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

we encourage you to check out our sister blog – https://www.lordletmegrow.com/freebiblestudy

PUTTING ON MORE

The story is told about a teenage boy who needed some hygiene instruction. His mom bought him some deodorant and gave him the typical “mother talk” about why he needed to start wearing it. The next morning, she found him standing in front of the bathroom mirror, smearing deodorant all over his body. When she  asked him what he was doing, this was his reply. “I am putting on enough so I don’t have to do this every day.”

While this story is funny to us, it describes the way some people feel about attending worship. They feel they get enough on Sunday morning to last them all week. We hear things like: “I come on Sunday morning. That’s all I need.” Some say, “The Bible doesn’t say we have to go to church three times a week.” Then there is the opposition to Bible Study, because it is not commanded; and besides, “they would have to get up an hour earlier to get there.”

We hear things like that from our children. I have children say, “I couldn’t get my lesson because we were gone a lot this week.”  “I had ball practice or ball games.” “I left my notebook at my grandparent’s house.” Occasionally I hear, “I just didn’t do it.” In other words, it just wasn’t important enough to do.

We need to look at the examples we have in the New Testament. When Pentecost was over, Luke tells us the new Christians continued to daily study and worship God (Acts 2:48). They met at the temple, and they also went from house to house, eating together and praising God.

These people also cared for one another. They sold their possessions to share with those who had stayed in Jerusalem. They opened their homes to them. Their new-found faith was a priority. They wanted to learn.

Just as the boy’s deodorant needed to be used more than once a week, the studying of God’s Word needs to be read and studied more than once a week. Paul said, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (Second Timothy 2;15).

One of the reasons the people of Israel rejected God was because of a lack of studying God’s commands. The people were told to teach their children “diligently.” They were to talk to them constantly about the Lord’s commandments (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). The kings were told to copy the law. There is no indication they did. That’s why when Josiah heard the law read, he tore his clothes. It was news to him!

How are we going to learn what God wants us to do, if we do not study His Word? We can’t, unless we read it or have someone to teach us. We aren’t going to learn it sitting at the ball field, or by watching it online between eating breakfast and having our second cup of coffee.

The writer of Hebrews said, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works; not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:24-26).

The boy needed a daily application of deodorant to keep from smelling bad. We need a constant reminder of the teachings of Scripture and the meeting together of the saints to study and learn what God would have us to do.

Sandra Oliver

As Christian mothers we all want to raise faithful children.  I want to give you some practical tips to help you do that.  These I have learned by what has worked, not only with my children, but what I have seen in others.

Have your children in Bible class.
You should be there anyway. Yes, you should be teaching them at home but even children learn from assembling together.  I had a mother tell me one time that her child felt left out and didn’t feel included when he was at services.  I told her that there is no excuse for bad behavior on the part of the other children, but… she didn’t have him in Bible class so the other kids didn’t really know him.  That was her fault and not the fault of anyone else.

Have your children at the gathering of the saints.
PERIOD!!  We know we are to come together on the first day of the week to partake of the Lord’s supper (Acts 20:7). Hebrews 10:25 warns us to not make it a habit of forsaking the assembly. Is it your “habit” to stay home when you are tired? Is it your “habit” to miss for work? Is it your “habit” to miss for sports?
You will set the pattern for your family. You are the parent! Your children will not make “priority” decisions for their activities until they are much older. You, as one of the parents, will make the decision for your family to put God first. Stop putting school activities before the gathering of the saints! Stop putting sports before the gathering of the saints! Stop putting an occupation before the gathering of the saints! STOP PUTTING WORLDLY THINGS BEFORE GOD!

Don’t just be “Sunday morning Christians”!
Be there when the saints assemble. If your congregation meets on Sunday night, be there! If your congregation has a midweek service, be there! If there is a gospel meeting or seminar, be there! Teach them—by showing them—the importance of coming together with God’s people. If you need a reminder on how the New Testament church behaved, read Acts 2:42-47 and Acts 4:32-37.

Make your church family, family.
They may be the family that you never had. Treat them that way. Love them! Have them in your home! Do things with them! Show your children the importance of putting God’s kingdom before worldly people. By the way, this is also one way to win souls. When the world looks at the “family” relationship that you have within the church they will have a longing to be a part of that family. But you must have that relationship first.

Don’t let the world influence your thinking!
Is a 4 year old in ballet a sinful situation? No, it isn’t. But… what pattern are you setting?  Look at the clothing they wear. Is it modest, Christ-like apparel? It’s cute when she is 4, but how about when she is 14? THINK LIKE A SPIRITUAL PERSON! How does it affect the “big picture”? The “big picture” is having faithful children in the end. Sports are not a sin within themselves but our society has convinced even those within the church that it’s okay to put sporting practices and events before the gathering of the saints. Is that how you want your child to think in the “big picture”? Surely not. You can have your children learn all of the “positive aspects” of playing sports without them missing any services/ activities of the church.  THINK LIKE A SPIRITUAL PERSON IF YOU WANT YOUR CHILD TO GROW UP AND THINK LIKE ONE!

