by John Thiesen

From the earliest times of human history, men have sought God. There seems to be in humankind an innate need to look to a higher power and to know the Creator.

In this search for God, people do not have to look far to see that God exists. Nature is a great teacher in this respect: "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Rom. 1:20). God's creative power, benevolence, order; and love of beauty are all painted on the canvass of nature.

However, there are many things about God which nature cannot show us. For example, it does not reveal God's plans for us, nor His will for us. Nature does not tell us what to do to be saved from our sins or how to worship God. It does not reveal God's past dealings with our forefathers; neither does it tell about future things such as heaven, hell, or the judgment day. To know these things about which nature is silent, we need a revelation from God.

Many attempts have been made to find God in various ways, all of which have failed. Some have turned to worshipping nature itself, but that is serving the creature rather than the creator (Rom. 1:25). Others have carved, molded, or engraved images to worship, but these have no breath in them and are unable to see, hear, speak, walk, or to do anything to help the worshippers. Others have tried philosophy and meditation, but these have also failed because "it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps" (Jer. 10:23).

At various times in history God has revealed Himself through inspired prophets and apostles by miracles, dreams, visions, and signs. These men of God spoke by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21).

In the fullness of time, God sent His own Son, who is the ultimate revelation of the invisible God. God "was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory" (1 Tim. 3:16). In times gone by, God spoke to the fathers by the prophets, but now "hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son" (Heb. 1:1,2).

This revelation has been deposited into permanent, written form in the Holy Scriptures. The Bible contains the history of God's appearances and work in the world, His laws, His teachings, and the life story of His Son and Savior of the world, Jesus Christ the Son of God. When we read, believe, and obey these Scriptures, eternal life will be ours. "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name" (Jn. 20:31).

Thanks to The Voice of Truth International, Vol 19.

by Bobby Dockery

One of the most disheartening human experiences is loneliness — the empty feeling of being cut off and isolated from other people. The greatest loneliness, however, is not that of a person who is separated and isolated from other human beings. The greatest loneliness of all is loneliness of the soul — the spiritual isolation of a person who is separated from God!

Sadly, spiritual loneliness is a common condition in our world. Far too many people feel cut off and remote from God. For them God seems unapproachable, withdrawn, and unconcerned. They feel isolated from Him primarily because they have failed to take advantage of the following ways in which God seeks to maintain vibrant fellowship with His people.

Bible Study. The Bible is a divinely authored account of God’s dealings with men and women of the past, as well as an authentic record of His will for men and women today. It claims to have been inspired or "breathed-out" by God (2 Tim. 3:16). In a very real sense, then, the Bible is God speaking to man. Spiritual strength, comfort, and hope are available in the Word of God. Peter urges us to develop an appetite for the sincere milk of the Word as a prerequisite to spiritual health and fulfillment (1 Pet. 2:2)

Prayer. Prayer is the spiritual life-line which binds the Christian to God. Prayer is a reservoir of spiritual strength. It literally ushers the Christian into the presence of God. The tragedy of spiritual loneliness is that it is so unnecessary! We need only to speak to be heard! Jesus taught: "Ask and it shall be given unto you, seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you" (Matt. 7:7).

Worship. Worship offers a third bridge between God and man. In worship, humanity calls upon divinity, and God draws near to man. Jesus promised: "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matt. 18:20). Assembling with like-minded Christians for the purpose of praising God and celebrating His power and goodness is an act of fellowship which dispels spiritual loneliness.

When you feel isolated and alone, seek the presence of God! "Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you" (Jms. 4:8). And remember that God has promised to those that come to Him: "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Heb. 13:5).

By Roger E, Dickson

On the first day of the week, Sunday, Christians bring their worshipful spirits together in order to praise God as an assembled group. They come together to remember Jesus and the grace of God that was poured out for them when Jesus died on the cross (Titus 2:11).

An important part of this Sunday assembly is the communion of Christians with one another and with Jesus around the Lord's table. Early Christians came together on the first day of each week in order to partake of the Supper (Acts 20:7), and Christians today also participate in this memorial feast which was instituted by Jesus. Matthew 26:26,28 states: "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body.' Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.'" Concerning the bread of the Supper, Jesus revealed that Chris-tians must remember Him when they eat of the bread. "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you, do this in remembrance of Me" (1 Cor. 11:24).

Concerning the fruit of the vine, Jesus said that it represented the blood of the new covenant that Christians have made with Him. He said, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me" (1 Cor. 11:25). The bread that Jesus used when the Supper was instituted was unleavened, that is, without yeast. It was unleavened because Jesus and His disciples were at the time eating the unleavened bread of the Passover Feast of the Jews (Exo. 34:25; Lev. 7:17). The fruit of the vine was juice from vines, specifically the juice from grape vines (Mark 14:24,25). The New Testament does not say that either the bread or fruit of the vine turn into the literal body and blood of Jesus. Neither does it say that Jesus' body and blood are present in the elements.

