Issue 11

Nearly 3,000 years before The Stones recorded their #1 hit, wise King Solomon had already (and much more poetically) recorded these very same insights and conclusions in the book of Ecclesiastes.  Possessing fame and wealth beyond what Mick, Keith, and the rest of the band could likely even fathom, Solomon set out on his own journey to find meaning and fulfillment in life.  Throughout the early chapters of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon testing his heart with mirth and releasing it to indulge in pleasure (see Ecclesiastes 2:1-3).

The Lord knows where our heart is, and we’re going to be judged by that knowledge. Yet, as humans, knowing our own hearts can be a challenge at times. We have this blessing of human emotion to give us clues as to where our heart truly lies. Can we spot a lack of trust in God where we feel fear? Can we find pride, a shortage of patience, or selfishness in our anger?

The answer to that question now depends more on the person asking the question than on God.  Through God’s mercy and grace, He has provided and revealed to us all a plan by which we can be forgiven if we will humbly submit to the terms of His offer.  And really, that is what a good portion of the Bible is about. 

When God spoke to Moses from the “burning bush” at Sinai he told him, “I have come down to rescue Israel from the hand of the Egyptians” (Exodus 3:8). After some resistance and some adventures along the way, Moses went to Egypt and shared God’s message and miraculous signs with the people there, “And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped” (Exodus 4:31). A few days later, the Israelites who had believed and worshiped were disillusioned and frightened and angry. Egypt’s king had rejected Moses and God’s message and had made the work load of the enslaved Hebrews more difficult and demanding than ever. Moses’s own reaction was a complaint to God, asserting that “you have not rescued your people at all” (Exodus 5:23).

Have you ever found yourself in a tight spot?  One that appears dire and dangerous?  One that provokes intense fear and frustration as pressures firmly outside of your control begin to constrict you?  One that leaves you feeling abandoned and alone?  I know I certainly have.  In such circumstances, it’s easy to begin wondering whether God really cares, to assume that the apparent absence of immediate, tangible aid and intervention is proof He is not concerned.  If God is truly our mighty, powerful and loving Creator – if He really sees everything – wouldn’t He have pity and use His immense power and resources to help me in my time of desperate need?

We at the Old Lamine church of Christ have subjects assigned for each month.  Each speaker then takes the subject assigned and gives a lesson on that subject.  A couple of months ago, one of our members set up the subject for the month and it was titled iTruths for an iGeneration.  The subject that…

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).  I fully believe in the truth of this verse, but to my shame I have not talked about this verse as much as I should.  I am saved solely by the grace of…

Chicken Little  noun A confirmed pessimist, particularly one who warns of impending disaster. One who warns of or predicts calamity especially without justification  [After a character in a story who is hit on the head by an acorn and believes the sky is falling.] (Webster’s Dictionary) Pessimism, expecting bad things, anticipating the worst, is a…

I was recently talking with a brother whose teenage son was immersed into the Lord two months ago.  He told me his son said his first public prayer in a church assembly just a week ago or so after having submitted to the Lord only recently.  I was not surprised, though I do not know…