My childhood preacher died this past week. Even reading that sentence as I write it, I don’t like the word “died.” I could have said “passed away” or “went home,” but it wouldn’t change the reality of it.

I have some special memories of Terry Broome. My family moved to South Georgia when I was 3.5 years old. We attended Forrest Park Church of Christ where Brother Terry ministered. I recall knocking doors with him before I was school aged. One Sunday night he was preaching and the power went out. He went right on preaching. This was before the days of iPads or smartphones with flashlights. He knew his stuff well enough to plow on in the darkness. I could share many more, but suffice it to say that my earliest impressions of ministry came from observing Terry Broome.

Thanks to the influence of several older Christians in my youth, I know firsthand the blessings of the generational mentorship we find in Scripture. Men like Terry Broome were my “Paul” and I was to them “Timothy.”

I once heard a respected professor make a statement about how we would be remembered. He said the preachers in the Restoration Movement that we remember are those who wrote most prolifically. It’s true that today, if we “know” someone who lived more than a generation before our time, it’s probably because we’ve read about that person or read their own writings.

As important as writing can be, I believe one of the greatest ways we live on is by mentoring others in the faith. One of the key focuses of Jesus’ ministry was the discipling of the apostles. He mentored them and then promised to aid them through the Holy Spirit once He completed His earthly work (cf. John 14:26).

Mentorship is a key element of biblical Christianity. So, dear Christian, look around you. Do you have a “Paul” in your life, whom you look to as an example and spiritual mentor? Do you have a “Timothy” whom you can encourage and guide by example?

If you do it right, someday someone might remember you the way I’m remembering Terry Broome. I can think of no higher compliment.

Clay Leonard

When God decided that He wanted to create man, He also knew that the Word would have to become flesh in order to pay the penalty for the sins which man with a free-will would commit. Consequently, before Jesus could come to earth, there needed to be chosen:

A woman – Mary

A nation – Israel

A land – Palestine

A Law – Law of Moses

The main idea I want to consider is the role of the modern nation of Israel in God’s plan for saving man…

This aspect of Premillennialism believes there will be:

1) A future restoration of the Jews to the land of Palestine;

2) Their subsequent (mass) conversion of Jews to Christianity.

To word it another way, “Premillennialism” believes that the Jews are still God’s chosen people and they still have a role to serve as Jews in God’s plan to save mankind.

Here is the Bible’s response to this:

The Jews had inherited the Promised Land:

One of the core components of the “covenant” God had made with the fathers (see Gen. 12:1-3) is the land of Canaan in which to dwell. As I have already stated, that promise was repeated dozens of times to Israel to motivate them to stay faithful to God as they entered the Promised Land and to never take for granted that wonderful blessing.

But, we need to observe that God said He had fulfilled all His promises relative to the “land promise:” Deut. 4:25-27; 28:58-66; Joshua 21:43-45; 23:14. And it was fulfilled in its entirety: 1 Chronicles 18:3; 2 Chronicles 9:26.

Of course, Israel had to obey God to remain in the land: 2 Kings 17:1-23; 24:1-20; 25:1-21.

There is a promise of a return, but it is a return from Assyrian and Babylonian exiles: Jeremiah 29:1-14; 30:1-3; Ezekiel 36:24, 33; 37:15-22. That promise of return was fulfilled as well: Ezra 1:1-4. There are no unfulfilled prophecies for the Jews of any future blessings in Palestine, or any other country.

We know that the “Jews” living today are not God’s chosen people because:

1) The Law which created the Jews has been nailed to the cross: Romans 7:1-4; 2 Corinthians 3:4-11; Galatians 3:23-29; Ephesians 2:11-22; Philippians 3:2-6; Colossians 2:13-17; Hebrews 8.

2) Physical circumcision has no spiritual significance at all anymore: Romans 2:28-29; 4:10-12; Gal. 3:27-29; Col. 2:11-12.

3) Terms used of national Israel are now fulfilled in the church: Galatians 6:16; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Rev. 1:6.

The church of Christ is the spiritual Israel of God; it is our task to share the message of the Kingdom with those around us.

Paul Holland

Texting is all the rave these days. But you have to be careful to send the message you really want to send, especially if your phone has autocorrect. For instance, someone observed that thanks to autocorrect, 1 in 5 children would be getting a visit from Satan last Christmas. Some other wag texted, “The guy who invented autocorrect for smart phones died today. Restaurant in peace.” Then there was this exchange between a mother and her son:   * Mom: Your aunt just passed away. LOL.   * Son: Why is that funny?    * Mom: It’s not funny, David! What do you mean?   * Son: Mom, LOL means Laughing Out Loud.   * Mom: Oops! I thought it meant Lots of Love.

Whether all texts convey what the sender really means to say or not, texts are flying off our fingertips and out of our phones. Statistics on texting are staggering. Some 81% of Americans text regularly. Over 6 billion texts are sent daily. Over 180 billion texts are sent every month. 27 trillion texts are sent every year. America is responsible for approximately 45% of the world’s text volume. Adults under 45 send and receive 85+ texts every day, on average. Adults 18-24 years old send and receive over 128 texts every day. Adults 18-24 years old send and receive 3,853 texts a month. I can’t go on with this except to note that texting, like just about every other technology, is a mixed bag. It can be so helpful, but also so harmful. If used reasonably it is a useful tool and can even be fun. But if allowed to, it become a tyrant that turns in to an addiction. Like other potentially dangerous activities, maybe there should be a warning to texters that says something like, “Text responsibly.”

