The first I ever knew that I was adopted was when I was about eleven, and I applied for my Social Security card. I went to the social security office downtown on the bus, and when it was my turn in line, I stepped up and said, “I need to get my social security card so I can get a job,” and I handed her my birth certificate. In a few minutes she came back with other papers and said, “You know you are adopted don’t you?” I said, “No, but will that keep me from getting a card.” She said, “No.”  Next, I filled out the forms and went home.

As you might imagine when I got home I said to my mom, “Why didn’t you tell me I was adopted?” She said simply, “I was going to later, but now you know.” That was all she ever said, and I didn’t ask any more questions. Then a couple of years later I met my biological father briefly and didn’t hear from him again for about forty years.

My second adoption I was fully aware of and involved fully with. I wanted to be adopted this time. That is right; I am talking about the fact that God adopted me. Of course, it was on His terms, and that was fine with me. Note with me how easy He has made it by looking at just a few Bible verses.

            John 1:12-13, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

            Romans 8:15, “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”

            II Cor. 6:18, In this passage, Paul quotes from the Old Testament stating this, “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.

            Gal. 4:5, “So that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

The process begins with the belief that Jesus is the Son of God. Then based on that belief, you are baptized, having repented and confessed Jesus as Lord.

From that point on we live our life as, He, our Father directs us through His Word. He has given us information to guide us in all areas of living a life of faith and service. In II Peter1:4-5 it is stated this way, “Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”

      So, as His children let us live in faith and service to Him.

Dick Brant

CRACKED POTS

The story is told of a water bearer in India who had two large pots.  They hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck, but one of the pots had a crack in it.  While the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.  For two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots of water to his master’s house.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made.  But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.  “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.”

“Why?” asked the bearer.  “What are you ashamed of?”

“I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house.  Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the pot said.

In his compassion, the water bearer said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.”

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some.  But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot’s side?  That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it.  I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them.  For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table.  Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”

It is an amazing thing (but true) that God is able to accomplish some wonderful things through our efforts, in  spite of our imperfections.  Paul said of his role as a preacher of the gospel:

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” (2 Cor. 4:7).

Though we may often feel inadequate and useless, if we will continue about the task that God has given us, we will produce fruit and influence lives in ways we may not even be aware of.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (I Cor. 15:58).

May your life “abound” this day in the work of the Lord!  Though you may feel like a “cracked pot,” your efforts are not in vain.

Have a great day!

Alan Smith

A family was out enjoying a nice safari in South Africa when they came upon a pride of lions. It was a perfect picture moment. The lions were just a few feet away, basking in the shade.  Then one lion stood up and curiously approached the car. The lion put its mouth on the door handle and pulled. The door popped right open! The family screamed and immediately shut the door.

This safari could have ended in disaster. The family was very lucky the lion was more curious than ferocious. No doubt, the family learned a very valuable lesson around lions: always keep the doors locked!

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Unlike these lions, Satan is not so curious. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” As soon as we give this lion the slightest opportunity, he will viciously attack (Ephesians 4:27). He would be more than happy to destroy our spiritual lives if we let him.

Even though it should be obvious, don’t ever let the lion in! Especially when that lion is Satan. James 4:7-8 offers the solution, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you….” Let’s keep the Lord with us at all times and always keep our spiritual doors locked!

Brett Petrillo

Tasmanian devils are named for their chilling shrieks that can be heard when the sun goes down on the island of Tasmania. The sound of the devils crying in the night reminded the early colonists of the mythical hellhounds. Despite their terrifying calls, these creatures aren’t as much of a danger to humans as they are to themselves. Not so long ago a vicious cancer began killing these animals and the cause of the disease was a mystery. As scientists began to study them, they discovered that the cancerous tumors were self-inflicted. It’s not uncommon for the Tasmanian devils to fight and bite one another over a carcass or the rights to a female. A devil’s ears will burn a bright red color when they become upset but by lashing out at one another they further their own extinction. The bites they inflict on one another are likely to develop into the mutating cancer that will grow until they succumb to the disease itself, or starvation. You won’t see the ugly side of these animals in Looney Tunes, but there are some valuable lessons to be learned from this. At times we can be guilty of destroying one another through gossip or complaining and, sadly, the church isn’t immune to this disease. It’s no wonder that God warns us about the dangers through His New Testament authors.

Consider the following verses:

“Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.” James 5.9 

“But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.” Galatians 5.15 

“We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.” 

I Corinthians 10.9-10 

While there’s much to be said about the damage that the tongue can inflict, it’s more productive to discuss solutions to the problem. Ironically, it’s a lack of productivity that often spawns gossip and complaints. As the old adage goes,

“When there’s nothing to see and do, there’s much to hear and say.”

