The Gooch Lane church of Christ is a group of people in Madison, Alabama seeking to study the Bible and put God’s teachings into practice. We’d love to have you join us for Bible study and worship.
All in Control
. In everyday conversation, speech should be gracious, with the right seasoning applied.
For one thing, our feelings are not under our direct control. If you’ve ever tried to command yourself to feel a certain way, you know how futile that exercise is. Our feelings are an indirect by-product of our thinking and our doing;
Christians must be different. It is for this reason that the Lord gives strong warning about anger and resentment: “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 4:26).
Leaders and nations who seek to rival God are these monsters rising from their own chaotic waters.
It is interesting how certain phrases are incorporated into everyday language. For example, Americans often use firefighter code to describe everything from the heat intensity of chili to the seriousness of a situation encountered in any host of situations. Just as with firefighters, the number of “alarms” demonstrates the magnitude of the situation.
The book of Proverbs contains many interesting proverbs, some that are not easy to understand. Perhaps because we’re missing the cultural context of a few thousand years, or just because the advice the proverb is encouraging may seem counter-intuitive, sometimes the meaning or intent of a proverb can be lost on us. One of the hardest pairs of parables to potentially understand are found in 26:4-5.
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.
In Psalm 34:11, David says, “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” In the previous verses, he has been encouraging the readers but now turns to instruction. He has pointed out how he has experienced many good things from God and now explains that it is necessary to fear Him to receive these things.
In James 3, the writer uses some very emphatic language to illustrate the power of the tongue. When we can control the tongue, we can do incredible things, but when we don’t watch what we say, we can do incredible damage.
This world is filled with uncertainty, pain, and suffering. Perhaps we’ve been so blessed in the past, that we’ve forgotten that we’re not actually the one’s in control. Let us take this time to refocus on the One who is in control.
