Church Blogs (Page 2)

Listen to this petition in Psalms 119:36, “Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.”  What do you think most about?  Is it making money?  The word covetous means “overly desirous” (Thorndike Barnhart Dictionary).  Today, do you have an excessive desire for gain?   The request of the Psalmist really puts life where we ought to keep it.   Our hearts should be centered around the testimonies of God and not earthly treasures.  We must not let our possessions possess…

Can I Know I am Going to Heaven? The answer is yes.  Paul said in II Corinthians 5:1, “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”  Paul said we know we are going to heaven.  What gave him this assurance?  He had obeyed the gospel of Christ (Acts 9), and was following Christ every day (I Corinthians 11:1; II…

(This is advice to the young men of President James A. Garfield’s time, but can apply to all of us.) “Make few promises.  Always speak the truth.  Never speak evil of anyone.  Keep good company or none.  Live up to your engagements.  Never play games of chance.  Good character is above everything else.  Keep your secrets if you have any.  Never borrow if you can possibly help it.  Do not marry until you can support a wife.  Keep yourself honest…

The book of Acts is an extremely important book because it gives us the beginning and history of the Lord’s church from about 33 A.D. to 62 A.D.  Peter, who had been given the keys to open the kingdom or church (Matthew 16:18,19), is the main character of the first twelve chapters and Paul is the main character of chapters thirteen through twenty-eight.  It has rightly been called the book of Conversions because we read of thousands obeying the gospel…

Religious people seem to think so very little about adding to God’s word.  Yet almost as “Sentries” standing near the first of the Bible, in the middle of the Bible and at the close of the Bible God warns – “do not add to the word.” “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you” (Deuteronomy 4:2). “Do not…

God through Amos dealt with a sin in Israel, the Northern Kingdom, that is so prevalent today.  The people were disregarding the commands of God because they were at ease in the lap of luxury. In Amos 6:1 we read, “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion . . .” Listen how God describes Israel in verses 4 through 6 of this same chapter.  “That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat…

Jesus said, “Judge not that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1).  What did the Lord mean by this simple seven word sentence?  Is all judging wrong?  If this were the only statement on this subject in the Bible one might easily conclude that this is true.  All judging is not wrong.  Please observe that it is not wrong for a federal or civil judge to decide the sentencing of a convicted criminal.  Moses sat in judgment from morning till evening. …

Prayer is one of the great privileges those who follow God enjoy (Matthew 6:9).  Those who are Christians recognize their great need of prayer.  James said, “. . . The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16).  It’s no wonder that the scriptures constantly admonish us not to let anything interfere with our praying.  For example, Paul said in Colossians 4:2 that we are to “Continue in prayer . . .” and in I Thessalonians 5:17…

Introduction: We read in Proverbs 12:25, “Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.”  Our words make all the difference in the world.  Jesus even said, “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:37).  One of the purposes of our lives should be to “speak good words to make hearts glad.”  Would you say this describes you on a daily basis?  Obviously,…

You went through an entire song service without even thinking about what we were singing? You bowed your head and closed your eyes during the prayer, but you really didn’t become involved in the prayer? You were more interested in when he would finish the sermon than in what he was saying during the sermon? You allowed some minor noise near you to completely upset you so that you could not really worship? These and many other things often happen,…

It is not our purpose in this article to offer up a big heap of statistics, although this could be profitable.  Suffice it for our purpose to suggest to the reader that you probably know someone who has or who is growing up without God. Respect for and reverence toward God is a tremendously stabilizing force in our world.  What a shame, what a tragedy, that many children who roam the streets, smoke pot, drink alcoholic beverages, carry weapons —…

In Matthew 6:10 we are taught to pray “. . .THY WILL Be DONE IN EARTH, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.”  We all know that God’s will is perfectly done in heaven.  We should desire the same to be done in earth.  Let’s bring it closer to home.  Have you ever prayed, “Thy will be done in my life as it is in heaven?”  This is such a challenging statement.  In this petition we are giving up self and earnestly…