Weekly Devo

  "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,..." Col. 3:16 If you take your child to Sunday morning worship only they get 52 hours a year of church interaction, 26 hours passive listening to the bible. If you go to class and worship they receive 52 hours of passive listening. If you go twice Sunday they get 78 hours of passive bible listening. If you go on Wednesday nights too they get 130 hours a year  of passive bible listening. Out of the 208 hours, never missed, year of attendance they only get 130 passive listening hours of which they forget 90% of what's taught in five days.   Compare that to the 1,280 passive listening hours they get in school, 960 hours a year doing h/w and extras, and finally 2,912 hours for weekends and breaks spent enjoying worldly things. 5,152 hours spent not focused on God in a year compared to 130 passive hours of listen to God's word. What's wrong with this picture?   Then in four years they get 20,

Col. 2:1-10 There are three strong statements that let us know all we need is the word. We are to attain “to all the riches of the full assurance of understanding” . ( Col. 2:2-3 ) That is awesome! Not only can we understand but we can have full assurance that we understand. There are riches in the understanding of God’s word. Spiritual riches that come from the knowledge of Christ. In Him are all the treasures of knowledge and wisdom.   The word goes on to say “ as you have been taught ”. ( Col. 2:7 ) We are to walk in Christ. ( Col. 2:6; 1 John 2:6 ) Being “ rooted and built up ” in Christ and established in the faith. As we are taught. We are taught by the word. We can know how be established in faith, rooted, and be built up in Christ. We know by the word of God.   We are firm in our faith because of the truth that Christ brought. Truth has taught us all we need to know that pertain to life and godliness. ( John 1:17;2 Pet. 1:3 )    Do we need to philosophies of the world?

Col. 2:6-8                   We often seek the wisdom of the world. Not that we really mean too, it’s just the prominent concept out there. Even the phrase “common sense” is based on the philosophy of the world. That same “common sense” would say don’t give to a thief. Christianity says just the opposite. (Matt. 25:34-40; Luke 10:30-37)       It is so easy to do to follow the world. We are taught 8 hours a day for 5 days a week for 12-13 years the philosophy of the world, traditions of men, and basic principles of the world. That doesn’t include sports, clubs, social events, friends, family, T.V., radio etc. Let’s look at the math for a minute. We spend 4,032 hours of our growing life, only counting school, learning about man’s ways and man’s teachings. While, if you only went to and studied at church every Sunday and Wednesday, 2,496 hours are spent learning about God’s way.  Now as we get older those two numbers just get farther and farther apart.       Paul makes it

Are You Teaching?   Luke makes it clear that his first letter, Luke, was written so that we would know what Christ did and taught   (Acts 1:1). Christ brought truth and taught it every where He went. He taught all day from the early morning to the late evening ( John 1:17; Luke 21:37-38).   He taught in such a manner  that all the people were astonished at His teaching (Mark 11:18). We are to be teachers and we are to walk as He walked. Are you teaching as He did?   

The Snow                Here in Northern Alabama we received 8 inches of snow over the last 24 hours. What a winter land we have today. One of the awesome things about snow that many don’t know is it’s a purifier. Snows has the ability to clean impurities out of the environment. When it melts it slowly deposits them into the earth to further rid the environment of those impurities and provide much needed nutrients. Not to mention the slow melting process supply’s the earth with water much more efficiently than rain. The Blood                This snow brings to mind the cleansing process of baptism that we read about in 1 Pet. 3:21. The blood of Christ does to our lives what snow does for our environment ( Rev. 1:5 ). Although some may say it’s foolishness others say it’s the power of God ( 1 Cor. 1:18 ). Just how many feel about snow. The slow soaking process of the Word grows our faith ( 1 Pet. 2:1-3; Heb. 5:12-14 ). As we are watered with the Word great fruit i

A growing church is a church of the Word. We are to do the things Christ said ( Luke 6:46 ). The apostles taught what He said ( Acts 2:42 ). All of scripture is what Christ said ( 2 Tim. 3:16-17 ). We are to let it dwell richly in us ( Col. 3:16 ). We are to stand fast and hold to the traditions, which we are taught whether by word or letter ( 2 Thess. 2:15). He told us to preach the gospel in all the world to every creature ( Mark 16:15 ).

Are You Willing To Pay The Price? All things cost something. It may be a price as small as a moment of time or as large as all your wages or life. None the less we have grown accustom to a price tag. Some of us think in terms of price tags and dollars signs. It’s what can drive the lives of many. Some live for the sales, discounts and bargains. In Christ there will never be a sale on salvation. The price was paid in full. As Christians there never be a sale, discount or bargain on the cost of being God's child.   Christ Asked for You            Christ asked for something different. Christ asked for you. Not a moment of your time. Not a dollar from your pocket, but you. In Luke 9:23 Christ is asking for you.   He says that if you want to follow Him you must deny yourself. He wants you to give up all your desires and notions of what you want and how you want to live your life. Then He says pick up you cross daily. You mean I have to sacrifice myself daily? I have

Christianity is much more than just Sunday morning. In fact it’s an everyday focus, "pick up your cross daily" Christ said ( Luke 9:23 ).  Because of that everyday race running the assembling of the saints should be what we look forward to ( Heb. 12:1-2, 10:25 ). It's the one place we can be around those we are in fellowship with that are seeking to achieve the same goal, Heaven. A place to be rejuvenated, to mature, and to worship God. A reason why you should be seeking such assembling's of the saints and excited to be a part of it is that there is nothing else like it. You were made one of them when you were immersed into Christ. You live every day without that group at your side. So a few days a week you get to be around the saints ( Eph. 2:19, 2 Cor. 13:13 ). Who see the world the way you do ( Romans 12:2; James 4:4 ). Who live in the world the way you do ( Matt. 5:13-16 ). Who desire to be like Christ like you do ( Phil. 2:5; 1 John 2:6 ). Most importantly