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Old Testament Archives - B. Thomas Free Bulletin Articles https://beethomas.com/tag/old-testament/ Simple Solutions, Free Bulletin Articles and Free Website Content Tue, 16 May 2017 23:59:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 Why do the Evil Prosper? https://beethomas.com/why-do-the-evil-prosper/ Fri, 12 May 2017 21:05:06 +0000 http://beethomas.com/?p=1242 A question arose the other day, “How can I be doing wrong if things are going good for me?” This question has been asked for thousands of years and I’ve come to realize that life is simply hard to understand at times. Have you or anyone you know ever asked this question?

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]]> This free church bulletin article was written by Brian Humek from Irving, TX. You are free to use this in church bulletins, church emails and on church websites. No credit needs to be given. Simply clicking the book link at the end of this free bulletin article will help more content to be placed on this site. Donate your own bulletin article here.

free Bulletin articles Bible Passage: Psalm 37:35-39

A question arose the other day, “How can I be doing wrong if things are going good for me?” This question has been asked for thousands of years and I’ve come to realize that life is simply hard to understand at times. Have you or anyone you know ever asked this question? If so, this may be evidence of a great need in the life of the one asking.

David offers evidence in Psalm 37:35-36 which demonstrates that prospering does not equal a blessing from God. He states, “I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.”

Those who do wrong and prosper won’t prosper forever. Some may say they will get what they deserve. However, my prayer is that they simply change their ways and become a forgiven follower of Christ. For if we look at things truthfully; the greatest difference between the evil who prosper and the devoted follower of Christ is the forgiveness provided by the blood of our savior.

This past week, I’ve heard stories of painful lives full of distressful decisions which need to be made. I will leave you with a similar sentiment as was found in my tidbit from last week, “The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.” – Psalm 37:39.

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]]> How Beautiful – Free Church Bulletin Article https://beethomas.com/beautiful-free-church-bulletin-article/ Fri, 12 May 2017 15:58:15 +0000 http://beethomas.com/?p=1227 My recent trip to Kansas this past weekend helped cement the point of Ecclesiastes 3:11 in my mind. There is a lot of beauty between Dallas and Wichita (really, there is). I like the open prairie and I was able to see all of it.

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free Bulletin articles Bible Passage: Ecclesiastes 3:11

My recent trip to Kansas this past weekend helped cement the point of Ecclesiastes 3:11 in my mind. There is a lot of beauty between Dallas and Wichita (really, there is). I like the open prairie and I was able to see all of it. Then there were the good people I visited with in Norwich. I experienced good conversations and I was shown the kindest hospitality. All in all, I witnessed a lot of beauty this past weekend in a small Kansas town. On my way back, I saw old friends in Oklahoma whom I treasure. God has indeed made everything beautiful, not just land, but people and valued relationships. I ask you today, what has God made beautiful in your life? Is it a place you like to visit or a person you like to talk with? Take time today to think about the “beautiful” which God has made for you.

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]]> Patience – Church Bulletin Article https://beethomas.com/patience-church-bulletin-article/ Fri, 12 May 2017 14:13:44 +0000 http://beethomas.com/?p=1210 I hate to admit it, but I waited for years to have a girl fall in love with me. I always had bad experiences with girls. In 5th grade Andrea really acted as if she liked me. We were going on a field trip to Brookfield Zoo near Chicago. She gave off all those 5th grade signals of affection. Of course, receiving those signals loud and clear, I offered Andrea some of my M&M’s.

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]]> This free church bulletin article was written by Brian Humek from Irving, TX. You are free to use this in church bulletins, church emails and on church websites or as sermon illustrations. No credit needs to be given. Simply clicking the book link at the end of this free bulletin article will help more content to be placed on this site. Donate your own church bulletin article here.

free Bulletin articles Bible Passage: Psalms 40:1

I hate to admit it, but I waited for years to have a girl fall in love with me. I always had bad experiences with girls. In 5th grade Andrea really acted as if she liked me. We were going on a field trip to Brookfield Zoo near Chicago. She gave off all those 5th grade signals of affection. Of course, receiving those signals loud and clear, I offered Andrea some of my M&M’s.

Upon entering the zoo, we were separated by our teachers into different groups. After our exhausting day at the zoo, we climbed back on the bus for the trip home, but where was Andrea? She was not sitting with me like she had on the trip to the zoo. I confronted Andrea and you know what she told me? She said, “I was just using you for your M&M’s.” My love life didn’t improve for ages.

High school was an absolute disaster. There were a couple girls that liked me, but the like wasn’t mutual. It always hurts when the one you like doesn’t like you back. That was the case in high school. In my high school memory book, I wrote that I’d be alone forever. Poor me.

My love life didn’t improve after high school either, at least for a few years. I was impatient. I wanted everything on my own time schedule. I’m still that way sometimes. Eventually, I met someone. We began going out. She wrote me a note a few days after our first date. She wrote, “I wouldn’t mind marrying you.” That sounds a bit sappy, but she was in love, I guess. Something like that.

