Somerset Church of Christ

November 14, 2024

Begin With Thanksgiving

There are well documented studies that show the benefits of giving thanks. With the national holiday coming up, it’s good to talk about the need for us to give thanksgiving in our lives all the time. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul says to give thanksgiving in all circumstances. There is a reason for that, and it’s not just to blindly give praise to God. The benefits are immeasurable, both for the person giving thanks and for those receiving it.

Some of the benefits are improved mental health, improved physical health, enhanced relationships, and personal growth. People who are grateful and give thanks every day typically have reduced stress and anxiety, better sleep, better immune systems, deeper connection, enhanced creativity, and so on. There is no mistaking that gratitude can literally alter the course and outcome of your life.

Psalm 100 is a psalm of thanksgiving. It begins, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!” (vs. 1). We should “enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations” (vs. 4-5). God is good and when we give praise it changes the way we interact with each other, thereby changing the outcome of those interactions. We tend to give more of our time and emotions when we are thankful. And people notice it. We should always use our gratitude to show the kindness of the Lord!

November 6, 2024

Give Willingly and Cheerfully

As we begin to close this year out with our theme of straining toward the goal, we should be reminded to give freely and joyfully. There are a lot of struggling people all around us and that struggle stretches world-wide. The needs are endless. But so are the opportunities to serve our neighbors. When our eyes are opened to the endless needs, it’s easy to get compassion fatigue. I think of the beggars at the Temple where people were so conditioned to walk right past them without giving them a second thought. People going into the temple to worship were probably tired of seeing the steps littered with the same people begging day after day. Yet their needs were great and their level of desperation was great.

When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he told them to arrange a contribution in advance of his visit, “so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction” (2 Corinthians 9:5). He expanded upon that thought: “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (vs. 6). Paul was not telling them to tithe. He never gave them a dollar amount. In fact, he said, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (vs. 7).

God never fowns upon generous hearts. Whether we give of our time, our funds, or our compassion, God blesses us in return. God is able to make grace abound so that “you may abound in every good work” (vs. 8). The point is not just to blindly give money, but instead to produce a crop of righteousness. This, in turn, produces thanksgiving to God. Our attitude toward helping makes all the difference in the world. It is good to be willing and cheerful in our giving!

October 30, 2024

What Does God Want from Us?

Many Christians suffer from a lack of clear purpose. They either don’t know what God has in store for them or they are blinded to what that purpose is. This is not uncommon, and mankind has suffered with this from the beginning. Paul said that he was straining toward the goal. He had a very clear sense of purpose and knew what he needed to do to accomplish it. But for many of us, it’s not so cut-and-dry. We may be confused, lack direction, or simply just don’t know where to begin.

The Israelites were reprimanded by God through Michah for their lack of faithfulness to God. God asked the rhetorical questions, “What have I done to you? How have I wearied you?” (Micah 6:3). It was God who rescued them from Egypt and who provided for them in the desert. God was the one who put them in a land flowing with milk and honey. Yet they rebelled against him and each other. Nobody was safe from oppression. Anything and everything was fair game.

God again asked the rhetorical question, “Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil?” (vs. 7). Of course not! God wanted his people to do righteousness. “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (vs. 8). This message is just as true today as it was in the 700s B.C. When we do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God, everything else will come into focus. Churches will be healthy and people will take care of their neighbors.

October 23, 2024

The Need for Encouraging Others

Paul was well known for being persecuted in most of the cities he went into. Corinth was no different. Although he spent a year and a half in that city–one of his longest stays–his departure was once again due to unrest that drove him out. This was common for Paul. In fact, more often than not he was forced to leave cities under the threat of arrest or death. The Jews made a united attack on Paul in Corinth and eventually beat Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue.

After Paul left there he left for Syria. When he landed at Caesarea, he greeted the church and went to Antioch, where his mission work began. “After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples” (Acts 18:23 ESV). Imagine being severely persecuted, lied about, and directly targeted just for preaching the gospel. To say it was exhausting is an understatement.

Yet Paul thought it was important to continue strengthening the disciples. To our knowledge, he didn’t complain about being persecuted. In fact, there are plenty of places where Paul considered it a joy to suffer for the name of Christ. This is a stark contrast to how people react today. What would the church look like if we spent our limited time on this earth to encourage Christians? Most likely, it would encourage them to keep going. It would build trust and cause them to keep moving forward. We should all be encouragers of other disciples around the world!

October 16, 2024

Joseph’s Faithfulness Was Rewarded

When Joseph had a dream he decided to tell his brothers that one day he might be a powerful ruler. His brothers–already jealous of Joseph–became enraged at the thought of their little brother ruling over them. That’s when they decided to take matters into their own hands and devise a plan to get rid of him once and for all. They stripped him of his robe, dipped it in animal’s blood, and shoved him into a cistern. Later they would sell him as a slave to the Ishmaelites.

Joseph went through many more trials in Egypt, including being put in prison for being falsely accused of an attempted affair with Potiphar’s wife. After properly interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph became second in command to Pharaoh himself. Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of gathering and counting the grain for the seven abundant years. The patience would pay off dearly. The famine hit and was severe. So severe, in fact, that Joseph’s family came to Egypt desperate to buy food.

We all know the story. His brothers don’t know that it’s Joseph they are speaking with for a long time. Eventually he reveals himself. Joseph seemed to have a lightbulb moment. He said, “And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharoah, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt” (Genesis 44:7-8 ESV). Because of Joseph’s faithfulness through a dark period, God rewarded him and spared many lives from the famine, including Joseph’s own family.

October 2, 2024

Fight the Good Fight

In Paul’s closing remarks to Timothy in his first letter, he tells him to “Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12 ESV). This is interesting language. The implication is that there is a war going on. It’s not the only time Paul uses that language. In Ephesians 6 he tells the saints to “put on the whole armor of God.” We are in a spiritual battle every day. Timothy should “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness” (vs. 11).

Our current events show that there is A LOT going on in the world. With hurricane Helene last week, still millions are without power, well over 100 are dead, with an estimated 500 more to be deceased. Homes are gone and people are missing. Iran launched an attack on Israel, which is prompting a retaliation that involves the United States. Haiti is a complete mess still. And the list goes on. Christians are in a position to fight the good fight and lead people to hope in Christ.

Paul also said, “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life” (vs. 17-19). We will all do well to live life in the now, but plan for the future, which is eternal. Enjoy the life you have and people who surround you, and do good to them!

September 25, 2024

God Chooses the Foolish to Shame the Wise

The majority of stories in the Bible that have to do with wars being won, people becoming strong leaders, and, generally, people changing the world through faithfulness, all have one thing in common–the leaders are most often underdogs. From small town timid people like Jonah to farmers like Amos, the Bible is replete with stories of faithful people who didn’t believe in themselves yet accomplished huge feats. 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 says, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”

Likewise, Deuteronomy 7:7-8 says, “It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” God constantly chooses what is foolish and weak to shame those who think they are wise and strong.

Even Isaiah prophesied about the messiah who was anything but majestic: “For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2 ESV). God doesn’t choose the weak to prove to them that they can accomplish great things. Rather, he chooses them to prove that He can accomplish them. When we do great things, it should always point people to God instead of us.