Archive for 'Articles'

This life is difficult at best. It is as quick and fragile as a vapor that appears for a little while then vanishes away (James 4:14). Moses says, “The length of our days is seventy years or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow for they quickly pass, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10). Jesus told his apostles that in this they would have trouble (John 16:33) and that the kingdom commitment will bring the blessing of persecution (Matt 5:11-12). Paul reminded Timothy that everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Tim 3:12).

            So, we ask where is the victory, the power, and the deliverance we long for and need to live this life? Well, as the title states, everything we need we find in God’s promises:

            His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through   these   he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through  them you             may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the  world caused   by evil desires (2 Pet 1:3–4 NIV).

            God’s promises are the source of our faith (Rom 10:17) and they are what enable us to live a life pleasing to God (Heb 11:1, 6). Our faith is the victory that has overcome this world (1 John 5:4). Lord willing, I’d like to spend the next few articles looking at some of God’s promises that can change our thoughts, hearts, and lives in 2012 if we let them.

            God tempts no man (James 1:13). God has not promised us that we will outgrow, outmaneuver, out-marry, or outsmart temptation. As long as we lived on this cursed earth, we will battle our own evil desire/lust that seeks to drag us away and entice us (James 4:14). This is where God’s promise helps us! When we are tempted to be unfaithful to God and His own will for our lives we must remember God’s precious promise to us in Christ Jesus. – No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it (1 Cor 10:13).

            So, when we are tempted, instead of longing for a promise that is not ours, let us remember the one that belongs to us in Christ!

                                                            Peace,

                                                                        Jay Don

              How are we supposed to deal with the ups and downs of life? Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. People can support us or turn against us. Circumstances can be in our favor or become adverse. Our own desires and emotions can motivate us or hinder us in faithfulness and devotion. We may face sickness, or we may face health.

            We often long for consistency in this life; we just want dependable circumstances and to be dependable ourselves. However, like the apostles, at the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus, we can find ourselves lacking in faithfulness, dependability and commitment.

³¹ Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:

“ ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will

       be scattered.’ ^{Zech 13:7}

³² But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

³³ Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

³⁴ “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

³⁵ But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same (Matt 26:31-35 NIV)

            God calls us by His gospel to the obedience that comes from faith (Rom 1:5), to be sure, but He never promises us that our relationships, circumstances, emotions, or our own performance will never let us down. We will in this life face troubles, trials, persecutions, and sin (John 16:33; James 1:2-4; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 John 1:7-9).

            What God promises us is that in this life He will never leave, nor forsake us (Matt 28:20; Heb 13:5-6) and what God requires of us is faith in Him to keep His promises (Rom 4:21; Heb 11:6).

            I want to encourage us this week to stop mourning the failure to find perfect people, relationships, circumstances, emotional states of being, and behavior and remember the sure and certain (assurance and conviction) aspect of faith – Jesus Christ, Himself!

            Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever – Heb 13:8. 

                                                                        Peace,

                                                                                    Jay Don

Paul spoke to the philosophers of his day, who taught that happiness within self is the ultimate goal of man, reminding them that the God who made the world is in fact the judge of all the world and wants all men to repent and seek Him (Acts 17:24–31).

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. ²⁵ And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. ²⁶ From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. ²⁷ God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ²⁸ ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

²⁹ “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill. ³⁰ In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. ³¹ For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” (NIV)

            The point here again for us is that God who made us has given us this time and place, in the world and in our lives (17:26) that we should repent (lit. meta/change + noias/mind) and seek Him and perhaps find Him (17:27).

            2012 is the year of “drawing near to God” so that He can draw near to us. God wants even to death on a cross that we should draw near to Him. The question for us is: do we want to draw near to Him? God bless you in 2012 to draw near to God through worship, study, and prayer.

                                                Peace to you in finding Him,

                                                                                    Jay Don

                 One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. ¹⁴ When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. ¹⁵ I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” ¹⁶ Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them (Mark 10:13-16 NIV).

