Author: Tim

David R. Ferguson – Via Bulletin Gold

In one of my favorite scenes fromn one of my favorite movies, Dead
Poets Society, new and inspiriting (yet eccentric) English teacher John
Keating, played by Robin Williams, takes the boys into the foyer
outside the classroom on the first day of class where he asks one of the
lads by the name of Pitts (“A rather unfortunate name,” Keating muses)
to read a poem out loud. In an uncertain voice, Pitts reads,

“Gather ye rosebuds while ye may
Old time is still a-flying
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying

“Carpe deum,” Keating says to the boys, “Seize the day. Every single
one of us is just food for worms. You may be destined for great things,
but you need to take the opportunity now.”

There are many passages in God’s word which encourage us to seize
the day. One of the greatest of these comes in Ephesians 5:15-21. If we
simply follow these instructions, we will not only seize the day in this
lifetime, we will grab hold of eternal life to come in Heaven through
Jesus Christ by doing His will.

So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise,
making the most of your time, because the days are evil. Therefore
do not be foolish, but understand what the will af the Lord is. And do
not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled
with the Spirt, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts
Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ to our God and Father; and subject yourselves to one
another in the fear of Christ.

Our days on Earth are numbered. Don’t waste your time but use it
wisely to serve the Lord!

Joe Slater

 

Immediately after saying that love doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, Paul wrote that it does rejoice in the truth (1
Corinthians 13:6). This shouldn’t surprise us since our God is “a
God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He”
(Deuteronomy 32:4).

Paul himself exemplified the love that rejoices in the truth.
Though under house arrest in Rome, he continued proclaiming
the gospel even to his captors, and he knew other brethren were
evangelizing also. Some had corrupt motives, but “whether in
pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes,
will rejoice” (Philippians 1:18). Christ’s gospel is truth, and
Paul rejoiced in it being preached.

John the apostle also rejoiced in the truth. He told the elect
lady,” “I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children
walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father”
(2 John 4). Along the same line he wrote to Gaius, “I rejoiced
greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in
you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to
hear that my children walk in the truth (3 John 3-4). Christian
parents rejoice when children in their earthly families walk in the
truth (i.e. obey the gospel and serve God faithfully). Let’s rejoice
when others we`ve led to Christ are walking in the truth or, for
that matter, any time we see anyone walking in the truth.

The ungodly “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans
1:18). That is, they hold it back, hindering it from advancing. We
must promote the truth vigorously and constantly, rejoicing in its
progress.

David Bragg

What do you do after the turkey is unstuffed and you are stuffed?

What do you do after the parades and bowl games have ended
and your guests have left for home?

The internet is filled with recipes for dealing with the remains of your
Thanksgiving meal, from Turkey Pumpkin Chili to Cranberry
Turnovers to Sweet Potato Waffles. In the wake of our annual
Thanksgiving holiday the question of what to do with those
leftovers should be the least of our concerns. Come Monday
morning we will enter a world that is convinced that they have
sufficiently paid all obligations to be thankful until next year.
But we know that God commands us to be thankful every day.
The apostle Paul wrote: “in everything give thanks; for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). This
year, as we look back on the Thanksgiving holiday, what should
be the real Thanksgiving Leftovers? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Thank God for our family and friends. Don’t take them for
granted but rather cultivate those precious relationships year
round

2. Thank God for His abundant blessings. The very fact that there
are Thanksgiving leftovers proves that we are truly blessed.

3. Thank God for His church. This is our spiritual family. We
ought to take advantage of these precious relationships of people
who care.

4. Thank God for His Son. He gave everything so that you can
enjoy all blessings through Him.

5. Thank God for today and, should it come, tomorrow.

By Patrick Hogan

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing. in everything give
thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1
Thessalonians 5:16-19

The above reference is just one of many in Scripture that
encourage Christians to have a positive outlook. As a matter of
fact, the second admonition, “pray without ceasing,” is one good
reason to rejoice and to be thankful. Regardless of what happens
we have the avenue of prayer by which we may communicate
with the Father!

The third instruction, “in everything give thanks,” may
sometimes be more difficult to follow. There are some situations
in which we find it difficult to be thankful. Perhaps an
observation by commentator Matthew Henry can encourage us
to be more thoughtful, and therefore more thankful, in those types
of situations. When Henry discovered that he had been robbed,
he entered the following in his daily journal:

I thank Thee first because I was never robbed before; second,
because although they took my purse they did not take my life
third, although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth,
because it was I who was robbed and not I who robbed.

While we hear much about thanksgiving during the last weeks of
each year, may we cultivate a constant attitude of thankfulness.
As Christians we have much for which to give thanks.

Via Bulletin Gold
11/27/22

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever.

Oh, give thanks to the God of gods!

For His mercy endures forever.

Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords!

For His mercy endures forever:

Bulletin Sunday 11/1822

LIVING YOUR THANKS

Gerald Cowan

(Colossians 3:17, I Thessalonians 5:18)

Remember the magic words” we teach our children: please and thank you. Those words remain effective as long as we live, not only in regard to our human relationships, but also and especially in relationships with God. There are three aspects to consider.

Receiving with thanks. “Thanks” is not payment for anything. It is only a statement of appreciation and gratitude for what one has received.

Giving with thanks. A gratuity (a “tip”) is a way of saying thanks. It is not part of the bill and is not required. But when something extra is given with payment of what is owed, the one who receives it understands.

