Lord, To Remember Thee

The greatest privilege to me,

O, Lord, is to remember Thee

I don’t as often as I should,

And that’s why I’m not always good. 

 

O, Lord, I would remember thee,

Because of Thy great love for me.

I do not know Thee personally,

But I do love Thee intimately.

 

Lord, Thy memorials are Divine,

They make me glad that I am Thine.

The emblems of the Cup and the Bread,

Remind me You died in my stead. 

 

O, Lord, help me to do what’s right,

So when this faith shall end in sight,

That I’ll live on that Golden Shore,

Where Christian’s shall forget no more. 

 

O. D. Wilson – Deceased 

In the art of marriage, the little things are big things....

It’s never being too old to hold hands.     
It’s remembering to say “I love you” at least once each day.     
It’s never going to sleep angry.     
It’s having a mutual sense of values and common objectives. It is standing together, facing the world.     
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family. It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.     
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.     
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.     
It is not only marrying the right partner, but also being the right partner.

Author Unknown

Gifts You Can Give the Year Long

The Gift of Praise — Appropriate mention — right in front of the fellow — of superior qualities or of jobs or deeds well done.  
The Gift of Consideration — Putting yourself in the other fellow’s shoes, and thus providing your genuine understanding of his side of the case.
The Gift of Concession — Humbly saying at just the right point, Sorry, you’re right and I’m wrong.”  
The Gift of Gratitude — Never forgetting to say “Thank you”—and never failing to mean it.  
The Gift of Attention — When the other fellow speaks, listen attentively. If his words are directed to you personally, meet his eye squarely.  
The Gift of Inspiration — Plant seeds of courage and action in the other fellow’s heart. Help him to strive for greater accomplishment and lasting satisfaction.  
The Gift of Your Personal Presence — In sickness, in trouble or in a day of great joy, there is nothing quite equal to your personal expression of sympathy or congratulation.  

These are the gifts that all can bestow through the year and be richer for the giving.

Author Unknown

Just Some Logical Answers to Some Very Unusual Questions: What Saith...?

Because people are often looking for a way into something without having to do what is actually required for entrance, many have asked me the question: “Can you be taught wrong and baptized right?” In response, I have thought (and sometimes asked), “Can you be taught wrong and hear right?” “Can you be taught wrong and believe right?” “Can you be taught wrong and repent right?” “Can you be taught wrong and confess right?” If we cannot do these things, then what makes us think that we can be taught wrong and baptized right? The bottom line is that God has clearly identified the purity of purpose for baptism. There is no reason for someone not to know what the purpose of baptism is when they are baptized, and if they are not following the purpose that God has clearly set forth, they are just getting wet.

When we really get down to the truth of the matter baptism is an act of faith. When a person is baptized, they must believe that baptism is for the remission of their sins—that is the act of faith. In Colossians 2:12 the Bible says, “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.” Without that act of faith involved in baptism, one is merely getting wet. If a person is just baptized “to obey God,” what is the act of faith? Where are you putting your trust when you are baptized “to obey God?” One might say, “I am putting my trust in God.” Great! So what are you putting your trust in God to do? When faith trusts God, it trusts God to do something (Romans 4:20-22; Hebrews 11). Baptism does not need to show that one merely believes God; confession accomplishes that. Baptism is not just a restatement of one’s confession. It is much more than that.

Notice what Peter says on the matter of baptism. “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”Please notice what is said in that (1 Peter 3:21) passage: (1) Baptism saves us. (2) Baptism is not merely taking a bath. (3) Baptism is the response to God of a good conscience. (4) Baptism saves by the resurrection of Jesus. Notice item number three. When we are baptized, we have to have a good conscience about it — we must do it with the right purposes in mind. The good conscience when taught properly is going to understand that baptism is necessary for salvation and is going to motivate the individual to take the appropriate action. To say that one can be baptized correctly without understanding the purpose of baptism denies the role of the conscience in baptism.

There is nothing magical in the waters of baptism. The water is just water. So dunking a person under the water just for the sake of dunking someone under the water is not going to cut it. If the proper motive and purpose is not present, it is meaningless, just like all the other steps of salvation. If a person is not baptized for the proper motives and purposes, he is just getting wet. The Bible clearly teaches that the purpose of baptism is for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).

