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Ephesians 6:4             Besides plain teaching, rearing a child requires a good balance of praise and discipline.  Too often we focus on the discipline and correction aspect and neglect the praise.  The following was taken from a bookmarker which Potter Children’s Home distributed some years ago titled: 100 Ways to Praise a Child.      Far Out - Great - Outstanding Performance - Marvelous I Can’t Get Over It - Wonderful - Amazing Effort - Phenomenal Unbelievable Work - You Should Feel Good - You’ve Got It Superb - You’re Special - Cool - Excellent - Way To Go Your Project Is First Rate - You’ve Outdone Yourself - Terrific Thumbs Up - What a Great Listener - Your Help Counts You Came Through - You Tried Hard - Fabulous - Bravo You Made It Happen - You’re a Real Trooper - You’re Unique Exceptional - Fantastic Work - Breathtaking - Awesome Keep Up the Good Work - You’re a Great Example - Out of Sight I Knew You Had It In You - What an Imagination - Stupendous You’re Sensational - Very Good - You Made the Difference Good For You - A+ Work - Take a Bow - Super Job How Thoughtful of You - Nice Going - Class Act - Well Done You’re Inspiring - How Artistic - You Go the Extra Mile Hooray for You - You’re a Joy - You’re Amazing - Great Answer What a Great Idea - Extra Special Work - You’re Tops - Clever Remarkable - You’ve Got What It Takes - You’re Neat Spectacular Work - You’re #1 - You’re a Winner - Beautiful You’re So Kind - Wow - Magnificent - You’re Sharp - Brilliant Great Discovery - You’re Very Responsible - Thanks for Helping Thanks for Caring - You’re Very Talented - How Original You Figured It Out - Right On - You Make Me Smile               Actually, these could be used to praise and encourage anybody who is deserving regardless of age.  Let’s do more praising and thanking of our children.  Adults, too!                                                             ><>  Jeff

Matthew 9:9 ; Luke 5:27-28             We can only imagine what was going through Matthew’s mind after this unorthodox rabbi name Jesus stopped at his tax booth and said, “Follow Me.”  It would seem to me that this Jesus was not someone entirely unknown to Matthew.  The text here indicates that this took place in Galilee where Jesus healed and taught quite openly.  So Matthew would have had ample opportunity to hear about Jesus if not personally hear Him teach or observe a miracle or two.             On the other hand, Jesus was probably not unfamiliar with Matthew, either.  He had no doubt traveled that road many times and observed him from a distance.  We know that Jesus had this unique if not miraculous ability to assess the character of individuals.  So when He stepped over to that tax booth that day, looked Matthew right in the eye, and said, “Follow Me,” He knew what He was doing.             The thought-provoking question is whether Matthew knew what he was getting into!  What was going through his mind?  Sure he knew about this Jesus’ different message and was no doubt aware of the miracles, but did he know what lay ahead if he agreed?  Did he have any inkling of Who this was?  Of what kind of adventure awaited him?  Of where this path would lead?             Someone has said, “When you chose the path, you choose the destination.”  Quite true.  And so it was true of Matthew.  There was something about this Nazarene that caused him to get up from that tax booth and just walk away from it all.  He could not have known where this decision would lead him, be he obviously was willing to risk it all on the rabbi named Jesus.  It must have been both thrilling and a little scarey at the same time.  Sort of like riding a roller coaster.             Jesus calls to us even today: “Follow Me.”  The choice is the same as the one Matthew made.  Will you risk it all on this Jesus of Nazareth who is called Christ?  Do you trust Him?  Do you believe His words?  Are you willing to place yourself in His hands and let Him lead you on an adventurous journey through life culminating in a glorious new home and life eternal?             Well?  Are you?                                                             ><>  Jeff

Judges 17:6; 21:25             Judges records for us numerous egregious and even bizarre transgressions of the law by Israel: murder, rape, idolatry, fornication, more murder, etc.  Two times the author notes that “there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”  The point was that there was no constant leadership to provide a good example in obedience to the law and to protect the citizenry from lawbreakers.  Later, when a king was anointed, he was charged with ruling by the law of God ( Deuteronomy 17:14-20 ).  He was to have his own copy of the law, “read it all the days of his life,” and observe all its words.             Today, we very much live in a time when people want to do what’s right in their own eyes, and choose their own truth.  They listen to a myriad of voices other than the Lord’s voice as set forth in the pages of the Holy Scriptures, and they pick and choose what they think is right or what suits their lifestyle.  The following list provides some of these alternate “voices”:                                      >           Their pastor or preacher or priest                                    >           Their favorite author                                    >           Their favorite podcaster or website                                    >           Their church creeds and church council decrees                                    >           Their favorite TV evangelist or religious program                                    >           Their own personal feelings and ideas                                    >           Their very spiritual friend                                    >           Their family traditions                                    >           The comments found in their study Bible                                    >           Anybody with a degree from a Bible college or seminary               We could go on.  Peter (2:1:3) tells us that God has given to us “everything pertaining to life and godliness.”  These things are found in the Holy Scriptures and no where else!  The first century church had all that was needed for following the Way of Christ.  And so do we.  We have the Book of God!  We don’t need anything else.                                                             ><>  Jeff

