Consequence is a deterrent.  Parents believe this is true.  They threaten consequences for disobedience to certain rules because it works.  We know the consequences for breaking the laws of the land.  They serve as deterrents.  Even policemen sitting in their cars along the highways are a deterrent to speeding.

“So we, being many, are one body in Christ…” (Romans 12:5).  “…the church of the firstborn…” (Hebrews 12:23).  “…church of God…” (I Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:13).  And of course, “…the churches of Christ…” (Romans 16:16).  These are all identifiers in Scripture for the group of Christians who were assembling and working together at the time of the writing of the New Testament.  At first, however, they were known simply as “the Way” (Acts 22:4).

Tempted and tried, we’re oft made to wonder
Why it should be thus all the day long;
While there are others living about us,
Never molested, though in the wrong.

Who are you?  You are the product of your parents who were they products of their parents who were…so on and so on until we get all the way back to the first parents.  And, who were they?  They were the products of their Father, the Creator of the universe.  “And God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” (Genesis 1:26).

Imagine…This is the theme for 2026.  Imagination is a powerful mental exercise.  I am not talking about dreaming things that you want to be true but can never be.  I am not talking about fantasy.  I am talking about imagining things that have been revealed, but not fully. 
Paul told Timothy, “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.” (I Timothy 4:15).  “Meditate” is from a Greek word that can also be translated “imagine.”  Paul wanted Timothy to “imagine” more in-depth the things about which he had already informed him.  They were things about which God had not fully revealed every detail.

A cross is a visible icon.  There are crosses on display all around us.  People wear them on a necklace or a bracelet.  They appear as stickers on car windows, store windows, and on church building windows.  It seems to be an appreciated image.

A welfare case-worker once told a story about a family she was assisting.  She declares that this family taught her one of the greatest lessons she ever learned.  It shows us that we really do live in luxury.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” (John 1:1-3).  John’s gospel opens with this statement about Jesus and claiming further that He is the “Word who became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).

Do your feet stink?  Do you offend yourself when you take off your shoes at the end of the day?  Is there a special place that you are to put your socks so that their smell won’t affect the rest of the house and infect the rest of the dirty clothes?  I have known of some whose feet I have just described accurately.

Those of us who have been through the child-raising years remember many things about how little children are.  One of my memories from the early years is that our children wanted to be with us all the time.  They did not want to sleep in their own beds.  They did not want to go to their friends’ homes overnight.  They did not want someone else besides mom or me to hold them.  They just enjoyed our fellowship.  That desire grew out of an innate need in their lives.  They knew that our job was to care for them.  They knew that we would do that too.  Therefore, they enjoyed being around us.

Eat, drink, and be merry!  That is the life-slogan to which very many people subscribe.  It is pervasive throughout society.  There are no people, no matter their life circumstances, who are immune to its powerfully intoxicating lure. 

On February 15, 1921, Dr. Evan O'Neill Dane proved a very important point for the medical field.  This 62-year-old chief surgeon of Kane Summit Hospital in New York City operated on himself.  He was convinced that patients could have most major surgeries performed on them while they were under local anesthesia only. 

The tree of life first appears in Scripture at the very beginning.  “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1).  Later we read in Exodus 20:11, “For in six days the LORD made the  heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day…”  Therefore, the tree of life was part of the creation in that first week.

Our daughter Aubri and her family live in Mayfield, KY.  They were there when the tornado ripped through the downtown destroying everything in its path.  We have been there many times since that night of December 10, 2021.  It is still an eerie sight to see the lasting effects of that powerful force of nature.

Monday mornings roll around every week. I wonder how many people will be sitting in their offices punctuating their work with yawns. How many of them will be pinching themselves trying to stay awake? Has there been a run on toothpicks from the dining area?

The Greek word whose primary meaning is “worship” is “proskuneo”. This word means, “to worship, to bow down, to prostrate oneself”. Of interest is the derivation of this compound word. It comes from “pros – against” and, likely, “kuon – dog”. Oddly, this fits well. This word signals one who comes before God “to kiss toward Him, like a dog licking his master’s hand”. Therefore, the meanings, “to fawn or crouch to, to fall face down prostrate in adoration, a physical act of lowering oneself in humble submission with an attitude of utmost adoration or respect.” 

We have all (or at least most everyone) experienced weddings and receptions.  The trend for a number of years is for everyone to gather in the reception area and wait for the wedding party to arrive.  At some point, they all line up and are announced into the reception hall with fanfare and cheering.  Finally, the bride and groom are announced and the entire room stands to honor the newly married couple!

“Wisdom is knowing what to do.  Skill is knowing how to do it. Virtue is doing it.”
 
In previous lessons, you have learned about yourself:  your origin, your duty to God, God’s love for you, and what you must do to obey God and become His child.  But, this is not the end.  It is the beginning.  You have a life to live here before you live with God. 
 
You may say, “I have heard, believed, repented, confessed Christ as Lord, and been baptized; now, what do I do?”  There is life after baptism.  Jesus called baptism a new birth (John 3).  A Christian is a newborn baby.  Our final lesson includes four actions necessary for faithfulness to God.

What does it mean to have real life?  For some people, real life is defined by how many possessions they have.  Others define life by the size of their financial portfolio.  Still others use their success and status as the determination of real life.  However, each funeral is a testament to the futility of using any of these things as a way of defining real life.

Many of us spend more of our daily lives working than any other single activity. This gives us a great opportunity to show Christ in our lives to our coworkers, our supervisors, and others with whom we interact in the workplace.  The Bible gives clear guidance to both employers and employees about how they should act in the workplace.