A farmer prepares a field for growing a crop by cultivating it. I think that it is our duty to cultivate the joy we have been looking at in the book of Philippians. With that, we must make an effort to do this. We must fight against any tendency that we might have to complain or murmur. […]
Author: bumchecks
Learning How to Have Joy
Life has its ups and downs. Circumstances can cause us to be happy or sad. Ups and downs of life and even the circumstances around us may determine if we are happy or sad, but those events can never remove our joy. The word “happy” comes from the idea of “happenstance” which means that circumstances […]
The Scriptures and Gossip
The gossipers oft’ begin their tales of woe with well-worn phrases, such as, “They say.” or “Have you heard?” or apologetically, “I hate to tell you this, but…” And thus, the tale unfolds. One might think that the Bible is silent on this subject, as gossip is so widespread. Yet, the very opposite is true. […]
Proper and Improper Controversy
We should all recognize that a certain bit of controversy is inevitable if there is to be growth and if the church is to be kept pure. Faithful servants of the Lord are to go out into an unbelieving world and earnestly contend for the faith. Reproving and rebuking are in order when error in […]
A Heart For God
Ponder: Am I a person after God’s own heart? Scripture “Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you” (Prov. 9:8b, NKJV). Scripture calls David a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). He certainly had his faults. Some of his blunders were colossal! We might think, “I’m glad my sins aren’t as extreme as […]
Doesn’t God Want Me To Be Happy?
This question usually refers to superficial happiness such as a child feels when given a new toy. Such earthly pleasure isn’t necessarily wrong, but neither should we think it is God’s chief goal for us! He certainly approves when we “eat and drink and enjoy the good of all (our) labor” (Ecclesiastes 3:13). As Solomon […]
Silent Before God (Part 1)
Solomon said there is “A time to be silent and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:7). There is a time to speak to praise God and there is a time to be silent before God. We must learn when to do each. Often in our times of silence, we can learn more and express more […]
The ‘Big Hammer’ Mentality
We know a man whose mechanical abilities (by his own admission) lie somewhere between non-existent and totally inept. His wife says that he should have been born “before the industrial revolution”. Ouch! On father’s day, his family gave him a new hammer. His happy reaction was: “With a big enough hammer, you can fix anything!” […]
Glory to the Reader or the Writer?
The fruit fly has long been the mainstay of bio-medical research. An article in Newsweek Magazine lauded the scientific breakthrough of reading “almost all of the chemical letters — 165 million of them — that make up the fruit fly’s DNA.” It is called “an impressive technical feat in its own right.” My marvel at […]
“Plum Amazing”
If you happen to be in the market for plums, check out the Oppie Plaas Boerdery Farm in South Africa. This is where the world’s record for biggest plum was recently set when co-owners Dean and Deon Barnard found a plum that weighed 16.3 ounces. That broke the previous record by 3.8 ounces, a plum […]