Numerous times in my life, people have asked me which verse in the Bible is my favorite. While I could list many verses that are special to me, there is one verse that I generally use when asked this question. “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8). Now, you may be thinking to yourself that this is a strange choice. There are many other verses in the Bible which are normally quoted as favorite verses—definitely ones that display the power of God and salvation better than these. So, why would I choose this specific passage? I became a Christian in 1996 at the very young age of 9-years-old. I remember the day very clearly. I asked a lot of questions that day, which is pretty common for me. We talked about sin, separation from God, repentance and how choosing to put Christ on in baptism was for life and very important. I remember the weeks and months that followed in which I was on fire for God. I was dedicated to being this new person. Everything was going great. Unfortunately, soon I fell prey to sin—as we all do. About a year after I was baptized, …

Modern religion has attempted to make Christianity “user-friendly” by taking a marketing approach to recruiting new members. Popular TV preachers make it a matter of policy to never use the “S” word—sin. Churches openly trumpet a “come as you are” approach (and they mean both casual lifestyle and casual dress). Today’s pulpit mutes repentance and trumpets self-esteem. Hell is old-fashioned. Feel-good is in; life-change is out. God is remade in man’s image. Jesus took a different approach. His religion is high stakes. “…whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33). We risk everything to gain everything. Christ was up front with people. He put nothing in the fine print—hid no “gotcha clauses” to be discovered later. He said simply, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it” (Luke 9:23-24). At the same time, He gave us an incredible offer. He promised to help us! We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). The good news is not that if we straighten ourselves up we will be saved, because that would be bad news, since we cannot do it (Ephesians 2:9). The good news is that Jesus enables us to become like Him (Philippians 2:12-13). His power, manifested through His Word, works in us …

When brethren assemble to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (acapella), varied stages, levels and responses regarding worship may unfold. Sister Silence may not sing at all, nor does she open a songbook to gain the richness, benefits and responsibilities the message of the song offers. Brother Bewildered who has only been “in Christ” for two months, may properly mouth the words, but he has no or limited comprehension of biblical terms, metaphors and figures of speech that make up the beautiful message in the song. He did not—could not—follow Paul’s pattern to “sing with the understanding” (1 Corinthians 14:15). On the other hand, Brother Familiar, who stated he had sung that song 100 times, sung every verse clearly, but failed miserably to “make melody” in his heart “to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). Two hours later, he would have been unable to tell you what songs were sung at the worship service. Sister Sing-It, who knows music, has a good voice and loves to sing, blares out every stanza of every song, but not once was she mindful of Paul’s charges, “speak to one another” or “teach and admonish one another with all wisdom” (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16) when singing. Brother Disappointed, who asked the song leader to lead his favorite song (and he didn’t), mumbled through the song service, surely failing in heart to “sing with the spirit” (1 Corinthians 14:15). Brother and Sister Worship have prayed and prepared, singing “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24), helping to keep the rest of us together! Where are you in this survey? …

This phrase came from the apostle Paul’s pen, and it was directed to the church at Corinth. He wrote, “I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name” (1 Corinthians 1:13-14). Paul wrote this statement to emphasize a point. Christians serve one Lord and Master—one Lawgiver. The One who died on the cross for their sins (1 Corinthians 1:13) and in whose name they were baptized was Jesus Christ alone. Christ is not divided, and Christians should not be divided either. In his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul wrote: I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4:1-6) The unity of Christianity is found in these “Ones.” Humbly, we are to endeavor to keep that unity intact. We are to serve one another and not usurp Christ’s position. If we have one doctrine, one hope, one faith and one baptism—all originating with one Lord—then, we ought to have unity. Yet, why is …

Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, etc.) has become a part of daily life for many. In a desire to stay connected to a faster-than-ever-paced world, many are checking in socially and even obtaining their news updates from a variety of electronic devices and an increasing number of social media outlets. Much of social media is neutral: it is neither good nor bad. How an individual participates, however, determines the moral outcome. Social media can be used in a positive way, for example, to keep Christian Youth Camp attendees connected throughout the school year, providing immediate support and spiritual encouragement even though many miles and even state—sometimes national—lines separate them. Many times, Christians will use their World Wide Web access to evangelize (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:18-20), webhost a Bible study or write a blog about developing the characteristics of the Virtuous Woman (Proverbs 31). While social media helps to connect friends and families across the miles and provides opportunities for evangelism, it also poses some difficult challenges. Without careful navigation, however, social media interactions can lead to undesired consequences and even result in sin. Sometimes it becomes difficult to maintain the in-the-world-but-not-of- the-world mentality. This common phrase is adapted from the account of Jesus praying for His disciples in John 17:14-19. In these six verses, we learn that Jesus did not want His followers to be caught up in the enticing aspects of the temporal world. This level of commitment in our lives requires tremendous focus and attention to detail which cannot be …

