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| Volume 21 Number 10 October 2019 | Page 13 |
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| Volume 21 Number 10 October 2019 | Page 13 |
Cecil May, Jr.
If Christ is not raised, I and every other preacher may as well quit preaching. We have nothing of value to say. All we have believed is a lie. Jesus is dead and powerless. We have no hope of life. Our loved ones who died in Christ are perished.
However, He is risen, and He lives. Those who came to the tomb to anoint His body were asked, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but, is risen.”
Two popular images of Jesus are a baby in a manger and a body on the cross. Both, taken by themselves, are images of weakness.
He is no longer a babe; suffering made Him our perfect Savior (Hebrews 2:8-9). He lives and makes intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). When we think of Jesus’ death, even in taking the Lord’s Supper, we should not leave Him in the grave. He is risen; He lives. He conquered Satan, Hell and death.
Through Him who loved us, we are more than conquerors.
Preparing for Christ
Derek Broome
In Matthew 25:1-13, we read about ten virgins waiting on a bridegroom. Five of the virgins were wise and came prepared with plenty of oil for their lamps, but five of the virgins were foolish and did not come prepared. When the bridegroom came, the five foolish virgins had gone to purchase more oil. The bridegroom and those that were ready entered the wedding, and the door was shut. When the five foolish virgins came, they were not let in, and the bridegroom said unto them, “I do not know you.”
Christ is going to return one day, and that leaves us with a choice to make. We can either choose to be prepared for the Second Coming of our Lord, or we can choose to sit idly by and waste the time that we have right now. “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Matthew 25:13).
Preparing for Christ involves submitting to the Lord, His Word and His Will. Have we had our sins washed away in baptism? Are we living and worshipping the way that God has told us to live and to worship? Are we actively working for the Lord? We need to ask ourselves these questions and more every day as we prepare for Christ’s return. One day Christ will return, and I hope we all will be ready for that great day of the Lord.