The apostle John encouraged his readers to live in a way that honors the Lord. There were those living among them who claimed to follow Jesus, but their life did not bear it out. Those who claimed to be following Jesus also hindered the walk of faith for those who truly followed Jesus. One of the descriptions given by John to determine who was faithful was the way they treated the brethren. In one place, he wrote, “He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him” (1 John 2:9–10 NKJV). The love brethren should show to one another comes from the knowledge of God sending His Son to die in our stead (1 John 4:9–11). God’s great love shown on the cross set the standard for love shared among brethren (1 John 3:16). Another description given to distinguish those who follow the Lord from those who did not was their actions. The epistle begins with the comparison of walking in the light and walking in darkness. Notice, those living in darkness do not practice the truth (1 John 1:6). On the other hand, those walking in the light bear a similarity to Jesus (1 John 1:7). John further distinguished between the two peoples in the third chapter. He explained, “Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He

Psalm 119 is the longest section of Scripture in the Bible. The Psalmist expressed joy, comfort and life found in learning God’s Word. He often asked God to teach or to show him His commandments, statutes and judgments. Let’s hear the psalmist. How would the love of God’s Word change our hearts, minds and attitudes? The Bible is often described as a love letter. God expressed His great love to us through the pages of His Word. A love of Scripture will help us weather any storm. It will also remind us of His work during our greatest joys. Today, may we read in order to understand God’s great will for us!

In the book of Job, God asked Satan where he had been. He told God, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it” (Job 1:7; 2:2 NKJV). Peter indicated Satan walks “about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Have you seen evidence that Satan has ceased his search for souls? The world seems to be filled with evidence that Satan still prowls about the earth. We, as Christians, ought to be on guard so we are not tricked by his devices. Satan has more experience deceiving us than we do at overcoming temptation. The devil is not fearful; rather, he is cunning, brave and deceptive. He uses any means at his disposal to conceal his actions as he stalks his prey. Since he is a capable adversary, what can we do to evade him? Peter instructed, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world” (1 Peter 5:8-9). Notice the instruction: In order to be found faithful, we must fight against the devil as he seeks our destruction. Paul reminded the Ephesian brethren that they were in a spiritual battle. Today, we fight that same battle, and we will continue to fight it until Jesus’ return. Let us be established in our faith and unwilling to

I have a recycling problem. Sometimes, I allow the amount of cardboard and shopping bags to grow into a small mountain before I haul them off. The cardboard is not a huge embarrassment because I can just pull to a bin where everyone else with the same problem throws their stuff. We tend not to judge the amount of cardboard each person has hanging out of a car or a truck. However, plastic bags are a little different. You have to find a place where you can take your bags, generally a store. Then, you carry the whole load through the parking lot to a designated bin. This past Monday, I found that Walmart still recycles plastic bags. It used to have a bin in the doorway where you could leave your bags. It has since been moved. I asked the greeter if Walmart still did recycling. She told me they did and that I could find the bin at customer service. I told her thank you and asked her not to judge me when I bring all these bags back into Walmart. She looked at me a little funny, but she did not know how many bags I was bringing. When we come together as the Lord’s church, people bring their own embarrassments with them. We have all sinned (Romans 3:23). We all continue to fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We are all in need of a Savior because our sins separate us from God

How many storms have you weathered? Anyone who has been on the water very much probably found himself in a storm. Few people enjoy boating across a tempestuous lake, let alone a sea. I imagine many more prayers enter God’s throne room during terrible storms than when fishing on beautiful days. Jesus and His disciples found themselves in a storm one day (Mark 4:35-41). During this storm, Jesus slept on a pillow in the stern of the boat. The disciples were distraught at the sea. The winds blew and the waves beat into the boat, filling it with water. They woke Jesus asking, “…Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38 NKJV). Jesus stood in the midst of the boat. He spoke, “…Peace, be still! …” (Mark 4:39). The winds and sea became calm. He asked, “…Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). The disciples were amazed at Jesus’ power. What can we learn from this event in the life of Jesus? We do not need to allow the difficult times of life to define us. We are not quitters and doubters. We are the children of the Almighty God. Let us put our hope and trust in Him, always.