Ecclesiastes 12:11             Here’s another installment of the sayings and quotes I’ve collected over the years.  Read, reflect, enjoy and be blessed!   >                    Is the “good news” good enough for you to share with your neighbor?   >                    The mortality rate on earth is still 100%.   >                    The church is not a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners.       – Morton Kelsey   >                    Old Russian proverb: Those who have the disease called “Jesus” will never be cured.   >                    How long will it be before we discover we cannot dazzle God with our accomplishments?  – Brennan Manning   >                    What I received I gave away.  What I gave away I have.   >                    Some Christians never die with Christ – they just gasp a little on Sunday morning.   >                    “When men stop believing in God, they do not believe in nothing; they believe in anything.”  – G. K. Chesterton   >                    At the heart of one’s tongue problem is a problem of the heart.   >                    We want God to bless what we do when we should also want what we do to bless God.   >                    The most dangerous place on earth to live is outside the kingdom of God.                                                             ><>  Jeff

1 Timothy 2:8             He saw that look in her eye, again.  Brother Jones was one of the shepherds for the congregation, and sister Delaney was always one to speak her mind.  (Not that it’s a bad thing to speak one’s mind, but when she spoke it was always about her mind, if you know what that means.)  Brother Jones was smiling at her.             “Well, now I’ve seen it all,” sister Delaney snapped.             “Good morning, Isabella.  What is it that you have seen now?” replied brother Jones.             “During brother Williamson’s prayer I heard a strange noise behind me, and I wanted to see what was causing it, but you’d never guess what I saw!”             “Maybe some people praying?” offered the elder.             “Well, I never did see what caused that noise because when I looked up I noticed that brother Williamson was praying with his arms outstretched and his hands raised up toward the ceiling.”             “That’s what you saw - brother Williamson praying?”             “Yes, but with his arms like that.  In all my years of going to church, I’ve never  seen anybody pray like that.  People are always doing things different now-a-days.  Why can’t we just do things like we’ve always done them?” grumbled the good sister.             “Actually, praying like that is a very old custom.  Paul mentions it in First Timothy.  Jewish men in particular would pray like that,” brother Jones pointed out.             “Well, it seems very strange to me - and unnerving.  I don’t think it should be allowed,” sister Delaney asserted.             “And should we begin dictating that people must pray with heads bowed, eyes closed and hands folded together?”             “Maybe.  At least that way we’d all know what we’re supposed to do.”             “We do know what we’re supposed to do, sister.  We’re to pray with the spirit and the understanding - to pray without ceasing.  Let’s be careful not to confuse traditions we’ve known with what the Word actually teaches.  It’s easy to do.”                                                             ><>  Jeff

James 2:10-13             (The following anecdote is via Mikey’s Funnies)             When I was a kid, my mom liked to make breakfast for dinner every now and then.  And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work.  On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad.  I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed!             Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school.  I don’t remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that ugly burned biscuit.  He ate every bite of that thing ... never made a face not uttered a word about it!             When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits.  And I’ll never forget what he said: “Honey, I love burned biscuits every now and then.”             Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night, and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned.  He wrapped me in his arms and said, “Your Momma put in a hard day at work today, and she’s real tired.  And besides - a little burned biscuit never hurt anyone!”             As I’ve grown older, I’ve thought about that many times.  Life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people.  I’m not the best a anything ... just like everyone else.  But what I’ve learned over the years is that learning to accept others faults and choosing to celebrate each other’s differences are two of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.                                                             – Larry Perry               Good expectations and standards in life are necessary.  But wisdom and love must guide us to recognize the times when the rules must be relaxed.  God is not a cruel taskmaster.  We should not be one either.  James wrote: “...judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.”                                                             ><>  Jeff

