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Vol.  9  No. 6 June 2007  Page 1
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Give Thanks
for In-Laws

Alan Smith

By Alan Smith

    A newlywed farmer and his wife were visited by her mother, who immediately demanded an inspection of the place. The farmer had genuinely tried to be friendly to his new mother-in-law, hoping that it could be a friendly, non-antagonistic relationship. It was all to no avail, though, as she kept nagging them at every opportunity, demanding changes, offering unwanted advice, and generally making life unbearable to the farmer and his new bride.

  While they were walking through the barn, during the forced inspection, the farmer’s mule suddenly reared up and kicked the mother-in-law in the head, killing her instantly. It was a shock to all no matter their feelings toward her demanding ways.

Table of Contents

Give Thanks for In-Laws By Alan Smith 1
What Is Islam? By Louis Rushmore 2
Giving the Word New Meaning By D. Gene West 3
Fuzzy Questions By T. Pierce Brown 4
20/20 Vision By Raymond Elliott 5
Chastised with Scorpions By Mark McWhorter 6
Empty! By Steve Higginbotham 6
Dorcas Crossword Puzzle By Bonnie Rushmore 7
A Nobody Who Became a Somebody By Marilyn LaStrape 8
What Is Dispensational Premillennialism? By Dennis Gulledge 9
Is Baptism a Mere Formality? By Louis Rushmore 10
Hearing the Word of God By Harold Bigham 11
The Early Church By Paul R. Mobley 12
An All-Seeing Eye By Dean Kelly 13
Are You Playing Church? By Rodney Nulph 14
God Must Be First Place in My Life By Tim Childs 15
House Fire By Mike Benson 16
XUXU By Robert Johnson 17
Examine Yourselves... By Ernest Underwood 18
News & Advertisements 19
Speaking in Tongues By Louis Rushmore 20
Pure Conscience By Louis Rushmore 20
Songs That Speak to Jesus By Louis Rushmore 20

Louis Rushmore, Editor
Paul Mobley, proofreader
Crossword Puzzle By Bonnie Rushmore
Priscilla's Page By Marilyn LaStrape
Youth Page By Mark McWhorter
Since You Asked By Louis Rushmore

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   At the funeral service a few days later, the farmer stood near the casket and greeted folks as they walked by. The preacher noticed that whenever a woman would whisper something to the farmer, he would nod his head yes and say something.
  Whenever a man walked by and whispered to the farmer, however, he would shake his head no, and mumble a reply. Very curious as to this bizarre behavior, the preacher later asked the farmer what that was all about.

   The farmer replied, “The women would say, ‘What a terrible tragedy’ and I would nod my head and say ‘Yes, it was.’ The men would then ask, ‘Can I borrow that mule?’ and I would shake my head and say, ‘Can’t, it’s all booked up for a year.’” We often make jokes about in-laws (especially mothers-in-law), but the family of our spouse can be quite a blessing to us.

    When we read of in-laws in the Bible, we find some relationships that were good and some that were not so good. There was Jacob and the struggle he had with his father-in-law Laban. (If you think your in-laws are bad, imagine one that would switch daughters at the wedding ceremony!) There was Moses and the good relationship he had with his father-in-law, Jethro.

   However, the most beautiful in-law relationship described in the Bible was between Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi. Listen to these words spoken by Ruth to Naomi, words which have been repeated in countless wedding ceremonies:

“Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.” (Ruth 1:16-17)

   What a beautiful pledge of love and loyalty! If you are married, may I encourage you to do something today you may not have done in quite a while--give thanks to God for your in-laws. Have a great day!
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