Someone said, “To err is human; to forget, routine.” Sometimes it is good to forget. God Himself forgets our sins when we repent of and turn from them. In Hebrews 8:12 God promises their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” It is healthy to forget and forgive what God forgets and forgives in myself and others. Tragically, some people are too forgetful, for they fail to remember what God commands us to never forget. Six hundred years before Christ, through the weeping prophet Jeremiah, God asked with a broken heart, “Can a virgin forget her ornaments, Or a bride her attire? Yet My people have forgotten Me days without number.” People can, and often do, forget God. In 2 Timothy 2:8 the apostle Paul reminds Timothy to do what we would think no preacher, elder, or Christian would ever need to be reminded to do: “Remember Jesus Christ.” The Lord’s Supper itself is a memorial service designed to remind us every Lord’s Day of the awful price paid for our spiritual freedom. If not careful, we can forget what it is the memorial service itself is supposed to help us remember. Memorial Day to many means nothing more than a holiday celebrated the last Monday in May with picnics and hot dogs and cook-outs, the day that begins summer vacation season. But Memorial Day was originated to help us remember the service and sacrifice of dead servicemen and women of all wars. We must never forget that our physical and spiritual freedom have come at a high cost. At a Veteran’s Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on November 11, 1985, President Ronald Regan spoke words which have both patriotic and spiritual application: “It is, in a way, an odd thing to honor those who died in defense of our country in wars far away. The imagination plays a trick. We see these soldiers in our mind as old and wise. We see them as something like the Founding Fathers, grave and gray-haired. But most of them were boys when they died. They gave up two lives-the one they were living and the one they would have lived When they died, they gave up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers. They gave up their chance to be revered old up everything for their country, for us. All we can do Will men. is remember. Jesus up everything for gave us we remember?
Christian Nobles by Tim Dooley
Meekness does not mean weakness. Humility does not mean timidity. As Christians we need to remember that we have been adopted into a (the) royal family. We are children of the King. We are nobles!
Every Christian should live in such a way that their nobility is evident to the entire world. Timothy was “well reported of by the brethren” (Acts 16:2). In Philippi Paul and Silas conducted themselves with nobility. The Bereans “were more noble” then those in Thessalonica. And Paul stood proudly upon Mars’ Hill and proclaimed to the Athenians the one true and living God.
Are we living lives of nobility? Are we conducting ourselves as children of the King? How do we live noble lives? Believe on the Lord Jesus (Acts 16:31) and on His word (Acts 16:32). Study the word (Acts 17:11) and stand boldly for the truth. Be the Lord, the kingdom, our neighbors, and our Be faithful and proud as a noble Christian!
A Mother’s Day by Aaron Beard
Mothers of faith instill faith in their children and are praised by God for their godly service (2 Tim. 1:5). As we honor our mothers today, please notice some of the things with which a mother’s day ought to be filled.
A mother’s day is:
A day of joy. The day of giving birth to new life is a great day of joy and gladness (Jno. 16:21). Yet, even while motherhood brings joy it is also attended with sorrow. Mary, the mother of Jesus, had great sorrow as she witnessed her son Jesus being horribly mistreated (Lk. 2:34-35).
A day of love. Godly mothers seek the welfare of her children before herself. She “watches over the ways of her household” with love (Prov. 31:27). Blessed is the family whose mother wraps her children in the security of warm affection and constant care (Titus 2:4).
A day of instruction. Mothers are daily teachers of the next generation. Her words, values and character are instilled in the hearts and lives of her children. Mothers, be careful to teach your children “with wisdom” and the “law of kindness” (Prov. 31:26).
A day of devotion. Hannah devoted herself to giving her son Samuel to the Lord (1 Sam. 1:11, 22, 27-28). Your children will not be Christians by accident. Mothers, you have a tremendous part in the faith of your children. If you are not devoted to God it is unlikely your children will be. Set them a godly example every day. They will “rise up and call (you) blessed” (Prov. 31:28).
Diligent or Lagging by Tim Dooley
In Romans 12, Paul offers a number of short exhortations to his readers. The King James Version translates the first part of verse 11, “Not slothful in business.” The Christian should be diligent for his employer, but the context this verse has more to do with the business of the church.
We sing a song, “I want to be a worker for the Lord.” Do we mean those words when we sing them? Do we truly want to “be busy every day in the vineyard of the Lord, Of are we just giving lip service?
All disciples are to be actively engaged in the work of the Lord’s church. We should be busy making disciples Matthew 28:19), encouraging each other (Hebrews 10:24-25), and helping the needy (Galatians 6:10; James 1:27).
We do not always see the fruit of our labors, but we must not give up. If we are mocked or rejected or persecuted by those around us, we keep obeying God (1 Peter 2:19-20). The things we do in the name of the Lord are not done in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). May we never lag in diligence when it comes to the Lord’s work.