In November 2016 my article was entitled, “God Gives Us Everything.” Since then my attention continues to be drawn to the virtually countless times that the Bible tells us what God gives us and why. It tells us what God has given us, is giving us and will give us until He brings this world to an end. Whatever “it” is, if God does not give it to us, we literally don’t and can’t get it! This irrevocable truth was beyond debate when God created Adam. Genesis 2:7 reads, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Adam was a corpse, a dead body until God gave him breath! Job 12:10 asked, “In whose hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind?” Job 34:12-15 says, “Surely God will never do wickedly, nor will the Almighty pervert justice. Who gave Him charge over the whole earth? Or who appointed Him over the whole world? If He should set His heart on it, if He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust.” Do we thank God daily for still being alive? As Christians, giving thanks to God should be as natural as our breathing. We must be thankful daily for life, health, strength, provision, protection and care because God is who He is. God holds our …

“Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:14). Most normal people would never imagine such wickedness as to cause a blind man to fall, yet they may mock him. How many times have you seen someone who ridiculed a deaf person or others who were handicapped? Some may be like the children who mocked Elisha (2 Kings 2:23-24). Was it a sin for Elisha to curse those children? We are not told, but we can read clearly, “Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit…” (Proverbs 28:10). Even from Old Testament times, the way of an adulterous woman caused many to go astray. “Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness” (Proverbs 30:20). “Her ways are unstable. For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell” (Proverbs 5:3-5). Many stumble because of alcohol. “But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in …

The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, gave an order. He appointed a daily portion of his wine and delicacies to be given to certain young men who were in training for positions in his government as wise men and leaders. Yet, four of the young men could not accept the allotments. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were from Jerusalem. These four were among the best young men in Judah. When the Babylonian king besieged Judah, He carried them and many others like them back to Babylon to train for his courts. Daniel and his friends knew that the appointed food would be delicious to eat. They also knew what God had spoken through Moses to their ancestors. They could neither taste these delicacies nor drink this intoxicating wine. Doing so would make them unclean before God and cause them to sin against His commands. They requested an alternative for themselves. Daniel petitioned the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. The petition was met with hesitancy by the head of the eunuchs. Why should he endanger his life so that Daniel might do this? Daniel sought an alternative. Daniel 1:12-13 reads, “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” The test was approved. “And …

The word “godliness” comes from the Greek word eusebeia and it means “a proper religious attitude of respect, reverence and devotion toward God, parents or one’s fellow man.” Its main use pertains to the reverent fear at the superiority and holiness of Almighty God and His worship that results in a careful obedience and loyalty to His Word. Eusebeia gives God the right place in one’s mind.It provides for worship and service before God in the right way. Patience (perseverance) also leads to a humble reverence and a deep respect toward God. Patience is interrelated to godliness, which by itself is such a powerful word. We must with all diligence, in our patience, add godliness (2 Peter 1:5-6) to our Christian character. Proverbs 1:7 gives us the basic idea of godliness. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction” (NKJV). Eusebeia is basically the right attitude toward God—the attitude of reverence, superiority, worship and obedience. To please God, we must embrace the meaning of this important word. That will lead to a complete, continual and cheerful obedience of God’s commands. Christians are encouraged by Scripture to practice godliness. We are to lead a quiet life in all godliness (1 Timothy 2:2). Women are to profess godliness (1 Timothy 2:10). Great is the mystery of godliness (1 Timothy 3:16). Christians are to exercise themselves in godliness (1 Timothy 4:7). Godliness is profitable to all things (1 Timothy 4:8). Christian doctrine is according to godliness (1 Timothy 6:3). Godliness with contentment is gain …

