December 1999
Drawing Near to God
Mark RobertsNew Year's resolutions have come to be something of a joke. People hastily pledge themselves to better habits and disciplines they have no real intention of resolutely staying with. In short order the fond wishes of New Year's are bygones, awaiting only another December 31st to be resurrected for an all-too-brief stay. more...
Studying the Bible
Harold HancockIf I were going to aspire to be like someone in the Bible, it would not be the rich young ruler who came asking Jesus, ""what must I do to have eternal life"" but went away sorrowfully, unwilling to give up his riches and to follow Jesus (Matthew 19:16-22); nor would I be envious of the rich man who faired sumptuously on earth but was tormented in Hades (Luke 16:19-31). Rather, I would desire to be like Enoch who ""walked with God"" (Genesis 5:22) or Abraham who was known as the ""friend of God"" (James 2:23) or Moses who was called ""faithful"" (Hebrews 3:2) - people who were close, or near to God, whom God knew and blessed and loved. What could be better than drawing near to God in this world and living with Him throughout eternity? more...
Improving Your Worship
Jason MooreIt is often hard to speak in absolutes. It is hard to say without qualification that something is the best, the most, the superlative, but sometimes you can. For instance, the gospel is good news. But it is not just good news. It is the good news. In fact, it is the best news. No justification, no qualification is required. With the good news of the gospel, all bad news is bearable. Just as there is a superlative quality to God's revelation to man, a distinctive excellence ought to be observed in man's response to God. There are some absolutes that can be stated without exaggeration about your worship that when realized will make your worship more meaningful and bring your life and affection nearer to God more...
Strengthening Our Families
Tim Jennings""God must really be something special."" That is the conclusion I came to when I was about seven or eight. I didn't come to that conclusion after hearing a Bible story or listening to an exhilarating sermon, but while watching a bead of sweat roll off my dad's nose. Dad got off work at noon on Saturday, and was usually exhausted from a grueling week of hard physical and mental labor. The agenda for Saturday afternoons was usually rest, but this Saturday was different. It was our month to clean the church building. Mom was carefully vacuuming the pews. Dad was vigorously moping the bathrooms. I was impatiently waiting to go play baseball with the neighborhood kids. I did everything to make my impatience known, until finally in frustration I said, ""Dad, can't we just leave this for someone else? Why are we working so hard on Saturday?"" He was bent over an old galvanized bucket of water ringing out his mop when he looked up and said, ""Son, we do our best because we love God and we love His people, and this is where we meet together to worship Him. So, get that sponge and get to work."" It was my epiphany. God really was worthy of our best efforts. That day, as many days since, I was drawn nearer to my God through family relationships. more...
Adopting God's Values
Mark RobertsIt is just so that what we value determines the course of our lives. Those who value friendship seek friends. Those who value wealth pursue riches. Those who value fame chase after the accolades of others. What is truly fascinating about all of this is that once one has set his or her values it becomes harder and harder to understand the values of others. ""Why would anyone waste so much time working out for the Olympics?"" wonders someone who spends every waking minute day trading the stock market for money. ""Why do those people worry so much about their friends - it's being number one that matters!"" says the Super Bowl quarterback. In it all we hear people say ""Who cares about the Bible and what it says? I've got more important things to do!"" We cannot draw near to God if we misunderstand His values or are trying to pursue values apart from His will. That is why we must adopt the Lord's values as our own. more...
Pursuing Holiness
Tony MauckWithout holiness, no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). Paul admonishes, ""...let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God"" (2 Corinthians 7:1). The business of the Christian is the pursuit of holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:7). Walking in holiness is the vocation to which we are called (cf. Ephesians 4:1). Any other course is a dead-end, going nowhere. more...
Pointing Others to Jesus
Bubba GarnerOne of the greatest benefits of this time of year is the opportunity we are given to evaluate our progress of the past year and revitalize our goals for spiritual growth for the coming year. Amid all of the plans that are being in made in preparation for the year 2000, there needs to be time dedicated to making provisions for how we can better serve the Lord in the 21st Century. One of the best resolutions that you can make for the new year is the decision that you are going to be more active in showing others the way to Jesus Christ. You just can't bring someone to the feet of the Master without drawing nearer yourself. more...
Honoring Our Elders
Rickie JenkinsElders are worthy of esteem. They are designed by God (Tit. 1:5). All who serve should be loved for their work. When elders seek to do their work according to God's way they are a blessing. Elders are not merely vestigial organs, nice to have but not really needed. They are not necessary evils, just men to administrate so we can avoid dreaded business meetings. Elders are to be the epitome of godly men who love souls. What is our responsibility toward them? How can we grow nearer to God by esteeming men who serve as elders? more...
