I am always amazed at the questions children ask is Bible class. They seemingly get something on their minds, and one day it just pops out. Such was the case with one of my students a few weeks ago.

This particular boy was new to me when he came to my class. I wasn’t familiar with him or his family. He listened, and he read from the Bible when I called on him. He answered questions when we reviewed, and most of the time he did his worksheets at home.

I don’t remember exactly what we were talking about when he asked his question. All I remember is that it had nothing to do with the lesson. His question was, “Is it a sin to get a tattoo?” I was surprised by the question, because nothing had been mentioned in class about tattoos. I hesitated a minute before answering his question, and what he said next surprised me even more. Before I could respond, he said, “Doesn’t the Bible say our bodies are the temple of God?”

The children quickly responded with their opinions about tattoos. I think the most often used expression was, “gross”. That, however, did not answer the question.

I had the children turn to Leviticus 19:28 that says, “You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves; I am the Lord.” I explained that this was an Old Testament command that is not repeated in the New Testament. I also talked about the Scripture in First Corinthians 6:19 that my student had referred to. The verse reads, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own”.

Paul had been writing about sexual immorality (I did not mention this to the children). I did, however, asked them to look at the next verse. Paul says, “for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body”.

That says it all. That says that what we do and say are observed, and children especially make decisions based on what we teach them by our actions. Sometimes they go against what we teach, but they still learn much about what is right from wrong from our behavior.

Maybe we should ask that question more often before we do anything to our bodies—how we dress, what we say, where we go, with whom we go, and what we do to our bodies. We need to ask, is this right or wrong?

Sandra Oliver

Ecclesiastes 7:20 “There is no one on earth who does what is right all the time and never makes a mistake.”

Traffic was flowing, and my GPS showed me arriving early for the retreat. The enormity of my assigned topic, “Our Brokenness and God’s Sweet Redemption,” weighed on my thoughts. Through much preparation, I had searched scripture for every reference on redemption. The word meant to being ransomed or bought back from captivity and freed from any debt or sin. I knew that, yet I still felt ill-prepared to speak those words. I prayed for a deeper understanding of my costly sin and a greater appreciation for God’s sweet redemption.

I rehearsed my speech again in my head until traffic came to a halt. A massive backup lay ahead. In the middle of the road lay a demolished vehicle. Its windshield was shattered, its frame was a mass of twisted metal, and car parts littered the asphalt. As traffic diverted around the wreckage, everyone seemed to enjoy rubbernecking and pointing to the carnage. Without a doubt, this car was broken and in desperate need of a tow truck.

Grateful to be moving again, I continued on, but before I arrived, on the side of the road sat another car. This one was a new model, sparkly clean and in perfect condition, except for one thing. This vehicle, too, was broken-down and needed a tow truck. But whatever was wrong with this car remained invisible, perhaps hidden under the hood. There was no rubbernecking and no slow-down of traffic at all.

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for showing me the perfect object lesson for redemption. You see, those cars were vastly different from each other. One was obliterated, the other looked perfect. One caused much attention and gawking, and halted traffic. The other went virtually unnoticed. However, their commonality was found in one thing: their brokenness. Neither car had the ability to move on its own. Both were in desperate need of help.

Sin is like that. Some sins are ugly, leaving us visibly broken, and shattered. These sins cause a heap of disruption all around. They cannot be hidden and others shake their heads in disbelief and point their fingers at all the sordid details.

However, like the new car stalled out on the side of the road, some sins are invisible. On the outside all appears perfect and whole, yet these quiet sins, residing deep within our hearts, render us just as broken as the big, shattering ones.

Ecclesiastes says sin breaks us all. But Titus 2:14 tells us we do not remain broken. The blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Savior and Healer redeems us and makes us better than new. Like broken vehicles requiring a tow truck, our sins, both shattering and invisible, require a redeeming Savior. So stop right here to take a moment of praise, because friend, we have that Savior!

Father God, we praise You for redeeming us and making us whole again.