Last Friday night, I met up with my friend, Jerry. We normally meet up on Friday nights to go fishing. The drive to Dandridge was not extraordinarily exciting except around exit eight. I got off of the exit and started up the small hill. An older gentleman turned down the exit the wrong way. He was coming right at me! I started honking my horn and waving my hands to get his attention, but he drove right past me. The truck behind me turned as to block the gentleman from continuing down the ramp into oncoming traffic. He just skirted around the truck and kept going. As I crossed the overpass, I looked to see if he made it alright. That was all I could do. Why would I tell you this story? I have no idea what ever happened to that gentleman. There are times in our lives when we see people who are not living as they ought. They may believe it is a good way and that it will lead them where they intend to go. However, they are mistaken. Jesus described this type of person in the Sermon on the Mount. Listen to His words, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast our demons in Your name, and done many

In order to be good at anything, one needs to practice. We have all seen number one teams in the nation lose. There are very few teams that remain undefeated throughout a whole season and conclude it with a championship win. Have you ever heard, “Practice beats talent when talent won’t practice”? Teams and individuals who demonstrate a lackadaisical work ethic but are highly talented struggle to live up to their potential. Less talented teams and individuals have won many contests. How many underdog stories have you heard? John compared walking in darkness (living in sin) with walking in the light (living in service to God) in his first epistle. Notice, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:6). The idea behind “do not practice the truth” refers to a hearer not doing the truth – not living according to the truth. James urged in his epistle, “…receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:21-22). Jesus taught, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). Christianity is not a religious set of “thou shalts” and “thou shalt nots” with which we strictly comply dull-mindedly. The Bible describes Christianity as a lifestyle that honors God and shuns evil. This means we must practice biblical teaching. The commands of Scripture

On March 25, 2022, #2 Texas played #16 Texas Tech. The game went into extra innings after Texas Tech tied the game at four runs. In the bottom of the tenth inning, Aaron Nixon walked Kurt Wilson. After a walk and a sacrifice bunt, Wilson made it to third base. Nixon proceeded to strike out the next two batters. He had two strikes on the batter when Wilson stole home for the win. How did Wilson steal home on a right-handed pitcher? Every time Nixon got a sign from the catcher, he would look at the ground for roughly three seconds. Nixon’s loss of focus allowed Wilson to rush home. Wilson was so prepared to steal home that Nixon looked up in time to see him slide across the plate. Three seconds looking at the ground earned Wilson a loss for the game. How often do we lose focus on our spiritual walk with the Lord? It is so easy to get wrapped up with everything going on around us that we take our eyes off Jesus. Notice the encouragements given in the New Testament. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15 NKJV). “Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for

Water movement is one cause of soil erosion, which may result from flooding, rainwater runoff or melting snow. The water takes soil from one place (e.g., a riverbank or a mountain top) and deposits it somewhere else (e.g., a delta). As the soil gets moved from one place to another, some areas lose soil while other places are built up. Erosion may result in fertile soil being washed downstream. Farmers and gardeners living upstream need to replace their soil, while people downstream benefit from the erosion upstream. Water movement is not the only cause for erosion, for wind also does its part, too. In either case, soil does not do anything to cause or to prevent erosion. Soil is affected by weather and does not have any control over whether it gets moved or stays in place. Our faith also can either grow, or it can erode away. We often read and hear about ways to grow our faith. We may even start to engage in activities that help our faith. However, we can also engage in activities that result in the erosion of our faith. How often do we think about sabotaging our faith? What kind of activities cause our faith to erode away? Not Paying Attention to God’s Word – The writer of Hebrews penned, “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away…how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation…” (Hebrews 2:1, 3a NKJV). If we