I totally despise autocorrect sometimes. I sent a text today in which I typed, “I loved the pictures I have seen…” Autocorrect changed it to, “I loved the bloc tires I have seen…” What on earth does “bloc tires” mean, and why would autocorrect find that to be superior to “pictures” in its twisted little “mind”? (I know it doesn’t have a mind, but bear with my anthropomorphizing if you will. “Anthropomorphizing” is my dollar word for the day; it means assigning human traits to that which is not human.) There are times when autocorrect is handy, like when it automatically capitalizes the word “I” or as in the sentence I just wrote where it changed my misspelling of “capitalizes” for me. However, sometimes it just arbitrarily changes things on its own. That makes the writer look really dumb, and sometimes it can be very embarrassing. (Autocorrect corrected “embarrassing” for me, by the way.) As I thought about autocorrect and the help it gives and the confusion it can cause, for some reason, it reminded me of one of the traits that separate humans from animals—the conscience. Autocorrect works well when it is properly set. It can save you from mistakes that totally change the meaning of what you are writing. A properly-trained conscience can do the same in our lives. It can guide us away from errors in life that can be dangerous or deadly. The Word of God is the number one source to properly train the conscience. Autocorrect …

A statement I often make is, “Living a Christian life lets us enjoy the best of what this life has to offer and the best of the one to come.” Let’s examine the truth of this biblical principle. I believe that Paul revealed this truth in 1 Timothy 4:8, when he wrote, “Bodily exercise profits little but Godliness is profitable to all things, having the promise of the life that now is and of that one which is to come.” Paul was not just beating the air; he was encouraging the young preacher and teaching him a valuable lesson as to why it is so important to live the Christian life. That lesson applies to our living today as well. One can put his whole effort into exercising his physical body, and he may end up with a healthy, strong physique that is admirable, but when it comes to eternal matters, his physical body will count for nothing regardless of its appearance. Regarding the life that is to come, it’s the strength and condition of the soul that matters to God. When a Christian has done what it takes to strengthen his spiritual life and has dedicated his life to God, not only will he have what it takes to cope with the evils and disappointments of daily living, he will have confidence of looking forward to an eternal home in Heaven. Paul voiced that confidence when he said, “We know that all things work together for good to those …

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.” These are the words of the “Prince of Peace,” Jesus Christ, as found in Matthew 5:9. This beatitude is somewhat different from the rest, such as those who are “poor in spirit,” “those who mourn,” “the meek,” “those who hunger and thirst after righteousness” and “the merciful.” The reason being, the expression, “the peacemakers,” implies an action on the part of the disciples. It is an adjective signifying peace-making. The “peacemaker” is to give “diligence to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesian 4:3). The “peacemaker” has to have “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) in his heart. Paul wrote in Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” We are not only to be peaceful, we are to be peacemakers. Abraham Lincoln said, “Die when I may, I want it said of me by those who knew me best, that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow.” Today, we need more people who will proverbially plant flowers and pull up the weeds. There is a great need in our world to have more peacemakers instead of peace-breakers! The Lord knows we have too many …

Bless this building Lord we prayKeep it safe by night and day. Let the walls so firm and stoutKeep all strife and trouble out. Make strong the roof and rafters tallLet peace and joy reign overall. Widen the door that it may proveAlways open, to joy and love. See the windows shining brightStreaming in God’s heavenly light. Keep the pulpit standing hereFirm amid strong fervent prayer. Keep those who pray and sing withinStrong and pure and free from sin. Guide us Lord that we may beFit O God to dwell with thee. Bless us all that one day weMay dwell O Lord! With thee.

It is 2:00 a.m., and I cannot sleep. We were notified yesterday, late in the day, that a dear ole friend has terminal cancer and is not expected to live another six months or so. There are so many of whom I can think who are facing the closure of physical life. We understand this is part of living, to die. I have always prayed that when I face death that I will be strong, have courage to the end. I have also prayed that death would overtake me at 2:00 a.m. or so when I am asleep. Yet, as I consider this, will I have courage to overcome my fears? I think so; maybe I am talking about what I call the human factor. As humans, we are so weak; fears of the unknown haunt us. We wish it were not so, but alas it is. We admit its truth. As a Christian, I believe with all my being an afterlife will be far better than this earthly life. The comforting words of the apostle John ring true. “These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13). The apostle Paul also gave us frail humans courage concerning our pondering the human factor with all our fears. “And if Christ hath not been raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins… If we have …

