BibleImpressions.org

Life is hard.

In some cases, one’s stressful circumstances can lead to severe depression which in turn can lead to wanting to take one’s own life.

Seemingly overwhelming financial pressures, a disappointing marriage, losing a business you worked on for many years, a debilitating health condition, death of family member(s), and the list goes on…

Some get to a breaking point where they want out of this life because they do not think life is worth living anymore.

If you are a Christian, would God, your heavenly Father, give you more than you can bear to the point where you want to commit suicide?

By desiring to take your life, you are in essence saying to God, “You cannot help and bring me through my situation and the despondent state I am in.”

That is contrary to what we read in the Bible – “Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”  (Psalm 124.8)

Isaiah 43:2 says, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”

Notice the word “When,” not “If.”  All of us at one point or another has or will experience something that feels overwhelming.  BUT, we must remember, we can cry out to God to help us.  As we just read in Isaiah 43:2, He is with us.  We will not be overcome and “drown” or be “burned.”

Speaking of being “burned,” that reminds us of the book of Daniel.  In Chapter 3, we read these words, “…To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”  (verses 4-6)

Remember Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.  It was brought to Nebuchadnezzar’s attention that, “ …they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”  (Daniel 3:12).   They were warned by Nebuchadnezzar that if they did not obey the decree, they would be cast into the burning fiery furnace.  Daniel’s friends responded, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”  (Daniel 3:17-18)     

You know the rest of the story.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego indeed were bound and cast into the fiery furnace.   After a while, Nebuchadnezzar said, “…Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”  (verse 25).

We read further, “…[we] saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.  Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.  (verses 27-28)

The point of all this is that God was with them.  He delivered them out of this terrible situation that they were thrust into. Their faith was tested in a big way. They obeyed God, rather than men.

Keep in mind, beloved, the experiences that come our way are allowed by God.  He is sovereign.  What does that mean?  It means that in some situations, God allows things that He did not cause.

In “What does it mean that God is Sovereign,” we read, “The fact that God is sovereign essentially means that He has the power, wisdom, and authority to do anything He chooses within His creation.”  Later it says, “God’s “sovereignty” means that He is absolute in authority and unrestricted in His supremacy. Everything that happens is, at the very least, the result of God’s permissive will.”

None of us is exempt from experiencing problems, struggles and hardships.  The Bible says, “…he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”  (Matthew 5:45)   

Remember Job.  His wealth and his sons were taken away from him.  How did he react?  He said these words – “…Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”  (Job 1:21)

Shortly after that he was stricken with boils from head to toe.

He was at a very low point of his life.

Job suffered a great deal for God’s purposes to be accomplished.  He ultimately saw the greatness of God and his own self as being “vile,” (40:4).  He abhorred himself and repented in dust and ashes (42:6).

Through it all, Job sinned not (1:22).  In the end, God restored his health and his family.  His sheep, camels, oxen and livestock were restored two-fold.

And so, we must accept that we will experience times of despair and stressful situations in this life.  However, we must remember that we have a God who loves us and cares deeply about us so much that he sent his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die for us. 

He is with us.  He will see us through whatever struggles and burdens we are experiencing.

Talk with a friend. Seek out godly counsel.  Share your burden with other Christians so they can help encourage you and pray with you.

The Christian has hope with a bright future ahead.  We are “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:17).  We are destined for heaven to be with our Lord Jesus Christ for eternity!

Do not give in or give up, dear child of God.  Taking one’s own life is not of God.

Recall Romans 8:28 – “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Keep looking up!  Our help cometh from the Lord…

Sometimes you just want to cry.

Maybe you found out you or a loved one has a serious medical issue, or a loved one or a friend you were close with died, or you’re having problems with a co-worker, or your car breaks down.  Perhaps you lost your phone or wallet, things are not going well with your family, you lost your job, and the list goes on…

Or maybe you just break out in tears hearing about a random act of violence – a senseless killing or murder.  Seemingly, we live in an increasing evil world, filled with much lawlessness, corruption and hatred.

There are all kinds of problems and struggles we encounter during the course of our lives that can cause us to shed a tear or two, or much more.

Our tears do not go unnoticed, however. God sees every one of them.

As an example, consider king Hezekiah when he was close to death:

“In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’ ”

Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying, “Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying,  “Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord.  And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David.” ’ ”  (2 Kings 20: 1-6)

Notice the Lord says, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you.”  He not only healed him, but extended his life by fifteen years.

Psalm 56 contains these words:

“Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.

In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word.

In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.” (Psalm 56:8-11)

Alexander MacLaren’s commentary on Psalm 56, as referenced in blueletterbible.com, states:

What a lovely figure is that of God’s treasuring up His servants’ tears (verse 8) in His “bottle,” the skin in which liquids were kept! What does He keep them for? To show how precious they are in His sight, and perhaps to suggest that they are preserved for a future use. The tears that His children shed and give to Him to keep cannot be tears of rebellious or unmeasured weeping, and will be given back one day to those who shed them, converted into refreshment, by the same Power which of old turned water into wine.”

“Think not thou canst weep a tear,
And the Maker is not near.”

That verse in Psalm 30 reminds me of Revelation 21:

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”  (Revelation 21:1-4)

Notice that, there will come a time that God will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, nor any more pain.

And so, beloved, know that your tears are seen by God and “kept in a bottle” to be converted to “joy” in the future.

“Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning.”  (Psalm 30:5b)

You’ve often heard the expression “The Gospel.”  What is The Gospel exactly?

“The word gospel literally means “good news” and occurs 93 times in the Bible, exclusively in the New Testament. In Greek, it is the word euaggelion, from which we get our English words evangelist, evangel, and evangelical.  The gospel is, broadly speaking, the whole of Scripture; more narrowly, the gospel is the good news concerning Christ and the way of salvation.”  (https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-the-gospel.html)

The Bible is one whole, divided into two sections – the Old and New Testaments.  The first four books of the New Testament are known as “the Four Gospels” – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

We know the major theme of the Gospels is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why, then, are there four?

Think of being outside and looking at a home or building.  As we walk around the perimeter, we view four sides that make up the whole – the front, rear, left side and right side.  Each one gives us a different view or perspective of the structure.

And so, with the four gospels, it is as if each author – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – is giving us a different view of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ is presented as the King in Matthew.  Mark presents Him as the Servant.  In Luke, He is presented as the Son of Man and in John’s Gospel, Jesus is presented primarily as the Son of God.

Just like the sides of a home or building, there are similarities and differences in the Gospels.

In the *Schofield Study Bible, there is a summary/outline given at the beginning of each book in the Bible.  The following was gleaned from those “summaries.”

