What Does Sin Cost?

By Susan Dollyhigh –

“What does a gallon of gas cost?” the pastor asked the little ones gathered around him for children’s church.

Little hands shot into the air. A brown-haired boy answered with great confidence, “Seventy-five dollars.” The congregation laughed softly.

A blond-haired lad called out, “Eighty dollars!” and as if in a bidding war, a freckle-faced little guy upped his answer to one hundred dollars.

Then a wise spectacled-boy calmly answered, “Three dollars a gallon.”

“Very good.” The pastor leaned back on the step he was sitting on. “Okay. How much does a shirt cost at Target?”

“Fifty dollars,” a little girl with pigtails said.

The blond-haired lad decided to try his answer of eighty dollars again.

The pastor declared that the price of shirts had gone up since he last shopped at Target. “Okay let me ask you this, what would happen if I didn’t pay my water bill?”

With wide eyes, little pigtail girl said, “You could go to jail.”

Wise spectacled-boy announced, “They will cut off your water.”

“Yes, I guess both of those things could happen,” the pastor said. “Okay here’s another one, what does sin cost?”

Without even raising her hand, a little brunette who’d remained silent whispered just loud enough to be heard, “Your life. Sin costs you your life.”

The pastor blinked in surprise. “That’s right. The Bible tells us that the cost of our sin is death, but the Bible also tells us that our bill has already been paid. Who do you think paid that bill?”

“Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!” the boys and girls shouted.

“Jesus paid the bill for everyone,” little pigtail girl said, then raising her chin, “even cats.”

“The Church is always one generation short of extinction, if our generation fails to guard the truth and entrust it to our children, then that will be the end!” Warren Wiersbe

This Thanksgiving season, I’m thankful for Jesus. I’m thankful that He paid the cost of my sin the day He died on the cross. I’m also thankful that the church seems safe from extinction for another generation. I pray these children will grow up and guard and entrust the truth to their children, ensuring the survival of the church of Christ.

Bible Verse: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 NIV).

Prayer: Father, thank You for all your many blessings. Thank You for Jesus. Thank You for parents who guard and entrust the truth to their children. Amen.

Embracing Change

By Charlotte Riegel –

“What’s the temperature this morning?” I asked my husband.

“Negative 10 degrees Celsius. If the earlier frosts of the past two weeks didn’t kill the plants, this one sure did,” he replied.

I felt somewhat crushed and my attitude quickly froze along with the flowers. Jack Frost’s visits became the subject of most of my conversations as I shared my misery with others in search of sympathy. I got plenty.

We had experienced a superbly glorious summer, after the rains stopped mid-July. My community floral enhancement project had been a great success, with beautiful, lush flowers throughout our hamlet. Now they were all gone.

I likely would have accepted our fate without much fuss if I had not seen the flowers in a nearby city still spreading great glory. It irritated me that Jack was quite enjoying our community and choosing to stay here rather than move on to other locations less than an hour away.

“It’s not fair,” I lamented to others.

After several days of badmouthing JF and feeling quite miserable in his company I was reminded that many people love autumn. After all, Jack is the messenger of what lies ahead and is simply doing his duty in warning us to prepare for winter. Emptying rain barrels, turning off outside taps, winterizing some plants and all vehicles before Mr. Winter comes in earnest are just some of the projects to turn our attention to now the flowers are gone.

This is also a good reminder for me to embrace every season of my life rather than grumble about the changes occurring as my body deteriorates heralding the inevitable transition from earth to heaven.

Lord, open my eyes to see the glories of nature throughout all the seasons. Help me to embrace the changing of my life cycles too. I desire to see Your handiwork in it all.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV).

God is Watching Over You

By Cheri Cowell –

A little song I learned as a child gave me great comfort then as well as later when life got difficult. Today I understand how powerful this promise is for those of us who see God as loving and tender. However, for those who fear God and see Him as judging and condemning this promise may produce feelings of apprehension. But this Psalm, which is where that children’s song comes from, tells us that God uses armies of angels to watch over His children with love and compassion. It assures us He will protect us, hear our prayers, and give us salvation—an act of mercy and grace.

