How much time do we allow to lapse before or if we choose to obey God? Are we waiting to confer with flesh and blood? What is it that restrains us from immediate obedience? We have an example of God giving a command to Abram in Genesis 12:1-4, which was the first time God spoke to him. Verse 1 reads, “Now the LORD had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you’” (NKJV). The first part of verse 4 reads, “So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him…” We are given further insight into Abraham’s unquestioning obedience on this occasion in Hebrews 11:8. “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” Would we have done that? Genesis 21:1-14 is the account of Abraham and Sarah becoming parents to Isaac when Abraham was one hundred years old, and Sarah was ninety. Abraham had fathered a child by Hagar, an arrangement made by Sarah, since Hagar was her bondwoman. Ishmael was fourteen years old when Isaac was born. Genesis 21:9 says, “And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing.” Sarah was very distressed and told Abraham to “…Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with

It was recently brought to my attention the power of possessing settled conviction. The Bible is literally filled with hundreds and thousands of statements of settled conviction from those who were devoted to Almighty God and those who were diametrically opposed to Him. Daniel 3 gives us the account of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the three Jews – Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. The king made an image of gold, “whose height was sixty cubits [about 90 feet] and its width six cubits [about 9 feet]” (Daniel 3:1 NKJV). The king ordered every official with any standing in the province of Babylon to fall down and worship the image when the symphony of all kinds of music played. A herald cried aloud that whoever did not fall down and worship would be cast immediately into the midst of a burning, fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were reported to the king when they refused to bow down. The king in rage and fury commanded that they be brought before him. He stated the ultimatum once again, and the three Jewish men once again refused. The king even asked them who was the god who would deliver them from his hands. Their response is one of true settled conviction. Daniel 3:16-18 declares, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us… from your hand, O

The theme for our Vacation Bible School this year was “The Power of Jesus.” One night, the minister’s class covered the power and the authority of Jesus. He gave the class one of the definitions of authority from Vine’s Dictionary, which is the right to act. I was employed as a secretary by the Health and Human Services Agency for the County of San Diego, California for a number of years. One of my bosses instructed me on how to interact with community leaders when I would call asking for certain information. If that information was not forthcoming, she would tell me to ask to speak with someone in a position of authority. This always resulted in my getting the information, or the person would speak directly to my boss. The Bible tells us God has the ultimate authority in all things and over all creation because He spoke everything into existence. Genesis 1:1-31 reveals that God spoke eight times and created all which exists – including humanity. Genesis 2:1 states, “Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished” (NKJV). The Bible also reveals that God is Sovereign over His creation. God has the right to rule, and His rule is always right. King David declared God’s sovereignty in 1 Chronicles 29:11. “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and

The Bible overflows with the commanding message of seeking after and searching for God. Knowledge of divinity is eternally imperative. When Moses asked God the question about His name, He said, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14 NKJV). From that timeless declaration of God’s divine identity, He has continued to declare that He is the LORD, the Great I AM. Since we are the highest of His creation, God wants us to know who He is. He wants us to know why we are here, where are we going, how will we get there and when will this happen. The short answer is that we are here to prepare ourselves to spend eternity with God and teach others to want to do the same. God has provided the answers to all these questions in His Word, the Bible, and these answers take time to study and learn. When we become God’s spiritual children, we will spend the remainder of our lives in His divine dining room with His Word. Are we willing to invest ourselves in the study of the Bible to learn Who God is and to understand His expectations of us as His children? Do we realize that time invested is crucial to our relationship with God while the fast food mentality is useless? If so, we will conclude that time spent with God is always time well spent. In her book, Impossible, Casandra Martin writes, “The Bible is a catalog of the Possible. From the opening words to the closing Amen,

The following passages were brought to my attention by one of the sisters in a recent ladies’ Bible class. I had mentioned the necessity of living in obedient faith to the will of God. Her comments made me realize that in all my years of striving to teach God’s Word, this phrase in these two passages of the declaration “for obedience to the faith” had completely eluded me. Romans 1:5 says, “Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name” (NKJV). Romans 16:25-27 says: Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began, but now has been made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures has been made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith – to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. What does obedience to the faith look like? How is this done? In the Gospel Advocate Commentary on the New Testament Epistles: Romans, David Lipscomb made these observations on Romans 1:5. Obedience which springs out of faith as its moving cause. No act of obedience is acceptable to God which is not prompted by faith in him who performs it. This shows that there is something in faith to be obeyed. This obedience is rendered not simply by believing; for that is to exercise the faith, not to obey

Introduction In his book, Renewing Your Spiritual Life, Aubrey Johnson addresses “A Study of Deuteronomy: 13 Simple Steps for Maximum Spiritual Growth.” In the introduction to the background of Israel, he makes these observations. “When Israel was preparing to enter the Promised Land, Moses revealed a secret that would guarantee the people military victory, economic prosperity and spiritual vitality. That secret was to honor God’s covenant. Those who follow Moses’ advice find that it still works today! Simply put, renewal is the result of committed love for God and obedience to His Word.” In Deuteronomy 4-30, Moses told Israel to listen to the statutes and judgments, which he taught them to observe, so that they might go in to take possession of the land that the LORD God of their fathers was giving them. Moses’ “aim was not to provide a new and distinct body of teaching different from what he delivered earlier at Sinai. Rather, his intent was to restate the same law and urge the Israelites to reaffirm it” (Johnson 10). The focus of this article is what God did for the Israelites for their good and what He continues to do in the lives of 21st century Christians for their good. Selected passages in Deuteronomy, along with other noted Scriptures, deserve special attention, and Job is the stellar example of God always working for the good of His children. Deuteronomy Moses cautioned the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 6:10-25 against disobedience. He told them how to respond when their children asked what

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

Three times in Scripture, God is depicted as a laughing God. How can the words “God” and “laugh” go together in any sense? God has given us all the ability to laugh. We all have a laugh that is distinctly ours. We laugh at countless people, places and things. God is not remotely in this category! The three times that God is depicted as a laughing God are in the Psalms, and the occasions are grave indeed. The first passage that tells us what causes God to laugh is Psalm 2:1-4. David, the Psalmist, asked a very pointed question followed by a very pointed statement. He, then, revealed God’s response. “Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.’ He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision” (NKJV). According to this passage, the people of the nations of the world vainly decide to fight against God. He laughs and holds them up to contempt, disdain and scorn! Tom Wacaster in his commentary of The Songs and Devotions of David, Volume 1, Psalms 1-24, cites these comments from W. Forsyth, Pulpit Commentary: The Book of Psalms, Volume 8. “Mark the quiet dignity of the Omnipotent One, and the contempt which he pours upon the princes and their raging people. He

Webster’s College Dictionary offers one of the definitions for “practice” as “to follow or observe habitually or customarily: to practice one’s religion.” The question is not, “Does anyone sin?” All accountable people sin. Jesus Christ was the only One Who was sinless. The question is, “Do you practice righteousness or sin?” How is righteousness practiced? The apostle John wrote in 1 John 3:7-8, “Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (NKJV). In his book, Words of Wisdom for Everyday Christian Living, Dr. James E. Thompson, DD states, “Righteousness (right doing) enhances all embracers. One cannot go wrong embracing what’s right. When ‘doing right’ is absent in our lives, sin or evil is in control. ‘All unrighteousness is sin’ (1 Jn 5:17)” (51). How is evil practiced? We must go back to virtually the beginning of human existence. Genesis 6:5 reads, “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” In Fortify Your Faith, Wayne Jackson wrote about “The Wrath of God.” The starkness of sacred wrath, in part, is “the intense and sustained disposition of God towards evil and those who abandon themselves to it.” The Bible is the standard for defining what is right and what is wrong.

This title was taken from a statement made in answer to a question that was sent in to one of the Sunday morning TV programs sponsored by the churches of Christ. The question was, “Can a horrible person who has done horrible things be saved?” The short answer is, “Yes.” Both the Old and New testaments record the lives of many such people. How can this be? Again, the short answer is, “Jesus Christ.” When Jesus died on the cross, He died for the sins of the whole world throughout the ages of planet earth! Colossians 1:21-23 speaks directly to this biblical fact. “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and irreproachable in His sight – if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I Paul, became a minister” (NKJV). King Manasseh of Judah has been described as the prodigal king of the Old Testament, who seemed to have been a man of policy. He had a policy of idolatry, immorality, persecution and destruction. The introduction to Manasseh in 2 Kings 21:1-2 and 2 Chronicles 33:1-2 are virtually identical, the exception being his mother’s name is mentioned in the Kings account. “Manasseh was twelve years old when he became

Of all the myriad of items or objects that we could leave our immediate and extended family, friends, neighbors, coworkers or any other earthly relationships, none can surpass the gift of an unwavering example of faith, trust and obedience to Holy God Almighty! In retrospect, the most important thing that my daddy left me was the Bible teachings about the Lord’s church. Acquiring that knowledge as an adolescent set me on a path that I continue to follow. I was very thankful that I had the opportunity to let Daddy know that before he died. I attended his funeral with no regrets. Every day that God allows me to still be here, I am reminded in some of the most profound ways from my vantage point – that life is fleeting, unpredictable, tragic and ever changing. Some of our best days have somehow been marred by life happenings! One of our ministers brought a lesson several years ago on the brevity of life and where our real focus should be for the breadth of time that we are here. He read some thoughts from an e-mail entitled, “Countdown of Life – How much time do you really have left?” This countdown was based on a person living for 78 years. It touched on the various things that a person could do, and the life remaining to spend the way most people want to live was 9 years and 6 months! When the children of Israel were about to cross over into the

We have once again entered that time of the year when our attention turns particularly to thanksgiving. For Christians, every day is to be a day expressed in thanksgiving. God’s blessings are effectively innumerable for all of us! Psalm 103:1-2 declares, “Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (NKJV). How do we bless the LORD? We bless the LORD by affectionately and gratefully praising Him. How is this done with all that is within us? We worship and praise the LORD with all the energy and forthrightness that our spiritual maturity can possibly express. Through prayer, we enter God’s gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. How do we bless His holy name? We give God what He is rightfully entitled as our Creator. God is entitled to honor, reverence, glory, adoration and thanksgiving. How do we avoid forgetting God’s benefits? Every day, we must realize the trappings of this world are all Satan’s lures to harden us through the deceitfulness of sin. Sadly, too many expect God’s benefits without any thought whatsoever of Him, not to mention expressing thankfulness to Him. Every breath we take and every step we make is because God continues to say so. When this stops, we pass from a point in time into eternity! Psalm 103:3-5 brings into the sharpest focus just Who is behind all our benefits. These blessings, benefits or advantages are all

Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words has several definitions and three major categories that describe an abomination. An abomination is a loathsome, detestable thing. First, it defines something or someone as essentially unique in the sense of being dangerous, sinister, and repulsive to another individual. When used with reference to God, this nuance of the word describes people, things, acts, relationships, and characteristics that are ‘detestable’ to Him because they are contrary to His nature. Things that are related to death and idolatry are loathsome to God. People with habits loathsome to God are themselves detestable to Him. Second, it is used in some contexts to describe pagan practices and objects. In other contexts, it describes the repeated failure to observe divine regulations. Third, it is used in the sphere of jurisprudence and of family or tribal relationships. Biblically speaking, exactly what is an abomination? There are numerous passages that define and cover the scope of this treacherous behavior and mindset.  Proverbs is a treasure trove of revealing definitions. Some of these definitions may be startling, shocking and even surprising to us. An introduction to Proverbs from the Apologetics Press Defending the Faith Study Bible offers these most insightful thoughts. “A ‘proverb’ (root meaning = ‘comparison’) in Hebrew usage is a moralistic pronouncement about everyday life… Proverbs very practically point people down the pathway to successful living. They cut through the façade and complexities that we humans so typically conjure up in our lives by pinpointing how to live a

We as followers of Jesus Christ must bring every thought into captivity to God’s will as Jesus did. Our Lord suffered incomprehensible agony as He faced the cross! In Matthew 26:42, He prayed, “…O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done” (NKJV). Did we get that? Is this submission to the zenith? There are virtually countless lessons for us to learn from the example of our Lord and Savior before, during and after His crucifixion. He said on one occasion in John 8:29, “And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” We mortals will do well to embrace that statement of eternal truth by faith and stand more in awe of our Lord and Savior! When we are made to come eyeball to eyeball with our own readiness to submit to the will of God, how do we respond? We sometimes take the approach that we are fine in our relationship with God and Christ and there is nothing else to do. This attitude serves no worthwhile purpose. It stunts our spiritual growth, resulting in spiritual deformities. The only way out is through, and that way out is through Christ. Romans 8:37 declares, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” What ‘cups’ of continued spiritual discipline are being put to our lips that we have yet to sip – not to mention drink?