The point of this tale is that God has his own time schedule. I wasn’t happy about that. God’s time schedule was fine. That is not what caused so many tears to flow down my cheeks during high school and the few years afterward. It was my insistence that God do things according to my schedule. That can cause a lot of sadness. It still happens in my life today. I want things done my way and I want them done now. That’s not the way God works. I think I’m way too old to just be figuring that out now. I love our Bible verse for today. It’s a verse that I understand better with my mind but don’t often embrace with my heart.

“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.”

I’m just not so great at waiting, no matter how much I know that patience is a virtue.

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]]> Directions – Free Bulletin Articles https://beethomas.com/directions-free-bulletin-articles/ Tue, 25 Apr 2017 20:17:11 +0000 http://beethomas.com/?p=1170 Husbands or males in general, have a bad reputation. There’s something that we usually do that gives us that reputation. O.k., maybe there’s more than just one thing that gives us that bad reputation, but I’ll focus on just one today. One word says it all, “Directions.” Do you get where I’m going yet?

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free Bulletin articles Bible Passage: Psalm 143:8-10, 12

Husbands or males in general, have a bad reputation. There’s something that we usually do that gives us that reputation. O.k., maybe there’s more than just one thing that gives us that bad reputation, but I’ll focus on just one today. One word says it all, “Directions.” Do you get where I’m going yet?

Now I’m different than most husbands, but that’s because my wife is different than most wives, at least when it comes to traveling. When we travel, we travel far. We don’t fly, we just drive. It can be monotonous (simply stated that means “uuurrrgggghhh!!) We are usually out in rural areas where directions need to be asked or we might get lost. That’s where we as a couple are a bit different. I have yet to hear my wife complain to me about never asking directions. When it comes to directions, I have no manly pride. I hear my wife say the following sometimes, “You were asking directions again weren’t you?” Or she might say, “Why do you have to ask directions every time we stop somewhere?”

I always tell my wife (Mary Ann) that I ask because I enjoy talking to people. From a simple asking of directions, so many things can be talked about. It might be that, or maybe I am just an untrusting soul and I want to make sure that the last person wasn’t leading me astray. Whatever the reason of my constant asking of road directions, I am an odd duck, a male that asks how to get somewhere when lost or almost lost. When I am in places such as Prairie City, SD; Dunning, NE; or Ft. Yates, ND, I am so good at asking directions when I lose my way. Why don’t I do that more often as a Christian when I don’t know where I’m going in life?

Psalm 143 is a wonderfully written account of what God wants us to do when we lose our ways.

1) Pray to Him –vs. 1

2) Remember what God has done – vs. 5

3) Ask God for direction and trust him – vs. 8

4) Ask God to teach us His will – vs. 10

5) Ask God for his Good Spirit to lead us – vs. 10

Let us focus on verses 8-10. Three times in these verses, David asks God for directions. I don’t know how often he asked for directions when he may have got lost between Shiloh and Jerusalem, but I do know that he asked directions when he most needed them. When he needed guidance, when he was persecuted, when God seemed most distant, David humbled himself before the Lord and asked God to guide him. Shouldn’t we do the same today? And if we do it sometimes, shouldn’t we do it more often?

Read the words of David: “Show me the way I should go.” vs. 8

“Teach me to do your will” vs. 10

“May your good spirit lead me on level ground.” vs. 10

Would our lives be less burdened if we humbled ourselves before God and asked directions (guidance)? Why of course!!!! Let us not be like typical men. Let us ask directions when we feel lost. Let us follow the example of a real man after God’s own heart – let us follow the example of David.

God Bless Ya’ll (or is it Y’all?),
Brian Humek

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]]> No, I Don’t Know – Free Bulletin Articles https://beethomas.com/no-dont-know-free-bulletin-articles/ Mon, 24 Apr 2017 01:34:07 +0000 http://beethomas.com/?p=1147 Gossip is a killer. I know I partake in it in some way because, like most people, I don’t know where the fine line between fact and gossip exists. Over the years, people have come up to me and said, “You know about so and so, don’t you?” More often than not, my reply has been, “No, I don’t know.”

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free bulletin articles Bible Passage: Proverbs 11:13; 16:28; 18:8; 20:19; 26:20; 26:22

Gossip is a killer. I know I partake in it in some way because, like most people, I don’t know where the fine line between fact and gossip exists. Over the years, people have come up to me and said, “You know about so and so, don’t you?” More often than not, my reply has been, “No, I don’t know.” Now let me make one point clear. The people who have wondered if I’ve heard about so and so aren’t necessarily those who are gossiping. Many of these individuals just assume we’ve heard what they’ve heard.

There’s no telling how many times this has happened to me over the years. These occurrences were not at the workplace or at school; they were at church and concerned church members. Unbelievable huh? You’re shocked aren’t you? You’re not? I didn’t think you would be.

My wife and I have both told people that we don’t know about “so and so” or about a particular situation. We either run with the wrong crowd or we just aren’t overly interested in gossip which also constitutes slander at times.

There are times when church members can’t help themselves. When a negative story floats around about Little Miss Perfect or about the son of Mr. High and Mighty, the temptation to tell someone is often times too great to resist, especially if we don’t like that person.

