The Good Life

by Doy Moyer Ask people if they want a good, happy life and they will say, “Yes. Of course.” No one wants a terrible, miserable life. Yet, while we all want the good life, many will think that this is not attainable. Or, if it is attainable, it is to be on our own terms,…

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Saved from the Wrath of God

by Doy Moyer To be saved from the wrath of God is generally equated in Scripture with being saved from judgment. It is set opposite of eternal life. For example, Jesus said, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God…

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45th Birthday

by Matthew W. Bassford Today is my 45th birthday, a time for reflection if ever there was one. From an earthly perspective, this is a grim milestone indeed. It is almost certainly the last birthday I will ever celebrate. When I was in elementary school, I learned about Huntingdon’s chorea, what they call Huntingdon’s disease…

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Grace Is Sufficient

by Doy Moyer Paul describes certain visions and revelations that were beyond his understanding (II Corinthians 12). He then spoke of what he calls a “thorn in the flesh,” given to him to keep him from becoming conceited. He implored the Lord three times that this thorn would be removed from him. Whatever it was,…

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Is There Meaning to My Life?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Is-There-Meaning-to-My-Life.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Job 14   I.         What will have changed because you have lived?             A.        People have longed wondered what the meaning of life is, but I think it more important to consider what meaning there is in your life. II.        What is your life?             A.        Perhaps a strange beginning to the question.             B.        Your life…

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The Calm Between Major Events

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I.         Events happen in our lives that you could call defining moments             A.        It is when we must make a hard choice. Ultimately, the choice defines who we are.             B.        A moment of courage, when someone is saved.             C.        A moment of conviction when we stand up for God and truth             D.        The challenges we face…

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For This Is God’s Will

by Ethan R. Longhenry “For this is God’s will: that you become holy” (I Thessalonians 4:3) Many people agonize over this question: what is God’s will for my life? They imagine God has a specific intention for them to live in a specific place, be with a specific person, have a specific career or job,…

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The Whole Duty of Man

by Matthew W. Bassford The opening chapters of Ecclesiastes are surely among the gloomiest in the entire Bible. In them, Solomon examines life under the sun and concludes that all of the usual human pursuits are futile and vain. Wealth doesn’t bring lasting satisfaction. The pursuit of pleasure proves to be pointless. The accumulation of…

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On the Open Sea

by Jefferson David Tant It is midnight as I begin writing — midnight on the open sea. Most of the ship’s passengers are asleep as we move quietly through the water. I just stepped outside in the brisk night air and scanned the star-studded heavens. What a clear view of God’s creation — the myriad…

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Planning Your Life

by P.D. Wilmeth These seven teenage years are a great adventure in experiences, with all the risks and hazards of unknown paths. They are tremendously important years this is a journey that we make only once. There is no roundtrip ticket, most of us according to the calendar will be on this road for about…

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The Wages of Sin Is Death

by Doy Moyer “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23). Why should death have been the penalty for sin? In short, because we have disregarded the Giver of all life and breath and all things. If in our own pride we try to usurp God and take His throne and His glory for…

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The Conclusion of the Whole Matter

by David R. Pharr Frank Sinatra was only 54 when he recorded his popular song, “I Did It My Way.” The song may imply his life was nearly over. “And now the end is near, So I face the final curtain.” The lyrics may suggest a full and mostly successful life, with emphasis on it…

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The Ugly Ways of Life

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/The-Ugly-Ways-of-Life.mp3 by Raymond Warfel

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The Hope of Eternal Life

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/The-Hope-of-Life-Eternal.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 15:12-19   I.         It is no secret that many ministers in the denominational world lack faith in the Bible.             A.        Methodists: 51%, Episcopalians: 35%, American Baptist: 33%, Presbyterians 30%, American Lutherans: 13% doubt Jesus’ physical resurrection [Jeffrey Hadden, results of a survey of 7,441 Protestant ministers published in PrayerNet…

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To Live Is Christ; to Die Is Gain

by Matthew W. Bassford Among its other effects, a terminal diagnosis will lead you to read the Scriptures with very different eyes. All sorts of passages that you thought you understood take on new depth and meaning. For me, the chief of these is Philippians 1:21-24. Years ago, I read this passage as Paul being…

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Notes on the Brevity of Life

Comparisons II Samuel 14:14 – Like water spilled on the ground I Chronicles 29:15 – Like a shadow, it will not stay Job 7:6-7 – Like a weaver’s shuttle or the wind Job 9:25-26 – Like a swift messenger, a swift ship, or a swooping eagle Job 14:1 – Few days, like a flower Psalms…

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The Meaning of Life: Where Are You Going?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Meaning-of-Life-Where-Are-You-Going.mp3 Text: Ecclesiastes 9:1-10   I.         Having a goal in mind gives direction to the choices that you must make.             A.        The meaning of life is more than what you are doing with your life right now. It is also where you are letting life take you.             B.        One thing is certain, you are going to die -…

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The Meaning of Life

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Photo by Anthony Tori on Unsplash Where Did You Come From? Why Are You Here? Where Are You Going?

