Short Articles, Bible Lessons and Devos Intended to Edify and Encourage Others
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Here at Dale Ridge you will find a loving, committed group of believers doing our best to follow in the footprints of Jesus Christ. We strive to deeply develop our relationship with God through study, fellowship, and service.
We love our visitors and hope you find your experience uplifting and focused on the sincere worship of God!
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7165 Cloverdale Rd NW
Roanoke, VA 24019
Devotional Thoughts
Three Score And Ten
Psalms 90:10 "As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years, Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; For soon it is gone and we fly away."
These words were written 2,700 years ago. Almost 3 millenniums ago the writer observes that man's life span is about 70-80 years. Today, with all the advances of modern medicine, doctors tell us that the average lifespan is 75.8 years. When we compare these two pieces of information we learn three important lessons:
1. GOD IS THE ONE WHO IS IN CHARGE OF LIFE.
He establishes the extent of our lifespan. Man, no matter how hard he tries, cannot change the border of his life. I believe that through His kindness God has allowed us to discover ways to relieve the suffering we experience during that 75.8 years but not to double the 75.8 years to 150 or beyond.
2. OUR LIFESPAN SHOULD SERVE AS A CONSTANT REMINDER THAT ONE DAY WE HAVE TO FACE DEATH AND THE JUDGMENT TO COME.
A brief life (75 years goes by in a hurry) should inject a sense of urgency in getting our priorities right and investing our time and energy in the proper way. Great men and women were those who knew that they only had so much time and did not waste it.
For example, Phillip the father of Alexander the Great would have his servant wake him up in the morning by saying: "You are going to die."
3. IN THE END, RESURRECTION IS ALL THAT COUNTS.
If the resurrection is true, we have hope. If it is not true, then all we have is about 75.8 years.
We need to count the days we have left and make the most of them because that is all we have. The choice is whether we will make the most of the time by taking in as much of the world as we can or if we will use the time in preparing for the resurrection.
The choice is always before us. We can prepare now for the resurrection by giving our life to Christ in baptism or being restored. Mike M.
Look For The Rainbow
The disastrous floods that have ravaged the Midwest recently remind us of the catastrophic deluge that God once used to destroy the earth in the days of Noah.
When surveying the destruction caused by the mighty Mississippi it is not hard to understand how all life was wiped away on earth as the water surged from the underground tributaries as well as the sky above (Genesis 7:11) and covered the entire world with literally a "mountain" of water for five months (Genesis 7:19-24)! Even though the government is offering help to deal with today's crisis, it cannot offer the three things that only God can give these people:
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Only God can reassure them that despite their loss in material things, their spiritual treasures are safe with Him (Luke 12:33).
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Only God can provide the kind of strength that will not only see them through the ordeal but see them through with joy rather than bitterness and despair (James 1:2-4).
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Only God controls how and when the end of the world will come, not man (Genesis 7:11; II Peter 3:5-10).
The suffering that these people are going through is great but like all times of difficulty, there will be a rainbow in the sky to signal that God puts a limit on suffering (even for unbelievers) and provides hope beyond suffering for those who trust in Him. Look for the rainbow!
Mike M.
PS: This is the real meaning of the rainbow, don't let anyone tell you you differently. Rob K.
Visit Us This Sunday
Bible Class: 9:30 - 10:15
Subject: 1st Thessalonians Presented by Deron S.
Let's Worship and Praise Our Creator
@ 10:30am
AND
We Are Honored To Serve "Communion" This Sunday, come join us in honor of Jesus Christ, our Savior.
We are online also.
ON-LINE ACCESS: Please join from your computer, tablet, or smartphone.
To Join us by Computer
Type or copy/paste the following on your search line: GoToMeet.me/DaleRideChurchofChrist
Use Access Code 345-551-253
To Join by Phone (listen only)
Call +1-571-317-3116; Use Access Code 345-551-253
Bible Class: 9:30 - 10:15
Come Worship Our Creator @ 10:30am
Ladies Bible Class: Thursday 10am (Study of the Gospel of John
The middle of the week is a super time to Recharge just when you need it.
Join us
(In Person Only)
Wednesday Bible Study:6: PM
"Around The Table" Directed by Blaine C.
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For an in-depth series of Bible Lessons presented Ashby Camp on video with various topics we encourage you to visit the following web site.
Breaking News!!!
Leading scholars have found one thing God has left completely out of the Bible. It's
"Our Opinion"
Don't be mis-lead by following someones Opinion, check out Gods Word.
Quote by Martin Luther, Founder of the Lutheran Church
I ask that people make no reference to my name; let them call themselves Christians, not Lutherans.
They didn't listen
A Child's Glory
Concerning fathers Solomon says,
Grandchildren are the crown of old men, and the glory of sons is their fathers.
- Proverbs 17:6
There was a special celebration of belonging to and coming forth from a man you could call your father in Solomon's day. Fathers took pride in children but the writer emphasizes that children also gloried in who their father was.
If a child's glory was his father, then a child without a father was missing his innate, inherent glory. This phenomenon can be seen today as so many boys and girls struggle with issue of identity and self-worth because they are denied the glory of their fathers through death or abandonment.
Without ownership of basic fatherly glory one seeks to create an image of glory from other sources and consequently becomes vulnerable to the false glory offered by the make-believe men and women of advertisers and Hollywood. Children with guns, children with drugs and alcohol, young people with cynical attitudes and a desire only for the pleasures of things are simply reflecting the false glory they have adopted because there is precious little fatherly glory in their lives.
Children need the glory of their fathers in order to learn their own sense of worth. Fathers need to pass on their glory so their sons and daughters can know not only who they are but that who they are is a glorious thing. Mike M.