“The rich and the poor have this in common, the LORD is the maker of them all” (Proverbs 22:2, NKJV).

We all belong in the same class. The blue bloods just don’t exist. The rich and famous have nothing on anybody else.

Somebody once said that the great leveler is the truth that we all have to sit on the toilet. Somebody else thought it was that we all must die one day.

Solomon says it’s because the Lord made us all. Add to that that Jesus Christ died for all, and you have a double blade to level the human playing field.

Peel back the hoopla, and find a human being. Wash off the makeup, and see plain folk. President and peon, we’re all alike.

Since the Lord is maker of us all, we are creatures of need, dependent on his care. I cannot look at another human being without seeing my equal — equally in need of God’s presence and blessing.

That the Lord is maker of us all endows us with both dignity and humility. We understand our privileged place in the divine scheme of things, as well as our lowliness before the divine Magnificence.

With one voice, then, we may praise his name; with one mind, we may seek his will; with one heart, we may live together in his Kingdom.

I’m thankful for that!

1. A. Neale

A 12-year-old boy in Marysville, Washington, was enjoying recess when suddenly his life was in danger.  He was standing on the concrete lid of a well when the concrete crumbled beneath him, and he fell 20 feet into the well.  Firefighters from the Marysville Fire District were called in for the rescue.  They found the boy clinging to a plastic pipe which kept him above the water line.

The firefighters removed the remaining concrete and lowered a long ladder into the well.  The boy was able to climb up the ladder to safety.  He was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for lacerations on his head.  He is expected to recover fully. *

Because of our sins, we are a lot like that boy in the well with no hope of surviving unless there is outside intervention.  Our salvation from sin requires divine intervention, for only He can save us from our predicament.

Our sins separate us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2), but God loves us anyway.  He loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to rescue us (John 3:16).  To save us from sin, Jesus had to die on the cross for our sins (Ephesians 1:7).  “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18 ESV).  “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

God will save from sin and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  He will continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7-9).

Jesus is the Ladder to heaven.  Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).  We must be willing to “cling to the Ladder” in trusting obedience in order to be saved.  Won’t YOU?

— David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from “Washington state firefighters rescue 12-year-old boy who fell 20 feet down well” by Stephen Sorace of Fox News, www.foxnews.com.

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Devoted to the Apostles’ Teaching
David Owens

A. The Bible says that the early church “devoted themselves…” (NIV)
1. Some of the other translations express it slightly differently.
a. KJV: And they continued steadfastly
b. NASV: They were continually devoting themselves
2. Their devotion wasn’t a past-tense type devotion, but an ongoing continual type of devotion.
3. What does it mean to be devoted?
a. Dictionary definitions describe it like this: love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause.
b. The act of devoting or the quality of being devoted. : strong love, affection, or dedication.

B. Devotion is a good and powerful thing.
1. When we think of devotion, we often think of a devoted mother or father, or a devoted lover, or a devoted fan, or being devoted to a company or a cause.
2. I like the story told about Albert Einstein who attended a dinner party one evening.
a. A young, college student was seated beside him.
b. The student didn’t know who Einstein was.
c. In the course of their conversation the young student asked the white-haired scientist, “What are you actually by profession?”
d. Einstein replied: “I devote myself to the study of physics.”
e. The student looked at him in astonishment and said, “You study physics at your age? I finished my study of physics a year ago.”
f. There’s a big difference in taking a course in physics and being devoted to the study of physics.
g. And as we will see, there’s a difference between studying the apostles’ teaching and being devoted to the apostles’ teaching.
3. I’ve always been amazed at the devotion of Olympic athletes because there are four years between Olympics and that’s a long time in between to keep training for an event that is four years away.
a. Sanya Richards-Ross is a Jamaican-American track and field athlete.
b. In 2008, Sanya Richards-Ross competed in the 400 Meter in Beijing.
1. She started the race strong and built a substantial lead before locking up on the home stretch.
2. She finished third for the Bronze.
c. Four years later, in 2012, she competed and won the gold medal in the 400 Meter in London.
1. Four long years, Sanya Richards-Ross waited.
2. Four years she waited with the hunger pangs of unfinished business and the sense of an uncompleted mission.
3. When they introduced her before the 400 meters in London, she blew a kiss to the camera, went out and got the gold medal she had worked tirelessly for since Beijing.

C. Just as Sanya Richards-Ross and Albert Einstein were devoted to their pursuits, the early Christians in Acts 2 modeled devotion to Christ.
1. Those early Christians were intentional and disciplined about the process of be devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
2. They were steadfast or single minded in purpose and so they devoted themselves.
3. God is pleased when disciples of Jesus are devoted in the same ways as the early disciples.

D. Let’s pause for a moment and reflect on how early Acts 2 was in the history of Christianity.
1. Jesus died during the Jewish Passover on or around the year of AD 33.
2. Jesus arose on the 3rd day and then made appearances to the apostles and His followers for the next 40 days.
3. Ten days after Jesus ascended back to heaven, the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles on the Day of Pentecost and Peter preached the first Gospel sermon and 3000 people responded to the invitation and were baptized into Christ and the church began.
4. How much time do you think took place between Acts 2:41 and Acts 2:42? Probably not much.
5. What we see reflected in Acts 2:42 is likely a reflection of what immediately took place in the life of the early church – this is what those first Christians did…they devoted themselves.
6. Speaking of how early in Christianity this was, keep mind that Saul of Tarsus, better known as the apostle Paul, hadn’t yet become a persecutor of the church which would then later lead to his conversion to Christ.

E. Let’s now turn our focus to the first on the things that those early Christians were continually devoting themselves to and it was the apostles’ teaching or apostles doctrine.
1. They devoted themselves to the truths that the apostles were teaching.
2. So, in other words, the early Christians were studying their New Testaments every day, right?
3. Wrong! The New Testament had not yet been written.
4. So, if this was 33 AD, the first New Testament book wouldn’t be written for 15 or so years.
5. Many believe that Galatians was the first letter of Paul and was written 48 or 49 AD.
6. The rest of Paul’s letters were likely written in the decades of the AD 50s and 60s.
7. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were probably written in the late 50s or early 60s.
8. John’s Gospel and letters were written in the 70s-90s, with Revelation being around 95AD.
9. Then even after those documents were written, it would be centuries before they were canonized and readily available to church leaders.
10. But it wouldn’t be until the invention of the printing press in 1436 that mass production and circulation of the Bible would be possible.
11. Can you see how blessed we are today to have the Bible so accessible to us – all of us likely have many printed copies and we have easy access to as many electronic copies and translations that we want.
12. Can you imagine how envious those early Christians would be of us if they knew what we had?

