Truth for Life

But you, dear friends, must continue to build your lives on the foundation of your holy faith. And continue to pray as you are directed by the Holy Spirit. Live in such a way that God's love can bless you as you wait for the eternal life that our Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy is going to give you. Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. There are still others to whom you need to show mercy, but be careful that you aren't contaminated by their sins. Titus 1:20:23 NLT Show mercy Christians have sometimes been accused of shooting their own wounded. In our zeal for God, we can sometimes become impatient and judgmental with those who struggle with sin and doubt. Instead of rejecting them, Jude says, we should have mercy on them—just as Christ had mercy on us when he forgave our many sins. While we must not tolerate or accept sin, we are to love and accept others with kindness and mercy. If you know someone who has f...

Dear Precept Leaders at Southeast: I received this inspiring email from a fellow Precept Teacher in Wisconsin and wanted to share the good news of how God is working through this small Precept Bible Study group! God Bless, Mary W. Precept Coordinator http://www.precept.org ================================================ Sent: Monday, August 3, 2009 Subject: [PreceptLeader] God is doing something GRAND! Hi everyone! I am so excited... I could hardly sleep last night! Four years ago, when we bought the house we are living in now, we visited several churches in the area to try to find a church home. We were grieved with the state of the ones we visited. None were studying the Word, much less having the pastors preach from the Word. They had all fallen for the seeker-sensitive movement. I tried talking with several of the pastors about offering a Precept-Upon-Precept (PUP) class, but it was a closed door everywhere. Hence, we have been in my home for study... week-by-week gaining one to ...

Nehemiah's example With little time to think, Nehemiah prayed to God. Eight times in this book we read that he offered a spontaneous prayer. Nehemiah prayed at any time, even while talking with others. He knew that God is always present, always in charge, always listening, and always ready to answer. Nehemiah could confidently pray to God throughout the day because he had established an intimate relationship with him during times of extended prayer. If we want to be confident about our brief prayers, we need to take time to cultivate a strong relationship with God through times of in-depth prayer. “When I heard [how things were going in Jerusalem], I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said, ‘O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel.’” ~Neh 1:...

To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the wicked you show yourself hostile. You rescue those who are humble.…As for God, his way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true.…” ~Psalm 18:25-27,30 NLT Faithful and dependable A hot morning shower, a fresh cup of coffee. The lights in your kitchen and bathroom. What would you do if you were deprived of the basics of your dependable morning routine? Many of us would start shutting down. It's easy to take hot water and electricity for granted. The same is true of faithful love. It's easy to take for granted the person who is always there to listen to your problems. It's easy to take for granted the person you run to when you're frustrated or in trouble. It's even easier to take for granted God's faithful care for you and your family. Every day God sustains the world in which we move and live. He provides food, clothing,...

A number of years ago, I had the privilege of teaching at a school of ministry. My students were hungry for God, and I was constantly searching for ways to challenge them to fall more in love with Jesus and to become voices for revival in the Church. I came across a quote attributed most often to Rev. Sam Pascoe. It is a short version of the history of Christianity, and it goes like this: Christianity started in Palestine as a fellowship; It moved to Greece and became a philosophy; It moved to Italy and became an institution; It moved to Europe and became a culture; It came to America and became an enterprise. Some of the students were only 18 or 19 years old—barely out of diapers—and I wanted them to understand and appreciate the import of the last line, so I clarified it by adding, "An enterprise. That's a business." After a few moments Martha, the youngest student in the class, raised her hand. I could not imagine what her question might be. I thought the little vigne...

Scott and Kim Marmo and their children are learning a certified therapy/working dog can be lots of fun to own and give pleasure to others as well. After the family’s beloved yellow Labrador Retriever passed away, Scott, an avid waterfowl hunter, purchased a black male Labrador the family named Hep from a breeder in Mississippi. “We bought this pup before it was conceived. The kennel is an Orvis-endorsed kennel, only breeding British Labrador Retrievers as they tend to be more calm than the American lines,” said Kim. “We have three children and we wanted to make sure our lab was as calm as possible.” The family raised Hep as a working dog and he had many rules. “We then had him professionally trained at Wildrose Kennels in Mississippi, where we bought him. Scott owns a business and didn’t have the time to invest in training like he did with our other dog. When Hep had completed his training and was returned to us, he was a proven hunting retriever. ” Scott learned about the Orvis endors...

Dear American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters, et al: We have stuck together since the late 1950's, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly, this relationship has run its course. Our two ideological sides of America cannot and will not ever agree on what is right so let's just end it on friendly terms. We can smile and chalk it up to irreconcilable differences and go our own way. Here is a model separation agreement: Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by landmass each taking a portion. That will be the difficult part, but I am sure our two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy! Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate tastes. We don't like redistributi...