I’m Not Ashamed 
Joe Slater
	We frequently sing:
I’m not ashamed to own my Lord,                      Nor to defend His cause;                             Maintain the honor of His word,                         The glory of His cross.
	Jesus said, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory . . . (Luke 9:26). Paul was “not ashamed of the gospel of Christ” (Romans 1:16). Even when he was imprisoned and put on trial for the faith, he was not ashamed (2 Timothy 1:8). And Peter exhorted, “if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter (1 Peter 4:16).
	Nothing about Jesus, His cause (the salvation of sinners), His word, or His cross merits shame. The only things about which we ought to be ashamed are our own sins! Nevertheless, the world has always ridiculed believers or otherwise pressured them to be ashamed of their faith. In our culture, at this particular time, we do not suffer severe physical persecution like the early Christians did (and like believers in other cultures suffer even today). Still, being a Christian, or even professing to be one, is becoming more and more politically incorrect. Special scorn is reserved for those who are labeled “fundamentalist” (i.e. those who maintain that the Bible really is the inspired, authoritative word of God).
	Do we really mean it when we sing that we’re not ashamed? Are we actually ready to “defend His cause”? When someone slanders the Lord’s church, do we rise to the occasion? Or do we roll over and play dead? Do we maintain the honor of His word? Whether the subject is creation, the family, heaven-and-hell, or some other topic, those who scoff at Scripture ought not to go un challenged if a Christian is within earshot!
	And how about the glory of His cross? The world ridicules the very concept of sin, much less the idea of blood atonement for it. But the truth is that our hope hinges upon a Savior Who bled and died on a cross, and then conquered death, ascending to Heaven to offer His own blood as the once-for-all sacrifice for sin. How could we possibly be ashamed of this ultimate act of love? Indeed, we ought to glory in it! “But God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:4).
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The Best Way to Pray
	Three preachers were discussing the best positions for prayer, while a telephone repairman worked nearby.
	“Kneeling is definitely the best way to pray,” said the first preacher confidently.
	“No,” replied the second. “I get the best results from prayer when I stand with my hands outstretched to Heaven.”
	“You’re both wrong,” the third insisted. “The most effective prayer posture is lying prostrate on the floor.”
	The repairman could contain himself no longer. “Hey, fellas,” he interrupted. “The best prayin’ I ever did was when I was hangin’ upside down from a telephone pole!”
	--via House to House – Heart to Heart 
Going Beyond
	In November, 2009, the national news media reported that flight 188 left San Diego en route to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The pilots were distracted by laptops and lost track of time, location, and contact with the control tower. Much to their embarrassment, they went beyond the airport by approximately 150 miles.
	We, too, can be distracted and not pay attention to God’s instructions (our “control tower”) and be guilty of going beyond what God has revealed in His word. Paul warned not to, “go beyond what is written” (1 Corinthians 4:6). When the Lord asked Job questions that he could not answer, his reply was, “I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know” (Job 42:3).
	When the apostles asked Jesus, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel,” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own power” (Acts 1:6, 7). When the church in Thessalonica became confused about the second coming of Christ, Paul wrote: “But concerning the times and seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:1). If the apostle Paul did not know the times or seasons of Christ’s return, then whatever we might add will be words without knowledge.
	William Miller predicted that Christ would return in 1844. Other men in more recent times have given their failed predictions. These are words without knowledge.
	John recorded rather harsh consequences for those who add to or take from God’s word (Revelation 22:18, 19).
	Paul said, “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified”                 (1 Corinthians 2:2).
	-- Cecil Burch