The Pharisees were a self-righteous party ascribing to themselves broad powers of enforcement of their traditions associated with God’s laws (Matthew 15:7-9; 23:1-37). There was, however, at least one who seemed to be intent on doing right. Nicodemus, one ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus by night and began by acknowledging the import of Christ’s miracles. He said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a Teacher come from God…“ (John 3:1-2). Later, this same man would take up for Jesus’ right to speak for Himself before any possible condemnation (John 7:50-51), then would help Joseph of Arimathea with the burial of the Lord’s body (John 19:38-40). Jesus’ answer seemed far removed from the statement of Nicodemus: “…Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Nicodemus tried to clarify, knowing only the physical birth (3:4). Jesus assured that it was a spiritual birth, “of water and the Spirit” (3:5). What is the new birth? Ascertaining it requires honesty with Scripture. Consider that the Holy Spirit is the member of the Godhead responsible for inspiring the apostles and the prophets (John 14:26; 16:13; Ephesians 3:5; 1 Corinthians 2:9-13; 2 Peter 1:20-21). Without the Spirit’s work in writing the Divine record, people living subsequent to the first century would know nothing about those events, or they might know a jumbled version from oral history. Perhaps that is one reason Paul said, “…no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians …

Noah is an important figure to the Bible record for a few reasons. First of all, he demonstrated the fact that faith and obedience go hand-in-hand. God told Noah a flood was coming and what he needed to do to survive the flood; he did it and preserved his life. Second, Noah shows that what is popular is not always right and what is right is not always popular. Noah preached for decades, but in the end, only his family heeded the message he preached. The rest of the world perished. Finally, Noah serves as a warning to all of God’s people to watch themselves. Nobody is immune to sin and temptation. Coming off the boat where his life was spared, he made an altar and sacrificed to God. Not long after this event, Noah planted a vineyard and got drunk. Noah, the man who was perfect in his generation and walked with God, still had faults.

In Ecclesiastes 9, Solomon made a powerful and humbling observation. All are going to die. It does not matter if the person was righteous or wicked. Such will not change the course set up by God. It is His plan that all will die (Hebrews 9:27), except for those who are alive when Christ comes again (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). In Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, Solomon made a number of observations about death, which also need to be considered in light of a number of erroneous doctrines being taught by the religious world today. First, Solomon stated that “the dead do not know anything.” This statement has led some to argue for an unconscious state for the dead and for others to conclude that the wicked dead are annihilated. Such doctrines clearly contradict plain biblical teaching, which demonstrate continued existence and awareness for the dead (Isaiah 14:9; Luke 16:19-31). Instead, Solomon was noting that the dead are ignorant of what is taking place on the earth (“under the sun,” v. 6). Whatever activities transpire after they died are beyond their knowledge. This truth should defeat a number of erroneous practices today. (1) There is no biblical support to pray to the dead. The dead (even those declared as “saints”) are unable to hear, let alone answer, one’s prayers. Our access to God is found only through Christ (1 Timothy 2:5). (2) There is no biblical support to attempt to contact the dead. There are those who claim to have powers to bring up …

There was great excitement in the air in Acts 2 when the church began. Those who were being saved were added to the Lord’s church just as we are today. As the church in the first century, it began to work for the Lord. Its members met with each other house to house. They continued in the apostle’s doctrine. They worshipped. They worked. They took care of one another. As the church began to grow, more and more congregations of the Lord’s church were being established from city to city. Elders were put into place in each congregation to shepherd the flock, and the Word of the Lord continued to spread. As Christians living today, we are a part of that same church that began in Acts 2. When we are baptized for the remission of our sins (Acts 2:38), Christ adds us to His church (Acts 2:47). As part of the body, we serve God. We worship Him in spirit and in truth. We are obedient to His Word. We follow His Will. We come together on each Sunday to worship Him and to remember Christ and His sacrifice. We come together to lift each other up, encouraging and supporting one another, praying for one another. We come together to give unto the Lord from the depths of our hearts, to praise and honor God. We come together. The Lord has set many commandments before us as His church, the things that we must do. While, yes, we should …

