The Satisfied Soul

And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. Isaiah 58:11 The New Testament equivalent to this passage are the words of Jesus Christ in John 7:37-39. If…

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True Religion

If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. James 1:26-27 I…

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What Do We Do Now?

Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee (Psalm 102:1). I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication (Psalm 142:1). Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all…

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Suffering Wrongfully

Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but…

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Thinking Right

My wife and I went to church six times Sunday. [Pastor Stiekes wrote this piece for January 26, 2021.] I’m sure this does not sound strange to some of you. Due to my immunes system and the Coronavirus, we are not gathering in large crowds at this time, but we are watching our church services…

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Training Children to Worship

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). The goal: Train up a child in the way God designed him. God designed mankind to be dependent upon Him and to worship Him (Isaiah 43:7, 21; Revelation 4:11). Everyone worships someone…

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Live As Obedient Children

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. I Peter 1:13 This is obviously written to believers, obedient children in verse 14. The unsaved cannot think in terms of the vertical, only…

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Biblical Principles of Friendship

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. James 4:4 Merriam-Webster states that friendship is the quality or state of being friendly. Synonyms include: benevolence, brotherhood, charity, cordiality, fellowship, friendliness, kindliness, and…

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Loving God

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Mark 12:30 A scribe asked Jesus, Which is the first commandment of all (Mark 12:28)? Most Christians will affirm that they love God?…

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Making Commitments

Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass (Psalm 37:5). Commit thy works unto the LORD, and Thy thoughts shall be established (Proverbs 16:3). New Year’s Resolutions are somewhat traditional in America, not that many keep them. People resolve to change bad practices, behavior, and habits…

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