Hiawatha church of Christ

  Our culture seems to be drifting further away from good moral values. The farther away our culture drifts, the more it appears that giving into the sinful desires of the flesh is perfectly acceptable. It is easy to lose sight of the fact that moral standards are not determined by society, but rather by our Creator. It is therefore, imperative that Christians not only maintain their moral stance before the world, but that we also continue to grow in virtue. The question is, “How do we grow in virtue when we are surrounded by a society that clearly does not share the same concern for it that we do?” Let us consider the following. Immorality is a sin against God. When Joseph was a slave in Egypt, he achieved a high-ranking status with Potiphar. His wife had longing eyes for Joseph. She tried to seduce him on a consistent basis. Joseph responded to her by saying, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There i...

Luke records, “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1). At times we are all faced with various forms of adversity. Regardless of how adversity presents itself, we do not have to lose heart. Jesus has given us the strategies we need to endure adversity while guarding our hearts. We must always bear in mind that there is great power in prayer. When we bow before God in prayer we are coming before the Almighty who loves us more than we can possibly imagine. We also remember that God always answers prayer. That does not mean that His answer always aligns itself to our expectations. Often God exceeds our expectations or shows us a better way than we originally anticipated. One example of the power of prayer comes from the book of Acts. Here Luke records that the apostle Peter had been taken into custody. Herod’s intention was to put Peter to death just as he did to James earlier. (Acts 12). We read that while Peter was in prison th...

Several years ago, my family and I were traveling back to Kansas. On our way back there were two bridges that we had to cross. One was over the Mississippi River and the other over the Ohio River. Unfortunately, one of the two bridges was closed for maintenance purposes. Consequently, we had to find an alternate bridge to cross the river and complete our journey. Without a bridge to cross, we would have been stuck without hope. Isaiah teaches us, “Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:1, 2) Man has been separated from God by his own sins. Sin has created a gap that no one can cross by his own wisdom, strength, or merit. Jesus did for us what no one else could do. He laid down His life so that we could be reconciled to the Father. Paul states , “Now all things are of God, w...

This is that beautiful time of the year when we give and receive various gifts. There is nothing quite like seeing the eyes of our loved ones light up when their expectations have been met. The gifts we provide can be something special that we have made, or a well-planned purchase. The question is, “What is the best gifts we can give?” There is no shortage of vendors out there trying to answer this question. However, the best gifts are not those that can be purchased. These gifts are valuable, but not timeless. While there is nothing wrong with these gifts in and of themselves, we should also consider some other types of gifts that are sure to satisfy. Our Time. The most precious commodity that we have is our time. Material goods can be replaced, and money lost can be built up again. Time, however, once it is spent is gone forever. As the apostle Paul wrote, “Redeeming the time because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16) The time we spend with others can be doing a project toge...

The Hebrew writer states, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Heb. 11:6) Throughout the word of God, we see examples of those who did not please God due to their lack of faith. We remember the Israelites that were sentenced to wander in the wilderness till death because they did not have faith that God could give them the Promised Land. The Scriptures state, “So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief” (Heb. 3:19). We can see very clearly that faith is essential to a successful Christian life. We certainly go through times when our faith in God is tested. We want to ensure that we endure these tests and walk away from them fully pleasing God. This begs the question, “How can we grow in the faith?” First, we grow in faith through the word of God. Paul wrote, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” We read in God’s word ...

We are still early in the New Year. Many are still stoking the fire of zeal for the New Year’s resolutions they have set. Resolutions are certainly good to make every year. It gives us a reason to rise out of bed in the morning and take on the challenges of the new day. While there are many good resolutions one can set, the greatest ones are the spiritual goals. One such goal is to grow in the knowledge of God’s word. Many have the expectation of completing the reading of the word of God throughout the year. It can be easy to become discouraged and give up on the goal. Therefore, we should consider somethings that will keep us motivated throughout the New Year. Ignorance is not bliss. The death of Uzza exemplifies this point. We remember that he died before the Lord due to the improper method of transporting the ark of the covenant (1 Chronicles 13). When the oxen stumbled, he reached out his hand to steady the ark and the Lord struck him dead. The ark itself was not to be transported...

This is that wonderful time of year when we look to the New Year as a fresh start.  It is an opportunity to throw away all the mistakes and regrets of the past and hold fast to a bright and promising future.  Many have already resolved to take on various tasks such as: losing weight, better financial management, and spending more time with their families.  If perhaps you find yourself still trying to decide on some New Year Resolutions, here are a few suggestions: Resolve to pray more.   One of the great blessings of this life is the ability to approach our Almighty Creator in prayer.  When our hearts are filled with joy, prayer becomes a great avenue to express our gratitude to Almighty God.  When our hearts are heavy, prayer becomes a great resource for strength and comfort.  Peter writes, “Cast your cares on Him for He cares for you.” -1 Peter 5:7. When problems arise in our lives, prayer is our number one asset. Jesus tells us that our heavenly Fat...