NEWS & THOUGHTS ARCHIVE

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While there is the changing of the seasons, “To every thing there is a season”; there is the control of the Sovereign, “a time to every purpose under the heaven.” The word “purpose” means, pleasure, hence desire, a matter as something in mind. God has something in mind; a sovereign plan or purpose! What a blessed thought to know that there is not only a Sovereign God that has a plan, but that He has the power to bring it to pass! Oh, what peace! Oh, what security! It is within this divine purpose that I rest and pursue His will for my life. 

The last two months have been busy as well as blessed! Glenda and I have traveled nearly 3,000 miles across five states and have been blessed to see the hand of God working in the hearts of individuals. I believe that the Lord is using these troubling times of our day to bring about a greater sensitivity and alertness in the True Church, that small remnant hidden within the religious masses of humanism and religious cults that have invaded this fair land! The popularity of being associated with the church is diminishing day by day and the exodus of the chaff is serving a divine purpose, the revelation of the precious and purchased grain. Many of our recent services have been empowered by a greater awareness of our inabilities which have yielded a heightened dependency on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. The wheat and the tares may be in the same field for now, but harvest is very near and the master’s servants can sense its nearness! For those that have focused on the storm, times are unnerving! But, for those that will look away from the tempest and look toward the Saviour, this is a great time to be alive and be one of God’s children!  

The next two months will find Glenda and me roaming the mountains of Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia, before traveling to the flat lands of Indiana. Please continue to carry us into the Throne Room in prayer. We so much appreciate those that will take the time to pray for us! It reveals the fact that we are upon your heart as well as your mind. Other than her periodic checkups, my mother appears to be doing well at this time. In a couple of months, she will celebrate her eighty-sixth birthday. God has been good! Please pray for all of our services as well as traveling mercies as we travel from one meeting to another. God continues to open doors of opportunity and we continue to increase our activity in the field of missions. Concerning the printed page, while I continued to prepare several articles for a teen devotional, I had to stop writing on my latest book on Hebrews Eleven to prepare for a Bible conference. I hope to be able to resume work on it sometime later this month. 

In consideration of a thought for the month, I am once again drawn to one of the most familiar passages in the Book of Joshua, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord , choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

A Matter of Choice 

For our thought this month, I want to zero in on a key word found in a particular phrase in Joshua 24:15, “but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” The word is “house.” The word means, a house, especially a family, and it comes from a word meaning builder or to obtain children. With that thought in mind, I want to put forth a personal question to you; “What is the condition of your house, your home or family?” If there is one great truth that can be learned from Joshua 24:15, it is much of the success and failures in the home and the family is A Matter of Choice; “choose you this day.” When we consider this choice, it is necessary to remember that it is not just a personal choice, but it is a powerful choice, because of the importance of the family. The family is God’s first institution! The home or family is the foundation of the nation as well as the church. Only the right kind of families can produce the right kind of nation and the right kind of church. Knowledgeable of this important truth, “What is it that makes the home what it is?” I want to project three simple thought from the text. 

(I) The house is only as good as the personal commitment of me! “As for me”

One of the first things that must be acknowledged is the fact that a choice must be made and the apparent absence of making that choice is in the end a choice within itself! Commanded by God the confront Israel with their lukewarm allegiance and worship of multiple gods, Elijah cried from the top of Mount Carmel, “How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord  be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him” (I Kings 18:21). It was time for God’s people to make a choice. It would be worth our time to pause and question our personal allegiance to our Lord and Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. When speaking on Joshua 24:15, James Hastings said, “We may chose our master”, “There are only two masters to chose between” (true or false vs.4-15), and “The choice is urgent.” An old writer named, Dr. Watson said, “As men we fix our destiny by our character, and we fix our character by our actions. For each of us, life is one of choices! Would it be unfair to ask this question of ourselves; “That would the family, the nation, and the church is like if everyone was just like me?” While time and use has made the phrase trivial, it still remains truthful, “A chain is no stronger than its weakest link!” Unwilling to accept a divided allegiance God demands of us a choice, a personal commitment from each of us.  

(II) The house is only as good as the unity in it! “we will”

Try as we may, a family, a church, and a nation is not made up of one man. While it begins with a personal commitment, it requires a collective unity. When I think the importance of unity and how difficult it is to achieve and maintain, I am reminded of a story about a man shipwrecked on a deserted island. Years passed before the man was finally discovered by a passing ship. When a party of men was sent ashore to rescue the man, they discovered that the man had built three huts. Curious to know why the man had built three huts when he was the only person on the island, the men inquired as to why thee huts. The stranded men pointed to the center hut and said, “That’s my home.” Pointing to the hut on the left, he said, “That’s where I now go to church.” Pointing to the hut on the right, he said, “That’s where I used to go to church, we had a split.” The Bible tells us, “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself” (Romans 14:7). If the house is to be what God designed it to be, it will require not only a conscience commitment on our part, be a collective commitment by all of us. Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand” (Matthew 12:25). If the house is to be strong, it will require commitment to a person, the Lord and a party, those that makeup the unit! 

(III) The house is only as good as the service it renders! “serve the Lord”

As I contemplate this point, I wonder if any of us really grasp to the fullest the profundity of this truth. In Luke 12, Jesus tells the story of a rich man that most likely illustrates this point to the fullest. The sum total of the worth of this man’s life was not determined by the fact that he worked, he managed what he worked for and he acquired considerable wealth; it was the fact that it was all for a substandard cause when viewed in light of eternity! Speaking of this man’s end, Jesus said, “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21). Please note that the man did have treasures, he had just given his life to obtain the wrong kind! You may have personal commitment and family unity, but what is the object of that commitment and unity. Jesus reminds us that our priority needs to be as right as our work ethic; “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). Is the common goal of your house to serve and exalt the Lord Jesus Christ? If that is not your goal, there is a day of disappointment looming in your near future. 

As we look across our land, it takes little discernment to realize that the family is in trouble. What is the answer to this to this disturbing problem? “It’s a matter of choice!” Make a personal commitment to place Christ first in your life before everything else. Having made that choice, band together as a family for the single objective of glorifying God and achieving His purpose in this world. With this kind of commitment, your family is on course to finish well. 

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to pray for us and if you have the opportunity to be with us in service, please come by; it would be an honor to have you with us.

Because of Him,

Brother Bobby & Sister Glenda
Hebrews 9:28

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