Isaiah wrote, “But He was wounded for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5). In the New King James Version, the word wounded has a notation that says, “pierced through.” Keep this word “pierced” in your thoughts. John 19 records the trial, condemnation and crucifixion of Jesus—the Christ. After being nailed to the cross between the two malefactors, the Lord hung suspended for a period of some six hours. His last words recorded by John were, “It is finished.” Read with me John 19:33-37. Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for the Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen this testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled. “Not one of His bones should be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.” Now notice with me that Isaiah said this One would be …

The question in the title of this article is very important. One thing that separates the church of Christ from the denominational world—and the entire religious world—is that the faithful church of Christ only binds and looses what God has bound and loosed. The moment we cease binding what God has bound and/or loosing what God has loosed, we cease being the faithful church of Christ. God Has Already Bound and Loosed Shortly after Peter’s monumental confession that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), Jesus told him, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). Later, that same instruction to “bind and loose” was given to the rest of the apostles (Matthew 18:18). Understanding the tense of the verbs is necessary to any study of binding and loosing. It is not the case that Jesus was saying that whatever Peter and the apostles bound or loosed on earth would be later ratified in Heaven, as if they were the ones deciding what should be bound and loosed. Rather, the verbs behind the translation, “will be bound in heaven…will be loosed in heaven,” are what is called future perfect in the original language. Upon first reading, one might think that “will be bound” is from one verb, and “will be loosed” is from another verb. However, it is an interesting pairing of verb tenses. Each part consists of two verbs …

Jesus suffered the agony and humiliation of public execution at “a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull” (Matthew 27:33). The religious leaders had labeled Him as an enemy of Moses. The civil government, by consenting to the crucifixion, had labeled Him an enemy of Rome. After the nails were driven through His flesh and He had been raised high above the crowd, Jesus pleaded, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). If Jesus of Nazareth had been an impostor, the crucifixion would surely have exposed that fact. The agony of the cross revealed His true character and grace. Instead of retaliating, He appealed to His Father to pardon His murderers. The execution, which His enemies had hoped would end His influence, became the very means by which He draws people unto Himself  even today (John 12:32). In the early days of His ministry, Jesus preached a sermon in which He had said, “…pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Through the cross, we can see that those were not empty words. The message He preached on that mountain in Galilee, He practiced on mount Calvary. If our Lord could forgive His persecutors in the very midst of His agony, can we be excused for bearing grudges and bitterness over the small abuses which come our way?

In Psalm 139:23-24, the psalmist said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts; And see if there be any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.” The word “heart” is used over 800 times in the Bible, translated from more than six different words. Most of the brethren whom I have heard speak on the matter have equated the heart with the intellect. That is not as definitive and exact as it should be. It is more nearly accurate to think of the heart as the subconscious mind, the wellspring of all activity. As Proverbs 4:23 puts it, “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” However, that is not my subject today. I will neither have time or space to deal with the sixty different kinds of hearts mentioned in the Bible nor with the dozens of allusions to other kinds. There are hard and soft hearts, pure an impure, wise and foolish, dark and enlightened, single and double, trusting and faithless, fixed and wavering, and faint and strong. Since God will search and try our hearts, it behooves us to do some heart-searching first and make sure we have the kinds of hearts that please Him. Let us view some kinds of hearts for which we should strive. First there is the grateful or thankful heart. Without this, none of the other kinds God wants will ever be developed. The …

Paul said, “Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits” (Romans 12:16). Humility is enjoined on God’s people: (1) Israel, Micah 6:8; (2) At social gatherings, Luke 14:10; (3) To those who would be great, Luke 22:26; (4) To those who would think soberly, Romans 12:3; (5) To be lifted up, James 4:10; (6) To be clothed with it, 1 Peter 5:5. Let us first note what humility is not. It is not a certain tone of the voice. It is not merely acting sympathetically. Some would lead us to believe they are deeply touched when really they have little or no concern (John 12:1-6). Others believe that when they give “big gifts” to brotherhood projects, they manifest their humility. There are some in the church so “humble” they are proud of it (Matthew 6:16)! Many of the quarrels and brotherhood problems over the years have been caused by the “humble” among us. Note the spirit of false teachers. To hear them tell it, they are the humblest fellows on earth. Second, what is it to be humble? Vine says, “It primarily signifies low-lying. It is used always in a good sense in the New Testament, metaphorically, to denote: (a) of low degree, brought low, Lk. 1:52; Rom 12:16; (b) humble in spirit, Matt. 11:29; 2 Cor. 10:1.” The word “abase” in the New Testament is akin to humility. Webster says, “A state …