There are several passages of Scripture that speak to our current situation. These passages are not necessarily prophecies as much as they assure us that evil desires are nothing new. Paul informed Timothy that “evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13 NKJV). Demar Elam expresses the reality of the situation in his statement, “Evil circles the globe while truth puts her boots on.” Evil holds drawing power due to its acceptance. Once it gains acceptance, evil picks up speed due to its willing accomplices. Listen to Paul’s description in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Evil steals all care for others’ wellbeing while pleasing the god of self. Whatever seems good to the eyes and pleasurable at the moment drives the willing participant to engage in his or her desires. These activities not only jade the eyes but also harden the heart. The now victim becomes so enamored by evil that he or she is unwilling to accept a worldview apart from sin. Sin rules over one as a king (John 8:34). It promises freedom but enslaves the poor soul to a life of heavy

Who do you see in the picture? Some see a young woman who is dressed up for a party. Others claim this is an old woman dressed for warmth. Who is right? The answer primarily results from one’s perspective. Now that you know both possible perspectives, can you see from the other point of view? This picture serves as a powerful example. This picture could either be an old woman or a young woman. Both of these answers are valid. One of these answers is not better than the other. However, not everything in life fits this scenario. Instances exist where one needs to analyze the situation before making a judgment. Appearances often fail to fully identity a situation. A more thorough look produces better results. Mark recorded an account in his Gospel record concerning Jesus and a man with a withered hand (Mark 3:1-6). The incident occurred on a Sabbath in a synagogue. People watched to see if Jesus would heal this man on the Sabbath. Jesus asked the question, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” (Mark 3:4). When everyone kept silent, Jesus instructed the man to stretch out his hand (Mark 3:5). This wonderful blessing caused the Pharisees to begin making plans to destroy Jesus (Mark 3:6). Why would they seek to kill Jesus? It was because they judged the healing of the man as a work done on the Sabbath. The punishment for a sin

The presence of social media allows a single statement to travel the world in milliseconds. Have you ever thought about the power of sending a single message? Much good has been accomplished via social media. Many people gain the opportunity to hear the Gospel preached. Others beg for prayers from those who believe. Comfort comes from reading stories, Scriptures or encouraging thoughts sent out from “friends.” On the other hand, much harm oozes from the screens of mobile devices. Many disparage life while blaming God for troublesome times in their lives. The language used by our “friends” and even other Christians ought to make us blush as we read them. One of my favorite YouTubers made this comment: “If you voice an opinion on social media, someone will rebut it. What one would never say to your face, he will throw it on social media. If I said, ‘chocolate chip cookies are great,’ someone would disagree.” Not being able to see the face of those who read our messages or hear their responses gives us a type of blind strength. As a follower of Jesus, there are several verses we ought to consider in our conversations with others. Note the following list that was compiled by Karen Ehman. The world strives to draw us back into it. Troublesome times and desperate situations tend to be an inlet for Satan to gain a foothold. When scrolling through Facebook, we may find posts with content presented in hurtful, divisive and even hateful ways.

How many times have people hurt our feelings or treated us wrongfully? This number may seem to be too many to count. How many times has the person who mistreated you repeatedly done so? This number may also be a huge number. How many times were you the one needing forgiveness? The question may not seem as large as the other answers. Why? We seem to be forgetful when it comes to our wrongdoings. We can become just as forgetful about the wrongdoings of others. God practices true forgiveness. Listen to the writer of Hebrews, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12 NKJV). The phrase translated “remember no more” means “not to recall,” “not to call to mind” and “not to mention.” The Almighty God of the universe chooses not to keep a record of wrongs committed by His children. Why can God choose not to recall the wrongdoings? It is because love “thinks no evil” (1 Corinthians 13:5). The New American Standard Bible translates this phrase “does not keep an account of a wrong suffered.” God does not focus on the wrong committed but on His love for the individual child of God. He is faithful toward us even when we are faithless toward Him (2 Timothy 2:13). We can practice this type of love toward other individuals. Proverb 10:12 states, “Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins.” Peter points to this proverb