Matthew

In Matthew, being presented as the King, the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ is traced to King David.

In 5:35, Matthew mentions the city of the great King.

Matthew is also the Gospel of the Kingdom; in it the word “kingdom” appears more than 50 times.

Mark

presents Christ as the Servant of the Lord, “sent to accomplish a specific work for God.”  The emphasis is more on his deeds than words.

“Because he is presented as a Servant, a genealogy is not needed.”

Luke

“[Luke’s] emphasis is upon the perfect humanity of Christ, whom it presents as the Son of Man, the human-divine Person, and whose genealogy it traces to Adam.  The parables found in this Gospel show Christ’s concern for lost humanity.”

John

presents the Lord Jesus as the Son of God (1:34, 49) who was sent from God (3:2, 6:46) and always spoke the message God gave him.”

“The purpose of John’s Gospel is that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name.” (John 20:31).

And so, as we read the entire four Gospels, we get a more comprehensive view of the Lord Jesus Christ, as each author – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – presents a more distinct side of Him as King, as Servant, as Son of Man and as Son of God, respectively.

As we read the precious Word of God, and in particular the Four Gospels, may the Spirit of God help us gain an appreciation of that blessed Man, presently seated in glory at the right hand of God, who awaits for the Father’s command to take us home to be with Himself!

*Schofield Study Bible, copyright 2003 by Oxford University Press, Inc.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines integrity as “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you refuse to change.”

There are times in life that our integrity is put to the test.

Here are some practical examples:

1. Reporting only some of our earned income that is required to be documented on our taxes. 

2. Lying on our resume with the hope of landing a specific job.

3. Using inferior project materials and/or providing shoddy workmanship for a customer.

4. Plagiarizing, that is, the thought of stealing someone’s words or ideas and giving the appearance that it is our own.

5. Not working a full-day as defined by our employer. 

Sometimes we justify our actions by thinking, “It’s okay, I’m not hurting anyone.”

It occurred to me years ago that integrity is simply doing the right thing even when no one is looking.

We need to keep in mind, however, that there is always “someone” looking, and that is God himself!

Here are some Bible verses to support that thought:

“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”  (Proverbs 15:3)

“For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.”   (Job 34:21)

“The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.”  (Psalm 11:4)

“The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.”  (Psalm 33:13)

“For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.”   (Jeremiah 16:17)

“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”  (Hebrews 4:13)

If we belong to Christ, we surely do not want to disappoint Him.  He is the One who loved us “so” by going to Calvary’s cross – the One who subjected Himself to God’s awful wrath those three dark hours and paid the penalty for OUR sins, allowing us access to heaven and eternal life.

The moment we embraced Jesus as our Lord and Savior we became “a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).  We are “…dead to sin…” (Romans 6:11); it no longer has dominion over us.

What a testimony to others to be thought of as a person of integrity, should others be aware of our actions!

I knew a Christian who was fired because he refused to “fudge the numbers” for a client while employed at a CPA firm.  He lived up to the definition of integrity mentioned above – “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you refuse to change.”

Be vigilant, dear brother, dear sister. Should our integrity ever be compromised, it is very hard to get it back.  If it is compromised, thankfully, we can confess our sin, be forgiven and restored to fellowship with the Lord.

Remember, while others may not see or know what we do, God does, and we will be rewarded accordingly.

When we appear before the Lord Jesus Christ in a future day, might we each hear those words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

In the interim, may each of us, with the help of the Spirit of God, exhibit integrity in our daily lives, as God is watching…

Have you ever asked yourself questions like:

“Why am I here?”

“Is there a purpose and a plan for my life?”

“When I die, where will I go?”

“Is there a heaven and a hell?”

The only place we can find the answer to these questions and others like them is in the Bible, the Word of God.

What is required is simple – having faith.

You already have faith and manifest it daily, possibly not even realizing it.  Let me illustrate with a few examples:

When you go into a restaurant and proceed to sit down, you have faith that the chair will hold you up, right?

Once you get into your car and fasten your seatbelt, you turn the key and expect the car to start, don’t you?

When you take your medication, you have faith and believe that it will do what it is prescribed to do, right?

I see you nodding in agreement.  (smile)

One last question – Do you have a brain?  Have you ever seen it?

I see you smiling….you get the point! (smile)

Jesus said, “…Have faith in God.”  (Mark 11:22)

But, you ask, how do I get this faith?

Here is the verse that answers that question – “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”  (Romans 10:17). 

In the early days of the church, the completed Bible had not been written yet, so it (mostly the Old Testament scriptures) was read aloud by men like Paul, the apostle, and others.

We have the complete written Word of God, the Bible, so we can read it and receive faith to believe what it says.

But, you say, the verse speaks of “hearing” the Word.  Well, feel free to read it out loud as they did back then so you can hear it!   

If we want to know the will, plan and purpose of our life, we must first enter into a relationship with God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Consider these verses:

“…I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  (John 14:6)

 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16)

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”  (John 5:24)

Notice in each of these verses in John’s Gospel there is the connection of the Father and Jesus, the Son.

You may be a skeptic like Thomas that needs to “see” Jesus to believe.  The Lord Jesus said, “…blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”  (John 20:29)

Here is the passage, which occurs subsequent to Jesus being raised from the dead:

“But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.  The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.  Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.  And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.  Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”  (John 20:24-29)

Having faith in God pleases Him.  “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”  (Hebrews 11:6)

At the very least, I would encourage you the read the Gospel of John, “…that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”  (John 20:31)

My prayer is that you also channel the faith you show in everyday life towards the God of Heaven, and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

My Faith Has Found A Resting Place (Eliza Edmunds Hewitt, author)

My faith has found a resting place,
Not in device or creed;
I trust the ever-living One,
His wounds for me shall plead.

Enough for me that Jesus saves,
This ends my fear and doubt;
A sinful soul I came to Him,
He’ll never cast me out.

My heart is leaning on the Word,
The living Word of God,
Salvation by my Savior’s name,
Salvation through His blood.

My great physician heals the sick,
The lost He came to save;
For me His precious blood He shed,
For me His life He gave.

Refrain:
I need no other argument,
I need no other plea,
It is enough that Jesus died,
And that He died for me.

Creation vs. Evolution: Does God Exist?

From the Britannica.com/science/evolution-scientific-theory/ web page we read:

“Evolution is a scientific theory in biology that explains how various types of plants, animals and other living things on Earth have their origin in other preexisting types and that the differences are due to modifications in successive generations.”

