Year ago, on the mighty Mississippi River, two tugboat captains who had been friends for years, would always cry “Aye!” and blow their whistles whenever they passed each other.

A new crewman asked his boat’s mate, “What do they do that for?”

The mate looked surprised and replied, “You mean that you’ve never heard of… an aye for an aye and a toot for a toot?”

<<insert groan here>>

I suspect that few of us would admit to living by the motto, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” (Matthew 5:38), but let’s be honest — there is something instead us that enjoys the idea of getting revenge.  Some of the more popular movies throughout the past years have been those that opened with someone being mistreated.  We spend the rest of the movie anxiously waiting for the hero to get the opportunity to exact his revenge — and then we cheer!

It’s not much different on a personal level.  I suspect that whenever somebody does you wrong, the temptation is there to immediately start thinking of what you can do to get them back.  But, if you find yourself tempted to take revenge, may I suggest two things:

(1)  Resist the temptation to exchange evil for evil.  That temptation will always be strong and we need realize that it will be there.  But we also need to remember the emptiness and hollowness of revenge and resentment.

(2)  Show your enemy kindness.  Abraham Lincoln was once accused of being too nice to his enemy.  He was told to be firmer; he must destroy his enemies.  He replied, “I do destroy them when they become my friends.”

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” (Matt. 5:43-44)

Have a great day!

Alan Smith

In Matthew 25 Jesus tells three stories about the need to be ready for judgment, although the third looks to be giving us information about what will happen more than it is a story. Contextually, these are connected with his teaching about Jerusalem’s fall from chapter 24. But there are good lessons for us as we live our lives today.

The judgment scene in Matthew 25:31-46 is one which probably raised some eyebrows when the disciples heard what Jesus said. From the emphasis we often have – or don’t have – in our lives, perhaps it should raise some eyebrows today, as well!

In this scene of judgment, all nations have assembled before his glorious throne. He then separates the people, as a shepherd would separate sheep from goats. It is the sheep on the right who are blessed by the Father and will inherit the kingdom. The goats on the left are sentenced to eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.

If we were the one telling this story, I am sure it would have had some different details. We would probably have those on the right being there because they had been baptized, had been faithful in attendance at worship, and had read our Bible daily – or something like that. I say that because this is what is so often emphasized among Christians. And I’m not saying that these are not important – they are – but in many ways, these are the basics, the foundation, that we need to building our lives on.

Notice why the sheep would inherit the kingdom: they had fed the hungry, they had taken in strangers, they had clothed those who were in need, they took care of the sick, they visited those in prison. Jesus put this in terms that this is what they had done for him. And on the other side the “goats” were lost because they had not done these things.

And don’t you just love the answer of the “sheep”? “When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?” (Matthew 25:38-39 NET). Jesus’ reply: “I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me” (Matthew 25:40).

If Jesus were here today, most Christians would be more than willing to do these things to help him. But we often struggle to help those around us. Jesus, in essence, is saying that if we won’t help those around us who are in need, we wouldn’t do it for him, either.

What is the lesson for us? It isn’t that we don’t need to become a Christian, worship with our fellow Christians, or read the Bible – the sheep were on the right-hand because they were Christians and faithfully following God. But to be a faithful follower requires more than occupying a seat on Sundays. What we learn from our Bible study must be seen in our lives. We will learn to have the same compassion Jesus had for people and we will take care of them, helping to meet the needs that we see.

We often struggle with the concept of eternal punishment, although we don’t seem to have any problem with eternal life. Notice that the exact same word is used for eternal fire, eternal punishment, and eternal life. Jesus indicated that they are all of the same duration.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be a sheep! So what are we going to do to help those around us?

Jon Galloway

The term, “carpe diem” means to “seize the day,” and that’s exactly what this quick thinking Private did. But here’s the thought for the day. How well have we been taking advantages of opportunities to advance the Kingdom of God? Have we been “seizing the day” in speaking a kind word for Jesus or doing an act of kindness in the name of Jesus?

Friends, let me challenge you to not let opportunities pass you by. Be thoughtful, mindful, and attentive to the cause of Christ and “seize the day!”

Steve Higginbotham

In the upper room, Jesus gave the apostles a new commandment, to love each other. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35 ESV).

This new commandment is echoed throughout the letters written by the apostles and writers. John expands on it in his first letter, telling us what love is and what love is not.

