Allensburg Church of Christ

09/07/2026

One Last Call for the
CALEB'S CLAN DINNER
September 13,6:00

If you plan to come, please call me at 937-763-3118 or comment below with your name and number coming.

Thanks

09/06/2026

“And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten.” (Joe; 2:25)

There are times in life when we look back and see what has been lost. Perhaps years were wasted by poor decisions, broken relationships, missed opportunities, disappointment, or simply circumstances beyond our control. Like a swarm of locusts devouring a field, those times can leave us wondering, “Can anything good come from what is gone?”

God’s answer is yes.

Through the prophet Joel, God promised His people restoration after devastation. The locusts had destroyed their crops, but their destruction would not have the final word. God could bring restoration where there had been ruin and abundance where there had been emptiness.

Notice that God did not promise to literally turn back the clock. He promised something greater: He could restore what had been lost. God can take the lessons learned through painful years and use them to shape our character. He can restore joy after sorrow, purpose after failure, and hope after disappointment. What we thought was wasted can become part of the witness of His grace.

Perhaps you are looking at your life today and thinking about the “years the locust has eaten.” Don't allow regret to convince you that your best days are behind you. Your past may be unchangeable, but your future is still in God's hands.
The God who restores is still working. Bring Him your failures, losses, disappointments, and regrets. Trust Him with what remains.

You may not get those years back, but God can give the years ahead new meaning and purpose.

09/05/2026

While reading in Hosea this morning, this verse caught my attention - “When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.” (Hosea 13:6)

It is easy to seek God when we are hungry, hurting, or in need. When life is difficult, we pray with urgency. We recognize how much we need Him.

But what happens when God answers our prayers? What happens when He blesses us?

Hosea reveals a tragic pattern we should note. God fed them, satisfied their needs, and blessed them abundantly. Yet instead of allowing those blessings to draw them closer to Him, their satisfaction produced pride. Once they felt secure, they no longer felt desperate for God. They even forgot the One who had provided everything.

We can fall into the same trap. Success can make us forget the God who opened the doors. Financial security can make us forget the God who provided. Good health, comfortable homes, successful careers, and answered prayers can cause us to be self-sufficient.

God's blessings should produce gratitude and worship.
Perhaps the greatest test of our faith is not how we respond when we have nothing, but how we respond when we have everything.

Remember that every good gift ultimately comes from God. The food on your table, the people you love, the opportunities you have, and every blessing you enjoy are reasons to praise Him.

Let every blessing remind us of the One who gave it.

09/04/2026

Opening and Closing Songs for September

09/04/2026

The apostle Paul affirms the law of the harvest in Galatians 6:7, “whatever one sows, this he will also reap.” When a farmer plants corn, he will not harvest beans – he will reap corn. One cannot go to an orchard and pick apples from a peach tree.

Centuries before Paul the prophet Hosea announced to Israel that because they had sown the wind, they were about to reap the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7). The wind suggests something that is worthless and foolish such as the idol worship that had become the practice of God’s people.

Though warned by numerous prophets like Hosea, they turned a deaf ear to them. They
continued their idolatrous way of life. Now the whirlwind of God’s judgment would be felt. And Hosea’s message is as valid today as it was in his day. Those who continue to live in sin will one day experience God’s judgment.

The message of nearly all the prophets, John the Baptist, Jesus, and the early church was a message to repent. Turn from sin and turn to Christ.

09/03/2026

In the midst of his message of condemnation for Israel, the prophet Hosea offers some very encouraging words. He speaks this promise of God, “Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds” (6:1).

Because of unfaithfulness and idolatry, the prophet on behalf of God rebukes the people and pronounces severe judgment upon them. A message of hope is also spoken by Hosea as he declares that God will heal and restore when there is repentance by His people.

When we, who are His people today, become careless in our walk with Christ and wander from Him, He awaits our repentance from sin so that He might heal and restore. What a gracious and long-suffering God we serve.

09/02/2026

From Hosea 4:6 we read, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.”

Knowledge matters. What we know or fail to know can determine the direction of our lives. Hosea was not speaking about a lack of education, intelligence, or information. He was speaking about a lack of knowledge of God and His truth.

Israel had the Scriptures. They had priests. They had a history of God’s faithfulness. Yet they had neglected what God had revealed. Their problem was not that God had failed to speak; it was that His people had failed to listen and obey.

We can make the same mistake today. We live in an age overflowing with information. We can access almost anything with a few taps on a phone. Yet a person can know thousands of facts and still know very little about God.

Knowing God's Word is more than collecting Bible verses. Knowledge of God should lead to changed lives. When we know God’s truth, we understand what He desires, we recognize what is false, and we learn how to walk faithfully. Without His truth, we can easily accept cultural opinions, personal desires, or popular teachings as though they were God’s will.

The remedy is simple but requires commitment: open God’s Word, study it carefully, believe it faithfully, and live it obediently.
God has not left us without direction. He has spoken through His Word because He loves us and wants us to know Him.

Let’s pray for a hunger for God’s Word. Let’s not merely to know His truth, but to obey it and allow it to change us.

09/01/2026

09/01/2026

As God works behind the scenes, the extermination of the Jewish people as decreed by Haman backfires on him and he is executed. With the approval of the king, Esther and Mordecai send out a decree that allows the Jews to defend themselves and disaster is averted.

As result of their victory over their enemies, the Jewish people proclaim a two day feast to remember their success. In fact that feast known as the Feast of Purim is still celebrated by the Jews today.

There is an interesting verse in Esther 9 that is an excellent description of what God can do behind the scenes. Verse 22 says, “it was a month which was turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a day of celebration.”

According to Romans 8 God is always at work for good in the lives of His people. He still has the power to turn our sorrow into gladness and our mourning into celebration.