Well, I declare today that we must resist that temptation. If Christians are going to exhibit real love, then we better start going to the object of every piece of juicy gossip and confront that person instead of talking about them. This gossip could be in the form of personal or theological matters and all points in between. We need to stop murmuring and mumbling and just go directly to the source.

Unless you yourself are living a mighty exalted Christian life right now, you probably have someone you should confront. I know I do. Let’s do it together this coming week. We can get on our knees this weekend and pray that we have the guts to stop the rumors, gossiping, murmuring, and mumbling, and clothe ourselves with the love God wants us to exhibit to others.

Amen?

Finally, listening is part of the problem. Even if I declare I won’t tell another soul about a piece of juicy gossip, my listening is half the problem. Gossip doesn’t happen unless there is someone to talk and another to listen. Forgive me God for those rare times I listen to gossip and thank you for the strength I’ve had to change the subject when I’ve needed to do so. By the way, some of you receiving this email have seen me listen to gossip and I ask God for forgiveness for those times I’ve been interested in gossip.

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]]> Be Prepared is Not Just a Boy Scout Motto https://beethomas.com/be-prepared-not-just-boy-scout-motto/ Mon, 24 Apr 2017 00:46:58 +0000 http://beethomas.com/?p=1116 Sometimes things become so piled up that a person can’t find their way through life. Demands from the office, school, friends, church, and family sometimes look like mountains of commitments. There are times when we barely have enough energy to climb up a small hill, more less a mountain.

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free Bulletin articles Bible Passage: Genesis 41:15-36

Sometimes things become so piled up that a person can’t find their way through life. Demands from the office, school, friends, church, and family sometimes look like mountains of commitments. There are times when we barely have enough energy to climb up a small hill, more less a mountain.

In our passage today, Pharaoh has had two dreams that no one can interpret. Then Joseph comes along and solves all the problems of Pharaoh. Joseph interprets the dreams (actually they are one dream says Joseph) correctly by telling Pharaoh that there are going to be some good times, then bad times, and that Pharaoh better be prepared. “Be Prepared” is not just a Boy Scout motto. It should be a theme that resounds throughout our entire life. Joseph told Pharaoh to be prepared and Pharaoh agreed with Joseph’s plan for preparedness.

I know it sounds un-American but we need to slow the pace of our lives. Either we can slow our lives down voluntarily or that slower pace will come upon us when we don’t want it to. I think this is where preparedness becomes important. Let us use our time more wisely. If there is something we know we’ll have to do tomorrow, do it today if possible. If there is work to do next week, get it done earlier. We won’t always have time to get ahead but when we do, take advantage of it. I think we all know the opposite of “getting ahead” and of course, that is “getting behind,” and that is not a pleasant feeling.

One day we will all be slowed down involuntarily. We will be slowed down by sickness to ourselves, our parents, our children. We’ll be slowed down by extra work projects, unforeseen emergencies, and other needs that come up from time to time. I say let us be proactive and “get ahead” so when we choose to slow down, we will be right on time.

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]]> Feet Like a Deer – Free Bulletin Articles https://beethomas.com/feet-like-deer-free-bulletin-articles/ Mon, 24 Apr 2017 00:42:09 +0000 http://beethomas.com/?p=1113 Sometimes life gets tough. I mean real tough. Habakkuk tough. That kinda translates to "almost wanting to give it all up" tough. What are you going to do? What did Habakkuk do?

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free Bulletin articles Bible Passage: Habbakuk 3:17-19

Here’s the scenario: The kids are screaming. Maybe it’s the boss who’s screaming. Maybe the screaming is being done by the cat, dog, your husband or wife, but someone is screaming. You love asparagus and there is no more asparagus in the house and its $5.00 a bunch at the grocery store. The car has a flat tire, but that doesn’t matter anymore since you can’t afford the gas. Your best friend wants to talk about some problems. But wait a minute, you’ve got a problem you think no one could ever understand, especially your best friend. Who will be able to listen to you and understand your problem? And what is most upsetting is that annoying rash that just appeared on your forehead last night.

What are you going to do? That’s the question of the hour. Crying would be the option some might choose. Giving up would be another option. Rejoicing in the Lord may be another option huh? You’re laughing at that option? Habakkuk didn’t laugh at that option. Although his scenario was a bit different, rejoicing in the Lord is exactly what the prophet Habakkuk did.

His scenario was this: his fig tree wasn’t budding and the root stimulator didn’t work, there weren’t any grapes on his grape vine, the olives just didn’t grow, actually, none of his crops were growing, his sheep and cattle were non-existent, but Habakkuk says, “yet, I will rejoice in the Lord.”

Wow!

“But he was a prophet of God!” you might say. “He can do that but I can’t.”

Genesis 1:26-27 says you were made in the image of God. You have that in common with Habakkuk already. What about rejoicing? Will you have the same faith that Habbakkuk had? We’re all made the same as Habakkuk and we can have the same faith in God that he had. Just look at Habakkuk 3:19: “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights”. This verse means that God gives us the ability to go on to great heights of faith.

Let us all use our God given “feet like a deer” to reach those great heights of faith.

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