By Brenda Cannon Henley
Many of us are blessed to attend good churches where we are taught the Word of God by people who put in the effort to study, prepare, and present lessons that encourage, enlighten, and educate. We know that ultimately our citizenship is in Heaven, and that one day we will abide there, but in the meantime, we must live in the often nasty now and now rather than that sweet by and by about which we sing.
How do we live? What character traits do we exhibit? Do we strive to portray the Christian values we are taught on Sundays and sometimes Wednesday evenings? Do we even care any longer whether our testimonies in front of friends, neighbors, co-workers, and yes, our families, depict love, honor, respect, and kindness as we are taught in Scripture?
We can live a Christian life here on earth, in our homes, neighborhoods, schools, places of employment, and wherever we may find ourselves. We are witnesses – good or bad – not only in testimony or talk – but in deed and doing.
Dr. Barry Miller, a wonderful Bible teacher, spoke for two Sundays in our Cornerstone Bible Class, and I truly admire his down to earth teaching. I get what he is conveying and he made Scripture and concepts available to all in attendance in our mixed group of men and women.
Reminded me of a famed Dr. John R. Rice quote where he often said, “Preachers need to remember to keep the cookies on the bottom shelf where everyone can get them.”
Dr. Miller gave our class eight truths or a comprehensive plan for remaining energized as Christians and especially as workers in a church, missionary endeavor, Sunday School classroom, or other teaching environment. They were practical and worthy of goal setting. Best of all, they are timeless and applicable for most ages.
- Prayer – Christians that are happy and successful must be in a continual attitude of prayer. That does not mean we will be found on our knees at an altar, or even beside our bed for long hours at a time. It does mean we will sense such a connection to God that our hearts will be connected in an attitude of prayer. Again, to quote Dr. Rice, “Prayer is simply asking and receiving.”
- Bible – Sincere Christians must stay often in the Word of God to learn its rich truths and be able to comprehend its teaching.
- Thankful – We must continually work on remaining thankful or grateful for what God has done in our lives and what He has given us. Grateful people are most often happy people.
- Forgiving – The very best Christians I know have an active spirit of forgiveness. We have been forgiven so we should be able to forgive others.
- Reflection – Most Christians that I have followed have developed a reflecting attitude. We don’t live in the past, but we do look back and think about our own shortcomings and failures. We admit we have missed the mark.
- Helpful – Because we all have experienced troubles, trials, disappointments, and lacks and needs in our own life, we should be able to reach out more eagerly to help others in need.
- Mindful – A servant of the Lord should be able to keep an open or thoughtful mind concerning those with whom they cross paths. A mindful person is usually a respectful person.
- Redeeming the Time – A truly dedicated Christian will be motivated to always attempt to redeem the time he or she has. They will be conscious of the needs of others and try to reach that person while there is yet time.
Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at 409 781 8788, or
[email protected]
[BCH: Jun-20-2023]
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