Month: September 2021

Edd Sterchi

Yes, you read that right -I have decided to stop eating. I just don’t feel like doing it anymore. Sometimes, I’mjust not in the mood. And, it takes up too much of my time -I have to do it every day. It’s also very demanding. Besides, I will never be able to eat everything. I will never understand everything about that which I am eating. I just don’t see the benefit. Furthermore, it’s very possible this concept of eating is outdated. I just don’t think I really need to eat- I can get by without it!

While those may seem absurd, those arguments are the very same reasons that people give for not feeding their souls (i.e. studying their Bibles). Just as without physical food, our bodies would eventually die, so without spiritual food, our souls will starve to death. As God noted in Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Just as we set aside regular times to eat, doesn’t it make sense to set aside regular times to consume God’s word? “HOW sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth !” (Psalm 119:103).

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Edd Sterchi

In Philippians 4, we see three things that Christ wants of us:

* Christ wants us to be what we ought to be. Phil. 4:11, Not
that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state
I am, to be content.” Jesus wants us to be content and satisfied
with life. And as long as we have Him in our lives, we need
nothing else. In Him we can and should be content.

* Christ wants us to do what we ought to do. Phil. 4:13, “I can
do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” We can do
anything that is within God’s will for our life. There are many
things we ought to do that involve praising Him and promoting
His cause. In Him we should have the motivation to love and
serve Him.

* Christ wants us to have what we ought to have. Phil. 4:19,
“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches
in glory by Christ Jesus.” If we be what we ought to be and do
what we ought to do, then Christ will make sure that we have
what we ought to have. If we fully trust Him, He will save us and
sustain us. What more do we need? Whatever it is, Christ will be
sure to provide that also.

Christ wants us to be what we ought to be, to do what we ought
to do, and to have what we ought to have. Christ wants us. Does
He have you – all of you?

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Joe Slater

Keep America Beautiful!” So exxhorted a public service ad several decades ago (I’m reverting to my childhood again). Along with it came another slogan: “Every litter bit hurts.” I presume that was in contrast to the more positive cliché, “Every little bit helps.” Yes, every litter bit really does hurt. Our oceans are full of plastic, and work crews pick up trash along the highways. Is it really that difficult to stash the trash until we can dispose of it properly? Evidently so, at least in the minds of some careless souls. But this article really isn’t about tossing fast food containers out of your car window. Instead, let’s think of sin as litter. We tend to minimize sin unless it’s an outrageous act like murder or adultery. Just as a litter bug might rationalize, “it’s only a scrap of paper,” we shrug off the one vulgar word, the single neglected duty, the solitary bad habit nobody else knows about. As long as we avoid “the big stuff, ” we let the rest slide. But every one of those “litter bits” hurts us. They numb the conscience, making us less and less sensitive to sin. They diminish our appreciation for the holiness of God, in whose image we are made. I’m all for “Keeping America Beautiful.” But I’m more concerned about keeping our souls beautiful. In both cases, “every litter bit hurts!”

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