Random House Webster’s College Dictionary defines “mine” as “a form of the possessive case of I as a predicate adjective; that or those belonging to me.” We have no problem understanding the meaning of “mine” when something or someone belongs to us. Somehow, that is totally lost in our understanding when God Almighty declares to all of us what is His possession. Jehovah God began declaring early in His interaction with His people that they – everybody and everything – belong to Him. That is still an irrevocable divine truth. However, humanity with breakneck speed and determination is doing everything in its power to live and to act as though all belongs to it. How tragic! This mindset is totally unsustainable and doomed to failure. The passages used for the purpose of this article do not begin to touch the hem of the garment in terms of the number there are in which God essentially says, “It is Mine.” The ones cited are but a few in which God has spoken directly or through one of His prophets. Note the following. Exodus 9:29 – “So Moses said to him, ‘As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.’” Moses spoke to Pharaoh in further answering his question about the identity of God. Exodus 13:1-2 – “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying

Can you imagine being in prison, knowing that your death is imminent, and writing a letter of encouragement to a young man on the outside? This was a first century prison; it did not resemble in any way, shape, form or fashion the prisons of today in the USA. That is exactly the situation Paul was enduring when he wrote his letters to Timothy. In 2 Timothy 1:1-5, Paul began by acknowledging he was an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God and stating that Timothy was his beloved son in the faith. Then, he told Timothy that without ceasing he remembered him in prayer day and night. Would to God that more of us had steadfast members of the church praying for us day and night! Paul remembered the spiritual heritage that was instilled in Timothy by his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. There are not enough words to express how precious and priceless biblical teaching and upbringing is in a child’s life! In verse 6, Paul reminded Timothy to stir up the gift of God that was in him to spread the Gospel message. He also told him that he would face persecution from authorities as well as dissension and deception from within the church. Then in verse 7, Paul wrote, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound [disciplined] mind.” Since God has not given us a spirit of fear, from where does

“We speak where the Bible speaks and are silent where the Bible is silent.” That statement has been made in numerous printed materials produced by churches of Christ and in countless sermons and Bible classes. God has provided a book that is called the Bible, a book that can be held in one hand, within it everything that pertains to life and godliness. We are told in 2 Peter 1:2,  “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.” That is proof enough for the existence of Divinity. Who but God could give us all things that pertain to life and godliness? No, we have not been given everything we would like to know, but most certainly the Bible provides everything we need to know to make Jesus our choice for eternal life. There are several biblical accounts about which we really would like to know more, but like everything else, anything God has chosen not to reveal, we will never know, discover or uncover. Moses told the children of Israel shortly before they crossed over into the Promised Land, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29). That passage is as relevant

Two words for the purpose and context of this article must be defined – “God” and “salvation.” First, what does God say in self-revelation of Himself? There is a catalogue of passages. In Isaiah 43:10b–13 God declares, “‘Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, and besides Me there is no savior. I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, and there was no foreign god among you; therefore, you are My witnesses,’ says the LORD, ‘that I am God.’” Psalm 90:2 declares, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting You are God.” Second, what does “salvation” mean? According to Bible Words and Theological Terms Made Easy by Wayne Jackson, “Salvation” is the result of having been “saved.” “It could signify to deliver, to heal, to liberate, to preserve, etc., depending upon the context. Most prominently in the New Testament, salvation has to do with deliverance from the guilt and ultimate consequence (spiritual death) of sin. Ultimately, salvation is from God; no sinful creature has the ability to save himself (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-5).” We must realize and be eternally grateful that our salvation is a divine achievement – not a human accomplishment. None of us can save ourselves no matter how remorseful we may be for our sins! No matter how long we would pray to be forgiven, without the sacrifice of Jesus our righteousness is

Our lives were changed forever in March of 2020. I was listening to a Bible TV program one Sunday morning, and one of the minsters mentioned realizing the importance of the moment in connection with the point he was making. Being a writer, I instinctively write down phrases, sentences and thoughts that I hear from any number of sources. March 8, 2020, my family was at my home for our usual gathering for lunch each week after morning worship services. This was a practice that was started just a couple of weeks after my husband went to glory seven years ago. I can count on one hand how many times there were none of us at that lunch date. On that afternoon, my younger son and I and all four of my grandchildren were in my backyard. My son decided to take a picture – a candid shot of the four of them. Like so many other pictures of the four of them, I loved this one as well! I have pictures of them all over my house. I have already told my family I will have that picture enlarged and hung on a wall because it is so special to me! However, the following week and every time I look at that picture, it has taken on more significance as the days turned into weeks and now months since the nine of us have been together for any reason. We did not realize the importance of the moment in time when my son

Only God knew what the year 2020 was to bring. However, we are still thankful to be alive. In his book, Always Near – Listening for Lessons from God, Bill Bagents wrote this about being thankful. In every situation, there are blessings to be found. It’s always healthy to see them. In every situation, at least on some level, there are reasons to be thankful. If nothing else, we can be thankful that things aren’t worse or that the challenges didn’t come earlier. There’s great wisdom in choosing to be grateful that things are as well as they are. We can be [emphasis mine] thankful that we never face trouble alone (Heb. 13:5-6). We stay [emphasis mine] thankful that God’s ultimate deliverance is just as certain as His grace, mercy and love (2 Cor. 4:17-5:8; 2 Tim. 4:6-8). Psalms for Women – God’s Gift of Inner Beauty, Peace, and Happiness contains topics with passages from Psalms. One topic is entitled, “Our Thankfulness and Praise to God.” It states in part: We should open all our prayers with the praise and thanksgiving that are God’s due. When we wake in the morning and before we fall asleep at night, praise and thanksgiving should be our first and last thoughts. For whatever our circumstances may be, God has in fact given us the gift of life in the here and now and the promise of life everlasting in the future. We must be thankful and stay thankful for God being on His throne reigning over His creation. He is in ultimate control

In his book, Know Your Bible, Frank J. Dunn wrote about the occasion and the purpose of the Book of Deuteronomy. “The review of the law was necessary because the former generation had perished in the wilderness and a new generation was ready to enter Canaan. It was not a new law or a mere repetition of the law given at Mt. Sinai, but rather an application of the law in view of the conditions Israel would meet in Canaan.” He further wrote, “In no other book are the ways of obedience and disobedience more dramatically contrasted… In Deuteronomy 28, the fearful consequences of disobedience are foretold… The subsequent fulfillment of these predictions in the tragic history of the Jews is one proof of the divine inspiration of the Bible.” Aubrey Johnson wrote, Renewing Your Spiritual Life – A Study of Deuteronomy: 13 Simple Steps for Maximum Spiritual Growth. One of the chapters is entitled, “Renew Your Happiness; Let Happiness Pursue You.” Chapter 28 of Deuteronomy contains two major thoughts: Blessings on obedience (verses 1-14) and Curses on disobedience (verses 15-68). On this chapter brother Johnson wrote: Moses longed for his people to find happiness in the new land. Just before his death, he shared with them the secret of real and lasting joy. Those who obeyed God would be blessed. Covenant faithfulness was the only path to genuine happiness. God is the source of life and all that makes it abundant and meaningful (Deuteronomy 30:20). Happiness, therefore, is only possible by

One of the panelists on a recent segment of a religious TV program made a comment that immediately caught my attention. In referencing his remarks on a passage, he said, “The text doesn’t stop there, but often our reading does.” How true! Some of us, including yours truly, stop reading or listening before God has finished talking. Every time we do that, we are certainly missing something vital to our spiritual understanding, since there are no wasted words in Scripture. Due to space restraints, just a few of the more familiar passages will be cited. We would do well to slow down and look more closely at the countless passages we have chopped up for years. We have heard them so many times and put our personal interpretations on them. We fail to realize we are missing not only words but complete thoughts of inspiration given to us by the Holy Spirit. God help us. “For He knows our frame, He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14).

We have probably never heard so many people utter, “God is in control,” as we have in the past several months. This article is dedicated to the proclamation of that irrevocable truth. Our part is to just watch God work His redemptive plan since it all belongs to Him, and He is running it! He was in control before any of us were here, and He will be in control after we are all dead and gone. God has sovereign control over all the earth, the world and the universe. He has forthrightly declared that immutable, eternal truth of truths. In Job 41:11, God speaking to Job stated, “Who has first given to Me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine.” Now that is control!

Many if not all of us have heard passages virtually all our Christian lives taken out of context to make a point in a sermon or a class lesson. Sometimes passages are not read in complete context. When this happens, we are left with spiritual misunderstanding and perhaps the inability to rightly divide the word of truth. At times, this misunderstanding becomes solidified in our thinking and becomes difficult if not impossible to change. It is like trying to pull a tooth that is not loose! Case in point, speaking of Himself in Isaiah 45:7, God said, “I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things.” Such a stark biblical concept begs the question, “Why would a loving, all-caring Father bring calamity on anybody for any reason?” It falls into the same category as why would a loving, all-caring Father allow suffering? The short answer is sin. Why do we suffer calamities? Calamities are defined as disasters, catastrophes, casualties, adversities, tragedies and shocks. We suffer calamities because of the sin of disobedience by turning away from God in numerous ways! King Ahab was one of the vilest kings in the northern kingdom of Israel. He was married to Jezebel, the evilest, appalling and most horrifying woman depicted in Scripture! She had a totally innocent man murdered because he refused to sell his family vineyard to Ahab (1 Kings 21:1-13). God sent His prophet Elijah to tell Ahab that he

The title of this article is by no means original with me. I was immediately captivated recently when I read this statement in a devotional thought taken from Revelation 3:17. A devotional writer made this observation. “We can’t see the picture when we are in the frame. Likewise, we do not know who we truly are until the worldly things we have come to depend on for comfort and security are taken away. At that point we will know if who we thought we were is really who we are.” Revelation 3:17 reads, “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.’” Jesus said they did not know, and therefore, they never saw this starkest, most scathing reality check coming! Jesus used five of the bluntest and most graphic descriptions imaginable to Christians in His condemnation of their shabby spiritual state. The church at Laodicea was the only one of the seven churches of Asia that Jesus outrightly condemned for who they thought they were. They imagined they were a people who were rich, abundant in possessions and in need of nothing. Jesus said to them in Revelation 3:15-16, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot, I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth.” They were lukewarm, self-satisfied, felt self-sufficient and were

The author of the Truth for Today Commentary on the Book of Isaiah made a strongly thoughtful statement on the numerous prophecies of God’s judgment on nations other than Israel and Judah. He wrote, “We must look closely to see the practical value of these predictions for the twenty-first century reader. How can they help us? …As we read them, let us watch for pictures of God’s nature, depictions of His mercy, implications of His involvement in the lives of all people, and the declarations of His Lordship over His creation.” Adam and Eve were the first of God’s creation to feel the full weight of His lordship. After their disobedience in eating of the forbidden fruit, Genesis 3:22-24 reads, “Then the LORD God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever’— therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” God’s irrevocable lordship was declared. When men began to multiply on the earth, the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thought of his heart