F. So, if those early Christians didn’t have copies of the New Testament, then what was the apostles’ teaching that they were so devoted to?
1. The apostles’ teaching was the instruction that the apostles were delivering to the early church on a daily basis as they daily met in the temple courts and in their homes.
2. The apostles were the conduit of the teachings of Jesus and the will of God conveyed through the Holy Spirit.
3. It’s interesting to me that they phrase isn’t “they devoted themselves to the teachings of Jesus” rather it is “they devoted themselves to the teachings of the apostles.”
4. In reality, the teachings of the apostles are the teachings of Jesus and so much more.
5. On the night before Jesus’ crucifixion, He told His disciples: 12 “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. 15 Everything the Father has is mine. This is why I told you that he takes from what is mine and will declare it to you.” (Jn. 16:12-15)

G. To say that those early Christians were devoted to the apostles’ teaching indicates that they understood the authority and the inspiration of the apostles.
1. They understood that the church was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. (Eph. 2:20)
2. Today, we have easy access to the teachings of Jesus and His apostles through the New Testament.
3. The New Testament is made up of the writings of the apostles or by those who were closely associated with the apostles.
a. Matthew was written by Matthew, who was an apostle.
b. Mark was written by Mark, a disciple associated with the apostle Peter.
c. Luke and Acts were written by Luke, a disciple associated with the apostle Paul.
d. John was written by John, who was an apostle, who also wrote the letters of 1st , 2nd , and 3rd John, and Revelation.
e. The apostle Paul wrote the bulk the rest of the New Testament (Romans, 1 &2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and probably Hebrews.
f. The apostle Peter wrote 1 & 2 Peter.
g. Jude and James were written by the half-brothers of Jesus and the letter bears their name.
4. All the writings of these men contain the truths that God wanted communicated and preserved for the benefit of the church.

H. Just like those early Christians, it is our duty and honor to receive the apostles’ teaching and be devoted to it.
1. It is not our job to stand in judgment of it or to pick and choose which doctrines we like or don’t like.
2. It is our job to believe it and to obey it.
3. Have you ever heard of the Jefferson Bible?
a. Thomas Jefferson was a fan of the life and morals of Jesus, but he was not a fan of anything miraculous or supernatural.
b. So, using a razor and some glue, Jefferson cut and pasted his arrangement of selected verses of the New Testament into his personal “Bible.”
c. One of Jefferson’s “Bibles” was called “The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth” and was completed in 1804, but no copies exist today.
d. His second work, called “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth” was completed in 1820 and is commonly referred to as the “Jefferson Bible” and is owned by the Smithsonian Museum.
4. Few people have been so bold as Jefferson to create their own personal Bible by cutting and pasting what they like and discarding what they don’t like, but many people exhibit the same kind of attitude.
a. They approach the Bible like it is a cafeteria style buffet – and they pick and choose what they like and dislike.
b. I have heard about “Red Letter” Christians who like and follow only the teachings of Jesus and discard everything else in the Bible.
c. I have heard others say that the Bible contains the Word of God, but the whole Bible isn’t from God, and so they judge what parts of the Bible they think is from God.
d. Other people come with the attitude of judgment that says, “I can’t believe in a God who would… “create man before woman”… or “destroy Sodom and Gomorrah” or “send people to hell.”
e. I heard someone else say recently about the letters of Paul, “Well, those are just letters he wrote to someone else, and they don’t have anything to do with us.”
f. The apostle Peter referred to Paul’s letters as Scripture (2 Pt. 3:15-16), and Paul instructed that his letters be shared among the churches because they contained God’s instructions (Col. 4:16).
5. Other people don’t deny what the Bible says, but just excuse themselves from following it.
a. I had a Lutheran preacher who took me to lunch to discuss what our church taught.
b. One of his church members was dating one of our church members and they were studying together and he wanted to know if what my member was teaching was what we believed.
c. He described what my member was teaching and I said that is what we believe and teach.
d. He then said, “Of course, you guys are right about the word for baptism meaning immersion, anyone who studies Greek knows it means to dip, or immerse, but we are Lutherans and we don’t do it that way.”
e. I was taken back by how easily he could say, “That’s what the Bible says and means, but we are going to do it differently.”

I. So, how can we be devoted to the apostles’ teaching?
1. We can read, study, and obey the apostles’ teachings.
2. We can do what Paul told Timothy to do:
a. Give your attention to public reading, exhortation, and teaching. (1 Tim. 4:13)
b. What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Tim. 2:2)
c. Be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth. (2 Tim. 2:15)
3. We can do what Peter told us to do: 2 Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, 3 if you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Pt. 2:2-3)
4. We can do what Paul said and put on the whole armor of God: 13 For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. 14 Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, 15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. 16 In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the word of God. (Eph. 6:13-17)
a. The Bible is so important to guarantee our survival and victory in the spiritual battle.
5. We can do what Jude said: I found it necessary to write, appealing to you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all. (Jude 1:3)
a. There are many false teachers and false teachings that can lead us astray, so we must be on guard.
6. We can be sure we stick with the true Gospel of Christ as Paul admonished us: 6 I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — 7 not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! 9 As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him! (Gal. 1:6-9)
7. We can be sure we don’t add anything to God’s Word or take anything away from it: 18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. 19 And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city, which are written about in this book. (Revelation 22:18-19)
a. That is a suitable ending to the book of Revelation and the last book of the Bible.
b. We must not add anything or take anything away from the Word of God.
c. Anything anyone says about the Word of God is not equal with the Word of God.
d. What God’s Word says is the truth, but what anyone says about the Word of God may or may not be the truth!
e. I hope we will continue to practice the “back to the Bible” principles of the Restoration Movement:
1. “No creed but Christ, no book but the Bible.”
2. “Do Bible things in Bible ways; call Bible things by Bible names.”
3. “Where the Scripture speak we speak; where the Scripture are silent, we are silent.”
4. “In matters of faith, unity; in matters of opinion liberty; in all things, love.”
f. I love the fact that as churches of Christ we have sought to have Scriptural authority for everything we teach and practice in our churches and in our lives.
h. I heard the story of a young Christian man who had been dating a sweet young lady for some time.
1. He really wanted to kiss her, but he couldn’t find any Scripture that authorized such action.
2. He told the young woman of his predicament, and they poured over the Bible, searching for a reference that would authorize their first kiss.
3. Finally, one night after a date, as he took the young woman to her door, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a big long kiss on the lips.
4. When the young man came up for air, he sputtered, “Where’s your Scripture for this? Where’s your Scripture for this?”
5. She sweetly replied, “Matthew 7:12 – In everything, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
6. Sounds Scriptural to me, what do you think?

J. So, let’s be like the early church and devote ourselves to the apostles’ teaching.
1. Let’s believe it.
2. Let’s stand on it and be willing to die for it.
3. Let’s put it into practice – not be hearers only, but be doers” (James 1:22)
4. Let’s share it with others – it is the word of life, it is a light for our path, it is food for our souls, and it can keep us from destruction.
5. And the Word of God is one of the only things that will last forever.
a. Isaiah 40:8 says: The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.
b. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Mt. 24:35)
c. Peter wrote: But the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you. (1 Pt. 1:25)

K. Let me end with a poem called “The Anvil and the Hammer” by John Clifford.
Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith’s door
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
When looking in, I saw upon the floor,
Old hammers worn with beating years of time.