Sadly, the darker side of closeness, history, and intimacy can be the breeding ground of gossip. The wounds inflicted and the trust that’s broken can be difficult, if not impossible, to repair. A song we teach to small children should be modeled by adults.

O be careful little ears what you hear

O be careful little ears what you hear

For the Father up above

Is looking down in love

So, be careful little ears what you hear

O be careful little tongue what you say

O be careful little tongue what you say

For the Father up above

Is looking down in love

So, be careful little tongue what you say

Three Ways To Fight The Bite

1. Avoid being a spreader. It will build your integrity and trustworthiness.
2. Make it a point to speak highly of the person being slandered.
3. Offer biblical solutions instead of contributing to the gossip. This assumes the person spreading the gossip is genuinely concerned about the person(s) they’re talking about. Have they confronted the subject of their gossip (Matt. 18.15-20)? If they’re unwilling to act but willing to talk— avoid them.

On the last night of His life Jesus prayed the following,

“I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” John 17.20-21 

If unity was on the mind of the Savior even as He faced the cross, it must be important.

Unity: without it there’s pain but with it there’s unlimited power.

Dale Pollard

Jesus Is Divine

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). John opens his account of the Gospel with that glorious description of the Word who “became flesh and dwelt among us” (verse 14). We know the one called “the Word” is Jesus, but to claim that He was God? That claim is too much for some.

However, Jesus Himself made that claim on more than one occasion. For example, when Jesus was tempted by the devil, our Lord responded to one of those temptations by quoting Deuteronomy 6:13, which states, “You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve” (Matthew 4:10).

Just a few chapters later, a leper came up to Jesus, and we are told by Matthew that the leper “knelt before [Jesus], saying, ‘Lord, if you will, you can make me clean’” (8:2). Kneeling was a sign of worship, but notice that this man also called Jesus, “Lord.” (For other examples, see Matthew 9:18; 14:33; John 20:28; et.al)

If Jesus is not divine, then why would He allow such actions and words to be directed His way? If He is not divine, allowing these things would be nothing short of blasphemy and the very height of arrogance!

The doctrine of the Trinity (Godhead) is one that we know intellectually, but that we simply cannot wrap our finite minds around. How the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit can be, as we often sing, the “blessed three in one” is impossible for us to fathom. However, we must always remember that each is worthy of worship because each is part of the divine Being, we simply call, “God.”

So, we can rightfully sing, “Worthy of praise is Christ our Redeemer,” because Jesus is divine. He is God. May we kneel before Him, and call Him, “Lord.”

– Adam Faughn

Promises

“And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, ‘What is the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord the third day’ ” (2 Kings 20:8)?

On a trip to the mountains of Nepal we followed a local bus for several miles. On the back of the bus was printed their slogan, “We make travel fun.” Really? What is so much fun about riding on extremely narrow, rough, crooked roads in high mountains where in order to pass traffic one must literally hang out over steep drops? It is not unusual to see below the burnt out ruins of vehicles that did not safely negotiate those conditions.

Promises are easy to make, but sometimes difficult or even impossible to keep. Whether it is in advertising, political campaigns, or more personal assurances, most people soon learn to take any pledge with at least a little skepticism. We learn to ask questions, such as, “How do I know you can do that?” Or “What guarantees can you give?”

When King Hezekiah of Judah became ill the prophet Isaiah told him he would die. The king prayed for mercy and God granted it. Isaiah returned and assured the king that he would recover and live for 15 more years (2 Kings 20:1-6). When Hezekiah heard the new prophecy his response was to ask, “How can I be sure?” He desired a sign from God — that is something miraculous — as sure proof that he would live.

Such is human nature. We are so cynical that we ask even God for proof that he will keep his promises. Show me a sign. Perform a miracle. Do something special just for me so that I can be certain that my faith is well placed.

And while we are longing for signs we easily forget that they have already been provided. When Paul described the Gospel which he preached throughout much of the Roman Empire, he said it was “Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:3-4).

God has provided every necessary evidence of his existence and nature (Romans 1:19-20), his love for mankind (Romans 5:8), and the facts and promises of the Gospel of Salvation. By the resurrection of Jesus from the grave he established beyond question his ability to raise all the dead. By giving his son to die for us he has proven his great and matchless love for us.

Regarding eternal salvation, Paul wrote in another place, “In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began” (Titus 1:2). God’s own nature is our guarantee that we can trust his promises. He cannot lie. What he speaks is true, always (John 17:17).

Bus companies and politicians may promise almost anything. One trusts them at one’s own risks. But if God says it, it is true. Him we can believe. In fact, if we are to have any hope we must believe him and follow all of his commandments (Matthew 7:21).

