God’s Bucket List for You, part 2   Introduction In Psalms 90:10-12, Moses prayed, The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath. So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom. We’re only give so much time here on Earth and it is up to us to make everyday count. Each day breaks down into just 1440 minutes and when you subtract to amount for school/work and sleep, it’s even less. We should appreciate the amount we have daily.   I’ve Got Plenty of Time How often have we said, or heard someone say, that they have plenty of years ahead of them to do this or that? Most young people believe that religion is for the older people; those headed into their twilight years that are “closer to death” than they were in their youth. Yet, they do...

  Introduction A lot of people have a misconception when it comes to describing a Christian. The 1828 Webster’s dictionary has these two definitions: 3. A real disciple of Christ; one who believes in the truth of the Christian religion, and studies to follow the example, and obey the precepts, of Christ; a believer in Christ who is characterized by real piety. 4. In a general sense, the word Christians include all who are born in a Christian country or of Christian parents Most people believe definition number 4 but, unlike the Jews under the Old Law, there is more to becoming a Christian than being born one. The bible uses the word, ‘Christian’ only three times in the New Testament. Each has a distinct meaning to show what a true bible Christian really is.   A Christian is a Disciple In Acts 11:26 Luke writes, And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. An...

  God’s Bucket List for You, part 1   “Only the man who is prepared for death can truly be alive” ~Wanda Dollard, Corner Gas TV series   Introduction In Hebrews 9:27, the writer states, And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. If God wrote your bucket list, preparing for death would be one of those goals. All too often, people live their life as if there are no consequences to their actions; as if God doesn’t exist. As we’ve seen in the series on Judgment Day , there are consequences for our actions. As the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:10, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.   Write Your Own Eulogy Too many people attempt to put a positive spin on funerals. They call it a ‘Celebration of Life’. However, funerals are not for the dead, but for the living. It is the one event wher...

  Introduction The idea of a bucket list is closely related to the old phrase, “Kick the bucket” which means to die. In other words, the list is all of the things that you want to do before you die. Most people have a bucket list; written or not, and a variety of things that they want to do, see, or accomplish before they die. Nowadays, though, people use that concept of a list before reaching a certain age; 30 things before I turn 30. But, suppose God were to write your bucket list. What kind of things would be on that list compared to what you would put on your own? As the writer of Hebrews states, And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. (Hebrews 9:27)     My Bucket List In the interest of this article series, I wrote my own bucket list; choosing some things that I’ve already accomplished and some that I would like to, one day, achieve as well. Any list should have a grouping of small goals that can be easy to achieve ...

    Introduction A few days after I became a Christian, I started to act like one. I went out and bought the “Christian” Slogan T-shirts, the “Christian” albums, and books to help make me feel like a Christian. You will notice that I put the word ‘Christian’ in quotes in the last sentence. That’s because being a Christian is not about the shirts or the so-called religious music. None of it has anything to do with being a Christian and I’d highly recommend not buying any of it!   It's What’s on the Inside What a lot of people don’t understand is that being a Christian is an interior change, not an exterior, and the majority of the country’s population who call themselves a Christian have a major exterior change and a minimal interior change.  The T-shirts, the bumper stickers and all the rest are basically attention getters to say: “Look at me, I’m a Christian.” The problem is that the way they live their lives does not confor...

  Introduction Years ago, my mother had gotten into the hobby of Genealogy and spent numerous hours researching our family. She managed to trace our family back to Germany; on my father’s side, and Holland; on my mother’s side. Overall, there isn’t really anything interesting to report from my ancestry. However, there seems to be some that take so much pride in their family’s heritage, that it would override everything else that might come along. Are your family roots really that important?   Roots Run Deep A couple years ago, we had a young man joined our congregation and was a very willing participant in the service. He led prayers, songs, and even helped at the Lord’s Supper table. Although he seemed to be a strong Christian, his scripture knowledge was lacking. This isn’t a bad thing except for the fact that he always commented, “My family’s roots run deep in the church.” Not sure what this means when he states this. Is he bragging that his family goes back 2 o...

  (Originally written November  2002) (Edited April 2022)   Introduction Most parents of children, under five-years-old, know that no matter how you teach them about right and wrong, bad and good, and other things, that they always find a way to get themselves into trouble. Some things could be classified as basic human instinct; curiosity mostly. But there are traits a child shows that can stem back to the parent themselves. How do we know? Why grandparents of course! Too many times I’ve talk to my mother about the way my daughters act and she’d always comment that I use to act the exact same way. It’s like revenge for them to see their children struggle with being parents themselves. Sometimes it can be a good thing to know that your children are like you, for if you know the things you did, you might anticipate the things they do.    Children and Sin One thing your children can’t inherit from their parents is s...