            Jesus says, follow me on a number of occasions (Luke 9:23, 59; John 1:43), and we understand part of following to mean imitate (Matt 10:25; 1 John 2:6; 3:16). When in it comes to following/imitating, children are truly amazing examples of what to do and how to do it. They take what they see and appreciate about the one they are following and they do it. They notice some of the most uniquely identifiable traits that their example portrays and they imitate them. Children follow or imitate their heroes, the objects of their admiration, and they do it with a view toward becoming just like them. They do not sit for hours depressed that they are not perfect reflections of their examples; they just do what they can. They do not beat themselves up, because others do not understand, appreciate, or agree with their imitation; they simply watch and think about the one they want to be like and they imitate them. Children will imitate the one they admire even when they do not fully understand all the motives behind the actions of the one they love or get credit for it.

            Grown-ups, on the other hand, are not quite so easily satisfied. Grown-ups like to be able to understand why a mentor is doing what they do, just in case they need to improve it. Grown-ups like to be able to measure their level or degree of imitation, so they can know if they are doing a better job than someone else is. Grown-ups like to quit doing things that do not get them credit and recognition.

            Going back to Mark 10, in verses 17–23, we find the perfect example of a grown-up (rich young ruler) who wanted recognition for his accomplishments as better than that of others. He boasted of his performance (v. 20), but when it came to following/imitating the One who came to save him – he “went away sad” (Mark 10:22). He had missed the blessing of the Law by using it to measure his performance instead of letting it “lead him to Christ” (Gal 3:24). He admired Jesus in some regard, but he failed to love Him, so he failed to follow Him. If we find ourselves sad/frustrated like the Rich Young Man, perhaps we will be encouraged by the fact that “Jesus looked at him and loved him” (Mark 10:21), and by the fact that Jesus tells us plainly how to “enter the kingdom of God” – like a little child.

            God, our Father, help us to focus on Jesus (2 Cor 4:18; Heb 12:2), to act like Him (1 John 2:6), to love like Him (1 John 3:16), and to be satisfied with simply imitating Him every chance we get (Gal 2:20-21) instead of trying to judge our performance against that of others or ourselves (2 Cor 10:12) – Amen!

                                                Peace in following Him,

                                                                                    Jay Don

                “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matt 5:14-16 NIV).

            There is a tremendous opportunity this Sunday for each one of us to serve the God we worship by serving the people of Merkel in their time of need. Generosity and service are characteristics of our God and His Son Jesus Christ (1 Jn 3:16; Mark 10:45). Please do what you can to bring praise to God this Sunday (Matt 5:16).

                                                                        Peace in Him,

                        Jay Don

              There are two kinds of trees; some find streams of water and live to produce fruit and achieve their purpose, and some whose roots find no sustenance and die. Trees that die miss their purpose and become firewood in fireplaces or campfires.

                There are two kinds of people; some find their delight in God’s own word, and some find their delight in the counsel of worldly desires. People who find their delight in God’s word will live fruitful lives to the glory of God and achieve God’s purpose for their lives. People who find their delight in worldly desires will live for themselves and forfeit God’s purpose for their lives.

                God gets the glory when we choose His word as our delight, and we in turn get what God wants us to have – His blessing in all that we do!

The Psalmist says it like this:

¹    Blessed is the man

who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

or stand in the way of sinners

or sit in the seat of mockers.

²      But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

³      He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers.

⁴      Not so the wicked!

They are like chaff

that the wind blows away.

⁵      Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶      For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish. – Psalm 1 (NIV)

Give glory to God delight in His word and be blessed by Him.

                                                                                                                Jay Don

         We serve an amazing God who gives us amazingly powerful promises that are able to transform our minds, hearts, and lives if we will let them.

         God knows what we need. God has the power to take care of us. God is trustworthy to love and protect us. God is our source for all things. God encourages us in the difficulties and uncertainties of this life. Though we live life day by day in this perilous world, God is with us. God gives us victory above what we can contain. God will never change, and His promise lasts forever.