According to The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, the first time the word “sheep” is used in the Old Testament as a metaphor for people is Numbers 27:17. In verses 12-14, God told Moses that he would die in the Wilderness of Zin because of his disobedience. Verses 15-17 read, “Then Moses spoke to the LORD saying, ‘Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.’” The first time the word “sheep” is used in the New Testament is Matthew 9:36. In reference to Jesus, it says, “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” From my very limited understanding of the behavior and the nature of sheep, the worst condition in which they could ever be is to be without a shepherd or some person to daily take care of them. According to actual shepherds and people who have had sheep in their care, sheep are perhaps the most docile animal God created. As I looked at some of my books and articles on sheep, my attention and curiosity were peeked to learn that sheep are: Despite these deficits, by nature their good traits are: This is the metaphor God

Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 1:9-10, “That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, ‘See, this is new?’ It has already been in ancient times before us.” Solomon further declared in Ecclesiastes 3:15, “That which is has already been, and what is to be has already been; and God requires an account of what is past.” Simply for contrast, the New Living Translation of Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 says, “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, ‘Here is something new!’ But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.” Verse 15 reads, “What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.” [No endorsement of the New Living Translation is herein intended any more than a commentary to which one may turn. ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor] Denny Petrillo wrote the Truth for Today Commentary on Ecclesiastes. He made these observations on the fact that “there is nothing new under the sun.” “First, one might consider it proof of a hopeless monotony in life, seeing life as boring, unchanging, and wearisome. Second, one might find the concept that ‘there is nothing

Several weeks ago, I had one of the most disconcerting experiences with one of my eyes. I had looked in the mirror, and when I looked back a few minutes later, one eye was full of blood! I became very alarmed and was just waiting to see when the blood would start to flow down my cheek. It did not; it stayed in my eye and began to spread. I called my son and two or three other members of the congregation. It was 5:30 a.m., and reaching someone was not forthcoming at that point. Finally, one good sister, who is a retired nurse, said it sounded like a ruptured blood vessel, and I should call my ophthalmologist. His service told me to call after 8:00 a.m. for a same day appointment; my doctor confirmed that it was a ruptured blood vessel. He also showed me pictures of those who had experienced the same thing; some looked worse, some better. His bottom line was it would take 10-14 days for the blood to clear without any treatment. After he had allayed my fears he said, “Next year will be the year of the ophthalmologist.” I didn’t understand his meaning. With this broad smile, he exclaimed, “20/20!” What does it mean to have 20/20 vision? According to the American Optometric Association: 20/20 vision is a term used to express normal visual acuity (the clarity or sharpness of vision) measured at a distance of 20 feet. If you have 20/20 vision, you can

As we look back over this past year, and all the years of our Christian lives, how would we evaluate our spiritual growth in grace and knowledge? Has it occurred daily? Weekly? Monthly? Or any? When we look at the life of the apostle Peter, we get a picture of his growth pattern. Peter’s growth is striking when we note a few of the events of his life. In the early period of Peter’s walk with our Lord, we read of him rebuking Jesus after He told them that the Romans, at the insistence of the Jewish leaders, would kill Him. Later, we read how impetuous Peter was when he cut off the ear of Malchus in defense of our Lord being arrested. When Peter cursed and swore, denying Jesus, we are appalled. Our hearts ache with Peter when our Lord turned and looked at him, after which he went out and wept bitterly. Yet, Peter stood boldly with the greatest clarity of conviction on the Day of Pentecost and delivered that first Gospel sermon, which culminated in three thousand souls being added to the Lord’s church that day! Sometime later, Peter preached to Cornelius and his household, and they became the first Gentile converts to the faith. Peter made one more recorded misstep when he played the hypocrite with the Galatian brethren, at which time Paul withstood him to his face. By the time Peter had written his two letters, he was an elder in the Lord’s church. Peter

The schools in my part of the world were still segregated during my first two years of high school. There was a choral class that many of us, especially those of us who had singing voices, were required to attend. One of the songs we were taught was, “You Can’t Beat God’s Giving.” The lyrics were such that they still resonate with me some 50+ years later. You can’t beat God’s giving, no matter how you try.Just as sure as you are living, and the LORD is in heaven on high;The more you give, the more He gives to you,Just keep on giving because it’s really true.That you can’t beat God’s giving, no matter how you try. This is the time of year once again that thoughts turn to the Thanksgiving holiday. This is always a good thing because we experience in many instances people who are kinder, gentler and more sensitive to others. We see sections of numerous retail stores stocked with cards for mailing and giving over the holiday. These cards express messages of thanks for family and friends. Those who recognize and bow in submission to Almighty God the Creator, Sustainer and Master of the universe give thanks to Him every day, virtually all day. Why? Psalm 90:2 tells us. “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” God’s giving is a 24/7—365/366-day action. We would literally cease to exist if

The Bible overflows with examples of people and the numerous situations they had to face who were ordinary people just like us. What set them apart from the masses was their absolute and unwavering faith and reliant trust in God to see them through! As one good preacher stated, “These examples are not in our Bibles just to make them thick.” Hebrews 11 is the “go to” chapter for the unprecedented examples of faith and trust. For the purpose of this article, the focus will be on relatively familiar accounts. The details will help us to develop that same capacity of reliance on God Almighty. The account in 1 Samuel 17 of David’s encounter with Goliath is perhaps one of the best known in Scripture. David was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse, and he was a shepherd of his father’s sheep. There was a fierce war going on between the children of Israel and the Philistines. Jesse’s three oldest sons had gone to follow King Saul to the battle, but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep. Jesse told David to take his brothers food and to bring back news of the battle. Upon his arrival at the camp, Goliath was once again challenging the army of Israel to send a man out to fight him. This had been going on for forty days! The stakes could not have been any higher. Goliath cried out if a man of Israel prevailed against

“The Bible does not begin with an argument about the existence of God. It actually begins with an affirmation about God: ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’” (Genesis 1:1 Into the Abundant Life – Truth for Today World Mission School). Who is God? We must open the Bible; we must read, study and embrace what it says to know who God is. The first verse of the Bible, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” is reiterated by God Himself in Isaiah 48:13. “Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth and My right hand has stretched out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand up together.” Psalm 19 is an embodiment of Psalm 119 which is a must read. It is the Psalm that reveals the Law of God, His Word in virtually all 176 verses. God’s intelligent, controlling and governing power over His creation including His purpose and design are revealed concisely in Psalm 19. Certain verses have been selected for the purpose of this article; however, all 14 verses are another must read. It is one of the many Scriptures that “recognize the everlasting, all powerful, all wise, ever present, all righteous nature of God” (Know Your Bible by Frank J. Dunn). Speaking of the heavens, verses 1-4 declare: The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament [expanse of heaven] shows His handiwork [the work of His hands]. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals

The Bible is punctuated repeatedly with faithful servants of God who remained true to Him despite the adversities they encountered. They understood that any and all adversities had to be rightly endured, and complete faith with the strongest trust in God was imperative. King David is one of the most colorful servants of God in all the Bible. His life from being a young shepherd through his 40-year reign as the second king of the United Kingdom involved one dramatic event after another. It may be that David’s encounter with the Philistine giant Goliath is best known and loved from the youngest to the oldest among us. The entire chapter of 1 Samuel 17 reveals the blow-by-blow account of the confrontation between the two men. David was the man faithful to God Almighty and Goliath had his loyalty to the idol god Dagon. For this writer, the question David asked Saul’s army was rich to the gold level concerning Goliath and who he thought he was. First Samuel 17:26 records, “Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, ‘What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?’” David’s staunch, crystal clear faith and trust are solemnly declared in verse 46. David said to Goliath, “This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head

Satan is working hard on Saturday so that Sunday will be a “wrap!” In order to make sure that Sunday is a “wrap”—in vain as far as God is considered—Satan has a plan; make no mistake about it. Perhaps he works his scheming, devious, soul-destroying plan harder on Saturday than any other day of the week. It is not by chance that he dogs us constantly but by calculated design. His plan is simple: make sure that the highest and dearest of God’s creation is in hell with him eternally! Consider the following smooth and ever so subtle tactics that Satan uses on Saturdays to make Sundays an extension of our weekends. Satan uses these temptations and countless others to offer us choices and decisions that seem perfectly harmless and legitimate—not honoring God with our presence and attention in worship on Sunday. He talks to us in ways that make sense. Satan talks to us in ways that appeal to us. He dangles something that we desire and makes it appear to be totally innocent and appropriate— with the best part claiming no consequences, penalties, regrets or costs are necessary. Satan comes to us in ways that are not threatening, not challenging and certainly appear to be free of danger and destruction. With a setup like that from the master manipulator, it leaves nothing open to choose except what we desire. We must be able to see through this fog of lies and deceit. Our precious Savior Jesus the Christ

Joy is a fruit of God the Holy Spirit. Biblical joy has been described as that life-giving fruit bearing sustenance of the Word that flows through us. God expects it to be developed in the lives of Christians. Our joy is not dependent on the absence of trouble; our joy is dependent on the presence of God. This joy is that deep abiding sense of spiritual fulfillment that no (1) tribulation, (2) trial, (3) test, (4) trouble, (5) turmoil, (6) trauma or (7) tragedy can smother! Since my husband’s death on June 2, 2013, I have become painfully aware of the seven T’s this article will describe. God be glorified and magnified for abundantly blessing me on my journey from mourning to joy. Some abbreviated definitions from Webster’s are listed for the purposes addressed. James tells us we are to count it all joy when we fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of our faith produces patience (James 1:2-3). The patience that biblical joy produces has several definitions. For the focus in this writing, biblical joy produces patience defined as unmistakable tolerance under provocation and strain. Genesis 39:19-23 records the provocation and strain that Joseph endured at the hands of Potiphar’s lust-filled wife. As a result of her lies, Potiphar put Joseph into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. Verses 21-23 record: But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

David said in Psalm 4:8, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” When God delivered the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage, He had made every provision for their journey, not the least of which being their safety. Exodus 13:17-18 reads, “Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near, for God said, ‘Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.’ So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.” Verses 21-22 read, “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.” These symbols of God’s divine presence before the people were of such significance that they did not move unless the pillars of cloud and fire moved. Exodus 40:36-38 concludes the book by saying, “Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. But if

Paul, writing to his son in the faith regarding what the Holy Spirit in 2 Timothy 4:1-5 said in verse 6, “If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.” The Truth for Today Commentary on 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus was written by David L. Roper. His observations are so plainly stated on verse 6, help would be needed to misunderstand his point. When we consider God’s Word as nourishment, many thoughts come to mind. To be nourished by food it is not enough to look at it or examine it. The food must be chewed, swallowed, and then digested. Even so, to be nourished by God’s Word, it is not enough to do a casual reading of a few verses now and then. We need to read the Bible, study it, meditate on it, and apply it to our lives. In this way, we show that [we] have digested the words of faith. What is faith? It is defined in Hebrews 11:1. “Now faith is the substance [realization] of things hoped for, the evidence [confidence] of things not seen.” Is faith necessary? Hebrews 11:6 answers with a resounding, “Yes!” “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Nourished in the words