Now that I’ve said all that, let me print out the greatest text that has ever been sent, and it was sent almost 2,000 years ago, before anybody on earth ever thought of “texting,” let alone sending one on a smart phone. That “text” is found in what always polls as the most famous and favorite verse in the Bible — John 3:16. It reads this way in the New King James Version: “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.”  No single verse in all the Bible more effectively captures the heart of what we call the gospel or good news of God’s love and desire to save mankind from sin than that 25-word text! It is the most frequently quoted, used (and we might add, misused), and preached verse in the Holy Scriptures. Consider this from Bible scholar of past years B. C. Goodpasture. He wrote, “Forty men engaged in writing the Bible over a period of 1,500 years (1,400 B. C. to 100 A. D.). They wrote as moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21) and not in words of human wisdom but in words given by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:13). The Bible contains 3,566,840 letters; 773,746 words; 31,173 verses; 1,189 chapters; 66 books (39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New).”

He goes on to say, “We cannot be far off the mark when we insist of all letters, words, verse, chapters and books in the Bible, none more effectively and comprehensively captures in a single statement of Scripture the Good News God brings to mankind that    the statement in John 3:16.” Amen, Bro. Goodpasture! John 3:16 is simply the greatest text ever sent!

Dan Gulley, Smithville TN

Do you ever find yourself wanting to question God? If so, you are in good company; the psalmists do the same:

Why doesn’t God do something about the prosperity of the wicked?

Why doesn’t God do something about the misery of the afflicted?

I have just finished reading Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s book The Gulag Archipelago, about the Communist concentration camps in Russia. The barbarity with which men can treat other human beings can be astounding. And not just physical torture either… within the last 100 years, millions have lost their homes, jobs, possessions, families, and even their lives because of the ruthless actions of wicked people. It’s not necessarily people who claim to be Christians who are persecuted. I’m speaking in broader, more generic terms; often good people, who just want to live their lives in peace, are abused by people in power.

Throughout the OT and even into the NT, God has expressed a special concern for widows, orphans, and the helpless. Often times, those who are righteous simply do not feel God’s presence…

QUESTIONING GOD 10:1:

If I am a child of God, a Christian, then why do bad things happen to me? And we still allow our hearts to believe that God is punishing us for something we have done. And that’s just not a biblical belief.

REJECTING GOD 10:2-11:

What one believes determines how one lives; the wicked say:

“There is no God” – 10:2-4.

“I shall not be moved” – 10:5-8.

“God doesn’t see me” – 10:9-11.

TRUSTING GOD – 10:12-18:

How do we know that God will bring about justice for the afflicted? Because He has a history of helping the orphans (ver. 14). That’s why the righteous commit themselves to Him.

God sees what is going on (ver. 14).

God judges sin (ver. 15).

God is king (ver. 16).

God defends His people (ver. 17-18).

The Lord hears the desires of the humble.

Paul Holland

“Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.’ And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.’ 5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6 And the Lord said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ 8 So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.”

(1) ONE LANGUAGE? (v. 1)

Chapter 10 mentions “languages” (see vv. 20, 31). The sometimes perceived contradiction here lies in that we anticipate a chronological account, but that is not what Moses provides. Chapter 10 is the genealogy of Noah which extends many generations after the flood (see v. 32). Verse 25 (of that chapter) is a reference to when the confusion of languages occurred (“for in his day the earth was divided”). Chapter 11 does not pick up at the end of the genealogy, but goes back to that time when there was but one language.

(2) THE REBELLIOUS OBJECTIVE OF THE PEOPLE (vv. 2-4)

The descendants of Noah selected a land they intended to “settle” in (v. 2). The burning of bricks was to make them very strong and durable (long-lasting). They wanted to erect a city that would unite them. This sounds good, but unity has never been the ultimate objective of God’s people. True unity must be found in the Lord’s will, not in rebellion to it! In this case, they were seeking to make a name for themselves (v. 4) and were seeking to keep from being dispersed. (See also Dt. 1:28.) Not only were the aspirations of the people rooted in arrogance, but they were in direct opposition to what God had told mankind to do: “fill the earth” (see 8:17; 9:1, 7).

(3) THE LORD’S OBSERVATION (vv. 5-6)

Human characteristics are given to the Lord in Him “going down to see” what was going on (v. 5). Of course, God knew what was going on! The people being unified in arrogance was a catastrophic condition that would lead them to a similar place as before the global flood (see 6:1-6).

(4) GOD’S ACTION (vv. 7-9)

The phrase “come let us” (that the people use twice in verse 7) is interesting in at least two regards: (1) The Lord uses the same phrase in verse 7. God’s “let us” trumped their vanity and rebellion! (2) Secondly, the “let us” here takes our minds back to the creation account when God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” (1:26). The Godhead was involved in creation and the Godhead would be involved in the situation at Babel.

