I have some questions, ladies. What kind of woman was Sarah? Was she a devoted wife? Did she obey her husband, Abraham? Did she obey God? Are we following Sarah’s example of being an obedient wife as God would have us to be toward our husbands? In Genesis 12:1, God told Abram to take Sarai (and his nephew, Lot) and go to a land away from his family; God would show him the way to go. Now, let us suppose that Abram came home and told Sarai to pack up their belongings so they can move. Sarai might have asked, “Where are we going?” His answer might have been, “I do not know.” Then, maybe, Sarai asked, “How long will we be gone?” Again, he may have answered, “I do not know.” Her next question could have been, “Well, who told you for us to move?” Abram may have replied, “God did.” Then, she may have said something like this, “Well, okay, then!” She immediately went to prepare for their journey. What would we have done? Would we have been as willing wives to go on a journey, not knowing where we were going and how long we would be gone? I really doubt this would happen today without many more questions and answers. It seems to me that Sarai was more obedient and submissive than most of us today would have been. What do you think? Later in life Abram and his family lived in Palestine. Genesis 12:10-20 records

Matthew 7:3-5 reads as follows. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me remove the speck from your eye”; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (NKJV) In place of “plank” in the NKJV, the ESV uses the word “log.” The familiar KJV uses the word “beam.” A “beam” brings to mind the massive, squared trees used a century ago for the interior skeletal structure inside huge dairy barns. We are to look and to examine ourselves before we concern ourselves about others. We need to look at ourselves before examining how others are living. “Therefore, you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things” (Romans 2:1). What is a speck? The dictionary says a speck is a small discoloration or a spot especially from a stain or decay. It is small like a very tiny spot or a dot. Sometimes we get something like an eyelash in an eye. It is tiny and very painful. What is a plank? Its definition is a heavy, thick board. It is impossible to fit in one’s eye. What do these objects, a “speck” or a “plank,” in one’s eye

What is a friend? A dictionary definition says a friend is “one attracted to another by affection or esteem, a favored companion.” My definition of a “friend” is one on whom I can depend – one to whom I can tell personal information and know she will not tell anyone. A friend can be someone you do not see very often, but when you get together, you pick up right where you left off. It is just like you were never separated. Proverbs 18:24 defines a friend thusly, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (NKJV). Not everyone has a person on whom she can rely. This is so sad. Everyone needs someone. There may be reasons people do not have friends. If we cannot show ourselves to be friendly, why would we think we should have friends? We must put ourselves out to others to make friends, rather than to just sit back and let them come to you. Though you may be timid, take the first step by introducing yourself to others. You can do this if you set your mind to it. Remember God is on your side, and He will give you the strength to do the Christian thing that needs to be done. If one is mean or snobbish, he or she cannot expect to have someone befriend him or her. On the other hand, sometimes one who is very shy, afraid

Some time ago, I heard this sermon, “How Can We Deceive Ourselves?” When I heard the title, my ears perked up. I felt this was a lesson I really needed to hear and learn what to do to not deceive myself. I knew it was something I must put into my daily life. I am afraid we all at times deceive ourselves, and I know I do. We want to believe we are better people than we really are. We say we have not done or said anything wrong, but what about our attitude toward others? The Scriptures teach us to take heed lest we fall in 1 Corinthians 10:12. This means not to think more highly of ourselves than we should. Therefore, we must be able to think of ourselves as we really are. What do we think of ourselves? It is bad when we are deceived by others. When we are misled by others, we may be excused once. There is a saying that goes something like this, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” We must stay alert and follow God’s Word. We are told in 1 Peter 5:8 that the devil is always going about seeking whom He can devour or con, either by ourselves or by others. He wants us to believe a lie and to be deceived, just as he conducted himself in the Garden of Eden when he interacted with Adam and Even. The devil told Eve a

Introduction Matthew 7:18-20 reads, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them” (NKJV). Do you really know someone the first time you meet her? Of course not. It takes a while to become acquainted with a person. Sometimes we meet someone who seems to be what we would want in a friend, but later we find out she is not at all the person we thought her to be. Other times, we seem to have hit it off right away, and we have made a sound judgment. This woman is what we would call the real deal. It is amazing to me how many people are watching us. We go about our lives not thinking about who we are influencing for good or for evil. Let us look at Molly for instance. She was a devout Christian wife. She took care of her husband when he had cancer until she had to finally resort to hospice for help. The nurses saw how lovingly she cared for him. One day the nurses were talking among themselves, and a male nurse who had only seen Molly and her husband a few times described her as a unique and impressive woman. Her purity was shining through as the beautiful sun to others who did not even know her. She was demonstrating how