“How many anvils have you had,” said I,
“To wear and batter these hammers so?”
“Just one,” said he; then with a twinkling eye,
“The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.”

And so, I thought, the anvil of God’s Word,
For ages, skeptics blows have beat upon;
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The anvil is unharmed – the hammers gone.

We have joined the happy horde of dog owners. We adopted a sweet and crafty Mini Aussie named Penny. She is a puppy and she acts like a puppy. She chews on toys and on items that are not toys. She digs along the fence and has escaped into a neighbor’s yard on two occasions. With love, training, and patience, she will grow beyond some of the typical puppy behavior. But right now, we cannot expect her to be something she is not. We need to have reasonable expectations.

We are not so different. Children should not be expected to behave as adults. We expect them to be respectful, but we expect them to be children. We give love, training, and patience as they grow. With God’s grace and parental dedication they will move beyond their childhood, into adolescence, and eventually become mature, godly adults.

Christians experience a similar growth pattern. From infancy to adulthood, a healthy disciple will grow!

Growth should characterize the life of a Christian. We have a personal obligation to grow, but also to give grace to those who are growing.

From Abraham to Moses, from Peter to John, God’s grace can be seen in the midst of man’s growth. Abraham grew in his faith, and while he sinned, he did not waver (Romans 4:20), and neither did God. Peter and John were two volatile disciples who sinned in their service to God. Jesus did not condone the sin, but patiently guided them in their growth toward maturity.

None of us are where we want to be. More importantly, none of us are where God wants us to be. When confronted with the need to grow, we do not condone sin, but through love, discipline, and patience we encourage growth.

“My little children, for whom I am in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!” (Galatians 4:19 ESV).

It is unfortunate when we gauge someone’s faithfulness by our own standards and our own understandings rather than the gospel’s standards.

Some of us have taken years or decades to reach certain truths that we previously did not grasp. How just is it to demand of others that they immediately join us? Instead, we should uncompromisingly teach the truth and at the same time be prepared to patiently wait for our fellow sojourners to reach their destination.

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).

In my growth I am challenged that I am not what I should be, but I am also encouraged that God loves me and wants me to succeed. He wants me to improve, he wants me to grow.

The gospel demands growth, but it provides grace to those who are growing.

Let us “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” and give him the glory “both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).

Lee Parish

Studying what the Bible has to say about eternal life is one of my favorite things to do. There are few things more encouraging than to read what scripture alludes to for our timeless resting place. I love seeing some of the imagery (Rev. 21:2-5), hearing some of the words spoken (Matt 225:23), and even listening to the great sounds (Ezek. 1:24).

This past week, I was engulfed in some school work that I had been putting off for quite some time. One of the assignments was to take 100 hymns found in our song books, attribute five categories for each hymn, and give a brief summary for every song. This may not sound like a lot, but it took me nearly six hours to complete. In my work, I found a parallel to my “side” study of eternal life. We don’t know all the details as to what our life will look like in the world to come, but we do know some of the things we’ll be doing; one of which is singing.

Revelation 4, Isaiah 6, and Ezekiel 1 and 10, all have a portrayal of the heavenly throne where God sits. Before that throne there is unique imagery of seas of crystal/glass, numerous hosts and living creatures, elders, and those who are saved. In Revelation 14:3, the saints are singing before the throne a new song. Singing is one activity that we do in this life that carries on into the next life.

In my six hours of going through the assignment, I noticed that I couldn’t help but sing a couple verses of each hymn. Some were out loud (bless my neighbors hearts), and some were in my head. I can’t recall a single time in that study that I worried about politics, covid, sports, or anything else. Nearly six hours were spent worry free. I believe we see this very instance take place in scripture. Paul, when he and Silas were in prison sang (Acts 16:25). Jesus, moments before His arrest, sang a song with His apostles (Matthew 26:30). Singing has a way of manually disengaging our mind from the world around. Next time you just need a break from life, find a hymn and sing out.

Tyler King

Henry Ruggs is 24 years old. He was born in Montgomery, AL and signed with the Alabama Crimson Tide to be a receiver. He played some as a freshman, but he hit his stride as a sophomore, with 741 receiving yards, averaging 16.1 yards per catch and 11 TD. As a junior, he had 746 yards, averaging 18.7 yards per catch with 7 TDs.

After his junior year, Ruggs signed with the LA Raiders with a 4-year contract, with a $9, 684,820 signing bonus and $16,671,626 guaranteed salary. His annual average salary would have been $4,167,907.

I say “would have been” because Henry Ruggs is in jail. He will spend 3-10 years in jail for vehicular manslaughter. Tina Tintor was a 23-year old who was traveling in her car with her dog; they were going home from a dog park when Henry Ruggs with a blood alcohol content of .161 at the time of the crash. Ruggs was driving an estimated 150 mph!

I think we all can agree that God’s definition of drunkenness is not determined by man’s laws and how many drinks it takes to raise your blood alcohol content. We are not interested in Michigan’s laws. We are interested in living a holy and righteous life that honors Jesus Christ.

What does the Bible say? It has often been said that the Bible only condemns drunkenness – such as in Galatians 5:21. While it is true that the Bible condemns drunkenness, that statement comes close to committing a logical fallacy called “oversimplification.” In other words, there is more to consider relative to the use of modern alcoholic drinks than just “the Bible condemns drunkenness.” Let me share with you some things…

BIBLICAL “WINE” IS NOT MODERN “WINE:”

Distillation of alcohol was invented by the Arabs in the 8th century in order to strengthen the alcoholic content of drinks and to strengthen the impact it would have over the minds of drinkers. Distilled alcohol was not available in Bible times.

According to Biblical scholars, the strongest alcoholic beverage available in biblical times was natural wine with a content of 11-12%, before it was diluted. That is equivalent to about 5 ounces of wine. But that was before it was diluted.

But even at that ancient wine – the 5 ounces of wine – was normally diluted by respectable people. Even pagans believed that drinking such straight wine was barbaric. Usually, people who were cultured would dilute their 5 ounces of natural wine with 3 parts water to 1 part wine.

NADAB AND ABIHU – Leviticus 10:1-3, 8-11:

We do not know if Nadab and Abihu’s sin was motivated by “WUI” – worshipping under the influence. But clearly God intended to set a precedent that worship should not be guided by the influence of alcohol.

As Christians, we are to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to God (Rom. 12:1-2), which argues that we need to keep our minds under strict control at all times.

Under the Law of Moses (Deut. 21:20-21), Henry Ruggs would not have lived long enough to kill someone driving under the influence. His parents would have had him stoned to death after the first or second bout of intoxication.

THE WARNING OF THE WISE MAN:

Proverbs 23:29-35. Solomon is clearly warning his son about the danger of – not just drunkenness – but of wine itself.

THE NEW TESTAMENT WARNS OF THE SAME IMPACT:

2 Timothy 1:7; Acts 26:25; 1 Cor. 15:34; 1 Thessalonians, 5:6, 8. The word “sober” means “clear thinking” but it came to be used for “non-intoxication” because the influence of alcohol on one’s thinking makes you not “sober.” The connection between sobriety and “clear thinking” is specifically made in 1 Peter 1:13.

