like the nations around them (1 Samuel 8:5). This request greatly disappointed Samuel the prophet, who served as the human connection between God and the Jews at that time (1 Samuel 8:6-9). The Lord told the prophet not to be mad at the Israelites, but he entertained their request and let them know that having a King comes with a price they might not want to pay.
So in 1 Samuel 8:11-18, the people are told of all of the things required and how it would change their lives if a man becomes their King. Nevertheless, they insisted on having a man as King anyway (1 Samuel 8:19). To make a long story short, life became very difficult for the Jews from that day forward. The lesson for us today is, be careful what we desire because such could bring more trouble then we ever could have imagined. Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. “Don’t lie for the other guy”. So said the commercial that was on TV the other day. I remember the time when I sold a car to a man. This guy wanted me to lie on the transfer of title by saying I was giving the car to him as a gift; that way he wouldn’t have to pay the state tax. I told him no way!
Too many people are lying today. The word of the Lord teaches not to lie at all, yet folks pay no attention and go about their dishonest ways (Ephesians 4:25; Colossians 3:9; Proverbs 6:17; Acts 5:1-4). Lying uptown, lying downtown, and lying all the way around. Lying for their boss, lying for their spouse, lying for their friends, etc. On Judgement Day many will be sent to Hell because of their lying. (Revelation 21:8). Yes, spending eternity in Hell because of lying for a buddy. Bad deal, don’t allow it. Let your so-called friend tell his own lie, don’t do it for him. (1 Timothy 5:22; Proverbs 1:10; Judges 6:31). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. Impatient drivers are everywhere. These people cannot wait for one second before blowing their horns, cursing at other drivers and at times doing crazy stuff like passing a slower car on the right side of the road or speeding though red lights. Aggressive actions have lead to fights, shootings and even following another driver in order to confront them. This nonsense must stop.
The word of God teaches that patience is a virtue, but many never aspire to be virtuous (Hebrews 6:12; James 5:10; Romans 5:3-4, 15:4; 1 Timothy 6:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:14). People need to learn that things don’t revolve around them. Not everyone is going to be able to move at the same pace, and if one person’s pace is slower than another, why not try to find out why such is the case, rather then acting aggressive? Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. Imagine the thought that three teenage boys killed a man last week as he walked his dog. Yet, it is true. What about the Bible command, “Thou shalt not commit murder?” (Romans 14:9). What about the Bible command, “Thou shalt not steal?” (Ephesians 4:28). What about the Bible command, “Do to others as one wishes to have done to oneself?” (Luke 6:31). What about the Bible instruction, “Train a child to grow up into the ways of the Lord?” (Proverbs 22:6; Eph. 6:1-4).
I’m not sure why these young men didn’t obey those divine commands, but if they had done so, the man they killed would be still alive, and we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I’m afraid it is too late for many teenagers—they have become hardened by sin and the lack of Bible teaching. I encourage all parents to live by and teach the principles of the scriptures to your young children that way they can walk in the Lord’s favor in youth (Ecclesiastes 12:1). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. Recently I was sitting close to a fireplace, and I had to get up and move to another side of the room. The reason being, the heat from that flame was scorching me! It didn’t feel good after it got hot on my skin, but the good time was, I had the power to move away and be in a more comfortable space.
Then I got to thinking about those who will go to hell after this life is over. The word of God teaches that Hell is no picnic—it is a very terrible place which will last forever with fire and brimstone (Mark 9:43-48; Revelations 14:9-11). Now if man cannot stand this fire that we have on earth; how can he stand the fires of Hell? (Luke 16:23-25). Answer is, he cannot, that is why the Bible teaches that Hell is a place of crying and pain (Matthew 13:49-50). In this life one can turn away from hot things like water, food, fire etc, one can get away and be comfortable. I remember a guy jumping out of a window to escape a house fire and afterward telling everyone how intense the heat was inside the house. But in Hell, one will not be able to escape and go somewhere that is comfortable—in Hell one will be in torment forever (Luke 16:26; Matt. 25:46; Revelation 20:10-15; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. Everyone in a hurry these days, taking care of personal business with no concern for serving God. Sundays for most people is a personal day to relax and enjoy themselves. Pretty typical isn’t it? Enjoy themselves with the life God grants, living on the green earth, ignoring every command He has authorized. One day, everything we see and know, will end. Man will then be forced by the reality of the moment, to acknowledge God. However, it will be too late. Only while we live now do we have the chance to prepare ourselves for eternity.
After death, all attempts are off, and man will answer for his works. But salvation can be found though the word of the Lord. The only question is, will man accept that word? The Bible is the word of Almighty God—the ultimate book. Open it today and read. If you need help feel free to contact us. Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. |