“The virtually infinite variations on life are the fruit of the evolutionary process. All living creatures are related by descent from common ancestors. Humans and other mammals descend from shrew-like creatures that lived more than 150 million years ago; mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes share as ancestors aquatic worms that lived 600 million years ago; and all plants and animals derive from bacteria-like microorganisms that originated more than 3 billion years ago. Biological evolution is a process of descent with modification. Lineages of organisms change through generations; diversity arises because the lineages that descend from common ancestors diverge through time.”

Later in the article, it states, “Evolutionists no longer are concerned with obtaining evidence to support the fact of evolution but rather are concerned with what sorts of knowledge can be obtained from different sources of evidence.” 

If desired, the reader can explore much more on the subject of Evolution.

On the other hand, there are those that believe in Creationism.  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as “a doctrine or theory holding that matter, the various forms of life, and the world were created by God out of nothing and usually in the way described in Genesis” in the Bible.

So, in essence, there are two camps – those that believe that humans descended from lower forms of life (Evolutionists) and those that do not (Creationists).

This has prompted many to ask, “Does God exist?”

In an article entitled, “5 Proofs for the Existence of God” by Andrew Corbett, we read the following:

“Are there reasonable proofs for God? In December 2004 it was announced that long time British Professor and Philosopher, Anthony Flew, regarded by many as “the world’s most acclaimed atheist”, had renounced his atheism in favour of theism…

This dramatic conversion has been likened by Astrophysicist and now one of the world’s leading Cosmologists, Dr. Hugh Ross, as having the same impact on the academic world as an announcement that Billy Graham had renounced Christianity would have on the Church!

One of the reasons cited by Prof. Flew was ‘the evidence.’ He admitted that for a long time the growing problem of Evolution’s inability to explain how life began, or for that matter, how anything began, led him to the inevitable conclusion that it was an inadequate answer in the face of the evidence. Then when the DNA Genome code was unraveled the evidence for Design became “undeniable.” These two pieces of evidence (1. the existence of life demanding a Life-Source, and 2. the scientific evidence of an extremely complex code in the make-up of that life- DNA) were enough for Professor Flew to renounce atheism.”

Similarly, in an article entitled, “Renowned Atheist-Turned-Deist Antony Flew Dies at 87,” April 15, 2010, Eric Young quotes Professor Flew stating that “the findings of more than 50 years of DNA research have provided materials for a new and enormously powerful argument to design.”

“Like proponents of Intelligent Design, Flew concluded that a super-intelligence is the only good explanation for the origin of life and the complexity of nature.”

So, Professor Flew, a very prestigious professor and philosopher, renounced his atheism is favor of theism.  We should not necessarily assume that he started to believe in the God of the Bible, but only that he renounced his belief that there is no god (atheism).

In conclusion, then, Evolution’s inability to explain how life began led Professor Flew to denounce Atheism.

What, then, is the Christian viewpoint on Creation?

Consider these Bible verses:

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”  (Genesis 1:1).

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: … So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.  And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.  And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.  And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”  (Genesis 1:1,26-31)

“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 soul.”  (Genesis 2:7)

It seems to me that it takes less faith to believe that the creation of the universe and of man originated with God.   We read, “In the beginning God… .”  God is a Higher Being than us.  I, and every Christian I know, believe that mankind was created directly by God as stated in Genesis and did not evolve from a lower form(s) of life.

Earlier, we made reference to Andrew Corbett’s article, “5 Proofs for the Existence of God.

He makes five major points for the existence of God, as follows:

1.  Everything has a cause…

2.  There is evidence for design…

3.  There is intrinsic morality which needs a point of reference…

4.  The Resurrection of Jesus Christ…

5.  The claims of Christ can be experienced…

Item 4 is quite compelling.  He states “Skeptics may dispute this historical claim that Jesus Christ rose again from the dead but they do so perilously. This is because there is enough evidence to validate it and it is the point at which all of the history of Christ and Christianity rests. This means that if anything of Christ and Christianity is true then the Physical Resurrection of Christ is also true. The opposite is also true. If Christ did not literally rise from the dead then none of his history or teachings have any credence.”

Perhaps you, or someone you know, is a skeptic like Thomas that needs to “see” to believe.

Here is the record in John’s Gospel (words in bold for emphasis):

“But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.  The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.  And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.  Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.  And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.  Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”  (John 20:24-29)

Dear reader, my prayer is that you would come to believe in the God of creation, and his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is He who died for you so that you can have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16)

Know that wherever you are at this moment, God sees you.  If you are serious, take a moment and simply bow your head and pray to God.  Acknowledge to the God of Creation that He created you and that you want a relationship with Him through faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, “…the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” (John 6:37)

“…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved…”  (Acts 16:31)  “Saved from what?” you might ask.  Saved from eternal damnation and ultimately “everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”  (Matthew 25:41).

If you already are a believer, rejoice, for your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life!

If you are not, please, do not pass up this opportunity to believe what you just read.  Do it today as it may be the day you take your last breath on earth!  You do not want to go into eternity without having received Christ as your Saviour.

It is God’s desire for “all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”  (1 Timothy 2:4)

Will you accept God’s offer of salvation and eternal life?

“… weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”  Psalm 30:5

Many are weeping.  Someone may be dealing with a serious health issue or the death of a loved one or having lost all their earthly possessions, and so on…

Recently, we have seen devastating pictures of Hurricane Idalia in Florida and also fires in Hawaii, causing many deaths and incredible destruction.  The pictures are heart-wrenching, including those living in war zones like in the Ukraine.

There is so much sickness, sadness, suffering, death and destruction happening all over this world.

Today may be a time of weeping, but it is just “for a night.”   We must remember that what we are going through is only temporary in comparison to eternity.

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”  (James 1:2-4, New Living Translation)

When we go through trials, our faith is tested which helps us to grow and mature.

None of us wants to experience pain and suffering.  We know that God must have a purpose as He allows it.  Believer or unbeliever, NO ONE is exempt from these trials as the Bible says that our Father, “…sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”  (Matthew 5:45)

When something inexplicable happens, we can lean on the verse, “…Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”  (Genesis 18:25)

God knew us before we were born.  “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee;….,” God told Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5).  He is aware and interested in every aspect of our lives.  He is in control of our circumstances and allows things to happen.  We must believe our Father cares and loves us and has in view what is best for us so we can grow to become the sons and daughters he desires. 

Nothing happens by accident without his knowledge.  If he brings us into challenging circumstances, He will provide the grace needed to endure.  Remember when Paul, the apostle, had “a thorn in the flesh.”  He prayed that it would be removed. As far as we know, it never was.  “And [the Lord] said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”  (2 Corinthians 12:9)

The Lord Jesus Christ said that he will never leave us nor forsake us.  (Hebrews 13:5).  Here is what should comfort us – that the Lord is going through the circumstance WITH us! Dwell on that thought for a moment or two!