The prophet Habakkuk had a problem. He saw the evil, pain and suffering inflicted by the wicked upon the righteous. Listen to his plea. O Lord, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save. Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises. Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds. (Habakkuk 1:2-4 NKJV) Habakkuk desired to see the wicked punished for their actions. He called for the Lord to intercede on behalf of the righteous. He wanted to see justice. The Lord answered his pleas by giving him an answer. The Lord would raise up the Chaldeans to bring a judgment against His people. The Lord’s explanations displeased and confused Habakkuk. The truth was the Lord had a reason for the plan that He revealed to Habakkuk. Today, the earth is still full of evil, pain and suffering. One cannot deny this fact when it is ever present in television and social media. The news continually speaks about it. People make posts about the hurt and pain happening around them. The evil of this world readily works itself into the normal conversations of life. The temptation to cry out “How long!” remains today. Peter enlightened the reader to the longsuffering of God. Hear his words. “The Lord is

As Christians, we are the servants of the Most High God. What an honor! The service we render ought to flow out of appreciation. Jesus’ sacrifice and our obedience to the Gospel bridges the great divide between our once lost state and our heavenly home. We do not have one ounce of hope without the blood of Christ. Once we commit one sin, we become morally bankrupt. Jesus put it this way. “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34 NKJV). The longer we engage in sinful acts, the more natural that way of life becomes to us (Ephesians 2:3). However, salvation results from changing our mind about sin and obeying the Gospel through faith (2 Corinthians 7:10; Acts 2:38-39) – [an obedient faith (Romans 1:5; 16:26) rather than a dead faith (James 2:17, 20, 26), which leads to baptism for the remission or the forgiveness of sins (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 22:16). ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]. Living by [obedient] faith gains us the victory over sin and death (1 John 5:3-5; Revelation 2:10). When we consider our past condition and our new hope, grace actually teaches us to live differently. Paul explained it thusly. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12). The receipt of grace ought to humble us to the point that we change

There are a number of people who can identify trees in the wintertime. They observe the type of bark, branch structure and environmental factors. Everyone else relies on the presence of leaves or fruit to draw their conclusions. The leaves and fruit serve as the primary information many people use for the basis of their discernment or judgment. In a similar manner, our life’s fruit serves as an indicator of our faithfulness to God’s Word. Jesus informed the crowd that a broad way lies before them and many will be on it by mistake (Matthew 7:13-14, 21-23). How does one find himself or herself on the broad way to destruction, howbeit, by mistake? Jesus gave that answer as well. He warned of false teachers who appear to be God’s people but are not (Matthew 7:15). How can one spot the false teacher? Jesus taught, “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit” (Matthew 7:16-18). One ought to pay attention to the lives of those who lead them in faith to know where he or she is being led. The path may not be leading in the right direction. Similarly, we ought to inspect our own fruit. The activities we engage ought to be pointing to the cross where one finds God’s

Every new year brings the desire to make changes in our lives. We do this to make life better for ourselves. Sadly, the desire soon wanes, and we go back to our old lifestyles. This loss of hope seems to be a constant problem with New Year’s resolutions. Money, time, effort and energy are spent on January 1st that are forgotten before February 1st. I recommend declaring a revolution as a solution to this problem. Revolutions bring about change. I know it is a change of wording; however, resolutions have been broken for so long that futility almost resides in the definition of the word “resolution.” Let us desire to make lasting changes in our lives. So, no more walking around wishing to be closer to God. Let us draw nearer to Him! Diet There are many people who start dieting to lose physical weight. We also need to start a diet in order to follow nearer to God. Jesus proclaimed, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). Hunger and thirst are two of the most pressing urges people experience. The account of Jesus and the Samaritan woman serves as an example of hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Jesus spoke to a Samaritan woman at a well while traveling through Sychar (John 4:4-26). During their conversation, the Samaritan woman believed Jesus to be the Christ (Messiah). She left her waterpot and went into the city. She gathered other people and brought