We must work on improving ourselves. What do I mean by this statement? I mean, we need to grow as Christian ladies. The more we grow, the more we will improve, and we will be able to do more for the congregation of which we are members. There are many ways in which we can improve ourselves and grow in the service of the Lord. We can grow by studying by ourselves or with Christian ladies in a group. I enjoy being in a ladies’ class because I get so many ideas of ways to make myself a better Christian, because ladies have many great ways for all of us to grow in the Lord. We can learn more Scriptures, learn to pray, learn to meditate on God’s Word, memorize verses of the Bible and many other ways to grow. How can we teach others if we have not studied the Bible other than to know how and why we became Christians? Our ultimate goal is for a person to be taught what is needed for her to become a child of God. It is wise to go into a Bible study knowing where the Scriptures are found before trying to teach others the way of eternal life. In 2 Timothy 2:15, we are told to study the Scriptures, rightly dividing the Word. How can we rightly divide the Scriptures if we do not know what the Bible says? We can’t! This does not mean we need to know everything

Cannot Do Public Works(During Worship Services) Many women want to know how they can teach and help the Lord’s church to grow. I have heard the statement, followed by the question, “I am a woman; I can’t do things such as preach,lead singing, lead public prayers, pass the communion trays or pass the collection plates. I cannot make any announcements during the public services. So, what can I do to help the church to grow?” There is much more to do than just these few public works that occur during the worship or midweek Bible study. Some ladies are leaders, while others are followers. Some sisters in Christ are outgoing, and some are not; some women are shy and followers. Other ladies are very outgoing, and these women are usually leaders. We each must decide what kind of a working Christian lady we are. One’s personality does help to decide how and what we can do – within what the Bible permits. We can all do behind the scenes work. We can do bulletin boards, help our children to learn the books of the Bible, sing children’s songs and memorize Scripture. As a side note, while helping children learn memory verses, we will also learn these verses. If papers for the classes need cut out or some other project for class requires preparation, these are behind the scenes works, too, that any of us can do. Are We Going to Obey the Lord? If a shy or a new Christian

“There are two types of missionaries – givers and takers,” my late husband Bob often said. What did he mean by this statement? He was talking about missionaries going into different parts of the world to spread the Word of God, and their supporters. The givers are those who can and will financially help support missionaries and their families in foreign and stateside missions. (When going into these areas, we need to teach brethren to support themselves in their local works as they become able.) Because of Bob, we were givers. We would help support missionaries and some of our younger brethren and their families going to preacher schools. We were very fortunate in that we supported those who remained true to the Word and are still working for the Lord today. Without the givers, these men could not be takers. After marrying Louis, we are now – takers – doing mission work. I love being a taker as we go into the countries of Guyana, South America; Singapore, Myanmar (Burma) and India in Asia. This has really been a wonderful privilege, made possible by the help of those supporting us financially. Without the givers, it would be impossible for Louis and me to go to these countries for our Lord with the Gospel. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus told the apostles, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” We call this the Great

What is success? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “success” as “favorable or desired outcome; also: the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence.” What does the word “eminence” mean? Merriam-Webster says of “eminence,” “a position of prominence or superiority.” We all want to be successful. Unfortunately, the success we want could be the best education at the best university for ourselves and for our children, the best job with the most pay, wealth, a new car, the biggest house with all the amenities, boats, a vacation home or any material gain we can think of to make things nicer for ourselves. I agree that it is pleasant to have nice material things, but this is not the success to which I am referring. I am talking about our success spiritually. Success spiritually is worth more than any silver, gold or other worldly possessions we can accumulate. We are told in Matthew 6:19-20 to lay our treasures in Heaven, not on the earth where moth and rust decay and where thieves break in and steal. So, you see, our priorities often are in the wrong place. We are told in the parable of the rich fool found in Luke 12:17-19, “And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So, he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods

My question is, in the five items of worship that are taught in the New Testament, which is the most important? These acts of worship are commanded to be done during the worship service on Sunday, the first day of the week. We are to sing, pray, preach or teach, observe communion and give of our means or money. Singing, praying, teaching or preaching and giving can also be done at other times as well; one can read of these acts of worship occurring on days in addition to the first day of the week. However, the Lord’s Supper is authorized in the New Testament for observance on the first day of the week. Let me explain why I say giving can be done other times, too. If a person needs help on Monday, do you tell him or her to wait until Sunday because that is the only day of the week I am allowed to give? Of course not! This is silly. When Christ taught in Matthew 25:32-46 about dividing the sheep from the goats, He used the example of the needy that those on the right hand or the sheep helped. Nothing in this parable says anything about the first day of the week. We are commanded to give on Sunday by collection in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, but that is not the only day we can give to the Lord. We are told to give cheerfully as we have been prospered in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8. [Giving that

How are we living our lives; are they obedient, disobedient or indifferent? If we are living our lives for Christ and His church, we are living an obedient (hot) life. If we are living a lukewarm life, we are not living our lives for Christ. We are trying to live for Christ and for the devil at the same time, but this is impossible. If we are living cold lives, we are living of the world, and we have little or no interest in serving Christ. We are children of the devil. Now, of course, there are those of the world looking for the truth. I believe those who are truly looking for Christ and His church will find it. We can only live one of these aspects of life at a time. If we are living lives that are hot, we are truly trying to be the best Christians we know. We are studying (2 Timothy 2:15), praying (1 Thessalonians 5:17), doing good deeds (Galatians 6:10), setting the right example for others (1 Timothy 4:12), keeping our temper under control (Proverbs 14:29) and are kind to others (Ephesians 4:32). There are so many other things we could add to this list. We can learn much from Matthew 6:21-24, which reads: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your

