Month: January 2025

By Joe Slater Via Bulletin Gold

Do you look like God? Every human is made in His
image, yet people’s physical appearance varies widely.

If we had lived while Jesus walked the earth, we
could have pointed to Him and truly said, “There goes
God!” Jesus Himself told Philip, “He who has seen Me
has seen the Father” (John 14:9). But the Bible says
precious little of how He looked except that He was
ordinary (Isaiah53:2).Fast-forward past the Renaissance
painters who depict Him as an effeminate,stringy-haired,
blue-eyed European!

Facial features, height, weight, and skin tone don’t
make you look like God anyway! Such characteristics
may indicate that you have your parents’ genes, and that
may become more obvious as the years pass.

But the passing of those same years ought to make
us, as God’s children, look more like Him. We are to be
transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans
12:2). That transformation is what makes us a reflection
of God in His glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Look at Jesus! I don’t mean His physical attributes;
those aren’t the point. Look at His attitude; see His love;
ponder His purpose; observe His selfless sacrifice. You
ought to be notably more like Him than you were a year
ago… five years ago… ten years ago.
Do you look like God?

Joe Slater Via Bulletin Gold

While salary is obviously important, job hunters know hat
benefits can be equally or more important. Health insurance, paid
vacation, retirement, sick days, and other considerations may tip
the scale as to whether one accepts an employer’s offer.

Becoming a Christian isn’t a perfect parallel to being
employed, so don’t make more of this illustration than you
should, God doesn’t “owe” us anything for working for Him!
Nevertheless, by His grace He provides valuable benefits to Hlis
willing servants. That was true even under the Law of Moses.
David exclaimed, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all
His benefits” (Psalm 103:2). Psalm 116:12 rhetorically asks,
“What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?”

Do we recognize and appreciate the benefits of being a
Christian? Let’s start with the most obvious one: forgiveness of
sins, God washed us completely clean in the blood of the Lamb.
Our debt is paid in full!

That naturally results in eternal life. We have a new life in
Christ now, and we know that when our physical life ends, we
will continue to live with the Lord.

In the meanwhile, we enjoy the privilege of prayer. Through
our mediator, Jesus Christ, we can approach the Father’s throne
of grace boldly, knowing that He will hear and answer ín
whatever way is best according to His infinite wisdom and love.

These benefits are but the beginning of a virtually endless list
of advantages Christians have. And remember, we earned none
of them, Our loving Father provides them by His grace.

What other benefits can you list?

Dan C. Balley Via Bulletin Gold
(This is part two of two)

It is beneficial to make good resolutions for the New Year.
When we reflect upon the past and plan for the future,
resolutions are very helpful. How could we ever improve
ourselves without resolving to do so? Here is another
resolution which will help us all to have a happy and blessed
New Year.

Let Us Resolve…To Teach Others What We Know

Jesus gave the great commission to the apostles. “And Jesus
came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto
me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am
with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen”
(Matt. 28:18-20). Now think about it for a moment. If Jesus
commanded His apostles to teach the lost, and then
commanded them to observe all things which He
commanded them, then Jesus by implication has given the
great commission to the disciples who were taught by the
apostles. Then, they in turn taught the great commission to
others whom they taught. So today, as Christians, we are to
teach others the gospel and then baptize them in the name
of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. In a parallel
passage we read, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16).