I personally think that memorials are a good thing, because it helps us to remember the past events and it can help us to remember to look to future events. May I, at this time, point out that man did not come up with the concept of memorials, God did.

 Who are those who stand with Christ?

What are the Lord’s requirements for this companionship?

 If there is one emotion that has gotten people in trouble, it is anger. Have you ever been angry and did something you later regretted? Prisons are filled with folks, who in the heat of the moment, lashed out in violence against someone else. Sometimes, it can only take a few seconds to permanently hurt others as well as yourself. The wise man writes that anger can be a "snare for your soul" (Proverbs 22:24,25). Being lulled into this trap can ruin your life. 

May we pray: “God, help us never to be too busy for our mothers. If your Son could take time and great effort while on the cross in his hour of death to show his love for his earthly mother, help us to love our mothers while we have her in our life!”

 I remember where I was when I learned my very first memory verse. It was in Wednesday night Bible class. Over the years I have never forgotten this verse, as it is special to me being the first verse of God's word that I memorized. From the King James Version, it is: Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 7:21). Not only has this verse become special to me, but also Wednesday night Bible classes.

 We may not understand any particular reason for preaching, for hearing, for believing, for repenting of sins, for confessing Christ before men, for being baptized into Christ, except God commanded these acts.

 There may be sometimes when you are pulled into a religious discussion with your non-Christian coworkers, friends, or relatives. They may ask you what you think about certain matters, such as heaven and hell, marital conflicts, the nature of God, etc. Because they know you are religious, they want to know what you think. You need to understand that this is a great opportunity, not to tell them what you think, but what God has said about such matters.

 The real short cut to success is down the trail marked “HARD WORK,” . . . To an improvident relative, Abraham Lincoln wrote in a letter to John D. Johnston, November 4, 1851, “If you intend to go to work, there is no better place than right where you are; if you do not intend to go to work, you cannot get along anywhere. Squirming and crawling about from place to place can do no good. . . . Part with the land you have, and my life upon it, you will never after own a spot big enough to bury you in . . . .Your thousand pretenses for not getting along better are all nonsense; they deceive nobody but yourself. Go to work is the only cure for your case.”

There is an enemy that we all have in common. It is powerful and has rarely lost a fight. It has already vanquished and taken away some of our loved ones, and one day it will do the same to us, if the Lord tarries. This enemy is dreadful, and no amount of pleading or crying will avert its force. 

We ought not to busy ourselves so exclusively with the matters that are temporal as to let pass by in neglect things which are eternal. “Acquaint now thyself with God, and be at peace with Him.” The Master taught “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Our Lord came into this world to save sinners, of whom Paul wrote, he was chief (1 Timothy 1:15). Yes even Paul had a past that he believed made him "unworthy to be called an apostle" (1 Corinthians 15:9). But by the grace of God I am what I am (1 Corinthians 15:10a), Paul wrote. When God forgives us, He remembers our sins no more (Hebrews 10:17).

The word, "birthday," is mentioned three times in the Bible (Genesis 40:20; Matthew 14:6; Mark 6:21), and in those occurrences, a celebration was made. It certainly should be a time of joy when a child is brought into the world (cf. John 16:21), and hopefully, we still find joy in our own birthdays. Webster's dictionary defines "birthday" as "the day of a person's birth; an anniversary of a birth.”

In Jesus' day, there were some who greatly desired to follow him, but for the wrong reason. Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him” (John 6:26,27 NKJV). They followed Jesus because they were hungry for another good meal. But Jesus points them to something higher that will truly satisfy the soul, which is Jesus himself. Sadly, many were not hungry for the bread of life (John 6:66).

This beautiful vision came to Jacob at Bethel. Not only was it an encouragement to the lonely pilgrim; but also, a forecast of far-reaching consequence. Near the beginning of his ministry, Jesus alludes to it. Unto Nathanael he said, “Verily, Verily, I say into you, Ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” (John 1:51).

“11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? 13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. 14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it”. [Psa. 34:11-14].

We cannot allow the riches of this world be more delightful to us than serving the Lord and doing His will. The question is, what makes us full? If it is the cares, riches, and pleasures of this world, then how are we different than those chief priests who bribed the guards to keep quiet about what they saw? Are we too comfortable living without Christ as the preeminent factor in our lives? If we leave this world in such a state, that error cannot be overcome.

Somehow, I have always entertained the suspicion that, of all the books of the canon, the Psalms are probably the least read. If anything, the Psalms are probably less read among our brotherhood than among other religious people. Our emphasis on the New Testament has, no doubt, contributed to our neglect of Psalms as well as the other Old Testament literature. But, as I said, the idea that we neglect the book of Psalms is just a suspicion to me, and, frankly, I have no real way of knowing whether it is so or not.

The Bible speaks of a "newness of life" (Romans 6:4). This phrase is used in the context of how one lives in a new way having died to sin by being baptized into Christ. For he who has died has been freed from sin (Romans 6:7 NKJV). When one is baptized, he still looks the same in appearance as he was before being baptized; however, his manner of life from that point forward is new. He no longer lives in his old sinful ways, but he lives for God in righteousness (Rom. 6:10,11). He has put away the old man of sin, and has put on Christ by the grace of God. There is a change that others can observe in the life of the one who was baptized.

In reading through the correspondence of George Washington, one of the things you may notice is that the "father of our country" was acquainted with Scripture. He seemed to have a favorite phrase from the Bible: But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; And none shall make them afraid: For the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it (Micah 4:4 KJV). 

But what Christians probably say is, or should say, “I have this trust in my Heavenly Father.” He holds the rope that secures me, therefore I will go and say, or do whatever he bids me.