I want your children to be faithful! I want your family to be together in heaven! This small list of practical advice is just the beginning, but these SIMPLE steps will make such a HUGE difference in the lives of the people in your family! If you want to raise faithful children, you must show them how to be faithful by living it yourself!

Tami Roberts

And speaking of the babes/ It’s always “out of the mouths of babes”…

We have three with us this weekend, while Hannah is speaking at a ladies day at the good Sandyville church near Parkersburg, WV. When three are here it’s a noise competition and a general knock-down/drag out—not of people, but things. Today, I’m actually taking them to explore a nearby cave. I think the damage today will be under the earth and who will know? I think if Eliza Jane says “I a-uh-dentally” one more time, I’ll…well, I’ll probably grab her up again and tickle her. (Actually, I can no longer pick her up, which makes me very sad! But she is off the charts—both weight and height.)

So, it was 3:53 am and I was about done. I’d already been up with Ezra, who had a bad dream, when Eliza came pitter-pattering to my bedside and cried “I had a bad dweam!”

I must say here that I didn’t really believe her. I really thought that it was all those other times she’d said that and I had lifted her into my bed and snuggled her back to sleep that had driven her to imagine that her benign dreams were a little bit “bad”; bad enough to come and climb in. I lifted her up and put her between Papa and me. That cast on her right arm is “to be reckoned with” in a double bed with three people! (It is a “violet” cast and she is so proud of it.)

Eliza then whispered “I don’t think you can hear my wuhds.”

I said, :I don’t need to hear your words. We are not talking. We are going to sleep.”

Then she softly whispered “Well, God can hear my wuhds.”

I woke up then, for maybe the first time. “Oh, yes, you go ahead and talk to God. I can hear, too.”

The she whispered, “Dee-ah God, PWEASE, oh PWEASE, don’t let me have any mow-ah bad, ‘cary dreams. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Well, I was pricked. I had doubted the severity of her dreams. But, I did go right back to sleep (With my arm securing the otherwise unruly cast) in spite of my conscience-ache .

In the morning, I asked her if she could remember her dream.

“Oh yes. It was mama and me and somebody else. Mama spilled a bag of cookies and a whole bunch of dogs came and ate dem all up. When dey finished eating dem, dey attacked us.”

I said “Did they bite you?”

She said “Dey didn’t get us. We ran and ran and while we runned, I waked up.”

Lord, Help me to be more trusting of the innocent ones, more sympathetic and comforting in their little trials and more assured that You hear our whispers. And help me to remember that sometimes the innocent ones who need me may be bigger people, too.

Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish (Matthew 18:14).

Cindy Colley

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

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn-bushes, or grapes from briers.” (Luke 6:43-44 NIV)

My wife and I are in the process of purchasing a new house. The opportunity presented itself to buy a house just being built in a new housing scheme in a village on the edge of the countryside. To us this was our dream come true.

In purchasing a new house, we will be planning what the ground at the back of the house will be like. We want grass for our grandchildren to play on, but we also want to plant some fruit trees. There isn’t anything much better than being able to eat an apple picked off your own tree.

When we plant trees, how will we know they are apple trees? Some who are more knowledgeable than I am could probably look at the bark or the leaves and tell you what kind of tree it is. I need to look at the fruit. As Jesus put it: “each tree is recognized by its own fruit”. If we plant apple trees we expect to get apples and not figs, pears or grapes.

We also want the trees to be healthy. A good, healthy tree will produce good fruit. If the tree is not healthy it won’t produce good fruit.

When Jesus talked about fruit trees he really wasn’t talking about trees. He was using fruit trees to illustrate our lives.

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Luke 6:45)

If we are good people – and the idea here is someone who is faithfully following God – then we will be storing up good in our heart, in our lives, and our lives will show the good that we have stored there. But if we are not good people and are storing evil in our heart then what is it that our lives will produce? They will produce evil.

Have you listened to the conversations that most people have? Sadly, not only are the words they use offensive, but what they talk about is often offensive and crude. Why do they use the language they do and talk about things that would make a sailor blush? Jesus explains it: this is what their hearts of filled with. When a person fills his life with foul language and crude stories, that is what comes out.

Have you noticed that even young children now use the same foul language? Why do they do this? Where do they learn such words? Obviously, from those around them.

What is the lesson for us from this? The question for us is: with what are we filling our lives? If we expect to have a faith-filled life, then we need to be filling it with God’s word. If we want to be able to encourage others in their walk with Jesus, we need to be filling our lives with God’s word. If we are surprised at what comes out of our mouths we need to look at what we are allowing into our lives.

Photo by Jon Galloway, October 2019.

Jon Galloway

The current generation would not do well living under the Old Testament lawGod was very strict about the behavior of children and being disobedient to parents. Some things were punishable by death.

Last week at the grocery store, a young mother went up and down the aisles with her little boy screaming. He was not hurt or in need of anything. He just continued screaming, I guess, because he wanted to scream.