In the middle of a lengthy discussion about the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, Paul talks about the need for love (1 Corinthians 13). You can speak in all the languages known by men (or even angels), have God’s word revealed so that you understand and know everything, and even live a sacrificial life to the point of giving your physical life, yet if love isn’t present then these things count as nothing. They are worthless! Love is that important!

But what does this love look like? This love is seen in our lives, in how we live everyday and especially in how we treat each other. Notice how Paul described the love we are to have as Christians.

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

No wonder Jesus could say that if those around us saw us living this way, they would know that we are his disciples! But how many Christians do you really see that are like this? My experience is that there are very few.

When there are problems in congregations, it almost always goes back to a lack of love. Christians frequently aren’t patient, especially with each other. How many times have we seen problems because individuals insisted on something having to be done their way? Do we know Christians who are irritable or resentful? How many times have we been happy when someone failed or did something wrong? Do we always rejoice with the truth?

The last four qualities that Paul lists probably hits us all. Do we really bear all things? Or do we get angry when someone does something different? Do we really believe all things? Or do we treat what Christians tell us with suspicion? Do we really hope all things? Or do we think nothing good will ever happen and are against anything someone suggests? Do we really endure all things? Or when things don’t go our way we end up becoming angry, irritable, and resentful?

The type of love Paul described that we are to have never ends. And this is the love we are to have for each other as Christians.

Do we really want peace and harmony in the family of Christians where we are? Then we need to learn what love, true love, is all about. It isn’t about people being nice to us. It is about how we treat those around us. It is about being like Jesus. “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Jon Galloway

Is it wrong to prosper?

“Woe to you who are at ease in Zion, and trust in Mount Samaria. Notable persons in the chief nation, to whom the house of Israel comes! Go over to Calneh and see; and from there go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory?” (Amos 6:1-2 NKJV).

When I make reports on my work in undeveloped nations a very common response is “That sure makes us appreciate what we have doesn’t it?” Others will say, “We sure are blessed.” Behind such comments is an inference of guilt. Are we wrong to have so much when so many have so little? I believe a lot of sincere American Christians ask that question, and fear the answer.

Though the Bible warns of the dangers of greed (Luke 12:15) and the difficulty of salvation for the wealthy (Matthew 19:23), there is no condemnation of wealth nor any indication that righteous or godly people cannot be rich in material possessions. On the contrary, Old Testament Patriarchs were usually men of great riches (Genesis 13:2; 26:12-14). The wealth of Solomon was legendary and was attributed to God’s blessings (1 Kings 3:13; 4:20-28).

In the New Testament commands are given to the rich as to how they are to use their possessions, confirming that not all Christians were of modest income (1 Timothy 6:17-19). Men like Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (John 19:38-39) are generally believed to have had some wealth and, while not called disciples, showed signs of righteousness and of faith in Jesus.

Yet, on the other hand, there is much evidence that wealth may be a hindrance to godliness and that many who prosper are displeasing to God. Amos’ strong condemnation of the upper classes of Israel (Amos 6:1-7) reveals several ways in which prosperity may cause God to judge us.

First, we commit sin when we trust in ourselves and our possessions rather than God (Amos 6:1). Wealth may contribute to our comfort and to our ability to help others, but it is not a source of security. Only God can preserve us. Israel was invited to go to great cities of the past which had perished and asked, “are we stronger (or better) than they?” The answer was clearly, “No.”

Second, we sin when we gain or use our wealth selfishly for mere physical pleasure and comfort (Amos 6:3-5). The prophet was indignant at the idle wastefulness of the rich in Israel. That was clearly not the purpose of their possessions and it was a wrongful use of that which God had given (see Luke 12:16-21).

Third, we sin when we neglect those in need (Amos 6:6-7). Amos had previously condemned the social injustice of the leaders of Israel (Amos 2:6-7; 5:10-13). God defends the poor. Jesus identified with the hungry, naked, and imprisoned (Matthew 25:35-40). John defines love by how one helps those in need (1 John 3:17). James gives a similar interpretation of true faith (James 2:14-17).

God does not promise prosperity to every Christian, but neither does he forbid it. Some will be given the “gift of giving” (Romans 12:8) which has to imply that they will have the means to be generous. One Christian writer put it like this: “You have money? That’s good. Money has you? That’s bad.” I believe Amos would have heartily agreed.