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The Meaning of Life: Why Are You Here?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Meaning-of-Life-Why-Are-You-Here.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Timothy 6:6-21   I.         What is it that you are looking for out of life? What are you expecting?             A.        So many people never find contentment with their lives because they are expecting things that life cannot deliver.             B.        They decide they can’t be happy with life unless something changes                         1.         I’m…

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The Seasons of Life

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Seasons-of-Life.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8   I.         Solomon said, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” – Ecclesiastes 3:1             A.        Each moment in time, each phase of life, must be treated in a manner appropriate to the events – Ecclesiastes 3:11             B.        So many people create problems for themselves…

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The Meaning of Life: Where Did You Come From?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Meaning-of-Life-Where-Did-You-Come-From.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 11:25-36   I.         The age-old question: Why are we here?             A.        To answer the question well, we first need to consider how did we get to “here.”             B.        To do so begins to answer why we are “here.” II.        The prevalent answer today is to claim that it just happened             A.        Life is…

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What Is Your Life?

by Fanning Yater Tant (1908-1997), 1955 “The days of our years are threescore years and ten, Or even by reason of strength fourscore years; Yet is their pride but labor and sorrow; For it is soon gone, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10). “What is your life? For ye are a vapor, that appears for…

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The Abortion Debate

by David Lanphear Biblical Insights, July 2007 Public debate about abortion has raged for decades. When Roe v. Wade altered the legal landscape for the unborn in 1973, the issue moved to the forefront of political discussion and activism and has not yielded its position. Abortion is a hot button topic for Presidential candidates and…

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Make Me Know My End

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Make-Me-Know-My-End.mp3 Text: Psalms 39   I.         Psalms 38-40 cover related themes regarding the problems caused by sin             A.        God has punished David because of his sin – Psalms 38:1-2             B.        Between God’s punishment and the burden of the sin itself, David feels overwhelmed – Psalms 38:3-8             C.        Even close friends and family avoid you when you are suffering because…

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Life Before Birth

Source: Janelle Weaver, “Social before Birth: Twins First Interact with Each Other as Fetuses,” Scientific American, 1 January 2011. “… scientists found that fetuses begin reaching toward their neighbors by the 14th week of gestation. Over the following weeks they reduced the num­ber of movements toward themselves and instead reached more frequently toward their counterparts.…

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Is it by God’s grace that a person survives a near death situation?

Question: Good day, I have heard people saying after a near-death situation that “It is by the grace of God he is alive.” How biblical is that? Thanks Answer: “Grace” is a favor given, even though it is not deserved. We usually use it to talk about salvation, but consider: “For I am the least…

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Hezekiah’s Prayer

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Hezekiahs-Prayer-2019.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 38:9-20   I.         Many people are familiar with Hezekiah’s prayer asking God for help against the Assyrian army, but I would like for us to take a few minutes to examine Hezekiah’s prayer of thanksgiving after he was healed of an illness II.        Bitterness             A.        Isaiah 38:9-10                         1.         Hezekiah was told he…

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Living on Borrowed Time

by Jefferson David Tant “The days of our years are threescore years and ten, Or even by reason of strength fourscore years; Yet is their pride but labor and sorrow; For it is soon gone, and we fly away” (Psalms 90:10). Having reached that milestone of threescore and ten a few years ago. I feel…

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When Life Has No Value

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/WhenLifeHasNoValue.mp3 Text: Psalms 139   I.         To watch as a child grows in a mother’s womb is a thing of wonder.             A.        People refer to the “miracle of birth,” though it is not truly a miracle – this is the way God made the process of life to happen.             B.        Still, it doesn’t make it any less awesome…

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The Unwanted

Text: Psalms 10 I.         How do we deal with those whom others don’t want?             A.        Terri Shiavo made the news and was the focus of attention for numerous months.                         1.         Her husband no longer wanted to keep her alive. He claimed that she wouldn’t want to remain in this state.                         2.         What I don’t often hear is that Terri…

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The Meaning of Life

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/2015Fall1TheMeaningOfLife.mp3 by Brace Rutledge Spiritual Growth

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What is the meaning of “life” in II Peter 1:3?

Question: What does “life” mean in: “has given onto us all things that pertain to life and godliness”? Answer: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge…

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Does the Bible say we don’t deserve anything?

Question: I have a question: The Bible says that we don’t deserve anything. Then why do people say, ‘You deserve that achievement’ or ‘You deserve it’? Isn’t this wrong? Answer: First, I can’t recall any passage that says we don’t deserve anything. It is true that we cannot earn salvation (Titus 3:5-7), but that doesn’t…

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Living Spiritual Lives

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/LivingSpiritualLives.mp3 by Raymond Warfel

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The Good Life

by Mike Waters The Good Life – Five Lessons from Ecclesiastes Marriage Counsel from Peter God’s Plan for His People Building a Lasting Faith In Due Time We Will Reap Contentment in Christ The Providence of God Pray Without Ceasing

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My life has no meaning, so why shouldn’t I take it?

Question: Hello Mr. Hamilton I am an 18-year-old male. I write to you because I am feeling extremely depressed and confused, almost suicidal, and have done for about a year or so. First of all, I would like to mention that I’m an atheist. I used to be a Christian, but even if I still…

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State Court Recognizes Unborn Children as People

Source: John-Henry Westen, “Alabama Supreme Court: ‘unborn children are persons with rights that should be protected by law’,” Life Site News, 11 January 2013. “The ruling states, “The decision of this Court today is in keeping with the widespread legal recognition that unborn children are persons with rights that should be protected by law.” “Today,” the…

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