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  • Eugene Adkins 6:24 am on May 17, 2013 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: choices, , , Past Mistakes, ,   

    Don’t Live on the Spiriutal “What If” Street 

    For the past 8 months or so I’ve been working with maps as my daytime “profession.” The other day I saw an “interesting” street named “What If” and thought there are a lot more people living on that street than there are houses!

    Of all the “What If” streets we can live on, the spiritual one can be the roughest, yet we know it can be avoided to an extent. May I add that I believe there’s a difference between wondering “What if I had done this a little better?” and “What if I had done anything at all?”

    Paul encouraged people to follow him as he followed Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:1), he wished that all others were as he was with the exception of his chains (Acts 26:29), and at the end of his life he was content with his decisions, labor and destination (2 Timothy 4:6-8). Sounds to me like “What If Street” wasn’t on his spiritual map!

    Did Paul have regrets? Sure he did! But his advice for that topic was move off of “What If Street” and move over to “Press Ahead Avenue” (Philippians 3:13-14).

    Life can be hard, and there will be times when we’re going to make the wrong choices; but we can choose the right Savior. We can choose the Savior who will help us move off of that spiritual “What If Street” and right into a home located on “Heavenly Homes Boulevard” that He has built just for us.

    “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” (John 14:1-4 – NKJV)

     

  • Eugene Adkins 6:50 am on January 23, 2013 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Acts 1, Apostles, choices, Church Leadership, , ,   

    Why Roll The Dice When You Can Open The Book? 

    I listened to a sermon yesterday by a preacher for the churches of Christ that made me scratch my head at one point. I can’t say I know much at all about the congregation (although I have my ideas), but what I do know is that they listened to a sermon that I believe missed the point. The preacher was preaching from verses in Acts 1. A great place to study with great points mind you! But the confusion came in when the church, led by Peter’s understanding of the need to replace Judas’ apostleship (bishoprick), needed to choose between Barsabas and Matthias in Acts 1:15-26. The result was that the church ended up casting lots to help reveal God’s will in choosing between the two men.

    So the question was/is/may be asked why doesn’t the church do such things today? Is it a reflection of a lack of faith, trust or willingness to allow God to choose if we do not do such things when it comes to leadership or other issues in life? The answer is a resounding, “No!”

    For one, the situation in Acts 1 called for the replacement of Judas, and replacing Judas meant that only “one office” was available while two men were candidates. That’s a problem that needed a solution and a solution was found. When it comes to leadership today, the office an elder/pastor/bishop is not restricted to the necessity of one man being chosen…hence no need to roll the dice to choose only one. As a matter of fact the evidence found points in the opposite direction – a plurality of men need to be chosen, not a single individual.

    For another reason, there is no need for dice because the qualifications for elders/pastors/bishops are given in the scriptures (1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9). Once men have been found who desire to serve the church, the church needs to pray and spend time of great care before the men are given this position of great responsibility. Not one time did Paul tell Timothy or Titus to leave the choosing of these leaders up to the roll of the dice, but rather that the decision should be made carefully keeping in mind the qualifications and the works (ultimately the revealed heart) of the men (1 Timothy 5:22, 24-25).

    When one reads the scriptures found in God’s word there are always lessons to be learned, but not always actions to be copied. To say that one must roll the dice to make a decision of a spiritual matter because the apostles did such does necessarily hold water. Did not Gideon (Judges 6:37-40) use fleece to make a decision? Yes, he did, but that doesn’t mean we need to do the same, does it? Different means were used in the past to make a multitude of spiritual decisions, but why try to use them when it comes to appointing leadership in the church after the clear qualifications and directions have already been given? The apostles were not playing games when they rolled the dice nor is the Spirit of God when He has revealed the will of God through God’s word for God’s church (1 Timothy 3:14-15).

    When it comes to making major spiritual decisions the scriptures encourage prayer, careful consideration and the study of God’s word; but I see no evidence that the word of God encourages people today to cast lots when it to comes to choosing the leadership in the church. Why roll the dice when you can open the book? Let no one confuse you, a person shows a faith pleasing to God when they simply follow the word that He has given in the scriptures (Romans 10:17).

     

  • Eugene Adkins 6:50 am on July 9, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: choices, , , , ,   

    “Proverbs Are The Piths” (8) 

    Solomon uses what I consider to be a classic way of explaining things to children in his lesson in Proverbs 4: “When I was a boy….” The point of ch. 4 is that if it worked then, it’ll work now!

    Verses 1-4: Here we have a little father and son moment. It seems as if Solomon’s expectation is that if anybody would want to listen to him it would be his own son. He had visitors from all over the world, but the most important ears lived under the same roof. He doesn’t say, “Hear what the king has to say!” He says, “Hear what your father has to say.” Maybe a good point in verse 3 that all of us “old fogies” would do good to get is to remember what it was like to be young, and sometimes dumb because of it :) Also, don’t miss the compliment being paid to David right there.

    Verses 5-9: Wisdom is the lady who won’t lead you wrong. Solomon is talking about a whole other lady here in chapter 4 than he’ll talk about in chapter 5! She is to be the principle thing, not to be forsaken; when she’s exalted and embraced she will reward accordingly with the best crown a king could wear.

    Verses 10-19: Wisdom will keep others from hurting you, and you from hurting yourself. In these verses there is the ”way of wisdom” and the “way  of the wicked” and finally the question “which way will you follow?” The gist is that the truth has always been the narrow way!

    Verses 20-27: Right is never left and left won’t lead right no matter how many times you turn – keep it between the lines and stay straight, Solomon says. He urges his son to keep his eyes on the prize and the goal in the middle of his heart. He introduces a theme that will he use again too, “keep your heart with all diligence….“

    A lot of things can be said of Solomon, one of which includes that he had a desire for his children to make the right choices. I guess anyone today who is honest enough to admit when they’ve made the wrong choices should want at least this much for their own children as well; if not all children in general!

     

  • TFRStaff 6:48 am on November 15, 2011 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: choices, , decisveness   

    Decision and indecision 

    “Decision is a sharp knife that cuts clean and straight; indecision, a dull one that hacks and tears and leaves ragged edges behind it.” –Gordon Graham

    Joshua 24:14-15 :“Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

    “Thoughts For Today to Brighten Your Day” by Glenn, Mercedes and Lauren Hitchcock

     

  • J. Randal Matheny 8:44 pm on May 7, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , choices,   

    Choose! book is here 

    Here, as in, in the hands of the person responsible for sending them out to you when you order. I  will have one in my little fingers on Wednesday, Lord permitting. Here’s some quick info:

    TODAY FROM THE PRINTER! Forthright Press’ newest book!

    CHOOSE! 13 Choices to Transform Your Heart and Soul is just in time for a great graduation gift, a personal motivator or a group study.

    Life is not predetermined nor destined. People have great power in their choices. In almost poetical language, the author hones in on important choices such as contentment, gratitude, failure, health, humor, people, focus and ambition, among others.

    For more information, see this PDF file or go to the website:

    http://forthrightpress.com

    “Well written, this book encourages and motivates the reader to make wise, scriptural choices in life. A book not easy to put down, it is excellent for the classroom, coffee table or as a gift.” – Glenda Williams, Geneva, Alabama

    Now, back to our regularly programming.

     

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