2 Corinthians 3:4-6; 4:7 As we work our way through the Bible, one particular theme appears in the story time and again - people are sinners. Even the “super heroes” of the Bible are not super. Their weaknesses are on display in the pages of holy scripture. Right out of the gate, Adam stumbled and set the tone for the whole race. Cain is angered at his brother’s good deed and wastes him. Soon after, a guy named Lamech helps himself to two wives and then boasts about killing a young man for striking him. Things degenerate until Noah’s day when God is ready to destroy everyone because of their continual wickedness. Noah and his family are saved in the ark, but then Noah unwinds on too much wine, and his son Canaan gets himself in trouble. Enter Abraham. The great man of faith endangered his own wife twice to save his own skin and even laughed at God’s promise to give him a son in his old age. Jacob was a scoundrel who ripped off his brother twice. When Moses was called by God, he hemmed and hawed until the Lord virtually had to drag him by the collar of his robe. Israel stumbled at Sinai, and Aaron made the golden calf. Gideon was fearful, Samson a playboy, and David (the man after God’s own heart) looked too long at the wrong woman, and the rest is a tragedy. Paul was amazed at God’s calling to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. He was keenly aware of his own sins, especially his persecution of Christians ( 1 Timothy 1:12-17 ). But now he was entrusted with the word of truth, the gospel which alone has the power to save mankind. How could God entrust such a glorious, life and death message to weak mortals? Paul is quite clear about it. We are not adequate in ourselves, but “our adequacy is from God.” God has even placed this “treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” So we see that serving God isn’t about us - not our righteousness, nor our abilities. It’s about God - the power of God, the grace of God. Always was; always will be. Jeff

John 12:37-43             There are some questions in life for which it is difficult to find satisfactory answers.  Though this may be true, it is still worth our while to search for answers to such questions for in our search we always learn something and may even begin to find an adequate answer.  Our question in this piece is one such: Why is it that some people believe in Jesus but others do not?  Our text should lead us a little closer to a good answer for this question.  Please read it now.             We begin with John’s observation that Jesus had performed “so many signs” in front of the people.  His point is that there were more than enough miracles done to convince them that He was the Messiah.  John then quotes Isaiah to say that this was fulfillment of prophecy that people would not believe in Jesus.  He doesn’t say why that was the case, but indicates that their continual rejection of the obvious (that Jesus was from God) only served to blind their eyes and harden their hearts, thus making it even more difficult to believe!             Our question remains, however: Why weren’t these people brought to believe by seeing all of these signs?  Some of the people were, but, obviously, many of them were not.             A further help to getting at an adequate answer lies in verses 42 and 43.  Here John notes that despite this overall disbelief among the crowds, “many even of the rulers believed in Him.”  Well, that’s a good thing.  However, it goes no further with them.  John says they refused to confess their belief in Jesus for fear of being thrown out of the synagogue because “they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”  (Instead of approval  one translation has praise and one has glory .)  So here could be some help in answering our question.             To believe in Jesus, to believe He is the Christ of God is to start down a path of change.  This requires that I give up any number of things.  It could be certain beliefs that I’ve held dear all my life.  It could be a position, as with the rulers here.  It could be family.  It could be a lifestyle.  It could be anything “under the sun” that a person holds near and dear.  And they just won’t part with it.             This is likely a worrisome thought for all of us.

Ephesians 6:18             It is my belief that we shall not fully realize how much we needed God until we reach our eternal home.  Despite such plain words of the Lord as “apart from Me you can do nothing” ( John 15:5 ), we still tend to think that we somehow accomplish at least some  things for God on our own.  Let’s not take this discussion too far the other way, however, and say that we have no part in what we do or say.  This is erroneous thinking, also.  We are submitters and cooperators, not initiators and forces of causation.  God calls, God equips, God empowers.  We are vessels of clay given life and spiritual strength by the Life-Giver to accomplish His work and will.             Thus, amid the daily struggle against evil in all of its overt and covert forms there is a supreme necessity, an absolute must to call upon the Master Outfitter of spiritual armor to equip us thoroughly and even stand beside us in the battle.  It is little wonder that Paul writes “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit...”  To stop praying is to quit asking for the divine help which alone can help us conquer.  To stop praying is to stand “against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” with only human strength.  To stop praying is to stand alone against Satan and all of his evil forces.  To stop praying is to cut our life line and power cord with God!             E. M. Bounds noted, “Your estimation of prayer is your estimation of God.”  Hmmm?  What a thought.  Prayer is my direct connection with the Almighty.  If I do not pray, then I become disconnected from my Creator and the God who empowers me.  If I am disconnected from God, then I am standing alone without His help.  Does it not follow, then, that if I do not pray then I am of the opinion that I can do this thing called life by myself?!  Now we might never say  that in those words, but our failure to ask the Father for help would be a sure give away of what we really thought in our hearts.             What, then, is your estimation of God?  How much do you need the Lord Jesus?  Do you “pray at all times in the Spirit”?  Are you staying connected with your heavenly Father?                                                             ><>  Jeff