Michael Brooks

“…if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also” (John 8:19)

The notorious atheist Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011) once argued in a debate that having an “eternal Father” is one of the most detestable things he could imagine, and it was one of the worst constructs of the Christian religion.

Can you imagine, he argued, a person never being able to leave his father’s home and become his own person? He claimed that it severely stifled humanity’s maturity and growth (and by maturity and growth, he meant getting completely away from all religious pursuit and aiming entirely for humanistic pursuits).

Hitchens might have been right, if he wasn’t so wrong.

His illustration fails because his frame of reference is biased. He imagines only earthly fathers, full of faults, and full of evils. He was right: generally speaking, children must leave their parents and grow their own wings in order to thrive. But that experience is not identical to man’s relationship with the heavenly Father.

One of the purposes of Jesus’ incarnation was to illuminate the difference between the relationships of inferior fathers (and their children), and the superior fatherhood of God Almighty:

Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:9-11, ESV).

An older preacher friend (his children were my age) and I were discussing parent-child relationships some years ago, when my oldest children were quite small. He said to me, “When they’re young, you have to discipline and correct them. When they get older, it changes. Now, my son and I are the best of friends.”

That’s what Jesus wants for us. Once we submit ourselves to God as our eternal Father, our relationship grows, we grow (2 Peter 3:18). We grow closer, and we become the best of friends (James 2:23).

Hitchens was right: we must leave the nest, as it were, to grow and mature. But a child of the heavenly Father cannot grow and mature unless he is drawing closer to the eternal Father, and his heavenly home (cf. John 14:1-3).

Rick Kelley

There is a remarkable story recorded in 1 Samuel 23 that illustrates to us the interface between a faithful child of God, prayer, and God’s response to prayer. David is trying to keep his distance from King Saul, who wants to kill him but, at the same time, fight the Philistines in order to keep his own people safe.

It is reported to David that the Philistines are fighting against the town of Keilah and looting it. So, “David inquired of the Lord” (underline that statement in your Bible). God responds to David’s prayer. Apparently David shares God’s message with his men because they express some hesitation in trusting God. They respond to David: “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the ranks of the Philistines” (vs 3)?

So, “David inquired of the Lord once more” (vs 4; underline that statement in your Bible). This time, God promises to give the Philistines into David’s hands. So, David responds to God and has success in driving the Philistines out of Keilah.

But then, King Saul hears that David has holed himself up in Keilah, “a city with double gates and bars” (vs 7). Notice Saul’s message to his own men: “God has delivered him into my hand…” There will never be an end to people who think and believe and act as if God is on their side. God was not on King Saul’s side. Saul was deceiving himself. The only way to know if God is on our side is to make sure we are on God’s side!

Be that as it may, David heard that King Saul knew they were in Keilah and that King Saul was intending to ambush Keilah and take/kill David. So, as David was in the habit of doing, he prayed to God (note verse 10). “Will Saul come down just as your servant has heard?” (vs 11).

God responds to David’s prayer: “He will come down.”

David pursues that line of thought: “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” (vs 12).

God responds to David’s prayer: “They will surrender you.”

So, David takes his 600 men and leaves Keilah and this particular event concludes with the statement in verse 14: “God did not deliver him [David] into his hand [Saul’s].”

What we have illustrated here is that there is an “alternate reality” that parallels the lives we live. David’s “alternate reality” was being delivered by the men of Keilah into the hands of Saul. God told him it would happen! But, David responds to God’s message and it doesn’t happen. Everything God predicts does not happen, in the sense that it might (as in this case) depend on man’s response.

The reason it didn’t happen, the reason “God did not deliver him into Saul’s hand” is because: 1.) David prays to God; 2.) David responds to God’s answer. The “alternate reality” could have / would have happened if David had not: 1.) Prayed; 2.) Responded.

Now, God does not violate His will or His nature in answering David’s question. The “alternate (undesirable) reality” was a possibility but it did not happen.

When we pray, we are asking God to close the door to “alternate (undesirable) realities” and show us the way to go by opening the door to the desirable alternative. Prayer is not asking God to violate His will nor His nature. He can change our future without changing either of those invariables.

Yes, prayer changes things.

Paul Holland

“Then he said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, “Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine has stopped here while on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.” Then he will reply from inside, “Do not bother me. The door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything.” I tell you, even though the man inside will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of the first man’s sheer persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs” (Luke 11:5-8 NET).

