The Gooch Lane church of Christ is a group of people in Madison, Alabama seeking to study the Bible and put God’s teachings into practice. We’d love to have you join us for Bible study and worship.
All in Bitterness
These kinds of divisions come up in the church, and they are ultimately personality conflicts rather than actual conflicts of right and wrong.
The holiday season is meant to be a time of joy and happiness in the year. Unfortunately, depression often can strike hardest this time of year, as well. And tragedies don’t automatically put on hold just because it’s supposed to be a “joyous time of year.” Dealing with the sadness and tragedies of life is difficult any time of the year, but perhaps even more pronounced during a festive season.
Two weeks ago, the following challenge was given:
Beginning today and each day until Thanksgiving, write down five blessings you enjoy in your life and give thanks for these in your prayers. Secondly, commit yourself to make no complaint or grumbling at least until Thanksgiving dinner. This means no grumbling about traffic, bills, government actions, or the like. It won’t be easy; are you up to it?
Did you take the challenge? If so, how did you do? The first part was likely easy; we are a people rich with blessings from God both spiritually and physically. However, the second may have proved more difficult; many things occur throughout each day that can elicit complaints with little forethought. If a few days of complaint free living proves difficult, is it possible to develop a lifestyle that remains free of it? The answer to this question is yes; although, a great deal of self-control is essential.
This coming September 11 will mark the 20th anniversary of the bombings of the Twin Towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, and the heroic downing of United Airlines Flight 93 to prevent terrorists from using the plane as a weapon against the United States. Those of age likely remember exactly where they were upon learning of this harrowing event and have difficulty accepting that enough time has passed that an entire generation knows these things only as historical events. As commemorations take place and multitudes of words are spoken about these tragedies, it provides good opportunity to be reminded of the spiritual lessons that can still be gained two decades later.
The people of God are troubled by the rapid downward spiral of morality. While there is a host of reasons for this decline, the overarching principle can be summed up in the word postmodernism. Briefly defined, postmodernism is the belief that there is no absolute truth; instead, each determines personal truth and lives by this personal standard.
Doctors sometimes refer to high blood pressure as “the silent killer” because people often do not know they have it until the damage happens. This article is not about physical health, but another silent killer condemned in the Scriptures.
