One of the great friendships we read about in the Bible is that between David and Jonathan. The Scriptures reveal when they became best friends: Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul (1 Samuel 18:1-3 NKJV). What sparked such a close relationship? I believe it was their mutual trust in God. 

Do you know the New Testament? If not, there is no more urgent thing for you to do than to pick it up, and study it, and do exactly what it says. Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls (James 1:21). We remember being under authority in our younger days and doing what was expected of us. We are still under the authority of Jesus (Matthew 28:18), and one day, we will give an account of our lives to him (2 Corinthians 5:10). Being that we know not the day nor the hour, are you ready to meet the Judge who has all authority, even the authority to cast into hell (Luke 12:5)? 

As you deal with situations in your life, fill in the blanks above with your own thoughts about any of the attributes of God. God is holy, pure, gracious, good, compassionate, loving, caring, listening, forgiving, almighty, knowing, present, near, watching, helping, etc. The list is endless because there is no exception to His abiding nature. His eyes are always over us, and His ears are always open. His arms are always outstretched. They embrace us, and His tender hands caress us. While He has the whole world in His hands, the truth is that He has me and you individually in His hands, even when in those darkest hours we forget it.

What if the fear of punishment was taken away from everyone by a lax society? The second wisest man who ever lived wrote: Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil (Ecclesiastes 8:11, NKJV). . 

Even though I enjoyed being at camp this year, it was certainly from a different perspective. However, not everything changes because of age. There are three things that I observed that can greatly benefit anyone who comes to Bible camp of any age. 

The apostle Paul gave a command to the Christians in Corinth, and by extension, us: Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1, NKJV). To imitate is to mimic, or to use as our model. The actor imitated the late singer to such an extent that he started thinking like him and had difficulty coming out of that mindset. This is what you and I are to do with Christ.

They are just Christians. They worship and serve God in the same way the early disciples did. Christ is their only creed and the Scriptures their only guide. They are not members of any human organization, they are simply a congregation, or church, of Christ. We are the Saint Andrews Road church of Christ and in turn, would like to share Christ with you and with all the world!

A steward is one who has been entrusted with the management of his master's property. Do you think of yourself as a steward? David wrote, The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein (Psalm 24:1 NKJV). So whatever we happen to possess, be it a house, car, stocks and bonds, food, children, etc., they all belong to God.

Many people are growing disenchanted with present religious forms which originated in the middle ages and have become meaningless. There is displeasure with denominational structures and dogma. Some, because of such views, have even decided that "Christianity" is not relevant today. We believe they have made that decision because they are not sufficiently acquainted with the Scriptures to be able to distinguish between the gospel of Christ and what men over the centuries have attempted to add to it.

Before we say goodbye to the month of May this year, I would like to look back on a woman in the Bible who was a mother, indeed the mother of our Lord. As the month of May contains a day to honor mothers, let us look back at the life of Mary and her faithfulness to God. Mary is not to be exalted, as one large religious group exalts her, but we can let her life inspire us to "be faithful unto death."

There are many reasons I could give as to why I believe the Bible to be the Word of God. We could examine the prophecies that have been fulfilled (Psa. 22; Isa. 53; Dan. 8:1-8), or the fact the Bible is historically and geographically accurate (Acts 21:1-12; Luke 10:30), or the fact it has stood the test of time and has been transmitted to as God has desired (Matt. 24:35).

The subject of one's own future death, or even of a loved one's recent passing, is difficult for a lot of people to talk about. After expressing sympathies at a funeral, the talk usually turns to something more lighthearted, like the weather or sports. Perhaps people do not want to say something insensitive; or more likely, they are just uncomfortable because death is uncomfortable.

Whoever the best, most caring, and trustworthy employer is today, he has nothing on Jesus Christ. Leaders can and will make mistakes, they can and will let people down, and they will overlook something that should not be overlooked because people are fallible. But Jesus will never let us down: And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin (1 John 3:5). In Him, there is no better place to look when we feel like quitting.

Therefore, since the early Christians lived with the expectation that the Lord's coming might be near, how much more should we, who live two thousand years later? Today may be the day that we see our Lord coming on the clouds (Revelation 1:7). The temptation for us is to put this thought out of our minds and believe that we always have tomorrow. This will tempt us to procrastinate.

As we cannot read people's minds, we can never know what someone else may be thinking. We can guess, and the guess may be right, but it could also be wrong. So when we begin to offer advice or criticism based on a guess, we may end up doing great harm. Solomon once wrote, He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him (Proverbs 18:13 NKJV). When we jump to conclusions, things can often backfire. 

Friends show up to your home at 5:30 on a Sunday night. Are you going to invite them along with you to worship, or will you stay at home to entertain them worried by what they might think?

We are not able to effectively consider all the discouragements that plague the one who is endeavoring to be spiritual because of space restrictions. But we can look at one aspect of Christianity that often is very discouraging to people. That is the area of teaching others.

Discouragement is universal. No one is exempt from the dark cloud it casts over our lives. Great men of God—David, Job, Jeremiah, and even Jesus—became discouraged.

Discouragement can take many forms and be caused by many things.

Peace is something most everyone desires to have and maintain in their daily lives. However, it is a state that seems to be elusive to so many. The evidence of such is revealed in broken homes, hostile work environments, problem schools, high crime areas, political conflict, discord among brethren, and the like.

There is not a single thing we can say or do here today that would have any effect upon the destiny of this one who has passed away. We simply leave all such matters in the hand of a God who knoweth and doeth all things well.