I was shopping recently, and a little girl slapped her mother when she was corrected. The mother ignored the slap and continued trying to get her child to behave.

A dad often brings his little daughter, about 3, into a local coffee shop. He spends most of his time taking things away from her and putting them back on the shelf. He lets her pour out the ice from her cup of water and play in it. He never corrects her.

Children are allowed to run up and down the aisles at church, pushing people aside without regard for their safety. This is regular behavior at many churches. The parents watch, sometimes calling to them to slow down, but no consequence is delivered. Some of these same children like to squeal loudly during the worship service, sometimes to the extent it interferes with worship.

I know none of these incidences are in the law. Certainly, none of them are punishable by death. But God’s law does provide rules for parents and for children. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor your father and mother, that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” It is the parent’s responsibility to set the rules, and it is the children’s responsibility to obey  them.

Parents use the excuse that they will be arrested if they spank their child. Bystanders are often quick to interfere with parents punishing a child. There are, however, ways to handle these situations. Consequences need to be had for bad behavior. There are other ways, but that takes time and teaching. Sadly, many parents don’t “have the time.” They will say, “He/she will grow out of it.” If children don’t know how to obey their parents, how will they know how to obey the laws of the land?

The other side of this story is much more pleasant. I am working with four little girls getting ready for Lads to Leaders. None of them are old enough to compete, but they have the opportunity to participate just to get them comfortable in front of people.

They have practiced, learned their Scripture reading or speech, and they listen to the instructions for what they are to do, and how they are to behave. Each one comes to give me hugs. One recently brought me a coloring picture which she said she had colored just for me because I had helped her with her speech. What a joy these girls have been!

We as Christians need to open our hearts to the young ones in our congregations. Be good examples, be mentors, be encouragers. The rewards will be worth the time.

Sandra Oliver

A couple of weeks ago we had Waldo come home from college for the holidays. It was Sunday morning and Waldo never showed up for Bible class or worship service. His parents were asking, “Where’s Waldo?” They got home to find Waldo visiting with old high school friends. After the friends left, Waldo’s mother asked him if he attended services while at college and he responded with, “When I can”.

Last week I gave some practical pointers on how to make sure you are never wondering, “Where’s Waldo?” I thought this week we would continue along those same lines with more practical advice taken from the example of Waldo and his parents.

I have never asked/told my children to go to services while they were living in my house.
We raised our children going to all services of the church so it was never questioned. I had a mother tell me once that she really had a hard time getting her 11-year-old boy to get up for services because he didn’t want to go. She asked me what to do because I had an 11-year-old boy at that time. I was baffled! We had never had that problem; our children were excited to go to services. I covered this pretty well last week, but I wanted to put out there the importance of showing them faithful attendance starting when they are little.

Be in charge of whom your children are spending time with.
“Do not be deceived, bad company corrupts good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33). You are raising soldiers for the cross so you want to train them to be around worldly people, but be in charge of those situations. Ours was the yard that the neighborhood kids gathered in. I never cared how many kids were playing there as long as they played nicely and they all knew the rules. I wanted to be in charge of what was going on with my children. Make sure you are nurturing the relationships that your children have with other children in the church. These can be lifetime friendships. But beware if as your child hits middle school and high school age and most of their friends are not from Christian homes. They WILL be influenced! Again, encourage friendships within the church. This is VERY important!!

Don’t allow your children to miss services or church activities!
Just don’t ever start it.  But…I covered this last week.  This will help keep you from ever asking, “Where’s Waldo?”

Ask yourself, “Am I raising soldiers for the cross? Am I equipping my children to be in the world but not of the world?”
Waldo went out into the world and it sounds like he forgot to put his armor on.  We know that as Christians we are to put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17). Now put that armor on your children and show them how to win souls. We do not win souls by isolating our children from the world. We MUST prepare them to go out into the world! Was there anything wrong with Waldo talking to old high school friends? Not at all. But who had the stronger influence? Was Waldo using those relationships to bring his friends to Christ? It doesn’t seem so because he was allowing them to influence him in a way that didn’t bring glory to God. You are raising your children to go out into the world—don’t forget that—but raise them to know “why” they are going: to win souls and bring glory to God.

Waldo was a soldier that got entangled in the affairs of every day life (2 Timothy 2:4).
You must teach your children how to be soldiers that remember to please the one that enlisted them. Waldo probably learned that form of “soldier life” from his parents. Again, I covered “putting God first” last week, but it must be repeated. BE A SPIRITUAL THINKER! This life is but a vapor. It doesn’t matter if your child is the fastest or the smartest or the most coordinated. Does your child, in the life that they live, bring glory to God in all that they do? Do you?

If you start now, no matter the age of your children, putting God first, you will be blessed. Your children will watch and you can show them that you are a soldier for the cross and Jesus is the one that enlisted you. Teach them by your life so that one day you don’t turn and ask, “Where’s Waldo?”

Tami Roberts