It Is an Imperative Choice

Over the years, I have bought and have been given many devotional Bibles with 365 daily Scripture readings with devotional insights. This year, I just happened to hear about one that I did not have. I was immediately interested in where to obtain one as quickly as possible. When I mentioned it to a family member, it “magically” appeared in my mailbox two days later! The title of my article is taken from a statement made in the Devotional Daily Bible – NKJV – Signature Series. For March 9, part of the devotional insight is Be A Responsible Follower – Numbers 16:1-3.      “Churches, organizations, marriages, and homes all can be affected by murmuring, by rebelling against those whom God has appointed to lead. Great blessing and joy and guidance come from turning such feelings over to God and obeying Him and those whom He has designated. It is an imperative choice.” Hebrews 13:17 was selected as Today’s Thought: “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” God’s Word is peppered with imperative choices, and not one of them is to be taken lightly or considered out of hand – ever. God says what He means and means what He says, and as students of His Word, we know that sometimes He only says it once. That is all that is needed. After all, we …

The Cupbearer

In Nehemiah 1, we find that Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the king. We are, in a sense, cupbearers to the King. When James and John wanted to sit on the right and left hand of Jesus, He asked them, “…Are ye able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” (Matthew 20:22 NKJV). When they replied that they were, our Lord replied, “You will indeed drink My cup” (Matthew 20:23). They drank of the cup in the sense that they endured the bitter affliction and suffering that came as a result of following Him. To the extent that we suffer for the cause of Christ, we also drink of that cup. Most of us may not do more than sniff the contents of it. The same basic thought is in the expression in Luke 14:27, which reads, “And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” It may be that some of us, instead of taking it up, merely drag it along behind, but we are supposed to be cupbearers and cross bearers. With that in mind, a study of Nehemiah 1 became more personal to me. First, I was impressed with Nehemiah’s sympathetic inquiry in Nehemiah1:2. He did not allow his prominence, promotion, position, prestige or power to turn his heart in selfishness to his own interests and become indifferent to the interests and welfare of his brethren. That may happen to cupbearers today. We may become more interested in …

Be Kind

Kindness might be one of the most important traits that is missing in many Christians. Real, biblical kindness isn’t about being nice to people you like or to people who are nice to you. Neither is kindness helping people when it is convenient. Going an extra mile (Matthew 5:41) includes doing things for people you may not like and doing tasks you’d rather not do. Loving your neighbor is great, but Jesus told us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). Jesus left us examples by healing someone who was literally out to get Him (Luke 22:51) and later prayed for the forgiveness of those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34). The world does for those who do for them; Christianity is about doing for those who cannot repay (Luke 14:12-14). The world counts the cost and calculates its own benefit before considering helping others; Christians are called to be selfless. The world expects and enjoys being served; Christians are to take joy in serving others (John 13). In a world where you can be anything, be kind and shine the light of Jesus (Matthew 5:14).

Scuba Equipped Flies

Occasionally, from the world of nature comes life forms so unusual that if Hollywood were to create some imaginary animal with these features, everyone would think how ridiculous that would be. Yet, in order to confound the skeptic and encourage the child of God, the Almighty Creator gave some animals unbelievable features. God created Alkali flies (Ephydra hians), the most unusual fly to live in one of the most difficult environments that one could imagine – Mono Lake in California. It is a 13-mile-wide volcanic basin into which water from streams in the surrounding mountains flow, but there are no streams out of which the water can flow. Evaporation is the only way that water leaves, and this increases the salt content of the waters just like it does in the Dead Sea, which suffers the same problem. The waters in Mono Lake are so concentrated with salt and minerals that it’s venomous water that is nearly pure lye. It is twice as salty as sea water in which no fish, frogs, snakes or other usual lake life lives, but God was able to easily make a fly that cannot only live there but thrive. Alkali flies are one of the important parts of the food chain at Mono Lake and were even food for native Americans who lived in the area long ago. Most of the birds there feed on these flies. The fly lives two of its three life stages entirely submerged. This is not that unusual as …

The House of God Often Meets in a Building to Worship

The house of God also meets in rented halls, private homes, under a shed, in public buildings and even in the open spaces. However, one asks, “Is not the church building where we meet on Sunday the Lord’s house?” Yes, in the same sense that my house in which my wife and I live is the Lord’s house. It belongs to God who provided it for us. The psalmist declared that “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1 ESV). Yet, did not David say, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD!’” (Psalm 122:1)? Yes, that is true. There was a time when God’s presence could be found above the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle (sanctuary) that Moses erected (Exodus 25:8, 21, 22). The glory also filled the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34). Later, King Solomon built the temple (house) of the Lord in the city of Jerusalem (1 Kings 6:14). When finished, “the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord” (1 Kings 8:11). In the sermon of the apostle Paul recorded in Acts 17, he declared, “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands” (v. 24). Yet, God does dwell in His people! You see, the house of God is …

A Proper Perspective

Life is all about perspective. “Your perspective will either become your prison or your passport” (Steven Furtick). The way we look at and respond to life’s challenges is so vital to our faithfulness as children of God. Difficult times can lead us closer to or farther from God, depending upon our focus and perspective. Centuries ago, our brothers and sisters in Christ were facing some of the most difficult challenges they had ever faced as Christians. A real danger was before them. That danger was not so much the persecution they were facing but the possibility of their trials wearing away at their precious faith to the point of apostasy. The Holy Spirit charged and inspired Peter to help these brethren obtain a proper perspective during such times. The inspired penmanship of Peter is recorded in the two books that bear his name, 1st and 2nd Peter. The proper perspective of which Peter wrote centuries ago is the same recipe to help us to have a proper perspective today. Peter reminded our brethren about redemption, “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19 NKJV). These persecuted saints were precious. How do we know that? God had “redeemed” them, which literally means to secure the life of a slave by paying a price. We, as well as they, were …

What Is Legalism?

Introduction What is legalism, or who is a legalist? The terms “legalism” and “legalist” have been and continue to be brandished about freely by public speakers and penmen alike. Who is a “legalist,” and what is “legalism” is the question of the day. The answer seems to depend on what part of the road you’re on, which way you’re facing, and whether or not you’re moving in either direction. Some preachers, teachers, and elders have been dubbed “legalists” because they dared to proclaim the whole counsel of God and refused to accept denominational theories as doctrine. Others have been called “legalists” because they insist on the Lord’s standard of conduct for Christians. (Reeves 41) “Brethren with a liberal attitude toward biblical teaching make accusations against the church for adhering to what the Bible – and especially the New Testament – teaches. They say, ‘Teaching obedience and commandments is legalism’” (Gardner 13). “It is fashionable today to characterize anyone who is concerned with biblical doctrine as pharisaical. The biblical condemnation of the Pharisees; legalism has been misread as a denunciation of doctrinal precision” (MacArthur 5). “…The charge liberals make against those who wish to follow the Bible and allow it to be their strict guide in doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16-17). They claim we are guilty of the same sin as the Pharisees of Christ’s time – legalism” (Suiter 23). “Christians today are called ‘legalists’ when they obey God – as if obedience was a terrible sin” …