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14). “For in Him [Christ] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily [in bodily form]” (Colossians 2:9). “For there are three who bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one” (1 John 5:7). These three passages reveal that Divinity encompasses God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. They are different in authority and function but one in purpose—the redemption of mankind. The Bible is punctuated repeatedly with “and God said, and God did” “and Jesus said, and Jesus did.” What about the Holy Spirit—what did He say and how did He say it? What did He do and how did He do it? What exactly does Scripture reveal about the title role of the Holy Spirit? The Bible declares in 2 Peter 1:20-21, “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation [or origin], for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” Guy N. Woods wrote the Gospel Advocate Peter, John and Jude commentary. He made these most pointed thoughts on this passage. Men spake from God, and those who thus spake were moved by the Holy Spirit…The prophets are thus declared to be passive instruments in the hand of God, being directed in what they wrote

Over ten years ago, I suffered a TIA, commonly referred to in the medical field as a mini-stroke. When my husband made calls to inform family, the first question from one of my sister’s was, “Can she talk?” He assured her that I could, and her response was, “Then she will be alright.” I could have taken that one of two ways, but I knew exactly what she meant. The focus of this article is the positive aspects of the God-given ability to talk. Like everything else that God has given us, the ability to speak ranks high on the list of priceless blessings. Those of us who can talk cannot imagine not being able to speak. Even an occasional bout with laryngitis causes us much stress and frustration. Talking is as natural for us as breathing. The Psalms and God’s wisdom Book of Proverbs calls our attention to some of the beauties of the ability to talk. James 3:1-12 indicts us on the use and misuse of the tongue in our ability to talk. We need to read these 12 verses every day because we talk every day. Talking is a byproduct of our thinking. Jesus said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34b). Also referring to the words we speak, Jesus said in Matthew 12:37, “For by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.” Notice Jesus said by our words, not somebody else’s words, not what somebody

Psalm 67 was the basis for a recent sermon at the congregation I attend. This Psalm has only 7 verses, and very pointed observations were made during this sermon from every divine declaration in each of those verses. Verse 6 reads, “Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us” (NKJV). The ESV reads, “The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us.” Verse 6 tells us that God gives the increase from the ground for life. He gives life to the planted seed. The preacher then said, “We all live hand to mouth—His hand to our mouth.” That really got my attention. As I reflected on the statement, even while he was still speaking, passages that speak to that reality began to flow through my mind as I began to take more notes. When the children of Israel were delivered from Egyptian slavery, God gave them the land of Canaan. Moses commanded the people to be careful to observe all of God’s commandments, statutes and judgments in the land they were to possess. Moses said in Deuteronomy 6:10-12: So it shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you

The account of Joseph and Mary leaving Jesus behind in Jerusalem when He was 12-years-old is familiar to many. They thought Jesus was among their relatives and acquaintances, and the group had gone a day’s journey before Joseph and Mary realized Jesus was not with them. As any conscientious parents would be, they were frantic until they found Him three days later. Any parent who has experienced that horror can identify with Joseph and Mary’s fear and the potential dreaded outcome! Luke, the physician, is the only inspired writer who records this event (Luke 2:41-52). When Joseph and Mary found Jesus in the Temple, He was sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. All were astonished at His understanding and answers. When they saw Him, Joseph and Mary were amazed, and she said to Him as recorded in Luke 2:48-49, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” Can you feel their chill? Jesus’ reply is priceless and precious. “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” From Jesus’ perspective, what exactly was His Father’s business? Before the foundation of the world, God’s eternal purpose and plan was for its redemption through His Son Jesus Christ according to the good pleasure of His will. The Gospel of John states this goal repeatedly in a variety of passages. John the Baptist declared most emphatically in

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

In his Preface, Proverbs, Wisdom for All Ages, Thomas L. Seals wrote: Proverbs is truly wisdom for all ages. It is the one book in the Old Testament which gives practical advice on how to live godly lives in the midst of a changing world. It has no equal aside from the small epistle of James in the New Testament. For this reason, we have undertaken the task of writing this book in order to equip the man and woman of God with the wisdom of Proverbs. Through the application of such wisdom, in our daily lives, we can be made better men and women of God and thus make a better society. I most certainly attest to these thoughts because God’s wisdom is second to none and far superior to the deepest thinking minds of any age! How could man have any good and honorable concept that God forgot or overlooked? Have you ever considered Proverbs for daily Bible reading? Neither had I until it was suggested in an article or a tract that I read at least 30 years ago. To my regret, I did not write down the name of the article or the tract, not to mention the author or the year of publication, but the suggestion was well taken. At that time, it was a most welcomed suggestion because then I was still struggling to make reading my Bible a daily reality. I have done what I could to encourage those who have expressed the desire

Who or what is it that causes us to fear? Why do we sometimes allow this emotion of faithlessness to rule our days, weeks, months, years and virtually our lives? The July/August 2010 Christian Woman magazine featured an article, “God Is in Control” by Diane Mauck and Janet Jenkins. They pointed to Jeremiah 18 to serve as a reminder of the One Who is in control of this world. In that chapter, the potter’s expert hands spun the clay, marred the clay, and then reformed it into a usable vessel. In the concluding paragraph of that section, sisters Mauck and Jenkins wrote, “God’s eternal existence, His control of history and time itself, is reaffirmed over and over in Scripture and is so designed as to allay fear. And yet, there is unrest and even fear among many today concerning the future of our nation.” That observation is as true today as it was in 2010. For Christians, Psalm 9:19-20 must be embraced and trusted. “Arise, O LORD, do not let man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your sight; put them in fear, O LORD, that the nations may know themselves to be but men.” One other reflection on the plague of controlling fear comes from James M. Tolle in his book, Living Without Fear. He wrote: No enemy of mankind has caused more misery and unhappiness than fear. In its devastating destruction and disintegration of personality and character, this major sin of humanity has plunged innumerable souls into a veritable [real

Webster defines “evil” as “morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked; harmful; injurious.” Vines defines “evil” as “destructive, grievous; in the moral or ethical sense, wicked; depravity; maliciousness.” The lesser of two evils. What does that mean? In the eyes of the masses, it generally means an acknowledgment that two choices are as wrong as two left shoes, but one is less offensive to our integrity than the other. This compromise opposes our core values and beliefs. Evil has been sanitized, accepted, tolerated, ignored and legitimized. The late Mack Lyon delivered a lesson, “Deliver Us from Evil,” on the longtime Sunday, weekly TV series, “In Search of the Lord’s Way.” Publishing Designs, Inc. made this broadcast available in booklet form in February 2002. On page 11 Mack Lyon said: My friend, for too long we have denied the reality of evil in our world. For too long we have labored in vain to make right that which is evil in the sight of God. For too long we have been silent about what God has said is evil. Evil does exist. If we didn’t know it before, we should have learned it on September 11. Still the accommodative mind tries to rationalize the events of that day as a possible good—we shouldn’t hold anyone accountable for it, because it’s debatable. But how big or disastrous or destructive must evil be before it fits our definition of evil? Is the reckless, brutal murder of one person evil? Or must the number be three thousand? Or

Vine’s Expository Dictionary lists multiple meanings for the word “affliction.” For this article’s focus, only a few will be used. Note: (1) to suffer ill, adversity, hardship or misery; (2) to be mistreated, tormented or troubled; (3) sufferings due to the pressure of circumstances, or the antagonism of persons; (4) anything which burdens the spirit; (5) tribulation, distress, persecutions, calamities. God being who He is knew before He created us precisely what we needed to function effectively in our physical bodies. We can all be eternally grateful for our five senses—hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting and feeling. The sensation of feeling is essential to our health and well-being. Untold millions have made the adjustment to the loss of seeing, hearing, smelling or tasting. The loss of touch or the sensation of feeling would lead to our demise. Damage beyond repair, and in many cases, death would be certain without the sensation of feeling. This writer served three years in the military in the 1960’s, and I remember asking one of the other clerks which of her five senses would she not want to be without. We both agreed that we would not want to be without sight. We, then, asked one of our administrative officers the question, and she said the sensation of feeling was the most important because virtually every function of the body was related to being able to feel. My coworker and I were much too young to understand what a profound statement the lieutenant made. It makes perfect

It has been noted by this writer that the most difficult funeral we will ever attend is the death of self. The purpose of this article is to be very specific about at least ten hurdles or barriers that we will face in the death of self and our desire to look more like Jesus. If any of us are wondering if these or similar expectations will be on God’s final test, be assured they will be. Why? They are all based in Scripture because He has spoken. To borrow a thought from one good brother who is literally fighting for his life: “One of the richest, most encouraging, stabilizing promises ever found is Jesus’s statement of the purpose of His coming. ‘I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly’ (John 10:10). We misread when we falsely conclude this promise eliminates daily problems, difficult moments, unavoidable sicknesses, uncomfortable settings, upsetting scenarios, along with the ten-thousand other things that clutter an otherwise most enjoyable life.” The death of self is a process that we who want to go to Heaven will be striving to achieve to a much fuller degree as long as we live. Even though we are in these weak, worn and wayward bodies, we can and do have the victory through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.

Every song that we sing in worship to our God that speaks of us wearing an eternal crown is in the future tense. Can we become worthy to wear that crown now? From where would it come, and more to the point, who would be adequately worthy to give it to us? The only one who had the right to wear a crown while on earth, but never did, was the Lord Jesus Christ. He gave up the glory and honor that was due Him to come to this sin-cursed, fallen, broken world to be our Redeemer (Philippians 2:5-8). It pleased God to crush Him and put Him to grief (Isaiah 53:10). Does that single thought cut us to the core of our spiritual understanding? He left the indescribable glories and riches of Heaven and became the servant of all. Isaiah wrote, “He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:11). Acknowledging God’s statement, referring to His Son as His righteous Servant, should bring us to our knees in remorseful submissiveness. Jesus speaking of Himself in Mark 10:45 said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” The only crown He got was the twisted crown of thorns! Three of the Gospel writers gave the accounts of this outrageous brutality. Matthew 27:29 records, “When they

Psalm 19:7-11 captured my attention recently in a way that was deeply convicting. The first part of verses 7-9 is God’s revelation of His Word. “The law of the LORD is perfect; the testimony of the LORD is sure; the statutes of the LORD are right; the commandment of the LORD is pure; the fear of the LORD is clean; the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.” The latter part of those verses reveals the eternal power of God’s Word. The law converts the soul. The testimony makes wise the simple [naïve]. The statutes rejoice the heart. The commandment enlightens the eyes. The fear endures forever. The judgments are righteous altogether. Since all Scripture is God breathed, He gives these particular words their supremacy. Verses 10-11 declare why these words are beyond value. “More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.” Psalm 119:162 says, “I rejoice at Your Word as one who finds great treasure.” Note that the fear of the LORD is priceless. God’s Word implants reverence and moral respect in the minds of those who embrace it. They can then experience the joy, that deep abiding sense of spiritual fulfillment,  that cannot be smothered, and the peace which surpasses understanding. Psalm 103:10-11 says, “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He

Do you know what your name means? For instance, in one dictionary, my name “Martha” means, “lady, mistress of the house.” In Hebrew, my name means “bitter.” There are many different forms of my name: Maarva, Marfa, Marhta, Mariet, Marit, Mart, Marta, Marte, Martella, Martelle, Marth, Marthe, Marthena, Marthine, Marthini, Marthy, Marti, Martie, Martina, Martita, Martje, Martta, Marty, Martyne, Martynne, Marva, Mata, Matha, Matti, Mattie, Mirtha, Pat and Pattie. There are 33 different forms of my name. If you would look up your name and its meaning, you might be surprised; I was! Jesus has many names in the Old and New testaments. He is called Wonderful, Counsellor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Son of Man, Son of God, Messiah, Savior and many other names. Jesus is our Chief Shepherd, which is what we want to emphasize in this article. Psalm 23:1-6 reads: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

