Daily Devotional from Wooddale Church of Christ
By Tom Smith

Many people in Israel lived in physical poverty, and Boaz was known for his generosity. But in his concern for those elsewhere, he didn't overlook those in need in his own backyard. One of those was his own kinswoman, Naomi. As Ruth prepared to go home from her labors in the field, he gave her six ephahs (approximately five bushels) of barley to take home to her mother-in-law. Out of the compassion of his heart, he was burdened that the young Moabitess who gleaned in his fields not go home empty-handed.

Recently the Barna Research Group announced its findings that the number of evangelicals in the United States is only about 4 percent (decreasing from 12 percent in 1992). An earlier study indicated that as many as 50 percent of Americans have no religious affiliation and another 41 percent are Christians in name only. That means that at least 91 percent of the U.S. population is living in spiritual poverty. It's obvious we have a vast mission field right in our own backyard. As we send and support missionaries overseas, are we overlooking those in spiritual need nearby?

Spiritually needy people are everywhere. The majority of Christians, however, are neither able nor called to leave their occupations and homes to serve on foreign mission fields. But that doesn't mean that our neighbors must go home empty-handed. All around us are people living well below the "spiritual poverty line." Next door, around the corner, or in the apartment across the hall are men, women, and children who need to know about the Savior. The fields are there, and they're ready for harvest.

Make sure your friends and neighbors don't go home empty-handed. Be alert to opportunities to pass on the Bread of Life. Prayerfully ask God to lead you to someone with whom you can share your spiritual bounty. And then be like Boaz: give away what your friends need most.

If you're content to go to heaven alone, you may not be going at all. I am not going to say anything more. You get the message loud and clear, and now it is up to you to either heed this word or ignore it.

Tonk Talk by Mark T. Tonkery

                   One of the great needs of the church today is for our members to be more evangelistic.  We have more people living in our world today and yet fewer people becoming Christians and being involved in the life of the church.  There are people all around us, we have neighbors, co-workers, family, and friends who are not Christians.   Most of us talk with these people every day, yet when was the last time we had a spiritual conversation with them?  Talking about God, Christ, the church, and the Bible can be challenging even awkward, especially if we are not in the habit of talking about our faith.   So how can we take our daily conversation with our friends from everyday concerns to a spiritual discussion?  The following is a helpful acronym that may be able to help us.  When you are talking with someone think of the word H.O.P.E.S.

·H – Home.  Talk to your friend about their family, their children, grandchildren, and the places they have lived; share this information about yourself with them as well.  Show them that you are genuinely concerned and interested in their family and their home.

·O- Occupation.  Talk to your friend about their job, what they do for a living, how their day at work went.  If they have served in the military or went to college, ask them about their experience.  Share your work and life experiences with them too.

·P- Preferences – Talk to your friend about their likes and dislikes, foods they like or dislike to eat, restaurants they may like to go to or want to avoid.  Ask them about the type of car they like to drive, or their favorite holiday.  Share your likes and dislikes with them also.

·E-Entertainments – Talk to your friend about their hobbies, places they like to go on vacation, ask them to share their vacation memories, and talk about what they like to do when they have a day off.  Share your common interests and things that you like to do for entertainment as well.

·S – Story – Talk to your friend about their religious beliefs, talk about where they grew up going to church, or if they ever went to church.  Ask them if they ever have become a Christian, ask them how they became a Christian or why they are not a Christian.  Have them share their faith and religious story with you.  And then as you listen to their story, ask them if you can share how, you became a Christian, and why you believe what you believe.  Point them to the scriptures and use this opportunity to set up a Bible study with them and invite them to come to worship services with you.

The next time you are talking to a friend, remember H.O.P.E.S., and may we each realize the urgency in bringing our lost friends to Christ.

Dan. 12:3, “And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”

(Adapted from John Orr, How to attract young families. lecture, Connect Conference, 2021).

I once baptized a 70 year-old man who had learned the truth as a teen but had never obeyed the gospel. For more than 50 years he had lived a life of guilt, anxiety and fear - knowing that he was lost. So many people believe they can postpone their decision to follow Jesus. You will never find peace in your life until you resolve the matter of your soul’s salvation. Postponing important decisions often leads to tragic results. A person who is sick can put off going to the doctor until it is too late to be cured. A person who is lost can put off coming to Christ until it is too late to be saved. Many will be lost because of indecision. You may say “I haven’t yet decided about becoming a Christian.” But in reality, you have already decided - you’ve said no. The fact that you don’t want to admit it, shows that you know that your decision is wrong. There are many reasons why you should become a Christian - Today.

BECAUSE LIFE IS SHORT  Those who put off their obedience make a dangerous assumption - that they will have more opportunities. But, “we know not what will be tomorrow. For, what is your life? It is a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (James 4:14)

BECAUSE DEATH IS CERTAIN  Solomon said “the living know that they shall die.” So do we - we just don’t know when.