This is why we must insure that those we teach clearly understand the purpose of baptism. One cannot feel safe just because they went through the motions, and we should not feel that this has somehow relieved us of the need for more thorough and detailed teaching before baptism. We do no one any favors by putting them in the baptistery if they have no real appreciation for the fact that their sins are being forgiven.

Johnny Oxendine

End-Time Backlash

We know that “of that day and hour” we are ignorant — and so forever shall remain right up until “that day and hour.” We are given no signs concerning its arrival, no warnings, no preindicators, nothing. He will come “as a thief in the night.” That true, could it be that many, out of sheer exhaustion from fighting against the error of the prevaricating prognosticators, have grown careless in their watching? The fact that we have no signs or indications whatsoever in no wise means that He will not come today!

We do not know when He comes, but we do know that He is coming. It may be today. It could be tomorrow. It could be next week. It could be twenty thousand-years in the future. We do not know. Our part is to live right. So living it will not matter when He comes.

Equally important with the date of His return, and equally unknown to us, is the date of our death. We do not know when our natural life will end. It could be today. It could be tomorrow. It could be next week. It most certainly will not wait twenty-thousand years! Still, we do not know when it will be. Now, if people ignorant of their own coming death will not live right, is it any surprise that something that may yet linger twenty-thousand years distant has failed to move them?

In the final analysis, it does not matter when He comes or when we die if we are living right. To be prepared for the one is to be prepared for the other. To live right is to die right and that is to be with Him in Heaven forever. Are you living right? May God bless you as you study and obey His Word.

Tim Smith​

JUST SOME LOGICAL ANSWERS

Because people are often looking for a way into something without having to do what is actually required for entrance, many have asked me the question: “Can you be taught wrong and baptized right [sic]?” In response, I have thought (and sometimes asked), “Can you be taught wrong and hear right?” “Can you be taught wrong and believe right?”

“Can you be taught wrong and repent right?” “Can you be taught wrong andconfess right?” If we cannot do these things, then what makes us think that we canbe taught wrong and baptized right? The bottom line is that God has clearly identified the purity of purpose for baptism. There is no reason for someone not to know what the purpose of baptism is when he is baptized, and if one is not following the purpose that God has clearly set forth, he is just getting wet. When we really get down to the truth of the matter, baptism is an act of faith. When a person is baptized, he must believe that baptism is for the remission of his sins — that is the act of faith. In Colossians 2:12, the Bible says:

Having been buried with him in baptism, wherein ye were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

Without that act of faith involved in baptism, one is merely getting wet. If a person is just baptized “to obey God,” what is the act of faith? Where are you putting your trust when you are baptized “to obey God”? One might say, “I am putting my trust in God.” Great! So what are you putting your trust in God to do? When faith trusts God, it trusts God to do something (Romans 4:20–22; Hebrews 11). Baptism is not needed to show that one merely believes God; confession of one’s faith accomplishes that. Baptism is not just a restatement of one’s confession. It is much more than that. Notice what Peter says on the matter of baptism:

The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ (I Peter 3:21).

Please notice what this passage says: (1) Baptism saves us. (2) Baptism is not merely taking a bath. (3) Baptism is the response to God of a goodconscience. (4) Baptism saves by the resurrection of Jesus. Notice item number three. When we are baptized, we have to have a good conscience about it — we must do it with the right purpose in mind. The good conscience, taught properly, will understand that baptism is necessary for salvation and will motivate the individual to take the appropriate action. To say that one can be baptized correctly without understanding the purpose of baptism denies the role of the conscience in baptism.

There is nothing magical in the waters of baptism. The water is just water. So dunking a person under the water just for the sake of dunking someone under the water will not suffice. If the proper motive and purpose are not present, it is meaningless, just like all the other steps of salvation. If a person is not baptized for the proper motives and purpose, he is just getting wet. The Bible clearly teaches that the purpose of baptism is for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).

We must therefore insure that those we teach clearly understand the purpose of baptism. One cannot feel safe just because he went through the motions, and we should not feel that this has somehow relieved us of the need for more thorough and detailed teaching before baptism. We do people no favors by putting them in the baptistery if they have no real appreciation for the fact that their sins are being forgiven by Jesus’ blood in that act (Acts 22:16).

Johnny Oxendine