How many of us have friends like the one Jesus talked about? Or, maybe more personally, how many of us are like the man who was already in bed when his friend came to knock on his door? He really didn’t want to have to get back up to find some bread to give to his friend. But he seems to have realized that his friend wouldn’t go away unless he did get up and give him what he needed to meet his needs.

Have you been awakened in the middle of the night with someone at your door? Has the telephone woken you up? When we answer it, I’m sure we would rather still be asleep! I heard about a man who was awakened from sleep, answered the phone, and was asked, “Did I wake you up?” To which he replied, “No, I had to answer the phone anyway.”

I hope when we are woken in the middle of the night and it is a friend in need that we are there to help them. People have helped me in this situation and have been a real friend. But this isn’t Jesus’ point, as good as that might be. Notice what Jesus went on to say.

“So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:9-13).

Jesus’ point is that God is not like our friends. He is always there, ready to help when we ask, seek, or knock. Unlike our friends in the middle of the night, God wants to help those who are his children and ask him for what they need.

Are we fearful to ask God for those things that concern us most? Do we pray in general terms but never get around to asking for what is really important? I heard a Christian once say that he never asks God for anything – he would just tell God the problem and let God figure out what to do. Although that might sound “spiritual” it is the opposite of what Jesus said we are to do.

Our children ask us for what they want (although sometimes they may not need it). When they ask, as parents we try to fulfill their request. We definitely don’t give them something that would be harmful to them. We do this because we love them.

God loves us and wants the best for us. Are we asking him for what we need most?

Jon Galloway

David Verwey was talking with his grandson, Joey, and Joey’s father, Alex, when he noticed a hornet fly in and hover about a foot in front of Joey’s face.  It was a Japanese Giant Hornet, and it was not backing away and could sting him at any moment.

David knew he must act quickly.  He knew some things about the Japanese Giant Hornet from some research done on the internet.  He had learned that although not normally hostile, the Japanese Giant Hornet can be aggressive if provoked and can sting a victim multiple times.  Its venom, which is injected by the 6.25 mm (quarter inch) long stinger, attacks the nervous system and damages the tissue.  The sting can be very painful, highly venomous and may require hospitalization.  The potency of the sting is due to the relatively large amount of venom injected.

One sting can be lethal for people who are allergic and suffer from anaphylactic shock.  The sting can also be lethal to people who are not allergic, provided the dose is sufficient.  Multiple stings would likely require immediate medical attention and could cause renal failure.  Annually thirty to forty people in Japan die after having been stung by bees, wasps or the Japanese Giant Hornet.

David had recently removed some hornet nests from around the buildings of the Japan Mission, so he and his co-workers had been keeping a can of wasp and hornet killer handy as they worked at the Mission.

Now one of these hornets was flying dangerously close to David’s grandson.  David immediately crouched down beside Joey while grabbing a can of hornet killer and sprayed the hornet.  It fell to the ground.

Later reflecting on this incident, David wrote, “My quick response surprised me.  I had just been stung a couple of days before, but I knew exactly where I had put that can of spray.  My love for Joey and the desire to protect him from this hornet drove me to instinctually step up next to him, just [a foot] away from this hornet.  If Joey was not there, approaching this hornet would have been crazy.  I should have rather retreated.  However, the fact that this hornet was hovering so close to my beloved grandson’s face and knowing that he could be moments away from being stung, made me take this drastic action.”

David also gained from this experience a glimpse of a glimpse into the perfect and unconditional love that God has for us: “Jesus did not hesitate to put Himself in harm’s way to protect us from the ‘sting’ of death.  Why?  Because His love for us was so deep and profound!”

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

David shared this insight: “It is hard to fathom the depth of God’s love for us.  It is because of this boundless love, that Jesus did not hesitate to come into this world to shed His blood for our sins, so that we may be saved from certain destruction!” *

Because Jesus endured the “sting of death” on our behalf by dying on the cross for our sins, we can be saved from sin and receive the gift of eternal life.

God will save 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).

“O Death, where is your sting?  O Hades, where is your victory?  The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).

Jesus loves YOU so much that He endured the sting of death for you.  Won’t YOU accept His offer of salvation and eternal life on His terms?

— David A. Sargent

* Source: Article by David Verwey of Japan Mission entitled “The Japanese Giant Hornet.”

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39, ESV).