I found this sermon outline in one of my late husband’s books. It was written by Tom W. Butterfield, who passed away many years ago. He was one of the great preachers of the Upper Ohio Valley. He spoke the Word plainly and simply as told us in Scripture. Even young children understood the lessons he taught. Little children are innocent. Jesus would have not used little children as examples if they were guilty of sin. He would not have used them in Matthew 19:14 if they were anything except pure. Jesus taught the disciples in Matthew 18:1-3 that they were to become as little children in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven. This applies to us today. Children are blameless until they attain the age of accountability, knowing right from wrong. We are not born in original sin. This is where false teachers say we are born as sinners, bearing the guilt of the sin of Adam and Eve and thereby inheriting their sin. We are born innocent at birth. A little baby only knows three things. He knows if he is hungry, if his diapers needs to be changed or if he hurts. Since babies cannot talk, they cry to let us know they need something. How can these babies believe that Jesus is the Son of God (Mark 16:16; 9:23)? How can they repent of sins (Luke 13:3, 5)? Can they confess Jesus is the Son of God (Romans 10:9-10)? Can these little ones choose to be

How do you measure things? Do you use gallons, pints, cups, teaspoons, tablespoons, ounces, pounds, tons, inches, feet and miles? These are the kind of measurements we use in the USA. Other parts of the world use the metric system. These are meters, liters, kilograms, grams, and kilometers, etc. I do not know much about the metric system. Different countries have different ways of measuring. It can be confusing to someone new visiting. If I were to bake a cake, I would need to know what standard to use. With God’s Word, we have one standard and one standard only, the Bible. Isn’t it wonderful, we have one standard with the Word of God, the Bible? Even though it was written thousands of years ago, it is still timely. It took 1,600 years to write the whole Bible, the Old and New testaments. There were approximately 40 writers. Amazingly, there are no contradictions in the Scriptures. God gave us His Word, and He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. God’s Word does not change, and neither does He! Unfortunately, man does change and has also tried to change the Bible. Therefore, we must be careful which translation we use. There are many so-called Bibles that teach false doctrines (e.g., Good News for Modern Man, NIV, paraphrases). Be careful to choose a reliable translation of the Bible (e.g., KJV, NKJV, ASV, ESV). Those from the Reader’s Digest magazine went through the Bible and cut out what they did not want in it. So,

In Acts 20:7, “Upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them until midnight.” Paul made sure he was with brethren to worship his God and commune with the church and remember the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 10:25, we are told not to forsake the assembling of ourselves for worship. We have been told by our government not to meet in crowds larger than a certain number (the specified number varies with local and current circumstances regarding the pandemic). We are told to obey the laws of our land if they do not go against the Word of God (Romans 13:1-2). What can we do to worship our God? We can and should meet in our homes with our families during this time of lockdown. There are many congregations airing their Sunday morning services. There are also 5-minute devotionals, lessons for Sunday evening and Wednesday night services. We have no excuse for not worshipping our God. Also, we can do our own services and have one of the men teach a lesson during our services in the home. As we have been going through this lockdown because of the Covid-19, have we worshipped our God? Yes, we cannot meet with the brethren, but we can provide the communion items for our family to worship and commune with our God in remembrance of our Lord giving His life on the cross for our sins. We can sing

Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Thus, we are all sinners. Since we are all sinners, let’s look into the Word of God to see if there is any way to miss the Hell that is waiting for those who obey not the Gospel (1 Peter 4:17). We have learned since childhood, those of us who were raised in the church, that there are five steps to becoming a Christian. First, we must hear the Word (Romans 10:17). When we hear God’s Word, we will then believe it as stated in Mark 16:16. The third step is repentance of wrong doings (Luke 13:3, 5). Then, in Romans 10:9-10, we are told to confess that Christ is the Son of God. The last step before we become a Christian is to be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). After doing these five things, a person becomes a Christian. Now that we have brought Christ into our lives, we must work for the Lord. We all have different jobs to do. We are a part of the body of which Christ is the Head (1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Colossians 1:17-18). These verses also compare to the human body. The head is over the body, but there are many parts of the body such as the arms, legs, ears, eyes, feet, etc. As Christ has different parts to His body, these parts have different jobs. Some of the jobs in the body of Christ

Communication is an essential quality we need in our daily lives. Communication as found in the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary means “to convey knowledge of or information about: to make known.” We talk to our spouses, our children, our friends, our coworkers, our acquaintances and even others we do not know. They talk to us. Now, the questions I ask are, “Do we hear what they are saying, and are we really listening?” Is it possible you are thinking of what to say in response before they are done speaking? This happens very often. When Louis and I first got married, we would be talking about something completely opposite. After 10 or 15 minutes would go by, one of us would look at the other and ask, “What are you talking about?” We were not even close in what each other was speaking about. Then, we would get together on the same topic. Hearing and listening are very important aspects of communication. Lack of successful communication is the number one problem in most marriages. Another time, I thought I understood what I was talking about (it was the same subject), just to find out I was not even close to what I was told. Another miscommunication from the day before. I misunderstood what I had been told about some power button on our car. Well, I did not know anything about it; I heard wrong or I did not listen to what had been said. Communication is a huge part of our lives. We

What can we do to encourage one another during this time of the coronavirus pandemic? We can call, write notes, send cards or postcards, etc. What have you done to be an encourager? One sister in Christ sent postcards to every member of her congregation since the lockdown because of the virus as encouragement to her brothers and sisters in Christ. I am not sure how many are in attendance there, but I am sure this was not cheap. Glory be to God for her thoughtfulness. There have been a lot of women from churches making masks for those of us who do not sew. In our congregation, we had at least two ladies making masks for anyone who needed them. This was thoughtful. They did not take any money for doing this good deed. Others provided the material. This was their part as they do not or cannot sew. So, you see these are encouraging things that can be done. You can take food to older people or to those who are sick. You do not have to go into their houses. Just knock and leave the food on the porch. Then, they can come out without any contact. If you do not want to take the food, you can call a restaurant that delivers in their area and have a meal delivered to them. What else can we do to encourage each other? How about the use of Facebook? This is a very good way to keep in

I heard a similar topic on the Internet the other day. I used the same title, but the comparisons are different. I am using sports in which I am interested. If I hold a baseball in my hands, it might be worth $3.00. If I put a baseball in the hands of Joey Votto, who plays for the Cincinnati Reds, it is worth about $21,000,000 a year. It depends on who holds the baseball. If I hold a football in my hands, it might be worth about $11.00. Now, if this football were placed in the hands of Ben Roethlisberger, the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, it would be worth about $87.4 million a year. It depends on in whose hands the football is. If I hold a hockey puck in my hands, it might be worth $2.00. Now, if I place a hockey puck in the hands of Sidney Crosby, who plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins, it is worth about $8.7 million a year. It depends in whose hands the hockey puck is. If I hold in my hands a golf club, it is worth about $50. Putting golf clubs in the hands of Tiger Woods resulted in career earnings of $800,000,000. It depends on who holds a golf club. If I hold five loaves of bread and two fishes in my hands, I might eat the two fishes and a small amount of bread with some left over. With five loaves and two fishes in the hands of

How would you build a house? Would you build on sandy ground or on solid ground? A foolish man builds his house on the sand. The wise man builds his house on a rock, a solid foundation. We are told in Matthew 7:23-26 to build on a firm foundation. How would you build your house—everything all at one time or one stone, brick or board at a time? When building a physical house, we want it to be on a firm foundation. We should want the same with our spiritual house. When we become Christians, we build our lives one step at a time on Jesus and His Word. Jesus is our standard—not anyone or anything else. Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 11:1 to imitate him as he imitated Christ. This is how we build a house on a solid rock. Let us build our houses on the Rock of our salvation. We are to build our lives on Jesus and His Word. Jesus is the pattern to be followed, just as a builder has a blueprint to erect a house. If the plans are not followed exactly, the dwelling will not come out right. If we do not follow the plan of salvation as has been set before us in the Scriptures, we will not be saved. The pattern is to hear the Word of God (Romans 10:17), to believe it (John 8:24), to repent of our sins (Luke 13:3, 5), to confess Christ as the Son of God

I am going to ask you a few questions that only you and I can answer for ourselves. Have you thought about putting Christ on in baptism so you can be a child of God? If not, why not? Have you been baptized for the remission of sins in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38)? Are you a babe in Christ? Have you been a Christian long enough to be off the milk of the Word and on the meat of the Word? Are you willing to work for the Lord and His church? Can you help the church to grow spiritually and numerically? If, so, then, ready, set, grow! In order to become a child of God, one must hear the Gospel. “So then faith comes by hearing, and by hearing the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). Secondly, you must believe the Word of God. In Mark 16:16, we are told to believe and be baptized. Then, in Luke 13:3, 5, it says we must repent of our sins or we shall perish. What does the word repent mean? To repent, one changes his actions and not just his mind. Repentance is sometimes called a U-turn. Marshall Keeble, one of the great old-time preachers, compared repentance to a train backing up. It was going forward into sin. It then began to back up out of sin. Next, we are to confess Christ as the son of God (Romans 10:9-10). Lastly, we are to put Christ on in baptism. In Romans

I have been thinking a lot lately on the crucifixion of Christ. He was beaten, had to carry His own cross, mocked as being King of the Jews, had a crown of thorns placed on His head, spit on and given gall mixed with vinegar to drink while on the cross (John 19:1-3). Our Lord was mistreated and humiliated for all the world. His death on the cross was so all could have the forgiveness of sins and the reward of a heavenly home. Christ was perfect, but He took our sins with Him to the cross (1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:5). The scourging was not just a normal beating. When an individual was to be scourged, he was stripped of all his clothing; he was completely naked. This way, his entire flesh was exposed and entirely uncovered for the beating. The victim was bound to a two-foot-high scourging post. The person’s hands were tied over his head to a metal ring, and his wrists were shackled to the metal ring to keep the body from moving during the scourging. Our Lord would have been a bloody mess after the beating. Do you think the enemies of our Savior took time to clean the blood from His body before making Him carry His cross to the Place of the Skull, also known as Golgotha? I doubt this very seriously. It was predicted in Isaiah that no bones of Jesus would be broken (Psalm 34:20; John 19:46). Jesus was already dead

There are two things that we must know to serve our God diligently. One is to believe that God exists. Two is to know that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. We must be workers for the Lord and His church. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV). The benefits of seeking God are evident in Psalm 23, which is quoted at many funerals because it is comforting. There is so much we can learn from these six short verses about our Loving Chief Shepherd. God Is a Rewarder Verse 1: David wrote, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” The sheep have blessings as we also have blessings in the Lord. This is a day in the life of a shepherd. He was talking about taking care of sheep. They knew he would always be there for them. These sheep would follow always. We should be willing to follow our Great Shepherd. Verses 2-6 teach how the shepherd cared and tended for his sheep. In comparison, these are blessings we have in Christ Jesus our Chief Shepherd. He provides for His sheep peace, safety, restoration, guidance, comfort, preparation, caring, a good life and eternal life. Verse 2: “He makes me to lie down in green pastures.” This speaks of peace. The sheep enjoy the peacefulness of the green pastures. We should

I used this topic many years ago at a Ladies’ Day in Cameron, WV. I thought it would be fitting for an article for “Christians” today. Sarah Gudshinsky said, “God has a slot in His total eternal plan for each of us. The slot is exactly the shape of our heritage, experiences and life, and God expects us to fill it.” Someone else has said, “What you are is God’s gift to you, and what you make of yourself is your gift to God.” So, in these two statements, it makes me wonder how we are using the talents we have been given. Are we glorifying God, or are we falling into Satan’s trap? Part of our purpose in life is discovering our God-given talents (gifts from God) and giving back to our Heavenly Father. We are to use our talents to glorify God, Christ and His church. We need to work as if everything depends on us and pray as if everything depends on God. If we work as we should, we will be honoring our Great God in Heaven. God gave us a mind and common sense, but we have a choice how we use them. In Matthew 25:1-13, we read of the 10 virgins—five who were wise and five who were foolish. They were called to the wedding of the bridegroom; five used their common sense to prepare for an unforeseen problem and five did not. When the bridegroom was coming, the foolish unprepared virgins asked for oil from

If we did a survey of 100 people, probably all would say they are going to Heaven. Often, people have the wrong perception about the Bible. To the world, it does not matter if one attends worship or if one follows God’s Word. Many people think that it does not matter the kind of life a person lives, just as long as he believes in God. To many in the world, God is perceived to be a loving God Who will not send anyone to Hell. Yes, God is a loving God and will not send anyone to Hell arbitrarily. Hell is a punishment earned by those who will spend eternity there. A heavenly reward cannot be earned, but by God’s grace, we can receive our heavenly home as a gift! I was listening to some group singing, “When We All Get to Heaven.” It made me think of many people who are so sincere about their Christianity, and yet, some of them are so sincerely wrong. We all want to go to Heaven, but not everyone wants to follow God’s instruction Book, the Bible. Even religious people like to pick and choose out of the Bible what they want, not what God commands. If it were just that easy to get to Heaven, there would be a lot more gaining a home in Heaven. Unfortunately, sincerity alone will not work. How many of our friends are sincere in their false doctrines? How many people do we see every day who are

Throughout life, we meet many people. Some are just acquaintances, some are fly-by-night friends, some are just faces you recognize, and some are closer than our family members. This article is very personal to me. It is about our Forever Friend. Yes, some of us have very close friends. What is a friend? Webster says a friend is “(1) one attached to another by affection or esteem,“ such as, “she’s my best friend.“ Also “(2) a favored companion,“ someone with whom you enjoy spending time. My idea of a true friend is someone who exhibits loyalty, faithfulness, truthfulness and respect. Such a friend will tell you the truth even if it will hurt your feelings, but with love and tenderness. Another way you can tell that you have a true friendship is if you do not see one another for a long time, but when you do you pick up with each other, it is as if you were next door neighbors. When you can do this, it is a real sign of friendship. Have you ever met a person and right away you fell into a close relationship? I did with one girlfriend the first time I went to her house. I walked about six-blocks with my three sons—two walking and holding onto the stroller and the youngest in the stroller. She did not expect us. When I knocked on the door, she was surprised. She had us come in even though she had been doing laundry all day.

My question is, “Which brother sinned more?” (Luke 15:11-32). The younger brother went to his father and asked for his inheritance. This was rude and wrong. He treated his father as if he were dead. Inheritances come after the death of a parent. He left and went into a far country. He lived a riotous life— partying, drinking and wasting his inheritance. After the younger brother wasted all his money, there came a famine in the land. He had no one to which to turn because his so-called friends turned their backs on him. They used him for a good time. He ended up feeding the hogs. If he was fortunate maybe, he ate some of their food. This young man finally came to his senses. He thought of his father and the hired servants. He knew the hired servants were treated well by his father. So, the prodigal decided to go back home and ask his father if he could be treated as a hired servant. As the son was heading home, his father saw him a long way off and ran to meet him. He threw his arms around his son. The father told the servants to bring a robe and a ring for his son. He also told them to go out and get a fatted calf and prepare it for a feast in honor of his son’s return. He was lost, but, then, he was found. There was much rejoicing in that home. The older brother

I found this sermon outline on Louis’s bulletin board and recognized it immediately. I knew it was a sermon my late husband Bob Noland preached many times. So, I decided it needed to be put into an article. What kind of giver are you? Are you a giver for your reward from man or for your reward from the Lord? Let’s be givers for the Lord.

In most cases, this saying is used with three little green frogs or small monkeys. They cover their ears, so they cannot hear bad language or dirty jokes. They cover their mouths, so they will not say anything bad or nasty. Lastly, they cover their eyes, so they cannot see anything evil. Hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil! These little frogs or monkeys are very good examples for us to follow. We are told in 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits’” (NKJV). Therefore, we do not want to be with those who speak evil, do sinful things and enjoy hearing evil talking. We must be careful with whom we spend our time. We should try to pick our friends from among those who are trying to live as Christ wants us to live. It is much easier for those who do evil to influence us than for us to influence them for good. Look around at those who have become Christians and now no longer attend worship services. With all the converts over the years, our church buildings should be full and overflowing instead of evidencing dwindling attendance as they do now. Some congregations used to house over 300, and now they are fortunate if they have 100 in attendance on Sunday morning; the evening service and Wednesday Bible class have fewer than that attending. These words “Hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil” are not quoted

I heard a saying, “There are two important days we should think about; they are ‘this day’ (today) and ‘that day’ (Judgment).” We should only be concerned and working on these two days. How are you and I doing to have a great reward on Judgment Day? We do not need to worry about yesterday as it is gone, and we do not need to worry about tomorrow because it is not here yet. I heard this sermon a while back, and I thought it was very timely for all of us. If I died last night, where would my soul go on Judgment Day? Will I go to that eternal, heavenly home where Jesus built a mansion for me, or will I go into eternal punishment that God has prepared for Satan and his angels? Will I hear these great words from my Jesus, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant enter in to the joys of your Lord,” or will I hear these awful words from my Lord, “Depart from Me, ye cursed, I never knew you.” My goal is to go to Heaven and to take as many with me as I can. Do you think that you and I can go to Heaven alone? Maybe, but if we do not try to take someone with us, I believe it will be hard to gain our heavenly home. We are told to go! Does “Go” in Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:16 mean for all to go teach

We have heard for many years, you can go to or worship with the church of your choice. We hear this on the radio, on the television, by word of mouth and of course, in the newspaper. My question is when we convert someone with the Gospel, and the Lord adds them to His church, why do these same people become hostile and even disown their own family who become members of the Church of Christ? Subsequently, many families are separated for the cause of Christ. If we are alike and all going to Heaven, as often is mouthed, then why do these families not continue to be loving and caring families for their own? I believe there are many different reasons or excuses why this happens. We in the Church of Christ follow the Bible. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock [your confession] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Jesus said, “My Church,” not my churches (denominations). He used the singular of establishing only one church. In John 15:1-8, Jesus stated He is the Vine and God (His Father) is the Vinedresser. In these verses, Jesus talked to the individual apostles, not to whole congregations. He told them they were to abide in the Vine, and if they did, they could and would bear fruit. Also, Jesus told them if they did not stay in the Vine, they

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Christian men and women, we are to be modest. What does that mean? Modesty is an attitude of propriety and decency in dress, grooming, language and behavior. If we are modest, we do not draw undue attention to ourselves. Instead, we seek to “glorify God in [our] body, and in [our] spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). “In like manner, also that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided air, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becomes women professing godliness) with good works. Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection” (1 Timothy 2:9-10). We women are to act like Christ who is our best Christian example of compassion, meekness, strength and obedience to our Father in Heaven. We usually think of being immodest as one not wearing enough clothing. When I was in school, one of my classmates wore five or six necklaces and five or six bracelets. By the definition of modesty, she was immodest because she brought undo attention to herself. Now to the other side of the coin. If a woman can be immodest with little clothing, then why are men left out of being immodest when running around with no shirt or very short shorts? If the Bible talks of immodesty for women, does it also apply to men who are immodest? Teen girls and older women look at guys, too. If a man can be in public with no shirt, then, does it not imply that

Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 NKJV) The focus of this passage is not that people should be unconcerned with household chores, but that the proper attitude toward Jesus is to listen to Him and to obey His words. A sharp contrast was portrayed between the two sisters. Mary sat and listened to Jesus, while Martha prepared for a meal. The phrase only “one thing is needed” (Luke 10:42) refers to listening to Jesus’ words, which Mary had chosen to do. The same theme is seen in Luke 8:1-21. Mary and Martha were sisters to Lazarus. They lived in the town of Bethany. Jesus came to visit. Martha was preparing the meal for their guests. Martha was just like us. Friends visit, and we want everything to be just right. However, Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to Him, and on another occasion,

Have you ever had one of those days that no matter how hard you tried to do things right, nothing worked out right? Of course, you have. All of us have had those days some time or another. I read on Facebook about a friend of mine who had “one of those days.” She is a Christian wife, a mother, a teacher and a helper to her husband on the farm—and it is a large farm. This is what wrote: Today was one of those days where a few kind ladies in the grocery store told me, “Don’t worry, they won’t be like this forever.” Locked my keys in the car—check. Had the loudest kid in the store—check. Got all the ingredients for 28 dozen NHS truffles—of course not! Got the pigs loaded while it was still light out—not even close. Going to survive tomorrow’s teacher’s detention—to be determined. She had many encouraging words from family and friends. I picked out one that was quite thought-provoking. One friend told her, “I call these kind of days ‘growing experiences.’ They remind you that God won’t give you more than you can handle, but he does like to shake things up a bit to get you better prepared for the next battle. A few months ago, when I had one of those days, you told me that tomorrow is here. Well, put your dress on (remember what you told your phych class) and get in there.” I had always thought this quotation

Jesus said in Matthew 18:3 that we are to become as little children. He did not mean to be immature, but we are to be loving, kind and forgiving as little ones are. We are not supposed to stomp our feet and throw fits as little ones sometimes do. We are to forget about those things we do not like as quickly as children do, and we are not to hold grudges. Have you ever watched children playing? One of them would get mad and say, “I am going home, and I am never going to play or talk to you again!” Within a few minutes these children are playing and having a great time again. Of course, we have all seen this action or something similar many times. To be childlike, we must be loving. Jesus said we are to love one another. In John 13:34 we read, “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” Do we follow Jesus’ command as little children? If not, why not? Children are kind to one another when they are young. Unfortunately, we as adults teach them to be unloving, unkind and unforgiving by the example we set. In being kind to one another, we should not speak badly of others. How often after worship on Sunday morning on your way home from services do you have “roast” preacher, song leader, elders or whomever for what he did

We as humans worry about so many things. We worry about this and that. We worry about our children, our grandchildren and our great grandchildren (no matter how young or old they are), our spouses, our jobs, our health and anything else. We can worry if it is going to be rainy, snowy, warm, cold or sunny. We have no control over the weather, no control over our grown children, our spouses and especially the weather. We worry about what others think of us. Some of our worries may be valid, but most of the time, we have no control as to the outcome—good or bad. Unfortunately, if we do not have anything over which to worry or fret, we then get ourselves all worked up because everything is going so well. We wonder when the other shoe is going to drop and something bad will happen. Our anxiousness is over much ado about nothing. We are told in the “Serenity Prayer”: (1) to change the things we can, (2) to accept the things we cannot change and (3) to know the difference. In other words, if I cannot change the situation, let it go. God is in control. We are told in Matthew 6:25-32 that, we are not to worry about what we are going to eat, what we are going to wear and where we are going to stay. God takes care of the birds, flowers and grass. We are much more important than these things. God will

In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus taught the parable of the workers in the vineyard. The owner of the vineyard went out early in the morning and hired workers. He told them he would pay them a denarius for one day of work in his vineyard. These men agreed to this and went to work. The third, sixth, ninth and eleventh hours, the master of the vineyard went out and hired more workers. He told them each time that he would pay them what is right. They all agreed and went to work. Then, at the end of the day, the master started paying the workers from those hired last to those who started working first. Since those who started working at the eleventh hour got a denarius, the first men hired thought they would receive more in wages. When they received their money, they complained against the landowner. ‘You paid those who started working later than us the same thing you gave us.” The master said to them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong, did you not agree to work for a denarius for the day’s wages?’ He told them to go on their way. It was his money to do with as he decided. Those who become Christians at an early age will receive the same reward as persons who become Christians in their old age. If you have been a member of the church for 50, 60 or even 90 years and are faithful at death, you will

My question is how do we “unwrap” our new day? Do we pray or just jump out of bed and hit the floor running by ourselves? Who will be our guide for the day, God or Satan? Do you realize before you open your eyes at the start of a new day, the devil is on the prowl (2 Peter 5:8)? He tries to put things in our way that would keep us from starting out our day with God in prayer. We should never forget to start our day with prayer. I know sometimes we have good intentions to pray every morning, but we do not always, which makes Satan very happy. Satan knows if we begin our day with God things will run smoother for us through the day. This is not to say we will not have any problems, but with God on our side, we can handle what is put in front of us. In Philippians 4:13, we are told that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. We need to thank God for giving us a good night’s sleep as well as the ability to be able to see, to hear, to breathe, to arise out of bed and to be able to walk. What great gifts from God for us to unwrap every day with His blessings! The blessings are innumerable with which to begin a new day. We need to begin our day with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” This is one of my favorite sayings. In life, we all have trials and temptations. Many times, we are handed sour lemons. What we do with these lemons is very important. I can sit and mope or I can find a way to make something good from the bad that happened to me. Consider one situation with which I am familiar. A friend passed away. It was a very sad time for the family. Remember, look for something good out of a bad thing that happened. This elder in the church died, and the very next Sunday, his grandson was baptized. This boy was 18 or 19 years of age. He knew what he needed to do, but he also thought he had plenty of time to become a Christian. Yes, death was hard on the family; however, this young man become a Christian because of the loss of his grandfather. Losing his grandfather made him very aware of what he needed to do. This made something good out of the bad. Now on a more personal note, Louis lost Bonnie, the love of his life, to cancer in May of 2015. I lost my best friend and the love of my life to cancer in December 2015. Yes, we were both handed very sour lemons. I believe that when we put God first in our lives (Matthew 6:33), in time, our lives will be filled with love and happiness again. It does

