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Keys To
A Happy Life
In the book
of Philippians Paul offers several keys to happiness. Some people are happy;
others actually work at making themselves and those around them miserable. Let
us all use these keys and learn how to be happy.
Receive
grace and peace from Jesus. "Grace
to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
(Philippians 1:2) Always focus on the good things of life, especially on
forgiveness and hope.
Remember
to be thankful. "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your
fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now." (Philippians 1:3-5)
Be thankful for other people and for the good they do. Be thankful for the
Bible, for salvation, the church, and the opportunity to serve others.
Remain
humble and have the spirit of Christ. "Let this mind be in you
which was also in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2:5) If you think too highly
of self you may get to feeling sorry for yourself. Both attitudes will make you
miserable. Those with a humble, Christ-like spirit find happiness regardless of
the circumstance.
Renounce complaining and murmuring. We must always "Do all things without complaining
and disputing." (Philippians 2:14) Those that hold grudges and complain
about every little slight will always be miserable. You also guarantee yourself
and others misery if you think you are entitled to special privileges.
Rejoice
in your relationship with the Lord. "Rejoice in the Lord always.
Again I will say, rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4) "In Christ” we find
real joy and true happiness. Christians have much to rejoice about, especially
we should rejoice about salvation in Christ.
Realize
God’s care for your life. "And my God shall supply all your need
according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)
Money is not the answer. God is the answer to man's deepest needs.
Do not feel
sorry for yourself. Lift up your head and heart. Be thankful and enjoy the
peace of God. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and
the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)
To become a Christian you must
hear the gospel (Romans
- - - - Charles Box
"Can You Hear The
Bells Ringing?"
Can you
hear the bells ringing? You can almost every time you enter the malls or other
stores during the holiday season. Who are these people? What do they do with
the money they receive? Should Christians give to their cause?
Who
are these people? The Salvation Army is an organization "designed
to operate as a religious and charitable corporation" whose main purpose
"is to lead men and women into a proper relation with God." What
Is The Salvation Army?, p. 8-9. The Salvation Army
was founded by William Booth. The Salvation Army was started in
What
do they do with the money they receive? The Salvation Army does many
charitable deeds. They operate many homeless shelters for men and women,
employment bureaus, hospitals, clinics, homes for unwed mothers, children's
homes and boarding schools. They also serve millions of meals each year to the
hungry. The good they do certainly is to be admired. However, it is still an
undeniable fact that the Salvation Army is a human religious denomination not
authorized by the word of God.
Should
Christians give to their cause? Christians can only support the
preaching and teaching of God's truth. Giving, even small
amounts, to support false doctrine is wrong. Following are some false
doctrines you are helping spread when you give to the Salvation Army: (1) The "inner illumination of the Holy Spirit" makes
men know the gospel is true. Salvation Army Handbook of
Doctrine p. 89, 133. (2) That faith and repentance are the only
necessary requirements for salvation. And if one desires baptism it is done by
sprinkling, pouring or immersion. Either the Bible is wrong about salvation or
the Salvation Army is wrong. Read these passages and decide for yourself --
Romans 1:16, II Timothy 3:16, Acts 17:30, Romans 10:9-10, I Peter 3:21,
Galatians 3:27, Romans 6:3-5. (3) That women may be preachers. Catherine Booth,
the founder's wife was a preacher who defended "female
ministry." The Bible teaches women
are to maintain a submissive role. (I Timothy 2:12) (4) The Salvation Army
teaches sins are inherited from parents. Salvation Army Handbook of
Doctrine p. 85-86. The doctrine is shown false by Ezekiel 18:4-20.
"The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the
father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the
righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of
the wicked shall be upon himself." (Ezekiel 18:20) (5) The Salvation Army
uses instrumental music in worship. "Music plays an important part in
Salvation Army religious work...it is symbolic of the cheerful quality of
Salvation Army religion." What Is The Salvation Army? p. 25. God wants
us to sing and make melody in our hearts. (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16) (6)
The Salvation Army church does not observe the Lord's Supper. In spite of what
the Bible says in I Corinthians 11:23-29 they exclude the Supper to testify to
themselves and others "against the danger of trusting to any external rite
as though it has a virtue in itself." Salvation Army Handbook p.
188 and, (7) The church is to be supported by
Christians freely giving. "On the first day of the week let each one of
you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no
collections when I come." (I Corinthians 16:2.) The Salvation Army had
all kinds of fund raisers. They look to the public for much of their financial
support. Salvation Army Hand-book p. 26.
Can you
hear the bells ringing? If so you had better walk on by if you do not wish to
support a false religious group. Christians should feel no guilt for not
supporting the Salvation Army and their false religious system even though they
do much benevolent good! We must give our support to only that which is in
harmony with the will of God!
