Religion

The same wind that blew in your back on your way to hell, will blow in your face on your way to heaven. After the initial well-being, saved and accepted in the family of Christ, you find yourself assailed by thoughts and forces you thought were no longer part of your life.

The Sunday school teacher was checking her students’ knowledge of Proverbs. She asked, “Cleanliness is next to what?” A small boy replied, “Impossible.”

Sometimes cleanliness does seem nearly impossible. Why? Because sin is so strong and never-ending. Once we are cleansed from sin, it comes right back to tempt us again. It is very hard to overcome some sins such as greed, lust, ill will, anger and gossip.

The faith of Abraham Lincoln is best expressed in the phrase he coined, “one nation under God.” He was inspired by the Bible and by God’s direction in his life and the country’s life.

God is mentioned in many of Lincoln’s speeches. In 1861 when Lincoln left Springfield for Washington, he said at the train depot, “Without the assistance of that Divine Being ... I cannot succeed. With that assistance, I cannot fail.”

A survey was conducted among some 4- to 8-year-olds as to their “views on love.” The following would represent some answers they gave: “Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving lotion and they go out and smell each other.”

We all have our ideas about love, but the best ones come from God. Paul in Romans 12:9-10 tells us that love is a matter of doing something. He says, “don’t just pretend you love someone. Really love them and have genuine affection.”