A chronological review of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:29) suggests that this sermon was delivered by Jesus during His great Galilean ministry (4:17-14:12), which elapsed over a period of about one year. This Galilean ministry included three tours of Galilee by Jesus, with the record of the first tour (4:23-9:34) placing an emphasis upon His teaching, preaching and healing, along with a partial record of the public response to His ministerial work. The bulk of the material in this section of Matthew’s record provides examples of the work of Jesus during His first tour (5:1-9:34). This section of the record is a topical rather than a strict chronological record of events. At Matthew 14:1, the record appears to revert to a stricter chronological arrangement. After presenting a summary of the first tour of Galilee by Jesus (4:23-25), the record of the Sermon on the Mount was penned (5:1-7:29), with an introduction to the sermon appearing in 5:1-2. These verses include data concerning (1) the occasion and the locale of the sermon, (2) the gathering of the disciples of Jesus unto Him and (3) the beginning of His teaching. The Sermon on the Mount was probably delivered at the height of His Galilean ministry, as indicated by the presence of the great multitudes (4:25; 5:1). The breadth of this sermon is noteworthy; it addressed the current life of the disciples under the Old Law (5:21ff) and proceeded to consider the Final Judgment (7:22-27). Gospel and law are elements of this address. Concerning the Gospel, Jesus …

A French proverb states, “Gratitude is the heart’s memory.” Many years before that, Aesop wrote, “Gratitude is the sign of noble souls” (550 B.C.). Throughout the years, an attitude of thanksgiving has been recognized as a reflection of the person we are inside. According to tradition, the English Pilgrims, who had founded the Plymouth Colony in what is today the State of Massachusetts, celebrated the first American Thanksgiving in 1621. The Pilgrims marked the occasion by feasting with their Native American guests—members of the Wampanoag tribe—who brought gifts of food as a gesture of goodwill. Although this event was an important part of American colonial history, there is no evidence that any of the participants thought of the feast as a thanksgiving celebration. Two years later, during a period of drought, a day of fasting and prayer was changed to one of thanksgiving because rains came during the prayers. Gradually the custom prevailed among New Englanders to annually celebrate Thanksgiving after the harvest. As the years passed, the event became a national holiday, and in 1941 it was legally decreed an event to be celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday of November. While our nation celebrates a day of Thanksgiving annually, the Christian should give thanks continually. “Always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father” (Ephesians 5:20). “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). No matter our circumstances, in …

Members of the church in Laodicea did not see any need for God. They had wealth, good clothing and good medical care, especially for the eyes. We might say they had left home. The Lord saw them as spiritually destitute, but He would not force them to change. The Savior did not command but lovingly counseled them to buy from Him all their spiritual necessities (Revelation 3:14-22). They needed the riches of the knowledge of God to withstand being tested in difficult circumstances (Colossians 2:1-3; 1 Peter 1:7). They needed to put on the clothing of holiness, purified in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 1:5; 7:14). Their spiritual eyes needed to be opened to the stains of sin that needed to be cleansed from their lives (James 1:25). The Lord still loved them and only disciplined them because He desired to see them change (Hebrews 12:7-11). He wanted them to turn aside from their sinful uselessness so that He would not have to spew them out of His mouth. Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). How shocking and sad it must have been for the Laodicean Christians to realize they had cast Him out of their hearts. He, nonetheless, stood and repeatedly knocked outside the door of each heart. He lovingly called to be let in so that he could “dine” with them. Had this church banished the Lord from his own Supper? The good news is that Jesus has overcome the tomb and is …