"This Is The Best Day Of My Life!"

~ Nancy Goring 

When do we really have that "best" day of our lives, that most important one? Is it the day we are born? That's pretty special! How about the day we obey the gospel! That must be it! The day we are married, have our first child, watch our grandchildren be born, be baptized...the list goes on. Perhaps it was the birth of Christ (no it is not Christmas Day), because without Him we have no salvation! Was that the best day for Us? Seri...ously, though, without His death, there would be no redemption from sin. Was that the day? Oh...without God's omnipotence in raising Him from the grave, there would be no power over death. Yes! But without our physical death, we cannot inherit eternity! (1 Corinthians 15:50). Even if we have been born, obeyed the gospel, lived obedient lives...all of these things are necessary, but without physically dying...it's all for nought. We are simply stuck on this old earth with the sorrows, pain and evil with no escape. Granted there are many joys here as well, but we long for that better city, the one God promised us (Hebrews 11:16) where all is peace and joy; no tears, sickness, or heartaches, don't we? So can we say that the "best" day of our life is that day we die? Most of us consider this thought from time to time.

I think that our Heavenly Father wanted us to live EACH day as the Best day of our life. "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it," (Psalm 118:24). We should enter into every day with this attitude - That we will see every soul, see them as one who needs the Lord and we will say or do something to encourage that one, and make every attempt to bring a wayward one back to the Lord. In doing so, we will know we have pleased God and that, friends, will make our day The BEST Day Of Our Life! Let's not be found guilty of waiting for some "special" day to happen, but rather let's MAKE every day that special day! When we do this, our BEST day will be realized! 


Nancy is the wife of Bill Goring, who serves as a gospel preacher and elder for the Chipman Road church of Christ in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. She has 4 children, 11 grandchildren and has taught Bible class for over 40 years, speaks at Ladies Day gatherings and has published several books including: Behavior Becoming Holiness: Studies in Titus Chapter 2 and Overcoming our Self-Imposed Prisons.

An Opportunity

Tracy Frederick

Some days can just be a little harder than others, can’t they? Some days it just takes more effort that others doesn’t it? Some days it feels as if it just doesn’t matter, doesn’t it? Perhaps it is because we are physically weary from the day to day grind of this world, or perhaps it is because the burdens seem just a little heavier at times and our spiritual examples are…well…turn out to be not so spiritual after all? There are a host of reasons why some days it is tempting to just sit and hide from the world; to hunker down and neglect the work that has been set before us.  Then that little verse nags, it itches doesn’t it? And won’t let go, no matter how hard we try to distract ourselves or ignore it. It is there….you know the one I mean: “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith”( Gal 6:9-10). The out is “opportunity” right? There are so many excuses for not having opportunity, right? But…..I bet Christ had other things He could have been doing rather than die for me.  I mean, He was busy…: ^“…7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man,he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross” (Phil 2:6-8). I bet He was pretty weary after being beaten all night, “A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross” (Mk 15:21) …..I know that Christ was lonely: “He took Peter and Zebedee's two sons with him. Jesus began to be sad and troubled. He said to them, `My heart is very sad. I am almost dying! Stay here and watch with me.'”( Matt 26:37-38). “Then all the disciples left Jesus and ran away” (Mat 26:54b). I am confident that it was difficult for our Creator (Col 1:16) to take that opportunity: “Jesus went on a little further. He bowed down with his face to the ground. He talked to God and said, `My Father, if it can be, let this cup of trouble pass by me. But do not do what I want. May what you want be done.'” (Matt 26: 39).  What if He had was too weary? What if He was too discouraged? What if He had not taken the opportunity?

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” ! Corinthians 15:58

Come and Go!

~ Nancy Goring

We are a very busy people, from the youngest to the oldest. We all have our “comings, and goings.” In the Bible we see Jesus often use the phrase, “Come.” Some of us have done this and some have not. Let’s look at a few of those instances. Mark tells us: “And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him,” (Mark 1:17-18). We can see from this that the disciples were told to “Come” and follow Jesus. They obediently did so, and did so immediately. He calls us to do the same today. Are we “coming to Jesus today?” In Luke 9:23 we see another instance where Christ calls us to “Come.” “And he said to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Here He tells us not only to “Come,” but that we must also deny ourselves. We must put Him first in our lives. In Matthew 14:29 Jesus told Peter to “Come” to Him, as Peter saw Him walking on the water toward the disciples’ boat. Peter started walked on the water, going toward Jesus, but took his eyes off of Jesus, fearful and doubtful, and He began to sink. This is a good lesson for us. When Jesus says “Come,” we need to have full faith and confidence in Him that He will care for us and our needs. We must be ever looking toward Him. He should be our focus and we should not take our eyes off of Him for any reason! One of the most beautiful passages in the New Testament spoken by our Lord is found in Matthew 11:28-30. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Our Lord wants everyone to “Come” unto Him. We must come in humility, believing, confessing His Holy name, repenting of our sins and submitting to baptism (immersion in water) for the remission of those sins (Romans 6; Acts 2:38), and then we can be added by God to the body of Christ, the church, the kingdom (Acts 2:47). Jesus invites each of us to “COME.” He tells us we will have rest for our souls. What a comforting passage! Have you done that?