God’s approach was to confuse the one language into many. Obviously, this caused an insurmountable problem with the construction of this city and brought it to a sudden halt. At this point the Lord dispersed the people over the face of the earth.

The word “Babel” meant “gate of God” but there was a very similar sounding Hebrew word (balal) that meant “confused.” Instead of Babel being the gate to heaven, it became the gate to earthly confusion.

The Genesis account proceeds from here to the call of Abram and the three-fold promise God makes to him. God is patient and has richly blessed us through the seed of Abraham!

Daren Schroeder

Pope Francis recently stated that he believes in hell, but likes to think of it as “empty” because of God’s mercy. That is a change from what he believed in 2018 when he told a friend that he didn’t believe hell exists!

This leader has millions of followers, so hopefully they don’t agree with Francis. In fact, they might do him a favor by quoting the Bible:

“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, ye curse, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his an- gels” (Matthew 25:41).

And they need to emphasize to their Pope that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, even gave some statistics regarding how many would occupy hell, comparing it with heaven’s occupants:

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  Be cause strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

Wayne Price

Sought by Saul, David lived a life on the run. His enemies were powerful and determined to snuff out his life. But David had the only ally that matters. Looking back on the deliverance that God accomplished and the salvation that God won for David, the king of Israel praised the King of all creation.

“I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies” (Psalm 18:1-3 ESV).

David describes Jehovah as “my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.” To David, God is a “shield” and a “stronghold.” We have no trouble visualizing those illustrations. We can envision God as a fortress built upon a high mountain. He is impenetrable. “None of those who take refuge in him will be condemned” (Psalm 34:22).

The phrase “the horn of my salvation” is more puzzling to us. Only twice is the phrase found in the Old Testament and both are the words of David (see 2 Samuel 22:3). What does David have in mind?

Those who have encountered animals like domesticated cattle know how much power resides within even the most docile of cows. Add horns and the danger increases. Now imagine an animal feared for its ferociousness. The Cape Buffalo is perhaps Africa’s most dangerous animal. It is more feared among hunters than lions or rhinoceros.

The ox represents such strength in scripture. In Moses’ final blessing upon Israel, he refers to the tribes of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) as a “firstborn bull” who has “majesty” and whose “horns are the horns of a wild ox.” With these horns he shall “gore the peoples, all of them, to the ends of the earth” (Deuteronomy 33:17). Balaam refers to God being to Israel “like the horns of the wild ox” (Numbers 23:22; 24:8).

The horn was power, majesty, and deliverance. God was the horn of salvation.

How compelling it is that after John’s birth, his father Zechariah prophesied about Jesus, and used this same phrase.

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David” (Luke 1:69, 70).

Jesus is the horn of salvation. He saves us not from an injurious country, an insolent neighbor, or an inconvenient request, but from our ultimate enemy. He saves us from Satan, sin, and ourselves. He saves us from the certain and imminent spiritual death toward which we were all hurtling.

We need a champion. We need a conqueror. We need a horn of salvation. We cannot be victorious alone.

Victory in God looks different than worldly victory. God’s people who live in victory live in light and peace.

It is because of the “tender mercy of our God” that light shines upon us from above and guides our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:78, 79).

May we all live in the light of God and walk in the way of peace.

Lee Parish

For years, workers and visitors flocked to the sight of silvery dust flakes that floated to the floor in a mill where steel strips rolled over pads in a tall cooling tower. In his book The Heat: Steelworkers’ Lives and Legends, steelworker Joe Gutierrez tells how beautifully “the snow danced in August.”

Then people discovered the dust was asbestos. “Everybody breathed it,” wrote Gutierrez. He now suffers from the slow, choking grip of asbestosis, as do many plant workers.

“Who am I? I’m everybody. Can’t walk too far now. I get tired real fast, and it hurts when I breathe sometimes. And to think we used to fight over that job,” he says.

How many things in our culture resemble the silver flakes in that steel mill? They’re enchanting but deadly. Meditate on Caiaphas with me for a few minutes…

CAIAPHAS WAS A RELIGIOUS PERSON:

He was the virtual leader of the Jewish people, from a  religious perspective. To be high priest, to speak to God for men, and to speak to men for God, should not only have lifted a man into nobility; it should have kept in his view the supreme purpose and the spiritual function of the church, the kingdom, which Jesus Christ the Messiah had come to establish.

We know Christians who have forgotten about the exalted and the pure. They have been distracted by this world and so they play loosely with “Truth” and forget the greatness of the kingdom of God and its richness. Spiritual talk makes them feel uncomfortable and endangers their own “church” or “kingdom” which rules in their own hearts.

CAIAPHAS WAS CLOSED MINDED:

Caiaphas had been influenced by hundreds of years of false teaching, a false approach to Scripture – the pattern for the priesthood for Caiaphas was what had happened in the years before he entered the office – not the pattern God had given him in Exodus and Leviticus. Caiaphas did not keep an open mind, he did not “test all things, hold fast to what is good” (1 Thess. 5:21); he did not have a discerning mind.