When I became a writer for Gospel Gazette in 2003, I had occasion to reference Psalm 119 in some depth for the ladies’ class I was teaching. During that time, I was and continue to stand in awe of the divine riches revealed in that Psalm. Every letter and syllable disclose the endless value, scope and focus of the Word of God. “The scriptures are shallow enough for a babe to come and drink without fear of drowning and deep enough for theologians to swim without ever reaching the bottom.” This is a quote from Jerome of Stridonium in All Christians Are Leaders! by Charles B. Hodge, Jr. (page 15). There are eleven words used in Psalm 119 to describe the infallible Word of God that we need to understand as we strive to gain spiritual knowledge, wisdom, understanding and discernment. Ten of these eleven comprehensive words employed to describe God’s Word are in Studies in Psalms by Robert R. Taylor, Jr. (pages 72-74). These terms are: We live in a cursed and fallen world that is drunk on sin! It is of the greatest comfort to have the blessed assurance that God’s Word is true, unswerving, unchangeable and forever. It was a fact before we got here, it’s a fact now, and it will be a fact when we are dead and gone. It will be a fact when this world will be on fire! Why is that? God’s Word solemnly declares that fact in just two of the numerous passages asserting His ultimate

Jesus speaking to Peter in Luke 22:31-32 said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” Being sifted carries the idea of being examined, selected, scrutinized, sorted, gone through or to be put through a strainer. As disconcerting as Jesus knew this would be for Peter, He told him that He was praying for him that his faith would not fail. It doesn’t get any better than that! “But he said to Him, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death’” (Luke 22:33). Peter was bold and brash. He was staunch in his declarations of loyalty and commitment. Jesus called him out and said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me” (Luke 22:34). His lack of courage in the face of a most undeniable truth–that he was a disciple of Jesus–would bring him to his knees. Peter’s sifting was inevitable because Jesus had forewarned him of what was about to occur. Satan had already sifted Judas through the strainer of his insatiable greed for money and had ground him to powder! Luke 22:1-6 records this treacherous plot among the chief priests, the scribes and Judas. The chief priests and scribes were hunting for a way to kill Jesus, for they feared

The apostle Paul said in Romans 10:1-4, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” What is our heart’s desire and prayer to God for this new year? Is it something physical, material or spiritual? When our heart’s desire and prayer is of the caliber of Paul’s for Israel, success is assured! When we pray in genuine, obedient faith, we are calling down the power of God, and He will give us the desires of our hearts when we delight in His Word. How do we know that? David forthrightly declared it to be a fact in Psalm 37:3-5. “Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” These promises are ours when we submit our lives to God. Psalm 103:1 exclaims, “Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!” What does that mean, and how is that done? To bless

Vine’s Concise Dictionary of Bible Words defines endurance as “abiding under; bearing up courageously under suffering, persecutions, temptations, tribulations, and griefs. To wait patiently; to tarry; to hold up; to remain under; to be steadfast.” Our lives are filled with shocks, upsets, disturbances, ordeals and sufferings of all kinds. Why? We live in a sin-cursed, fallen, broken world. In God Moments for Women by Carolyn Larsen, she writes in “Rolling with Life” (page 12): How many times have you seen your life or someone else’s change in just a split second? An accident, a diagnosis or someone else’s choice changes everything. While changes can be disconcerting or even upsetting, they do not have to mean the end of relationships, careers, friendships or families. They only mean that things have changed. You have to roll with the punches… adjust and accept. How do you do that? Don’t forget that God is in the process. Remember… the only real constant is that God does not change. He is in control. He loves you. He has a plan. So, go with the flow and hang on to God for the journey! “A bend in the road is not the end of the road—unless you fail to make the turn” (Anonymous). The Book of Hebrews is filled with warnings against the danger of falling away from the harbor of salvation. Chapter 11 is chockful of faithful men and women who endured atrocities the likeness of which we can scarcely envision. Their faith was taxed to the breaking

God’s plan and purpose is never more evident than seen in the Book of Esther. His providence is clearly manifested, and yet, His name is not mentioned one time in those ten chapters. Only the Self-Existent One, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe could do that! The entire Jewish nation was under what seemed to have been an irrevocable decree of complete annihilation; just the opposite occurred. Only God could do that! Following a series of divinely orchestrated events, the king of Media and Persia sent out a command and a decree for a new queen. Mordecai, a certain Jew, of the tribe of Benjamin had been carried away captive from Jerusalem by the king of Babylon (Esther 1-2:6). Esther 2:7 reads, “And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.” In the course of time, Esther was chosen to replace Queen Vashti. Esther 2:18 reads, “Then the king made a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and gave gifts according to the generosity of a king.” Esther had not revealed her family and her people as Mordecai had charged her; she always obeyed him. In those days, while Mordecai sat within the king’s gate, two of the king’s doorkeepers became furious and sought to

But as for Me… “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Many of us recognize this famous line of commitment to God even if we don’t readily remember where it is in the Bible, who said it or why it was said. We see it referenced at the end of emails; we see it on plaques, bookmarks, Bible covers, calendars, in picture frames, etc. Following the death of Moses, Joshua became the leader for the Israelite nation. A long time after God had given them rest from all their enemies, Joshua was an old man. Joshua 23:2-3 reads, “And Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them, ‘I am old, advanced in age. You have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the LORD your God is He who has fought for you.’” Joshua told them they were to be very courageous as well as to keep and to do all that was written in the Book of the Law of Moses. He told them they were neither to make mention of the name of the gods of those nations nor to serve them nor to bow down to them. He told them to hold fast to the LORD their God, as they had done to that day (Joshua 23:6-8). He then told them in Joshua 23:9, “For the LORD has

Arrogance is defined as an offensive display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride; haughtiness. Several references are made in Scripture to arrogance or being arrogant. None of these references reveal a good outcome. All of them serve as a warning against this most self-destructive, brash behavior. The phrase “ugly arrogance” caught my attention in an article I read recently, which is the incentive for this article’s title. God always met ugly arrogance with the consequence of severe discipline or punishment. The first revealed example occurs in God’s confrontation with Cain after he had murdered Abel. Genesis 4:9 records, “Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Where is Abel your brother?’ He said, ‘I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?’” Cain is the first person to tell a lie as he tells the Creator and Sustainer of the universe that he does not know the whereabouts of his brother! His question to the Almighty, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” is ugly arrogance to the zenith. Cain’s punishment was dreadful. God told him that the voice of Abel’s blood cried out to Him from the ground. Further, God told Cain in Genesis 4:11-12, “So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.” Cain said his punishment was greater than he could bear, but bear it

To surrender is to submit willingly, giving up control, to renounce or to forsake. It is an act of relinquishing control or possession to somebody or something. For Christians, this means God is fully recognized as the One and the only One in control. They come to accept wholeheartedly, “O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). Through obedience to the Gospel message of salvation from sin—the good news—Christians declare their allegiance to His Son, Jesus Christ. This commitment culminates in baptism and is adhered to until death. The hymn “I Surrender All” is convicting every time this writer sings it. The question was posed to the congregation by a preacher who challenged us with this question: “Are we singing this song with an exclamation point or with a question mark?” All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give,I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live. All to Jesus I surrender, humbly at His feet I bow,Worldly pleasures all forsaken; take me, Jesus, take me now. All to Jesus I surrender, Lord, I give myself to Thee;Fill me with Thy love and power, let Thy blessing fall on me. I surrender all, I surrender all, all to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all. It is perhaps the most difficult, distressing and heart-wrenching song for this writer to sing because I know it is not

During the month of April 2017, for the first time this writer experienced losing two members of our congregation on the same day. These faithful sisters took their heavenly journey within hours of each other. It left us reeling because one was “expected,” but the other was not. Death is the great equalizer. It happens every few seconds all over the planet. Yet, it is a subject some of us will do almost anything to avoid talking about and facing that irrevocable new reality. Our lives are never the same; perhaps that is why denial seems the only way we are able to cope. Funerals, memorials, graveside services and scattering of ashes are the ways the majority of us have chosen to deal with saying our final and formal goodbyes. One of the most detailed accounts of a funeral and a burial was the death of Jacob as recorded in Genesis 49:28-50:1-14. Shortly before his death, Genesis 49:1-2 records, “And Jacob called his sons and said, ‘Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father.” In Genesis 49:3-27, Jacob pronounced his individual blessing upon each of his 12 sons. Verse 28 records, “All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.” In Genesis 49:29-30, Jacob instructed his sons to bury

The apostle Paul laid out a charge for all Christians in Ephesians 4:1-3. This lifelong pursuit is God’s expectation to those striving to make heaven their eternal home. “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.” Walk worthy of the calling—what does that mean? According to Vine’s Concise Dictionary of Bible Words, “It is the Christian walk as it should be; assisting servants of God in a way which reflects God’s character and thoughts. It is a manner of life in accordance with what the gospel declares. A manner as befits those who bear the name of “saints.”’ Have we ever done any real meditation to understand and to embrace what Christians are called to do in just these three verses? Paul said that he was the Lord’s prisoner. Though he was in a literal prison at the time, Paul was not bothered that his physical location would hinder him in any way in keeping true to his Lord and Master. He was bound by chains of love and complete submission to Jesus Christ. What about you and me? We too are, and always will be, “prisoners” of the Lord as we make the daily commitment to die to self and to follow Christ. Paul said he was begging the church in Ephesus

The focus in the February article on this subject was Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Sodom and Gomorrah, Joseph and his brothers, and David and Bathsheba. Three additional accounts point to the realization that all sin is first committed against God. Scripture reveals that sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). This separation means eternal condemnation. The holiness of God demands that sin be punished or atonement be made so that it can be forgiven. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered” (Psalm 32:1). The Request of the Children ofRueben and the Children of Gad Numbers 32 details the request of the children of Reuben and Gad. They asked Moses, Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the congregation to let the land they occupied be given to them as a possession. They did not want to cross over the Jordan (Numbers 32:1-5). Numbers 32:6-7 reads, “And Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Rueben: ‘Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here? Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD has given them?’” Moses reminded them of the LORD’s anger with their fathers who had returned from spying out the land of Canaan with their evil report. God swore that none of the men who came up from Egypt from 20-years-old and above would see Canaan, except Joshua and Caleb because they had wholly

Adam and Eve From the time Adam and Eve disobeyed God, the human race continues to sin against Him. Rather than listen to God, Eve chose to listen to the serpent; Adam chose to listen to Eve. Through that choice, sin entered the world. S-I-N is why we are in the perpetual mess that plagues each of us daily throughout our lives. Cain and Abel The first time the word “sin” is used in Scripture, God was talking directly to Cain. When he realized that God had no respect for his offering, Cain became very angry and his face fell (Genesis 4:5). Genesis 4:6-7 reads, “The LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it’” (ESV). Then, Cain spoke to Abel, and when they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel and killed him. When God asked Cain where was his brother, Cain lied and said, “I do not know.” He compounded his lie with arrogance in his question to God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9). First John 3:11-12 tells us why Cain committed this despicable act. “For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why

Nobody wants to be described as, referred to or believed to be ignorant. Yet, we all are ignorant—just on different subjects. However, ignorance of the teachings of the Bible is deadly because of the irrevocable consequence of eternal punishment. The nature of this everlasting disaster defies our comprehension. Psalm 119 is God’s revelation of how imperative the Word of God is to the world. In this Psalm, it is described, exalted and adored. These descriptions are made known through God’s (1) word, (2) commandments, (3) precepts, (4) testimonies, (5) law, (6) way, (7) truth, (8) judgments, (9) righteousness and (10) statutes. Studies in Psalms by Robert R. Taylor, Jr. gives definitions of these divine aspects. How deadly is ignorance of God’s Word? Vine’s Concise Dictionary of Bible Words defines ignorance in several ways. It is “want of knowledge or perception.” It includes “the idea of willful blindness.” It is “unwitting error.” It is “to be unknown; not to understand.” Several accounts are addressed briefly of these various forms of ignorance. Paul addressed the men of Athens at the Areopagus [Mars Hill] in Acts 17:29-31 by saying, “Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he appointed; and of

