Born the youngest of eight children, I was spoiled beyond measure. If you don’t believe me, just ask my wife. That character trait is a drag on me from time to time. The Christ-like life should demonstrate selflessness, not selfishness. Case in point is found in Matthew’s Gospel.

Matthew 16:24

 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 

You have to nail that old self of yours to a tree and live for Him.

Give it some thought.

Gary

When you took your first breath after leaving the security of your mother’s womb, you surfaced as a unique individual. God made you like He made no one else. Unfortunately, that first birth was not enough to satisfy the just demands of God. You needed a new birth. How can that be accomplished? Glad you asked.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 

Between birth and death, there is of necessity a need for a new birth.

Give it some serious thought.

Gary

When I was young, men in the community would gather and tell stories at the neighborhood store. I think some of them were even true.  People would gather at the local waterhole to drink booze. Residents would gather at the school gymnasium for town meeting once a year. Every gathering had a reason to bring individuals together.

God has designed the church in such a way that His special presence is felt when more than two come together to honor Him. We should never forsake the assembling of ourselves. We have something in common that surpasses any other meeting on earth.

Matthew 18:20

For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Hebrews 10:25

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Give it some thought and take every opportunity to meet with believers and the Savior.

Gary

It’s 1966 and this thirteen-year-old crawled under the blankets on a cold winter night and tuned in to Cousin Brucie from WABC in New York. This was the station at the time for us teens. The song on the radio was “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration” by the Righteous Brothers. It was about a boy who had placed all he had on a girl, and it looked like there would be no return on his investment. He became a member of the Dear John Club.

There is only One who can qualify to be our soul and inspiration and that is God. He desires that our life be entwined with His.

Psalm 18:30 

This God—His way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.

Revelation 4:11 

“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created.”

No human being can give you what only God can. Give it some consideration.

Gary

I was listening to MPBN and the man being interviewed had worked 25 years for the Grateful Dead singing group. The statement he made to the interviewer was, “I spent 25 years working for the dead.” Now you know where I’m going with that. There was a man who told Jesus he was working for the dead. Jesus enlightened him to the fact he needed another goal.

Matthew 8:22

But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

If you are working for the dead, let me suggest that a change of direction would be necessary for now and eternity.

Give it some thought.

Gary

I’m a Gardner, but my wife is the only one that knows anything about gardening. She tells me those weeds need to be pulled out along with the roots and not just cut. If they are not taken care of in this manner, they will only come back. Her professional opinion certainly has a basis in Scripture.

Hebrews 12:15

looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

1 Timothy 6:10

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Get down to the root of the matter and get rid of those things that can destroy you and others.

Give it some thought.

Gary

News report:  Steeple of historic church plunges to the ground leaving massive hole in the roof. New London Mayor Michael Passero said at a news briefing Thursday that the circumstances of the collapse were extremely fortunate. Photos taken at the scene showed debris being contained to church property. There was no service being held at the time of the collapse. It could have been a much bigger disaster.  The cause of the collapse was not immediately known.

There is always a cause for the collapse of a church. The book of Revelation, chapters 2 to 3, gives us many reasons for the phenomenon happening. The apostle Paul addressed the danger on many occasions in the epistles he wrote.

Galatians 1:6 

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—

1 Timothy 3:15 

If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.

Give it some serious thought and consider the building you’re in.

Gary