If drinking alcohol hinders our prayers (1 Peter 4:7), as alcohol hindered Nadab and Abihu, we need to stay away from it.

I do not know what Henry Ruggs is spiritually. But every single person who puts an alcoholic drink to their mouth effectively asks this question: “Is this drink going to make me sin against God? Well, I’m going to take my chances because I like the possibility of what it will do to me.” That shows that our highest desire is not to please God, but to please self.

Two more points I wish to make…

Someone always introduces alcoholic beverages to someone else. Sin does not happen in a vacuum. Jesus raises the level of expectation for His disciples in Luke 17:2. If someone leads another person to sin against God, then that person deserves destruction, Jesus says. That’s harsh and Jesus doesn’t take lightly the influence that we have on other people.

And one more point… in 1 Peter 4:3, Peter writes that Christians no longer live like Gentiles and they have left that lifestyle. Notice that Peter distinguishes “drunkenness” from “drinking parties.” Peter says that Christians do not participate in “drinking parties.” You don’t go to drinking parties and you don’t sponsor drinking parties!

Avoid alcoholic drinks and drugs which make you ill-prepared for the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Paul Holland

I was six or seven, in the first or second grade and always walked up the alley to and from school. It was only five blocks and as I walked along other kids would be heading to the same place, and by the time I got there about ten or so was in the group. On the way home, the group grew smaller, the closer I got to home.

Now one day, while walking along in the alley, I discovered a few boxes of flowers and in pretty good shape too. So, it did not take me long to put a few together in a bunch for my mom. I just chose the colors I liked and took them home. She put them in a vase, I was happy, and she was happy.

A few days later the vase was empty, so, on my way home I put together another bunch. It seemed there were always boxes of flowers in the alley. I wasn’t sure why, but I was glad they were there.

As before, when I took them home mom put them in a vase and they would last a few days, then they were gone. Of course, when the vase was empty, I would bring in new ones. Looking back, I am not sure how long this went on, but long enough that other kids noticed and began to make fun of me.

Now, while the flowers were still the same, and my mom was happy each time I brought a new bunch home, I quit bringing them to her.

The reason I stopped bringing the flowers home, was not because the kids made fun of me, but because they started saying, they were, “Dead people flowers.” Now of course, I didn’t want my mom to be dead, so I stopped bringing her the flowers.

Naturally, when I was older and knew what they really meant it had nothing to do with “making” someone die, it was that the flowers were from the funeral of people that had died. You see, the place I was getting the flowers in the alley, was from the trash bin of the funeral home.

A child’s misunderstanding over words caused me to quit bringing the flowers to my mom. Looking back, in the overall scheme of things it was no big deal.

So, what’s the point? Before you make your decision, of what you will or will not do, make sure you know and understand “all” the facts. There could be a misunderstanding on your part, or on the part of the others.

Dick Brant

The word “repent” is used 27 times in the New Testament and the word “repentance” is found 20 times. The concept is found many additional times. Here are some important teachings we see concerning the concept of repentance.

1. The word “repent” refers to a change of mind that leads to a change of behavior. The Bible almost exclusively uses it of turning away from sin and submitting to the will of God.
2. Repentance was an integral part of the message of John the baptizer (Mk. 1:4), Jesus (Mt. 4:17), as well as the apostles (Lk. 24:47).
3. Repentance, very clearly, entails more than being sorry or remorseful of sin. Judas repented of what he had done (see Mt. 27:3-5), but he did not deal rightly with his sin. Paul says that “godly grief produces repentance” (2 Cor. 7:10). Jesus indicated that one should “bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Mt. 3:8). When one recognizes that he has transgressed the will of the Almighty, that sorrow ought to produce wholesome change.
4. The prominent message of repentance in the New Testament demands there be a standard of some sort that man is held accountable to, otherwise what would one transgress and what would one need to repent unto? Sin is the transgression of the law of Christ (1 Jn. 3:4) and leaving undone what the Lord intends for us to do (James 4:17). The word of Christ is the standard for repentance (see Jn. 12:48). It is critically important to understand that our repentance really cannot be any better than our study of God’s Word!
5. Repentance is an essential aspect of obtaining salvation. Just before ascending to heaven, Jesus instructed the apostles to preach this message of repentance to the world (Lk. 24:47). He also said in Luke 13:3, “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Repentance is no less essential than baptism and is a prerequisite for baptism (see Acts 2:38). The concept of repentance is also far more demanding than simply allowing someone to immerse you under water!
6. Repentance is not only something that one does on the way to becoming a Christian, but it is a practice of the Christian as he continues to fight sin in his own life. Simon, who was formerly a sorcerer, after becoming a Christian, fell back to his old ways and was told in Acts 8:22, “Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven.” Assurance is given in 1 John 1 that if the Christian turns from his sin and confesses it, the blood of Christ will continue to cleanse him (see 1 Jn. 1:6-10).

Not only is repentance essential to the salvation of the soul, the Bible teaching on this subject encourages him to live on a high plane that is a great blessing to him as well as those around him. Truly, repentance is unto life! (see Acts 11:18).

Daren Schroeder

Thus the Lord said to me: ‘Go and get yourself a linen sash, and put it around your waist, but do not put it in water’” (Jeremiah 13:1, NKJV).

I am often amazed at how many modern Christians seem to consider their religion to be non-demanding. This is often reflected in the denial that God would require any inconvenience or excessive demands from them. They also assume that God wants them to have a prosperous and enjoyable life, whatever may be required to make that happen.

Whenever I am confronted with such attitudes I almost unfailingly think of the lives of the prophets of Israel as related to us in the Old Testament. Jeremiah, often called “The Weeping Prophet,” is a particular example of God’s extreme requirements of those who would serve him.

In chapter 13 of the book bearing the prophet’s name a story begins with the simple request from God for the young prophet to purchase a new sash made of linen. Such a sash, used as a form of belt to secure a robe at the waist, would have been a relatively expensive item, since the cloth from which it was made was more costly that simple cotton or wool. Still, it was not of great cost and we would not expect that Jeremiah would have hesitated to obey.

Next, however, Jeremiah was told to take his belt to the Euphrates river and there to bury it in a hole in the ground (verses 3-4). Now the expense and trouble which the prophet must encounter begin to mount up. Not only was it a several day’s journey to the Euphrates, it was also into “enemy territory” occupied by Syria, Assyria, and Babylonia – all historic enemies of Israel. The Assyrian empire was in its last days and Babylonia was rising to threaten and eventually destroy it. For a Jew to travel alone in that region was risky.

Many days after Jeremiah had fulfilled this strange request, God sent him back to recover his buried sash (verses 6-7). Not surprisingly when he did the sash was “ruined, profitable for nothing.” Another hard trip was required with the same expenses and dangers already faced once before. And all to reclaim a piece of fabric which would be of no use to him.