The Bible is replete with passages about time. God made time for us; He has no need of it. He is the eternal One; He is the self-existent One; He is the One who inhabits the expanse of eternity. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” In the Truth for Today Commentary on this book, Denny Petrillo made these observations on this verse. The writer did not want us to despair because there is nothing we can do about anything in life, as if all were preordained (appointed). This was not at all Solomon’s point. If it were, his suggestions of choices would not make sense. In fact, we are free moral agents—free to do as we choose. However, the wise person considers the will of God in every decision he makes. He can live life optimistically, not pessimistically, since God is in control and since God provides guidance for His people. Psalm 39:4 says, “LORD, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am.” Psalm 90:12 states, “So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Tom Wacaster wrote a piece entitled, Time: How Are You Using It? One paragraph reads: If a man in some remote corner of the world can “number his day” without the aid of a watch, or a calendar, so as to make the most of every moment,

Everything we have to enjoy, everything we know about anything, everything that we are and hope to be that’s good, and every breath we take is because God is God. Who we think we are and who other people think we are have no bearing on God being God. Why? James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” What does that mean? In his book on James, J.J. Turner made these most insightful thoughts on the passage. “In contrast to God’s not being responsible for sin, James now affirms that God is the source of all that is good… God’s gifts are good… Not only are the gifts good, but they are also perfect, i.e. complete, whole… These gifts are not material in nature, but spiritual; they shall endure after the temporal has failed or vanished.” He continues by noting, “God is the Father of lights, i.e. He is the Creator of the heavenly bodies, which includes the sun, moon, stars, etc… The heavenly lights can vary in the giving off of light; they can change in degrees of intensity. But with God, the Creator and Sustainer of lights, there is no changing – He is immutable… In this verse… we learn some additional truths about the giving God. (1) He gives only good and perfect gifts. (2) He gives continually. (3) He never changes.” What are

This writer was introduced to a national prayer line in March of this year, and the moderator of that prayer line would always say and she continues to say, “Sisters, let’s stay read up, prayed up, and do everything in our power to make our calling and election sure.” Her weekly reference to making our calling and election sure is part of a passage that Peter wrote in his second letter to the elect scattered throughout Asia Minor. James M. Tolle notes in his book The Christian Graces that the requisites for the development of Christian personality are presented in the First Chapter of Second Peter. They are commonly referred to as the Christian graces that must be added to our faith. The means to obtain this spiritual growth is identified in verses 5-7 – (1) virtue, (2) knowledge, (3) self-control, (4) patience, (5) godliness, (6) brotherly kindness and (7) love. Prior to the listing of these traits, the reason for the development of this Christian personality appears in 2 Peter 1:1-4. Peter then repeated a phrase five times that gets this writer’s attention in a most profound way. He told us how spiritual growth and maturity will increase and our faith will flourish. Faith is recognized as the basis or the root from which all the Christian graces are traced. For without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). In Verse 8 Peter wrote, “For if these things are yours and bound…” Verse 9 reads, “For he who lacks these things is shortsighted…” In

This series of articles on loss, sorrow, and grief was first taught in a ladies’ Bible class from January – September 2014. They were published consecutively on this site beginning in August 2015. Four of the twelve lessons were vital in order to address the eight personal, significant losses. The eight remaining lessons addressed the faces of personal, significant losses. It would not truly serve the purpose of this series of articles if our own death was not addressed. In her book, Let This Cup Pass, Jane McWhorter states: Every time the clock ticks one more second, someone in this world dies. Planting in our minds at this time the seeds of what a Christian’s reaction should be will help us accept death with grace whenever it comes our way. Life is so fragile. A person can be in perfect health with everything in his favor and yet be dead within the next minute. God placed us here on this earth to give us an opportunity to prepare ourselves for eternity and take others with us. The question under consideration is not the duration of our lives but what we accomplish while we’re here. How much will we be missed? When we continue living in the hearts of those left behind, have we really passed out of existence? (149) For a Christian, the ultimate in victory is not just to accept the deaths of the masses but also his own with dignity. Acceptance is not a giddy, light-hearted gaiety. It is not happiness

When your husband dies, if the relationship was of the quality that God intended when He instituted marriage in the Garden of Eden, your life is irrevocably changed. When I lost my husband in 2013, my world was shattered into a thousand little pieces! My days were spent with him being constantly in my thoughts, no matter who was in my presence or what I may have been doing. I woke up with him; I went to sleep with him. He was in the recesses of my mind every waking moment. My feelings were like being on a roller coaster. They ranged from a calm facing of the reality that he was really gone, to an overwhelming sadness and despair as I contemplated the fact that I would never see him again—not in this life! I continue to live in God’s Word and believe His promises to turn my journey of mourning to joy, in His time and in accordance with His revealed will. Oh, how I am looking forward to the year when losing the love of my life will be a sweet sadness! “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You” (Psalm 39:7). “My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my inheritance forever” (Psalm 73:26). Decisions That Helpedin My Grieving Process Things I Have Learned I fully understand that God is my ultimate source of strength and comfort. I know He is there to console and care for me in this

The Loss of a Wife Experts feel that the loss of a spouse or the loss of a child are the two most difficult losses to which adjustment must be made. Unlike the loss of a child, the loss of a spouse carries with it the separation of the formal union of the two who were “one flesh.” Marriage as God intended is the tie between husband and wife that is stronger than any other relationship. This bond is altogether different from any other human agreement or promise. This bond is ordained by God. When a man takes a woman to be his wife, they become one flesh. In his book, The Study of Genesis, A Study for Home and Bible Class, Lesson 3, “Going Deeper: God’s Definition of Marriage,” Richard Cravy wrote the following. “Leave…and be united: That men (and women) are to leave their parents’ family in order to enter marriage simply shows that the parent/child relationship is not intended to be either as permanent nor as complete as the marital relationship… [T]he word (‘cleave; in the KJV) carries with it the essential idea of being glued or held fast together” (Three-7). Husband/Wife RelationshipAbove and Different from All Others H. Leo Boles defined marriage this way. In the beginning God “made them male and female”; they were made as one pair, therefore they should be united in pairs; these pairs should remain as God ordained as the basis of the family… This act of divine creation has become the symbol of the

It has been said that during our lifetimes that we will make many acquaintances, but our best friends can be counted on one hand. A true friend is one who knows all about you, yet loves you just the same. Best friends sometimes finish each other’s sentences. “Friends cross all barriers of race, creed, age, gender, and country to connect only with the heart and spirit, which have no walls. Sometimes they don’t even know it when they say the right words at just the right time. Sometimes friends feel like family; sometimes they are family” (Fargo). The USAA Educational Foundation published When a Loved One Dies: Coping with Grief. Several deep, personal losses are addressed in one section. This statement was made on the loss of a friend. “Accepting the death of a friend and grieving your loss can be complicated by the fact that others may not appreciate how much the friendship meant to you. That is because a friend is someone with whom you have shared experiences, confidences, laughter and tears” (11). Friend Defined A dictionary definition of “friend” includes the concept of a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts – a favored companion. Selected Biblical References to Friends Job lost all of his material possessions and all ten of his children in one day! Shortly afterwards, he was stricken with boils from his head to his feet. In his agony he said, “He [God] has removed my brothers

This statement was quoted in a sermon from the book, Heart-to-Heart by Robert G. Lee. “Sin has dug every grave, built every coffin, enlarged every cemetery… that the world has ever seen” (65-66). The loss of grandchildren and great-grandchildren can strike the deepest core of our emotions, especially if the loss is an infant, a toddler or an adolescent. These losses are suffered by all people around the globe. In the final analysis, the age of the grand or great-grand is totally irrelevant. The stark reality is they are no longer with us, and we grieve on some level for the rest of our lives! Grief becomes more complicated when a loved one’s death is: What to Expect Every symptom of grief may be more intense and prolonged after a traumatic death. It is normal to experience: Many of us are familiar with the poem “I Walked a Mile with Pleasure” by Robert Browning Hamilton. I walked a mile with Pleasure;She chatted all the way;But left me none the wiserFor all she had to say. I walked a mile with Sorrow,And ne’er a word said she;But, oh! The things I learned from her,When sorrow walked with me. Virgil M. Fry wrote Rekindled – Warmed by Fires of Hope. He included a section entitled, “When Fires Rage – The Unique Journey of Grief: Reflections.” Note these selected quotes. Our world is in a state of constant change. God is not. At times, the world seems to be trembling beneath our feet. But we can

The loss of grandparents is something we are likely to face at some point. Those of us who have lost our grandparents, depending on one’s age and relationship, remember that loss with varying emotions. Some of us who have lost both parents are now grandparents. Some of us have suffered the loss of our spouse and the void that was left had to be addressed with the grandchildren. Some of us were brought up by our grandparents for any number of reasons. If the relationship was close, you were probably greatly affected when they died. Don Williams (2015) stated: In early America, death was a familiar experience. When several generations of a family lived in the same house, children became aware of aging, illness and death. With life somewhat like that of The Waltons, children watched as Grandpa and Grandma grew old and eventually died. They gathered with other family members when death occurred, and knew what funerals and “wakes” were all about. These were normally held in the home. Children of early America realized that a significant loss had occurred, and they would experience tears and sorrow. Death was something that was a regular part of their lives as animals would regularly die. Death was not a mystery to children in early America. (99) In their book, Grieving with Hope, Samuel J. Hodges, IV and Kathy Leonard state: One difference between grieving adults and children is that children grieve intermittently. Whereas adults feel they are constantly flailing in a tidal wave

The emotional aspects of a child’s death involve all of the normal stages of grief and recovery. Because it is such a difficult loss, families may need professional help as well as support from family and friends. Parents need to talk about the child and their grief. They need to know they are not alone. After the death of a child, it is important to: On the loss of a child, the following analysis is from Grief Share: “Through a Season of Grief.” An additional perspective comes from James Tolle in his book, Living without Fear: Fear of Death. This most painful experience is shared by Rusty Bolton in his book, It Depends on How You Look at It! When Things Are Tough (29-37). Biblical Parents Who Sufferedthe Loss of a Child or Children King David had six sons born to him in Hebron (2 Samuel 3:1-5). Three of those six died violently. David fathered an illegitimate child by Bathsheba while she was married to Uriah, the Hittite. The child died as an infant; he lived one week after becoming ill (2 Samuel 12:14-18). King Jeroboam and his wife lost their son who became sick and died because of the sin of his father (1 Kings 1:1-13). Job and his wife lost all ten of their children—seven sons and three daughters in one day (Job 1)! This modern day concluding experience may well serve as a description of the agony of losing a child. Glenn Martin’s article, “This I Have Learned from My Son’s Death,” shared these heart wrenching feelings

In his book, Disrupted—Finding God in Illness and Loss, Virgil M. Fry includes a chapter entitled, “The Only Way Out Is Through.” He wrote: We Americans live in a death-denying culture… It’s okay to hurt briefly if a gain (fitness, prestige) can be realized. It’s not okay to hurt (at least publicly) over losses from sickness, divorce or brokenness. Grief counselors know it takes months and years for family members and friends to process their grief, to reconcile themselves to permanent separation, to find hope and peace and comfort in daily living. The true Gospel message is this: God has cared, is caring, and will always care. God loves. God comforts. God hears. God is. The implication for us: No one hurts alone. We can admit our pain without fearing rejection. We can allow ourselves time to share memories, distress and turmoil. We can cling to the assurance that there’s more to life than what we experience here. We can remember that brokenness, sickness, evil, and death all sting—but they don’t have to have the final word. Indeed, the only way out is through. (82-83) Paul says it this way in 2 Corinthians 15:56-57, “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” In the magazine, Think–Current Issues from a Distinctly Christian View, the theme for the February 2014 issue was “Coping with Death and Loss.” In that issue is Daniel Howell’s