- - - - Charles Box
News & Notes
1. Prayer List: Jackson Hospital: Linda Holley, Georgiana Hospital: Curtis Newton
(brother of Vickie Clark), UAB Hospital Birmingham: Jimmy Allen
(brother of Patsy Nall) In Need Of Prayers: Mack
Thomas & Brooklyn Acree, Mae Beverly, Janice Box,
Owen Burt, Brian Davis, Paul Deason, Mary Dewrell, Mac Diamond, Ed Ginsberg (father of Marc
Ginsberg), Birdie Lee Godwin, Roy Goodwin, Montine
Hardin, Stacey Harrell, Evan Hartsell, Wanda Kyser (mother of Ann Cauthen), Marlasia Lett, Keith Lowe, Larry
McNeil, Jo Ann Moorer, Mary Powell, Austin Shows
(nephew of Terri Bagents), Kelli Smith, Steve Smith, Brenda
Stallings, Mike Stinson, Lane Strickland, Harold Thompson, Corrine Till, Leroy
Waller, Alma Ward (mother of Bill Ward), Richard Watts, Johnnie Wesley, and
Mary Williams. Crowne Health Care: Mary
Alexander, Gladys Childs, Kathy Johnson, Wallace Murry,
Glennie Palmer (aunt of Neomia
Collins & Jerri
2. Baptized Into Christ:
Kayla Garlock was baptized into Christ last week.
Kayla is the daughter of Lisa and Wayne Garlock.
Please encourage her in the Lord.
3. Sympathy Expressed:
Our
love and sympathy is expressed to: (a) Jason
and Ashley Holladay in the loss of their baby, (b) the family of David Forshee, (c) Billy Powell and his family in the
death of his father, and (d) Susan
Murphy and her family in the death of her aunt, Catherine “Kitty” Lowder.
4. Please Pray For: The
following people are serving in
5. Birthdays: December
23rd Wayne Garlock and Debbie
Johnson, December 24th Leroy Waller, December 25th Emma
Lee Gafford, December 26th Jamie
Powell, December 27th Liz Sessions, and December 29th Sydney
Owens and Bill Walz.
6. Thanks: (a) Thanks to Ken & Kelli Smith,
Jim & Tiffany Till, and Brett & Paige Barr for opening their home for
the young adult progressive dinner. (b) Thanks to those that helped in any way with the Christmas
party at Crowne Health Care.
7. Sign-Up List For 2008:
The lists for communion, greeters, and van drivers for 2008 are on the bulletin
board. Please sign-up now!
8. Thank You: (a) During
a time like this we realize how much our friends and relatives really mean to
us…Your expression of sympathy will always be remember. The Family of Herman Croley (b) I want to thank you for all the prayers
and concern that you have show me. It has been a year already since I became
part of the Walnut Street Church of Christ. I have been blessed I have seen God
work in my life more and more. I thank God for everything. He has been right
there for me and He knows my ever care. I have no words that can truly express
to you my thanks for the good works God has done for me through this church.
May God bless and keep this church alive in doing His work thorough this body! Jesus
Christ is the Head of His church works through His people to provide many
blessings. He is Lord of all. Shirley Schofield
9.
Wedding Announcements: Mr. and
Mrs. Johann Wells request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their
daughter, Aimee LeAnne Wells to H. Bryant Croley, son of Mr. and Mrs. H. Allen Croley
on Saturday, the nineteenth of January two thousand eight at two-thirty in the
afternoon (eastern standard time) Broad Street Church of Christ, 1213 Broad
Street, Phenix City, Alabama.
10. Crowne Health Care: There
will not be a class at Crowne Health Care on December
29th.
11. Radio Programs:
Remember to hear our programs on WKXN 95.9 Sunday at
Restarting The
Race
It was back in the old days…Dad, Mom, my brothers,
sister, and me were all together in the Ford Aerostar
van as we accompanied my father to an out-of-the-way place called Campwood, Texas. Dad has always preached, and he was
considering laboring with a congregation there. Back then, children didn’t have
DVD players and video games to occupy hours in the car, so we had to improvise.
We counted cows, played some made-up game with the slack in the seat belts, and
on this particular trip, my brother, David, and I began pretending we were in a
race with the other cars on the road. As the day wore on, and we grew tired of
the journey, we would comment to one another, “what if we had to start at the
beginning of “the race” again. For years after that day, we still occasionally
jested about how bad it would be to have to go all the way back to the
beginning of that little game, be that young again, and lose all the progress
we’d made in our lives.
It’s funny
how things change in your mind as time passes. In life, years come and go,
troubles inevitably enter, and for most everyone the thought of being able to
go back to childhood and avoid some mistakes and hardships is a welcome vision.
But, of course, that is not possible.
But the
wonderful thing is we can actually do something even better than reentering our
earlier days to fix mistakes. We were all created by the most holy, powerful,
and loving God. And though we all have sins (Romans
Do you yearn to restart your race in order to undo some missteps of the past? You cannot change the past, but you can look to Jesus for an eternal future. Obey the gospel and be saved today!
-
- - - Darrell Powell
-
Some Folks aren’t
interested in anything unless it is none of their business.
Don’t just own a Bible; read it!
(334-382-3001)