At this point Jeremiah learns that his belt has been used by God as an allegory. It represented Israel, whom God would cause to be carried to the Euphrates river in only a few more years where their pride and sinful arrogance would be destroyed through 70 years of captivity (verses 9-11). Just as the linen sash was ruined by exposure to the dirt of the Euphrates valley, so would Israel’s idolatrous prosperity be taken from them, to be replaced with proper humility and faith in the one true God.

Couldn’t God have delivered his message in a much more convenient and less expensive and risky manner? Did Jeremiah have to buy something which he would never get any use from, and then make two difficult, costly, and dangerous journeys with it? Possibly, but the fact is that God sent his messages to Jeremiah for something like 40 years, in many forms and Israel ignored them all. Jeremiah was faithful to deliver God’s word, regardless of the difficulty and danger of so doing. And God never apologized.

At the very beginning of Jeremiah’s work as a prophet God had prepared him for a difficult and fruitless ministry:

“Therefore prepare yourself and arise, and speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed before their faces, lest I dismay you before them. … They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you” (Jeremiah 1:17, 19).

In the New Testament Paul promised, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). How can we read the stories of the apostles and other Christian evangelists, not to mention the prophets and faithful from Old Testament times, observing their sacrifices, suffering, and extreme labors in God’s service, and still expect to avoid any real cost of our own discipleship?

Have we forgotten the words of Jesus?

“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).

God has given us the most precious gift ever received by mankind – his own son (John 3:16). How can we refuse to give him our devotion and service?

by Michael Brooks

Emotions are a gift of God. We can feel Adam’s enthusiasm in his words upon first seeing Eve. Jesus himself expressed a complete range of feelings, from joy to exasperation.

Like all things human, emotions were also subjected to futility after the Fall, Romans 8.20. Satan uses our emotions to steer us away from God’s will. One of his best tactics is to stir up our feelings so that he can manipulate us.

When the Evil One manages to persuade us to live by our emotions, he knows the potential to harm us and keep us from God. How exactly does living by emotion harm us?

It keeps you from looking ahead

Feelings act on what is happening now. They focus on the present. The hope of eternal life, Titus 1.2, looks ahead to the coming of Christ. Like Abraham, we are “looking forward to the city with firm foundations, whose architect and builder is God” Hebrews 11.10. But life driven by emotion blocks out the future for the present experience, whether it be exciting or frightening, sad or glad. Gone is the perspective of future joy and justice.

It keeps you from self-control

Giving emotions control of our lives keeps us from living with self-control, which is a part of the fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5.22-23. Living by emotion means letting circumstances and external forces control us, similar to what Paul mentioned to the Ephesians:

“So we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes” Ephesians 4.14.

Something will control us; we have the choice as to whom we deliver up control of our lives, Romans 6.16.

It prevents you from acting rationally

Given rein, emotions short-circuit logical thought. Life by emotion crowds out the rational process. Jesus wants the mind to guide us; he wants us “thinking the way God thinks” Matthew 16.23 GW.

The emotional person is more easily manipulated by others. This is why the media appeals to one’s feelings and passions and seeks to stimulate the emotions, so that the user/viewer will do what the advertiser wants: buy their product. So the emotional person often lives in debt, burrows deeper into depression and unhappy feelings, always seeks new situations and relationships, and envies the person who lives on an even keel.

It throws you to extreme highs and lows

Some people like roller coasters, but constant dips, heights, and stomach-flipping rolls are a terrible way to live. Life by emotion upends the even keel, throwing you into driving storms one minute and ecstasies the next. The jagged edges of emotion keep you seeking the highs and dreading the lows.

Emotions do not reflect reality. Things may be going well, but you don’t feel it. Or you may feel great when disaster is occurring all around you. Emotions change often and rapidly. They are untrustworthy. Go with what you know, not what you feel.

It leads to bad decisions

Emotions are reactionary. They are not pro-active. They tend toward extremes. Cain’s misdirected anger led to murder, Genesis 4. Life by emotion leads to destruction. When faced with decisions and choices, it tends to go with the worst possible options.

It centers in self

Uncontrolled emotions reveal immature attitudes of the child. It is a repulsive thing to see in adults. Discipline is, in great part, the control of the emotions. The life led by emotion thinks first of self. It views everything through the filter of the ego.

Only the rational person is able to mentally separate self from events and the actions of others. The mind can suspend judgment, while feelings rush to unjustified conclusions.

It takes you directly into sin

Many sins that appear in the lists across the Bible are pure emotions, such as anger. You can be angry without sinning, Ephesians 4.26, but it often surfaces as the expression of a sinful impulse, so much so that James will say that “human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness” James 1.20.

Conclusion: The train of faith

Emotions make for a great caboose on the train of faith. They are a lousy engine, because they lead you to a destructive wreck that will cost you eternity with God. Let the Lord lead your life through the renewal of the mind, Romans 12.1-2, and make emotions take their rightful place.

1. Randal Matheny

There have been endless books written, lecture series taught, and sermons preached on “The Hard Sayings of Jesus,” but did anyone ever cover “The Easy Sayings of Jesus?”

In my own study, and in writing (albeit, irregularly) this column on the sayings of Jesus (“Jesus Said”), it has become my opinion that there aren’t really any “easy sayings” of Jesus. Some seem easier on the surface, but in reality, the more you listen to his voice, the more you realize how difficult it is to achieve Jesus’ ideals. But it is not just the ideals of Jesus that challenge us.

Even the worst among us are knowledgeable of lofty ideals, and capable of enunciating them. People before Jesus knew “the golden rule” – or some variation of it. Through the years, I’ve read some who attempt to discredit Jesus because he was not the first to state some exalted truth. So here is an admission: not everything Jesus said reeks of pure originality. Additionally, not everything Jesus said was of a higher moral caliber than had ever been proposed before (to be perfectly clear: Jesus’ moral caliber is not lower than anyone else’s either).

Now, a caveat should be added here, lest someone accuse me of utter blasphemy or ignorance, which is that Jesus DID in fact say numerous things that were either: (1) well beyond the enlightenment of those who supposedly invented his sayings, or (2) antagonistic to anything that either the Jewish or Roman mind of the first 2 centuries A.D. would have been comfortable saying, if they would have imagined saying them at all. And (3) had the gospels been mere fabrications, compiled over two centuries or so, the likelihood of their being given enough circulation and credence to become the most well-attested, prolific, and influential documents (because they contain the most influential personality) of the past 2,000 years, is about as likely as a spiral galaxy producing a star system that has a planet that produces life spontaneously. But it’s not our purpose to explore these things in this article).

Appealing – and true, and powerful – as the sayings of Jesus are, and as apparently unoriginal (at least, in certain instances) as some of them might have been, this is not the appeal of Jesus’ words anyway. What really mesmerizes us about the approximately 36,450 words (in English translation) of Jesus, is him. It’s not only that he said the best stuff, but also, in conjunction with that, he lived the best life. In particular, he lived the life he taught. He attained to every single ideal he put before us.

