Hiawatha church of Christ

      A certain man came to the temple to pray. His heart was full of pride as he came before the Lord. He was convinced that he had exceeded the expectation of God. He then prayed, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.” (Luke 18:11-12) At the same time another man came into the temple. He was a tax collector by profession. The culture around him did not think highly of those in his line of work. When he came before the Lord, he did not even raise his eyes toward heaven. He beat upon his breast and simply prayed , “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” (vs. 13) We are all familiar with this parable that Jesus gives in the gospel of Luke. Jesus illustrates that it is not the one who boast before God that will be justified, but the one who humbles himself before Him. This is the one who acknowledges his sin and his great need for God’s grac...

      The importance of purity cannot be denied. When we go out to eat dinner, we like to have confidence in the cleanliness of the restaurant. In fact, if the tables and chairs are dirty one could only imagine the condition of the kitchen. We all want our food and beverages to be free of impurities. Likewise, God desires our hearts to be pure before Him. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8) Any type of sin in our lives stains the heart, darkens the soul, and separates us from our God. Therefore, all impurity must be purged out from our hearts consistently. The question is, how do we keep our heart pure before the Lord. It begins with the desire to be right with God. Jesus promised that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness would be filled (Matthew 5:6).   When one has the desire to be right with God, he will not stop seeking, learning, and growing until he has obtained. The desire to be righteous leads us t...

       Through our understanding of the Scriptures, we acknowledge the need for strong faith in God. The Hebrew writer clearly stated, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6). There are times when our faith is tested. As we face adversity from the various storms of life, our faith is tested. When our health begins to fail, our faith is tested. When expenses are high or our funding is low, our faith is tested. When we look at our culture and see it drifting further away from God, our faith is tested. The question we raise is, “How do we maintain our faith during these troubled times?” Fortunately, God has taught us in His word not only how to have faith, but how to keep it strong during the times of testing. First, we remember the power of our God. God promised Abraham that he would have a son by his wife Sarah. Sarah was passe...

  Acts of righteousness can be described by maintaining the right conduct before God and man. It is easy to know the right course of action we should take. However, performing that rightful conduct is often challenging. We know what is right before God by reading and studying the His word. Paul stated, “Therefore, do not be unwise but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:17). The more we know of the word of God, the better prepared we will be in making wise spiritual decisions. The Lord spoke through His prophet Micah telling us what is righteous in His sight. He stated, “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8) Doing justly means doing what is fair and honest. Sometimes this is a challenge. For example, when a cashier gives you back more change than you were owed how do you respond? The easiest course of action is not to say anything and jus...

  The goal of Christianity is to be like Jesus. Not only do we wear the name of Christ, but we desire our words and actions to reflect Jesus before others. Jesus taught, “You are the light of the world, a city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16) We have a strong desire to let our light shine before men so that our heavenly Father may be glorified. The question is, what are some ways to let our light so shine before men? Fortunately, there is no shortage of ways we can accomplish this. First, we can seek to do good things for others. Jesus did this during His life on earth. Luke records, “…who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38b). Throughout His life, Jesus was in...

  If you were to ask a group of individuals what they are worth, you would receive a variety of answers. Many would likely provide a numerical value of their assets minus their liabilities equaling their net worth. While that is one way a person could answer the question, their answer is sad. Even if the person had a net worth in the millions, they would be dramatically underestimating what they are truly worth. The value of anything is determined by the price one is willing to pay for it. For example, if you like a certain brand of coffee, but see that the price has increased, you are forced to determine its value. If you do not believe it is worth the increase in price, another brand might be acceptable. So, how does one determine the value of the human soul? It is by the same method. You only have to look at the price One was willing to pay for it. Peter records, “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct recei...