Month: July 2021

Troublesome Times are Here

On July 28, 2021

As of July 28, 2021, we are seeing the (somewhat) unexpected return of some troublesome times. The pandemic seems to be far from over and a sense of fear is running through the population.

Thankfully covid isn’t leading most people to hospitalization and death, but the fact remains: this still isn’t over. I think this is made all the more difficult because many of us thought the pandemic was drawing to a close.

Troublesome Times

As Christians we must remember that the Bible tells us that there will be troublesome times in our lives. There will be sickness, death, and hardships of all kinds. Still, we mustn’t lose our faith in Christ, who can see us through all of the great difficulties of life. Here are a few verses that might help to cheer you up during these days of hardship:

Psa 46:1 To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psa 46:2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Psa 46:3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

God will be with us no matter the troubles that befall the earth. We must remember to focus on our eternal home, not the temporary home we have here. This earthly home is finite and will certainly pass away regardless of the state of the pandemic.

Isa 51:6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.

If we hold fast to the doctrine given to us by God (the Bible) we will be able to withstand all of life’s hardships and trials. This does not mean it will be easy to withstand these difficulties, but it does mean that we can do so successfully with the help of God. By overcoming these hardships we will be able to achieve a home that is not temporary – a home where no evil or calamity will invade our perfect peace.

Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

I also want to add something else. God will also take care of us here on earth! Let us never forget the words of Jesus:

Mat 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Mat 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

In conclusion, we must trust God through these difficult times. Be as safe as you can and do what you can to keep others safe, but remember that God is in control.

With trust in God we can overcome far more than the pandemic, we can overcome the trials and temptations that keep us from living in God’s good grace. Let us all strive to live faithfully and (through prayer, obedience, and love) lean on God in all of the great difficulties we face.

Love One Another

By Jay

On July 21, 2021

In Bible & Doctrine

This week I watched a few Vacation Bible School classes from a church of Christ in Ohio. The lessons were put together well and revealed a lot to me about the way we should love our brothers and sisters in Christ. The lesson made me think of 1 Corinthians 13 – a chapter that is well known for its emphasis on love.

The truth is that when I read 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 I feel a little intimidated. I feel intimidated because it nails down the proper way to love so completely that it almost seems unattainable. Here is the section that intimidates me most (if only we could get all of these perfect!):

1Co 13:4 Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

1Co 13:5 doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil;

1Co 13:6 rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth;

1Co 13:7 beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Can you imagine always being supremely patient and kind and never being prideful or arrogant? Can you imagine never being rude, resentful, or irritable? Can you imagine never rejoicing in wrongdoing, but always rejoicing in truth? Can you imagine always bearing all things, hoping all things, and enduring all things (with a good attitude)?

Well, actually, we can all probably imagine doing all of these things some of the time – and we all can probably pick out which of those things we are best at (and sadly which of them we are worst at as well). However, can you imagine doing all of these things all of the time? Can you even imagine doing all of these things most of the time?

I would say that most people do some of these things some of the time, but very few do all of these things most of the time. To expand further I know that nobody does all of these things all of the time (sorry for the tongue twisters there).

The thing that we should remember (and the thing that should make us feel better) is that we don’t have to perfect our loving ability right from the get-go. There was only one man that did all of the aforementioned things all of the time, and that was our Savior Jesus Christ.

So, does that mean we should just let ourselves off the hook? I mean obviously we are not Jesus. Are we are all just imperfect sinners that shouldn’t even try to improve our ability to love? No, I believe we should take Paul’s words and work consistently to improve in our ability to love and care for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We can never be perfect in our ability to love but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to be better at it each and every day.

During the last year many nerves have been tried and many emotions have been pushed to their limits. Politics. Pandemics. Riots. You name it. So, I think it is a good time to take inventory of our ability to love each other Biblically (imperfections and all).

If you have time to sit down and read 1 Corinthians 13 this week I would highly recommend it. This chapter provides a clear and concise outline of the way God wants us to love each other as the body of Christ. Enhancing our ability to love Biblically will not only serve to strengthen us individually, but it will serve to strengthen the unity of the church as well.