This is where Jesus and every other philosopher, moralist, sage, etc., part ways. We know the follies and foibles of our neighbor. They are ubiquitous. And even though we may not see all of our own faults so well, we know we have them.

Not with Jesus. There no faults; there are no inconsistencies. What he said and what he did aligns like the stars of a constellation – and shines even more brightly. This is where Jesus and all other sages, poets, philosophers and wise men of all time are completely different.

As to the gospel writers: To have invented such thing out of thin air, as Judson invented the zipper, to imagine such a man as this, whose ideals reach into the heavens, but at the same time, whose life makes no step backward from, and is not one rung lower than those ideals – is either the most magnificent literary feat of all time, or is the actual record of a life that was lived. There is simply no apparent alternative that meets the test of rationality.

Beyond this, the ability of a mere mortal or mortals – most of whom are supposedly illiterate, unaided by the then inconceivable knowledge that such a monumental matter, e.g., the changing of the tide of all history around a single individual, was actually happening before their own eyes, and further unaided by the modern understanding of how best to document these things accurately for posterity – to record and preserve these things without stepping all over one another’s testimony, is undoubtedly the greatest feat of historical documentation on record.

As I’ve often remarked in my own preaching and teaching, to settle this matter of Jesus, one need not be a textual scholar or trained historian. One need only do a slightly improved job in accomplishing what the gospels sought to accomplish in giving us Jesus.

One author claimed that “the gospel writers used their imaginations,” and that what they wrote was merely “propaganda for the early Jesus cult.” Or, as a TV show I remember watching some years ago used to say, “Everything is made up and the points don’t matter.” The gospels, in other words, just contain another literary invention, known to us as Jesus.

But aren’t all inventions eventually displaced, either by wiser men or obsolescence? Why should it be different with literature? With Jesus? Surely, if a bunch of illiterate first-century Jews and ignorant redactors, each with their own motives and religious proclivities, over a few centuries, invented the most influential personality that ever lived, a small group of brilliant, unbelieving scholars could best it in a weekend at a cabin overlooking a lake. Right?

We’ll wait.

But we won’t hold our breath.

Rick Kelley

“My son, keep my words, and treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live, and my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister,’ and call understanding your nearest kin” (Proverbs 7:1-4 NKJV).

I have written before about the different systems of education between East and West (Asia versus Europe and North America). Though changes are occurring it is still generally true that the emphasis in western education is comprehension and application while that of the east remains to a great extent simply accumulation of facts through memorization.

On one of our overseas flights Brenda sat beside a young south Asian lady and they discussed their respective faiths (the other woman was Islamic). At one point the Asian passenger mentioned that she had been taught many passages of the Quran in Arabic and could still recite them. However she was never taught to read or speak the Arabic language. She had no idea of the meaning of those passages. No doubt her teachers were proud of her “knowledge” of their Holy Book. We would question whether she had any real knowledge of it at all.

At the other extreme in the west technology is rapidly replacing knowledge. Young people, as well as many who are not so young, question whether there is any need to know simple math or to learn history or even science. We have calculators for the math, and if we need to know anything else we just “google it.” Why should we labor to learn something when access to it is so easy? Younger friends and I were discussing a place they had visited and I pulled out my old school road atlas to locate it. They immediately said, “What is that?” My answer was that some things, like a good overview of a larger region, are still easier to obtain by paper and ink. And regardless of what model smart phone one has, nothing will ever replace the human brain.

Solomon’s advice to his sons and other young men in the book of Proverbs was to obtain wisdom as the greatest of all possessions. That was his own conviction when he became King of Israel at a young age (1 Kings 3:6-9), and he spent his life in its pursuit and application. In the verses cited at the beginning of this article he identifies certain keys to effectual learning. These are worthy of our attention:

Want to learn (2b, “… my law as the apple of your eye”). When we look at something with desire we inevitably fix it in our mind and memory. The love of knowledge is a worthy object. Paul said, “Whatever things are true … meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Develop muscle memory through practice (3a, “Bind them on your fingers”). Much of what we learn is best assimilated and made permanent by physical application. No one becomes an accomplished pianist simply by reading instruction manuals.

Hundreds or thousands of hours of practice are essential for the development of true musical skill. Whatever our area of study, we learn more thoroughly when we act out our lessons. As the Hebrew writer taught, “But solid food (i.e., advanced knowledge) belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14).

Work to engrave matters in your memory (3b, “write them on the tablet of your heart”). As I have written previously, “heart” here refers to the center of thought, that is to our minds. Most people consider that they have poor memories. What is probably more true is that they have untrained memories. Any healthy mind has the capacity to remember far more than most of us realize, but it takes conscious effort. That is true of most of what is of value – there is a price to be paid and in terms of knowledge it is study.

Repeat what you want to learn aloud and, even better, write it down (4, “Say to wisdom, ‘you are my sister,’ and call understanding your nearest kin”). When Moses enjoined Israel to learn the commandments of God and teach them to future generations he said,

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).

Frequent repetition is critical to memorization and retention.

The attainment of wisdom depends upon one’s willingness to expend effort. But if one wills to learn, these techniques will help. We must want knowledge, exercise mental discipline to learn, practice our knowledge physically, and repeat what we have learned frequently.

Those who follow those principles may not attain to the wisdom of Solomon, but they will greatly increase their own intellectual abilities.

Michael Brooks

I was privileged to be present for the birth of all three of my boys. Each experience was wonderfully unique. The first is the most memorable. As second-year preaching school students we lived in a small two bedroom apartment. Our midwife was over an hour away. She didn’t make it. Armed with a three-page emergency list entitled “What To Do If Your Midwife Is Not Present,” we welcomed our little boy into our arms. I’d never held a newborn before, not like that. It was life-changing.

The anticipation is realized happiness. The anxiousness is replaced with relief. The pain melts into pride. This is our boy.

It may be a tautology to declare that birth is a beginning, but it is not a useless declaration. We know that life begins before birth, that a child in the womb is a distinct, living being. Yet there is something special about a child’s first breath, first cry, first hug. It is the beginning of a slow march toward independence.

In the beginning a child needs help to do everything. But soon they are sitting up, rolling over, and crawling. Eventually walking, eating solid food, and talking become normal. All of that begins at birth.

It should be no surprise that a Christian’s inception is identified with birth. Jesus’ notable nighttime encounter with Nicodemus introduces us to the idea of the new birth, not a physical return to the womb, but a birth of Spirit and water (John 3:3-5). Any wishing to become children of God must be born “not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12, 13).

Sin kills. When we sin we become spiritually dead, cut off from the Creator and severed from his spiritual blessings (Ephesians 2:1-3). When we carry out the desires of the body and the mind we are living in darkness (1 John 1:6).

For that to change we need a new birth. We need to be made alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:5, 6). Just as a child is born into the world full of purity and promise, those who once were dead in sins and trespasses (Colossians 2:13), can be made alive again without sin (Romans 6:3, 4). Those who are baptized have their sins forgiven in that moment (Acts 2:38; 22:16).

