Help for Today: Pay Attention

Text: 1 Samuel 3

The boy Samuel was in the service of Eli, the priest. Hannah had made the promise that her son would be given into the service of the Lord. Three different times in 1 Samuel 3, the Lord called to Samuel. He absolutely thought it was the voice of Eli and went to him to see what he wanted. After the boy came in to him the third time, Eli realized it was the Lord that called Samuel. His instructions to the young man were, when the Lord calls, say, “Speak Lord, for your servant hears.” As you know, Samuel was ready when the Lord called and began a life of service paying attention to the “word of the Lord.” God has much to say. His book is filled with his admonitions, instructions and directions for those who have the wisdom to listen. Daily Bible Reader. Examine the Scriptures Daily. The “word of the Lord” comes to us. Many, like Samuel initially, don’t realize the significance of the message and the one who is calling, and so they choose to dismiss. The better response is the one Samuel grew into at the encouragement of Eli. May his words be in front of us today, and everyday. “Speak Lord, for your servant hears.”

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”

~ Clark Sims

Help for Today: Patience

Text: Genesis 16:1-4

Pardon me today. I’m dealing with a subject that hits me right where I live. I hope it will be of help to you. Patience. Long-suffering. I am in need of a big dose of patience. How about you? Likely, we all are facing tests in our lives that are really trying our patience. I’d like to take you back to a promise made by God to Abraham that from his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Though Abraham and Sarah were beyond child- bearing age, this was the promise made by God. In Genesis 16, the Bible tells of Sarah growing impatient with God when the child was not coming. She remained barren and determined to give God a “boost.” Read verses 1-4. I’ll stop there today. You know how this story progresses. Abraham fathered a child by Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant, this was not the promised seed, ultimately, Isaac was born to Sarah and Abraham, as God intended, and the progression of the Hebrew nation was in place. But, our world still feels the impact today of the lack of patience showed by Sarah. Perhaps all of us would be wise to give some consideration today to the words of Psalm 27:14. “Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!” Take a deep breath. Be patient. Let God work.

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”

Clark Sims

Help for Today: A Word

Text: Proverbs 25:11

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” A word…lets someone know how you feel. A word…helps a neighbor have a better day. A word…informs the uninformed. A word…can inflict a pain that even time cannot heal. A word…expresses love among brethren. A word…unsaid can be noble. A word…unsaid can show neglect. A word…expressed in haste can fail to express reality. A word…thought of clearly can reveal one’s true heart. A word…may not be easily expressed, but necessary just the same. A word…can build a self-image to a higher level. A word…can ruin an innocent man’s reputation. A word…can bring a great joy. A word…can help. A word…can heal. A word…can hurt. A word…can harm. A word…can cut. A word…can destroy. A word…can change. A word…can teach. A word…can lead to salvation.

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”

Clark Sims

Help for Today: Support

Text: Acts 16

He, too, was drug through the streets. He, too, was placed in shackles in the area of the jail reserved for the most severe of criminals. He, too, was guilty of nothing, in reality, of more than a committed faith. But, he, too, while shackled in the prison with his brother, was heard singing and praying. He, too, felt the shake of the earthquake and was free to escape. He, too, stayed where he was. He, too, was asked the question, “What must I do to be saved?” He, too, went with the jailer as this man, and his all of his house, were taught the gospel and baptized. His name still never jumps to the front of the page like his partner, Paul. But, ask Paul. Ask Paul about the value of that “wingman.” Never take for granted the role of the supporter, the one by your side, the one that makes the conjunction “and” necessary. Hold the name “Silas” high today. He was quite a brother. By the way, there is a good chance not one of us will ever be an “apostle Paul” but, we can all be a “Silas.”

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”.

~ Clark Sims

Help for Today: A Good Name        

Text: Proverbs 22:1

Carrot top. Lefty. Shorty. Chunky. Yes, even Sham. These are all nicknames that just the saying of the word gives you a clue who is being described. Proverbs 22:1 tells us…A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. The groom’s great compliment to a bride is the sharing of a name. The bride honors her groom by “giving up” a name to take his name. What thoughts come to the minds of your friends and associates when your name is mentioned? You see, it is that name that identifies you. Your name is a mirrored reflection of the content of your character. Choose today that your name will be a good name. The name of Barnabas, which means, son of encouragement, was given to him because of his manor of life. By the name, the lives of those who share your name are touched by the legacy of your life. Give that some thought. By the way, I remember a number of years ago when I was looking for a job teaching school. I know my dad and mom’s good name in the school system helped me get that job. I also know the day I began to work my conduct and work ethic would reflect on those who gave me my name. It is a very interesting cycle. A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”

