Religion

“The truth itself stands up for Demetrius.” 3 John 12

When others speak well of you, you have acceptance but when the truth speaks well of you, you have character. Demetrius had it – do you? A lot has been written and said about character. Study the following words carefully then ask yourself. “Do I have character?”

As we enter a new year, God’s word has some wise counsel. Psalm 1 says, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.”

What is the common thread among Abraham Lincoln, Al Gore, Johnny Cash, Chuck Norris, Jessica Simpson, John Grisham, Ernie Fletcher and the author of this article?

They are all Baptists. And the group is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year.

According to baptisthistory.org, Baptists came into existence in England in the early 17th century. In 1609, a Puritan-Separatist group led by John Smyth encouraged believers to be immersed as a profession of faith in Christ. The name “Baptist” originally was coined by their opponents, but the name still stands.

Christmas 2008 is over. The tree may still be up, but it is empty underneath. Family members have returned home. It took weeks to prepare for Christmas, but now it is over. Life seems to have returned to normal, but for some there are the post-Christmas blahs. Depression is a problem for many people.

We hear about Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and wise men leading up to Christmas, but what happened to them after Christmas? Matthew 2:13-23 gives a detailed description.