What a beautiful moment when one is born again. A moment full of happiness, relief, and pride. A moment of new beginnings. A moment of purity and promise.

But just as birth is a beginning for physical children, so it is also for spiritual ones. We would not leave a newborn to fend for himself. We must not treat baptism as an end.

We must consider ourselves dead to sin (Romans 6:11). That means that as we begin our walk with Christ, we truly begin our battle with sin. We have been set free from sin to become slaves of God (Romans 6:22), we must not submit ourselves again to the yoke of slavery.

Rather, happily, we are to grow up in Christ our Lord.

“Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation” (1 Peter 2:2).

Even though growth can be painful, children earnestly desire to mature. Stagnation is unhealthy in youth. Christians must not dodge development. God expects his children to grow (see 1 Corinthians 3:2; Hebrews 5:12, 13).

Just as children are born into a physical family, Christians are born into a spiritual one. Reach out to your new brothers and sisters and encourage them. What a blessing to have a fresh start! What a privilege to live for Jesus!

If you are a new Christian, never stop striving, never stop moving, never stop learning. Grow!

Lee Parish

Organizers of a spiritual event disinvited a speaker they had previously invited. I heard about it because they asked me to speak in his place. They gave no reason why the person got disinvited, nor even mentioned who it was, and I didn’t ask. I figured it was none of my business. I never found out, either. Just as well.

My estimation of the organizers remained high. Maybe they should have known something about the speaker before inviting him. But whatever they learned after the invitation, they didn’t feel embarrassed to disinvite him. They were committed to hosting an event that would edify and instruct in truth.

Some years ago, as one of several overseers of another annual event, I, along with several others, insisted the organizers of a particular year disinvite an unqualified speaker. In their embarrassment or rebellion, they alleged that disinviting would cause more of a stink than letting him go ahead and speak. They promised to monitor his speech, as if they could undo whatever harm he might cause. Never mind that his very presence as a speaker compromised the integrity of the event. Their disingenuousness caused me to have a lesser opinion of their commitment to the cause of truth.

The Lord God is faithful, and we can be sure that he will never disinvite those who are faithful to his Revelation of redemption. Is it such a relief to know that God does not go back on his word.

The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself (2 Timothy 2:11-13 ESV).

At the same time, he disinvites those who turn their back on their commitment to Christ. He said to wavering saints,

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death (Revelation 21:8).

That sounds like a disinvitation to me, if I ever saw one.

Remember the parable of the feast? One unfortunate fellow got into the party, thanks to an open invitation, but then got disinvited and thrown out, into deep darkness, for weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 22:1-14). It was no gentle disinvitation, either. He was bound and cast out.

Then I thought about Matthew 7:21 as a disivintation, but it is not. Jesus said, “I never knew you.” Those hapless sorts never accepted the invitation in the first place, although on the last and final day they will pretend they were on the inside. Reminds a fellow of the outsiders in 1 John who left, having never really been party participants.

I need to be sure that I accept the gracious invitation of the King and, more, that I live accordingly in this life so as not to be cast out into eternal despair. There is no need for a mourner’s bench (OK, so that went out in the 19th or 20th Century). Nor is there a need to rubber stamp every human intention with divine approval. (That is alive and well in the 21st Century.)

What an embarrassment it will be to get down to the end and get disinvited!

God extends the invitation today, and he is clear about terms and conditions. Nothing uncertain or iffy about his calling.

I’m thankful for that.

A. Neale

At 31 years of age, Deshauna Barber is quite an accomplished woman. In 2016 she won the Miss USA pageant and placed in the top nine for the Miss Universe pageant. Now she serves as a captain in the US Army Reserves and travels as a motivational speaker.

Deshauna tells the story of making the track team in middle school and being in need of a new pair of running shoes. The day her mother comes home with them, Barber noticed the box says, “Size 9.” In seventh grade, Deshauna wore a size 5! “Momma, these shoes are too big.” Her mother replied, “I know. I did that on purpose.” Deshauna replied, “Why would you purposefully buy me shoes that are too big?” “Because I know you’re going to grow into them.”

The next day at practice, shooting out of her starting position, Deshauna hit the track…literally. She fell on her face because the shoes were so big. Obviously, she was frustrated at not being able to move as quickly or with the level of grace and finesse she wanted. Because of the shoes, she was forced to slow down and stick it out until she grew into them.

The Bible tells us that God works all things for the good of those who love him (Rom. 8:28) and that he works in us to provide motivation and drive to do his will (Phil. 2:13). Frequently, though, we discover that God’s work comes at a really slow pace. This can often lead to frustration with him. “God, why have you not given me ______ yet?” “Lord, I need this pain to go away. Why haven’t you taken it yet?” “God, we want to grow! Why are you not sending people our way?”

Sometimes I think God slows a process in our lives because we still need to grow into what we are asking for. It may be our faith, resources, mentality, or resilience, but in his infinite knowledge, God knows that we are not ready for everything we ask for. He understands that giving us the end product without the preparation would be disastrous for the future. Therefore, he forces us to slow down and “grow into the shoes.” We may not be able to go the pace we want, but we are making the progress God knows we need to make.

The Psalmist said, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land” (Psalms 37:7-9).

So, if you find yourself waiting longer than you expected for God to make something happen, don’t despair. It may be that he’s given you a pair of shoes that are just a little too big.

Cory Waddell

Alexander McLean received his Masters of Laws from the University of London. However, instead of practicing law, McLean pursues teaching the law to those most in need. McLean visited overcrowded prisons where many prisoners had no legal counsel, others did not understand the legal process, and many were imprisoned as pre-trial detainees. Seeing those conditions, McLean felt compelled to do something about it. He created an organization whose mission is to be “Defenders of the Defenceless.” This organization, Justice Defenders, works in African jails and prisons teaching inmates about the law.

Since the founding of Justice Defenders, they have provided free legal counsel and training for many within the prison system. They have helped train both prisoners, as well as guards and staff within the prisons. In any justice system, there is always some inequity. As a result, Justice Defenders have righted wrongful convictions and helped secure the release of prisoners who had served sentences appropriate to the crime but did not understand their sentencing.

All of that seems like a great story: someone who is trying to help champion the cause of justice among those who are disadvantaged. However, what really struck me was when the interviewer was asked if they provide education and advice to those in prison who were rightly convicted. McLean responded:

“Yes. Because we believe that there’s more to someone — that’s killed than being a murderer or more to someone that’s — who’s stolen than being a thief. I don’t think any of us has to be defined by the worst thing that we’ve done.” 

As with many sermons that I’ve needed, my toes were very sore after considering this statement and I felt a little sick to my stomach thinking about how I may have treated others in the past. If any of us feel comfortable with the thought of God or others defining our lives by the worst thing we’ve done then we probably need to take a closer look at our lives. Too often we let words spoken in anger or actions taken without care define how we see those around us. Jesus recognized this all too human quality and provided a stern warning concerning it:

Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Relationships are messy whether they are with our physical family, spiritual family, or friends. It is a tragedy when we let isolated events destroy the foundation of relationships we have built with others. Realistically people will disappoint, hurt, and anger us at times, but most are so much more than the worst thing they have ever done. Although we can never do it perfectly, let us try to extend the same mercy to others that we would want our Lord to show us.