Clark Sims

Help for Today: Today

Text: Luke 9

J. L. Ralston said: "Our most dangerous enemy on this side of the Atlantic is the idea that we have plenty of time." This is equally true in the matter of preparedness for eternity—as well as for our country! Because we know not when we may lose the use of our faculties, because we have no lease of our lives, because we know not when the Lord Jesus will come again, and because the Word commands it, we should act NOW. Jesus addressed the urgency of the decision when He said in Luke 9, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” The chapter goes on to include men who spoke of their intention to follow Jesus, just on their own terms, on their own time. Our Savior made it abundantly clear to them…and to us…If you are not going to follow me now, don’t follow me at all…The rich man in Luke 16 fared sumptuously every day…and then he died. He faced an eternity in torment because of his life “decisions.” On the other hand, thankfully, while there was still time, the prodigal “came to himself” and got up and “went home to the Father.”…while it was still today…

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”.

Clark Sims

Help for Today: Friendship   

Text: Proverbs 18:24

As we are about to begin working toward our 10^th year of Christian camping at ICYC, I figure I better speak kindly of Bruno as my dependence on him continues. I wish for all of you a true friend like he is to me.

A number of years ago, I sat in the auditorium at the old Northport church of Christ building on main avenue on a Sunday night. As the service moved forward, "Bruno" Bryant Evans stepped in to the pulpit to preach. His topic that night dealt with friendship. I’m sure it was a good lesson. His lessons usually are. But I really don’t remember much about the details. It’s been well over twenty years. (Quick, what did I preach about Sunday night? Gotcha!) While I don’t remember much about the sermon, I do remember something very well that happened later that night. I was “drowning” in a class at the University of Alabama, dealing with computers. When services ended, I went over to Bruno’s home for him to help me get through this class. He gave his night, staying up very late to help me. The sermon he preached that night dealing with friendship has, basically, faded from my memory. The friendship he demonstrated that very same night will stay with me forever. Today. Be a friend.

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”

Clark Sims

Help for Today: Actions Do Speak Louder than Words

Text: Mark 10

It is pretty common for preachers to make reference to the statement of Jesus in Mark 10. The Son of Man has not come to be served but to serve. You understand He was showing the disciples what true greatness really was. He was calling His disciples, including us, to service. But, then the gathering ended. Jesus and His disciples were back on the road. As they moved forward, they encountered a blind man named Bartimaeus, who was crying out to Jesus. Some tried to “hush him up.” Just know this. While Bartimaeus cried out, Jesus faced a great test. Would His life actions match His words? As you know, He passed the test with flying colors. The heart of Jesus is revealed in the fact He “stood still.” The man in need received His full attention. While we observe the wonder of a blind man being given his sight, perhaps the great lesson from this story for us is the value of our actions matching our words. He absolutely meant what He said. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. His purpose is my purpose. Today…

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”

Clark Sims

Help for Today: A “Valentine’s Day” True Picture of Love

She was looked at as a means to an end. The men who drug her to the feet of Jesus, caught in the very act of adultery really had no regard for her. It was Jesus they wanted, and they absolutely were convinced they had Him. With this “means to an end” thrown at His feet, they were sure whatever He said would open the door for an accusation against Him. And so they waited. As the Teacher wrote on the ground they waited. After writing, they witnessed Him get up and make a statement. “He that is without sin among you let him be the first to cast a stone.” As He bent back down to His spot where He had written to continue, they were cut to the heart. Beginning with the oldest, one by one, they left the sight. In their minds He had done the impossible. What He said was perfect. They had to walk away. Jesus was left alone with the “means to an end.” He was left alone with the one “caught in the act.” With the simple phrase, “Go your way and sin no more” He put into life practice a principle of love for humanity He had taught and would continue to teach. See the true value of your fellow man. See the value of the soul they possess. Understand the price that was paid for them. Practice. Love. Today…

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”

Clark Sims

Help for Today: Giving Up

His name has become a synonym and even the definition of the term. The name Judas and the term traitor are forever linked. Why? Because for thirty pieces of silver, the treasurer of the group walked in to a group of authority figures and said…I’ll give Him to you. One of His own…One who passed out baskets of food to the hungry masses…One who sat in a boat as He walked on water…One who saw, “Lazarus, come forth.” One who walked the streets, who heard Him teach, who saw Him heal, who witnessed Him holding the children in His arms…One of His own…betrayed Him…But, as bad as the actions of Judas Iscariot were, I can not look at him any differently than I do the man in the mirror. While my name has not been etched across the printed page telling my story, I have done what he did. I turned on Him, too. I betrayed Him, too. And yet, as bad as my actions have been, He stands ready to forgive me just like He did the one who, by the fire, said, “I do not know Him!” By the way, just as sure as He forgave the man by the fire and just as sure as He forgives me…He would have forgiven the treasurer, too. Why did he give up? Winston Churchill got it right. Do not give up. The one you “turned on” and betrayed the most wants to forgive you…How much? “He bore our sins in His body on the tree.” Keep going. Do not give up. Today.