         These are simple truths are stated in scripture, but God knows that our hearts long for more than “just the facts, ma’am” as Joe Friday would say. Our God is a God who speaks clearly to our cogent thinking. God is also a God who writes for us poetry that speaks profoundly to the imagination of our hearts. I believe it was J.A. Beet who said, “…the inmost sanctuary of Holy Scripture is granted only to those who come to worship.”

Psalm 23

         The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

         he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul:

         he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness

         for his name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

         I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;

          thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:

         thou anointest my head with oil;

          my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

         and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

You can truly worship a God like that!

                                                                                           Peace,

                        Jay Don

It has been an exciting year so far at Tuesday/Thursday School. We have 24 students registered at this time and always looking for more. The last Thursday in September our students and teachers hosted a Grandparents’ Tea, we invited grandparents to come for tea & snacks in the family center. We had 26 grandparents come eat, read to, talk & color with their grandchild. It was a great morning for everyone.

To the Members of the Merkel Church of Christ:

      To say the boxes were appreciated is an understatement thank you so much from all of us here at Camp Deh Dadi II.  For many of the Soldiers the contents of the packages are a great blessing, including me.  Not sure if your Soldiers told you but the exchange shop or PX here is a tiny connex; twenty feet long and eight feet wide this includes a small fridge for sodas and Monster drinks, shelves and a register.  As you can imagine the actual contents of the PX are slim, add the large number of Soldiers and civilian workers so the toothpaste and soap quickly disappear.

      The magazines and books were and still are a great hit; they have been circulating from Soldier to Soldier, so thank you for that.  And I would certainly be lacking if I did not thank you on behalf of all the female Soldiers that you supported, the Military does not provide free feminine hygiene products.  Therefore, the females of FSC greatly appreciate your donations.

      To the Pastor and Staff and all the Members of the Church of Christ in Merkel, Texas we all thank you from the bottom of our hearts; you have truly made Soldiers happy.

      Please continue to pray for the Soldiers who spend a lot of time on the roads in harms way and working long hours making sure those vehicles run properly and safely.

      To the Family and Friends of SSG Jamie R Cole and SGT Jerald A Ruppelt, we are truly in your debt; you all have blessed many Soldiers here with your gifts.

      .

THOMAS BRADSHAW

The Taylor family would like to thank everyone for donating all the items.  As you can see they were and still are appreciated.  Thank you for showing these Soldiers that we do care about them here in the states and they are not forgotten.  Also, thank you to each person who adopted a Soldier and has been sending mail & packages to them even though you may not hear from them they are being encouraged, you are true servants.  This project is close to our hearts.  Love, Roger, Cynthia & Shauna

    Nearly 30 years ago, I taught at a Christian college in Florida. It was a great inspiration to the faculty when a distinguished scientist, Dr. A.W. Dicus, joined our number as academic dean. Dr. Dicus was a distinguished scientist, but had not found complete satisfaction in his work in a state university and decided that he wanted to devote part of his life to Christian education.

    Through the years that I worked under brother Dicus, he was a great source of strength and inspiration. As a young, inexperienced teacher, I could go to him for counsel and encouragement. I remember him as a disciple of Christ, a man of deep faith, and a man who expressed that faith in song. It was brother Dicus who wrote both the words and music of the song that is so popular in the church:

               “There is beyond the azure blue,

               A God concealed from human sight,

               He tinted skies with heavenly hue,

               And framed the worlds with his great might.

               There was, a long, long time ago,

               A God whose voice the prophets heard,

               He is the God that we should know,

               Who speaks from His inspired Word.

               Our God, whose Son upon a tree,

               A life was willing there to give,

               That He from sin might set men free,

               And evermore with Him could live.

               There is a God, He is alive,

               In Him we live, and we survive.

               From dust our God created man.

               He is our God, the Great I Am.”

    It is a source of spiritual strength to me to know these great words were written by a scientist. Brother Dicus died a few months ago, but he still lives whenever Christians sing, “There is a God….”

B.J. Humble

Borrowed from Merkel Messenger bulletin 9/11/1980