In another place we read that he is touched with the feelings of our infirmities (Hebrews 4:15).

We must keep things in perspective:

 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”  (2 Corinthian 4:17-18)

“Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”  (James 5:8)

His return is imminent.  He may come today!

There will come a time in the future that, “… God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”  (Revelation 21:4)

Dear brother, dear sister, cheer up!  Be encouraged!  Our future is bright because we are linked with Christ for eternity!

“…weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning!”

“Because He Lives”   by Bill Gaither

God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone,
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he brings;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

And then one day, I’ll cross the river,
I’ll fight life’s final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to victory,
I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”  (Matthew 16:19-21)

When I read this verse again recently, it made me ask myself, “Where is my treasure?”  “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

I must confess that the Lord is not always foremost in my thoughts.  Is that true of you, also?

We must be circumspect that we do not allow ourselves to get overly involved in financial pursuits, and by extension, politics, sports, our worldly ambitions, etc., at the expense of our time alone with God.

What will help us is if we take time to read the Word of God and pray daily.

Certainly, our thoughts will influence the life that we live and who we become.  “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:…” (Proverbs 23:7)

Philippians 4:8 also comes to mind –  “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Reading these verses, does it not point to our Lord Jesus Christ, that “blessed man of Calvary?”  Is He not worthy of our meditation of who He is and what He has accomplished for us?

In addition to those we associate with, people observe our life by what we do and say.

Can they look at us and say we are “different?” 

We are supposed to be a reflection of the Lord Jesus, like the moon is a reflection of the sun.  Can others see that reflection of Christ in us?

Remember Paul also said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.  (Romans 12:1-2)

We are supposed to be different by not conforming to this world, being transformed by the renewing of our mind…

Others are observing our behavior, but so is God.  Unlike others, He sees us every moment of every day – “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”  (Hebrews 4:13)

And so, our time on earth is short.  May we redeem the time we have – “making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”  (Ephesians 5:16, NASB)

The Lord is coming soon, to receive us to Himself.

There are many things we cannot control, but, we can control how we spend our time.  With the days we have remaining, may our focus be on Him and His interests, not on our own.  Might we seek to lay up for ourselves “treasures in heaven” and not on the earth, for this is not our home.

I’m But a Stranger Here
   (by Thomas Rawson Taylor)

I’m but a stranger here,
Heaven is my home;
Earth is a desert drear;
Heaven is my home:
Danger and sorrow stand
Round me on every hand;
Heaven is my fatherland,
Heaven is my home.

What though the tempest rage,
Heaven is my home;
Short is my pilgrimage,
Heaven is my home:
And time’s wild wintry blast
Soon shall be overpast;
I shall reach home at last,
Heaven is my home.

There at my Saviour’s side,
Heaven is my home
I shall be glorified,
Heaven is my home.
There are the good and blest,
Those I love most and best;
And there I too shall rest,
Heaven is my home.

Therefor I murmur not,
Heaven is my home;
Whate’er my earthly lot,
Heaven is my home:
And I shall surely stand
There at my Lord’s right hand:
Heaven is my fatherland,
Heaven is my home.

“[Charles F. Stanley] frequently repeated his life motto, which he learned from his grandfather: Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.”

In the Bible, there are recorded many who did just that – they obeyed God and left the consequences to Him.  One account that comes to mind is that of

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3)

These three men refused to “fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up…”  Anyone who refused would “be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.” 

When brought before the king, they “said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

19Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. 20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22 Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellers, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. 25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. 27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellers, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort. 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.

As a result of the faithfulness and obedience of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to God, they were preserved through the trial and subsequently blessed.

Another example is

Naboth (1 Kings Chapter 21)

Naboth, the Jezreelite, had a vineyard which was next to the King’s palace.  The king coveted it.  He told Naboth that he would give him a better vineyard or money, based on its value.  “And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.” (verse 3)  So King Ahab became discouraged and went home, laid in his bed and would not eat.

His wife Jezebel asked him why he was so sad.  He explained to her why.  So she plotted to have Naboth killed – “…she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.  And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die. (verse 8-10)

And that is exactly what happened.  Naboth was taken out of the city and they stoned him with stones that he died.

So Jezebel told King Ahab that Naboth was dead and the King then took possession of the vineyard.

Summation

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego told King Nebuchadnezzar that God was able to deliver them, but if he chose not to, they would not serve Nebuchadnezzar’s gods or worship other images.  They were then cast into a fiery furnace; it was so hot that the men who bound and cast them into the fiery furnace died.  But, the three of them came forth out of the fiery furnace, “upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.” Because of the faithfulness and obedience of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, God preserved them through the trial and they were subsequently blessed.

Naboth chose not to give to King Ahab the land he inherited from his fathers.  Jezebel, Ahab’s wife, saw to it that Naboth was stoned and died.  God allowed Naboth to suffer and die, but God pronounced judgement upon King Ahab’s house for the evil he did.

There are also others we could look at, such as Daniel, Stephen, Peter, Paul, the apostle, and many more.

But, in this writing, we considered just two – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and that of Naboth.

Of course, the greatest example of all is that of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He lived a life in complete submission and obedience to the Father, and we know what happened to Him.  May we “follow his steps.”

We remember the words of Job – “Though [God] slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” (Job 13:15)

…and also the words of Peter and the apostles – “…we ought to obey God rather than men.”  (Acts 5:29)

May each of us be faithful and obedient in our walk with God, leaving all the consequences to Him.

A Mighty Fortress is Our God

1. A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
   Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
   For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
   His craft and pow’r are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
   On earth is not his equal.
2. Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing,
   Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
   Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
   Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
   And He must win the battle.
3. And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
   We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us;
   The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
   His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
   One little word shall fell him.
4. That word above all earthly pow’rs, no thanks to them, abideth;
   The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth;
   Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
   The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
   His kingdom is forever.

[For emphasis, Scripture may be underlined and/or appear in bold type].

You’ll recall the account in Numbers 13 where Moses sends twelve men to spy out the land of Canaan.  A ruler of every tribe is chosen.

They were to observe the people and determine, were they were “strong or weak? few or many?”  What was the land like?  Do the people dwell in tents or “strongholds?”  The men were also told to bring back the “fruit of the land.”

“And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.”  (Numbers 13:25).  They told Moses and Aaron and the congregation that the land “floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.” (verse 27).  “Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.” (verse 28)

“And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.  But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.  And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.  And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” (Numbers 13:30-33)

Continuing into chapter 14, the people rebel, Moses intercedes for them (verses 13-19), God forgives, but there is judgement and many will die (verses 20-35).

