Posts by Graeber Road Church of Christ (Page 10)

The apostle Peter, in the early part of his second letter, gives emphasis to the importance of Christians being diligent in the development of spiritual qualities. How diligent did he want them to be? He urges, “…giving all diligence…” (II Pet. 1:5). Later, he adds, “…be even more diligent…” (II Pet. 1:12). Since Peter wanted these saints to be diligent, he also knew the need for him to be certain he did not neglect his duty to call their attention…

In the heart -felt book of John, Jesus has several confrontations with the Jews of that day to prove to them His deity. Of note, the discussion in John 8 is particularly passionate. The hardness of heart of these people broke the Savior ’s heart as they claimed allegiance to God, to the things of God, and to God ’s faithful servant, Abraham. However, Jesus cuts to the core of their hypocrisy and powerfully says in 8:44, “You are of…

Lord willing, we’ll be on our way Sunday morning to this year’s session of Camp Bandina. I love going to a Christian camp. I don’t love it because the counselors there are perfect, but because they’re servants of the Perfect One. As counselors, we all bring our faults and flaws right along with us, but we get a chance to serve God by teaching His perfect love and His perfect ways to the campers. I don’t love it because it’s…

The writer of Hebrews urged readers to ”. . . have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Heb. 12:28). The Greek word for reverence signifies, first of all, caution, then godly fear. One English dictionary tells us it is “profound respect mingled with fear and affection.” In order to serve God acceptably, we must do so with reverence. Therefore, we must understand how reverence is produced and maintained. It is an internal trait.…

Spiritual growth is not like physical growth. We know that a child does not have to plan how to grow or work at growing. No parent is ever asked, “What is your secret for making your child need longer jeans and bigger shoes?” While physical growth is a natural process, spiritual growth is not. The writer of Hebrews chided those who first read the letter, in chapter 5, by telling them they should have grown enough to be teachers, yet…

The dictionary defines the word “mistake” this way: “a misunderstanding of the meaning or implication of something; a wrong action or statement proceeding from faulty judgment or inadequate knowledge.” Most of us would admit that we know plenty about mistakes, without having to consult a dictionary, because of personal experience. We know that mistakes can be of various kinds. Ever call someone by the wrong name? Ever make a mistake in your checkbook? Ever pick up something you thought wasn’t…

Psalm 103, attributed to David, is a wonderful psalm of thanksgiving. It would help us greatly if we read it frequently and remembered its lessons constantly. We immediately notice that expression “Bless the Lord,” repeated five times within the twenty-two verses. We are not really surprised to see these words come from David, a man who was full of praise for His God. But, we need to see more from the psalm. We see a choice. David tells himself to…