Working For Unity
Clark DuggerOn the night of His betrayal, Jesus prayed that His disciples "may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us" (John 17:21). Jesus defines the basis for unity among His disciples as a mutual relationship with God; the result of teaching that had been accepted and followed. To be sure, the oneness for which Christ prayed can only be found and maintained as we are "giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3). And so, Paul says we must "stand fast in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the gospel" (Phil. 1:27). Unity is the result of subjecting ourselves to the same authority. more...
Better Praying
Lawrence KelleyA man had two sons. One of them rarely spoke to his father. Actually, there were only two kinds of occasions when he spoke to him at all - formal family gatherings and when he was in serious trouble. When he spoke to his father on formal occasions it was with stilted words that seemed to be disconnected from the true feelings of his heart. He seemed to be more concerned with how he sounded than with what he said. However, when he was in trouble and needed money or help getting out of some difficulty, he would gush with emotion and plead with his father promising that if he would help him, he would become a better son. As soon as his father delivered him from his trouble, the boy would forget what had been done for him and rarely even be mindful enough to say thank you. more...
Serving Others
George SloverEvery command given by God stems from our relationship with someone, either with God or with others. In Colossians 3:18-4:1 Paul instructs the child of God concerning various relationships. As we scan those verses we notice that he addresses such relationships as husband and wife, parent and child, and servant and master. We may also notice phrases that refer to our relationship to the Lord. Consider: (vs. 18) ""as is fitting to the Lord"", (vs. 20) ""this is well pleasing to the Lord"", (vs. 22) ""fearing God"", and (vs. 23) ""as to the Lord"". In order to please God one must follow the laws He has given to govern our relationship with others. more...
Examining Self
Terry SlackMore than any month, December finds us torn between two opposite dimensions. First, it is a month of reflection. From its unrivaled position at the end of the calendar, we look back in retrospect at the events of the previous 11 months. But also December, unlike any other month, is a time of resolution. As its final days come and go, we avail ourselves to the use of vision and peer into the future. We lay plans for the direction we hope our lives will take over the next twelve months. Such an unparalleled time of self-examination is enhanced by our standing on the edge, not only of a new year, but a new millennium. more...
Thinking About Death
Rusty MillerEarly in the morning of November 18, in the midst of the joy and celebration which characterizes the building of the annual bonfire at Texas A & M University, the center pole of the ""stack"" suddenly cracked, and the resulting collapse of the logs brought with it the deaths of twelve young people. No one went to work on the bonfire that night thinking they would not see the next sunrise. No one working with those who were killed considered that by the time the football game was played, their friends would be memorialized in death. more...
Respecting Biblical Authority
Buddy PayneJames writes that if we will draw near to God, He will draw near to us (4:8). Jesus makes a similar statement recorded by John (14:23) saying if a person will obey His commands, He and the Father will make their home with that individual. This should be a paramount desire for the children of God, to be near Him, to have Him close at hand, ""living with us"" if you will. That kind of attitude is as Jesus stated an indication of our love for our heavenly Father. If we love Him we want Him to be near us and we want to be near to Him. more...
Stabilizing Your Christian Walk
Jerry DrewI remember the first time I ever rode a roller coaster. I was eight years old and enjoying my first trip to Disney World. Thinking Space Mountain was just another slow scenic ride I volunteered to take the front seat by myself. You can imagine my horror as we whipped around the first corner into utter darkness and spent countless moments tossing about in what felt like a giant clothes dryer. I didn't know whether I should scream, get sick, or prepare to die (I think I did a little of each!). When I realized I had survived, I told myself I would never ride another roller coaster as long as I lived. However, since that experience I have ridden coasters again. more...
Preacher's Pen
Mark RobertsThe National Council of Churches is in trouble. You know about the NCC, don't you? It is America's largest ""religious alliance,"" representing 35 denominations and saying ""it is the primary national expression of the movement for Christian unity."" Yet even as the NCC celebrates its fiftieth anniversary, some of its own members are calling for it to disband, while others speculate that is has no real future. The problem? The NCC is notoriously liberal in its thinking and stance. Recent pronouncements from the NCC have favored universal health care, affirmative action, gun control, and nuclear test bans, while opposing the Kosovo bombing and religious school vouchers. Some think such leftist positioning is the cause of their membership decline, but whatever the reason, the NCC is in bad shape. Recently its biggest member, the United Methodist Church, suspended contributions to the NCC. Of course, without money . . . . more...