Highland Lakes church of Christ

Forgotten Truths to Help You Get Through Hard Times

(Life-truths, Coming from God’s Life-laws)

The wisest, most loving, and well-rounded people you have ever met are likely those who have known misery, known defeat, known the heartbreak of losing something or someone they loved, and have found their way out of the depths of their own despair. These people have experienced many ups and downs, and have gained an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, understanding and a deep loving wisdom. People like this aren’t born; they develop slowly over the course of time.

When you stop expecting things to be a certain way, you can appreciate them for what they are. Ultimately you will realize that life’s greatest gifts are rarely wrapped the way you expected.

Experience is what you get when your plans don’t go as planned, and experience is the most valuable commodity you own – it builds your strength.

You have the power to turn your wounds and worries into wisdom; you just have to do something about them. You have to accept what has happened and use what you’ve learned to step forward. Everything you’ve experienced has given you the upper hand for dealing with everything you have yet to experience. Realize this and set yourself free.

Sigmund Freud once said, ―Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility.‖

There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.

Life is better when you’re smiling. Being positive in a negative situation is not naive; it’s a sign of leadership and strength. You’re doing it right when you have so much to cry and complain about, but you prefer to smile and appreciate your life instead.

Great things take time.

Instant results are rarely the best results. With patience, you can greatly expand your potential. If your desires were always fulfilled immediately, you would have nothing to look forward to. You would miss out on the joys of anticipation and progress.

Remember, patience is not about waiting; it’s the ability to keep a good attitude while working hard for what you believe in. It’s the willingness to stay focused, confidently taking one small step at a time, knowing that the way you move a mountain is by moving one stone at a time. Every stone you move, no matter how small, is progress.

Bottom line: You deserve more than mere instant gratification. Value that arrives in an instant is often gone in an instant. Value that takes time and commitment to create often outlives its creator – YOU.  ~~ Marc Chernoff

That’s the phrase the family doctor used as he spoke recently with a busy and successful young man in his 40’s who had suffered a heart attack and was going home for recovery. “Take your meds and get a lot of rest, but the real secret in regaining your health and strength is exercise, and lots of it.”

Those were his words and, as we all get a bit older, we hear them often. That wonderful body created by God’s marvelous plan involves intricate engineering driven by details carefully designed by the Master, as Genesis 1:16 says, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.” The Psalmist declared it to be “fearfully and wonderfully made” Psalm 139:14. Because it is the house of God’s Holy Spirit, we are compelled and commanded to take good care of that body.

But there is another need for exercise, and that is in a spiritual realm. It is more important, because it affects our preparations for eternity. 1 Timothy 4:6ff tells us how to stay spiritually fit and “brought up in the truth of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.” It begins and ends in spiritual exercise, which Paul calls “godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” We can’t just talk about our faith; we’ve got to deliberately develop a plan for spiritual exercise. God calls us to:

Walk in the light. Our Lord is the light of this world, and we must learn to stay out of the dark and “walk in the light as He is in the light.” When we do so, we share a wonderful fellowship in and with Christ and find that forgiveness and peace in Him. See 1 John 1:7. In a busy world filled with “potholes” as well as blessings, we must hear Paul in Ephesians 5:15 “Be very careful, then, how you live.” Yes, we are called to “live by faith and not by sight” in 2 Corinthians 5:7, but that simple command assumes that our eyes are wide open and fixed on the source of faith, His holy Word!

Lift Up Your Eyes and See the opportunities and joy of Christian living. Psalm 123:1, “I lift up my eyes to You, to You Whose throne is in heaven.” To those disciples who were absorbed with earthly needs and endeavors, Jesus tells them in John 4:35, “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”

Arm Yourselves and Be Ready for the challenges and battles that lie ahead, for you and I know that they are coming. Peter explains in 1 Peter 4:1,2, “Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude.” It means putting on the “whole armor of God”, Ephesians 6:13. Only then are we prepared and ready.

Subject My Body Daily with the exercise that comes from personal discipline and purpose, 1 Corinthians 9:27. This is what we have to do with our spiritual bodies. Discipline and bring it into subjection to God’s laws. We do it by “desiring the sincere milk of the Word” 1 Peter 2:2 and then the “solid food/meat” in Hebrews 5:14 that is for the mature who, by constant use have trained themselves to distinguished good from evil. Weakness comes from a diet void of God’s Word, our spiritual nutrition. Finally, running is necessary for good spiritual health. The Hebrew writer calls us to “let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith”, 12:1b-2a. And as the way gets long and our years many, Isaiah 40:31 promises, “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

If we are going to maintain good healthy souls, we must be certain to get the right amount of spiritual exercise. Only then can we be ready to work and serve Him Who died for us. It is the only way to stay faithful and strong in times of storms and challenges, to be healthier and happier as long as our days last.

~~ Gary Montgomery, (adapted)

“One university after another is bowing before the violent demands of a small minority of radicals who intend to overthrow the existing government…The radicals fully intend to overthrow the national government and replace it according to their own fuzzy, undefined lines which they cannot explain. They have decided to seek as many confrontations with the police and university officials as they possibly can. They are using terror tactics in some parts of the country now.” This was written fifty years ago in the July 1970 issue of the Voice of Freedom.

