Paid in Full

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was what he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car.

Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man’s name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, “With all your money you give me a Bible?” And then stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

Many years passed and the young man became very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family. As he pondered over his life and all he had, he thought of his father. Realizing his father was very old, he thought perhaps he should go to him as he had not seen him since graduation day years before.

He was making arrangements when he received a phone call, telling him his father had passed away. The will left everything to him. Stunned, he headed home to take care of his fathers estate.

When he arrived at his father’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart as he began to search through his father’s office. Lying on a bookshelf was he the beautiful box containing the Bible his father had given him for graduation, just as he had left it years ago.

With tears in his eyes he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had a bookmark placed in Matthew 7 and had carefully underlined verse 11, ” And if ye, being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?”

As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer’s name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words… “PAID IN FULL.”

How many times do we miss God’s blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? What is YOUR life for? Do you walk alone in your coveting/selfishness? Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for… and be thankful.

Col 3:15, says ” And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, ….. and be ye thankful.” Again, after giving up all physical things of success that he had been working for, the apostle Paul told the Philippians: “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength”. (Phil. 4:11-13, NIV).

When you look in your bible, you probably won’t find a set of car key’s, but you will find that there is a gift of even great magnitude. It is the gift of eternal life. In there you will find that the price for such a gift has been “PAID IN FULL” by our dear Savior. Have you opened your bible lately?

ShawnMcCorkle

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Teachings in the Bible “Christians” dislike?

As we live in this world to day and go about our daily lives we come in contact with many people, and most of these people if you asked them if they are Christians the majority of them would answer yes. Contrary to what has been put forward lately this is a nation that was founded on Christian principles, and is inhabited by people who believe in Christ as the Savior (60 something % depending on the poll). I am glad to live in this nation and have the freedom that I have. But there is a problem that seems to be growing in this country. “Christians” are falling into the belief that the bible can be interrupted different by different people and everything is ok even if we have different thoughts on the words of God. I would like to put forward to you that the Word of God is not open to personal interputation. 2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. We need to read the word of God and when we see a conflict in the way that we are living our lives we need to change our lives to fit the commands of God rather than changing the word of God to fit our thoughts and ideas.

Going to church seems to be a teaching that some “Christians” dislike. When you start to visit with people about church and inviting them to come and visit a lot of times you here things like my church is when I am hiking in the Woods, or I don’t have to go to church to worship God he is in every thing around us. While this true to some extent, God has commanded us to come together to worship him. Heb 10:24-25-24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Many times “Christians”  use activities of this world to make excuses for why they can’t come to church. I want to ask a question who is more important to you God or the, (you fill in the blank here……. )You are so important to God that he sent his son Jesus to die in one of the cruelest ways possible, the Cross of Calvary, and shed his blood so we could call him Father and he could call us his children. We should go to church to worship God not to be entertained. Our purpose here is explained well in Eccl12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Denying self seems to another thing that not only everyone has a problem with but “Christians” also. This is something that is almost against human nature. We don’t want to deny ourselves anything, but if we want to follow the teachings of Christ this is something that we need to practice. Sin is the biggest form of self-indulgence there is. If we become involved in sin many times we will go to great lengths to follow after that sin what ever it may be. Matt 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. We also need to consider what we become if we follow after sin. Rom_6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Another thing that “Christians” dislike is the thought of being different or peculiar. We see a lot of people who profess to be “Christians”  but when they open their mouth or we see them away from church we can’t tell them from others. Tit_2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. How sad it would be for Jesus to come back to this earth and not realize his people. We as humans don’t want to stand out in a crowd as a general rule, but we are to be different as Christians. We are not to be weird, but people should see Christ and his teachings in our daily lives not just on Sunday morning and Wednesday night. We need to remember when we are away from church that we are still bought with a price, and that price was the precious blood of Christ.

When we study the bible and learn what God expects from us we should have an open heart to what it says to us. Follow what it says, and when it conflicts with the way we want to live change the way we live not what the bible says. Hide the word in our hearts and never let it be defiled by our thoughts and actions. Rom_8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Callen Pinkerton

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Thanksgiving

Everyone loves the Thanksgiving holiday.  What’s not to love?  You eat.  You watch football.  You eat some more.  You nap.  You eat again.  And since it is always on a Thursday, you get to eat, sleep, and watch football for four straight days!  Oh yeah, and there is that other thing… you know, the reason for the four day weekend.  Turkey?  Wrong!  Football?  Try again!  Ah, that’s right, Thanksgiving!  So how have we gone from a day of thanks to God to a slob-fest?  The same reason we neglect to thank God every day.  We are selfish people!

