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By: Gary L. Hutchens Happiness, or its absence, is on the mind of a great many people. It is the subject of countless articles and books designed to educate people on how to be happy. It is subjective by nature, largely because it is based upon personal likes and pleasures that are subject to change at most any time. Ask twenty different people what makes them happy, and you’ll likely get twenty different answers, and those same twenty people may change their answers based upon what day of the week or time of day it is.
By: Gary L. Hutchens The word “if” is a little word with big implications. We use this word on a frequent basis. It indicates a condition upon which a subsequent action or result will take place, and it is used with both a positive and a negative emphasis.
By: Gary L. Hutchens Being a Christian is not just wearing a title. The name Christian is not an identification of some segment of our life. Being a Christian is who I am and what I am. Christianity is not a part of my life, relegated to prescribed time periods during certain days of the week. Christianity is my life, my whole life, 24/7.
By: Gary L. Hutchens Tomorrow we celebrate Labor Day, a federal holiday set aside to honor the working people of this nation. The first Labor Day was celebrated on Sept. 5, 1882 in New York City. It was made a national holiday in 1894. While the holiday was originally designed to recognize organized labor, it has become a holiday for all workers. For many, it marks the end of summer and begins the activities of the fall season. It is somewhat interesting that a day designated as Labor Day is celebrated with a day taken off from laboring.
By: Gary L. Hutchens Surely, none of us would believe that God is pleased when He observes the widespread division that is prevalent among those who call themselves Christians today. Perhaps the most quickly observed indicator of the division is the different names on the fronts of church buildings. It’s not a matter of subtle differences in description, but a wide variation of names that point to all kinds of characteristics of the different religious groups. It’s interesting, and perhaps telling, as to how many of those names make absolutely no reference to either God or Christ.
By: Gary L. Hutchens How many times does God have to say something for it to be true? Just once! How many times does God have to say something for it to be authoritative? Just once! How many times does God have to say something for whatever He said to demand our respect? Just once! How many times does God have to instruct something for it to be binding? Just once!
By: Gary L. Hutchens “These are trying times.” How often have you heard this statement? Have you ever wondered who first said this and to what times he was referring? Obviously, he was referring to the times in which he lived. When do you suppose that was, and what, specifically, prompted him to say it? Well, it’s a fairly subjective statement, so he could have been talking about any of a whole host of matters. I have no idea, but I suspect it has been repeated for centuries, perhaps for millennia.
By: Gary L. Hutchens Jesus admonished, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). Why do so many people have such difficulty staying faithful? The “crown of life” signifies eternal life in Heaven. Eternal life is a “gift” offered to us “in Christ” by God’s grace (Rom. 6:23). Our responsibility in receiving this gift is, first, obedience (Heb. 5:9), and then, having received this gift, to continue to “be faithful until death.” We’re not talking surface level faith; God expects us to live a lifestyle of faithfulness until the day we die, even to the point of dying for our faith if necessary.
By: Gary L. Hutchens We find the phrase “sound doctrine” used several times in the New Testament (1 Tim. 1:8-11; 2 Tim. 4:3; Tit. 1:9; 2:1). The word doctrine simply means “teaching.” To qualify doctrine as being sound would identify it as being truthful, accurate, reliable, trustworthy. As applied to biblical teaching, sound doctrine would be teaching that accurately communicates God’s will by staying true to His word.
By: Gary L. Hutchens A Christian should stand out in the crowd. Not in the sense that he should purposely call undue attention to himself, but from the perspective of character. A Christian should be distinct from the world.
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July 2021
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