“Am I My Brother’s Keeper?”

A poor boy once asked for something to eat at the house of an avaricious Christian, and received a dry, moldy piece of bread.  The man asked the boy if he could say the Lord’s Prayer, and was told “No.”  “Then I’ll teach you,” the man said,  “Our Father–”  “Our Father?” the boy asked, “Is He my Father as well as yours?”  “Yes,” replied the man.  “Then,” replied the boy, “how could you think of giving your poor brother this moldy crust of bread?”

“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?  And when did we see you as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked and clothe You?  When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’  The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'”   Matthew 25:37-40  (NASB)

Who is my brother?  Christians should ask, “Who is not my brother?”  We teach more by what we do than by what we say — inconsistencies of Christians hinder Christ’s cause.

Am I my brother’s keeper?  Yes!  Love should prompt me, humanity should incline me, The Gospel commands me.

“And just as you want men to treat you, treat them in the same way.”   Luke 6:31  (NASB)

A Pastors Humble Prayer

PC Walker

My God, over and over again, I am reminded how woefully inadequate my prayer life truly is. I am ashamed of my lack of time and effort in prayer. I cannot imagine any excuse for a lack of prayer, and in return I cannot imagine any reason for me to wonder why ministry, family, leadership and other areas of my life seem to be without power, passion, life, progress, or growth. If I reap what I sow, I cannot be surprised when I sow little. If the condition of the church, family, and organization will take the shape of its leader’s character and tone, I just cannot be surprised, nor can I place blame anywhere but my own lack of prayer and fervor for time with you. No matter how great my teaching and preaching can be, it is barren and empty without having received it fresh from you in…

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Lessons From Noah

Dan's Pulpit

The story of God, Noah, and the ark has much to teach us today. Here is a brief overview and then application: God looked down on the earth and saw sin was rampant to the point of this description: The thoughts and intents of man’s hearts were only evil continually. God was sorry He made man and decided to clean house. Man was about to reap what he sowed. But as God looked around He found one faithful man on the earth. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Noah walked with God. Noah was righteous in his generation and obeyed God. Noah was God’s man for the hour and God used him to do God’s work. He built the ark for his family and the animals. The earth was destroyed but Noah and company were saved for a second chance for man on the earth.

Here are…

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The Promised Manna

Naomi Fata

In the quietness of my shop (during nap time for the little ones) I like to listen to Bible Gateway’s audio app as I work. Sometimes even though I don’t hear every word the powerful words of Scripture settle in my spirit and He teaches me a new truth that I have never seen before.

The Book of Numbers is filled with the account of the Israelites in the wilderness between Egypt and the Promised Land. God provided for them every morning with this bread of heaven. It sunk in deep this time. Just think their food was given to them daily (except for the Sabbath). They couldn’t store it for tomorrow. I like to know my refrigerator is full and have confidence that there is food for weeks to feed my household. They only had enough for one day and the promise that God would supply for tomorrow. Miraculously day…

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God’s Gardeners

A Personal Perspective...

(This article was written for “The Record”, the magazine of the Free Church of Scotland, and was first published in March 2012)

“It is springtime, that time of year when gardeners get out their rakes and hoes to tend to their gardens with a vigour that the winter time denies them.  The first few weeks are taken up with jobs such as repairing winter damage, planting new seeds and new cuttings and tending to them all to encourage them to grow.  No two gardens look exactly alike, some seeds and cuttings take to their new environment better than others.  Whether a garden succeeds or fails depends on varying factors including: the skill of the gardener tending the plants; the fertility of the soil; the amount of nutrients received – sun, water, plant food.  Tending to a garden, whether it is a window box or an acre or more…

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The Gospel According To Jesus – Part 13

“Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them — this is the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 7:7-12 (HCSB)

Not Your Own

It is sharing and caring,
Giving and forgiving,
Loving and being loved,
Walking hand in hand,
Talking heart to heart,
Seeing through each other’s eyes,
Laughing together,
Weeping together,
And always trusting and believing
And thanking God for each other…
For love that is shared
is a beautiful thing —
It enriches the soul
and makes the heart sing.
Helen Steiner Rice – “A Touch of Joy”

Never say: “It is nobody’s business but my own what I do with my life.” It is not true. Your life is put in your hands as a trust, for many others beside yourself. If you use it well, it will make many others happy; if you abuse it, it will harm many others beside yourself.
James M. Pullman

Looking forward to a new heaven and new earth

Christian Resource Ministry

Do we eagerly look forward to the day Christ comes for us?

Do we struggle with the concept of leaving what is familiar on this earth?

Last week our Sunday School lesson was on the earth, how we need to treat it as the Lord’s and how one day it will pass away and the Lord will created a new heaven and a new earth.

Focus Verse

The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.
2 For He has founded it upon the seas,
And established it upon the waters.

Psalm 24:1,2

Our Response

Printable Prayer card

It was interesting to hear the children’s response. One young man in particular was very curious about whether there would be pizza in heaven. I can relate because built within our nature we cling to what we know, what is familiar. Our natural eyes struggle to comprehend…

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Overlooked Beauty

withinyourownbackyard

As I gaze through the windows inside this Upper East Side Starbucks I come to the conclusion that just like the snowfall outside -so beautiful and peaceful- it mirrors the life we are invited to have in Jesus. Somewhere along the way of our day-to-day lives, while following Jesus, we tend to adapt the mindset that nothing cruel can possibly happen. That of course we won’t go through trails, experience the lows and we certainly won’t get a little dirty along the way. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you will. I will. He will. She will. We all will.
When it comes down to it, how we deal with our trials determines how much we are truly trusting Jesus. But I’m here to say that the great thing about Him is even in the darkest times of this life, God will provide us the light…

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The Gospel According To Jesus – Part 12

“Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a log in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Don’t give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them with their feet, turn, and tear you to pieces.”
Matthew 7:1-6 (HCSB)