Category: Reflections Articles

Do you feel good about yourself? Your relationship with God? Do you feel good about those with whom you have spiritual fellowship? Do you have joy without measure? A peace which passes understanding? Does a smile invariably crease your face when you contemplate your eternal welfare? It does? Good!…Now for the most important question. Upon what do you base all of these positive emotions?

Hopefully, you have a ready answer to this last question. The proper answer would be, “From a study of God’s word, I recognize that I have been obedient to His will, and am a partaker of the blessings that are reserved for His children.” Now, you might not word it in exactly the same way, but the point is that your good feelings, your emotions, are based upon an intellectual recognition. You know you have been obedient to God. You know that God has promised blessings to those who are obedient. You know that God keeps His promises. Therefore you are happy. However, many experience that same happiness without that intellectual foundation.

Continue reading “The Problem with Emotions” →

One of the most beautiful passages in all of scripture, illustrating the exalted virtue of loyalty, is found in Ruth’s statement of love for her mother-in-law Naomi.

“But Ruth said: ‘Entreat me not to leave you, {or to} turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people {shall be} my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if {anything but} death parts you and me.'” Ruth 1:16-17

Certain aspects of this relationship between a woman and her daughter-in-law strike me as especially notable.

Continue reading “Loyalty: An Inner Beauty” →

Liberty, standing proudly on a small island in the New York harbor, has long been an important emblem to our nation. We have long believed as Americans that God has granted us the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

How sad it is that this pursuit of liberty and happiness has become so twisted in our present day. Our founding fathers recognized that liberty comes with a price. That price is personal responsibility.

Today so many are interested in only themselves. Their pursuit of pleasure is first and foremost in their lives. They talk about their “rights”. But, their right to drink has cost thousands of lives in automobile accidents. Their right to an abortion has led to the murder of countless unborn children. The rights of “two consenting adults” has led to broken homes, a lowering of societal values, and the scourge of disease.

Truly, there needs to be a change of emphasis. May we begin (or continue) to proclaim accountability. May we emphasize not our rights, but the rights of others. May we recognize that true happiness and liberty come in making ourselves slaves to our Lord. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the {life} which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

Due to the proliferation of murder mystery stories and police procedurals on television, most people are familiar with the term homicide. The term comes from the Latin “homo” – (man) and “cide” – (killing). Another familiar term is suicide. This term comes from the Latin “sui” – (oneself) and “cide” – (killing). Other terms that are well known: patricide (killing of a father); matricide (killing of a mother); infanticide (killing of a baby); and genocide (killing of an entire national or cultural group).

I recently came across another term in the same vein — menticide. The term comes from the Latin “ment” – (mind) and “cide” – (killing). The definition of menticide: The systematic undermining of a person’s beliefs, attitudes and values.

Continue reading “Committing Menticide” →

Balderdash – NONSENSE (Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary).

A popular board game around our house is called Balderdash. In the game, you anonymously submit a nonsensical definition of some obscure word, hoping that others are convinced that your “made up” definition is the correct one. In effect, you make the definition plausible enough to bluff someone into believing it is authentic. You can imagine the laughter when the definitions are read aloud. Of course, the cards used in the game have the real definition of the word, and are the final authority.

False teachers have done the very same thing from the beginning of time. They attempt to bluff the ignorant into accepting their doctrines as truth. The sophistry of these ungodly individuals has an appeal to it that is unmistakable. It’s appeal serves to deceive the credulous, and they are led away into the apostasy.

In the end, remember that there is only one real authority in religion. It is God’s Word. Despite the appeal and seeming plausibility of the sophist’s claims, all he really has to offer is balderdash.

(Many of you know that I write a weekly sports article for the River Oaks News. In the summer they let me write other kinds of articles. This one is to appear in the paper next week. They don’t let me write on religious topics, but sometimes I sneak in a spiritual value or two. I have a few other comments at the end of the article).

The news shows, magazines and internet have been humming recently with the news of the deaths of three well known entertainers.

Ed McMahon, sidekick to Johnny Carson, and host of Star Search lived to the age of 86. He died after a long battle with bone cancer, and a recent bout with pneumonia. His death, therefore, was not unexpected.

Farrah Fawcett, pinup girl and television star, died at the age of 62 after a long battle with cancer. Her death was long anticipated as well.

Continue reading “A True Tragedy” →

Social critic Russell Kirk has defined decadence as the loss of an aim or object in life. “Men and women become decadent when they forget or deny the objects of life, and so fritter away their years in trifles or debauchery.”

Against the Night, Charles Colson, p.56

The Bible reveals the truth to the above definition. This is especially so if the “object in life” forgotten is God!

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man–and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.”

Romans 1:20-25

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me” (Ezekiel 3:17).

“Ezekiel … was appointed a watcher over the exiled nation of Israel, and was in this capacity to continue the work of the earlier prophets, especially that of Jeremiah, with whom he in several ways associates himself in his prophecies; to preach to his contemporaries the judgment and salvation of God, in order to convert them to the Lord their God.”

Keil & Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament
Volume 9 (Ezekiel & Daniel), page 2

Ezekiel, as a prophet of God and preacher of righteousness, lived and served his God in the darkest of days of the kingdom of Israel. The people were in exile, chafing under Babylonian rule, and looking for relief. There were false prophets in the land who were willing to tickle the ears of a desperate people. Jeremiah recorded the people’s unwillingness to listen to the message of God’s prophets in Jeremiah 29:19, “because they have not heeded My words, says the LORD, which I sent to them by My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; neither would you heed, says the LORD.” He then pronounced God’s judgment against the false prophets in verses 20-23, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD, all you of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie to you in My name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall slay them before your eyes. And because of them a curse shall be taken up by all the captivity of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, ‘The LORD make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire’; because they have done disgraceful things in Israel, have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken lying words in My name, which I have not commanded them. Indeed I know, and am a witness, says the LORD.”