To what were you called, and from what were you called? The call of the master is found in Matthew 11:28-30. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” We are called from labor to rest (Matthew 11:28). We are called from death to life (1 John 3:14). “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love, abides in death.” We are called from bondage to liberty (Galatians 5:13). “For you were called to freedom brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” We are called from darkness into light (1 Peter 2:9). “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” We are called to the fellowship of His son (1 Corinthians 1:9). “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Above all, we are called by Jesus Christ from bondage to peace. Friends and Dear Readers, have you answered the call of Jesus Christ? Our Precious …

One thing we humans have in common is that we all make mistakes. I would be very leery of anyone who said that they never made a mistake. Webster defines mistake in part, “to understand or perceive wrongly; a blunder; error; misunderstanding.” Years ago, a friend of ours, a preacher, stated he never made a grammatical mistake during a sermon. My wife took notes throughout his next sermon; she is much better in English grammar than I am. You guessed it—our friend made several blunders. We pointed out his mistakes, and we all had a jolly good-natured laugh about this. He never was boastful anymore concerning his grammatical excellence. A lesson learned! Most normal people have learned to cope and to correct mistakes the best they can. That is why many of us apologize and make things right. Sadly, and often times, a blunder can be deadly or very costly. Nearly all of us recognize a mistake, an error or a misunderstanding can cause a terrible accident or the like. We also understand, and rightly so, that such mistakes are all part of the human factor, a part of life. In Luke 2:41-52, there is an account of Mary and Joseph misplacing Jesus. “But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance” (Luke 2:44 KJV). Mary and Joseph made a mistake. They made a blunder; they perceived wrongly. We know that this mistake was not done …

Physical limitations can be frustrating for many people. My grandmother Vickers passed away in the year 2000. For years, she had rheumatoid arthritis and had numerous operations on her hands, feet and other joints in her body. Even with her pain and limitations, she could still make me a cheeseburger on a Friday night or do cross-stitching to help her dexterity. We can get frustrated by the restrictions of age or maybe a chronic illness. Perhaps someone must care regularly for a child who has MS or for a spouse in need of care. Or, maybe we know someone who is bedridden or shut in and cannot serve the way he or she would like to serve. Yet, we can use those limitations for growth, no matter what others may say or think about us. In Matthew 6, Jesus continued the Sermon on the Mount by giving principles for spiritual living by giving to the needy (1-4), an example for our prayers (5-15) and fasting (16-18). Jesus mentioned in Matthew 6:18, “and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.” Think about how our limitations can be used to God’s glory and honor. They help separate us from the notion of having to be seen or heard by those around us. If we give charitably, pray or fast to let others see how religious we are, then we have done nothing, and we will not have God’s blessing. We cannot concentrate on ourselves instead of on God and …

There are many challenges to the Bible. These challenges are advanced by some who are well educated in some circles but uninformed in this area. The Bible claims to be the Word of God. In evaluating this claim, we find: (1) unity of the Bible though written over a period of 1,600 years, (2) the facts of the Bible have been verified again and again and (3) the purpose of the Bible to help us live for God is a sacred purpose. The accuracy of the Bible in matters of science, history and culture of the time is held to the highest standard. ‘Life is in the blood’ (Genesis 9:4), ‘all men made of one blood’ (Acts 17:26) and “as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26) are statements that have been examined again and again and are found to be accurate. An unbeliever, to be honest, must deal with these claims. Finding them to be accurate, why would he or she not move into belief and obedience (Mark 16:16; Hebrews 5:8-9)?

The Gospel, as defined in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, consists in the facts “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas…” What is often cited as three facts of the Gospel are actually four: Christ died, was buried, was raised and appeared. First Corinthians proceeds to name others who saw Him also. That He appeared is what enabled Peter to say on Pentecost, “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:32). In writing Acts, Luke said Jesus presented Himself alive to the apostles “after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). Among the “many proofs” of the resurrection are the fact of the empty tomb and the reliability of the eyewitnesses. The witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection are for the most part men who had traveled, eaten, conversed and slept in His and one another’s company for a period of about three years. They would hardly have been fooled by an imposter. They were men who were fearful, not believing that He would rise from the dead as He had said, running away from His accusers lest they be accused. However, after seeing the risen Lord, they were transformed and emboldened. Peter, who had trembled before a servant girl and denied he had even known the Lord, …