Blessings,

Rita Cochrane

This is a brief audio Bible study from Cindy Colley.

During the Republican National Convention this past summer, Dana Perino from Fox News made this comment. She said that the attendees were passionate, emotional, and inspired. Immediately, my mind went to the spiritual. What should bring about these feelings in us?

I started with the New Oxford American Dictionary for the definition of these three words. I wondered if they would relate to us in a spiritual way. I was not surprised that they do.

Passion means strong feelings caused by a strong faith. Are you passionate about your faith? Just being passionate about your beliefs does not make you right. In Acts 14, the apostles, Paul, and Barnabas, were in the city of Lycaonia. After Paul healed a man who was said to be impotent in his feet, the people began to call Barnabas, Jupiter, and Paul, Mercury. The priest of Jupiter brought oxen and garlands to offer sacrifices to them. The apostles, Paul and Barnabas, tore their clothes and ran among the people to stop what they were about to do. They told the people, “We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that you should turn from these vanities unto the living God.” These people were passionate about their idols, but their faith was misguided.

Paul told Timothy what he needed to be passionate about. He said, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (Second Timothy 3:16-17). We need to be passionate about the truth so that we can be complete and ready to serve God.

Emotion means “Intentional Feelings.” There are many examples of those in Scripture who show various types of emotions. So, what do we need to be emotional? We want to have the type of emotions that allow our hearts to be touched with the Word of God.

Solomon once said, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”  We don’t want that kind of emotion. We want the kind of emotion we can share with others.

Peter gives us the right emotion we need to serve God. “I think it right, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things” (Second Peter 1:13-15). We need to be like that. We need to make every effort to be passionate and emotional about how we live and what we teach so that others will recall those things when we are gone.

The word “inspiration” means to fill with urge or ability to do or feel something; to create a feeling in someone. As Christians, we need to be inspired so we can inspire others.

The Bible gives us a clear passage on inspiration. “All Scripture is breathed out By God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (Second Timothy 3:16-17).

The King James Version says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” The American Standard Version says, “Every scripture inspired by God.” Our inspiration must come from God-inspired Scripture, not man’s ideas or teachings.

The Republicans may have been passionate, emotional, and inspired; but the kind of passion, emotion, and inspiration we have in our lives must come from God our Father, not be man. We need to show passion about our faith. We need to show our emotion in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord; and we need to be inspired by God’s instructions found only in the Bible.

Sandra Oliver

Jude 1:3 -“Dear friends, I wanted very much to write to you concerning the salvation we share. Instead, I must write to urge you to fight for the faith delivered once and for all to God’s holy people.”

As I opened the car door to step into the parking lot, I heard the commotion. A nest high above the door of the shop I was about to enter was being fiercely protected by a tiny momma bird. Circling above her nest was a large predatory enemy on a mission to claim her egg-babies.

As this enemy-bird circled and approached, the momma fiercely guarded her fortress, fighting back with all she had. She made loud noises, flapped her wings, dive-bombed, and pursued the bird in attack-mode. Momma bird seemed unconcerned that her petite size was dwarfed by the mass of her enemy. Her sole focus was defending what was precious to her.

As the predatory bird conceded defeat and retreated, the momma bird returned to sit on her nest. With the show over, I entered the shop and my thoughts turned to the precious things in my life. What did I hold dear enough to defend? I thought about my family and to what great lengths I would go to protect them. As any momma can attest, there would be no enemy too large for my maternal attack. I would have no fear, nor would I hesitate should a threat come to any of my “baby chicks.”

Then my thoughts turned to my faith. Would I fight with the same determination for the core beliefs found in the Good News of Jesus Christ? Would I fight for goodness and kindness and love with the same vigor as I would fight for my family? Would I defend my Heavenly Father with the same fervor as I would defend those I love?

Jude, the brother of Jesus, was once an unbeliever. But Jude came to know the truth of Jesus and fiercely defended it. Jude reminded us how precious our faith is. He warned us of predators anxious to steal truth, and he called us to protect it at all costs. Yes, Jude knew spiritual warfare would attack our beliefs just as the predatory bird attacked the momma’s nest.

