We’ve had a good week of Christian living here in Enola, Arkansas. The fall weather is simply gorgeous with cool mornings warming up nicely through the evening. I hope you are taking full advantage of such wonderful blessings. Get up a little earlier to go for a morning walk. Walk outside just after sunset and look up at the stars. Sit on the deck for a few minutes early or late and enjoy a bit of nature: squirrels preparing for the winter, falling leaves, geese settling on or lifting off the lake if you are near the water or flying overhead toward a warmer climate. These simple experiences make life worth living. Some people never look up to see the evidences of God. They rarely look out past their own feelings and needs to see the beauties around them. They seldom look around them at the opportunities for joy and service to others. They have even more difficulty looking within themselves to see that they have become far removed from the balance of life.

As Christians, we can, we must live a different, better, balanced life. Every morning let us think of God, His majesty, His richness, His purposes, His blessings toward us. Let us speak to Him in prayer and remember the assurances we have in Jesus Christ. Let us read God’s word, the Bible to be reminded of our past, our blessings, our present duty to Him and to our fellow man, and our future in Christ. Let us do more than read the Bible. We must rightly divide it (2 Timothy 2:15), realizing that God communicated to people before the coming of Jesus Christ in different ways (Hebrews 1:1-2). Today we do not read to obey the Old Testament, the Psalms, nor the Prophets of old. The Old Testament was God’s word to those who lived before the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We read to obey His Son, Jesus Christ in the twenty-seven books called the New Testament with words written down by nine inspired men chosen by God (Matthew, Mark, Luke (2), John (5), Paul (13), Peter (2), James, Jude, and the writer to the Hebrews). These twenty-seven books are the final revelation from God to mankind in these last days in which we live (Jude 3, Galatians 1:6-10, Luke 16:16). Now make no mistake about it. The Old Testament is valuable to us today. Paul wrote in Romans 15:4, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” The Old Testament was written for our learning, not for our keeping. The New Testament is ours today to read, respect, reflect on, remember, and respond to immediately.

This Sunday (10.16.11) at Enola we will begin a new series of lessons entitled “Counting Our Blessing One by One.” God blesses all of His creation every day with life and everything that is needed to live. There are blessings that only come from God to those who are in a right relationship with Him. We’ll see what the Bible says about God’s blessings.

On Sunday evening we will consider “Four Lessons from Four Fishermen.” Simon Peter teaches us about doing what we can with what we have. I hope the entire congregation at Enola will be here on Sunday evening for this special series of lessons. We all will be encouraged and challenged to come closer to God and to one another.

Cindi and I made a trip to Columbia, South Carolina last weekend. I preached in a gospel meeting at the Windsor Lake congregation on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Thank you for your prayers for us while we were away. Thank you to Brother Brandon and Brother Eddie for preaching and teaching for me in my absence.