Giving thanks. We should be truly thankful in every situation and circumstance. We can give thanks in everything even if we cannot give thanks for everything. We can give thanks in adversity, and sometimes, since we are strengthened by adversity, we can give thanks for it.

We probably need to redefine our blessings in order to understand them and be grateful for them.

UNWANTED

Ron Bartanen

Via Bulletin Gold

*Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them: for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again'” (Luke 8:37).

Jesus Christ will not impose Himself upon anyone. He won’t stay where he’s unwanted. The Gadarenes were so upset with Jesus when He cast a legion of demons from a man and sent them into nearby hogs. To them, the hogs were of more value than the man, so they “besought him to depart from them.” In our world today there is an increasing animosity towards Jesus as He seemingly intrudes into men’s comfort-zones. Even the mention of His name in prayer is not considered appropriate in schools, His word is considered out-of-date and the military, etc. irrelevant.

Some would purposely exclude Him from their lives. These would tell us there should be no positive mention of Him in school or public activities. He is even being written out of school history books.

Some would exclude Him in their choice of life-style. Evil so fills their hearts and lives, it is impossible for Christ to take up residence in them. He is excluded from their lives. Some would crowd Him outnot purposely, but simply by filling their lives with material things. Such find no time for Christ, Bible reading or church. Other things clamor for their attention.

What about you? Would you be among those to send Him away? Or would you welcome Him into your life?

LOVE DOESN’T REJOICE IN UNRIGHTEOUSNESS

Joe Slater

Why would Paul write those words in 1 Corinthians 13:6? Rejoicing in unrighteousness — what a horrible thought! Does anyone actually do that? I wish I could answer, “No, of course not!””But wouldn’t that be true.

The Sanhedrin rejoiced when Judas agreed to betray Jesus (Mark 14:11). What could be more unrighteous? Jesus told His disciples that when He was killed, they would weep and lament, but the world would rejoice (John 16:20). Is anything more unrighteous than murdering God’s Son?

Paul warned the Philippians about enemies of the cross “whose god is their belly and whose glory (same word as rejoicing) is in their shame” (Philippians 3:19). Yes, they were rejoicing in unrighteousness!

Current American culture calls us all sorts of names if we refuse to rejoice in unrighteousness. Rather than being ashamed for murdering innocent, helpless babies, the pro-abortionists say, “Shout Your Abortion!” That is, be proud of it. When we speak the truth about abortion, we are vilified as “the Christian Taliban”!

Secular progressives insist we must congratulate and commend those in same sex “marriages” (so called). If you dare to affirm Biblical marriage, you are written off as unloving and intolerant.

The same crowd demands not just tolerance but approval of the “transgenderism” myth. When you decline to refer to William as “Wilma,” you are maligned as a mean-spirited extremist and a bigot.

God is love (1 John 4:8), and God is righteous (Daniel 9:14). Since God is righteous, He cannot rejoice in unrighteousness, but that does not make Him unloving! Neither is it unloving when His people decline to rejoice in unrighteousness.

Via Bulletin Gold

A RELIGION OF RELATIONSHIPS Edd Sterchi

Too many people claim or act like Christianity is simnply a religion of beliefs. And while belief is a crucial part of that. I contend that Christianity, it is much more than Christianity, in reality, is a religion of relationships.

Take a look at John 15, for example. In verses 1-11 we can see that Jesus is the vine and individual Christians are the branches. To be productive, the branches must maintain a relationship with the vine where they draw nutrients and support. Thus, we must sustain a proper relationship with Christ to draw spiritual sustenance and produce fruit for Him. We must read and learn from His word and stay close to Him by walking with Him and living the way He leads.

Now take a look at verses 12-17 in John 15. There we see that not only are we to have a relationship with Jesus, but we are to have a relationship with “one another.” We are to love one another. The word translated “love in this passage is the verb form of agape.” This is an unselfish, giving type of love that always does what is best for the other. This type of love cannot be practiced without being involved in one another’s lives. We must spend time with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We must develop a close relationship with them.

Yes, Christianity is about relationships relationship with the Lord and with His people. It is then we will be joyful and productive. What is your Christianity a religion of?

Via Bulletin Gold

PREPARING TO SEE THE KING

Joe Slater

Persian king Ahasuerus banished his queen and sought a new one (see the book of Esther). I hope none of us would approve of what he did or how he did it. How degrading to demand that Vashti flaunt her beauty before the king’s drunken nobles! Then he selected his new wife based almost entirely on her physical attractiveness. But why would we expect anything else? The king was a pagan and behaved in typical pagan fashion. Despite all of this, God worked through those events to deliver His people.

Hadassah (Esther), a young Jewish girl, went through a solid year of beauty preparations before her interview with the king (Esther 2:12). Please don’t think ill of her! She didn’t make the rules. She made the best of a less-than-ideal situation.

We serve a King infinitely superior to Ahasuerus. Esther diligently prepared to see her king. Let us take a cue from her by preparing to see King Jesus!

This has nothing to do with physical attractiveness or lack thereof! Nor am I concerned here with wearing a coat and tie to the assembly. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to inspire the apostles to emphasize inner spiritual beauty. “Rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quite spirit” (1 Peter 3:4). In contrast to flashy, costly garments, Paul urges being clothed “with good works” (1 Timothy 2:10).

Revelation 7:13-14 pictures faithful Christians as dressed in robes they had washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. They had gone through fiery trials without yielding. They were inwardly beautiful!

Does inner beauty qualify you to meet your King? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Via Bulletin Gold