Whether in the workplace, within our social circles, or within the church, we will be called to be the army of God and defend His precious name. So, friend, as you clothe yourself today in God’s love, also remember to arm yourself for battle. The predator may be circling your nest ready to rob you of your precious faith.

Father God, fill us with the courage to defend your truth.

Blessings,

Rita Cochrane

Waldo is 19.  He’s gone off to college and has come home for the holidays.  It’s Sunday morning and his Mom comes in to wake him for Bible class.  He rolls over and says, “I’ll be there for worship.”  Mom wrings her hands and asks again but to no avail.  The family saves Waldo a place for worship and Mom and Dad keep watching for him, but he is a no-show.  They get home to find him talking with old high school friends.  When they finally leave, Mom tells him she is very disappointed that he wasn’t at services.  Waldo replies with, “Oh sorry, but my friends called and this morning was the only time they could get together.”  Mom pauses and asks, “Are you going to church at school?  Are you involved in the congregation there?” and Waldo answers, “When I can.”  Mom is heartbroken and says, “But we raised you better than that; I raised you to be faithful”.  Or did she?

We are going to spend the next couple of weeks on what I believe to be one of the most important aspects of loving our children: showing them how to be faithful. Teaching them by showing them how to put God first in their lives.

We know from Proverbs 22:6 that if we train up a child in the way he should go, when he’s old he won’t depart from it.  I LOVE this scripture! It gives me a peace and hope as I raise my children.  But you must ask yourself, “Am I training my children in the way they should go… according to God’s Word?  Or am I training them to go in a worldly manner?” Have we let the world convince us of what our children “need” to be a part of or experience in their lives? I believe SO many parents in the church have fallen into that trap and don’t even realize it. Oh, I guess some do. Those are the parents that feel guilty and are defensive about the choices that they are making.

Jesus gives us the way to faithful children in Matthew 6:33.  “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.” We must put God, His kingdom and His righteousness first in our lives. The reason that we put God first is because we love Him; we have a relationship with Him. Our children will see that relationship in our actions and in the priorities we set for ourselves and our family. They see that love in the way that we strive to be obedient. John 14:15 tells us, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” They will see a servant for the Lord’s kingdom, the church. They will see someone who is an active part of the congregation, not because they have to be, but because they love God’s people.

We don’t want to be like Waldo’s Mom and have our children gone from home before we realize the mistakes we have made. Young mothers with little children, decide right now to SHOW your children how to be faithful, how to put God first. Young women, decide before you even have children that God will be first in ALL things in your home.

Next time we will look at some practical ways from God’s Word to teach this to your children so that one day you aren’t looking at your grown child and saying, “I raised you to be faithful…..or did I?”

Tami Roberts

It has long been my desire to use my Wellspring articles to put together a 365 day devotional book for daily Bible study. I had discussed this many times with my mother, hoping to have her guidance and wisdom to help me. Last September her health took a rapid decline. At the same time my older brother was diagnosed with cancer which had metastasized. Mom passed away and six weeks later we lost my brother.

Obviously, with such a loss I felt compelled to keep my mind occupied with something productive. That is what my mom would want. That’s also what my Lord would want me to do! So I turned to the Wellspring devotional book project. Since then I have been working long hours planning, studying and doing some more writing. Additionally, I wanted to illustrate the lessons with some of my art, so I had a lot of painting to do.

The format I decided to use is simple. It is workable as a daily devotional book, or as a gift for someone you would like to teach and encourage, or as an extended class book. Each article has three parts—the article itself, Part B questions, and Part C challenge and my art illustration. If a person used the three parts of the lesson for three days of study, I would need roughly 122 articles and that would cover 365 days.

Needless to say, it was a challenging work resulting in 405 pages! Yesterday I sent the final draft to the publisher. He is excited about it, believes it could be published soon, and possibly released in August. I have dedicated it to my mother and brother. More importantly, I give God all the glory and honor for this endeavor, and truly for anything I try to accomplish in this life!