Thom Vaught

Listen! That’s how Jesus starts His lesson in Mark 4:3. He has just stepped out onto a boat so that He could speak to the large crowd that had gathered to hear Him. This was a very special sermon. Jesus is going to give the secret to all of His parables by telling a unique parable about the farmer who goes out to sow on the various kinds of ground. When Jesus said “Listen!” He was talking to a specific kind of person.

He wasn’t interested in the one who would hear His words and then fall away later when called to stand up for their faith. He wasn’t looking for the one who would hear His words and then foolishly decide that this world had more to offer.

Jesus said “listen!” because He knew that some would hear His words and those words would change their lives. They would live out His teachings. They would become those lamps He would later discuss later in the chapter. Those who truly listened to this specific sermon and took it to heart would bear fruit. It’s humbling to think that some only believe they’ve listened to Jesus, but on the last day will find out that they only thought they listened (verse 25).

Are we listening to the Savior? One way Jesus tells us we can know if we and others are listening is by looking at the fruit being planted. This section of scripture is a great reminder that there are many who will not hear the Lord and His life-changing and life-saving message, but there are also those out there in our communities who are willing and waiting for us to share Him with them.

Dale Pollard

In the “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus spoke about the two things that make life on earth worthwhile: salt and light. These two things are usually taken for granted, but we could not live without them.

Salt is necessary for life. Consider the beating heart. The heart beats because of a chemical exchange of sodium (salt) and potassium (another salt). Were it not for these salts, we die. When the two are out of balance, the heart doesn’t function well. Having too much salt means the body retains water and that can result in problems. Having too little potassium can also cause problems and can send a person to the hospital.

We need light, too. Without sunlight, crops do not grow. A failure of sunlight would mean the ultimate death of every living thing on earth. God created the world with a source of light because he wanted to create living beings on the earth that would require sunlight. We even consider light as necessary at night, so we have street lights to provide illumination and safety for people at night.

Russians don’t have lights. At night, everything is dreadfully dark. There were times when I walked the streets of Sosnofka or Vyatsky Polyany at night and felt uneasy because there was no light at all.

The world needs salt and light in another way, too. It needs the influence of both for salvation. People need the light of God’s word so they may obey it and live as saved souls. They need salt so they might be the kind of good influence on others that will point the way to salvation.

When Christians don’t provide the salt and light of good influence on the people around them, their friends may find themselves shut out of eternity. On Judgment Day, it would be terrible for our friends and neighbors to point at us and say, “You never told me about Jesus,” or “You never told me what I should do to save my soul.”

Christians need to be the kind of influence on others that can provide the salt and light others need to live eternally. We can provide those two life-saving properties of salt and light if we provide the influence of God in our lives.

When people talk about how many things are wrong in the world, we should give them the two things that are right: Jesus and his word. We should give them the salt and the light!

John Henson

“And again he entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that he was in the house. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And he preached the word to them. Then they came to him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying” (Mark 2:1-4 NKJV).

Some years ago while visiting churches in the mountains of Nepal I fell from the steps leading into the house in which I was spending several days. The floor level was two or three feet above the ground and the steps were makeshift at best – a few rocks stacked loosely on each other without mortar and without much level matching surface. My fall was not serious and I was uninjured, but as I sat on the ground catching my breath I saw one of the Church’s leaders taking apart the steps and beginning to level and relay them to be more secure. I thought at the time, “This is not his house (he was not actually even a resident of that village); what is he doing working on someone else’s house?”

Over the years that same reaction has occurred repeatedly when reading the story of the paralyzed man and his four loyal friends. What audacity, to take off the roof of another person’s house. This is not only my reaction, but one I have heard from others.

As I consider that response, three ideas surface which may, in part at least, modify my attitude.

First, American culture is much different from that of the East, both in ancient and modern times. Our emphasis on private ownership of property and the rights of the property owner is not shared in much of the world. A neighbor “fixing” another’s bad steps without first seeking approval is not a violation of rights – it is simply a helping hand that is much appreciated. Villages in the less developed world are much more of extended families than are our cities or even small towns.

Second, even in our culture, are not people worth more than stone and mortar, or sticks, dirt, palm fronds, and slate “tiles” (typical roofing materials in Asia)? A hole in the roof could easily be repaired (and no doubt was), but opportunities to present their lame friend to the miracle working Jesus might not come again. They put what was to them the most important thing first. Even so, Jesus pointed out something even more important – one’s spiritual condition (Mark 2:5).

We often struggle to keep our priorities straight. Even as we pay off a mortgage to secure the house of our dreams, let us remember to “Seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1).

Finally, I am reminded that even if I have paid off that mortgage and labored hard to acquire my house, it is really not mine at all. All I have is a gift from God; I am simply a steward, looking after my master’s property (1 Corinthians 4:1). We appreciate Jesus’ promise to prepare a place for us in his Father’s house (John 14:1-6), that is, in heaven after this life on earth is completed. But we are already, in more than one sense, living in the Father’s house. One house on earth that belongs to God is the Church which Jesus built (1 Timothy 3:15). But every physical house and every mountain, lake, stream, forest and ocean belong to God as well as all that is in them (Psalm 50:12).

Bible scholars often ask, whose house was it in which Jesus taught and performed this miracle? Was it Simon’s (Mark 1:29)? Did Jesus himself own it? Or was it perhaps the property of one of the women disciples who helped provide for his ministry (Luke 8:1-3)? Mark and the other Gospel writers show no interest in this question.

Jesus ministered within the environment of his Father’s world, as do we. All we have, and all we see, are his. The more we are aware of this fact, the better servants we will be.

Michael Brooks

It was a sunny Saturday morning, and Joe was beginning his pre-shot routine, visualizing his upcoming shot when a voice came over the clubhouse loudspeaker – “Would the gentleman on the woman’s tee please back up to the men’s tee, please!”

Joe was still deep in his routine, seemingly impervious to the interruption. Again the announcement – “Would the man on the women’s tee kindly back up the men’s tee!”

Joe had had enough. He shouted, “Would the announcer in the clubhouse kindly shut up and let me play my second shot!”

I am very familiar with not being as far down the golf course as I am expected to be after my first shot!  🙂  And sometimes, I’m not as far along spiritually as others think I should be.  There are some others who are not as far along spiritually as I think they should be.

What is to be our attitude toward these “weak” brethren?  Sometimes the situation calls for some words of gentle rebuke (Heb. 5:12-14). Sometimes the situation calls for patient forbearance (Rom. 14:1).  In all things, our goal is to encourage and build up.

“We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.  Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” (Rom. 15:1-2).

May be truly encourage one another as we live our Christian lives, with those who are strong helping those who are weak.  We need all the help we can get!

Have a great day!

Alan Smith