Counting Our Blessings

By Jay

On July 13, 2021

In Bible & Doctrine

Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Blueberries. Water. Measuring cup. Car. Gas. Grocery store. Vision. Family. Soap. Computer. Books. BIBLE.

That may seem like a strange start to an article but I think that the preceding words are just obscure enough, just “normal” enough, to deliver my point with the greatest clarity. So, what point am I trying to make exactly?

That we have blessings right under our noses every day – and that those blessings are delivered to us by the Father of lights (God). Now, those are just a few blessings I thought of off of the top of my head, but we all have many, many blessings in our lives. Let’s take this a bit further (stay with me here).

On this hot July day in 2021, I currently have a very reliable car and I have access to plenty of gas. Those are wonderful blessings, but on the downside my car also needs an oil change. I dislike getting oil changes, it’s boring and I have to deal with salesmen trying to get me to buy other things like tires and wiper blades. It also takes up a few hours of my day.

So, what do I concentrate on more, the great positives or the tiny negative? The fact that I have a great car and plenty of gas or the fact that I have to go to the dealership for a couple of hours to get an oil change? Sadly we (and by we I mean me) often concentrate on that one tiny negative aspect of something instead of on the vast multitude of blessings that God has given us.

In America today we really have to watch this. We live a life of comparative comfort and luxury compared to the rest of the world. When Jesus was speaking of the church at Laodicea in the book of Revelation, he spoke of their “riches” and how they had become reliant on their wealth instead of trusting in God:

Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

With our relative affluence here in America we sometimes have the tendency to take our blessings for granted. We can begin to think that we are supplying ourselves with our blessings and we can even start to resent anyone or anything that interferes with our machinations. We should all remember that our blessings come from God. Everything from food, clothing, and shelter to the very breath that sustains us, all comes from God.

When we think of our blessings in this manner we can begin to think on the positive aspects of our life instead of the negative. We start to see all of the wonderful things that God supplies us with every single day.

When we think of our blessings in this manner we can begin to live a life of thankfulness (to the Father of lights) for everything good we have in our lives. And, when we start to think of our blessings in this manner – that oil change doesn’t seem quite so bad.

Are We Underestimating the Power of Jesus?

By Jay

On July 5, 2021

In Bible & Doctrine

I read a scripture the other day that made me stop and think about the awesome power of Jesus. For some reason when I read it this time (and it’s a scripture we all know well) it hit me as never before. Here is the scripture:

Mat 26:53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?

I won’t get into the story of Jesus’ capture, persecution, and eventual crucifixion here, but let’s just say that Jesus gave us a great gift when He allowed these men to take Him into captivity. He most certainly didn’t have to – as He says here, He could have called twelve legions of angels to rescue Him.

The power of Jesus is beyond anything we can imagine, after all He is the creator of the universe (John 1:1-3)! Jesus could have destroyed every man that was afflicting Him on that fateful evening. He could have set them on fire, killed them with worms (as Herod met his fate), or (if you want a more modern take), He could have beaten them down more throughly than any Marvel Superhero.

To touch on this point in a bit more depth – I hope, I truly hope, that we don’t see Jesus as less powerful than Captain America or Superman. Our children should be taught that the “fake” power of the superheroes they see in the media are weak and feeble compared to Jesus. The power that these man-made “heroes” have in their fantasy worlds is nothing compared to the awesome power of Jesus (and He has that power in reality, right here in this world).

We should also understand that true power is being meek and lowly, true power is loving one another, and true power is being willing to sacrifice everything for one’s friends:

Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Yes, we should remember these Christlike definitions of power, but we should also remember that when Christ comes again it will not be the time for such self-sacrifice. When Christ comes again He will come to bring justice. If we are in an obedient relationship with Christ then His coming will be a wonderful day indeed. As the Bible says:

Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

However, if we are not in an obedient and acceptable relationship with Christ…woe to us.

Mat 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

If we are on the right side of the awesome power of Jesus then there is nothing that can harm us. Let us all acknowledge the glorious power of Jesus and follow the inspired and perfect doctrine of the Bible – then, and only then, will we be assured of eternal life with Christ our King.