The USAA Educational Foundation published, When a Loved One Dies: Coping with Grief. Several deep personal losses are addressed in one section. This statement was made on the loss of a sibling. “When a sibling dies, there is an immediate sense of loss. An individual who was raised with you and shared your childhood is gone, leaving a void that cannot be filled. Unfortunately, siblings are sometimes known as the “forgotten mourners” because expressions of sympathy and comfort are often directed at surviving parents, spouses and children” (10). With the loss of a sibling, sometimes there are emotional experiences that can be most troublesome. If you have lost a brother(s) or a sister(s), it may change your role in the family structure. If the sibling that died is the one that was looked upon as the leader, especially in the time of a crisis, that loss could have a devastating effect on other family members. Seek the support of other family members who feel the loss the way you do. If you have other brothers and sisters that share your grief, they can be very comforting and consoling. They will welcome the opportunity to talk, remember, mourn and heal together. Remember the happy times—the things that made you laugh until you cried! Also remember the things about them that made you so angry! It may surprise you as you recall those things after their death; they can make you laugh as well! Observations from A Time toMourn, A Time to Dance—Help for

Becoming stuck or frozen in grief causes emotional peril to recovery and healing. Two questions were asked from Grief Share: Your Journey from Mourning to Joy that must be answered in order to avoid becoming stuck in grief. Two profound statements were made for objective consideration. If God answered all of your questions and you understood fully why your loved ones died, they would still be dead! If you could have them back (i.e., they hadn’t died), you would get them back just the way they were when they died – dying! In light of this inescapable truth, consider normal grieving vs. unhealthy grieving. What Is Normal Grieving? What Is Unhealthy Grieving? Confronting and CopingEquals Recovery and HealingConfront – To tackle, face up to, meet head-on, deal with itCope – To manage, handle, survive, get by, muddle through Keys to Avoiding BecomingStuck/Frozen in Grief Biblical Examples of Reactions andResponses to Traumatic Personal Losses In his editorial “Coping with Grief,” Dennis Loyd, Associate Editor of Gospel Advocate, wrote “Whatever the cause of our grief, we have ways to confront it and cope with it. God’s Word becomes our light. Prayer becomes our appeal. Christian fellowship becomes our comfort. Jesus becomes our hope” (3). Helen M. Young wrote in, When You Lose One You Love, these most provoking thoughts about “Accepting Bereavement: The Healing Process of Grief.” She used the metaphor of ocean tides. “Grief is like the ocean tides. It comes in waves. Just when you feel you are doing better, a wave of grief will sweep over

It has been noted that when we lose a parent, we lose our past. Most of us expect to outlive our parents. How did we feel when that expectation became a reality? That was the first question that this writer’s husband asked when my mother died. “How do you feel?” My reply was, “I don’t know.” We remained in total silence for quite a while. Perhaps your parents lived long and fulfilling lives, but that did not necessarily make it any easier to say goodbye! Even the fact that you may have been anticipating their death does little to prepare you for living without them; life will never be the same. The account of the death of Sarah, Isaac’s mother, is tender indeed. Isaac was only 37-years-old when Sarah died (Genesis 17:17). His father Abraham took steps to ensure Isaac’s comforting as recorded in Genesis 24. Most individuals expect their parents to die before them, but few are really prepared for the loss. The intensity of your grief may surprise you, especially if you were anticipating the death of an ill or elderly parent. The recognition that your father or mother lived a long, full life or was released from pain and suffering does not make your loss easier to bear. A parent’s death is particularly difficult because: How Certain Biblical SiblingsDealt with the Death of their Father There are times when the death of parents can bring about a healing of relationships. Such was the case in the lives

What to Say to a Grieving Person “A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in its time, how good it is!” (Proverbs 15:23).“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Proverbs 25:11). Do’s Dont’s From the American Cancer Society What to say to someone who has lost a loved one: What to Do for a Grieving Person “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another” (Romans 12:10). Do’s Dont’s Life Beyond Loss Perhaps one of the biggest reasons that we as a society struggle so much with death is because not many of us want to think about it, not to mention talk about it. However, everybody needs to talk about it because it is as natural as breathing. It happens every day every few seconds around the world. In our attempts to know what to say and what to do, less is more. Particularly if the “right words” are not easily expressed, to be wisely silent is always best. A strong, calming presence or a genuine look of love speaks volumes!   To be a welcomed source of comfort and caring, it is best to remember the words of our Lord when He said, “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise” (Luke 6:31). Work Cited Doka, Kenneth J., Ph.D. Life Beyond Loss: Picking Up the Pieces and Facing the Emotions of Grief. Acworth: Guideline.

The God of All Comfort “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation [affliction], so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any tribulation, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). God has provided for us to be comforted in our grief. Physical death became a part of the human condition in the Garden of Eden. The Bible is the only source that we have that tells us what death is and why it comes to all of us. Death is the great equalizer; it happens every day all over the world. However, most of the time, death does not get our attention until it knocks at our door! Prayer is Our Lifeline Prayer is the beginning of our recovery from loss, sorrow and grief. We must be in constant, fervent and submissive prayer to God every day and every night! “In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, to His ears” (Psalm 18:6). Grief Defined Grief is intense suffering caused by severe and deeply felt loss. It is acute sorrow, deep distress and profound sadness, and grief is a process that takes a long time! It is a process that must be dealt with in a mentally healthy way, if

In one of the weekly broadcasts of “In Search of the Lord’s Way” that was televised in September of 2014, the statement was made that some may have embraced the idea of “I’m cutting back on sin.” Is this mindset somehow thought to appease God and pardon one of accountability before Him? If so, which sins would be cut back? How many sins would be cut back? How often would these sins be cut back? Ultimately what difference, if any, would it make in determining one’s whereabouts in the pending eternity that is before all of us? From time immemorial, sin has been, is now and will continue to be the loathsome, disgusting, repulsive, abomination as it is depicted in God’s Word! Sin, the very hiss of the word, strikes at its origin. Cutting back on sin does not change the state of disobedience to our Maker one iota. God’s standard is perfection – not almost up to – in some useless attempt to cut back on sin. We can cut back on eating, drinking, playing, socializing, sleeping, working, and the list is virtually endless. In many aspects of our lives, that would be a good decision. Cutting back on sin has never fit into that category! The only time that works is in the mind that does not have God at its core. The mind that has been blinded by the lies and dupes of Satan would believe such a thing. We must deal with our fatal sin problem immediately, thoroughly and permanently. We need to understand that every

In our world, we are familiar with oil filters, air filters, transmission filters, heating/air conditioning filters, etc., which serve the purpose of keeping engines and other various mechanical parts clean and free from dirt and debris. These filters must be checked, maintained and replaced so equipment can function at its maximum capacity. The Encarta Dictionary English (North America) on the Internet gives several definitions for the word “filter,” two of which are most appropriate for the purpose in this article. “1. To seep or pass through something that is intended to act as a barrier. 2. A straining device that allows the passage of some frequencies and blocks others.” God’s Word Must Be the Filter for our Minds On the back cover of his book, Making His Mind My Mind, J.J. Turner states by reading his book, we will learn “how to develop a biblically-conscious pattern of thinking and acting to make His mind our mind and reap the right kind of harvest. Everything we do begins in the mind. It makes us or breaks us.” He further asks these thought provoking questions: “To whom will we surrender the control of our minds? God? Satan? Self? Which? Proverbs 23:7 says, ‘As a man thinks in his heart so is he.’” One’s mind is the ultimate control center. Psalm 119:10-11 declares, “With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” God views sin as

There are many great messages found in the Book of Hebrews. One message is the warning against hardening one’s heart through unbelief. Hebrews 3:7-9 reads, “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years.’” More is stated in verses 12-13. “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” In his book, Studying Sin Seriously, Wendall Winkler lists seven practical ways in which sin is deceptive and disillusioning. Several years ago this writer read the following statement that still resonates: “Sin that we thought would be a delightful servant becomes our horrifying master!” Paul writing to the church at Rome said, “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). One of the most compelling figures in the Bible who demonstrated this hardening of his heart, despite the overwhelming display of irrefutable evidence, was the Pharaoh of Egypt during the time of Moses. As one good minister phrased it, “Pharaoh wanted to know who God was; so God gave him a 10-lesson correspondence

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a picnic as “a meal eaten outdoors on an excursion; an easy task or pleasant experience.” We may or may not care for picnics, but virtually all of us like easy tasks and pleasant experiences. However, going to heaven is not of the picnic variety. Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people. It is an ongoing, lifetime task. The following statements made by two brotherhood preachers have been referenced in previous articles by this writer; they bear repeating. Perhaps it is because the words “anybody” and “nobody”— two opposites — are used to make the same point so profoundly. “Anybody can go to heaven who wants to go to heaven more than anything else in the world. And until you want that more than anything else in the world, you are as close to heaven right now as you are ever going to get!” “Nobody is going to accidently stumble into heaven. If we are there, it will be from a lifetime of intention, and planning, and forethought, and devotion, and humility before the living God!” In the October 28, 1986 publication Firm Foundation, there is a graphic entitled, “Awake Thou That Sleepest…” It pictures a man lying in a hammock asleep, hands resting with his fingers intertwined across his chest, with what appears to be a newspaper over his face. There’s a dog sleeping quite contentedly at his feet. This man’s spiritual armor is lying on the ground around him. The apostle Paul lists the spiritual armor in Ephesians 6:14-17 as

There are 17 definitions of the word “nothing” in Webster’s College Dictionary. A few of these definitions rightly describe God’s perspective on the matter. (1) In no respect or degree; not at all (2) Amounting to zero (3) To treat lightly; regard as easy (4) To regard as insignificant or routine. One of virtually thousands of Scriptures could be quoted to establish this divine truth. Jeremiah 32:17 declares, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.” Abraham and Sarah had major doubts when God told them they would have a son in their old age. Genesis 18:13-14 records, “And the LORD said to Abraham… ‘Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.’” It is humorous to observe that their son Isaac’s name literally meant laughter. Abraham fell on his face and laughed (Genesis 17:17). Sarah laughed within herself, then because she was afraid denied it when God asked Abraham why she laughed (Genesis 18:12, 15). Moses and his major doubts had to be brought in check when the children of Israel were complaining to him about a lack of food in Numbers 11. He asked God where was he to get meat to give to all of those people. God told Moses He would give them meat not for one day, or two, or five,

Mark 9:14-29 records the account of Jesus healing a mute. He came to the disciples and saw a huge crowd around them and the scribes disputing with the disciples. Jesus asked the scribes what they were discussing with them. A father in the crowd had brought his son to the Lord’s disciples for healing. He was suffering with a mute spirit, but they could not heal him. Jesus instructed that he be brought to Him. Jesus asked his father how long had this been happening to him; the father said to Him from childhood. The father explained the spirit had often thrown him into fire and water to destroy him. Then, he made a statement that would tug at the heartstrings of any parents who have experienced their child suffering from a serious sickness or disease. “But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us” (Mark 9:22b). Imagine saying that to the firstborn over all creation! Jesus simply said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23). The father’s response is heart wrenching. “Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!’” W. Elmo Mercer wrote the song, familiar to many of us, Each Step I Take. The words of the second verse echo the feelings so many of us have had or may be currently having about any number of life’s circumstances. “At times I feel my faith begin to

