Much of what is seen in today’s world underscores the very problem that existed among the Israelites who lived during Old Testament times. Namely, they did not revere God in the manner that He wanted them to in His covenant relationship with them. If one does not respect God, He will not be honored and obeyed in an acceptable manner. Exodus 20:3-4 says, “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image – any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” (NKJV). This was one of the problems that Isaiah noted in his opening monologue. He penned: Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: ‘I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against Me; The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider.’ Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward. Israel’s backsliding was continual regarding its relationship with Jehovah. In these passages, some comparisons are made between Israel and God that need consideration. First, Israelites were pictured as rebellious children. One of the most painful situations that a person can endure is the rebellion of …

“Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars” (Proverbs 9:1 NKJV). “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17). When one examines some of the wonders of the ancient world, like the pyramids for example, he is reminded that we, who live in the 21st century, are not the only ones who ever accomplished anything. Sadly, there is a supreme arrogance among many modern people who think nothing significant ever happened before the personal computer, the cell phone camera and the Internet. We may have some great technology, but we are the same people we have always been. Let’s go one step further. When we compare our knowledge and wisdom with the most elementary things of God, we find ourselves grossly lacking in every way. “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). We have no room for boasting when we look at God. If we really want to know what is truly wise, it is not …

When we think of God’s power, we think of the power to speak things into existence. We do not comprehend such power. Man has tried to duplicate it somewhat with technology, only to fall short over and over again. For instance, with the iPhone, man speaks and Siri searches, but Siri doesn’t always get it right. Samsung phones have Bixby voice, but once again it falls short of what God can do. However, let’s look at the first command in Scripture. “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light” (Genesis 1:3 NKJV). That was the first time any being was recorded as speaking, and it was the voice of Almighty God. Continuing to read the Genesis account of creation, we find, “God said… and it was so” (Genesis 1:9). Similarly, Psalm 33:9 records, “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” God in the flesh had the power to speak things done as well. That’s right; I’m talking about Jesus. One such occasion pertained to the blind man at Jericho. “So Jesus answered and said to him, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ The blind man said to Him, ‘Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road” (Mark 10:51-52). Lastly, God the Holy Spirit speaking through Peter told the lame man at the beautiful …

Responsibility: Putting First Things First There are a number of Scriptures that reveal the responsibilities which God has placed upon His children. When Jesus delivered the sermon on the mount, He said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33 NKJV). The responsibility here is to “seek first the kingdom of God.” The only way to fulfil this command is for one to put God and His church at the top of his or her priority list. If the Lord requires us to put Him first, then He doesn’t mean second, third or fourth! It is so easy to put Him first – after we have done the things we want to do. [Let’s not do that! ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor.] It takes dedication, love, and conviction to put Jesus first in every thought, action and deed (Colossians 3:17). Responsibility: Share the Christian Faith Our Lord also said, “…Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19). Many will never be able to go to another nation, but we can talk to someone stateside about Christ and His church. We can live the Christian life before the world and those with whom we come in contact, and perhaps others may desire the Christian life we enjoy. Responsibility: Study God’s Word The apostle Paul penned, “Be diligent [“Study” KJV] to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word …

A dictionary definition for “objective” is an “aim or end of action, point to be reached.” There’s an ancient proverb that says, “He who aims at nothing hits it every time.” As disciples of the Lord, we need to choose a life objective. As Christians, it’s important that we have an aim or an objective in life. Your life can be represented by a straight line that starts at birth with an arrow on the opposite end indicating the unknown. Say you have lived 20 years or so and have 40 years or more left. Here is the question you need to consider: “When you come to the end of those 40 years, and you have nothing but death to which to look forward – and nothing but memories to look back upon –  what will you need to see in order for you to conclude, ‘My life was a success?’” You are not ready to live those 40 years until you have answered that question. With the Lord, you have aim and direction. The Lord Jesus was able to say in John 17:4, “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do” (NKJV). Twice in the ministry of our Lord, in His ministry and at the cross, Jesus said He had  “finished” the mission on which the Father had sent Him (John 17:4; 19:30). When it comes to your life as His disciple, can you say the same thing …