Michael Brooks

The Second Time
by Steve Higginbotham

In my opinion, there are but a few words recorded in the Bible that are as encouraging than the words recorded in Jonah 3:1. The text says, “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time.”

As you surely know, Jonah, the prophet, attempted to run from God and his responsibility as one of God’s spokesmen. His desertion was not a matter of fear for his own safety but was a matter of his corrupt heart. He knew that if he obeyed God, Nineveh would repent, God would forgive them, the people would not be destroyed, and that was not the outcome Jonah desired (Jonah 4:2).

Whoever heard of a preacher wanting his hearers to be destroyed? What kind of corrupt heart or skewed perspective must Jonah have had? There’s no way around it, Jonah failed miserably.

But then we read those words of hope…”The word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time.” Although Jonah utterly failed God and the people of Nineveh, God was not through with Jonah. He gave Jonah a second chance, and he does the same for you, still today.

Are you ashamed of moments from your past?  Who isn’t? But the final chapter of your life hasn’t been written yet. Instead of living with regret over your past mistakes, repent, and thank God for being a God of second chances.

The Christian’s pursuit

A blinded and humbled man fell before the voice of the Author of life. The soul-piercing question echoes through the ages, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4). Saul’s persecutions had begun with the violent stoning of Stephen, and resulted in the scattering of Christians (Acts 8:1-3).

Saul wasn’t satisfied with mere intimidation, he ravaged the church. Later, he would reveal that it was his intent to destroy the church of God through violence (Galatians 1:13). Not content with dispersing believers, in his raging fury, he persecuted Christians to foreign cities (Acts 26:11). It is here, on the road to Damascus, that his pursuit of violence led to a pursuit of peace.

“Persecute” and “pursue” both find their origins in the same Greek term, διώκω (dioko). Forty-three of its 58 occurrences are clearly negative, referring to some form of persecution. But 10 times it is used positively. Four times the Christian is told to pursue peace (Romans 14:19; 2 Timothy 2:22; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 3:11). Three times we are instructed to pursue love (1 Corinthians 14:1; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:22). Two times we are commanded to pursue righteousness (1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:22). Faith or faithfulness is also mentioned twice in those same passages. Steadfastness, gentleness, hospitality, holiness, and doing good also are to be sought.

It is clear that the Christian lifestyle is not a passive one. We cannot hope to become like Christ while putting forth minimal effort. BDAG describes διώκω in part, “to move rapidly and decisively toward an objective.”/1 We are to seek these Christ-like qualities with the same decisiveness and devotion as Saul had toward the destruction of the Way.

It is also clear that these pursuits are life-long and essential. Notice how the Holy Spirit encourages the faint-hearted Hebrews, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14 ESV).

Following Paul’s encounter with Jesus, and his calling upon the Lord’s name (Acts 22:16), the apostle’s life changed. Instead of heeding the call of violence in persecution, Paul pursued “the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

What is it that you are pursuing?

__________

1/ William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 254.

Lee Parish

1. Stick with the Word

Some saints want to show themselves to be intelligent by dabbling in the philosophies of the world, the theologies of the denominations, or the politics of the nations. But the world has more than enough of these. Our message has to distinguish itself clearly from all these. We preach an almighty God whose love encompasses all of history and who glory has revealed itself in terms we can grasp. From creation we move quickly to the Book of Life, whose final author knows us better than we know ourselves. The Bible is the best argument for God’s existence. His power lives in it and from it people can be convicted of the truth.

How do we stick with the Word?

• Read it often, memorize its pages, live its truths.
• Be taught by God’s teachers, don’t miss a single opportunity to study.
• Teach it at every opportunity to those in Christ and to those outside.

It’s the Ezra approach: “Now Ezra had dedicated himself to the study of the law of the Lord, to its observance, and to teaching its statutes and judgments in Israel” Ezra 7.10.

2. Be the people of God

The world is full of hate. The people of God show a superior path, where love reigns and where each looks to the interest of others. The doctrine of love is what the world must hear and see first. Not even denominations who profess to be the church can show love because, to exist, each one must proclaim its superiority over the other factions.

Christ’s followers must distance themselves in every way from such groups. We must do whatever necessary to avoid even looking like them. First impressions are important. People often will not give us a second chance. Our best foot forward is the acceptance in Christ of every single human being, whom God welcomes with open arms, when one shows faith and obedience. Otherwise, the walls of sin remain to block access to God. But the invitation remains open. Humility insists with gentleness urging repentance.

We are better than none, but we have an exclusive word from the only true God. We speak of him boldly.

We have no right to criticize any system of belief and to urge the reception of grace, if we do not live our faith and live in community for which we were purified from our sins, 1 Peter 1.22. That means that there is no question where we will be on the Lord’s Day. We will be at the Lord’s Table with the Lord’s People.

3. Declare yourself

The real Christian cannot hide his faith. A hidden faith dies quickly, just as a flame without air is soon snuffed out. It matters not what is going on around us, the message must be proclaimed. Every single Christian received from the Lord the task of the News. Not only can the silent saint not save others, he himself cannot be saved in his disobedience.

If we flinch before the fight, we are not worthy of the Kingdom of God. If we flee and hide in the “caves, thickets, cliffs, strongholds, and cisterns” of this world (compare 1 Samuel 13.6-7), we will have no part in the victory of the faithful.

Several of the New Testament books were written in part to embolden the saints in their task as they faced persecution.

• Jesus warned us about it not infrequently. The “confession” he declares to be so necessary is, in context, the preaching of the gospel in the public square, Matthew 10.32-33.
• Peter told the Christians to keep speaking about their faith in the midst of challenges and pressures, 1 Peter 3.15.
• The writer of Hebrews warned against giving up in the “struggle against sin” — that is, when the “opposition … by sinners” appears — the sin of abandoning the faith, Hebrews 12.3-4.

4. Focus on the One Thing

A big temptation is to get involved in social and political issues of the day. The Christian belongs to the heavenly country. He is not to be involved in the affairs of this life, 2 Timothy 2.4. We are not Democrats or Republicans. We have no party or earthly affiliation. We wear a single name: Christian. We represent one “cause,” the Kingdom of God.

If we want to save others by the blood of Jesus Christ, we must not alienate by taking sides in earthly conflicts. We have a single message, the cross of Christ. We are a single-issue people: God created man for his love and offers it in his Son. We do not concern ourselves with the nation’s Supreme Court, but with the judgment to come when all will appear before the Sovereign Judge of all mankind, Acts 24.25. If we speak of earthly things, we are not reflecting the concerns of the Holy Spirit, John 16.8-11.

What is the One Thing of our message?

• Jesus the Just
• Jesus the Reconciler
• Jesus the Sacrifice
• Jesus the Lord and Savior (in that order)
• Jesus the Example
• Jesus the Judge
• Jesus the Revealer of the Will of God

And that’s just for starters.

5. Start where people are in order to get to salvation

What a challenge to be sensitive to where each person is in his belief system! Because we must start where people are. Today, more than ever, Christians bump up against a wide range of beliefs. Not only must we deal with people who believe in denominationalism and atheism, but rampant sexual deviation, witchcraft, anarchism, environmentalism (one of the most extreme religions out there), scientism, socialism, and selfism, to name just a few. Such a gamut of beliefs sounds a bit like the first century, doesn’t it?

It does no good to talk about the evils of denominationalism to a person involved in Wicca. The atheist isn’t interested in immersion for the remission of sins. Both subjects are important, but those can’t be our starting points with such people.

So to be a Christian in a topsy-turvy world, we must be flexible when dealing with people. We have one gospel that is able to save all people, but to get to the point of salvation, we must often start at different points, just as the proclaimers in Acts did, depending upon their audience.

Not only possible, but necessary

God made the faith for every century, with every certainty. He is able to keep us faithful and to make us capable for service and proclamation. We think our times are tough, and well may they be. But God is sovereign. He works in the hardest situations. And he uses his people in the fire of the furnace and in the den of lions to pluck from the mouths of the unbelieving a confession of his glory.

So feel the breath of the beasts and the smell of the burning and praise God that you can be a real Christian in such a world as this.

J. Randal Matheny

At Sydney’s Bondi Beach, an eerie scene unfolded. The water began to turn to a horrifying, blood red. As one might imagine, swimmers and spectators became alarmed and fled out of the water. It turns out the red water came as a result of a sudden increase in red algae. The algae turned out to be mostly harmless, but swimmers were still discouraged from going into the water (ABC).

While the water on this day was not actually blood, it does bring to mind the day when the waters did literally turn to blood. Exodus 7:20-21 details out, “So Moses and Aaron did even as the Lord had commanded.  And he lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood.  The fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile became foul, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile.  And the blood was through all the land of Egypt.”

During this time in Egypt, some of the most awe-inspiring miracles were about to take place.  Besides having the water turn to blood, the Egyptian people were going to suffer through plagues of frogs, gnats, flies, death of cattle, boils, hail, locust, darkness, and the death of the first born (Exodus 7-12). Soon after this, God was going to deliver His people from Egypt by parting the Red Sea, allowing them to escape, and destroying Pharaoh’s army (Exodus 14).

What was God’s purpose in all of this? To deliver His people and display His power (3:7-8, 20; 6:6-7). God most definitely accomplished His goals. In fact, He accomplished them so well that this scene in Sydney invokes strong reminders of the remarkable events in Egypt that happened thousands of years ago.

While the red algae in Sydney was quite a strange scene, we can imagine how much more impactful it was when the water actually turned to blood. The message is simple: God is powerful. This makes Him so very worthy of our worship, honor, and praise.

Brett Petrillo

Trusting in God

The account of David and Goliath stirs the imagination. Children love to hear about the boy David defeating the ‘giant’ Goliath. Even as adults we like it when the underdog wins.

The army of Israel was fighting against their enemy, the Philistines. Each army was camped on opposite sides of the Valley of Elah, a wide valley ideal for a conflict between armies. Rather than instigating a battle, the Philistines suggested an alternative: “Why do you come out to line up in battle formation?… Am I not a Philistine and are you not servants of Saul? Choose one of your men and have him come down against me. If he wins in a fight against me and kills me, we will be your servants. But if I win against him and kill him, then you will be our servants and serve us…I defy the ranks of Israel today. Send me a man so we can fight each other!” (1 Samuel 17:8-10 CSB).

The Philistines had weighted this challenge in their favor. Their champion was an impressive man. His height was “six cubits and a span” (1 Samuel 17:4) – about nine feet tall (just under 3 metres). He wasn’t just tall, but he was well built, as well: he “wore a bronze helmet and bronze scale armor that weighed one hundred twenty-five pounds. There was bronze armor on his shins, and a bronze javelin was slung between his shoulders. His spear shaft was like a weaver’s beam, and the iron point of his spear weighed fifteen pounds” (1 Samuel 17:5-7). The impression is that he was a giant of a man in every respect. No wonder no one would accept his challenge and instead lost their courage and were terrified! (1 Samuel 17:11)

When David heard the challenge that Goliath had been making twice a day for over a month, he could not figure out why no one would fight and defeat this loud-mouthed Philistine.

It wasn’t that David was equal to this man in physical prowess. Although often depicted as a child, David was old enough to kill wild animals and even marry. Just after this incident, he became a leader of Saul’s army. This tells us that he was at least in his late teenage years if not in his early twenties at this time. But he was looked on as simply an inexperienced “youth” (1 Samuel 17:33).

How could this youth of little experience take on the seasoned warrior Goliath? It wasn’t because of the weapons he chose, although he chose weapons he was used to – his sling and a few stones from a brook – and not Saul’s armor. Normally such weapons would have been ineffective in a fight to the death. The key lies in what he told Goliath.

“You come against me with a sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Armies, the God of the ranks of Israel — you have defied him. Today, the Lord will hand you over to me. Today, I’ll strike you down, remove your head, and give the corpses of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the wild creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God, and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord’s. He will hand you over to us” (1 Samuel 17:45-47).

He won this battle simply because he trusted in God.

Do we trust God to be with us in the battles of life that we face? Do we view our battles as already having been won because God is on our side?

There is much to learn from David and his trust in God. He did not doubt God but acted on his faith.

Jon Galloway

C.S. Lewis was right when he said of Jesus:

Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to (Mere Christianity).

How did Lewis reach this conclusion? He read the gospels. The more we read the gospels the more impressed we are with what we find, particularly in the words of Jesus. The things Jesus says are so ingrained in the “idea of Jesus,” that we regularly miss the shocking nature of them.

For example, when Jesus cast the demon (or demons) out of the man of Gadara, he told him, “Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee” (Mark 5:19).

What strikes you about this statement?

When teaching younger Bible school classes, I usually have the kids read from the Bible. I don’t do this just for the academic act of reading, I do this so I can challenge them to open their eyes and see what is there.

When reading a passage of Scripture, we can easily gloss over things. I tell people, “When you read the Bible, remember that you are not just reading, you are eating. You are consuming God’s word. It is food for your soul. You have to slow down, and chew, and take time to digest it.”

Look again at the response of Jesus in Mark 5:19, but go slowly. Chew on it. Digest the words, the phrases. Notice what is there.

Now, let me share what I see. Notice these words: “great things the Lord hath done.”

The who?

The what?

The Lord.

Jesus – he calls himself, “The Lord.”

Now, there may be some quibbling here about the Greek word kurios, which can be used as a sort of generic and courteous term, equivalent to “sir” in English. But the context demands that Jesus is doing more than giving himself a courteous title. He is telling this man, in no uncertain terms, exactly who has driven the demons from him. He is not using the term colloquially, he is using it regally, authoritatively – and to boot, singularly.

He is the Lord.

He is The Lord.

He is God.

Someone is not saying it about him.

The inspired writers are not making it up. It is completely unlikely that the Jewish writers would have made up something like that. It would have been heresy – still is for many.

Yet, here is Jesus, claiming to be God. This is a type of claim that Jesus actually makes so often that it is ubiquitous with him. He says it, and we move on as if nothing happened.

The only way we can fully appreciate it is to imagine someone we know saying the same thing. Read the words of Jesus in the voice of your next-door neighbor, your son, your spouse, your minister, your boss.

For example, suppose your boss comes to work tomorrow and provides lunch for everyone (not miraculously, of course), and you say, “Thank you so much!” And she replies, “Think nothing of it! Now, go back home and tell everyone in your neighborhood that the Lord has provided for you.”

How does that sound?

If your boss says something like this, you instantly know she is either being silly, or has a screw loose. When Jesus says it, it doesn’t sound foreign or strange. Why? I believe it is because everything we know about Jesus’ life is completely consistent with the claim he is making. He truly was tempted in every point like the rest of us, yet without sin (Heb. 5:8-9).

This is what Lewis was getting at: “Let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

No, he did not. His claims were higher and greater than those of average men. But the life he lived, the death he died, the resurrection he accomplished, make all of those words, all of those claims, sit perfectly within the realm of reason.

Is there anyone else in history for whom this is the case?

Rick Kelley

In a west Texas town a few years ago, employees in a medium-sized warehouse noticed the smell of gas.  Sensibly, management evacuated the building, extinguishing all potential sources of ignition — lights, power, etc.

After the building had been evacuated, two technicians from the gas company were dispatched.  Upon entering the building, they found they had difficulty navigating in the dark.  To their frustration, none of the lights worked.

Witnesses later described the vision of one of the technicians reaching into his pocket and retrieving an object that resembled a lighter.  Upon operation of the lighter-like object, the gas in the warehouse exploded, sending pieces of it up to three miles away.

Nothing was found of the technicians, but the lighter was virtually untouched by the explosion.  The technician that was suspected of causing the explosion had never been thought of as “bright” by his peers.

Years ago, Jim Croce, in his song, “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim”, used to sing about things that you don’t dare do (pull the mask off the Lone Ranger or tug on Superman’s cape, for example).  He might have done well to add, “You don’t flick your Bic inside a building with a gas leak”!  In an explosive situation, the last thing you want to do is provide the spark.

We’ve all been around those kinds of situations (not literally, but figuratively) — where someone was angry and it wouldn’t take much to create an explosion.  We have two choices in that setting, described by Solomon in this way:

“A gentle answer will calm a person’s anger, but an unkind answer will cause more anger.” (Prov. 15:1)

How I admire those people I know (and my wife is one of them) who have a calming effect on those around them (including me), gently stifling the flames of anger before they burst in flames.

“Wise people calm anger down.” (Prov. 29:8b, NCV)

May God help us all to be wise.

Have a great day!  Alan Smith

Pete and Gladys were looking at a new living room suite in the furniture store. Pete said to the salesman, “We really like it, but I don’t think we can afford it.”

The salesman said, “You just make a small down payment ….. then you don’t make another payment for six months.”

Gladys wheeled around with her hands on her hips and said, “Who told you about us?”

Like Pete and Gladys, we all find it much easier to start a task than to see it through to completion, especially a difficult task. If school gets tough, we’re tempted to drop out. And we’ve all started diets and programs of regular Bible reading; starting is the easy part, sticking with them is the hard part.

It shouldn’t be surprising that what we find so difficult in so many areas of our lives should also be difficult in our Christian walk.
We’re tempted to simply quit. That’s why there are so many words of encouragement to hang in there when things get tough.

“For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.” (Hebrews 3:14).

Don’t just “make the first payment.” Remain steadfast to the very end!

Have a great day!

Alan Smith

Note: The following piece came to me “author unknown.” It is not humorous, but is designed to cause us to reflect. I hope you appreciate the change of pace.

DYING TO SELF

When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don’t sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ, that is dying to self.

When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take in all in patient, loving silence, that is dying to self.

When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any impunctuality, or any annoyance; when you stand face-to-face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility — and endure it as Jesus endured, that is dying to self.

When you are content with any food, any offering, any climate, any society, any raiment, any interruption by the will of God, that is dying to self.

When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendations, when you can truly love to be unknown, that is dying to self.

When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances, that is dying to self.

When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart, that is dying to self.

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25)

Have a great day!

Alan Smith

I read recently about a lady who had just moved from an apartment to a house in the same small town. One day at the grocery store, she used the last of her personalized checks bearing her old address. The cashier examined the check and asked if all the information on it was correct. The shopper assured her that it was correct, and the cashier started to put the check in the cash drawer. But then she inquired again if everything was accurate.

“Why do you ask?” the shopper responded.

“Because,” she replied, “my husband and I moved to this apartment yesterday, and I don’t remember seeing you at breakfast.”

Busted! This woman could have gone to any other store in the town and told them that was still her address and no one would have suspected a thing. But there was no way to fool this cashier because she lived there herself.

It’s much the same way with our spiritual lives. It’s easy to fool a lot of folks. “How’s your prayer life?” Couldn’t be better! “How’s your walk in Christ?” It’s fine. No problems at all!

But I wonder if there are times when we’ve moved away from God without telling anyone. They don’t know we’ve moved. For all they know, everything’s fine. But we can’t fool God. “Things are great? That’s funny, because I don’t remember seeing you at breakfast.”

One of the most well-known of all scriptures is Psalm 23. You’ve heard it recited hundreds of times, as have I. But I wonder if all these years I’ve misunderstood the very last phrase. You see, I’ve always understood David to take assurance in the knowledge that there is an eternal home waiting for him. But could it be instead that David was making a promise of his commitment to stay close to God?

“I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6b)

Others may think we still dwell there. But has God seen us around lately? May God strengthen us in our resolve to dwell with Him all the days of our lives, so that we may dwell with Him for all eternity.

Have a great day!

Alan Smith

You know it is true you can find anything and everything at Google.com. The only trouble is anyone can post items, true, untrue, or make-believe. So you are left after searching through many web sites making a decision based on your what you think sounds best.

Now, not exactly the same, but close, is a search through Bible commentaries to find the truth. Let me give you this example. Not long ago while teaching the book of Mark during one of the classes I mentioned the names of 22 different authors that had written a commentary on the book of Mark. And my simple question was, “Which writer is correct?”

As I looked out over the class, I could see the many faces of confusion. Then I said, “That’s right, the one you agree with.” Then I went on to explain if we are not careful we ask others, read books, commentaries, attend lectureships searching for someone that agrees with us and our understanding of a Bible passage.

Remember, it is God that has given us His word, His instructions, and His guidance as recorded in the Bible. Now, of course, a study of language, history, customs, and culture of the day are going to helpful. But that is quite a bit different than saying about a Bible passage, “This is what God meant.”

Note a few passages that make it clear that we can understand.

 Ephesian 3:3-4 “That by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. That by referring to this, when you read, you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ.”

Of course some things are hard to understand, II Peter 3:15:17, “As also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You, therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness.”

Last, consider the warning found in, I Cor. 13:36-37, “If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment. But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.”

So again, it is your “own” soul that is of your greatest concern, Not that you are not concerned about others, but be sure of your own situation. My strong suggestion is, be a student of God’s word and not the latest books on the market.

It is being a doer of His word that leads to eternal life.

Dick Brant

As a kid, I remember partial solar eclipses. My mom would bring me out to the backyard, warn me not to look at the sun, and we would use a pinhole projector to “watch” the solar eclipse safely. As a kid, this was only mildly interesting. I didn’t really appreciate what was happening. As an adult, total eclipses are awesome and mind-boggling.

When we stop and think about it, the fact that we have solar eclipses at all is incredible. There are so many factors that must be perfectly in tune for this to happen.

• The sun has to be a certain size and distance from the earth.
• The moon has to be a certain size and distance between both the sun and the earth.
• Everything must rotate and line up perfectly on the same plane. Other planet’s moons rotate many different directions.
• The earth has to be in the right position to view the eclipse.
• There must to be intelligent beings there to view it, understand it, and stand in awe of it.

Joe Rao from space.com explains these factors in greater detail: “The sun’s 864,000-mile diameter is fully 400 times greater than that of our puny moon, which measures just about 2,160 miles. But the moon also happens to be about 400 times closer to Earth than the sun (the ratio varies as both orbits are elliptical), and as a result, when the orbital planes intersect and the distances align favorably, the new moon can appear to completely blot out the disk of the sun” (Solar Eclipses).

Change any of these factors and eclipses would be impossible, or at best, just partial eclipses. As it stands, everything is perfect for total solar eclipses on earth. This is not the case on any other planet. Mercury and Venus don’t have a moon. Mars’ moons are too small for a total eclipse. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune do get total solar eclipses, but they are gas planets, so you obviously can’t stand on the planet to view them. Not to mention, the sun is very small at these distances. Pluto does get total solar eclipses, but that moon always faces the same side of Pluto. Not that any of these planets can support life anyway.

The odds of all these things happening perfectly is astronomical. Not to mention, there need to be people on earth, and everything that it takes to sustain life, to witness such an incredible event such as this. Sadly, scientists have chalked total solar eclipses as “accidents in nature” (ibid). When God is taken out of the picture, there really isn’t any other option available than calling things “an accident.”

Solar eclipses are no accident. They happen because God wanted to give us another amazing visual proof of His power, intelligence, and magnificence. They happen to show evidence of His existence. When He created the sun, moon, and stars, He placed everything perfectly so we could watch in awe (Genesis 1:14-19). Solar eclipses are just one more way we can clearly see God’s “eternal power and divine nature” (Romans 1:20).

Brett Petrillo

What do these beautiful songs have in common?

“An Empty Mansion” (1937), “Beyond the Sunset” (1936), “Heaven Holds All to Me” (1932), “Never Grow Old” (1930), “I’ll Live in Glory” (1936), “In Heaven They’re Singing” (1937), “No Tears in Heaven” (1935). “Paradise Valley” (1935), “This World Is Not My Home” (1937), “Won’t It Be Wonderful There?” (1930).

First, it is easy to see, they are songs about heaven. They express the deepest longing, anticipation, and hope of the Christian heart. Second – did you see it? – these songs were all written at about the same time period, about 1929-1939. Are you following this still?

These beautiful songs of heaven were written during the Great Depression. Have you seen those black-and-white photos of mothers wearing threadbare dresses, children in rags, hunger etched in the bones of their faces? When the nation suffered economic collapse, businesses were boarded up, millions of workers were laid off when hunger and destitution ravaged the land: In those desperate times, it seems, people turned their thoughts to the hope of heaven.

Heaven, a place of permanence, hope and plenty. Can you see them in your mind’s eye singing in simple church buildings, eyes closed, singing of their homesickness for heaven?

Interestingly, we hear far fewer songs written these days about heaven. Is it because we feel more secure economically? We have it so good in the present that we don’t long for heaven as we once did.

We should probably not put such stock in the current good economic times. Experience and Scripture tell us how faulty such a premise that is!

The greatest missionary who ever lived would say that “to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). And the writer of Revelation could exult in a place where there were no more tears, the Lord was the light, no hurtful, mean or violent person would be present, and where the sweetest people who ever lived would sing in exultation to their God.

In times of distress, I suppose, it’s easier to remember that this world is distinctly not our home. It’s when times are good that it is harder to draw this distinction. And yet, beloved, our hearts should still long for heaven.

Stan Mitchell

Through the years there have been individuals, usually preachers, who feature themselves as being “free thinkers” who present “thought provoking” lessons that are usually attacks upon what they call the “traditionally held” views.  The “in depth” lessons presented by these individuals usually leave many in the audience wondering just what they have said and thinking that the preacher is so “deep” in his thinking and presentation that they do not understand simply because they do not have the knowledge or ability the preacher has.

These men have at times caused confusion and strife by their preaching and when questioned about their teaching they usually reply, “You just don’t understand what I am saying.”  Again, the implication is that any problem that may exist is due to the lack of knowledge or ability on the part of the hearer to comprehend the “deep” things taught by the preacher.

I think it is time to start putting the blame where it belongs.  Are these men the “deep” thinkers they want us to believe they are?  I often think of a statement I once heard made by an old country fellow.  He said, “Just because you can’t see the bottom of the river doesn’t necessarily mean the water is deep, it may just be muddy.”  I am convinced that this is the case with some of these “deep” thinkers.  They have the ability to present their thoughts in such a confusing manner that they just “muddy the water.”

The apostle Paul said that he wrote the things revealed to him by the Holy Spirit so that “when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ” (Eph. 3:4).  One of the characteristics of faithful gospel preachers through the years has been their ability to present the truth of the gospel in a way that made it easily understood by those who heard.  If these men who fancy themselves as being such “in depth” students of the word really have the knowledge and ability they want us to believe they have then why don’t they just teach what they believe to be the truth in a simple understandable manner.  If we are misunderstanding what they are teaching then we plead with them to use their “superior” ability and present their teaching so that we “inferiors” can understand.  The gospel of Christ remains the same today as when first preached on the day of Pentecost.  When someone has to preach something that has never been preached before or preach it in a way no one else has ever preached it we had better beware.

I certainly do not want to discourage any study of God’s word nor do I condone those who become satisfied with “the way we have always done things” and will not change even when change is necessary to conform to God’s word.  However, I do not approve of those who seem more concerned with impressing men with their ability to be “deep thinkers” rather than helping men understand the plain and simple teachings of God’s word.  All preachers need, from time to time, to ask themselves the same question Paul asked in his epistle to the Galatians; “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men?” (Gal. 1:10).  Paul said, “if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”

I have often said that the two greatest compliments that could be paid to one preaching are: (1) “He preaches the truth” and (2) “He presents it in such a way that all can understand.”  When we become more concerned with “making an impression” than we are with “preaching the word” we are making a grave mistake.  Our concern must always be the salvation of souls and not self-glorification.  If the gospel is preached souls will be saved and God will be glorified.

Don’t be intimidated by those who try to make you feel inferior in your ability to understand truth.  Their teaching may not be “deep,” it may just be “muddy.”

– by James Hahn