Bible Thoughts by Jim Yopp (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/3700/)
"At last the Lord has made room for us, and we will
be fruitful in the land"(Genesis 26:22).
Isaac trusted in the Lord to take care of him and his family.
He was willing to make sacrifices in order to please the Lord
knowing the Lord would guide and bless him in whatever occurred.
In the passage above, Isaac gave credit to the Lord for the blessings
he was receiving and the fruitfulness that he would receive from
the Almighty.
The Philistines had covered the wells dug by Abraham. Isaac now
needed water for his flocks and begin digging for water to satisfy
his needs and the needs of his flocks.
Isaac was a patient man. When he dug the first well of "flowing
water," the Philistines claimed it for their own. The man
of God dug another well, and the Philistines quarreled over it,
and Isaac moved again. When he dug the third well, there was no
quarreling with the Philistines and his persistence prevailed.
It is not easy to work and then give up something that you have
acquired. Isaac was a patient man who desired to live in the land,
be at peace with his neighbors, and more than that, to please
God. He took the abuse of the Philistines and gave up two wells
that he had labored to open. In the end, he did receive what he
needed because God blessed him.
The Lord will bless his children when they are patient. There
will be sacrifices and accommodations to be made, but, if one
is faithful, the Lord will bestow his blessings. The Lord made
room for Isaac and his family as he made them fruitful in the
land. So he will for the faithful of today.
Isaac did not intend to give up his faithfulness to the Lord because
of the opposition he faced. His persistence paid off and he was
blessed by the Lord.
Whatever obstacles we face, let us follow the example of Isaac.
Make it our aim to continue in our faithfulness and dedication
to the Lord, even when we suffer losses. If others take what we
believe should be ours, do not give up, but resolve to let nothing
stand in our way as we please the Lord. If we must sacrifice,
do so; if we must suffer, accept if for the Lord's sake; if we
are mistreated, endure it and resolve to try even harder to serve
the one who created all of us. Let us learn from Isaac's example.
The Lord will make room in Heaven for all of the faithful.
False Standards by Andrew Mitchell (andrewm@wnclink.com)
Sometimes we think it is a little funny that Australians drive
on the left side of the road, while we drive on the right. But
imagine this: an Australian moves to America, becomes a police
officer, and gives you a ticket for driving on the right side
of the road because that is what he is accustomed to. That would
be crazy wouldn't it? Aren't you glad Americans are not judged
by Australian law?
Now let's make a parallel with this to spiritual matters. It
is crazier when one thinks God will judge him by man-made standards.
The Bible is the only standard of right and wrong, and it is
the same for everyone, American or Australian.
I often hear people trying to establish right and wrong based
on the wrong standard. Here are some examples:
If You Want To Be Happy, Forget It by Kenneth "Tack"
Chumbley (KLChumbley@aol.com)
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the
scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His
law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted
by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season,
whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper"
(Psa 1:1-3 NKJV).
David's first word in the Psalms about being "blessed"
points to one of God's highest aspirations for us - God wants
us to be happy. Since most everyone I know wants to be happy,
the revelation that God wants this for us is really good news.
But if God wants us happy, and we want us happy, why is there
so much unhappiness?
It's because most people have believed the lie that says selfishness
is the ticket to Shangri La; put your interests, your desires
and your wants ahead of all else and life will be one constant
high.
Baloney.
It doesn't work that way. Maybe in your own life you've already
learned the inflexible truth that "he that loveth his life
shall lose it" (Jn 12.25, Matt 16.25 et al). Happiness doesn't
come from self-centeredness; it isn't contingent on fortuitous
happenings (there are, for instance, many happy quadriplegics);
and it isn't correlated with pleasure (this world is filled with
unhappy millionaires and jaded party-goers).
Paradoxically, you don't get happiness by trying to get it. It
is, instead, a by-product that comes when we pursue something
spiritually valuable outside ourselves. More particularly, it
comes when we make serving others (our spouse, neighbors, enemies,
etc.) our life's purpose.
And please note that happiness is never acquired once and for
all in this life. For this reason wise men have always spoken
of the "pursuit of happiness." The more we pursue self-denial,
the happier we will be.
The accumulated wisdom of the ages has never improved on the
following prescription for happiness, given by Jesus, the Son
of David: happy are the humble, the sorrowful, the gentle, those
with a passion for righteousness, the merciful, the pure, the
peacemakers and the persecuted (Matt 5.3-12).
So if you want to be happy, forget it-and concentrate instead
on developing the character that brings genuine blessing, remembering
the promise that "he that hateth his life in this world shall
keep it unto life eternal."
How The Ads Should Read by L.O. Sanderson (Selected from The Beacon)
If the places that sell whiskey would tell the truth in their advertising, the ads would read something like this:
"Wanted -- 100 new customers as most of our old ones have dropped out. 10 committed suicide; 20 are in jail; 15 are in the poor house; 1 was executed for murder; 3 are in the mental hospital; and the rest are broke. We must have new customers -- young, fresh and strong for they will not live to stay with us long. Come to see us. We have brands that will cause you to disgrace your family, paralyze your mind, warp your body, and lose your friends."
SOME FINAL THOUGHTS (selected from The Beacon)
"If you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your work, meeting new people, and doing the best you can, happiness will find you."
"Trust not the world. It never pays what it promises."
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34748.
Phone: (352) 365-9946 for times of services.
Web site: http://www.geocities.com/~cdillinger/cocbs/cocbshp.htm
MONTHLY BIBLE READING: Genesis 27-49
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BIBLE INSIGHT is published
for the members of, and visitors to, the Church of Christ at Beverly
Shores, Leesburg, Florida, USA.
Carey Dillinger is the editor. He can be reached at the church
address or via e-mail: dillinc@yahoo.com