Be Ye Children
“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11). It has always been intriguing to me that children of God are commanded to be like children in one way (Mark […]
Before You Cheat
It seems that every few months or so we learn of another celebrity caught cheating on his or her spouse. To say adultery is an epidemic in our current culture is an understatement. And it doesn’t seem to be a respecter of position. Regardless of what we do for a living, cheaters are in our […]
Beatitudes of the Housewife
Most faithful congregations are full of wonderful housewives who do a superb job in their household with their children, sometimes in the absence of spouses who have to work away from home, with spouses who are hostile to the godly fundamentals found in the Bible, or regrettably both. You are truly “a virtuous woman” and […]
Be a Beacon!
The beginning of football season a few weeks ago made me think of the story of Eli Herring. Eli Herring was a 340-pound offensive tackle for Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. In his senior year Herring sported a 3.5 grade-point average and was judged a top senior offensive tackle in the pro draft. However, […]
Be a Barnabas!
We need more people like Barnabas! Barnabas was a man whose greatest recorded characteristic was encouragement (Acts 4:36). Vine defines the word “encouragement” as a “calling to one’s side.” “Encouragement” is also translated “comfort” and “exhortation” in various places. Exhortation carries with the idea of admonishment to pursue some some of conduct which is always […]
Back to School Time
Much to the disappointment of most of our children here, school will start again in just a few short weeks, and you need to be thinking about the right school supplies. From a spiritual standpoint, think about these four supplies to take with you to school. First, a purposed heart. Daniel remained faithful to God […]
Back to School
The start of school is just a great time. There is excitement and optimism for the coming school year, but there are also some responsibilities of which those who wish to be godly need to be aware. First, you need to be aware of your language. Paul wrote, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of […]
Are You Deluded?
After Paul spoke of a “man of sin” who would bring “unrighteous deception”, he comments: “And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:11). This has long been a mysterious phrase, but we can understand Paul’s point. The Bible in Basic English reads, “And for […]
“Austin Powers” Too Lewd for Muslims
In our local paper, The Lufkin Daily News, there was a short article entitled “Malaysia bans new ‘Austin Powers’ movie.” Please observe the text: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AP) — The Austin Powers sequel was too hot, baby, for the Malaysian censors. The National Film Censorship Board in the predominantly Muslim country banned “The Spy Who […]
Words Are Goads
Solomon said, “The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd” (Ecclesiastes 12:11). A “goad” is a sharp stick, used to control an animal. Metaphorically, words persuade or stimulate us, usually to do good or do evil. We preach and warn people to […]