Birdwell Lane
Church of Christ
Big Spring, TX


Weekly Thoughts - June 2010
<----   May 2010    --    July 2010   ---->
06 - HAS SATAN SIFTED YOU?
13 - WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND BIBLE CLASS
20 - FOOD FOR SERIOUS THOUGHT
27 - WHERE IS THE LOGIC?
 
 
June 6, 2010
HAS SATAN SIFTED YOU?

Luke 22:31-32,31
And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."
      Most of us do not warrant the personal attention of Satan as Peter did, for we do not constitute as great a threat to his kingdom. Nevertheless the devil, “as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:8). Whether he attacks us himself—as he did Peter, and David, and Job—or assigns this task to one or more of his demons, the fact is that Satan is real and his legions of evil spirits are real, and they will, indeed, seek to force every believer into Satan’s sieve.
      John calls Satan “the accuser of our brethren…which accused them before our God day and night” (Rev. 12:10). He uses every device to keep us from Christ, or to persuade us to sin against Him, or even deny Him as Peter did. Jesus called Satan “a murderer from the beginning…a liar, and the father of it” (Jn. 8:44). He seeks to sow discord among the brethren, to sow tares among the wheat, to sow false doctrine with the truth, to sow evil thoughts in the pure, to do all he can to hinder our work for God.
      Yes, but “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and He is the propitiation for our sins” (I Jn. 2:1-2). Furthermore, “He ever lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25).
      The Lord assured Peter that, even though Satan would sift him as wheat, “I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not” (Luke 22:32). And when Jesus prays, God answers.
      When we, like Peter, have been sifted through the sieve of Satan, and when we also know that our great advocate and intercessor has prayed for us and our faith has not failed, then we can as the Lord exhorted Peter, “strengthen your brethren” All this though is conditional upon our obedience to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.


See Ya Sunday,
Ralph

 
 
June 13, 2010
WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND BIBLE CLASS

  1. YOUR SOUL NEEDS REFRESHING.
    Nothing does this half as well as the purifying, cleansing word of God. Come and study the word of God.
  2. YOUR LIFE NEEDS DIRECTION.
    Men who are lost in sin are in need of a Savior to help them find their way. Come and study the Bible.
  3. YOUR SINS NEED FORGIVING.
    None are good enough without a God to help, a Christ to love, and a gospel to save. Come to Bible class Sunday.
  4. YOU NEED TO BE A CHRISTIAN.
    Nobody else can say or do what you can to be the example to your family. Come and bring your children to Bible class.
  5. YOUR ETERNAL DESTINY MAY BE SETTLED NOW.
    It is not too late for you but it soon may be. Make your future bright by living today for Christ. Come to Bible study and stand up for right.
      Let us continue to work toward making our Bible classes the best possible.


See Ya Sunday,
Ralph

 
 
June 20, 2010
FOOD FOR SERIOUS THOUGHT

          ASK YOURSELF SERIOUSLY. Does my life please God? Am I studying the Bible daily? Am I enjoying my Christian life? Have I ever won a soul to Christ? How much time do I spend in prayer? Am I trying to bring my family and friends to Christ? Am I really giving as the Lord has prospered me? How does my life look to those who are not members of the church? How many things do I put before Christ? Where am I making my worst mistake? Is the world being made better by my living in it? Should people watch me and my actions in services each Lord’s day and in Bible class would they want to become Christians based on my actions and attitude?
          Good questions on a serious subject. My answers surprised me, perhaps yours will surprise you. It is never easy to take a self examination but it is usually well worth the time and trouble. Think about it.


    See Ya Sunday,
    Ralph

 
 
June 27, 2010
WHERE IS THE LOGIC?

          I love our nation and I am thankful that I can worship according to God’s Word without fear of molestation. Were it not for those who have given so much in the bitterness of battle, I couldn’t. Too many have given their all so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have. Some of which seem mighty silly. War is not pretty and people die, homes wrecked, and lives destroyed. Yet, look for just a moment at the reality of men as they wage battle against our fighting forces forgetting what they have purchased with their lives. The raging protests against our soldiers and the battles in which they are involved.
          We lost 295 lives in the actions of Desert Storm, every life was valuable and precious. We now have lost 1114 of our troops in the war in Afghanistan. Each life valuable. I hate war and the tragedy of it, yet, I thank each and every individual that has fought to give me the freedoms I enjoy.
          Now, where is the logic as we fail to see the same protests against those who drive under the influence of alcohol and killed according to the latest statistics 42,532 just last year. Where are the protesters against the 40 million murders, under the name of legalized abortion, since Roe vs. Wade became law. Where are those who protest the deaths by drugs, prescription and illegal, tobacco, and drug related suicides, that claimed 128,644 souls in the last year.
          No hobby horse, just a simple question “WHERE IS THE LOGIC?” Our fellow Americans and most notably our Federal government seem uninterested in really going after the things that are killing more Americans than any war that I can remember. So I really would like to know “Where is the Logic.”


    See Ya Sunday,
    Ralph

 
 

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