All of us have been wronged, and all of us have wronged others. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10 NKJV). There are two lessons here. The first is that we need to be honest with ourselves and with others; additionally, we must confess our sins and seek reconciliation with our brother or sister in Christ. If we refuse to seek or to accept reconciliation, we violate Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:23 and 18:15. Read those and you will see that both the offender and the offended are to “Go” (5:24; 18:25). When that happens, we will meet in the middle. The focus of this article, as suggested by the title, is how to deal with the pain of the past. If we nurture it by retelling it to all who will listen, we will keep reliving it. Over the years, the pain becomes worse, not better. Paul exhorted us, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32). No, it is not easy, and yet, if we …

One of the most beloved songs of a few generations ago among churches of Christ in the USA was “Our God, He Is Alive,” known affectionately by some as “728b.” This song was written by Aaron Wesley Dicus (1888-1978), a brother in Christ. He was born in Missouri and reared in Indiana. He obeyed the Gospel in 1908 and began preaching in 1913. He mostly taught in high schools and univer­sities, and in 1950, he moved to Temple Terrace to teach at Florida Christian Col­lege. He was a scientist-inventor-type who loved to preach. He held thousands of patents and invented technology involving automobile turn signals and cruise control, an electric pencil sharpener, and a skill saw. According to Irvin Himmel, when Dicus was in “his old age, somewhat as a hobby, he took up song writ­ing” and produced about thirty hymns (Truth Magazine 22.43 [1978]: 697-698). “Our God, He Is Alive” is actually a defense of the biblical God. In this article, we will note the biblical principles behind the song. Hopefully, this will remind us of the God we serve and help us in teaching the biblical God to others. Our God, He Is Creator Before anything was created, there was only God! Then, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). This verse and the next are best taken as a summary of creation, the details of which are given in Genesis 1:3-31. Those who take Genesis 1:1-2 as part of the first day disrupt …

A Gospel preacher delivered a lesson at a funeral for a man who was a twin. He told of the sinful life he had lived and urged those in attendance to not go the way of eternal death. Finally, the deceased’s twin stood up and said the preacher was talking about the wrong twin! Everyone could benefit from imagining his or her own funeral. Begin by asking what would be said. What would we like our loved ones to hear? If changes are needed, we should follow Paul’s approach (Philippians 3:13-14). Notice, the apostle was focused on a single goal, Heaven (Philippians 1:21-24). Focusing on what is ahead requires putting aside what is behind. Past sins can be forgiven in penitent baptism (1 Timothy 1:15; Acts 2:38; 22:16). Past accomplishments must also be forgotten (Philippians 3:5-8; Luke 9:25). We also need to forget wrongs suffered at the hands of others. Both Jesus and Joseph show us how this is done (Luke 23:34; Genesis 50:20). Paul, with death fast approaching, could say, “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, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8 NKJV). He could say that because he had made his life’s goal pleasing God (2 Corinthians 5:9). Great men and women of faith looked …

“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen” (Revelation 1:7 NKJV). This passage offers affirmation of what Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica regarding the return of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Sometimes, with the pace of living in our day and time, as well as with our level of involvement with the events of everyday living, we forget this great promise of Scripture. It is a promise, however, for which every Christian should long and desire. God will welcome faithful children of God into Heaven to enjoy eternal life. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, “If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come!” (1 Corinthians 16:22). We don’t know when this event will take place, but we know that it will occur, having assurance of it by the resurrection of Christ from the dead (Acts 1:11). It will be a time when all will be raised from the dead, both righteous and unrighteous. “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:28-29). While the judgment will follow Christ’s return and the resurrection of the dead, …

The Bible tells us when Jesus was on earth, He did the things that pleased His Father (John 6:29). Jesus did not come to earth to do His own will but instead to do the will of His Father Who sent Him into the world (John 6:38). Paul went as far as to say that Jesus is subject to the Father in Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:27-28). Jesus is divine, equal to the Father, possesses all authority, and yet, the Bible tells us that He submits to the Father (Matthew 28:18; John 10:30). Though we may not understand all of the intricacies of the Godhead and the relationship between its members, we can appreciate that Jesus is willing to submit in some way to God as His Father. In our society, submission is often looked down upon, but the Christian must remember that it is a part of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Jesus surrendered some of His divine advantages while on earth so He could fulfill the role of Mediator and Redeemer (Philippians 2:5-8). Jesus’ willing sacrifice and submission led to His eventual exaltation, and the same will be true for us. Submission is an essential part of the servant life that Christians are called upon to live. Christians are to submit to each other in the fear of God (Ephesians 5:21). Wives are to submit to their husbands as they would to the Lord Himself (Ephesians 5:22; Colossians 3:18). Servants are to be submissive to their masters (Titus …