As my youngest daughter (who is 4 years old) prays, she inevitably expresses thanks to God for the blessings that He provides. However, when she states it, there is a truth that she adds which many of us adults forget. She prays, “Thank you for the blessings that we always have.” It is true isn’t it? God “daily bears our burdens” (Psa. 68:19), and “A faithful man will be richly blessed” (Pro. 28:20). Even the unrighteous are blessed through God’s faithfulness in creation (Mat. 5:45; Acts 14:17). The physical blessings that every man enjoys come from God: “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). God wants us to be happy and satisfied so that we can see and access the greater blessings (that have always been in His mind) in the spiritual realm. To “always have” those blessings we must choose to be in Christ’s church and keep ourselves in the love of God (Mat. 16:18; Jude 21). To be “in Christ” one must have the faith that leads them to repent and confess Christ and be baptized “into” Him (John 3:36; Luke 13:3; Acts 8:37; Gal. 3:27). God had a plan before the world began for mankind to receive the ultimate blessings of mercy, grace, redemption, and eternal life in His Kingdom through obedience to His only begotten Son (2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 1:2). Think about it: Christ was “slain from the creation of the world” so we could always have blessings (Rev. 13:8). God chose that the faithful in Christ would always have blessings “before the creation of the world” (Eph. 1:4). At the end of time, the Lord and King will allow the righteous to always have blessings in the “kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Mat. 25:34). Let us be thankful for the “blessings we always have!” Derrick Coble, Nesbit church of Christ, Nesbit, MS
Out of love for one another…….
We are currently requiring everyone attending the Sunday morning worship assembly and Wednesday evening Bible study to wear a mask in keeping with the Health Departments guidelines. We thank you for your consideration of and care for others. Masks are available if you need one.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35 ESV)
Scripture of the Week
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of the deer; He enables me to go on to heights.” ~~ Habakkuk 3:17-19
Something to Smile About
History According 5th and 6th Graders . . .
• Ancient Egypt was old. It was inhabited by gypsies and mummies who all wrote in hydraulics. They lived in the Sarah Dessert. The climate of the Sarah is such that all the inhabitants have to live elsewhere.
• Julius Caesar extinguished himself on the battlefields of Gaul. The Ides of March murdered him because they thought he was going to be made king. Dying, he gasped out “Same to you, Brutus.”
• Joan of Arc was burnt to a steak and was canonized by Bernard Shaw for reasons I don’t really understand. The English and French still have problems.Think About It
Amen to What is Right
Of all the goofy, depressing, and astounding things that happened recently (take your pick), my jaw literally dropped at the choice of a veteran congressman and denominational minister to finish his congressional prayer with “amen and a-woman” (not to mention the blasphemous content of his prayer!).
Did you know the word “amen” is the favorite word of Jesus in the book of John? It is commonly translated “truly” or “assuredly” and the word literally means, “may it be” or “let it be.” It is ironic that Christ used it most at the beginning of His statements, as one man observed, to punctuate His authority and Christians now use the word today at the ends of prayers to invoke His authority.
There is something special about God’s people “amen-ing” what is right. What Mr. Emanuel (or is it Ewomanuel?) Cleaver prayed is a mockery of God and a signal to us about the gross disparity and ignorance of God and His will. Christians, wake up to our work, especially if he is a representative of Americans! May God be merciful to us (the church) and provide grace to herald what’s right while we’ve still got time (Prov. 14:34). AMEN!
It’s going to be a great week to His glory! – Andy Baker Graeber Road church of Christ Rosenberg, TX