The average diameter of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 is 0.12 micrometers according to a Mayo Clinic article from last April. A lab guide from LSU gives the average human cheek cell diameter as 60 micrometers. The human cheek cell is 500 times larger than the coronavirus. Yet, something so small affects the whole person. The smallest sin has the same devastating effect. Jesus explained to the Pharisees that “whoever commits sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). Sin corrupts the mind and causes the sinner to desire it (James 1:14-15). Sinfulness becomes second nature to the sinner (Ephesians 2:2-3). Every single sin separates the sinner from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). The same sin that separates the sinner from God also brings death (Romans 6:23). The worst part about sin is that every human has sinned and will continue to fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The Gospel is God’s answer to sin. It tells of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The Gospel is the power of God to salvation for everyone (Romans 1:16). Jesus’ death on the cross pays the redemptive price for those who would follow Him (Titus 2:11-14). The cross demonstrates God’s love toward all humanity (Romans 5:8). In truth, God does not desire for any to perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Time will tell if the Covid-19 vaccine proves to be a success. However, God’s plan of salvation holds true one hundred percent of

At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus gathered disciples by saying, “Follow me” (Mark 1:17; John 1:43; Luke 5:27). Each man left his old life to begin a new one following Jesus. Our Lord invited anyone to be His disciple by denying oneself, taking up a cross and following Him (Matthew 16:24). However, there were two individuals who did not heed the invitation during Jesus’ earthly ministry (Mark 10:21-22; Luke 9:59-60). After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to the apostles (John 21). He asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Each time, Peter confirmed his love for Jesus. Each time, Jesus gave Peter a task to complete. After the third time, Jesus informed Peter of the type of death he would eventually suffer for Christ’s sake. Jesus invited Peter to “Follow me” once again. Peter saw John after he understood the suffering he would endure. He asked Jesus about John and if he would suffer the same. Jesus responded, “If I will that he remains till I come, what is that to you? You follow me” (John 21:22). In other words, “Focus on Me, not John.” The apostle Paul encouraged the Galatian brethren to “bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). Some of the brethren were overtaken in trespasses. They needed someone to help restore their relationship to Christ. Paul cautioned those who sought erring brethren to use a ‘spirit of gentleness considering themselves lest they also be tempted’ (Galatians 6:1). Later, he emphasized,

When I say the name “Peter,” what comes to your mind? The apostle Peter’s character shines abundantly in the Gospel records. I believe this to be true because Peter was not afraid to speak his mind. There are times when he got it right (“You are the Christ, the son of the living God,” Matthew 16:16), and there were times when he got it wrong (“Far be it from you, Lord; this shall not happen to you!” Matthew 16:22). Regardless, he forcibly gave his input. One day, Jesus sent the apostles across the Sea of Galilee by boat (Matthew 14:22-33). He stayed to send away the multitudes and to pray on the mountain. The hour got late. Jesus began to walk across the water to meet the apostles on the other side of the sea. He would have passed them, but they cried out in fear. They believed Jesus to be a ghost. Jesus called to them, trying to comfort them by revealing His identity. Peter set out a challenge, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Jesus replied, “Come.” Peter left the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. After some time, Peter noticed the storm that surrounded him. Peter began to sink into the water. Jesus reached down to grab his hand. Jesus responded, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Jesus and Peter entered the boat. The other apostles worshipped Jesus. What can we learn? (1) Peter

How often does temptation cause you to hide your faith? Do you have friends or relatives who do not appreciate your beliefs? When asked about weekend plans, do you mention every detail except Sunday’s sermon? Satan uses family, friends and other relationships to tempt God’s people concerning their faith. Every time an individual succumbs to this temptation, he or she draws further from Christ. Those who hold on to the confession of faith draw closer to Him. The Old Testament gives several examples of God’s people holding on to their faith during trials. The Book of Daniel details a situation with Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego (Daniel 3). Their example demonstrates the power of confession and standing by one’s faith in God. King Nebuchadnezzar erected a giant statue of himself in Babylon. He gathered many of the government officials together. He declared that at the sound of all sorts of musical instruments the officials would bow down to worship the idol. Any individual who failed to worship the idol would be thrown into a fiery furnace. The music sounded and all of the people except Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego fell down to worship the idol. The king received news concerning their refusal to worship the image. He called them to himself. He reiterated his desire and expectation for idol worship. They withstood him and said, “If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be