The Bible tells us in many places that God often works His will through His spiritual attendants. However, these angels are never acting on their own, as today’s angel theology often teaches. God’s angels are always at the call and command of God and they would be the first to insist they are not to be worshipped or prayed to. They bow at the feel of the Holy One and that Holy One alone. We ought to do no less.

“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot. Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation” (Psalm 91:11-16 NRSV).

PRAYER: If you know the children’s song, sing with joy today: G-o-d is watching over me, watching over me, watching over me. G-o-d is watching over me, watching over me today.

Rise Up and Carry On

By Elaine James –

I find myself wondering how to respond to overload in my life. I imagine you have found yourself in situations where you are not sure what to do either.

Maybe you can identify with a day like this. My dogs are driving me crazy because they are starved for attention. They keep following me everywhere. I walk around the house and see the sink full of dirty dishes, garbage that needs to be emptied, laundry piled up, clutter everywhere I look. There is a stack of mail on the counter with bills that need to be paid. Depressing! My kids are griping “Mom there is no food.” I need to get to the grocery store. I look at my cell phone and there are voicemails, emails and texts that I did not respond to.

My son just left the house stressed about the long road trip he was venturing out on. I glanced at my calendar and saw writing deadlines and doctor appointments. I don’t want to even mention the flip-flop in my stomach when I saw Thanksgiving and Christmas coming around the corner. The thought of figuring out who we will spend the Holidays with gives me the willies. It conjures up the nerve-racking thoughts of who is talking to whom. I ask myself “Why can’t we just all get along? Why is so and so always crabby at Holidays?” Blah, blah, blah…Need I go on?

What does the bible teach us on how to respond to overload? Paul was stoned and dragged out of the city, supposing him to be dead.

“However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city…strengthening the soul of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God’” (Acts 14:20-22 NKJV).

Having faith through the power of the Holy Spirit gives us immunity to life’s struggles. Paul had super-human power to endure suffering that we may never experience. Acknowledging his true faith strengthened him. The faith Paul talked about does not preempt us from suffering. Jesus also addressed the issue of how to respond. The Father gave Jesus the faith to believe in Himself so much so that he rose up and went to the cross. The King within each of us gives us the faith to rise up and carry on.

Next time you aren’t sure what to do, ask yourself this question, “Can God give me enough faith to rise up and carry on?” Imagine what would happen in our world if we all had faith to believe God will give us strength to rise up and carry on.

PRAYER: Our Father in heaven I know that all I need is the faith of a mustard seed to be able to accomplish things daily. Help me to rise up and carry on daily. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

My Heritage

By Gillis Killam –

While visiting in New Brunswick, I was reminded of my heritage when my wife and I, along with my brother and his wife, attended a country church memorial service. Although I did not know many people in attendance, there were people who were related to me and remembered my Mom and Dad.

The building I remembered as a child seemed so small to me now. At that time it only had four pews on each side, yet when I was so young it seemed like a mile to the front of the church. It was there that my folks worshipped the Lord, and I am thankful for the rich heritage of a home where I was taught the Word of God and the importance of obedience to the Lord. There is now a new building which is much larger.

I think it was Jacob who said, “I serve my father’s God.” I can say the same, not merely because I grew up in a Christian home, but because I came to know the reality of my father’s God. It isn’t enough to be born into a Christian home; one needs to experience the reality of God personally. The day came when I had to make a decision to surrender my life to the God of my father and to serve Him.

How my father and mother lived greatly influenced my life; I remember their faith and loyalty to the church. On one occasion when we were getting ready to go to church, company arrived to visit. Many would have stayed home to visit, but I remember my Dad saying, “We are on our way to church, would you like to come with us?”

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12-13 NIV).

Salvation is an individual matter and no matter whether we have gone to church all our lives and were born of Christian parents, we need to personally put our faith in Christ. As parents we need to leave our children a Christian heritage.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for saving my soul, and knowing that I am truly your child because you called me personally and I made a decision to follow you. AMEN

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