I am reminded of an encounter Jesus had in Luke 17:11-19 “And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12  And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13  And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14  And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.  15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16  And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.  17  And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?  18  There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.  19  And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

I find it interesting that ten men suffered leprosy, ten men cried out for help, ten men were healed, but only one man gave thanks.  When we think about how God has blessed us, do we find ourselves as one of the nine?  Paul writes in 1Th. 5:18  “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”  Do we pray in time of need, but forget to praise God when he helps us through those hard times?  Do we thank God for our marriage when everything is going good, or do we only pray when our marriage is on the rocks?  Do you thank God for your job when you wake up before the sunrise, or do you only pray while in the unemployment line?  God’s Word has told us that he will be there for us in time of need.  In Heb. 4:16  “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”  But we also need to remember Him when he helps us through those hard times and declare His goodness to all people!  We read in 1Ch. 16:8  “Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.” 

How often do we take time to thank God?  Heb. 13:15  tells us, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”  We should be continually thanking God!  We should thank him with our words and actions!  In Col. 3:17  we read, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”  When you live a life according to his will, your actions can be a form of praise to him!  Give thanks in the things you do!  He is worthy of your thanks and praise! 

Your challenge is to list 5 things God has done for you over the last year.  Once you have your list together thank God for each individual thing.  If you would like to share your list, please post it on TSL’s wall on Facebook.

God Bless,

Wayne Lowry

WayneLowry

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The Breaking of Bread

There are several principals one can learn from participating in the Lord’s Table. We honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as we partake of the Bread and Fruit of the Vine in a memorial of his love, “this do in remembrance of me.” 1 Co. 11:24. We reflect and examine our own lives in the light of the sacrifice Jesus made, “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.” 1Co 11:28

One specific thing we can learn is that the Lord’s Supper, “the breaking of bread,” as it is referred to in other places, teaches us the price that Jesus paid for our salvation. “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come.” 1 Cor. 11:26

The phrase, “ye do show,” or “shew” in some King James printings, means to “proclaim, promulgate: – declare, preach, shew, speak of, teach.” Our active participation in the Lord’s Table teaches or proclaims the Lord’s death to those assembled and to the world as they see the Lord’s church gather to keep this memorial on the first day of the week. We also carry this on to future generations, or “till he come.”(vs. 26)

In chapter 24, Luke records that upon the first day of the week Jesus rose from the grave. On that same day Jesus met two disciples walking to the village of Emmaus. As they walked together, the disciples didn’t recognize Jesus and told him about the events that had taken place in the days prior to meeting him on the road. Jesus said, “What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?” (vs.17) Perhaps their state of mind kept them from seeing Jesus. Luke says “their eyes were holden that they should not know him.” (Vs.16) However in Mark’s account he states, “that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.”(Mk. 16:12) Their sadness, caused by the vision of a dead and buried Jesus, kept them from seeing the “form” of a living and resurrected Christ as they walked.

It is interesting that Jesus used Moses and the prophets, and “expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”(vs.27) Did they understand yet? Not yet. The last thing Jesus did with his disciples on the night of his betrayal was exactly what Paul was telling the Corinthian brethren about the Lord’s Supper. Paul said: “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. (1Co 11:23-25)

Why is this significant? Notice what Jesus did with the two disciples when they arrived at their destination on the first day of the week. “And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and broke, and gave to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.” (vs. 30-31)

In the act of breaking bread, Jesus taught them (“ye do show”) the fulfillment of all the prophets and Moses. Their eyes of understanding were opened; they could now see the living Jesus Christ.When they returned to Jerusalem, they told the others “how he was known of them in breaking of bread.” (Luk 24:35) They understood now!

Since the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the breaking of bread on the first day of the week has taught the fulfillment of God’s plan for man’s salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Today it continues to teach and proclaim Jesus through the ages, and it will continue to do so as long as brothers and sisters in Christ are gathered in communion on the first day of the week.

CraigKeel

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Football (3rd Quarter)

When comparing football to Christianity there are some certainties. There must be a good game plan, offense, defense and a bench with depth. There must also be a good coach(s). Another aspect of this correlation is the spectator.

At some point in our spiritual life it might become necessary for us to be a spectator. You might be thinking, that I am out of bounds on this one, but I ask you to bear with me and keep reading…

Being a spectator is not the most advantageous place for a Christian. But for various reasons the spectator is there. Youth, age, sickness can all account for the spiritual spectator. This is not necessarily a bad thing, if the spectator is the right kind!

Who cheers on the team? Who keeps the coach honest? Who expects the players to play to their full potential? The Spectator does!

If you for some reason, or another, find yourself in the stands in this spiritual battle; don’t give up hope! Keep yelling for the team. Keep giving suggestions and exhortations! Keep up your struggle, until you can get down on the field and be a more integral part of the win! One of the best story lines ever told is that of a spectator, learning, working and striving until he/she is able to make it to the sidelines and hopefully show their worth and make a difference!

What makes a spectator so important is their desire to see a big “W!”

A true spectator is an integral part of the win. As a matter of fact, there are some college stadiums that the home fans are considered a “twelfth man.”

The bottom line is:

1Ti 4:15  Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

Max Gaskins

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