Think

Is your heart fully engaged?

Posted on by Jesse Walker

Have you ever found yourself running through the routines of life without much thought put into it? You know you hustle into class with your attention a mile away? Or with a thousand different things on your mind. You hope the preacher hasn’t prepared one of those long sermons.  You have a softball game to get to, a picnic planned, a bike ride, or an afternoon at the lake.  All good family activities.

I suppose we have all done that at one time or another.  Life can be hard to leave at the door on Sunday mornings. Our minds are cluttered with distractions. But can I challenge you to take a moment and breath, and to slow down and ask God to help you prepare. Before you head out the door, or maybe in the car, ask God to help you get ready for worship. Simply say, Lord thank you for loving me. Thank you for carrying me when I couldn’t stand. Lord, thank you for saving my marriage, and thank you for giving me my job. Father, thank you for never giving up on me. Thank you for walking with me through the valley of death when my enemy was all around. Thank you for carrying the load when I couldn’t. These simple words will help you dump the things in life that aren’t really that important.  And when you arrive at the doors of the building, you will be ready to help others see what God has done for them.  If they need a shoulder to cry on, you’ll be ready. If they need someone to rejoice with, you got it.  And your Father in heaven will smile down from heaven and accept your worship as a sweet aroma. Not because of perfection or imperfections, but because of an honest heart.

No God is not seeking perfectionist. Or those who think they can do it on their own. He’s seeking an honest and pure heart.  In Matthew 15:8 we read of those whom Jesus said, “’These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me”.  Church let’s check ourselves this morning, and make sure we are not just giving God lip service but that our hearts are fully engaged. Then our sacrifices will be acceptable and rise before Him as a sweet aroma. And this is Jesse Walker with the Glenwood Church of Christ.

The Ideal Congregation (Pt. 2)

Posted on by Bob Mathews

The ideal congregation hungers and thirsts after righteousness.  Jesus said, “Blessed are they that  hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Mt.5:6).  The security of the blessing pronounced resides in the security of Jesus’ promise that each one so hungering and thirsting shall be filled.  The providential care of our Lord assists in bringing this promise unto fulfillment.  Such is truly a wonderful promise, knowing that if we pursue righteousness as we ought, the Lord has given his word that our spiritual appetite for righteousness will be satisfied.

The righteousness spoken of here involves the divine plan of righteousness that results in a personal verdict of righteousness.  This righteousness is nothing less than that which is in accord with the norm and standard of right, the objective revelation of the word of God.  To hunger and thirst after righteousness suggests a deep-seated craving which compels one to go to great lengths to fulfill its demands.  Invariably, one thus becomes a diligent student of the word (ref. Acts 17:11).  May we be emboldened to trust in the Lord’s promise and thus be motivated to hunger and thirst after righteous- ness as we have never done before!

The ideal congregation desires to be all that one can be, individually and congregationally.  The apostle Peter exhorted first century Christians to “add to your faith virtue; and to virtue  knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity” (2 Pet.1:5-7).  When obeyed, this exhortation assists in developing full maturity in both attitude and daily living.

Fulfilled maturity requires one to seek to live up to his potential.  The parable of the talents (Mt.25:14-30) illustrates the necessity and the value of so doing while demonstrating the danger of personal failure.  The example of the poor widow who gave all her living to the treasury (Mk.12:41-43) deserves our consideration and imitation.  She truly fulfilled her individual potential.  Additionally, we will not be content with past achievements, either individually or as a congregation, if we hope to reach full maturity.  Paul remembered his past while properly relating to his past and the future (Phil.3:13-14).  He pressed on!  As we seek to be all that we can be, let us do so courageously with unyielding and confident faith, being servants of both God the Father and those about us (Romans 6).

These are just a couple more aspects to consider about the ideal congregation. Next week I’ll pose a couple more for all of us to chew on. May God be with us and bless us all on our Christian journey!

A Bible Brain Teaser

Posted on by Bob Mathews

Disclaimer: This puzzle is written by a person not a prophet. It is not God-breathed scripture. Please enjoy the brain teaser simply for what it is.