CAIAPHAS HAD A DARKENED HEART:

Caiaphas could easily imagine the followers of Jesus getting out of control and the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, could interpret their actions as insurrection. He could then send in the Roman soldiers who would crush the temple and the priesthood and there would go Caiaphas and his priesthood and his pride.

So he made his determination: “He must be put to death!”

The church of Jesus Christ needs members with pure hearts. She needs wise counsel and energy and conversation that is healthy and wholesome. She needs members who are patient and untiring in their efforts to serve.

Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ. Open the gate of your heart wide so that the King of Glory can come in and reign over your thoughts and words and actions.

Paul Holland

INTRODUCTION:

Any man who is fair and honest with himself will readily admit that in the final analysis he is dependent upon God for all his blessings. No man could live in this world a single hour without God’s benefits. Yet, in the face of all this, it is a notable fact that man is seldom satisfied with the things that God so graciously bestows upon him. A thoughtful consideration of these truths should cause man to realize that his nature is depraved through sin, and that he should seek to get back to God.

1. MAN AND HIS HOME IN EDEN:
   1. Jehovah gave Adam and Eve a home in the Garden of Eden and told them how they might keep it, but not being satisfied to do as God command them, they lost it. Genesis 3.
   2. Man has been told how he may regain the lost paradise, but he is not satisfied to follow God’s instructions and he will have no one to blame but himself if he is finally lost.

1. ISRAEL’S DELIVERANCE FROM EGYPTIAN BONDAGE:

1. The life of the Israelites was a bitter one while they were serving the Egyptians (Exo. 1:13-14). But God in his goodness led them out of that bondage and instead of showing their appreciation for his kindness, their after-life was one of almost continual murmuring. They complained about the way they had to travel, their food, drink, the giants in the land, walled cities, etc.
2. Both the Scriptures and human experiences teach us that the way of sin is hard (Prov. 13:15). God in his mercy delivered us from the bondage of sin (Rom. 6:16-18), yet how often do we complain of our lots as Christians?

III. THE MISUSE OF THEIR GOD-GIVEN RICHES:

1. Before the people left Egypt, God gave them favor with the Egyptians, and when they requested it, they gave them jewels of gold and silver (Exo. 12:35-26), but it was not long afterward until these things were made into an object of their worship (Exo. 32:1ff).
2. The same God has bestowed many material blessings upon us but how often do we worship them instead of God!? The Israelites were not satisfied to use their blessings as Jehovah intended, and neither are we (Heb. 13:5; Mal. 2:2).

1. THE REMEDY FOR THIS UNHOLY ATTITUDE:

1. Not only do these examples demonstrate that man is blessed, yet not satisfied, but they also emphasize the fact that human nature is the same in all ages of time.
2. The only cure for this disorder is to realize that if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature, or there is a new creation (2 Cor. 6:17), and that if he wants to please God, he must walk after that rule (Gal. 6:15-16). There must be a putting off of the old man and a putting on of the new man (Eph. 4:22-24). Then it will be that he may find himself.

a sermon by the late Wayne E. Holland

preached at:

Hiawassee, GA (1/08/1984)

Roxboro, NC (7/15/1989)

Henderson, NC (1/14/1997)

Have you ever heard of an upside down Christmas tree? Some of the first trees to be offered were 18 years ago by a New York based company called Hammacher Schlemmer. The trees retailed for $600. The company’s website advertised that the tree would make it easier to see ornaments and would allow more room for the accumulation of presents underneath. Other retail sites got in on the action and now you can order a 7’ tall Christmas tree through Amazon for $74 or through Home Depot for $160 (which is pre-lit)…

When we become a follower of Jesus Christ, our world gets turned upside down. When we truly try to start walking by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7), we learn what it means to trust God for His promises. We will not obey Jesus in any way until we trust Jesus.

Let’s take a look at the first event recorded in Luke in which Jehovah God sent a messenger from heaven, for the first time in four hundred years! Gabriel will turn Zacharias’ and Elizabeth’s world upside down.

THE HOPELESSNESS OF MAN – 1:5-7:

Now, you might feel that your own situation in some way is hopeless. But its when we have found ourselves hanging on to the end of our rope that we quit trusting in ourselves and we begin trusting God and His promises. Do you think God wants you to be successful and to use your skills in His service? Then you’ve got to trust Him to do that in His own way.

THE MESSAGE FROM GOD – 1:8-13:

Now here, the message from Gabriel to Zacharias is this:

1) Your petition is heard. Do you trust God to hear your prayers? Do you trust God to answer your prayers? Mark 11:24; John 14:13; 1 John 5:14.

2) Specifically relative to Zacharias, “Elizabeth your wife will bear you a son.” Elizabeth was sterile, but through the power of God, she will give birth to a son. When Gabriel appears to Mary, Jesus’ mother, with a similar but even more astounding message, he tells her: “Nothing will be impossible with God” (1:37).

3) Then, Gabriel, reflecting God’s plans, gave John his name. The name “John” means “a gracious gift” or “merciful God.” Either way, it would be a reminder of Elizabeth every time she called his name that he was God’s gift.

