Any good baseball player knows the value of forethought. He decides before the pitch what he will do if the ball comes his way. Then, if he must make a play, he won’t waste time making a decision. The split-second save may be the difference between a successful play and an unsuccessful one. 

Jesus was well fortified with forethought. When He faced temptation in the desert, He responded with words learned long before His trial. He acted with speed. He wasted no time in making the crucial decision! 

I Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” 

Taken from the book “Right Angels” by Ralph Bryant. Ralph is an elder and the preaching minister for the Abell Street Church of Christ in Wharton, Texas.  

It seems more and more that people are getting entangled in all kinds of disagreements. Whereas agreements used to take place quietly behind closed doors, now they are taking place on social media in view of the entire world. As Christians we are called to be different than the world around us (I John 2:15), thus we should not participate in arguments like those outside of Christ do, but unfortunately, we still find ourselves involved in arguments. The Philippian letter helps us end arguments.  

Philippians 4:2 

I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. 

Agree in the name of the Lord instead of arguing. 

Philippians 4:4 

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 

Rejoice in the Lord instead of wasting time arguing. 

Philippians 4:8-9  

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. 

Focus on these things instead of arguing. 

 
If you find yourself in an argument just look to Philippians and you will find a way out. 

Be Strong and Courageous, 
Paul 

I have a tremendous amount of respect and appreciation for our elders here at the Fulshear Church of Christ!  Our elders are doing a great job of shepherding us as we move forward in our faith.  They are such great examples in service, sacrifice, and selfless love.  

I’m excited about the positive plans they have in store for our spiritual family for 2021 and beyond.  I ask you to pray that we will make a BIG impact in our Fulshear community for our Lord.  I ask you not only to pray but also follow their example.

Please be an encouragement to our elders by sending them a card of appreciation or communicating your love for them verbally for their service to the Lord and His kingdom.  Think about ways you can be creative to show your love and appreciation for their diligence. They truly deserve it!

Let’s display the beautiful qualities of humility and submission, along with the desire to be unified and spiritual, as we serve the Lord under the oversight of our elders with enthusiasm and joy.  These qualities are definitely needed to be an active, healthy, vibrant, and growing church.  

My plea is for God to keep us…

1. Holy (1 Peter 1:15)

2. Hungry (Matthew 4:4)

3. Humble (Philippians 2:1-11)

God wants us to be successful!  Let’s be steadfast, immovable, and moving forward in our work for the Lord!

¹The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: ² Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; ³ nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; ⁴ and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.  (1 Peter 5)                  

Joshua 24:15   “And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

One of the most crucial components of the family that sets the direction spiritually for the family is the father. And for good reason … it  is God’s plan for the family. The magnitude of this cannot be understated. 

Luke 2:52 is often used to describe the growth of Jesus, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”  We notice in that verse that Jesus grew intellectually, physically, and socially. My question is how did this happen?  It happened because Joseph decided that he and his house would serve the Lord. 

This decision to serve the Lord will set the direction for….

1. The priority of worship in your home.

2. The love that is the foundation in your home. 

3. The lessons learned spiritually from God’s Word in your home. 

4. The prayers that are offered to God in your home. 

5. The decisions for serving others that are planned in your home.

6. The allegiance and obedience that begins first in your home. 

The direction that fathers set for the family spiritually have eternal consequences personally and collectively.  It also affects the church and the community. 

I’m thankful for all fathers who have made this decision and I want to encourage those who have not to decide today to give God your heart, soul, mind, and strength. It will be a blessing in this life and the next. 

I came across this tidbit of information and was blown away…

“Giving diners a single mint at the end of a meal increased tips by around 3%. If two mints were provided, tips increased by 14%. More interestingly, if the waiter provided one mint, started to walk away from the table, but paused, turned back, and said, “For you nice people, here’s an extra mint”, tips increased by 23%, influenced not by what was given but how it was given.”  - Influence At Work

Do you remember the fruits of the Spirit mentioned by the apostle Paul in Galatians 5:22-23?  Listen to these words of Paul, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” God knew the beautiful fruit…KINDNESS would influence people in a positive way. 

Imagine for a moment that those “diners” are not guests at an eating establishment but visitors to the Lord’s church, those “mints” and our words of encouragement is the kindness we offer.  

God knew the importance and impact that genuine kindness would have on helping to bring others to come to know Jesus. 

Let’s be kind to one another, our visitors at church, and to our neighbors in the Fulshear community. 

“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.”  (2 Peter 1:5-9)