Richard Craig, Author at GraceAndWorks - Page 23 of 60

I have watched a lot of football and half time shows this weekend, probably just like you. As I watched everything, the talent shown by individuals and teams was absolutely amazing.

The bands, as they came onto the field, were all dressed in uniforms and carrying different instruments. It was a team and yet they were individuals. Each member had a different talent, a different place to be on the field, different responsibilities, and different instruments. Yet, as they came together as a team, they performed as one and were remarkably good.

The referees, for the most part, did a good job. They also work as individuals and as a team. Each ref has his own spot on the field, responsibilities, and a different talent. It takes all of them doing their job to keep the game fair and orderly.

The football team has 11 players on offense and 11 players on defense, with many more on the bench serving as substitutes. Each player is an individual, has a certain place to be, responsibilities, and a different talent from others. Each play they have a different responsibility to perform and a different talent used. Yet when the play starts, they come together and perform as a team.

It came to me as I watched the 3 1/2 to 4 hour showing that everything from announcers, cheerleaders, bands, players, and referees, all was based around individual talent and team effort.

The more I thought about this subject, I could see that life itself was the same way. Whether it be work, family, government, friends, or….. we all have different talents and yet need to perform as teams in order to be successful.

Paul tells the Christians, in the 4th chapter of the letter to the Ephesians, that God has given each individual different talents. We see in God’s Kingdom that it is made up of congregations (Teams) and the congregations are made up of individuals. We do our work in the Kingdom and in individual congregations based upon our own talents. When we put those talents together, we can become successful in our journey towards Heaven. Don’t try to make this journey on your own. You’ll need the rest of your team, to be successful.

A New Years resolution for one and all: I WILL ATTEND WORSHIP SERVICES ON EACH SUNDAY.

Have a good year. SMILE God loves YOU!!

When is enough, enough? When do you throw your hands up in the air and say, “NO MORE!!??” When do you just walk away and move on? We draw imaginary lines for these situations and then we tend to move them. We try to go along to get along. Everyone has different tolerances and different patient levels, however, we all will reach a limit when enough is enough.  What is your limit?

There are lines everywhere we go and look. Football, baseball, hockey, basketball, volleyball, soccer, etc. They all have lines to show out of bounds. When you go out of bounds play stops. Highways have lines to separate your space from some else. They separate the traffic to keep drivers in line and help stop accidents. Kids draw lines in the sand and tell each other not to cross the line. The back seat of a car gets divided with a line by the kids so they don’t get in each others space. When these lines are crossed, there are usually fights, squabbles, and different reactions. There are lines on paper to help us with organizing what we are doing. There are rulers to help us draw straight lines. Unfortunately life doesn’t have these lines and we have to draw our own.  When is enough, enough.? When do friends, co-workers, and family, cross the line and go out of bounds?

In our Christian lives, we have lines and don’t have to draw imaginary ones. God has given us His written word for us to stay on line. He says, “Obey My commands, and I will prepare for you a place.” The Bible has these commands (Lines) all spelled out for us. We don’t have throw our hands up in the air in disparity, or draw imaginary lines. We don’t have to say, “Enough is enough.” The lines are given to us by God and if we follow the lines, all will be good. Just don’t let yourself go out of bounds.

Awwwwww….The hustle and bustle of Christmas season. The lights are twinkling, the trees are decorated, the crowds are maddening, and some of us spend more than we can afford so we can enjoy the happy faces of kids, family, and friends. We all have memories of different times we have had at Christmas. I thought I’d share a couple of mine.

We lived on a farm in Western Nebraska and money was always tight. However, we always had a nice Christmas. I was some where around 8 or 9 years old this particular Christmas. It was Christmas eve and we were starting to open our presents. The first one I opened was a screw!!! Well I tossed that thing right into the pile of wrapping paper garbage. Dad did a swan dive to recover it. The next package I opened had some kind of wood thing inside. The next one had some kind of metal thing in it. I had no idea what was going on!! The last one had a gun barrel in it. Dad finally put it all together and low and behold, there was a 22 caliber bolt-action rifle. Oh, how funny it became when all the pieces were found and put together. I was totally surprised!!

