Another Year

Another calendar year is at its end. What have you done with the time God gave you this passing year? Time is a gift from God to be used wisely. "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Psa. 90:12). We must "redeem (buy up) the time", for that is where opportunity is found (Col. 4:5). No doubt, a great amount of our time has been spent on transient things and things of lesser value. How much attention have we given to eternal things? The blessings and directions from God, the welfare of our souls, seeking to help the lost ones to find God's Way, honoring and worshipping God, working to edify the saints of God and to be edified together with them, setting forth an exemplary life to influence others positively -- these are things that endure. As we look in retrospect, are we comfortable, or uncomfortable with what we have done?

If God grants us another calendar year to live, what will it profit? Will we seek the Lord, reaching out for Him that we might find Him, though He is not far from each one of us (Acts 17:26-28)? Or, will we go on heedlessly and blindly, turning away from the light of truth and stumbling on in blindness to our ultimate ruin? If we have truly found the Lord in His Word, the Bible, will we commit ourselves to Him in well-doing, as "unto a faithful Creator" (1 Pet. 4:19)? Will we set our minds to walk blamelessly "as children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom we shine as lights in the world, holding fast the Word of life" (Phil. 2:14,15)? We must remember that lights attract attention and criticism. We cannot expect to escape criticism if we stand firmly and openly for God's truth. All who will live godly in Christ Jesus, openly and diligently, will encounter opposition and some times even ridicule (2 Tim. 3:12).

Our plea to each of you is this: let us seek God after the proper order, through His Book, and let us have the courage and perseverance of faith to carry out daily our duty to our Lord and King, working together with His saints in His body, His church.

The church of Christ at Forum welcomes visitors and/or private home studies. See the link below for contact information: www.ForumCOC.org