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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…

The apostle Paul said in Romans 11:22, “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God. . .” This statement obviously divides itself into two parts: (1) The goodness of God; and (2) The severity of God. These two great attributes of God will serve as the basis for our study in this article. First, The Goodness of God. Where would we be without the goodness of God? We know from II Peter 3:9 that God “. . . is longsuffering…

“The breaking of bread” became the name for this institution (Lord’s Supper), Acts 2:42; 20:7; I Cor. 10:16; 11:23 (W.E. Vine Dictionary of N.T. words, p. 146). The same Greek word (artos-bread) is used for the Lord’s Supper as well as a common meal (Thayer’s Greek English Lexicon of the N.T. p. 76). Therefore, the context of the passage must determine whether it is the Lord’s Supper or a common meal.  It is obvious from the following facts that Acts…

A preacher was trying to persuade a capable man to teach a Bible class.  The man responded: “I just don’t want to be tied down at this time!”  With kind firmness the preacher looked him right straight in the eyes and said, “You know, we serve a Master who was willing to be tied down; in fact, He was willing to be nailed down!” Isn’t it interesting how we can freely accept salvation from the nail-pierced hands of Jesus, yet…

The apostle Paul said in II Corinthians 2:17, “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God . . .” From this verse we see that there were many people in Paul’s day who were corrupting the word of God.  I wonder what he would say today if he lived in America which is filled with religious division evidenced by over 1,000 churches.  With the passing of centuries and the growth in population, the departure from God’s…

Several years ago, the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, Missouri made public 1,300 recently discovered letters that the president wrote to his wife, Bess, over the course of a half-century.  Mr. Truman had a lifelong rule of writing to his wife every day they were apart.  He followed this rule whenever he was away on official business or whenever Bess left Washington to visit her beloved Independence.  We should be impressed by the simple fact that every day he…

Churches of Christ are interested in unity.  We recognize our own personal shortcomings and weaknesses–and therefore want to carefully follow the all-sufficient and perfect plan God has for the church (II Timothy 3:16,17). Non-denominational.  We believe religious division is against God’s will.  Jesus prayed for unity (John 17), and the apostle Paul begged those who were divided to unite in Christ (I Corinthians 1:10).  We do not conceive of ourselves as being a denomination–nor as Catholic, Protestant, or Jewish–but simply…

A Threefold Cord Albert Gardner “A threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). A CHRISTIAN HOME is the first, most important, and the most effective force in building character and setting values in our children. God intended that parents love and train their children.  Children deserve to have two parents who set the right example and who will teach them and show them the right way.  This duty must not be shirked by parents and must not be turned…

In The Anatomy of an Illness: As Perceived by the Patient, Norman Cousins tells of being hospitalized with a rare, crippling disease.  When he was diagnosed as incurable, Cousins checked out of the hospital.  Aware of the harmful effects that negative emotions can have on the body, Cousins reasoned the reverse was true.  So, he borrowed a movie projector and prescribed his own treatment consisting of Marx Brothers films and old “Candid Camera” reruns.  It didn’t take long for him…