SHE KNEW TOO MUCH
By Bill Pierce

A little girl, being asked by a priest to attend religious instruction, refused by saying it was against her father’s wishes. The priest said she should obey him, not her father. “Oh, sir, we are taught in the Bible to ‘honor thy father and thy mother,’” she replied. “But you are to call me father” was his reply. To which she replied, “No, for the Scriptures say, ‘Call no man your father upon the earth, for one is your Father, which is in heaven.’”

The priest was not anxious to lose a religious discussion to one so young and he said, “You have no business reading the Bible.” “Then why did Jesus tell me to ‘search the Scriptures’?” she asked. He replied by saying, “But that is only to the clergy. You understand that a little child cannot know the Scriptures!” “Then why,” she replied, “did Paul write to Timothy: ‘From a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures’?”

Surely there was some way to get the best of this young upstart! Said the priest, “Timothy was being trained by the church authorities.” “No, sir,” said the girl, “he was taught by his mother and his grandmother. At least, that is what Paul said.” The priest turned away, and someone said they heard him mumble something about “she knew enough to poison a whole parish!”

Do you see the importance of seeing that your children are both taught at home and in the Bible classes? Timothy became a companion of the Apostle Paul and later was left in Ephesus to preach and teach the Gospel (1 Tim. 1:3). He was later a support for Paul when he spent his last days in a Roman prison (2 Tim. 4:9-22). He, as a loved son in the Gospel, did much to help Paul and others to spread the Gospel to the known world. All this because a grandmother and mother took the time to teach him the Scriptures!

What will your child become? A godly wife, a Gospel preacher, an elder, a deacon, or just simply a faithful member of a local congregation! It is up to you, as parents, to train them in the fear and love of the Lord. – The Reminder, Northside church of Christ, Hillsboro, OH, July 3, 2011. 

ARE YOU TOO BUSY?
By Andy Brenton

Sometimes I get real busy, in fact, too busy. Do you have that problem? I’m often so engrossed in my daily labors (which never seem to be finished) that I don’t have time to “stop and smell the roses,” to enjoy the good things of God, and to take into account the many and varied blessings that He has so graciously bestowed upon me. That’s too busy.

Solomon well said, “Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting; to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward” (Eccl. 5:18). Solomon’s advice is to never become so busy that we haven’t the time to enjoy the good things in life.

“Count your many blessings … name them one by one.” Try sometime to catalogue your blessings. Such is but an exercise in futility, an impossible task – for God has given us so much. Just the blessing of life itself – of being alive, of living, of being created in His image and in possession of an eternal soul that will live on when this body wears out is an immeasurable gift. Let us never become so busy that we take life for granted or fail in our appreciation by not living life to the fullest. And may we always be aware of the fact that the quality life, the rich life, the abundant life begins with Jesus Christ. 

“THE FAITH”
By David Dann

The apostle Paul writes, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Eph. 4:4-6, NKJV).

While the term “faith” is often used in Scripture to refer to personal belief or conviction that something is true, “faith” is also used in another sense. When Paul speaks of the “one faith” he is referring to the gospel of Christ which is the one body of instruction given by God through which sinners may be saved.

What does the Bible say about “the faith”? According to the Lord’s inspired spokesmen, the faith:

1. Must be preached. Paul informed the churches of Galatia concerning the events following his conversion, saying, “And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. But they were hearing only, ‘He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy’” (Gal. 1:23). Paul had gone from being intent on eradicating the gospel to becoming one of the most fervent promoters of the gospel. “The faith” is a system of teaching that must be preached so that people can hear and believe the message of salvation in Christ (cf. Rom. 1:16; 10:17).

2. Must be obeyed. With regard to the early preaching of the gospel in Jerusalem, the Bible says, “Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). While “the faith” is to be heard and accepted as true, it also contains instruction that is to be obeyed. Those who believe “the faith” must also repent of their sins and be baptized into Christ in order to receive forgiveness and salvation (cf. 2:37-38, 41). “The faith” will never save anyone by faith alone. Sinners must render “obedience to the faith” in order to have eternal life (Rom. 1:5; 16:26).

3. Must be defended. Jude wrote to his fellow Christians, saying, “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). The gospel of Christ is constantly under attack by those who reject His lordship, refuse to believe in His resurrection, or dislike the boundaries of His moral instruction. There are those who “depart from the faith” (1 Tim. 4:1), those who have “denied the faith” (5:8), and those who have “strayed from the faith” (6:10). Faithful followers of Christ must be ready and willing to defend the faith against the attacks of those who are ungodly and unbelieving.

Conclusion

If you have believed the gospel, have repented of your sins, and have been baptized into Christ then you are assured of eternal salvation “if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard” (Col. 1:23). Don’t allow yourself to be numbered among those who “concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck” (1 Tim. 1:19). Instead, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith” (2 Cor. 13:5) and, “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong” (1 Cor. 16:13). Eternal life will be the outcome for all who have “kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7).