BECAUSE A DAY OF JUDGEMENT HAS BEEN APPOINTED   “It is appointed unto men once to die and then the judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27) “He has appointed a day in the which He will judge the world.” (Acts 17:31)

BECAUSE HEAVEN AWAITS THOSE WHO ARE SAVED   “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those that love Him.” (I Cor. 2:19)

BECAUSE HELL AWAITS THOSE WHO ARE NOT   God does not wish for anyone to perish, but for all to repent. (II Peter 3:9) He will, however, take vengeance on those who do not obey the gospel. (II Thes. 1:8)

BECAUSE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS THE BEST LIFE ONE CAN LIVE   Follow Jesus and you will know true joy, peace, and happiness. The choice is yours, “but for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

                Tonk Talk 

                   The late Clayton Pepper told the following story in the Gospel Advocate.  There was a tour group visiting some of the old church buildings in Europe and England.  The tour guide described one of the buildings with its stained-glass windows and the rare carving in the pulpit and talked about the great speakers and dignitaries who had once attended the church.  During the description, an elderly lady kept trying to get the guide’s attention.  Finally, the guide recognized her, and she asked, “Sir, has anybody been saved here lately?”

                   This lady asked a great question, a question we as a congregation should be asking about ourselves, “Has anybody been saved here lately?”  Think about it:  When was the last time we studied the Bible with a non-Christian?  When was the last time we saw or heard of someone being baptized?  When was the last time a Christian came forward repenting of their sins or placing membership with the congregation?  Has anybody been saved here lately?  If not, then what are we waiting for?  If we are not saving people, then what is the church here for?

                   In the book of Acts, we see the church grew and was added to day by day.

·Acts 2:47, “... And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

·Acts 11:21, “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.”

·Acts 16:5, “So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.”

The church grew in the first century because the gospel was being preached daily, those who were being saved were being strengthened in the faith and the Lord was with them.    

Conversions and spiritual restorations can still take place today if we as God’s people will only teach and preach the gospel daily.  Now is the time to invite someone to study the Bible now is the time to hand someone a Bible tract or send a House to House Heart to Heart paper.  Now is the time to be teaching our friends and loved ones the gospel of Jesus Christ.

But what if we do not take the time to teach the gospel?  We will see fewer and fewer people in our pews and our church building will be just like those in Europe and England; empty.

When the gospel is not preached, and people are not converted we are left with not only empty church buildings but with empty and lost spiritual lives.

So, has anyone been saved here lately? 

by Mark T. Tonkery

Tonk Talk 

Broken Things

Ecc 3:1-3, states, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;”

 For me, this must be a time for things to break down because I do not remember a time in my life when so many of our things have broken at once.  During these past three months, our washing machine broke, our old desktop computer finally broke down for good, one of our house fans stopped working, one of our ceiling fans also broke, our garden house broke too, my glasses broke, and just this morning my alarm clock died; this is just the shortlist and not to mention all the things related to Covid-19.  (I very thankful nothing major, expect the washing machine has broken, or at least not yet).  Now I don’t know if it is because we have used these items more while we have been staying home or what the reasons are.  (One elder I used to work with, would tell me I had too much stuff; maybe he is right).

Now with the way things are made today, very few of these items can be repaired, most can only be recycled or thrown away. Someone has made the commit that we live in a “throw-away” society; rarely do we or can we fix things and for that matter, it is almost as cost affect to buy a new product.  Broken things in our eyes are not very useful.

But you know not everything in life that breaks needs to be thrown away.  Vance Havner wrote, “God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.”

We have a God who uses broken things; He can even use people when sin has broken their lives.  Have you noticed as you read the Bible that it is often the broken people, the rebels (Moses), the prodigals (son in Luke 15), and the outcast (Rehab) that God uses?

In fact, often before we can be used in God’s service we too must be broken.  It is when we are broken, we have a greater appreciation for what God has done for us, we realize our blessings, and we are more useful in His Kingdom. 

Psalm 51:17, tells us, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.”

If your life is broken, come to Christ today, let today be a time to build up!  Christ can rebuild our broken lives when we confess our faith in Him (Rom. 10:9,10), repent of our sins (Acts 17:30,31), put Him on in baptism for the remission of our sins (Acts 2:38) and continue to live faithful unto the Lord (Rev. 2:10). 

We sometimes sing, “Bring Christ your broken life, So marred by sin.  He will create anew, Make whole again.  Your empty wasted years, He will restore, And your iniquities, Remember no more.” (Hymn, Bring Christ your broken life, by T.O. Chisolm).

Will you bring your broken life to Christ today? 

Written by Mark T. Tonkery