THE MESSENGER OF JESUS CHRIST – 1:14-17:

This paragraph is the most important from a theological perspective of this whole section. Who is this messenger of Jesus? What was he supposed to do?

Through this work, John the baptizer would “make ready a people prepared for Jehovah.” In other words, after hearing John preach, then the Jews would be ready to accept Jesus as Jehovah God in the flesh and their Savior.

THE UNBELIEF OF MAN – 1:18-20:

When you and I open ourselves to being led by God, both in the Scriptures and through prayer, He will guide us where He wants us to be, doing what He wants us to do. This miracle, among all the miracles in the Bible, are designed to help us have faith and confidence in the word of God so that we will trust the promises of God.

THE WORDLESS MESSAGE – 1:21-23:

When Zacharias finally exited the tabernacle, he was not able to talk. Then the people realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. He “kept making signs” to them but remained mute. That makes me wonder if he thought that, perhaps, if he tried talking to them and told them about Gabriel, that God would give him his speech back. But, it didn’t work, not until after John’s birth and Zacharias wrote on a tablet that the boy’s name would be “John” (ver. 63-64).

THE WORD FULFILLED – 1:24-25:

When God answers our prayers, the best thing we can do is thank Him and worship Him. We praise God because of answered prayers. And it strengthens our resolve to trust Him more strongly and more broadly in the future.

It really will turn your world upside down when you learn what it means to trust God’s word. Your prayers will be answered and your life will be enriched.

Paul Holland

Two birds flew over a desert. Both birds saw the same scenery, but they each viewed them differently. The vulture noticed the rotting flesh and decay because that’s what it was looking for. But the hummingbird ignored the dead animals and instead looked for the colorful blossoms of desert flowers. The vulture thrives on what was and lives off of the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone. But hummingbirds live on what is, they search for new life, and they fill themselves with the freshness of life. Two birds flew over a desert, and they both found what they were looking for.

We all have the ability to choose what it is that we focus on. Each one of us has the ability to choose our attitude in life. God saved us for a reason, and that is so we would glorify Him with our lives. If we choose an attitude of discontentment or laziness we are failing to fulfill our divinely given purpose. Having the proper attitude helps us mentally, spiritually, and even physically. So what should our attitude look like?

God wants us to have an attitude of gratitude for letting us be a part of His saving plan (Look throughout the psalms!). Gratitude is choosing to focus on the positive. It is to be grateful for what we have been blessed with and not what we don’t have.

We should have an attitude of excitement in getting to help others find and grow a relationship with God. It is a God-given privilege to be a part of the work of the Kingdom. We are doing what really matters, and we should be excited to be a part of such a great work.

We should also have patience (Gal. 6:9). Times will get tough. It won’t always be easy to show excitement and gratitude. It’s in the trials and testing that our patience is needed. We must have a patient attitude knowing that God holds the future in His hands (Psa. 31:14-15).

If we have this proper attitude it will help us glorify God through our actions. These actions include important things like bearing fruit for the Father (John 15), fighting as soldiers for Christ (2 Tim. 2:3-4), and running in the Christian race (1 Cor. 9:24-27).  Having the proper attitude will strengthen our dedication to the Lord. We receive salvation from God and in return we must be dedicated laborers and workers in the Kingdom (Col. 3:23; Matt. 5:16).

Just like those two birds that flew over the same desert, we have been given the ability to choose what we focus on and what our attitude will be in life. Two people can go through the same terrible event and respond in two entirely different ways. God created us with the power of choice. We have the power to choose what our attitude will be. We can either focus on the bad in this world, the hopelessness, the sin and decay. Or we can focus on glorifying God with an attitude that He approves of.

Carl Pollard

The writer of Hebrews (13:5) quotes from Deuteronomy 31:8 and Joshua 1:5: “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.”

See the power of this promise illustrated in the longest chapter in the book of Genesis… It records a very significant event in the life of Abraham and in the fulfillment of God’s plan. Abraham needs a family. He has Isaac, but one child does not guarantee progeny.

SCENE ONE – 24:1-9:

God had promised Abraham that He would bless him (12:1-3). That blessing has now turned into reality: “Jehovah blessed Abraham in all things.” Isaac did not have a wife and he was mourning the loss of his mother (24:67), apparently now for three years.

SCENE TWO – 24:10-27:

Abraham’s faithful servant bowed down and worshiped Jehovah God for answering his prayer. To say that he blessed Jehovah God means that he praised God for His blessing on the servant. The servant felt that the loving loyalty and faithfulness God had shown to Abraham was now being shown to the servant.

SCENE THREE – 24:28-49:

Israel needed to be assured that if / when God promises to send His angel / messenger before them, He means to do just that (cf. Exo. 33:1-3). Christians are also reminded that God has angels as His servants on behalf of Christians (Heb. 1:14), but even more than that, Christians are reminded that God will never leave them nor forsake them (Heb. 13:5-6).

SCENE FOUR – 24:50-60:

Rebekah will prove to be a strong woman, as we see her again in chapters 25 and 27. After chapter 27, Rebekah will not play a significant role; later references to her will only be references (28:5; 29:12; 35:8; 49:31).

