A real friend is a friend forever, not just for a summer or until the end of college days, or until the end of your tour of duty in the military. And a real friend is loyal and faithful.

In 1 Samuel we read that Jonathan’s dad, Saul, hated David. Saul was jealous of David’s looks, popularity and the way people treated him. So Jonathan was torn between his dad and his best friend. When push came to shove, Jonathan proved to be a really committed friend. That’s really the kind of relationship David and Jonathan had – they would do anything for each other.

Life is difficult sometimes, and there are so many “enemies” around (enemies like loneliness, fear, distrust, to name a few) that we all need a good friend. The Bible gives us a great picture of what a friend is – not just someone to help you out, but someone you can help. Sometimes your friends need you a lot more than you need them. And that’s OK, because we all go through times when we need somebody to come through for us and don’t have much to give back.

Let David and Jonathan teach you what it means to be a great friend. “Friendship is essential for the soul”.

Anonymous

The local newspaper for this metropolitan area has proliferated in advice columns that are daily filled with questions regarding how to solve life’s problems. Advice is freely given. We have no way of knowing if it is followed. We seem, with the passage of time, to seek answers from almost any source except the advice given in what the Psalmist called, “A lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalms 119:105. Read this 119^th Psalm for many other beautiful descriptions of the value of God’s advice in His Word.

Paul’s statement, “I can do all things in Him that strengthened me” is often quoted from Philippians 4:13 and admired as an aspiration toward which we desire to move. But, how? How can we arrive at this firm conviction? We can imitate eight steps that Paul advises in Philippians 4. They are:

1. Minimize your needs. Verses 5 and 11. We often are like the child with his parent in the super-store. Every aisle contains numerous things he wants but would immediately discard when he gets them.
2. Pray instead of worrying. Verse 6. We reverse this and worry instead of praying.
3. Recognize God’s great power. Verse 7. This is where faith comes in to play such an important part in your life.
4. Control (discipline) your thoughts. Verse 8. We are as we think and we can control what we think about. Remember “as a man thinketh, so is he?”
5. Follow God’s advice freely given in His Word. Verse 9. It is not enough to know the things to do unless we do them.
6. Learn to be content. Verse 11. We can learn to be discontented or contented. We can learn to do what we seek to do. Learning involves practice.
7. Live by the conviction, “I can do all things in Him who strengtheneth me.” Verse 13. Live in the Word that your faith may grow to accept this truth.
8. Believe fully “And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Verse 19. Imagine how content we would be if we accepted this! The child ceases to be alarmed when the parent assures him, “I’ll take care of it!” This is what God tells us.The child was stranded on a limb high in a brittle cottonwood tree. His mother said, “I can’t get you down, but your father will be home from work soon. He’ll get you down when he arrives.” The child relaxed, no longer afraid. He patiently waited for the help he was convinced would come. Relax. God says, “Cast your cares on me.” I Peter 5:7.

As we prepare to enter a new decade of the 20s, the elders want to say how grateful we are for all of the wonderful and dedicated members of the Beckley Heights Congregation.  We know times are tough and we are thankful for your continued support. Our objective is to always watch out for the church and care for its member’s spirituality in humility.

Now the year 2020 is upon us. At the beginning of a new year, people often make new plans and resolve to do better. The members together should strive to make the coming year the best that the church here has ever known.  We can tell you that we will be making some new changes, and you can be sure that these changes will adhere to the same level of spirituality as you have been a custom too. You’ve embraced every plan that was made in 2019. Our results were wonderful. We baptized many into Christ and our faith grew. Nevertheless, we must press on!

  Some of the things we can do better in 2020 are:

1. Attend all services (Heb. 10:25).
2. Engage more members in church work
3. Seek to enroll other in classes (bring self, children, others)
4. Visit the sick and help the needy. (James 1:27).
5. Read the Bible throughout the year (2 Tim. 2:15).
6. Pray daily and often. (1 Thess. 5:17)
7. Do everything possible for the advancement of the Church.

Here are things about Christ that we need very much at the end of this year.

• We need the perseverance of Christ in the face of affliction.
• We need the energy and strength of Christ in the face of depleting pressures.
• We need the wisdom of Christ in the face of complexities of life and ministry.
• We need the stability of Christ in the midst of rapid social and political and personal changes all around us.
• We need the assurance of his sovereign authority in a culture sliding farther and farther from his truth.

With the right kind of spirit and work the church should really grow. All should feel their individual responsibility to God.

Our prayers are that God will bless you all through the coming year. May His grace and peace be with you.

When life is good, it is easy to praise God.  My life is full of blessings, we think to ourselves.  He is so good to me!  But what happens when life is hard?  Do we continue to give him the glory when we’re thrown curveball after curveball?

Regardless of our circumstance, whatever our situation, we need to continue to give him the praises he so richly deserves.  A life lived alongside Christ doesn’t mean it will be one free of pain, discomfort, of heartaches, of tough times.  But it does mean that we can find contentment in it anyway because we have him in our lives to turn to.

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.  I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:11-13).

Pray for contentment today, whatever your circumstance.  There is no crisis that the Lord is not willing to walk you through. We can do anything with him by our side!

Contributed

     Adam Burtle of Woodinville, Washington, did what many do with less fanfare – he sold his soul.  He offered it in a listing in an internet auction company’s ad.  He had underestimated what his soul was worth to anyone else.  The bidding started at 5 cents and topped out at $400.00.  The auction company removed the listing and suspended Mr. Burtle, a twenty year old, from using the site.  The buyer, a woman from Des Moines, Iowa, will have to settle for a night on the town or his natural death, said Mr. Burtle,  “Due to the difficulties involved with removing my soul.”

     This bit of foolishness points up a valuable lesson:  one’s soul is of small value to anyone else.  But life, death, the judgement, and eternal afterlife will vindicate the scriptural claim made by Jesus Himself that the value of one’s soul is greatest to the owner.   Mark 8:36.

     The world’s literature is filled with the idea of selling one’s soul – consider The Devil and Daniel Webster, by Stephen Vincent Benet.   And there are vague reminders in the oft used phrase of one “selling out.”

     In the Old Testament,  when Elijah,  that outspoken,  rough mannered prophet who was the model for that equally rough clothed, outspoken New Testament prophet,  John the baptiser,  found the evil King Ahab to pronounce Ahab’s and Jezebel’s doom,  Ahab asked, in a voice no doubt dripping with sarcasm,  “Hast thou found me,  O mine enemy?”  Elisha answered, “I have found thee because thou hast sold thyself to do that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah.”

     “Thou hast sold thyself!!!”   One of the most despicable blights on humankind is slavery.  But one did not sell himself, perhaps with the exception of indentured servants who would sell themselves on a contract for a specified number of years in return for passage to America from Europe.  Ahab, knowing God, knowing the requirements of God for right living, knowing that he, Ahab, was in the responsible position of king over God’s people, was willing to give up all that he had in exchange for the pleasures of sin for a season.  Consider the other side.  Moses “chose rather to share ill treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; accounting the reproach of Christ greater riches that the treasures of Egypt:  for he looked for the recompense of reward.”  Hebrews 11:25,26.

     Selling one’s soul is not really that rare.  People do it all the time.  Only usually it is not recognized for what it is.  It occurs any time we give up allegiance and commitment to God in exchange for whatever we let keep us from Him.  It happens every day – sometimes for less than $400.00!