Editor’s Note: I seldom post articles from other writers in our bulletin. I really enjoy writing! However, I came across this article just this past week that relates so well to the sermon I preached last Sunday on “Unconditional Love,” from First Corinthians 13. It explains the principles from that text in a more contemporary style that I believe helps bring out their meaning more clearly. Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher hold the record for the longest marriage in American history: 86 years, 290 days. When asked to explain their secret, Zelmyra said, “There is no secret. It’s God who has kept us together.” She was not implying that marriage was always easy. It isn’t. Great marriages take hard work, but they are far from impossible. Consider the following keys to a great marriage.
By: Gary L. Hutchens How does God answer prayer? We know how we want God to answer our prayers. We want Him to grant our requests, whatever they might be, and preferably right now. We want God to answer “Yes!” God always answers the prayers of the righteous (Jer. 33:3), but anyone who prays knows that His answer is not always “yes."
By: Gary L. Hutchens Many people are reluctant to be baptized into Christ because they are uncertain as to exactly what living a Christian life will be like. They’re not exactly sure what Christianity is all about, and they’re not sure they can live the Christian lifestyle. A brief overview of Christianity can be seen under the heading “The Grace, The Groan, And The Glory."
By: Gary L. Hutchens Foolishness can be observed in various forms all around us, including in our personal lives. In some forms foolishness is basically just harmless fun, as long as it is not carried too far. Everybody needs to take some time to relax, have some fun, as my parents used to put it, cut up a little. As long as it is kept in proper perspective, with no harm being done, that kind of foolishness can actually be productive, having a rejuvenating effect and contributing to having a good time without negative consequences.
By: Gary L. Huchens A previous article dealt with a study on the mind of Christ, focusing primarily on the text on the subject in Paul’s letter to the Philippians (Phlp. 2:1-8). Paul lists many characteristics that exemplify the mind of Christ that we should implement into our lives as Christians- unity, fellowship, love, humility, obedience, sacrifice, service. Paul’s admonition, in the middle of the text, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,” is an instruction, not a suggestion. We’re supposed to implement the mind of Christ in our lives. How can we do that?
By: Gary L. Hutchens In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul penned a magnificent text of scripture on The Mind Of Christ (Phlp. 2:1-8). In the first four verses of the text he listed character traits that ought to exemplify a Christian’s life. In the last three verses he gave examples of the mindset displayed by Christ in His coming to this earth, living as a man and going to the cross to offer His life as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Perhaps most intriguing is verse five, right in the middle of the text, in which Paul admonished, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” We are to have the mind of Christ!
By: Gary L. Hutchens I usually devote a bulletin article near the beginning of most every year to review the year past and look forward to the year ahead. I’ve described it as Looking Through The Rearview Mirror And The Windshield. I typically review attendance figures, outreach ministries and baptisms, comparing the hard statistics from the year gone by with those of the year or two before that. Needless to say, the COVID pandemic eliminated the possibility of doing such an analysis.
By: Gary L. Hutchens This is probably the strangest beginning of a new year that any of us has ever experienced. We’ve just come through the strangest ten months any of us has ever experienced, and the source of that strangeness, the COVID 19 virus, is still with us and seems to be going strong. What is your outlook for this year? A more focused question, How Are You Planning To Serve The Lord This Year?
By: Gary L. Hutchens As we enter into a new year, there’s a question that should be up front in everybody’s mind: “How’s My Relationship With God?” At about this time every year people consider the status of their lives. They reflect on what happened to them last year, the state of their right now, and they look ahead to what is realistically appearing before them on the horizon.
By: Gary L. Hutchens “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:1-2).
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