SCENE FIVE – 24:61-67:

Isaac had gone out, perhaps to meditate in the field. When they came close enough to speak, the servant related to Isaac what had happened. Knowing that God had worked all things together for Isaac’s good, Isaac took Rebekah into the tent of Sarah, indicating that Rebekah was the new mistress of the family. Isaac took Rebekah as his wife and her love comforted Isaac after mourning for his mom for three years.

CONCLUSION:

The promised seed continues.

Throughout this whole event, God has not acted. There is no miraculous event in all of this; but the astute reader will recognize God working “behind the scenes” in His providential way. While the angel of Jehovah has also been mentioned by Abraham and the servant, there is no record of the angel actually doing anything. God can work just as effectively in the normal, everyday affairs of life as He can through miracles. From Christians, it just takes trust in Him to work out what is best for His servants (Rom. 8:28) and prayer for His will to be done (James 4:15). This account ought to encourage Christians to pray in faith (Luke 18:1; 1 Thess. 5:17).

Trust God’s powerful presence in your life.

Paul Holland

The typical response when first hearing of tragedy or hard times is, “oh no. I’ll be sure and pray for you.” I have been on the receiving end of that response, but have also been on the offering side of it as well. Truth be told, I’m sure I have let down a lot of people when it comes to my prayer life.

Prayer is such a divine privilege and often gets taken for granted. Before Christ, going before God was done through a priest. Even kings couldn’t do such a task without a priest; consider the pride and fall of king Uzziah (2 Chron. 26:18). There have also been times in the Old Testament scriptures where God has told individuals, “do not lift up a prayer for this people” (Jeremiah 7:16). God wanted to hear prayers of only the contrite and faithful. The same theology can be found in the New Testament as well (John 9:31). Luckily for us, we have Jesus who takes the spot as High Priest and allows us to go before the throne despite our flaws (Heb. 4:14-16).

Personally, I’m trying to do better about flippantly saying, “I’ll be sure and pray for you.” That kind of statement ought to carry a great deal of weight between the three involved parties; the receiver, the requester, and the listener. There are few more comforting thoughts in this world than to know that someone is kneeling before God’s mighty throne, having a divine conversation with my name included in the dialogue. That type of action is a responsibility that I, as a Christian, am obligated to do for others.

The problem comes down to a finite memory and simply remembering those who need prayers. You’ll find your prayer life becoming more consistent when praying for others instead of self constantly. Here are some practical ways to help our weak minds remember those in need:

1. Prayer Journal – Among the other ways to keep track of prayers, this is my favorite method. Perhaps the coolest aspect of a journal is the ability to look back through time and become a witness of how God works through prayer. Find a journal no larger than your cell phone or wallet in order to keep it on you.
2. The Echo Prayer App – If you have a smart phone, put it to use. There’s a handy app called “Echo Prayer” which utilizes your phone to create a prayer journal. I’ve used it before and have enjoyed my experience with it.
3. Good old fashioned bulletin – maybe it’s a product of being a “secretaries kid,” but I find the Sunday bulletin to be an invaluable method of keeping people in your prayers. This can also be found in digital form in your email.
4. Simply mean it. When you tell someone you’re going to pray for them, consider it an eternal reliance on you. You’ve got a job to do, so do it. You’ll find yourself growing closer to God and His people with each prayer.

   Tyler King

Astonishingly, the Nephilim have been all over social media lately, and that’s because of an appearance they made at a mall in Miami! At least according to some. Let’s give some attention to the first few verses of Genesis 6. The text reads:

“When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.’ 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.”

Some have the strange notion that the “sons of God” in this text refers to wicked angels, and then actually go on to say that they came down to earth and had relations with “the daughters of man” and whose offspring became known as the “Nephilim.” This is actually taught in the apocryphal book of 1 Enoch and is believed by many today. But is this what the Bible really teaches?

We should note that the phrase “sons of God” does at times have reference to angels (see Job 1:6; 2:1), but not always, and definitively not in our text. The “sons of God” here almost certainly refers to the more righteous line of Seth, as compared with the wicked line of Cain, “the daughters of man.” The magnitude of evil on this earth came to a climax when the righteous line of Seth intermarried with the wicked line of Cain. God desires “godly offspring” (see Mal. 2:15), but that is not naturally occurring when the righteous marry the wicked. The seemingly innocent beginning of this problem, which led to the global flood, was marriages based largely on beauty.

The “Nephilim theory” may be debunked very quickly noting that angels are not even sexual beings! (see Mt. 22:30). The simple truth of this matter does not set well with those looking for novel things more than true and biblical things. But this fact is insurmountable for the one who believes Scripture.

We should also note that this intermarrying between these lines did NOT produce the Nephilim, period! This is simply not what the text says. The Nephilim were already a people before this ever occurred. Verse 4 says, “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterwards when the sons of God came into the daughters of man…”

So, who are these Nephilim? The end of verse 4 says, “These were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.” Two things we learn here is that they: (1) “Weren’t born yesterday,” (or in the days that Genesis 6 refers to) and (2) They had quite a reputation.