I came across this brain teaser and wanted to share it with all who might enjoy digging into scripture to search for an answer. This may be simple and fun but will hopefully show us the importance and joy that comes from searching the scriptures daily.

Here is a little history: This puzzle was written by a lady in California in 1890 in response to a gentleman in Philadelphia who said that he would pay $1,000 to anyone who could write a puzzle that he could not solve.  He failed to do so, and paid the lady $1,000, a great sum at that time.

God made Adam out of the dust,
But thought it best to make me first;
So I was made before the man,
According to God’s holy plan.
My whole body God made complete
Without arms or hands or feet.
My ways and acts did God control,
But in my body He placed no soul.
A living being I became,
And Adam gave to me a name.
Then from his presence I withdrew,
For this man Adam I never knew.
All my Maker’s laws I do obey,
And from these laws I never stray.
Thousands of me go in fear,
But seldom on the earth appear.
Later, for a purpose God did see,
He placed a living soul in me.
But that soul of mine God had to claim,
And from me took it back again.
And when this soul from me had fled,
I was the same as when first made;
Without arms, legs, feet, or soul,
I travel on from pole to pole.
My labors are from day to night,
And to men I once furnished light
Thousands of people both young and old,
Did by my death bright lights behold.
No right or wrong can I conceive;
The Bible and its teachings I can’t believe.
The fear of death doesn’t trouble me;
Pure happiness I will never see.
And up in heaven I can never go,
Nor in the grave or Hell below.
So get your Bible and read with care;
You’ll find my name recorded there.

Here is a hint: This was written in 1890, so, the King James Version of the Bible will give you the best possible way to find the answer.

Please feel free to comment what you think the answer is. If you have already seen or know the answer, please don’t ruin the fun for everyone else. I will the answer in the comments next week.

Jumping to Conclusions

Posted on by Bob Mathews

Many times, the question, “How could you?” is asked prematurely in situations. It is a query of suspicion that has somewhat already placed the blame before the facts have been gathered. It is an assessment that has been made prior to carefully weighing all the evidence.

The Israelites had taken over Canaan’s land. Joshua had divvied up the territorial boundaries of the land each tribe was to possess. Those tribes that had been given an allotment by Moses on the east side of the Jordan (Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh) were returning there to the wives, children, and cities they had temporarily left behind to fight for their brothers.

One the way back home, these 2½ tribes set up an altar by the Jordan. After hearing of this, the immediate response of the tribes west of the Jordan was to gather the assembly of Israel together at Shiloh to make war on Reuben, Gad, and the ½ tribe of Manasseh. The greater part of Israel was zealous for the Law of God and was not going to tolerate what they perceived to be a breach of the covenant, an act of infidelity.

To their credit, the Israelites sent ambassadors to talk with their (wayward) brothers before shooting the first arrow, slinging the first stone, or thrusting the first sword. These representatives leveled the charge: “The whole assembly of the Lord says: ‘How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the Lord and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now?’” (Joshua 22:16).

To their credit, the Israelites also gave them an opportunity to come over and live among them where the true altar of God was set up at Shiloh. Their problem was, however, that they had assumed too much. They had made a rash judgment based on the way things appeared on the surface.

The 2½ tribes responded: “The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows! And let Israel know!” (Joshua 22:22). Then they proceeded to explain that they had not built the altar for sacrificial purposes as the rest of Israel had presumed. Israel had misjudged their motives. Rather, they had built the altar as a witness that they were also a part of Israel. They too had a right to bring their sacrifices to the sanctuary of the Lord. Israel rejoiced at their response.

This story is convicting when it comes to interpersonal relationships, especially inside the body of Christ. We discover the following principles:

  • We should suspend judgment until we have gathered all the facts.
  • We should go to those who are caught in or suspected of sin.
  • We should not be accusatory in our approach to others (“How could you?”).
  • We should offer those caught in sin a way of escape.
  • We should rejoice when we find that they are right with God.
  • We should take solace in the fact that whenever others misunderstand us, God knows our hearts.