Oh the Things We may Do 
Joe Slater
And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward. (Matthew 10:42)
	Most of us, at one time or another, dream of doing something big. We’d like to be President, or write a best-selling book, or discover the cure for cancer. While any or all of those things might be wonderful, Jesus placed very little emphasis on things we consider “big.” Oh, yes, He healed multitudes and preached to great crowds; but think of some of the small things that arrested His attention. a destitute widow put two coins into the temple treasury (Mark 12:42). The total monetary value was almost nil; yet Jesus noticed! A young lad surrendered his lunch; Jesus fed thousands with it (John 6:1-14). People brought little children to Him (not affluent aristo-crats or powerful politicians, but common folk); Jesus blessed them (Matthew 19:13-15).
	Some hymnals have a song entitled “Oh the Things we may Do.” Maybe you can’t construct a turnpike, but you can “lift a stone from your brother’s way.” You have no fountain of youth to offer, but you can “lovingly touch some frail, toil-worn hand.” As long as we live in the flesh, we will have trials; but you can “share with someone his heavy load” (Galatians 6:2). You may never have opportunity to proclaim the gospel to multitudes, but you can “lift up your light through the shadows dark, so that somebody else might see.”
	These may sound like little things, especially when compared to the glorious accomplishments of a few famous folks. But rest assured that even if your name never appears in the marquis lights, “God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name” (Hebrews 6:10).
	I am reminded of a professional football player whose salary was in the millions. Someone asked him why he would do so lowly a thing as hold the football upright with his finger while the kicker tried to make a field goal. With wisdom Christians would do well to emulate, the athlete replied: “If I didn’t, it would fall over.”
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How To Be A Christ-Centered Church
(Revelation 2-3)
Loving (2:1-7)
Faithful (2:8-11)
Doctrinal (2:12-17)
Pure (2:18-29)
Vigilant (3:1-6)
Persevering (3:7-13)
Dependent (3:14-22)
The seven churches of Asia, to whom the letters in Revelation 2-3 were written, were not perfect by any means. They were, however, told how to be Christ-centered churches.
	--Mark Posey (Decatur, AL)
Alarm Clocks
So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you (Revelation 3:3 NASB).
	I saw an article on the Internet that listed the ten most valuable inventions in the world. Included in this list were such things as the chariot, the telephone and plastic. But consider the alarm clock. I don't know how great the invention was, but it's probably one of the most unloved. My guess is that it falls well below the popularity of other such devices such as TV, radio, stereos, and computers. Speaking for myself, there have been times that I have felt a certain resentment for this gadget that disturbs my slumber with its persistent "beep, beep, beep."
	Actually, as irritable as they are, alarm clocks are quite helpful. We need something to awaken us from sleep.  We need physical sleep, but often we drift into spiritual slumber. Then those spiritual naps turn into deep sleep. Spiritually, we need some kind of alarm to get up and going.
	God does have a couple of alarms to awaken us. One is affliction. When affliction comes, we can view it as a "wake up call," or as a mere mishap.  If we approach affliction as an opportunity to seek God, then adversity can be turned into a blessing (James 1:2-4).
	Another alarm God uses is revelation. I am not talking about some kind of mystic encounter, but rather a confronta-tion with His word. That may occur through a passage of scripture that comes to mind, or through someone who comes to you with a word from God (Romans 13:11).
	It does no good to set the alarm clock and then ignore it when it rings. Neither does it do any good if we don't respond to God's spiritual alarms. The best thing to do is make it our purpose to not fall asleep in our walk with God.
	--Dennis Russell (Santa Maria, CA)