1.“And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.  2.And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!  3.And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?  4.And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.”

5.Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. 6.And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: 7.And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. 8.If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. 9.Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not. 10.But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.

11.And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? 12.I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.

13.And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;) 14.And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou LORD art among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. 15.Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, 16.Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness. 17. And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, 18.The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. 19.Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.

20.And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word: 21.But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD. 22.Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; 23.Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: 

24.But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. 25. (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) Tomorrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.

26.And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 27.How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. 28.Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: 29.Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, 30.Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. 31.But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. 32.But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness. 33.And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. 34.After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise. 35.I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.

And so, we are told that upon returning, the spies came back with conflicting reports.  Ten of the spies said that there are giants in the land and we do not stand a chance against them.

On the contrary, Caleb and Joshua thought otherwise.  In so many words, they said, “Let’s go up and possess the land; the Lord is with us: fear them not.”

The ten spies allowed what they saw to affect their thinking whereas Caleb and Joshua knew that “the battle is the Lord’s.”  In their mind they believed there was no need to fear.  We can go in and take possession of the land – we can do it! 

Imagine how the two of them felt when the children of Israel wanted to stone them with stones!

36.And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land, 37.Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD. 38.But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still.

39.And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.

Notice in verse 37 that the ten spies who gave an evil report of the land, died by a plague from the Lord.  They were totally influenced and affected by what they saw and lacked faith in God, unlike Caleb and Joshua, in that those ten feared the “men of great stature,” including the sons of Anak who they considered “giants” in the land.

The ten missed the blessing of entering into the land; in due time only Caleb and Joshua were able to enter.

We are reminded of the acronym F.E.A.R –   False Expectations Appearing Real !

When we take our eyes off of the Lord and focus on our circumstances, it can lead to F.E.A.R.

As believers in and disciples of Christ, we have the promise, “…I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).  We can face our circumstances without fear knowing that He is with us!

Sometimes we experience discouragement, heartache, and various struggles with relationships, health, finances or whatever the case.  No Christian is exempt from the problems of this life, for He “…sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”  (Matthew 5:45)

Caleb and Joshua remembered their God and how He led the people through many difficult situations.  In like manner, we have the same God and need to remember that He is with us and that He loves us and is full of compassion, grace and mercy.

Remember the final words of Moses to the children of Israel and Joshua before he died –

1.When Moses had finished speaking these words to all Israel, 2.he said to them, “I am now a hundred and twenty years old; I am no longer able to come and go, and the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’ 3.The LORD your God Himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will dispossess them along with their land. Joshua will cross ahead of you, as the LORD has said. 4.And the LORD will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, when He destroyed them 5.The LORD will deliver them over to you, and you must do to them exactly as I have commanded you. 6. Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

7.Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. 8.The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:1-8)

At times, we may find ourselves in a bleak looking situation.  We must embrace the message we just read that Moses spoke to the children of Israel and Joshua – “Be strong and courageous…. do not be afraid….. the Lord is with you…. He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

We must heed the Scripture – “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

When something happens out of our control, we must believe that God allowed it, and that “… all things [are working] together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”  (Romans 8:28) 

We can have confidence in God’s promises because, “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19)

Like the 10 spies, we may, looking at our circumstances, believe there is no hope, not seeing any “light at the end of the tunnel.”

But, we read, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard (or difficult) for me?”  (Jeremiah 32:27)

And so we ask, “Is there any thing that is too hard for the Lord?”

Unless we caused it ourselves, we must believe that we are in a situation because God allowed it.  Whatever the case, at the same time, we trust that it is for our good as we will gain from the experience and be drawn closer to the Lord.  This is what trials and testings do.

“The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.”  (Psalm 37:23)

It requires faith and trust in the Living God that He will accomplish His purposes, as Caleb and Joshua experienced.  In due time, they received the blessing of entering into the land.

May we keep our eyes on the Lord and wholly trust Him, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”  (2 Corinthians 5:7)

We are about to begin a New Year.

Most of us start thinking about what we want to do – lose weight, save more money, exercise more, pay down or eliminate credit cards and other debts, change jobs or maybe even explore/pursue a new career.

Those are all fine and worthy desires.

But, what about our soul?  Our knowledge and relationship with God?

How about we include this as something to work on?

As Christians, don’t we want to know God?   To desire and appreciate His love, grace, mercy, peace and so on?  To learn what it is that pleases God and seek His will daily desiring to live a life in obedience to Him?

Reading the Bible will help us achieve those things.

Here are some verses to ponder:

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”  (Psalm 119:105)

“And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way [path], walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”  (Isaiah 30:21)

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”  (John 17:3)

At the least, I would like to suggest that we follow a daily plan with the goal of reading through the entire Bible in one year. 

There are many plans out there.  Personally, I follow one I found on the Blue Letter Bible website, which, on most days, includes a little of both the Old and New Testaments daily.

All is takes is about 15 minutes a day. 

Can you purpose to set aside 15 minutes, preferably in the morning, to feed your soul?

There’s nothing wrong with reading a “daily devotional” like “Our Daily Bread” or Charles Spurgeon’s “Morning and Evening,” or something similar, but reading the Word of God itself does at least two things – it reveals the character and nature of God.  But it also reveals the nature of man.

Reading His Word will also draw us closer to God.

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”  (James 4:8)

Child of God, think about what we have at our disposal – the entire Word of God!

We are so blessed that we have, in writing, ALL 66 books that comprise the Bible!  No one before or living during Jesus’ life here on earth had that!

Where do we go to learn about God?  Where do we go to learn what is his will for our life?

The answer is obvious – the precious word of God!

Sadly, however, only a small percentage of the professed Christian population actually reads the Bible as written in Christian News – 2020 ‘State of the Bible’ Report Finds Few Americans Read Bible Daily

The article states that “only 9% said that they read it every day, the lowest figure in the 10 years that the American Bible Society has been conducting the survey.”

One cannot help but think that we are giving other things (idols) priority over our desire to know and walk with God.

A preacher once said, “Sin will keep you from reading this Book.  Conversely, this Book will help keep you from sin.”

After Moses died, the Lord said to Joshua, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”  (Joshua 1:8)

We speak to God through prayer; He speaks to us through His Word.

You have probably seen this acrostic:

B asic

I nstructions

B efore

L eaving

E arth

Do we want to know God?

Do we want to know His will for our life?

Do we want spiritual success?

Do we want our souls to prosper?

Losing weight, saving more, paying off credit cards are some very good resolutions if they are applicable to you.

But, let’s not forget to feed our souls with the best book ever written!