This writer is on a mailing list to receive letters of spiritual encouragement since I experienced the most significant loss of my life. In the letter that I received in November of 2014, several questions surrounding the idea, if any earthly desire might be granted what would it be? The statement was made, “Well, today, I am trying to ‘level with myself’ – looking inwardly in a most sane manner.” This is a thought that could resonate with us for the entire year of 2015. That sentence immediately captured my attention. I have been thinking about it since then, and a few thoughts have definitely caused me to actively pursue that inward look. Spiritually, we are either growing or we are rotting; we are either moving forward or slipping backward. There is no such thing as “holding our own” and still being pleasing to God! Being in a holding pattern is great for airplanes – never for God’s people. The call of the prophet Zephaniah was to motivate the nation of Judah to repentance. God told him to tell His people that He would search Jerusalem with lamps, “And punish the men who were settled in complacency, who say in their heart, ‘The LORD will not do good, nor will He do evil’” (Zephaniah 1:12). What were they saying? “God never does anything; He won’t help us; He won’t punish either.” They really needed a reality check! Zephaniah gave them one they would never forget regarding their terrible impending punishment. All facets of our

It is that time of year once again when some people lose their minds in the feeding frenzy of shopping. Why? Some have an insatiable appetite for spending, and during the holiday season, that ravenous enthusiasm spirals out of control. On the Friday following Thanksgiving, which has become known as Black Friday, fights break out in department stores and malls as civilized people become brute beasts attacking one another over that “must have” bargain priced item. In many instances, it’s not so much about the buying, but it’s all about the fury of being in overcrowded malls just looking and socializing. A recent news report stated that in some cases, these Black Friday deals are the same price that they were in September! Still some will rack up huge bills and will be struggling to pay those bills throughout 2015! Satan plays that “buy now – pay later” card to the maximum everywhere every year. Some of us have seen the commercials of the graveyard of gifts stashed in an out-of-the-way closet, in the attic or in the storage shed, never to be seen or mentioned again. These are those “acknowledgment” gifts we did not want and certainly did not need from family and friends. Do we remember what we bought last year or what we received from whom and why? One friend commented that she hoped her family would remember what they got last year because there would be nothing for them this year. How would that idea “play

We sing the song “Count Your Blessings,” and part of that song calls us to “name them one by one.” That is a task none of us could ever complete. God showers countless blessings upon the entire human race! For the limited space of this article, only four of these divine favors will be noted. God is to be thanked for (1) our lives, (2) our health, (3) our provision and (4) our protection. When we live in the light of His presence, we will express with David, “You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, according to Your word” (Psalm 119:65). Life itself is the priceless gift from God. Have we ever given any serious thought to just how fragile we are? Solomon declared in Ecclesiastes 8:8a, “No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, and no one has power in the day of death.” One writer’s comment on that verse said, “None of us has the power to keep ourselves alive one breath beyond God’s will for us to breathe!” Psalm 146:3-4 declares, “Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man [a human being], in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish.” That biblical perception defies deliberate misunderstanding. Physical health is a priceless gift from God. If we do not have our health, life loses much of its appeal and zest. Health is lost in numerous ways – some being through illness, disease, injury and aging.

God deals with us according to His Word, not according to what we want or even what we think we need. In all that He does and in all that He allows, God is always pursuing our salvation! David understood that. He said in Psalm 119:65, “You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, according to Your word.” We must read and study God’s Word, seeking spiritual wisdom, knowledge and understanding. When we are striving to be diligent students of God’s Word and servants of His will, we are frequently faced with the need to understand His meaning of numerous words in Scripture. There are many definitions in God’s Word, and this article will call attention to only a few, wherein the emphasis pertains to the repeated use of the being verb “is” in the meaning. Any definition given in Scripture is always the right one because all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17). To develop spiritual discernment, we must seek to understand what God has revealed to us and why. Since God is infallible to infinity, this gives us superlative confidence in the accuracy of the meaning of any word found in the Bible. The following passages of Scripture all speak to that unalterable fact. Psalm 119:160 says, “The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” Psalm 119 is a discourse on the supremacy, reliability and significance of God’s Word. If we want to know who God is, we must read the

Several sources on the Book of Galatians refer to it as the Magna Charta or Manifesto of Christian liberty. It is God’s emancipation proclamation for sinners. However, in Paul’s day Judaizing false teachers were attempting to convince Christians in Galatia that the Jewish law was binding upon them because salvation was obtained by works of the Law of Moses. This was extremely distressing to Paul, so much so that his letter to them was intense. He was striving to win them back to the simplicity and truth of the Gospel message. He said, “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:6-7 NASB). These false teachers had also planted doubt in the minds of the Galatians regarding the authenticity of Paul’s apostleship. In his defense, he wrote in Galatians 1:11-12, “But I make known to you brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.” He told them later in his letter that if they were attempting to be justified by law, they had fallen from grace (Galatians 5:1-4). He did not say they had tried to fall from grace, he said they had done it! Paul pointed out several

The prophet Elijah was without a doubt one of God’s greatest servants. He obeyed God’s commandments to the letter. First Kings 18 is the account of perhaps Elijah’s most monumental victory over Baal. God’s power was demonstrated to the zenith in the destruction of this false god! King Ahab of Samaria had told his wife Jezebel all that Elijah had done and also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. First Kings 19:2 records her murderous threat. “Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ‘So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.’” Elijah arose and ran for his life! He prayed that he might die; he said it was enough; he wanted God to take his life because he felt he was no better than his fathers. His desperation and feeling of hopelessness is bone chilling! What was the divine response? On two occasions the angel of the LORD brought Elijah food and water (1 Kings 19:5-8). Then he went into a cave to spend the night, and the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, “‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ So he said, ‘I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword, I alone am left;

The apostle John wrote in Revelation 14:13, “Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.’” When Jesus Christ had John to write to the seven churches of Asia in Revelation 2 and 3, He made this statement to every one of those churches: “I know your works.” Paul admonished us in Galatians 6:9-10, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Christians don’t ever give up! Speaking of Himself, Jesus said in John 9:4, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” Solomon put it like this in Ecclesiastes 9:10, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” From these few of countless passages where God has called us to the work, where did some of us ever get the idea that once we were saved that there was nothing left to do but wait for the Lord’s return? How did some of us confuse getting saved being equal to

Those who are Star Wars fans are very familiar with the characters in that movie and who said what and why. Casandra Martin wrote Living the Jesus Resolution. She challenges the reader to join her in making a resolution that will change your life, committing to looking like Jesus. One of the thoughts in her book is entitled, “Yoda.” In Star Wars, Master Jedi Yoda tells Luke, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” When I was sharing this with one good sister, she finished the last part of the quote for me – a dyed in the wool Star Wars fan! I have since relegated the word “try” to being powerless in view of God’s expectations. As Christians growing toward spiritual maturity, trying is totally unacceptable in our pursuit of right and righteousness. If we expect to see heaven, “striving” is the word we must embrace. V.E. Vine’s Dictionary defines the word “strive” as “to contend, laboring fervently, to fight.” Webster defines it, “to exert oneself vigorously; to make strenuous efforts toward any goal.” On His way to Jerusalem, someone asked Jesus, were there just a few who were being saved? Jesus said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24). Hopefully, we did not let the utter profoundness of that eternal truth get by us! In comparing the narrow and wide gates, Jesus had said in Matthew 7:13-14 that the gate to destruction was W-I-D-E and would be filled with many.

Are our daily thoughts, words and actions viewed through the lens of eternity? One of the many definitions in Webster of the word “lens” is a piece of transparent glass used in optical devices in correcting defects of vision. To see with correct spiritual vision, we must look into the perfect law of liberty and continue in it (James 1:25). That look must be penetrating to the extent that it brings about transformation in our attitude, conduct and character, “to be renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Ephesians 4:23). Romans 14:11-12 declares, “For it is written: ‘As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’ So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.” Do we really believe and understand that this experience is inevitable for every person? If we do, it will be reflected in the way we conduct our lives and in our interactions with all people. Do we really believe and understand that our choice to live or not to live according to the way God has commanded has eternal consequences? Romans 8:13-14 says it does. “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” As our Creator, our Lord and Master, and our Father, He is aware of

How many times have we asked this question when some adversity has come knocking on our door and entered to our utter dismay? How many times has someone asked us this question? Joseph of old certainly could have been asking himself or somebody this question. It all started with family favoritism. The Bible tells us that Joseph was hated by his older brothers because their father Jacob favored him over them. Genesis 37:3-4 says, “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.” His brothers’ utter contempt for him served as fertile ground for what they did. On one occasion Jacob sent Joseph to look for his brothers. Away from the protection of his father, Joseph’s brothers took full advantage of this unhealthy family atmosphere and how they felt about him. When they saw him coming, they conspired to kill him. Reuben talked them down from this murderous plot with the intention of delivering Joseph out of their hands and returning him to his father (Genesis 38:21-22). Judah also agreed that Joseph should not be killed, but suggested that he be sold for profit (Genesis 38:25-28). Speaking of his ordeal, Psalm 105:17-18 records, “He [God] sent a man before them – Joseph – who was sold as a slave. They hurt

We were very poor growing up. Having enough food all the time was not always our reality. I remember mama saying to me in regards to food and other things that were sometimes very sparse, “If you’ve got any, you’ve got enough.” All of us children knew exactly what that meant. That was over 50 years ago; I was in my teens, but that statement still resonates with me. We had no questions about what she had said or why. When she would say that, complaining was a total unknown. Unlike what mama had said to us, God gave His first two children a command that they were to obey without question. When He gave them that command, He also gave them the reason why. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’” (Genesis 2:16-17). If they committed just this one sin, it would be one sin too many! When the serpent talked to Eve, he first asked her a question. “And he said to the woman, Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1b). Eve’s answer would have been golden, had she not added something that God never said. “And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of

There was an article written some years ago, and the first line stated, “Just suppose that the Lord should begin next Sunday to make the people as sick as they say they are on Sunday and Wednesday.” The focus of this article will have a slightly different slant. Let’s just suppose that God began today to keep a record of our sins in thought, word and deed. It would not matter to Him how many times we genuinely asked His forgiveness. What a horrifying position to become aware of—our sins mounting by the second—and held against us for life! Unlimited forgiveness is available to the penitent through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Without Him, our sin debt exceeds all of our power, desire or ability to rescind. However, our forgiveness is predicated on our willingness to continually forgive those that sin against us. Jesus taught His disciples to pray as He responded to their request in Luke 11:1-13. Praying for forgiveness and extending it to others was part of that teaching. Verse 4 says, “And forgives us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” Let’s just suppose that God began today to treat us the way we sometimes treat others. Could we, would we take that kind of treatment from anybody? Would we be planning our retaliation? The world’s attitude is one of getting even, looking out for number one and stepping on others to get what you want. The way of the Lord is diametrically

As we have been granted the priceless gift of life in this New Year, we must keep the hope of heaven fresh in our hearts. Jesus said to the church at Smyrna in Revelation 2:10b, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” This verse is among some of the most familiar passages in the Book of Revelation. In the Truth for Today Commentary by David L. Roper, a few of his comments on the last part of this passage are as follows: “In context, the phrase until death means ‘even if it means your death.’ Jesus did not promise to deliver these Christians from trouble; rather, He would bring them safely through their trouble. In Jesus’ promise, the crown consists of life—eternal life” (124). The Lord’s strong encouragement to the church at Philadelphia certainly applies to those of us who want to make heaven our eternal home. Jesus said in Revelation 3:11, “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.” Brother Roper makes this noteworthy comment: “The Christians in Philadelphia may have possessed little—but regarding the important things, they had much: …They were to take a firm grip on what God had given them and never, never, never let go” (180). To let our crown be taken through any circumstance, condition, event, incident or situation is so past comprehension! It is noted that of the seven churches that Jesus addressed in Revelation chapters 1-3, the congregations at Smyrna and Philadelphia are the only two that