Those who study such things, namely psychiatrists, tell us there are five basic drives in life: (1) to live, (2) to be with others, (3) to love and be loved, (4) to excel and (5) to believe in something everlasting. It’s no small wonder that these desires are of what a man’s life consists, for they are all found in the early pages of the Bible as we recount the story of the creation. To live In the beginning, God said, “Let’s make man in our own image” (Genesis 1:26), and He did so, thereby giving man the will to live. To be with others God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will create a help meet for him” (Genesis 2:18), and He created Eve, the first woman, to give Adam the company God said he needed. Thereby He fulfilled man’s desire to be with others. To love and be loved Not only did Eve fulfill Adam’s need to be with like kind, but since she was created out of Adam, he said, “This [that is Eve] is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh…therefore a man shall cleave to his wife and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:23-24). God placed man and woman together to satisfy their need for companionship and love. To excel “God said: ‘Be fruitful and multiply; replenish the earth and subdue it and have dominion over it” (Genesis 1:28). Here God instilled in His creation the drive to excel! To believe …

We often see religious leaders wearing such titles as “Reverend,” “Right Reverend” or “Father.” Is this practice in harmony with the teachings of the Bible? The word “reverend” is found only once in the King James Version of the Bible. The psalmist glorified God by saying, “…holy and reverend is His name” (Psalm 111:9). The word “reverend” in that verse means that the name of God is worthy of respect, fear and awe. The New King James Version translates it, “…holy and awesome is His name.” “Reverend” is never used in the Bible as a title for a mere human. The scribes and Pharisees loved religious titles. Jesus denounced the scribes and Pharisees for loving the “…greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’” “Rabbi” meant “Teacher” or “Master.” They loved to wear that term as an exalting title. Jesus continued by warning His disciples, “But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren” (Matthew 23:7-8). All who are truly Christians are equal with each other as brothers and sisters. No Christian should desire a religious title that exalts him or her above any other Christian. It should be enough of an honor to wear the name “Christian.” Jesus forbid using “Father” as a religious title. “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven” (Matthew 23:9). This command is very clear. Yet, many people use “Father” as a religious …

Did you ever consider some things that Jesus could have done as He lived here on this earth, but that He didn’t do? He could have become a political king. Some tried to force Him to do this. Being a carpenter, He could have had a fine house. He could have taken up a “love offering” when He healed. In each of these, and many more, He didn’t do these things. There is yet another thing He could have done but didn’t. On the night He was betrayed, and after observing the Passover with the apostles, they all, except Judas, walked down into the Kidron Valley and a short way up the side of the Mount of Olives to Gethsemane. When I visited Gethsemane a few years back, I was struck with an amazing fact. While Jesus was in the Garden, He could have seen those who were coming to arrest Him as they made their way to the Garden also. John states that they “came there with lanterns, torches and weapons.” He knew that they were coming, and He knew why they were coming. He could have run. He could have just gone farther up the side of the hill and gone down toward Bethany. He could have just kept on going up into Galilee, but He didn’t! He stayed, was given a mock trial, scourged and crucified when He could have escaped. Why? “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his …

Faith is not just knowing the will of God but having the courage to act on it. May this degree of faith be seen in you and me. One prominent Bible character had the courage to defy a king (Hebrews 11:23). Moses’ parents were courageous. They hid Moses for three months! Then his mother made a boat and set him in the river! What could cause a woman to do this with her baby? Could she not support the child any longer? Was it that the child was a burden to the family? Was he maybe an embarrassment to the family? No! The king demanded that all the Israelite newborn males be killed. What would you do for your child when you were that desperate? Moses’ mother trusted the Lord! There is more to the biblical account (Exodus 1:22-2:10). Moses had the courage to identify with his people (Hebrews 11:24-26). He courageously suffered with his people (Hebrews 11:24). Nursed by his own mother and learning of his nation’s dilemma, Moses refused to live a lie to keep material benefits. Who we are is more important than riches and pleasure! Moses suffered hardships for Christ (Hebrews 11:25-26; Exodus 2:11-14). Christ suffered immensely for us (1 Peter 1:21-23). We should be willing to suffer for Christ. Serving Christ will bring some hardships and afflictions (2 Timothy 3:12). We must stand with God’s people in times of difficulty. Suffering for Christ is superior to the seasonal pleasure of sin. The results of suffering with Christ are …

I stand accused as a sinful man,And everyone knows that it is true,Not because that is my plan,Yet it is what I ultimately do. I stand accused as one who is weak,I try to be strong, but I so often fail,I falter from the right path that I seek,I trip and fall too often along the trail. I stand accused as a coward as well,Not speaking out words I need to say,When it is important the truth to tell,To try to help another find the right way. I stand condemned by the person that I’ve been,A weak, sinful, and cowardly individual,In my hands no hope can possibly be seen,All I can present is a wounded, tattered soul. But, I stand justified and made as white as snow,My damaged soul has been restored as new,Not by my own power, that each one must know,But by the blood that can the weak renew. I will stand before the judgment seat one day,And my sinfulness will not show, or any longer count,For One will stand in my behalf and He will say,“He is clean, just charge his sins to My account!” I stand accused as a sinful man,And everyone knows that it is true,But I can overcome through Jesus’ plan,And that is what I must ultimately do.