 After we “Come” to Jesus, He then commands us to “GO.” Yes, as Christians, we do not get to simply come to Jesus in obedience to the Word and then sit on a pew each week enjoying our Christianity. There is a verse in the song, “The Gospel Is For All,” that I dearly love. It says, “Say not the heathen are at home, beyond we have no call; For why should we be blest alone, the gospel is for all.” That should provoke every Christian to get out there and spread the good news! We have no problem telling others of the good things that happen in our lives – what could be of more importance than telling others of heaven and salvation for their souls? That is the best thing that will ever happen to us. Are we truly concerned about lost souls?  Jesus says in Matthew 28:18-19. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” When we do our part, Come to Jesus in obedience and Go out and teach the gospel to others, God does His part. Jesus says, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be,” (Revelation 22:12). It is my prayer that every soul will Come to Jesus and Go out and teach it to others. It is the Lord’s will!

Waiting...waiting....waiting...for...????

~Tracy Frederick

The phrases go something like this: “let go and let God,” or “sit back and watch what God will do,” or “I can’t wait to discover what God is going to do with my life.” It seems to be the popular thing to say these days. Now, please don’t misunderstand, I realize that all of these phrases are asking people to put their faith in God. I get it. However, it seems that these phrases can also encourage our, well, yeah, complacency, or…shall I say it? yep…laziness. That is, we can trick ourselves into thinking that we should just sit back…wait…and wait….. and let God do the work. So, since I have heard this phrase repeated more and more, I started searching the scriptures. I look into the word, and I just don’t get it. I see those that followed God were an active people. They were always doing something, always going somewhere; never just…well, sitting and…waiting. So, when I considered the “wait and see method” I thought about some of those great “heroes” of the Bible that are referenced as great faithful followers: Noah. He was told to BUILD the ark (Genesis 6). It took him a hundred years without an electric saw, without a drill press and without a saw mill, and he built; Abraham was told to GO to a land, walking the entire way probably through dust and such, and then it was years before he had a son, and never saw the promise fulfilled, and he WALKED (Gen 12); Moses was told to GO back to Egypt, then LEAD the people WALKING through the dessert and had to put up with the whining, but he walked (Ex 3); Elijah was told to GO preach to an evil King and preach to a people who hated him and were planning his murder, and he WENT (I Kings 17); Esther was an orphan and was given to a king as a wife and was told to GO to the king. She should have been killed, but she WENT. The apostles walked with our Lord; He told them to GO, walk, talk and teach, even though they would be hated, have death warrants against them, and they WENT. But, we cannot neglect the best example of all, can we? Jesus was comfortable on His throne, and even though He knew it meant death, even though He knew we would humiliate Him, even though He knew we would hate Him, He WENT. I realize there are plenty of Old Testament scriptures that admonish us to “wait upon the Lord” (Ps 27:34, 37:9, 37:34, Is 8:17, Is 30:18,  Zeph 3:8, etc.), but if we read the accounts accurately, the waiting is a subjection for the salvation of the Lord. Even in the popular Isaiah 40:31, the waiting is to renew strength as an encouragement that God is mighty and our Savior will be victorious. It is a call for encouragement while they waited through persecution for the Savior. We have the Savior. So, this “wait and see” idea has puzzled me. So, if our habit is to wait….and wait….and see….. while we “wait and see,” God has given us air to breath, food to nourish our bodies, legs to walk, hands to reach out to others, and the word to teach.…I guess I’m just not sure what  are we waiting for.

A Reality Check: The Morning After the Superbowl

~ Tracy Frederick

So, it is the morning after…the morning after the Superbowl. You may have hosted a Superbowl party after worship with great food and friends. We didn’t, but we did watch the last part of the game and then morning as we watched ESPN to catch the highlights, I heard the interviews with the players and just can’t shake what I heard.  Ok, I admit that I am not a pro football fan I do, however, enjoy rooting for my Sooners. But as I listened to the post game interviews, and heard the players giving credit to their God, I was shocked at their instance of how important the game was to their God, on how they were serving their God through their athletic abilities. Some would look at this and tell me to just relax, at least they were including God at all, and I get that, but their version of God, a God who is concerned about touchdowns and tackles just isn’t the God of the Bible who is worried about the weak, the hungry, the poor, those who are in pain and whose command is that I humble myself in service to others. Joshua asked the Israelites a critical question that we are still struggling with today: “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.” (24:15)  Our question becomes: Choose this day whom we will serve: the gods of the land who are made in our own image- the sports fan, the music fan, the celebrity fan? Do we really think God cares who wins the trophy, the award, the…whatever? Really? I love a good game, and am easily caught up in the competition, (some of you reading this know this well), but I also know that my God expects more of us than being a good football player, basketball player or..whatever. Perhaps you will think I am just too uptight. Ok, you’re probably right, but the God we serve will determine our focus, our children’s priorities- practicing for a game, or for heave. We must chose this day whom we will serve. I think the important word here is “serve.” I don’t think he means with a touchdown.

No Free Passes

~Tracy Frederick

For some time a phrase I hear quite frequently has started to bother me. Now, please understand, I know the purpose of praying for others (Eph 6:18, James 5:16, Acts 8:24) and am in continual prayer for people daily (many of you). The phrase to which I am referring is the generic phrase in which we ask God to “do” something for someone who is ill, or “remove” some kind of sin/challenge in someone’s life so they will return to the Lord, etc. There are many ways I can go with this short article about these kinds of phrases, but for today I am mindful our responsibility in this phrase, or lack thereof. As pointed out in the references above, we are to pray for others continually. However, I am concerned that we will use these phrases as a “free pass” or an excuse to push our responsibilities off on God. I fear that when we pray for God to do something, we feel we’ve done all that we can, or have removed our obligations or responsibilities for each other stops there. The teachings of our Savior resonant in my mind each time I hear that kind of phrase when He admonished His followers: “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” Matt 25: 44-46.  or what about: “and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? James 2:16. Or what about: But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” I John 3:17. I will continue to pray for others, as I hope you do as well, but each time I ask the Lord for some kind of help for another, I am also on the hook to do something. There was an old song that I rarely hear anymore that goes something like this: the Lord has no other hands but our hands, has no other feet but our feet.  The most important help we can give another is to pray for them, but the follow-up is up to us.

It is Never too Early...but Will be Too Late

~Tracy Frederick

 

I looked across the room at the faces of the two young mothers with their Bibles open, eager to soak in the word of God. They have great hearts for the Lord, but I could see they were a little weary. I recalled those years of juggling a child, chores, church work and a full time job. I felt constantly overwhelmed and tired. But, mostly I remember I felt guilty…all of the time. I struggled trying to ...figure out how I would carve out time to do the work of my Father while taking care of my family and other obligations. I admit that wasn’t too bright. It took me a while to realize that I didn’t have to choose. Rather than finding more time for ME to visit the elderly, or widows and widowers, prepare classroom visual aids, etc. if I included my daughter. Rather than seeing serving the Lord as separate from my family, it could become a part of who we were as a family. It became a special time for my daughter when we baked cookies to take to some elderly folks, or soup for a person who was ill. Our Lord tells us to train up our children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6) and to train our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph 6:4). I admit that I allowed my feelings of worldly obligations to blind me to the training opportunity I had with my child. No one can do everything, our Lord allows us to choose what is best for us at the time in His service. Now, the weekend is upon us and it is time for family and fun. I must say that I wouldn’t trade the memories of my little daughter and I sitting on the front porch of the home of a sweet elderly couple while sharing chocolate chip cookies we had baked that morning. These memories are even more special to me now, 15 years later, when she calls and asks for a certain recipe because she knows someone is sick or in mourning and it would comfort them. Yes, sisters, training can never start too early, not when we are training for a lifetime of service. But, some day, it may be too late.

Cleaning out the Closet

~Tracy Frederick

So, I kidnapped my husband, or is it hijacked? for an hour or so to dig into the downstairs closet. It was time…past time. We waded through boxes of Christmas decorations and our daughter’s baby clothes. As we worked through the “stuff,” scriptures came to mind (of course!) about how we feel overwhelmed sometimes with so much junk, leaving little time for what is important, what is needful -soul-needful. I thought about all of this stuff we’d been avoiding dealing with, but just cluttered up a good closet, room  that could be used for important things. So, today I let go of the size four acid washed jeans that I wore in 1985. Today I let go of those little dresses I sewed so lovingly for our daughter when she was two. Today I let go of her sweet pirate costume I made her when she was five. I let it go. It is time to look forward. Our Father, through the Hebrew writer tells us: “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” 12:1b. Sin can be different for each of us- holding onto past good deeds and retiring from the work of the Lord's church now, too many wordly things keeping us from doing good we know is needful. All of those keep us burdened, weary of doing good. Time to clean it out. For me, now, the closet is cleaned out, the weight is laid aside and it is time to RUN, sisters! (And NO, I will not come clean out your closet, so don’t ask. ha!)~Tracy