Continue reading “Watchmen for God” →

(And the Meaning of Life)

(Note: This Article, The Search for Immortality, (And the Meaning of Life) , was written by Tommy Davis, one of the members of the West Side congregation. I commend the article to you).

A few weeks ago, as my family and I watched a movie, I noticed a recurring theme in all forms of literature and movies — the search for immortality. This is not a recent phenomenon. The Egyptian pharaohs went to great lengths to achieve immortality. In fact, their culture almost revolved around the afterlife and immortality. Legends exist from nearly every society about those searching for the magic elixir that will let them live forever. What a colossal waste of time! From the day man was created, we have been immortal souls. We die as a direct consequence of our own sin. God gave us all a soul that will live forever; however, our problem comes because men want to live forever on earth. Why? It is a broken place full of death, disease, and heartache because of sin.

Continue reading “The Search for Immortality” →

A very poor holy man lived in a remote part of China. Every day before his time of meditation in order to show his devotion, he put a dish of butter up on the window sill as an offering to God, since food was so scarce. One day his cat came in and ate the butter. To remedy this, he began tying the cat to the bedpost each day before the quiet time. This man was so revered for his piety that others joined him as disciples and worshipped as he did. Generations later, long after the holy man was dead, his followers placed an offering of butter on the window sill during their time of prayer and meditation. Furthermore, each one brought a cat and tied it to the bedpost.

Source Unknown

The moral to the story is this: Tradition can be a good thing. In fact, apostolic traditions form the canon of scripture, (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:2). However, the blind following of tradition can not only lead to absurd practices, but unscriptural ones, endangering our souls. Let us all know and understand the scriptural reasons behind all that we teach and practice.

(The following article was written by Tommy Davis, one of the members of the West Side congregation. I commend it to you. Stan)

Take a minute to answer this question, do you have dreams for the future? Do you want to be a doctor, make a scientific breakthrough or do you want to be a professional athlete? Some people dream of good health or being wealthy and living in a huge house. People in nearly every culture have dreams for the future. We hear about holding onto our dreams at events like graduations, and when we get married, we feel like a dream just came true. Most of us don’t dream of terrible events like death or destruction.

God has a dream for us too. When God created man, he longed to walk with man on earth and have relationships with us. For a while in the Garden of Eden, God walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day — Genesis 3:8. I often wonder what those conversations were like! This soon came to an end when sin entered our lives, and now we are separated from God. No longer do men walk with God and talk to him face to face. We are imperfect and impure; not fit to be in the presence of God. The relationship was broken!

Continue reading “Dreams” →

In two weeks, we will begin a Gospel Meeting with brother Jerry Fite, of Pasadena, TX. The effort will start on Saturday night at 7:30 pm, and will continue through the following Thursday. There will be a special Wednesday morning study together with our regular Sunday services and the weeknight preaching.

Jerry preaches for the Parkview congregation in Pasadena, and has been a faithful proclaimer of God’s word for many years. He is known to the brethren here, having spent a number of years at the Castleberry congregation as a young man, while his father Harold preached for that group. He held a meeting for our congregation in May of 1999, and we are glad to have him return to preach for us again.

Continue reading “The Importance of Gospel Meetings” →

Preachers sometimes compare notes about the congregations where they preach. I have noticed a term that several have used, (and I have used myself), to describe some Christians. The term is “high maintenance.”

Some cars are referred to as “high maintenance.” I came across a quote from a man who drove a Fiat. He said it stands for, Fix It All the Time. But, in his mind it was worth the headache to be able to drive a high performance machine. Of course, there are some jalopies that are high maintenance as well. Another word for these cars is “junk”, and they are hardly worth the effort to keep them running.

Some ladies are referred to as “high maintenance,” referring to the amount of attention they demand. They expect constant gifts and attention, and if they don’t get what they want their feelings are hurt or they lose interest. Used in this way, the term is certainly not a compliment. Nor is it normally a complement when a preacher refers to a Christian as “high maintenance.” However, it is not always a negative thing either.

Continue reading “High Maintenance” →

(Note: This short article was written by a member at West Side, Tommy Davis. As the article is brief, in the bulletin I added the quotes from George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. I commend Tommy’s article to you. Stan).

One of man’s greatest leaders said something that made me think. Being a Christian, I tried to put the saying in perspective.

President Ronald Reagan said:

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”

What will you do to keep the greatest nation on the earth from perishing? If we use worldly wisdom, our response would be to join the US Armed Forces! After all, America is the first country in history to have the power to conquer the earth and yet restrains itself. It is the only country in history to conquer other nations to free them from tyranny (and then let them rule themselves again). We are the good guys!

Continue reading “America – A Godly Nation?” →

I recently came across the following quote: “Where God places a period, let no man put a question mark.”

I understand the quote to mean that men must accept the decree of God in all things. This is something that is rarely seen in the world today. A premium is placed on skepticism and independence of thought. These things are considered virtuous, and have certainly helped to fuel discovery and advancement in human learning.

However, truth does not need discovery in the realm of religion. The mystery “has been revealed” (Colossians 1:26). The faith has been “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Further, it is impossible for man to determine for himself the proper path. “O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

It is certainly appropriate to question what God’s will is. We should study our Bibles daily, and use our God given intelligence to determine what it is that God has revealed to us. What we do not have the right to do is to question why God has said what he has said. Or, whether the words contained in scripture are beneficial to man in today’s society. May we say as the Psalmist, “Your hands have made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments” (Psalm 119:73).