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”.

~ Clark Sims

Help for Today: Do As I Say, Not As I Do.

By: Charles Steiner

Matthew 23:1-5a (ESV) “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others.”

Sometimes when I’m reading the Bible an application from a passage smacks me right in the face, even though I’ve read over that particular scripture a thousand times. Reading the above passage last week for me was one of those moments. No one likes to listen to someone preach about something they themselves do not do. We don’t want a morbidly obese personal trainer. We don’t want our children’s teachers at school to hate learning. We don’t want to learn to play golf from someone who couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with a Callaway Big Bertha. And we certainly do not want to listen to someone beat us over the head with the Bible when they themselves do not live out what they are preaching.

It’s human nature to want to follow what other people are doing. Every picture I’ve taken with a girl recently it seems like they all are posing with one hand on their hip and one hand resting to the side. Why? I don’t know, but it’s “the new thing”. Spiritually we are the same way. We want to hold people whom we admire up and put them on a pedestal. We look to them as our examples. They are our walking and talking Bible. But there is a danger with that. People are people. They can let you down. We all make mistakes. Jesus Christ is the only person who has ever lived that never made a mistake, or never did the right thing for the wrong reason.

I’m a minister, but it still bothers me to this day that one of my spiritual leaders when I was younger now claims to be an atheist. It bothers me, when I think of all the friends I’ve had who have abandoned Christianity. It not only bothers me because I care about these people’s souls. It also bothers me because no one wants to feel like they are alone. We want to know there are people out there just like us, who are striving for the same spiritual goals as we are. That’s human nature, but I challenge you to make an effort to do a little less looking to the right and the left and do a little more looking up. Look to Jesus as your example. He is the only one who will never let you down. I challenge you to spend less time looking for an example, and spend more time being the example. The honest truth is, our actions never just affect us. We are all leaders to one degree or another. Who are you leading? And where are you leading them?

Help for Today: In the Shadows

I came across this “Help for Today” from May, 2012, and thought of my friend, Flo Cunningham.

A great orchestra leader was asked to identify the most difficult instrument to play. His response: second fiddle. That is not surprising. We seem to be drawn to the front. If we are not careful, even in church work, we tend to value having our names in the “hats off” section of the bulletin. If you counted them one finger at a time, you would be really challenged to find more than a handful of “moments”, “words” where a fisherman named Andrew comes to the front. He resided, quite comfortably by the way, in the shadows. He seemed to understand the “work” was not about the front man or who was getting “credit.” He was driven by the cause. While his brother and coworkers formed a group of “3” that rose to the top in the ministry, this Andrew, who found Him first, drifted back into the lump of men that we call, “the shadows.” And he was fine. He was fine in the background. He was fine not getting the “earthly credit.” He served and he was fine. He first found his brother and brought him to Jesus. He spoke of a young man with limited bread and fish that Jesus used to provide food for thousands. There was just something about the cause. By the way, do not mistake earthly shadows and secrets from God. God knows. And He rewards those who serve Him…even in the shadows. Hold Andrew, and those like him High. There is a lot for you to do today…in the shadows.

All the best and I hope this gives you “Help for Today”.

Clark Sims

Help for Today: Glorified and Magnified  

Text: Matthew 17

          While Peter was weary, the carpenter’s Son, who went to the mountain to pray, began showing the form of deity. This is God’s Son! His face was altered and His robe became white and glistening. It was a spiritual presence where men of renown from yesterday joined him. Moses and Elijah joined him. The…Moses and Elijah. Peter, you do not want to miss this. Your Teacher is very special. When he fully woke up, he saw Jesus in all His glory. He saw the men with Him. He recognized who they were. He had an idea. On the surface, it appeared to be a good idea. However, his idea revealed he still did not really grasp who the Teacher was. The voice of God, coming from a cloud, is about to make abundantly clear whom this glorified teacher really is. He really is the King of King and Lord of Lords. 