As we begin a new year, might we consider daily reading and meditation of the Bible in order to know God and to “… grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”  (2 Peter 3:18)

P.S. If you are new to the Bible, may I kindly suggest you start by reading the gospel of John.  The reason for the writing of this gospel is found in chapter 20, verse 31 – “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”  May you come to embrace the Lord Jesus Christ as the Saviour and Lord of your life!

It’s no secret that the world we live in is constantly changing, and unfortunately, not for the better.

Seemingly, there is so much violence, hatred and conflict.

In addition, many are challenged and struggling with various issues – financial, relationships, health, family, work, and so on.

Though most everything around us is changing, one thing that has not changed is the Bible, the Word of God, the best-selling book of all time according to Guinness World Records.  It contains God’s promises which are reliable, true, comforting and everlasting.

For this particular writing, I would like to focus on promises spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

There are many; here are some –

The promise of Acceptance –

“…him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”  (John 6:37)

The promise of Eternal Life –

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16)

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.  (John 5:24)

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”  (John 6:47)

“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”   (John 11:25-26)

“…because I live, ye shall live also.”  (John 14:19)….

The promise of the Light of Life –

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”   (John 8:12)

The promise to Answer Prayer –

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”  (John 14:13-14)

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.  (John 15:7)

“…Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.  Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”  (John 16:23-24)

The promise of the Holy Spirit –

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”  (John 14:15-17)

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”  (John 16:7)

The promise of Peace –

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  (John 14:27)

The promise of Rest –

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30)

The promise of Eternal Security –

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.”  (John 10:27-30)

The promise of His Presence –

“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”  (John 14:18)

“Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”  (John 14:23)

“… I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”  (Hebrews 13:5)

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”  (Matthew 28:18-20)

The promise of His Coming Again and to be with Him in Heaven –

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”  (John 14:1-3)

As was stated at the beginning, we live in a world that is constantly changing, and sadly, not for the better.  There is tremendous deception, evil and sin everywhere around us.

We cannot put much faith and trust in man, let alone our politicians, leaders and government. 

But, we can with God.  The Bible says, “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”  (Numbers 23:19)

“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”  (Psalm 118:8)

The Bible is full of promises.  What we mentioned were some spoken from the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our faith begins with Him.

Do you believe what He has said and what He accomplished for us?

He said, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”  (John 14:6)

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”  (John 5:24)

I sincerely hope you have placed your faith and trust in the Man of Calvary who died for you, that you may have eternal life.

Despite what is going on around us and around the world, we can be restful in our spirit and encouraged by the promises of the Lord.

Rejoice, dear brother and sister! While the world is in darkness, our future is bright!  The Lord is coming soon for His own!  Soon we will “…meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord!”  (2 Thessalonians 4:17)

When I was growing up, I thought one who was called a “saint” was someone deemed special by their unique holiness and what they did.

I learned in my late teens that was not true.

The words “saint” and “saints” occurs 101 times in the Bible.

Here are some occurrences (underlined) as they appear in chronological order –

“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.”  (Psalm 89:7)

“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”  (Psalm 116:15)

“To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  (Romans 1:7)

“And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”  (Romans 8:27)

“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.”  (Romans 12:12-13)

“Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:”  (1 Corinthians 1:1-2)

“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:33)

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;”  (Ephesians 2:19)

“Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi,…”  (Philippians 1:1)

“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”  (Hebrews 1:10)

“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”  (Jude 1:3)

“And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.”  (Revelation 15:3)

Are you a believer in Jesus?  Then you are a saint, a child of God.

But, if you are not, why not?  He loves you and died for you on the cross that you might have eternal life.

 “For God so loved the world (that includes you!), that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16)

Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”  (John 5:24)

“Jesus said unto [Martha], I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?  She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, …” (John 11:25-27)

Embrace the Savior today before it is eternally too late!

He has been very patient and is waiting for you with open arms!

Every day, the believer in Christ faces a battle with the enemy – the world, the flesh and the devil.

How will we fare today?

We are bombarded with daily struggles and the constant tugging of the seemingly endless distractions that seek to draw us away from God.  How are we supposed to deal with them?

Paul, the apostle, says in Romans 6:13 to “…yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead,…”.  And in Galatians 5 we read, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (v.16) and“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”  (v. 25)

Also, in Romans 6:1, Paul mentions that we are to “walk in newness of life.”

How do we walk in this so-called “newness of life?” 

 A few scriptures come to mind –

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”  (Ephesians 6:11-18)

Walking in newness of life is linked with living and walking in the Spirit in Galatians 5 as we  mentioned earlier.

We are a new creation.  “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Upon our conversion – when we were “born again” –  we were given a new life, and that life is in Christ.

“If (Since) ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:  For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.  But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:  Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”  (Colossians 3:1-17)

My fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, may we also heed these words –

“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.  13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.  14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”  (Romans 13:11-14)

We began this writing by saying that the believer in Christ faces a daily battle with the enemy – the world, the flesh and the devil.

Win or lose today’s battle, the war has been won. Thankfully, we are on the winning side!

We know the war has already been won because of what the Lord Jesus Christ achieved at Calvary.  We are victors through him!  Our salvation has been secured and cannot be undone by anything or anyone! Nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 8:39)

That’s extremely comforting and so wonderful to know!  That, no matter what, we are on our way to heaven!

However, while we remain, may we daily yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit to be more Christ-like and to live the best, fulfilling and abundant life that God has in mind for us, seeking to become useful servants, “fit for the Master’s use, prepared unto every good work,” (2 Timothy 2:21) during these last days before our Lord comes to receive us to Himself.  Amen.

In Acts chapter 2, we have the record of Peter addressing the crowd of those who came from the surrounding area.  People had heard that men who were Galilæans were speaking in a number of other known languages (verse 6, 8, 11).  They were amazed and wondered how that was possible.

And so Peter stood up with the eleven and explained to them that this was of the Spirit.  He continued to preach about Christ and ended by saying, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”  (Acts 2:36)

“37Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  39For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.  42And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”  (Acts 2:37-42)

How wonderful that on that day three thousands souls repented, were baptized and added to the church!

We read in verse 42 these new believers “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”  They were committed to

“Apostles’ doctrine.”      (The Truth)  They desired and followed the teachings of the apostles.

“Fellowship.”                     (The Tie)  They wanted to be with God’s people – those who were like-minded.

“Breaking of Bread.”       (The Table) This is a reference to the Lord’s Supper.  The early church broke bread on the first day of the week, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread,…” (Acts 20:7)  They remembered the Lord Jesus in his death in the breaking of the bread and drinking of the wine (1 Corinthians 11:24, 25).

“Prayers.”                            (The Throne)  They came together to pray for their needs and for others, expressing dependence upon God for all things, as well as to praise and worship God.

The expression “continued steadfastly” gives the thought of them persevering and being dedicated and committed to doing those things.

We would do well to follow and continue with this pattern of the meetings of the early church as presented here in Acts.

Is God really in control of what is going on in the world today?

There are many countries throughout the world currently engaged in various wars and military conflicts.  

Most recently, Russia, in early 2022, has invaded Ukraine, seemingly unprovoked and unjustified.

Most countries of the world have condemned Russia’s actions.  Even the International Court of Justice voted 13-2 that Russia cease their military operations in Ukraine.

In Romans 9:14-18 we read these verses, “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.  For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.  For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.  Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.”

You’ll remember in the Old Testament there were multiple times in the book of Exodus where the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart – 7:13; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 14:8.  We even read that Pharaoh hardened his own heart – Exodus 8:32 and 9:34.

Similarly, could God have hardened Russian President Vladimir Putin’s heart, despite the majority of the world being against his actions?

The broader question is, “Could God be behind the Russian invasion of Ukraine?”

Interesting how the first verse of Proverbs 21 reads – “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.”  (Proverbs 21:1)

Here are some further verses that may suggest that God may be behind the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and that He is also in control (underlining added to emphasize and draw attention):

“And it was so, that when he [that is, Saul] had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day.”  (1 Samuel 10:9).

“And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched.” (1 Samuel 10:26)

“But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.”   (1 Samuel 16:14)

“And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul’s hand.”  (1Samuel 18:10)

“And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.”  (1 Samuel 19:9)

“And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.  “And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also.”  (1 Samuel 19:20-21)

“So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul’s bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them.”  (1 Samuel 26:12)

“The Lord stirred up an adversary unto Solomon…”  (1 Kings 11:14)

“And God stirred him up another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliadah, which fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah:  (1 Kings 11:23)

Getting back to the invasion of Ukraine, we understand that this war was unprovoked and is unjustified.  We have read accounts and seen that hospitals, schools and other buildings have been bombed by Russia.  It is evident that these are considered war crimes and that Putin’s actions are evil.  Again, we ask, “Might the Lord have placed an evil spirit in him?  Might Putin have hardened his own heart?”

Either way, God is in control of what is happening.  Either God is controlling Putin’s heart or he is acting on his own and God is allowing it.  Whatever the case, God’s will, will be accomplished.

In pursuing his own aspirations, perhaps Putin is acting on his own or under the direction of Satan.  Or, as we have suggested, he may be controlled by God himself, as was Pharaoh and others we mentioned earlier.   Whatever the case, we believe that God is sovereign, in control of all things, and that his desires will be accomplished!

Whether Putin or we ourselves, in our own individual lives, think we can accomplish our own will, we recognize that God is sovereign, that is, He rules the universe.  “…even the wind and seas obey him,” as we read in Matthew 8:27.  (For more on the sovereignty of God, here is an article entitled, “What does it mean that God is Sovereign?”)

We are exhorted to work out our “own salvation with fear and trembling.  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”  (Philippians 2:12-13)

Note how it says it is God who worketh in you BOTH to will and to do of his good pleasure.  This gives the sense that He is going to have His way with us.

Similarly, in Hebrews, we read this – “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, “Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”  (Hebrews 13:20-21).  This is another occurrence that God is working in us.

As believers, we should seek God’s will daily.  Our prayer is “not my will, but thine be done,” as spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ when He prayed to His, and our, Father.  We should follow His example, and believe that God “…worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: …”  (Ephesians 1:11) and that as He told Pharaoh, “my name might be declared throughout all the earth.”

The overall point of this writing is to encourage us to trust God, for He is always with us.

You will remember the account of Moses and the burning bush as recorded in Exodus 3.  He had been out shepherding the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro.

“2And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.  3And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.  4And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.  5And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.  6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.  7And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;  8And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.  9Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.”  (Exodus 3:2-9)

The Lord wanted to send Moses to Pharaoh to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt.  But Moses questioned God and said, “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (3:11)

Notice how God responded – “And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.” (v.12)

Notice those words, “Certainly I will be with thee.”  How reassuring.  But then, “… Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?  14And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.  15And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.  16Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:  17And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.  18And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.  19And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.  20And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.  21And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty:  22But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.”

…Continuing into Chapter 4

“1And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.  2And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.  3And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.  4And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:  5That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.”

Moses’ Hand 

“6And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.  7And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.  8And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.  9And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.”

Moses making excuses which leads to the Appointment of Aaron

“10And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.  11And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?  12Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.  13And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.”

“14And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.  15And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.  16And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. 17And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.”

Despite God telling Moses in chapter 3 that “Certainly I will be with thee” (verse 12), Moses kept making excuses.  First he said, “Who am I?” (3:11), then, “They are not going to believe me” (4:1), even after God said, “They shall hearken to your voice.” (3:18).  Then Moses said, “I am not eloquent; I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue” (4:10).  He doubted what God said and showed his lack of faith. So, God showed Moses that the people will believe him by signs using a rod, which he turned into a snake (v. 3), changing his hand from being normal to becoming leprous (v.6) and turning the water into blood (v. 9).

Despite the Lord becoming angry with Moses, He showed grace and mercy and forbearance and then said that his brother Aaron was going to be the spokesman unto the people of Israel.  God could have decided to completely push Moses aside, but He was going to use Moses just the same, to accomplish His will.

…To be continued, Trusting God (Part 2)… 

In an earlier writing, we looked at three occurrences of “One Thing.”

One thing Have I desired…

“One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4)

One Thing thou lackest…

“And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?  And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.  Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.  And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.  Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, one thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.  And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.”  (Mark 10:17-22)

One Thing I know…

 “Then again called they [the Pharisees] the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man [referring to Jesus] is a sinner.  He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. (John 9:24-25)

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In this writing, we will look at a few more occurrences of “one thing…”

One Thing is needful…

“Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”  (Luke 10:38-42)

“Mary sat at Jesus’s feet and heard His word, while Martha was distracted by her preparations for the Royal Guest.  Martha wanted the Lord to rebuke her sister for failing to help, but Jesus tenderly rebuked Martha for her fretfulness!  Our Lord prizes our affection above our service.” (William MacDonald, 1995, p. 1411)

Quite often in life we get so preoccupied with doing service for Christ that we forget it is needful to spend time alone with the Lord and His Word – “to sit at Jesus’ feet.”

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One Thing I do…

“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.”  (Philippians 3:10-16)

Paul desired to experience what Christ did, in a measure – that is, to suffer for Him, to die for Him and to be raised from the dead as He was.