How do you build a house? Do you build on the sand or on a firm foundation? A foolish man builds his house on the sand. The wise man builds his house on a rock. We are told in Matthew 7:24-27 to build on a firm foundation. Jesus is our firm foundation. We are to build our lives on Jesus and His Word. The biblical blueprint is to be obeyed, just like when a builder has a blueprint to erect a house. If the plans are not followed exactly, the dwelling will not come out right. If we do not follow the plan of salvation, to hear (Romans 10:17), to believe (Acts 2:38), to repent (Luke 13:3, 5), to confess Christ (Romans 10:9-10) and to be baptized for the remission of sins (Mark16:16), we have not built on a firm foundation regarding salvation. Lastly, we must remain faithful (Revelation 2:10). So, are you building on the firm foundation of our Lord Jesus Christ? Or, would you say that your life is built on the sand?

We all have someone to whom we must answer for things in our lives. Employees must answer to their bosses in the workplace. Children must answer to their parents in the home. Students must be held accountable to their teachers. Even the President of the United States is held responsible to the people. In this world in which we live, everyone is liable to someone in authority. The same is true in the church of our Lord. There are two levels of authority for Christ’s church. First, Jesus is our final authority (Matthew 28:18). All men and women answer to God’s Word. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Of course, we have a choice to obey God or not, but when judgment comes, we will reap our reward or be condemned to punishment (Matthew 25:31-46). Second, Christ has granted authority to elders of each congregation of the Lord’s church. Elders are to be selected to rule the church (Hebrews 13:7, 17) and feed the flock (Acts 20:28-31; 1 Peter 5:1-2). A brother who is being considered to be an elder must meet certain qualifications before he can be appointed for the work (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). We are to have multiple men in the eldership (Acts 11:30; 14:23). The elders can make decisions that are not covered in the Scriptures as matters of opinion, such as what kind of songbooks to use or what color of carpet will be in the church building. Also,

“If” is such a small word, but it is one of the biggest words in the English language. “If” is such a big word because of the consequences that may follow our decisions and actions. We must really think before opening our mouths. Sometimes we say things we do not really mean, but depending on with whom we may be, we go ahead and do what we have said just to save face in front of peers. We surely do not want to be made fun of by our equals or our friends. Another thing we do with the word “if” is that we go back in time and wonder if I had done this or if I had done that, things might have been different in our lives. They may have been different, but these same things we are talking about might have come out a whole lot worse. Sometimes we as parents say, “I wish I could go back and do things differently with rearing my children.”  Would we really want to go back in time? We probably would have made the same mistakes that we made the first time. We hear people say all the time, “If I only had a million dollars, I would do this or that.” Why can we not do some little thing to do good? Why does it always have to be a great thing to help those in need? Jesus said that just a cup of water in His name is a worthwhile

As Christians, how can we let our lights shine in our communities? Have we put Christ on as The Light of our lives? We cannot be the influence that we ought to be as long as we have not become Christians. Therefore, we must follow God’s Word to become children of God. Let us find out how a person becomes a child of the King! First, one must hear the Word of God as stated in Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Secondly, a person must believe God’s Word as quoted in Mark 16:16, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved. But he who does not believe shall be condemned.” Thirdly, one is required to repent of his or her sins. There must be a change of heart (mind) and a change of actions. Luke 13:3, 5 say, “I tell you, no, except you repent you will perish.” This must be essential as Christ spoke these words twice as emphasis that one—not should—must repent. Fourthly, it is necessary to confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Romans 10:9-10 reads, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Lastly, a penitent believer must be baptized into Christ, and then, He adds him to

When we become Christians, we are saying to the world that my life is to be for Christ and not for Satan. I am going to live and act differently than I did before I put Christ on in baptism. How do you live for Christ as a Christian woman? Maybe you are a daughter, a wife, a mother, a mother-in-law or a grandmother? As Christian women, we can be more than one of the above at any given time. We must remember how we live and act lets others know if we want to live for Christ or for Satan! We are being watched by our families, friends, acquaintances, neighbors and even by others that we have never met. Let us think, act and live more like Christ. Living for Christ as a teenage young lady is hard because one wants her classmates and especially the boys to like her. Sometimes we let wanting to be popular with our friends lead us down the wrong path of life. We dress or should I say undress, go places and do things that are not becoming of Christians. We should be a better influence on our friends instead of letting them lead us to be more like the world. Unfortunately, our dress can be revealing with low cut tops, spaghetti straps, exposed midriffs, short-shorts or miniskirts. At other times, we may wear pants that are so skintight that there is nothing left for boys and men to imagine. Unfortunately, this applies to ladies