“This is My beloved Son, Hear Him!” The words were very similar to the words of the Father as He sent His Son on His way to begin His earthly ministry. But, this time there was an addition. This time the Father added words Peter needed to hear. Actually, he added words I need to hear. “Hear Him.” Listen to Him. Pay attention to Him. There is no one like Him. I can see the challenge it must have been to someone like Peter. After all, he had been raised on the words of Moses, the lawgiver. The Father makes clear that His Son brings new words, new law with His complete approval. The one who was wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger in a barn because there was no room in the inn is being magnified and identified by the Creator of the universe. Peter, you do not need to sleep through these kinds of moments. Hear Him today.

All the best and I hope this gives you "Help for Today”.

~ Clark Sims

Help for Today: A More Important Pursuit        

Text: 1 Kings 18

While in the south lives seem to beat and flow with the signing of a scholarship by an 18 year old football player, today we will be speaking of a much more important pursuit. The “ultimate recruiting” started somewhere around Genesis 3 and it continues even now. A “recruitment” for the soul of man takes place from the point of accountability until a person breathes their last breath. The Father does not want “any to perish” and the Son speaks of mansions being built. The enemy promotes an “enjoyment of the pleasures of sin.” And the battle rages…The Son established basic ground rules when He said you, “cannot serve God and mammon (worldliness, materialism).” There is no room in the middle. There is no fence to straddle. You’ve got to choose. Elijah speaks to the Israelites in 1 Kings 18, who were trying to have a relationship with God and Baal at the same time. He told them to “make up their mind.” If you are going to serve God, serve Him. If you choose the other side…well, you are doing no good on the fence. Make up your mind. Both sides really want you. Frankly, they want you for different reasons. I hope today you are ready to live with the choice you have made. And if you’ve made the wrong choice up till now, aren’t you thankful it is not too late. (By the way, there will come a day when it will be too late!) God bless you today!

All the best and I hope this gives you "Help for Today”.

~ Clark Sims

Help for Today: The Pursuit

Text: 1 Kings 18

Today is a fascinating day in the world of college football. This is the day that young men will be able to put their names on a scholarship to “seal the deal” for their choice of a college to attend and play football. I can only imagine the world wind these young men, and their families, have been through. Coaches, fans, students have tried to “encourage” these young men toward their schools. The schools might use different methods but the inquiry is the same. We want you! There is no school for you like this school. Decisions, Decisions! But, sometime today, these young men will put their name on that scholarship and everything will change. In the amount of time it takes to write their name everything will change. They have “accepted” the offer and now they “live” to the standard of the one who offers. That friendly face so encouraging of you to “come to their school” now influences food, sleep and manor of life. It is the life you have chosen. Consider this “pursuit” today, look at 1 Kings 18 and read with me tomorrow of a very real “spiritual application” to this fascinating “pursuit.” God bless you today.

All the best and I hope this gives you "Help for Today”.

~ Clark Sims

Help for Today: How Do We Get There From Here: We certainly do not “deserve” it!

Text: 2 Timothy 4:6-8

Tax collector. Publican. Sinner. You pick the term, but they are all descriptive of a man standing in the shadows as a Pharisee gave a quite glowing report of himself to God. You can read the list yourself of all the good that was being done by this Pharisee. If you had a question about the good he was doing, you could just ask him. He seemed very ready to talk about it. In fact, one of his statements was a word of thanks that he was not like this tax collector…publican…sinner. The Pharisee seemed to think a great deal about himself. The tax collector was a different story. He would not lift up his face. He beat his chest. He prayed to God. Be merciful to me, a sinner. By the way, I especially appreciate the New American Standard translation of this text. Be merciful to me, “THE” sinner. This man got it. He understood. He knew the story of his life. He knew what he had done. He pointed fingers at no other man. His view was internal. God…I need mercy. Hold high today a man whose heart was humbled in the presence of the Lord. Ours should be, too. Today.

All the best and I hope this gives you "Help for Today”.

Clark Sims

Help for Today: How Do We Get There from Here?

Text: 2 Timothy 4:6-8

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day…” Those were awesome words coming from a man who, at one time, was “wreaking havoc” on the church. He even identified himself as the, “chief of sinners.” How did he face his earthly end with such confidence? How did he KNOW where he was going? Be careful finding the answers to those questions. The Apostle Paul, who spoke those powerful words in 2 Timothy 4, is a mirror of us, hopefully. Like that Apostle Paul, we all have yesterdays that were not what we wish they had been. Like that Apostle Paul, our hope and assurance is through the blood of Christ and life in His Body, the church. May God bless us in the journey.

All the best and I hope this gives you "Help for Today”

~ Clark Sims