Paul strove to forget “those things that are behind.”  The past is the past; there is nothing we can do to change it.  We should not dwell on our past mistakes and failures and sins.  They cannot be undone.  

Paul looked ahead to living for Christ every day.  I can picture him seeking the Lord daily, asking, “What wilt thou have me to do?” as he did on the road to Damascus.  He pressed on, being eager to fulfill God’s will for his life and so should we…

“The prize would be the crown of righteousness which Paul elsewhere describes as the prize for those who have run well (2 Timothy 4:8).” (MacDonald, 1995, p. 1975)

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One Thing to not be ignorant of…

“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”  (2 Peter 3:8-9)

“…God is timeless.  He does not live in a sphere of time as we do.  After all, time is determined by the relation of the sun to the earth, and God is not limited by this relationship.  God has promised to end the history of ungodly men with judgement.  If there seems to be a delay, it is not because God is unfaithful to His promise.  It is because He is patient.  He does not want any to perish.  His desire is that all should come to repentance.  He purposely extends the time of grace so that men might have every opportunity to be saved.”  (MacDonald, 1995, p. 2302).

In the scriptures, there are a number of occurrences of the phrase, “one thing.”  Let’s take a look at some of them, in no particular order, and briefly comment.

One Thing have I desired…

“One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4)

It is interesting to compare this Psalm of David with Paul, the apostle, when he was on the Damascus road (Acts chapters 9 and 22).  We read these words – “there shined round about him a light from heaven, and he fell to the earth and heard a voice speaking to him.”  He said “Who art thou, Lord?” and moments later said, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”

In Psalm 27, “To behold the beauty of the Lord” parallels with “Who art Thou, Lord?;”  “To inquire in his temple,” parallels with “What wilt thou have me to do?”

After that encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus, Paul spent the rest of his life getting to know who God is and what He wanted Paul to do.

We, likewise, should be doing the same – devoting time to getting to know the Lord (Who art thou?) and seeking His direction and will for our lives (What wilt thou have me to do?).  It’s no secret that this requires engagement in reading, studying and meditating on the Scriptures as well as spending time in prayer.

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One Thing thou lackest…

“And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?  And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.  Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.  And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.  Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, one thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.  And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.”

“And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!  And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.  And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?  And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”  (Mark 10:17-27)

In this account of the rich young man, he speaks of himself and how he had lived such a law-abiding life having obeyed the ten commandments and so on.  But, the Lord Jesus said he lacked ONE thing – and that was for him to sell whatever he had and give to the poor.   The scripture says, “he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.”   At that moment, he made a conscious decision to not follow the Lord Jesus Christ as his possessions meant more to him than his own soul.  The Lord tested him which exposed the condition of his heart.  “For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.”  (Matthew 6:21)

We are also reminded of the words of Jim Elliott, one of five missionaries that was martyred in 1956 trying to reach those in the deep jungles of Ecuador – “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

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One Thing I know…

You will recall the account in John 9 where the Lord Jesus saw a man who was born blind.  He made clay and anointed his eyes and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam.  The blind man obeyed the Lord, “washed and came seeing.”

He was asked by the neighbors and others, “How were thine eyes opened?  He answered and said a man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.”  The Pharisees also asked him and he gave the same testimony.

They did not believe him that he was born blind so they called the parents.  They said this is our son and he was born blind.

“Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man [referring to Jesus] is a sinner.  He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. (John 9:24-25)

This reminds us of a court trial.  There are witnesses – those that saw or heard something related to the crime.  What does a witness do?  He is asked to give his testimony.  The testimony is comprised of what he saw and what he knows.  This is what we have here – a witness – the blind man who gives his testimony.  He only knew ONE thing – “whereas I was blind, now I see.”

A person who just embraced Jesus as their Lord and Saviour does not know much either.

He or she might say, “I was on my way to hell, but now I’m on my way to heaven.”

Another may say, “I am saved from eternal punishment and death.  Jesus died for me and my sins are forgiven.  He saved me and has given me eternal life.”

The point is, each new believer may not know much, but the little they know is their testimony and it is real to them.  That is all they can tell others until they learn more as they read and study the Word of God.

Click here for Part 2.

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This verse came before me recently –

“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”  (Galatians 6:10)

When we think of “the household of faith,” fellow Christians come to mind – perhaps those in the local church meeting as well as those serving the Lord in missions work.

One organization that is missions-oriented is CMML – Christian Missions in Many Lands.

On the Homepage it says, “We help churches, individuals and organizations send funds to support missionaries around the world.  100% of every gift is distributed to the Lord’s work, and whenever possible, suggestions from donors are honored.”

I would like to spend a few moments and turn our attention to other organizations that we might also support – those who help those who need help.

We know the list is huge.  Some are household names, such as the Salvation Army, Red Cross, Goodwill and so on.  There are also many smaller, lesser known names, some that we might not be familiar with.

Recently, I came across a website called Charity Navigator.

On the About Us page, it states “Charity Navigator is the world’s largest and most trusted nonprofit evaluator.”  A little further down we read, “…donors can give with confidence knowing the organizations that are highly rated on Charity Navigator efficiently steward donations and are accountable and transparent.”

In perusing the website, there are a few organizations that are worthy of our consideration that have the highest possible rating – 100 out of 100 – at the time of this writing (October, 2021)

Here they are, in no particular order –

1.  Orphan Grain Train

Their website states, “The Orphan Grain Train is a Christian volunteer network that ships donated food, clothing, medical and other needed items to people in 69 different countries including the USA.”

2.  SEE International

On their website, it states that “SEE International is a non-profit organization helping to end preventable blindness in the United States and across the globe.  We provide free eye care and sight-restoring surgeries to those in need.  SEE is proud to be a top-rated charity by Charity Navigator, GuideStar and BBB’s give.org.”

3.  City Union Mission

Their website says, “City Union Mission is an evangelical Christian ministry committed to sharing the gospel and meeting the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of men, women, and children who are poor or homeless.” 

The Bible has a number of scriptures that speak to giving – Matthew 6:1-4,  2 Corinthians 8:9-15 and 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 to name a few.

There is also 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 which tells us that giving is an expression of worship.

When it comes to donating to “charity” organizations, we want to be wise and try to support those who have a high rating and are accountable and transparent, as Charity Navigator mentions.  The above are just a few examples.

We certainly don’t want to forget supporting our immediate families, our church family and our local communities (food banks and the like).

I think we can all agree that our life becomes more fulfilling when we help others by sharing our time, talents and treasure.

Paul, the apostle, said, “But to do good and to [share] forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”  (Hebrews 13:16)

We can bring pleasure to the heart of God by making these “sacrifices.”