Hiawatha church of Christ

  Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12) This command of Christ has been given the nickname, “The Golden Rule”. As Jesus stated, this command sums up how man is to interact with one another. When we are faithfully following this command, we will not inflict harm upon another because we would not want that ourselves. Often, we look at the golden rule and stop at the refusal to inflict harm to another. However, the teaching of Christ goes beyond the refrain of harm. For example, if my neighbor’s home is broken into and his material possessions are stolen or ruined, it would be easy to think that because I was not the one who inflicted the harm, I have no role to play in my neighbor’s misfortune. However, the absence of evil is not always good. I may not have inflicted harm upon my neighbor, but I may not have done any good either. If I am to truly treat my nei...

Going door knocking in this day and age can be an interesting experience. I especially find the Ring Doorbells intriguing. When I first came across them, I thought this was going to be great. Even if the person is not home, I can still talk to them. How wrong I was. So far, I have encountered many of these Ring Doorbells, but have yet for anyone to actually answer them. On the one hand I find this disappointing. On the other, I cannot help but remember the words of Christ who said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7) The idea of knocking has been described by some as asking with persistence. This is consistent with biblical teaching when it comes to our prayer life. Paul stated, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Luke records, “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart…” (Luke 18:1). This parable that Luke records is the Parable of the Persistent Widow. S...

  Occasionally it happens. You are rummaging through some of your possessions, and you will find a particular item that you did not know was even missing. Typically, this brings double relief to mind. On one hand, you are glad you found the item in question. On the other hand, you never had to deal with the anxiety of a missing item. Most of the time, however, we realize that something is missing, and the conquest begins. Jesus stated in the Sermon on the Mount, “…seek, and you will find…” (Matthew 7:7). Granted, in the context of the Scripture Jesus was not discussing finding missing items in your house. Instead, Jesus dives deeper into the spiritual aspects of life. There are great spiritual blessings that God provides that we certainly do not want to be lacking in our lives. First is the knowledge of His will. The Hebrew writer 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 d...

  Jesus taught about prayer in the Sermon on the Mount. He said, “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:9-11) Jesus gives the comparison between the heavenly Father and earthly fathers. Even though they are mere men, earthly fathers know how to give good gifts to their children. Even more so, God who is not prone to faulty judgments or miscalculations, knows even greater how to give good things to His children who ask. Therefore, when we are faced with various needs, we should never be afraid to approach God in prayer and petition Him the earnest desires of our hearts. There are a variety of things for which we could ask. Let us consider a few. One is the peace of God. Paul tells us, “Be anxious for nothing...