The bread and fruit of the vine represent Jesus' body and blood. Jesus used these two physical things — bread and fruit of the vine — to represent two spiritual truths of Christianity. These truths are that He gave His fleshly body and poured out His blood for our salvation. When we partake of the Supper, therefore, we remember Jesus. We proclaim that He died for us. In doing this, we examine ourselves. The Bible says, "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes" (1 Cor. 11:26). Christians must search their hearts at the time they eat and drink of the Supper. "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup" (1 Cor. 11:28).

Remember the Unity of the Church Another important remembrance involved in partaking of the Supper is to consider the oneness of the body of Christ. The Bible says, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, being many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread" (1 Cor. 10:17). When we partake of the bread, therefore, we must remember the unity of the church. We are one church, one spiritual family, because we have obeyed the one Gospel by immersion into the body of Christ. The Bible says, "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…" (1 Cor. 12:12,13).

by Ancil Jenkins

Most have heard the old story of the man who refused to stand up when the preacher asked the audience how many wanted to go to heaven. "Don't you want to go to heaven when you die?" the preacher asked. "Oh, I want to go to heaven when I die," the man replied. "I thought you were getting up a group to go today."

How true of so many to see heaven as the only reward of Christianity. Paul said that godliness is profitable, not only for the life to come, but for this life also (1 Tim. 4:8). Even if there were no spiritual, eternal benefits from being a Christian, there are enough temporal benefits to make such a life worthwhile.

Christianity is profitable physically. The Christian regards his body as the temple of the Holy Spirit, and therefore respects and cares for it (1 Cor. 6:19; Eph. 5:29). Harmful abuse from carelessness or use of drugs is not respecting the temple of the Holy Spirit. With such an attitude on the part of many people in the world, a Christian should naturally live longer, but because he has taken care of his health, his quality of life should also be much higher than average. He feels good enough to enjoy so many of life's blessings.

Christianity gives an economic benefit. We are called to be honest in all things. As Christians we are to give a full day's work for a day's pay. God's children do not work to please men, but work for their secular masters as if they worked for the Lord. Christian business should provide courtesy, service, and honesty, and such a business should prosper (Rom. 12:17; Eph. 6:6,7). Yet, personal satisfaction and security are not the only reasons a Christian earns money. He desires to have enough to share with those who have less (Eph. 4:28).

Christianity is also profitable from an emotional standpoint. I am constantly amazed and even amused that so many self-help programs are based largely on Biblical teachings. This does not say that some Christians will not have to seek help, guidance, and even therapy. However, unlike the non-Christian, God's child has the resources to meet life's stresses and make life's decisions, if he will only avail himself of them. The resulting security and self-assurances provide strong, healthy, and lasting relationships, strengthening every phase of life.

Even with all these wonderful physical benefits, still the greatest blessings of Christianity are the spiritual ones. One can endure a lifetime of sickness, pain, and disability and still have hope of the richest of all blessings. Even living in abject poverty without any of life's luxuries is not the greatest loss in the world. The greatest loss is the loss of the soul. And contrary to what most humans think, the greatest gain is to depart from this world and be with Christ, to live eternally with Him. What a blessing it is to serve the Lord! It pays both now and throughout eternity.

(Thanks to The Voice of Truth International, Vol 39.)

by Warren Baldwin

"Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house of sand. The rain came down and the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash" (Matt. 7:24-27).

When I was a kid we sang a song that was written to the words of this passage. We got to clap our hands and raise our voices. It was a fun song. But this passage is more than just about being about a fun song for kids. It is about life. Even eternity.

I've helped build houses. I know something of the process. A house gets built one two-by-four at a time. One brick at a time. It is a process.

And life is the same way. When we are younger we may look at a successful older person and say, "You know, when I am her age, or his age, I want to be a lot like that person. I want the financial success they have. Or I want the success in their family they have - married 35 years and still happy and in love. Or, I'd like to have a position in a company or a school like they have attained."

And you know, we can have it, if we work at it, one brick at a time. Success in any field does not come all at once. It is a process that we work on over time. Each decision. Each right action we take. Each act of unselfish service to others. Each exercise of self-discipline. Each extra college course or training program we subject ourselves to. Each act of character and honor. All of these mental decisions and actions are a brick or a two-by-four that we insert into the construction of our lives. And over time, we have successful life.

But the house is only part of the story. You can't add bricks or two-by-fours to a structure until there is something to build that structure upon -a firm foundation.

I saw a house in Wyoming a few years ago that was selling at an unbelievably low price. It was a large house in a nice part of town. And the bank was almost giving it away. Why? The foundation. It wasn't a good one. And the house was literally collapsing. Walls were cracking, windows were popping out. The house was a practically being given away ... because no one wanted it.

And Jesus said we better give ample care to the foundation of our lives. Of course, I think this is saying that JESUS ought to be the foundation of our lives. His values and ethics and priorities ought to become our own. But the truth is, Jesus said, many do not pick such a sure foundation. And they live their lives looking for happiness and meaning and substance only to be sadly disappointed. The walls of their lives crack and collapse, because their foundation is something or someone other than Jesus. Only one kind of life can stand the pressures and strains of this life and still emerge happy and meaningful, and that is a life built on the foundation of Jesus Christ.