I wanted all of my subscribers to know about it, first to let you know what was keeping me so busy that I didn’t get a new article sent out. Second, to let you know that I do plan to continue sending this monthly Wellspring e-devotional. You are important to me. Your feedback through the years has been and continues to be a tremendous blessing! I will let you know when the Wellspring book is available!

Today’s Verses: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17. “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23).

By Teresa Hampton

This morning, I came across the following paragraph that I wrote about 20 years ago. I wrote this prior to ever thinking about a study tool like Digging Deep. I wrote it prior to even the pre-cursors of some pretty big trials in my own life. I wrote it six years before I would know the joy and the responsibility of influencing grandchildren. I wrote it in the very early days of our work in Huntsville, Alabama.  I wrote it while  both of our children were still single, neither having even met the people who would become their mates.  I could not have known that, in America, we were  in our last months of homosexual marriages being legally denied and in the last days (for a long while) of recognition of only two genders. So much water under the bridge since this writing.

We have, together, gone through a lot since this writing. But some things haven’t changed. The truths of His Word are not fluid with culture. Those truths are what have brought his faithful people through the fires of the last two decades and what will continue to give us comfort and hope. I still believe every word of the writ I found this morning:

“But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

These words were spoken to the two and a half tribes of Israel who elected to inherit on the Eastern side of the Jordan. They were spoken at what is arguably the zenith of their history. The young nation had witnessed the powerful hand of God in their miraculous deliverance from Egyptian bondage. They had learned the seriousness of faith in Jehovah, having been turned back from the promised land for their unbelief even as they stood on the brink of the Jordan. By the point of these words from Joshua, they had conquered the heathen tribes of Canaan and were ready to return to their families to enjoy the fruits of the vineyards they did not plant (Deut. 6:11).

This careful heed is exactly what they had exhibited as they helped conquer Canaan. It is what we have to exhibit if we are conquerors in Christ (Romans 8:35-39). We will not do better than we know. I am amazed by a recent Barna study revealing that less than one in five church members in America today have any measurable goals related to spiritual growth or development.  The most widely known Bible verse among church members in America is “God helps those who help themselves.”  (That, by the way, is NOT a Bible verse.)  Only a minority of church-goers believe that absolute truth even exists and less than one in ten say they let a Biblical world view affect their daily decisions.  Something is very wrong with this picture.

While I pray that in the Lord’s church today, the results of such a survey would be more encouraging, it is obvious in my own sphere that we have failed to carefully heed to do the commandment and the law.  I have talked with more than one tearful Christian mother whose child has grown up to be an atheist. I am currently studying with a college girl on one of our Christian university campuses who simply wrote to me and said, “I want to believe in God, but my faith is gone. Is there any way you can help me?”  As I teach teen girls, I’m often amazed that many do not understand the difference between the concept of New Testament Christianity and denominationalism. Many are confused about whether or not baptism is essential to salvation or why we do not worship with instruments of music. Some have asked me if some people are homosexuals because of genetics and many believe those who never hear the gospel will be saved. Teens who ask these questions are not from “un-churched” families. Many are active in youth groups and programs of churches of Christ.

We will not be putting the commandments and the law into the hearts of our children if we are not internalizing them personally. May I encourage every Christian woman who reads this to make an iron-willed determination to get into the Word? Studying at a prescribed and pre-planned time and place will help you do this regularly. Studying topically will help you do this effectively. Studying to teach another will help you study with passion.  Praying about your study will help open doors of opportunity to pass along your knowledge to those in need. Study begets more study. Study ultimately begets faith (Romans 10:17).  No one has an accidental faith when it’s time to endure the trials. Faith, at the crucial time, is always preceded by years of careful heed during all the uneventful ordinary times.  Cindy Colley

Work Cited:

Barna, George; Growing True Disciples  Waterbrook Press  Colorado Springs Colorado 2001

Much of the above article taken from Building Your Own Altars, by Cindy Colley