We also read about the Nephilim in Numbers 13:33 which says, “And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.” Though the Nephilim were certainly known for their size, they were also known for being just as human as anyone else, like the Philistine giant, Goliath (see 1 Sam. 17).

Let’s read the Bible carefully and seek to understand what it really says and means instead of seeking to find something novel.

Daren Schroeder

There is a spiritual war going on. We are in the midst of this constant struggle between good and evil. In the trenches and the front-lines, we fight this battle on a daily basis. However, we are not alone in this battle. We have a leader who volunteered to show us the way.

There are many acts of bravery documented in Stephen E. Ambrose’s book D-Day. One account that has stuck with me is about Lt. Robert Mason Mathias serving as a platoon leader in the 82nd Airborne Division.

Lt. Mathias was riding in a C-47 Dakota over France at 0227 hours on June 6. Nearing the jump zone the plane starting to take flak from German guns. Lt. Mathias stood and took the first jump position at the open door. You may think this is strange. Leaders are supposed to take up the rear where it is safe. However, this is not the case in the Airborne. The leader is the first to jump out the door. As Lt. Mathias was standing in the door a shell burst beside him. Red-hot flak ripped through his reserve chute into his chest, knocking him off his feet. He pulled himself back to his feet as the jump light came on. He could have stayed on the plane and gotten medical care. Instead, he raised his right arm, yelled out “Follow me!” and leapt into the night. Whether Lt. Mathias died on the way down or from the impact of landing is not known. He was the first American officer killed by German fire on D-Day.

In like manner, our spiritual leader was not willing to command us from the safe confines of heaven. Knowing well what it would cost Him, our Lord made the leap from heaven to earth. Jesus entered the front-lines of the battlefield and ordered us to follow him (Matthew 10:38). Lt. Mathias and countless other soldiers sacrificed themselves to free Europe from the oppression of totalitarianism and protect the freedoms we enjoy today. Likewise, Christ, upon the cross, sacrificed Himself to free us from the oppression of sin (Matthew 26:26-28). When you find yourself feeling alone and lost in the battle, remember that Jesus has been there before. He has fought the battle and won the war. What we must do is follow him.

Thom Vaught

What doors will open for you in 2024? A new job opportunity perhaps? Or maybe the door will open to make that long awaited trip. Perhaps the unexpected chance to scratch off another item on your bucket list. We all have improbable opportunities present themselves in life. Some of these open doors can change our lives, and even serve God.

When Paul was in Troas, he was preparing to go into Asia, but in a vision, he saw a man in Macedonia saying, “Come over and help us.” So Paul traveled to Macedonia and came to Philippi. Paul later told the Corinthians that in Phillippi, “a door was opened for me in the Lord” (2 Cor. 2:12). What door? First, he met Lydia during a prayer meeting down by the river and baptized her and all her household. Next, doors were really opened in the prison, that led to the conversion of the roman jailer and his household (Acts 16).

 God accomplishes His will by opening the doors of opportunity for us to walk through. We might call it providence, happenstance, or just dumb luck. In truth it is God working in our lives, directing us through the opportunities he presents to us. “Chance,” Anatole France said, “is the pseudonym of God when He did not want to sign.” How will God direct your life this year?  What doors will He open to for you? Are you ready to walk through those doors?

-Dennis Doughty

With a 3.5-year-old and a nearly 2-year-old in our house, we greatly value silence. Of course, we enjoy hearing our children playing with their toys and singing, but when they go to bed at the end of the day, we are usually “noised out” and ready for some quiet time. Silence is not only valuable; it is biblical.

Silence usually appears in the Bible in two contexts. The first is waiting for the Lord and trusting Him to act. The second is the wisdom of knowing when to keep silent.

David makes the following statement twice, with minor variations, in Psalm 62: “For God alone my soul waits in silence” (vv. 1, 5). In Exodus 14 Moses says to the people, “The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (v. 14). The silence in these verses indicates God’s sole ability to render human salvation (in these cases physical). Lamentations 3:26 says, “It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”

We also find scenes in Scripture of God’s presence bringing about silence. Habakkuk 2:20 says, “But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” Likewise, we learn that at the opening of the seventh seal of the scroll in Revelation 8:1, “there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” This is a reverential, deferential silence that recognizes God’s holiness and perfection.

The book of Proverbs repeatedly ties together wisdom and the ability to keep silent; Proverbs 17:28a says, “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise” (also see 11:12; 18:13; 21:23; 29:11). Both Solomon and James teach similar truths (Ecclesiastes 3:7; James 1:19).

One of the greatest moments of silence in Scripture combines the two aforementioned contexts. In a prophecy fulfilled on the cross, Isaiah states of our Messiah, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth” (53:7).

Jesus, God-in-the-flesh, displayed divine wisdom, presence, and salvation in this one special moment. The God-man kept silent so that men could share in the holiness and perfection of God. What a gift!

Clay Leonard

In a terrible accident at a railroad crossing, a train smashed into a car and pushed it nearly four hundred yards down the track. Though no one was killed, the driver took the train company to court.

At the trial, the engineer insisted that he had given the driver ample warning by waving his lantern back and forth for nearly a minute.  He even stood and convincingly demonstrated how he’d done it.  The court believed his story, and the suit was dismissed.