I remember well these words spoken by a wise and knowledgeable teacher of mine when I was in college. Brother Rex A Turner, Sr. had many ‘sayings,’ but this is the one I want to emphasize presently. I have lived long enough (83 years) to know factually and by experience that this is true in our society today. He also said that a man needs a “Balance Wheel,” which we sorely need today. We are people of extremism. This is so evident today in the political world. Seemingly, there is no middle ground for some of our elected officials and in society in general. It is truly sad to witness the prejudice, bigotry and hatred manifested in our country. You can find such attitudes in people of different races and ethnic backgrounds. When you watch the news on television or read the newspapers, you can be assured the actions of such extreme attitudes of various individuals and groups are reported. I am reminded of the opening sentence in the book, A Tale of Two Cities (1857), written by Charles Dickens. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were …

Children (and adults) need to consider more ways to serve the Lord. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1 NKJV).

Years ago, I wrote an article dealing with the question of whether we have a right to do wrong. Today, I wrote a letter to the editors of some area newspapers suggesting some of the same thoughts. I sent this one in the form of an article for two reasons: 1. Everyone needs to understand the facts mentioned in the letter. 2. Every Christian needs to be aware of the tremendous opportunities available to you to write to the editor of your local paper and express some eternal truth. Many editors will not publish anything that seems to have biblical origin, but many will. If enough Christians would speak out when they have the opportunity on issues that are significant, we could be the kind of salt and light in the world Jesus desires. Remember that it is better to light one candle than merely to curse the darkness. If you are not willing to do that now, when will you? I have had over three dozen letters published in various papers, most of them calling attention to some biblical principle. I have sent the letters to every member of Congress, every major newspaper and many radio and TV stations in the United States. How much good it will do, we do not know, but that is God’s business. Ours is to sow the seed; His is to give the increase. He will if you will. Here follows my last letter to “the Editor.” Dear Editor, One reason for our …

You may have heard the old adage, “I can’t keep the birds from flying over my head, but I can keep them from building a nest in my hair.” It is true that while living in the world, we cannot always control the environment in which we must live or what others do around us, but we can make sure that though living in it, it does not live in us. Paul gave the same caution to the Corinthians when admonishing them to “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord” (2 Corinthians 6:17). We must take note of the fact that the things which are produced by the world do not originate with God but come from the conniving and creativity of man and are not influenced by Heaven. The inspired John wrote, “For all that is in the world…the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world” (John 2:16). John wrote on another occasion what Jesus had said, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world” (John 8:32). Our original identity was with the world, having a fondness for the base and carnal elements of this world. When we become Christians, there is a “conversion” that takes place and there is a replacement that transpires when we “…put off the old man with his deeds and have put on …

Though the Bible openly encourages us to not embrace an overly anxious spirit, each of us has probably experienced moments in which we were genuinely worried. Perhaps the following suggested strategy, gleaned from the pen of another author, may assist. Like Job, we should hand our problems to God, trusting that He will take care of them. Accordingly, the next time that any of us may be faced with the real prospect of worry, let us work methodically to avoid it, knowing that the Lord never encourages the impossible (Matthew 6:34).

Unintended consequences are outcomes that are not the ones intended by a purposeful action. While the outcome could be positive in nature, typically it refers to a negative, unexpected disadvantage occurring, in addition to the desired effect. For example, following an intense lobbying effort by big banks to address rising loan defaults, the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act was enacted in 2005, which made it costlier for people to declare bankruptcy. Yet, that legislation may have led to more—not fewer—loan defaults, especially defaults on home mortgages. There can be unintended consequences spiritually as well. An example of this is found in Numbers 13-14. Of the 12 Israelite spies sent into Canaan to bring word of the abundance the land possessed, only 2 encouraged the people to obey the Lord—Joshua and Caleb. The other 10 were fearful of the inhabitants of the land, and their words served to discourage the people from taking possession of it. While they effectively stopped Israel from going at that time, they didn’t foresee what that would do to them. The result of Israel’s rebellion against God brought 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. “But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD, none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, shall see …

The Lord’s words regarding Caleb are remarkable. “But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and he has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it” (Numbers 14:24). They stand out all the more because they were spoken when the children of Israel were being told they would not see the Land of Promise. Caleb was set apart because he went against the crowd. Ten of the spies caused the hearts of the people to melt by reporting that the land devours the people who live there, and they had seen giants who made them feel like grasshoppers (Numbers 13:31-33). Caleb believed in God, announcing that they could overcome the land (Numbers 13:30; Joshua 14:8-9). Caleb remained faithful while others died, despite the fact that Joshua was God’s appointed leader. Everyone in his generation died in the wilderness, except for Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 14:20-23; Joshua 14:10). Others sinned against God by rebelling against the Almighty, but Caleb remained true. Caleb was rewarded because of his faithfulness. Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said. And Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh …