Who's Calling

We have changed the way we view phone calls. We have gone from operator connecting calls to dialing to touch tone. We evolved from party lines to caller ID. Most of us will not answer a call unless we know the person or the number calling us. We have caller ID on our cell phones, home phones and our work phones. We have to know who is calling us. We don't like surprises.

Christmas is here. It is a time to remember the Christ child. He came to us - God did. He was born in Bethlehem. He grew into a man that dedicated himself to the mission that the Godhead agreed upon before time. He fulfilled that mission perfectly and went back home. The Bible tells us that he will come again. But the problem for us is that it will be a surprise. No advance notice. No caller ID. The ring will come (trumpet) and there he will be. The Christ, the God-man, our Savior - he came for all men when he was put in a manger. But when he come =s again, it will only be for his family. Be ready for the call.

Merry Christmas from Southern Hills church and my family. May God bless you as you journey with Him.

Sid

Fire Protection

A certain Midwestern city had a hospital that maintained its own fire-fighting equipment. If ever a fire broke out within the walls of the hospital, anyone could reach for a nearby hose on the wall and extinguish it. For about 35 years the hospital operated totally free from fires. The hospital’s safety record was impeccable. The state-of-the-art system never had to be used – and it’s a good thing that it was never needed!

One day an inspection was made of the system… The inspection revealed a very interesting and alarming situation. The pipe that was to carry the water into the building and, subsequently, into the fire-fighting system had never been connected to the water source!

For 35 years, the people who worked in and used the hospital had maintained complete confidence in a system that would not work! The system had all the hoses and equipment it needed. The only problem was that it had no connection to the most important part of the whole system – the water!

May you and I never make the same mistake, especially when it pertains to our salvation from sin!

Sin is a universal problem (Romans 3:23) with terrible consequences (Romans 6:23). In the Bible, a phrase that is used to describe punishment for sin is the…fire of hell"

Language about hell seeks to describe for humans the most awful punishment human language can describe to warn the unbelieving and impenitent before it is too late!

Yet, because of God’s love, we can be “protected” –if– we are connected to the Source of salvation. The only thing that can protect us from the punishment for sin is the…"blood of Jesus"

On the cross, Jesus died – He shed His blood – as payment for your sins and mine. "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7).

(used by permission from David Sargent)

Sid

Is My Life Worth Living

This man owned a small farm in south Washington County, Indiana. The IRS was suspicious that he was not properly paying his help. So they sent an agent out from Indianapolis to investigate. The agent asked the farmer for a list of all of his employees and what you pay them. The farmer said that's easy. First, there is my hired hand. He's been with me three years and I pay him $600 with free room and board. Then there's my cook. She's been here about 18 months and I pay her $500 a month with free room and board. Then there's the half wit. He works 18 hours a day, gets about $10 a week and all the chewing tobacco he needs. And the agent said, "That's who I want to talk to, the half wit." Then the farmer said, "That would be me."

Have you ever asked the question -- why am I getting up every day and doing what I am doing?

Does my life make any sense?

Does it have any purpose?

Socrates said that the unexamined life is not worthy living.

Jesus asks us in different ways to examine ourselves - communion, prayer, worldview, selflessness, service and worship. All of these brings us to a point - Live is worth living - but only if we live it for God.

Sid