1) Loneliness (R.J. Evans)
2) God Supplies Strength (Doy Moyer)
——————–<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/loneliness-1024x578.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n-1-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Loneliness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
R.J. Evans<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I will never forget how I felt late one afternoon, sitting on the swing just across the driveway from my office at home. I was sitting there thinking of having done what I had dreaded for so long\u2014put down my Border Collie, a constant friend and companion for thirteen years. I recall Jackie coming out of the house and asking me what was wrong. I told her I felt so lonely!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The feelings of sadness and loneliness can be overwhelming at times. The emotional experience of homesickness or loneliness has to be one of the saddest feelings in life. Of course, losing a pet doesn\u2019t compare to the loss of a spouse, parent, child, or friend. Oh how wonderful it would be to be able to once again pick up the phone to talk, or go by and visit, with my parents. In fact, there are so many friends, family and brethren who have passed on that I would love to be able to hug and tell how much I miss them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Loneliness is just a part of life. Everyone experiences it from time to time. It doesn\u2019t mean there is anything wrong with you. It is simply a feeling in which people experience a strong sense of emptiness and solitude. Someone has said that language has created the word \u201cloneliness\u201d to express the pain of being alone; and it has created the word \u201csolitude\u201d to express the glory of being alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the times when Christians experience loneliness, for whatever reason, it is always good to remember the comforting words of our Lord: \u201cI will never leave you nor forsake you\u201d (Heb. 13:5). One of the best remedies for loneliness is to be worshiping with the people of God. Not only is that, in and of itself a blessing, but again to have the Lord\u2019s assurance: \u201cFor where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them\u201d (Matt. 18:20). Truly, what a blessing to know that spiritually our Lord is always with us. The Psalmist said, \u201cIf I ascend into heaven, You are there, If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me\u201d (Psa. 139:8-10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So at this point in my life, my parents, and even my favorite dog, have all left me by means of death. And what about the time when I will have to say goodbye to all my friends, brethren and loved ones on this earth? Again, the Lord assures me that He will be there with me to take me over to the other side. \u201cYea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me\u201d (Psa. 23:4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Someone has said, \u201cpray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for.\u201d And the answer to that would be the Lord. If you are not a Christian, why not become one by obeying the gospel, and then enjoy all the promises of God, especially the blessings He provides during those difficult times of loneliness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now consider this, while loneliness is a part of this life for the righteous, it will be forever gone in the next life\u2014Heaven. There will be no more sorrow, pain, tears or death (Rev. 21:1-4). If we are righteous and faithful, we will be reunited with all the righteous of all the ages to be with God and His angels for all eternity. He has promised, \u201cBe faithful until death, and I will give you a crown of life\u201d (Rev. 2:10). When David\u2019s young son died, he said I cannot bring him back, but \u201cI shall go to Him\u201d (2 Sam. 12:23). What words of comfort!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
— via the bulletin of the Southside church of Christ, Gonzales, Louisiana, September 26, 2018 (R.J. mentioned in that bulletin that this was a \u201cReprint from the past\u2026.written circa 10 years ago.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
——————–<\/p>\n\n\n\n -2-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doy Moyer<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you ever feel like a shell of your former self? This is not a question only for the older generation. For anyone, life can be tiring. It can wear on us. At times we feel like David, who said, \u201cFor we are sojourners before You, and tenants, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope (1 Chron 29:15). This was an expression of David’s humility before God as he was preparing materials to build the Temple, and he recognized that there was nothing man could do that would compare with the permanence and power of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some days we may feel this more strongly than others. Job said man is \u201cLike a flower he comes forth and withers. He also flees like a shadow and does not remain\u201d (Job 14:2). The Psalms are particularly fond of this shadow analogy (102:11; 109:23; 144:4). The Bible does not ignore this feeling that is common to all people. It acknowledges these emotions and then teaches us how to deal with feelings of futility. Laments in the Psalms are an important part of this teaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy are you in despair, O my soul?