The other story I want to share was the Christmas right before my Dad went to be with God. The family all gathered at my Mom and Dad’s house in Dix, Nebraska. The food and fellowship was beyond compare. Fabulous, you might say. It was a bitter sweet time knowing that Dad didn’t have much time left. Christmas eve it snowed and Christmas morning when we got up, it was spectacular looking outside. My sister and her family were living in Dallas and snow was a rare occasion there. My nephew, Kevin, had his girlfriend with them and when she saw the snow outside, she said, “Oh, look, it snowed, just for me!!” We all had a good laugh over that. The cheer and the gifts were plentiful. Good times for all. Dad joined God about a month later. Fabulous memories of that last Christmas with my dad.

This Christmas is also going to bitter sweet. It will be the first Christmas, in many years, that Peg and I will spend the holidays with out any of our family around. It’ll be quiet, but, a fun time for us. It’s a time for giving and receiving. We were able to help a good friend of ours and a family member financially this year. We are sooooo blessed to be able to do this for them. It warmed our hearts to be able to help those that reached out in their time of need. We in turn received a warm tingly feeling knowing how much they appreciated the help.

This is also the time of year that most will rmember and give praise to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Churches will have special events to celebrate the birth of Jesus. We don’t know exactly when Jesus was born, but, this gives every one an opportunity to remember Him. God wants us to go to Worship services each first day of the week. We, as Christians, remember Jesus’s birth, death, burial, and resurrection every Sunday and not just on “Special” days. Will we see you in Worship this Sunday? God wants it that way.

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!!!!

God maps out a plan for salvation in the scriptures. There are many denominations that profess infant baptism. Is it right, wrong, or OK? We’ll take a look at the scriptures that God uses to help clear this matter up.

The plan for salvation has key words that are used and we need to take heed of them. Those words are: 1) Hear, 2) Believe, 3) Confess, 4) Repent, 5) Baptism.

1) Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by HEARING, and HEARING the word of God.” We must have an understanding of God and what faith is. That will occur in people at different ages, but, not as infants.

2) John 8:24 says, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not BELIEVE that I am He, you will die in your sins.” An infant dos not have the mental capability to know God and BELIEVE in Him.

3) Romans 10:10 says, “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth CONFESSION is made unto salvation.” An infant does not have the ability to believe with the heart, nor can an infant mouth a CONFESSION..

4) Luke 13:2-3 says, “And Jesus answered and said to them, Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, NO; but unless you REPENT you will all likewise perish.” Acts 2:38 says, ” REPENT, and let every one of you be BAPTIZED in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sis, and you will receive the Holy Spirit.” An infant does not know right from wrong, therefore, does not know what sin is. Not knowing what sin is, one cannot REPENT of their sins.

5) Mark 16:16 says. “He who BELIEVES and is BAPTIZED will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” An infant does not have the capability to BELIEVE or understand God.

The “PLAN FOR SALVATION” is God’s plan and is well described in the scriptures. In 2nd Timothy 2:15 and following, Paul tells us to study to show ourselves approved being able to rightly divide the word of God. That simply means that we cannot pull verses out of context and have them say what we want. We need to able to discern the WHOLE TRUTH as God would want from us.

Acts 8:26-39 tells the story of Philip and the eunuch. He taught the eunuch the truth and the way for salvation. When he was done teaching, they went down into the water and Philip baptized the eunuch.

Finally, Matthew 10:22 says, “And you will be hated by all for my names sake, But he who endures to the end will be saved.” Once the “Plan For Salvation” is taken care of, through obedience, we must live a righteous life thereafter.

Enjoy your study. Have a good day all!