“Congratulations,” the lawyer said to the engineer when it was over.  “You did superbly under cross-examination.”

“Thanks,” he said, “but he sure had me worried.”

“How’s that?” the lawyer asked.

“I was afraid he was going to ask if the lantern was lit!”

In a similar way, we often go through our lives afraid that someone will ask us a particular question.  “If someone asks me why I believe in God and not evolution, what will I say?”  “What if someone asks me how I can possibly believe in the resurrection?”  “What do I say if someone asks me why I believe the Bible truly is the Word of God, or why I believe that it teaches this or that?”

Instead of being detrimental as in the case of the engineer above, though, such questions provide us with an opportunity to share our faith.

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” (I Peter 3:15)

Don’t be afraid for anyone to ask!

Have a great day!

Alan Smith

My buddy was running late for lunch one day, which was very unlike him. When he finally made it to the restaurant and sat down across from me, I could tell he was a little frazzled.

“Sorry,” he said. “I’ve been on the phone with a business associate and well…”

I interjected, “They were giving you a hard time?” 

He smiled and said, “They were giving me an opportunity to love on them.”

That sentiment has stuck with me for a long time. When someone gives me a hard time, the instinct is to see it as an opportunity to get even. I may snap back at them or some other retaliation. Perhaps secretly I file the incident away to build of case of how they are a mean person and thus I can justly avoid them and have a low reputation of them. Yet, my buddy laid out a whole different perspective. Instead of seeing it as an opportunity to despise, I should see it as an opportunity to love.

Christians frequently ask God for opportunities to live out our faith. What we often forget is that those opportunities regularly show up as frustrating, difficult moments that put our faith to the test. Let’s call it like it is…It’s hard to love someone who is being ugly to you. Yet, what better way to practice loving like Jesus than to do it toward someone who has hurt me? It’s a lot more effective than returning the favor. Solomon observed, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses” (Prov. 10:12). Peter echoes the same sentiment, but with a greater sense of urgency. “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pet 4:8). Think about it. If we can learn to love those who are giving us grief and trouble, how much easier is it to love on them when we are at peace?

The next time someone starts ruffling your feathers, don’t look at it as an opportunity to get even. Learn to see it as an opportunity to love on them.

Cory Waddell

Last week I drove past a man walking on the sidewalk carrying sacks from a purchase he’d evidently just made. He had no hands. His arms were stumps, but he was able to carry his sacks. He was managing.

Jesus entered a synagogue to teach. A man with a withered hand was there. It was widely known that he would heal people on the sabbath.

Then Jesus left that place and entered their synagogue. A man was there who had a withered hand. And they asked Jesus, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” so that they could accuse him. He said to them, “Would not any one of you, if he had one sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and it was restored, as healthy as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him, as to how they could assassinate him. Matthew 12.9-14.

Why did Jesus go ahead and heal the withered hand? After all, the man wasn’t at risk of dying. He’d probably gotten along so far in life in his present state. Maybe Jesus could have set up with the man to heal on another day. What difference would another day or two make? Why upset the authorities even more? Someone might say, “See!? His actions provoked them to plot a plan to kill him.”

Our Lord’s actions provide his followers with many strong principles.

First, do good when it is in your power to do it.

“Do not withhold good from someone entitled to it when you have in hand the power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go! Return tomorrow and I will give it,” when you have it with you at the time. Proverbs 3.27-28 GGN/NET.

The apostle Paul also reminds us: “So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith” Galatians 6.10 NET.

Second, don’t let criticism or opposition keep you from doing good. Remember that it will often come from religious people. The joy-bus ministry back in the 1970s got lots of criticism — from people in the church. And when some were doing missions decades ago (not a thing anymore), many churches opted to do something within a day’s driving distance of their building.

Third, keep your mission to save souls at the forefront. Jesus didn’t go to the synagogue with the purpose of finding someone to heal. He went to teach. And teach he did — generating more opposition. His miracles pointed to his mission and showed the spiritual bankruptcy of the religious authorities and teachers. We ought to get the same important point today from his miracles. He went around doing good and his life culminated in the greatest good of all — salvation for mankind.

Fourth, know the relative value of things. People are more important than animals. This was Jesus’ argument to those who wanted to accuse him. He cited their own law against them. If you could save an animal on the sabbath, certainly you could save a man. An important application of this principle for us? The eternal spirit is more important than the body. The greatest good we can do for others is to teach them the way to salvation. That is why Jesus defined his mission as seeking and saving the lost, as preparing a place in heaven for his followers, as testifying to the redemptive truth. Jesus taught at length about Heaven and eternity. He wanted us to be “welcomed into the eternal homes” Luke 16.9. He, more than anyone, spoke about eternal hell.

Jesus wants to make us completely whole. By his miracles, he did that on earth for people. Only the man with the withered hand — or the man I saw with no hands — could appreciate not having a good hand. By his death, Jesus brought spiritual and eternal wholeness. Every broken heart and life can appreciate what this means. Those who pretend to have it all together, however, have no idea.

by J. Randal Matheny