The good news of Christ
O Lord, you cry to see the city
That does not know the ending hour;
For willful creatures you feel pity,
For helpless souls who need your power.
O God, how sad that friends ignore
The coming judgment soon at hand;
Those lovers of self we warn, we implore
The arrogant scoffing at your command.
With you, O Savior, let us cry
At our own hearts of hardened stone;
We mourn our sins, the wall we deny,
And the pride of life to which we’re prone.
John Henson, Dibrell Church of Christ
95 Gills Rd., McMinnville, TN 37110-4456
John Henson
Dibrell Church of Christ
95 Gills Rd.
McMinnville, TN 37110-4456
Kind and loving heavenly Father, to have health of body and mind is a wonderful blessing. Soundness, strength, and responsiveness bring great joy, even when the limbs respond and the mind functions so easily without much thought given to them. Thank you for these gifts.
At the same time, give us compassion and patience with those who are bereft in some way of these gifts.
For each of us, God of compassion, may we seek our answers, not in man and his remedies, but in the welcoming embrace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who was a man of pain and suffering, and a man of obedience, joy, and promise, because he did your will and found meaning in your loving purpose.
1 Cor 16.14
This outline was inspired by one by D. Thomas in J.S. Exell’s Biblical Illustrator, on the Bible text above.
“In closing his epistle Paul says, ‘The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion (fellowship) of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.” [2 Cor 13.13] I use this most of the time in a baptismal service. As the candidate arises from the watery grave to a new life in Christ, I say, ‘And now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you now and always. Amen.” I believe that is a benediction. At least, that’s my intention.” —Nelson M. Smith, Agape Study Manual, 300.
General Eisenhower once rebuked one of his generals for referring to a soldier as “just a private.” He reminded him that the army could function better without its generals than it could without its foot soldiers. “If this war is won,” he said, “it will be won by privates.” In the same way, it is the common, servant-like believer who becomes the very backbone of the body of Christ. We are often overly impressed by our great evangelists and superstar Bible teachers and leaders who stand before large crowds, but if the glorious message of the person and work of Christ is to reach the world, it will be done by a church that functions as bondslaves of the Savior (cf. Luke 12:15; Luke 12:32; 2 Peter 2:19; 1 John 3:17). —J. Hampton Keathley
Lord, show me my selfishness,
the ugly face contorted by desire,
passions springing up to control,
self in the center of my world,
hurts in others like an exploding grenade,
destruction of every good thing.
Lord, show me the love of Christ,
the beauty of his holiness,
driven by your blessed will,
your love the spring of life,
peace among men, in brotherhood,
the building of the eternal kingdom.
Blind and weak, O Lord, are we,
So give us strength, and make us see;
As each man fights his war
Against the lion’s roar,
Assured of final victory.
In us the fleshly battles rage,
But we the powers of God engage,
Confessing every need
For will and word and deed,
To gain by faith the eternal age.
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1 Pet 4.12-19