Following these observations was a short article entitled “How to Destroy a Country”:

 “Affirm man’s animal origin, nature and functions to the exclusion of everything else, and ridicule all reference to his spiritual qualities.

 Inculcate general disrespect for any kind of authority by urging people to obey their own impulses in the name of freedom.

 Hamper the enforcement of the criminal code with decisions that slow down the judicial process and make it difficult to arrest, convict and sentence a culprit for an offense against society.

 Import vast supplies of hallucinogenic drugs and make them available to the youth of the land; then provide the youth with plenty of money with which to buy them.

 Loosen all restraint on the entertainment media so that sexual license may be presented to the public in its rawest form.

 Corrupt the youth of the land by permitting pornography, obscenity and general immorality to be indulged in freely without fear of arrest or persecution.

 Soft-pedal all discussion of loyalty, responsibility, patriotism, duty and sacrifice in order that freedom of dissent may be established.

 Split the older and younger generations by encouraging them to distrust each other and to condemn each other’s institutions.

 Pollute the air, the streams and lakes, and erode the land until the environment is so poisoned that life can no longer be enjoyed.

 Indoctrinate the public into believing that God is dead, Jesus Christ is a myth, Christianity, a byword for an ancient superstition, and the church an institution that mankind has outgrown.”

“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:17).

Kerry Duke West End church of Christ, Livingston, TN

Isn’t it frustrating when our plans get hindered? As the apostle Paul was writing the letter to the Romans, he told them that he had often planned to come to them, but had been hindered (Romans 1:13). Many of us today, during this current crisis, are feeling the weight of altered plans. Careers, education, social lives, and even grocery shopping is off track for many. But we must be careful not to let the practice of our faith get sidetracked. Let’s notice how even in what was surely a frustrating time for Paul, faith was still flourishing and being expressed outwardly, upwardly, and inwardly among Christians.

Outwardly. Romans 1:8 shows that the faith of the church in Rome was expressed outwardly so that all the world knew! In Romans 16:9 Paul says their obedience had become known to all. This is what the Lord wants from His people (Matt. 5:16; 28:19-20)! Christian, are you expressing your faith outwardly?

Upwardly. Romans 1:9 shows that faith is also expressed upwardly through prayer. The apostle Paul was a man of constant prayer, as he said he prayed for the church at Rome “without ceasing.” He prayed constantly for other Christians (1 Thess. 3:10; 2 Tim. 1:3) and instructed Christians to follow his example (1 Thess. 5:17). Christian, are you expressing your faith upwardly?

Inwardly. Romans 1:10-12 shows that the church also expresses faith inwardly by edification and fellowship. Paul was praying fervently in hopes that he would be able to visit the Christians in Rome, longing to see them, to impart some spiritual gift, so they may be strengthened and encouraged by their mutual faith. With this current crisis, we are desiring that same thing right now. We want to be together. The Christian assembly gives great opportunity to encourage one another toward love and good works (Heb. 10:24). Until that day when we can meet again in person, the way we used to in full numbers, are you taking steps to express your faith inwardly to your brothers and sisters in Christ?

This present distress we are under is certainly frustrating and trying. But if we will make an effort to express our faith outwardly, upwardly, and inwardly, we can make it through and come out stronger on the other side, Lord willing.

Matt Clifton BulletinDigest.com

Thinking About a New Way of Thinking

The past two months have drastically changed our thinking. If you don’t think so, go into a public place and start coughing and see the reactions (on second thought, don’t do that). There will always be a “BC” (before COVID) means of thinking, and there will now be an “AD” (after distancing) thinking. However, this new way of thinking causes me to think of the parallels between the mindset of a disciple of Jesus. Here are some comparisons to consider:

There is no going back only going forward. It does no good to constantly live in the past. In fact, a person who lives in the past will find their present tainted and their future bleak. The Jewish Christians to whom Hebrews was written, badly needed this reminder that what they had before them was far better than what they left behind them (Heb. 11:37-12:3).

Old habits are replaced with new habits. Has anyone tried not touching their face so much? Has anyone forgotten to suppress a cough in the hardware store? Old habits die hard. ~~ Yet, when we look at the changes that happen when a person becomes a disciple of Jesus, over and over the Bible emphasizes that our old sinful habits must “die” (Luke 9:23; Rom. 6:1-4; Col. 3:1-10).

Time is required to process changes. There have been many times throughout the last two months, where I’ve had to withdraw myself and simply say, “this has got to be different now…and it’s going to be different from now on.” ~~ God doesn’t expect that we will know everything when we become Christ’s disciple. God doesn’t expect that we will be perfect when we become Christ’s disciple (if we were, we wouldn’t need His blood to cleanse us). However, God does expect continual growth in His way as disciples of Jesus, otherwise, we might be operating with an old mindset not a new mindset (2 Pet. 3:18).

Keep your eyes focused on the goal. Kevin Hahn gave a great analogy recently: “Corona” means “crown.” People are worried about this virus that has been named “Corona”, and you can see it on their faces — the precautions they take, the worry, the changes they’ve made. They have in their minds a goal not to get it. ~~ Disciples of Jesus ought to have it seen in their faces that they are focused on the “crown” of righteousness. We’ve changed our thinking such that we’ve set a goal and that we will obtain it no matter what! (2 Tim. 4:7-8; Jas. 1:12).

– Andy Baker, Graeber Road church of Christ, Rosenberg, TX