By John Henson, Dibrell church, McMinnville TN
Colossians 2:20-23
- Then Why Are Some Worldly (verses 20-22)?
- Then Why Do Some Engage in Self-Made Religion (verse 23a)?
- Then Why Are So Many Engaged in Things That Have No Value (verse 23b)?
We Want to Eat His Bread
The sinner’s response is fight or flight
From your great glory and holy light,
So teach us how to humbly submit,
To seek your face, and never quit
Our service to Christ. We want to eat
His bread and make your will our meat.
What you in all of Scripture wrote
We want to know, to love devote
Ourselves, as Jesus did. Create
In us desire for heaven’s Gate.
A whole day to praise you
A whole day to praise and dedicate to you! Let it be a day of joy and laughter, peace and contentment, gratitude and counting of blessings.
Let the sun in its journey through the sky praise you. Let the chatter of the maritacas in the trees call out your glory. Let the quiet of the morning and the conversations of the day reflect your presence.
Thank you, Lord, for the spiritual family in Christ who love us and whom we may love with zeal and fervor. Let our love be genuine, our fellowship unmarred by selfishness or second guessing.
Let us see your goodness in the food, family, and fellowship that we enjoy today. May Jesus be in our midst, in love and power.
8 things that won’t change on November 9
By Bobby Cloyd, Smithville TN
- God is still in control, Job 42:2, Isa 55:8-9.
- We stll have a duty to respect the office, Rom 13:1-3.
- We have a duty to obey God rather than man, Acts 5:9.
- We still have a duty to proclaim the gospel, Mat 28:18-20.
- We still need to be a proper godly example.
- We have the duty to expose wickness and stand for the truth, 2 Tim 3:2.
- We still have duty to treat each other like brethren, Jn 13:34-35.
- We still have duty to treat our neighbors as ourselves, Mat 7:12.
Pray for our country and then act.
You’re not merely a polite listener
Lord, I bumped into an acquaintance in a store yesterday. She talks nonstop. I almost feel sorry for her, because of whatever need she feels that keeps her talking all the time. After a while patience runs out, and I have to run away from her.
But you’re not like that with those who come to you constantly with their needs. You’re not merely a polite listener looking to escape the torrent of words at the first opportunity. You hear and respond. You answer prayer. You are glad when we come to you.
Thank you for your open door, for always welcoming us in our prayers, for working in us and through us for good. There is no one else for us. We have nowhere else to go but you. You hold out the hope of eternal life and the peace the passes understanding. The world gropes in the dark for some meaning and finds only scraps and tatters. Blessed be the Lord who calls us to love and purpose and fulfillment!
Fundamentals of repentance
Kevin Cauley, in New Boston TX, starts a series on “Repentance Fundamentals.” You can see his extensive outline and listen to the audio at this link.
Repentance is a topic that frequently needs to be addressed, as often perhaps as baptism.
See also these six short quotes on repentance on the Quick Bible Truths site.
Grateful to be called
What a blessing to be in your presence, heavenly Father! What security and peace we feel to walk before you.
Even to the unjust you show yourself benevolent. How much more do you care for and show concern for your righteous people!
Many people are concerned with freedom and privacy today. And even though they are legitimate concerns in the nations, we are grateful to be free in the way that really matters.
Many today run after possessions. We give thanks that we have what can never be taken away from us.
Many today seek pleasures. We are thankful for the profound joy of following Christ and having our separating sins removed.
Many today seek a better place to live, even moving to other countries in search of improved conditions. We praise you that we have been transferred from dark and evil powers into the kingdom of the Son whom you love.
Many want to change jobs. We are profoundly grateful to be called to the greatest work of all, that of explaining to those who are far away what you have done in Christ to reconcile us to yourself.
Make Me Yours
Bold is what I want to be,
And loving, so that all can see
God cares and moves both heaven and earth
To bring about in man that birth
That makes him sons of righteousness
And daughters in spirit, nothing less
Than fullest heirs, upward bound,
Above both gravity and ground.
O Lord, how can I not be bold,
Abides in me your Spirit of old,
How can I not have love as wide
As yours — For all men Jesus died —
For good and bad, for evil and just,
Since all return one day to dust?
Make me yours, a saint in name
And truth, unwilling to be the same
As men of this dying world, of flesh,
Renewing the mind, recalling afresh
The gift of life. Make me a man
Of courage and love, willing to span
The dividing gulf, in Jesus’ path —
And save us, save us all from wrath.
The alternative to freezing to death in our loneliness
The German philosopher Schopenhauer compared the human race to a bunch of porcupines huddling together on a cold winter’s night. He said,
“The colder it gets outside, the more we huddle together for warmth; but the closer we get to one another, the more we hurt one another with our sharp quills. And in the lonely night of earth’s winter eventually we begin to drift apart and wander out on our own and freeze to death in our loneliness.”
Christ has given us an alternative: to forgive each other for the pokes we receive. That allows us to stay together and stay warm.
—Wayne Brouwer, via Glenn Hitchcock’s “Thoughts for the Day to Brighten Your Day“
Empower
Before you, Lord, I humble my soul,
In need of love and grace and sight;
Lift up my heart, I give it whole,
Empower my hands to save and smite.
To save the lost, to smite the foe,
To love the lonely, to flee from wrong,
To walk the way of Christ below,
To join the angels in heavenly song.