Romans 12:3-21             The scriptures use several figures to explain God’s design for His people.  There is the husband and wife relationship, the family, a kingdom, an assembly, a body, the shepherd and the sheep, an army, a priesthood, etc.             Although these are different in many respects, a common and most important theme is present in each figure given by the Holy Spirit.  And that element is fellowship or joint participation.  The church is a group of individual Christians living in community.  The church is a fellowship of believers.  Now, hardly anyone would disagree with this concept, but few people seem to grasp what this looks like as it is worked out on a day to day and week to week basis.             Some believe that fellowship is nothing more than having the same beliefs, wearing the same name and attending a church service once a week with the same people.  Granted these are foundational elements of fellowship, but the scriptures plainly teach that the community of the church is much more than that.             In our text, Paul is using the figure of the body (vv 4-5).  Let’s do some logical examining of what he is teaching.  If some have been given the gift of teaching (v 7), whom would they teach if not others in the church?  If someone has the gift of leadership (v 8), whom would he lead if not those in the church?  To whom would this genuine love (v 9) first be shown if not to the others in the church?  And how would you do that except through some deed of kindness?  Who is the “one another” to whom we are all to be devoted (v 10) if not other church members?  And how would that be accomplished except by some kind of personal interaction?  To whom would a Christian “give preference” (v 10) except to another church member?             As you can see, the church is a love-bound community who live out their lives in close harmony, supporting each other, serving one another, and sharing their God-given gifts for the benefit of everyone.  There is a give-and-take in which the various members look out for each other as they travel the road of life.             Fellowship - what a beautiful thing!

Ecclesiastes 12:11             Here is another selection of the sayings and quotes which I’ve assembled over the years.  Read, consider, enjoy and be blessed!   >                    Nobody is as blind as a person who refuses to see.   >                    Never judge a person by their worst day.   >                    Worship: God deserves it - We need it.   >                    We are always complaining that our days are few, and at the same time, acting as if they would never end.                                                             – Seneca   >                    When you do well, give God the glory.  When you do badly, take the blame.   >                    You can protest against the evil in the world only if you believe in a good God.  Otherwise the protest doesn’t make sense.                                          – Miroslav Volf   >                    What your heart possesses, your life expresses.   >                    God sometimes removes people from your life to protect you.  Don’t run after them.   >                    Worldly peace is based on fixing our troubles, and Jesus’ peace is based on trusting Him when our troubles can’t be fixed.                                          – John Smith   >                    One of the world’s greatest deceptions is to convince a man that he has truly achieved something when he gets to do nothing.                                                             ><>  Jeff

Matthew 28:5-6             Our scripture here is one of the most powerful in the Bible. When the women came to Jesus’ tomb, they were fully expecting to find His body because they had purchased spices for anointing Him ( Mark 16:1 ).  Scriptures tell us that they were amazed and even frightened to find an angel there.  More than likely, they were more surprised to learn that Jesus’ body was not in the tomb.  And they were probably even more amazed to hear that He had risen from the dead!  As we would say today, it was too much information to process!             However, they processed what information they could in the moment and ran to tell the disciples what they had found and what they had been told.  It seems that before they got very far, Jesus met them and talked with them.  When they finally told everything to the disciples, they did not believe them.  Would you?             We have the benefit of the entire New Testament now, and a legacy of almost 2000 years of people believing in the resurrection of Jesus.  We can now “process” what happened that day and learn many valuable “take-aways” to strengthen our faith.   >                    Jesus kept His word.  He said He would be crucified but be raised back to life, and He was.  Jesus can be trusted. >                    Death can be beaten. >                    Believing in the resurrection of the dead is not an easy thing. >                    There must be “another world” besides this one. >                    God is not to be trifled with.  He has the power. >                    There is real hope for people to live on the other side of the grave.  This hope is in Jesus Christ. >                    This good news is something that people would want to hear.               In about thirty-three years, Jesus conquered sin in the flesh, offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin, disarmed the power of heavenly forces ( Colossians 2:15 ), took control of the keys of death and Hades, was resurrected to life, and now rules in His kingdom.             “He is not here.”  What incredibly powerful words!                                                             ><>  Jeff