\u201d Psalm 42 and 43 show the pain of despair, but then points to hope in God. No matter how weak we are, God is strong. No matter how inadequate we see ourselves, God has the answer and He supplies the sustenance to keep us alive and active. As Jesus said to the woman at the well, \u201cEveryone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life\u201d (John 4:13-14). Water brings life and sustains us. The water that the Lord provides is living water, springing up to the eternal life (John 7:37-38). This is connected to the Holy Spirit (vs. 39). The greater meaning of this passage seems to be the same as what God was trying to tell Ezekiel in chapter 47.<\/p>\n\n\n\n God showed Ezekiel a vision of water coming from the Temple. When the water was measured, it was found to go deeper and wider the farther it traveled from its source. God provides for us all we need to live well in this life, and to be ready for the one to come. The fountain of God\u2019s love began as more than sufficient for our needs and only continues to deepen and sustain us as we continue in Him. The life of a Christian is not the path of least resistance in this world. It often involves hardships, but we have more than enough to sustain and guide us in God\u2019s Word. If we listen to His word, the sword of the Spirit, He will be a source of living water that will keep us refreshed to the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Occasionally, we loosen our grip on what truly sustains us. We may even feel like a bag of dry lifeless bones. We “feel our age” or we see the futility of hanging on to the world that surrounds us. That does not mean the only answer is to dry up and blow away. We can be revived. Ezekiel 37 shows this to the nation of Israel, which was dead and lifeless, and yet they were not beyond hope. They were not past saving. All it took was the breath of God, and just like the first breath of life that animated Adam\u2019s dust, God can bring us to life again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We sing about revival. We ask God to \u201crevive us, again,\u201d and to \u201clet the revival begin in me.\u201d Let’s hold on to those thoughts when we feel stretched thin. \u201cAnd let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up\u201d (Gal 6:9). What a shame it would be if we gave up in the final stretch, especially since we have those urging us on (Heb 12:1). We may not know when our race is almost over. The end is always around some corner and may come upon us suddenly. We are called upon to stay prepared, ready to the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Can we make it around one more corner? Not alone, but by God\u2019s grace, strength, and sustenance we can. We can\u2019t make it on our own, but if we will let God fill us with His Word we can be renewed, refreshed, and ready to continue serving. God supplies us \u201call things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence\u201d (2 Pet 1:3). \u201cAnd my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus\u201d (Phil 4:19).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYet those who wait for the Lord — via the Bulletin Articles<\/em> of the Vestavia church of Christ, June 14, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n ——————–<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1) Hear\u00a0<\/strong>the gospel — for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30-31). Tebeau Street “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20, NASB).——————– Contents: 1) Loneliness (R.J. Evans)2) God Supplies Strength (Doy Moyer)——————– -1- Loneliness R.J. Evans I will never forget how I felt […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3495"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3495\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3499,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3495\/revisions\/3499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/isa40-29-bsb.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nGod Supplies Strength<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary\u201d (Isa. 40:31).<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
2) Believe\u00a0<\/strong>in the deity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent\u00a0<\/strong>of sins.\u00a0 For every accountable person has sinned (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10), which causes one to be spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 6:23). Therefore, repentance of sin is necessary (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).\u00a0 For whether the sin seems great or small, there will still be the same penalty for either (Matt. 12:36-37; 2 Cor. 5:10) — and even for a lie (Rev. 21:8).
4) Confess faith\u00a0<\/strong>in Christ (Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized\u00a0<\/strong>in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:21).\u00a0 This is the final step that puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27).\u00a0 For from that baptism, one is then raised as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), having all sins forgiven and beginning a new life as a Christian (Rom. 6:3-4). For the one being baptized does so \u201cthrough faith in the working of God\u201d (Col. 2:12). In other words, believing that God will keep His word and forgive after one submits to these necessary steps. And now as a Christian, we then need to\u2026
6) Continue in the faith <\/strong>by living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Matt. 24:13; Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
——————–<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA\u00a0 31501
Sunday:<\/strong> 9 a.m<\/strong>. Bible Classes (except for last of the month Song Service)
and 10 a.m. <\/strong>Worship Service
Wednesday:<\/strong> 7 p.m.<\/strong> Bible Classes\u00a0
\u00a0
evangelist\/editor: <\/strong>Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com<\/a>
https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/go\/all.htm<\/a> (This is a link to the older version of the Gospel Observer website, but with bulletins going back to March 4, 1990.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"