Taking Time ~Jay Launius, Maud, TX Church of Christ~
Think about the old favorite hymn “Take Time to be Holy”. Considering the theme of this
song it’s easy to see that in order to do anything worth while it takes time. No matter what we might be engaged in or trying to accomplish, it will take a concentrated effort along with time to see the end result. For instance, think of the time you spent getting ready for church services. You spent time in reading and study so that you could be prepared for bible study hour. You filled in the blanks of the questions and made notes in your workbook. You took the time to get up early enough so that you could be here at 10 AM thus reaping the benefits of group Bible study, keeping in mind the words of Paul when he told Timothy to “Be diligent (study) to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15). Perhaps you took the time last week to do something good for someone in need. You could have spent your time doing something you enjoyed but you sacrificed a little of your personal time in order to make someone more comfortable. By doing so you fulfilled “the Law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2) and let other people see Jesus Christ in you. Maybe you took the time to pray to our Heavenly Father. Everyday you set aside some time from your busy day to talk to God. As you continue your talks with Him, you get closer and closer to Him. We know this because the Bible tells us that if we draw near to God, He in turn will draw near to us (James 4:8). We are to pray and pray often, without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) so that we can continue to develop a personal relationship with the Almighty God through our Savior Jesus Christ. If you did not take time to serve God last week, then let us encourage you to begin to serve Him today. Make that commitment to take time everyday to talk to God, love Him with all of your heart, mind, strength and soul. Take the time to serve others first, then yourself. If we will but apply these principles into our everyday lives, they will be full, busy, fruitful and rewarding. A life where we “take time to be holy” will lead us down that narrow, rocky, and difficult path (Matthew 7:13-14) toward that final place with God (John 14:1-4).
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Praise The Lord! ~Jonathan Anderson, Smithville, TN Church of Christ~
Maybe you’ve heard the story of the man who was trying to teach his horse to obey and to stop and start on command. Being a very religious man, he came up with a couple of religious statements to use in training his horse. He trained the horse to go forward when he said, “Praise the Lord!” He also trained the horse to stop when he said, “Hallelujah!” One day while riding the horse got spooked and took off running. The man lost control of the horse and forgot the religious words he taught the horse. The horse had been trained to go forward only when the man said “Praise the Lord” and to stop only when he said, “Hallelujah!” Up ahead was a cliff, and the horse was headed there full speed. The man tried thinking of every religious word he’d ever heard of. He shouted, “Amen! Jesus saves! Worthy is the lamb! Holy is our God!” But nothing worked. Just as the horse approached the edge of the cliff, the man shouted out, “Hallelujah!” The horse stopped on a dime, right there on the edge. The man then wiped his head and said, “Whew, Praise the Lord!” Here’s the point: Praising the Lord is not some kind of casual meaningless activity. Not only is praising the Lord scriptural, it is also purposeful and powerful.
Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: Praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: Praise him according to his excellent greatness. Psalm 150:1-2 KJV
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