Fill-Your-Cup Friday: The Rule of Three

Recently I read a short little piece entitled, “A Rule of Three.” I think you will agree with its sentiments.

Three things to govern:

            Temper, Tongue, Conduct

Three things to cultivate:

            Courage, Affection, Gentleness

Three things to commend:

            Thrift, Industry, Promptness

Three things to despise:

            Cruelty, Arrogance, Ingratitude

Three things to wish for:

            Health, Contentment, Friends

Three things to admire:

            Dignity, Intellectual Power, Gracefulness

Three things to give:

            Alms to the needy, Comfort to the sad, Appreciation to the worthy

And I add on-Things to do:

            Study the word of God, Obey it, Teach it to others

These just make some good resolutions for us to make anytime and for the rest of our lives.

Ernest S. Underwood

South Florida Avenue Messenger

Thankful Thursday

O come, let us sing unto the Lord:

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving,

and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

3 For the Lord is a great God,

and a great King above all gods.

4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth:

the strength of the hills is his also.

5 The sea is his, and he made it:

and his hands formed the dry land.

6 O come, let us worship and bow down:

let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

7 For he is our God;

and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Psalm 95:1-7

Work-To-Do Wednesday: Be Fruitful

          Summer is in full swing now. Summer is hot anywhere but especially in the south. One of the things I love to help keep cool in the summer is fruit. I LOVE fruit. During the summer I start thinking about how God in his infinite wisdom, provided it for us and knew the best time for it to be ripe. Then I am reminded of God’s commandment for us to bear fruit (Romans 7:4). So what kind of fruit are we to bear? According to 2 Peter 1:5-7, the fruit of the spirit.

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.”

2 Peter 1:5-7

            There is a misconception among many Christians that they can be unfruitful, unfaithful and unconcerned yet God will accept them because he is a loving God. This is not the case. The church at Laodicea was lukewarm. They were not producing fruit; they had become complacent and thus became utterly distasteful to the Lord. We must be on constant watch that we do not fall into the same trap and die one limb at a time. We must be working and bearing fruit for the Lord. 

“Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.”

Romans 7:4

ToughTruthTuesday-Is He Really Everything?

     If someone where to look at your life, what would they see? If I asked your neighbors what sports team you cheer for, would they know? Would they tell me you go on vacation every summer? Would they tell me you have a love for animals? Do they think you are patriotic because there is a flag hanging from your porch? Would they tell me they think you attend church somewhere because you always leave your home dressed up on Sunday mornings? Would they be able to tell me that you have invited them to go with you? As Christians, Jesus is to be everything to us, but are we living like he is? If Jesus is truly everything to us, shouldn’t it be reflected in our actions? How does the world know Jesus is everything to us? How do they know he is the Savior of the world (1 John 4:14)? How do they know he is our prophet, priest and king?

They should see a difference in us. They should see a difference because we put the Lord in his rightful place-First. Luke 14:26; Acts 3:23 We are not told that it is difficult to be a disciple of the Lord’s, if we do not put him first; we are told it is not possible. We cannot be his disciple if we do not put him first. If we put the Lord in his rightful place can we go and do things that he has commanded us not to? Can we gossip if what we say is true? Can we lie when we would just rather go fishing than to work? Can we cheat on our taxes? Can we steal supplies from our workplace? Can we discuss how funny that new sitcom is that pushes the homosexual agenda? Can we use our social media pages to vent about our boss, friends, or family? Can we wear shorts, bikinis or strapless dresses that leave little to the imagination and expect the world to see a difference in us? You get the idea. If we have him in his rightful place it will show in all aspects of our lives. We won’t dress like the world. We won’t watch what the world says is okay. We won’t talk as the world does because we are different. We are called out (Romans 12:2). Does being different, putting the Lord first and denying ourselves mean we cannot live without any modern conveniences or luxuries (Luke 14:26)? Absolutely not! Of course if we have these blessings we should certainly be thankful for them and utilize them. Luke 14:26 teaches simply, that we cannot love anything else more than the Lord, be it the world, family members or material possessions.

Our neighbors will know Jesus is everything to us when they see us repent and ask for forgiveness when we make mistakes. Being children of God doesn’t mean we are perfect people. Finally, they will know Jesus is everything to us when they see an ever-present hope and joy in us. As children of God, we don’t have to worry about the future (Matthew 6:34) and we know there is a place in heaven reserved for us (1 Peter 1:4). Why should we not be the happiest people on earth? Why should we not want everyone to experience the joy and peace we feel?

If our neighbors truly see Jesus being everything to us, rather than us just professing so, they might take more interest in this message we’re trying to share with them. Don’t underestimate the power of your influence. We will never reach lost souls who see nothing different about our lives compared to theirs.  

Motivational Monday-Let's Get With It.

         Do you know what the fastest growing religion was in the US in 2012? It wasn’t Christianity. According to this article, Islam is the fastest growing religion in America. How much did the church of Christ grow in 2012 you may ask? According to the Christian Chronicle, the church of Christ is declining, with approximately 102,000 fewer people than 2003. Why is it on the decline? We’ve quit growing because we’ve quit working!

What are you doing right now in service of our Lord? Are you working and serving everyday or are you just professing to love the Lord? The phrase “faith without works” occurs in the book of James three times. Now, in this writer’s opinion, if our Lord took the time to mention something once it is important, but if he mentioned THREE TIMES I really sit up and take notice because this is obviously something that is extremely important. Obviously it is easy to have faith and proclaim to love the Lord, but do you actions show that love? James tells us they must.

To make a list of everything we can do in service of our Lord is beyond my realm of capability, so I will name just three.

1.      Attend! Be supportive by attending worship services and activities of your local congregation. We are not to forsake the assembly (Heb. 10:24-25). You may not always feel like going, but when you spend time with your spiritual family, you will be uplifted and encouraged. If you are feeling down, remember that others cannot read your mind so ask for their prayers and encouragement.

2.    Exhort and encourage! Point number one mentioned, that there may be those among us who need our encouragement (Jude 1:3; Acts 14:21). Recognize their need and uplift them (Heb. 10:25). Pray for them! Obviously, this requires a closeness to one another. It requires us to know what is going on in the lives of our brothers and sisters, so don’t be afraid to share your struggles and accomplishments, but be sure to encourage others to do the same.

§  Send a card to the sick and widowed each month to let them know they are thought of.

§  Visit those who must remain at home and take a basket of goodies to them. Need frugal basket ideas? Check out my Pinterest board here.

§  Prepare and take food to those who have recently lost a loved one or have a new baby (also remember those who adopt or are foster parents-they need help too!)

3.     Teach! This is nonnegotiable (Mark 16:15). We should desire to tell EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. we come in contact with about the one who can save them-the one who died for them. We need to train our minds to carry this out. How long has it been since you had a personal Bible study with someone? I know what you’re thinking…”No one is interested in hearing about the Savior.” You’re wrong.

§  Place your name & phone number or email in an informational tract. Leave them on the table when you go out to eat, in the waiting room of doctor, dentist & vet offices. Mail them out with the bills you pay. Hand one to the boy who helps you carry out your groceries. Give them to the air conditioner repairman and the pest control inspector when they visit your home.

God told us to sow the seed. Interested souls may be harder to find, but they are out there. We just need a refresher course on finding them.

“Evangelism is not a talent; it’s a command.”

-Steve Higginbotham