Several years ago, I researched and presented a paper on the deity of Jesus in John’s gospel. Although all the gospels help develop this subject, John’s gospel was written with this specific matter at the heart (John 20:30-31), and does so to a degree not achieved by the others.

I developed an arbitrary (yes, I made it up) research method to quantify just how much of the language of John’s gospel was dedicated to making this presentation. Here’s how it worked:

1) Any time John wrote a sentence, or even used a phrase that implied or directly affirmed the deity of Jesus, I gave that phrase a point value of 1. For example, “All things were made by him” (John 1:3). 1 point.

2) Also, any time Jesus, or a disciple, or any other witness to his deity, or even enemy uttered such a phrase, I followed the same procedure. For example, here is a statement by Jesus with a value of 1: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19).

3) Of course, there are numerous times that one sentence contains several phrases that affirm or imply the deity of Jesus. For example, in John 3:13, Jesus speaking of himself said, “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” The first two phrases work together, and have a value of 1, and the last phrase is distinguished enough from the first two to qualify for a value of 1 as well. This sentence gets a point value of 2.

After doing this for every chapter through 17 (I ran out of time to do any more before the presentation, and I’ve never finished the latter chapters of the book), I took the total amount of instances in each chapter, and divided that by the number of English verses in the chapter, and acquired a ratio of phrase-to-verse.

Using this method, the results astonished me. Of all the verses that make up the first 17 chapters of John’s gospel, over 2/3 of them (about 68%) include phrases and/or sentences, made by John, Jesus, or other witnesses, that either explicitly state, or imply the deity of Jesus. There were several times that the number of references to Jesus’ deity in a given chapter actually outnumbered the number of verses in that chapter.

Once again I stress, this was a purely arbitrary assessment. But still, I don’t think it’s unfair to say that the results point in the right direction. John’s gospel, as many have discovered, and as John stated in his purpose statement (John 20:30-31) is supremely rich in its presentation of the deity of Jesus.

Have you ever done anything similar?

Rick Kelley

Serious talk. Guys, I’m a little bit scared. When my elders announced we would be resuming class at the church building on Wednesdays, of course I was excited. BUT—and here’s what I debated sharing publicly because I’m embarrassed—there was a part of me that was disappointed about “having” to be at the building Wednesday again.

Disappointed.    Why? Because it’s been over 3 months since the church met together for Bible study. I’ve grown accustomed to coming home from work, eating dinner with the family, and then relaxing in the living room watching some sort of canned Bible study on my TV (with my family). I’ve officially gotten out of the habit of the family getting ready for Bible class and driving to the church building on Wednesdays. So there was a part of my heart that was actually disappointed—bummed—over the “burden” of going back to Bible study – and that scares me.

Of course I’m taking my family back. That’s not a question. I’m excited!  There’s no danger of me or my wife “falling away.”  I’ve just gotten out of the habit. And psychologically, my mind has grown accustomed to it. I don’t like this about my heart. And in my prayers, I ask God to rid my heart of sinful desires like this (like the desire to stay home when I can assemble, which is a heart problem).

Here are some other scary thoughts to me:

• What if I was 18? That time was an impressionable time for me. I look back, and I sometimes think I could have gone one way or another with my faith. I would have been vulnerable to this if this happened to me then. I NEEDED the assembly—every assembly.
• What if I was 5? Or 10? Or 13? Kids that are that age are going to remember this. And we have deprived them of assembling with the saints in some major, important ways.
• What if I was a new Christian? What if I was a weak Christian?

If I felt disappointment in my heart, think what others may be feeling at the thought of “going back to church.”

I still think the churches, collectively, did the right thing in postponing their assemblies for a number of weeks. But elders did this to better assess the situation. At first, because of the unknowns, the virus was a major concern. And it still is a concern. But over 3 months later, at what cost?

This virus isn’t going away any time soon. At some point, we need to think, “What is the end game?” Am I willing to be absent from the assembly of my church family for another month? Three more months? Six? 2021?  (Why even go to church anymore? Let’s sell the building and do everything online! Is that what some of us are good with??)

At some point, we have to ask: what’s a greater threat to the church: a virus? Or the effects “scattering” is having on the church after months of isolation?

I don’t want to oversimplify things. But if your conscience isn’t as burdened over this anymore, then—I say this kindly but bluntly as your brother in Christ—you have a heart problem. The virus is no longer the biggest danger in your life.

God designed His church to be an ASSEMBLING church. Online “worship,” while I’ve been thankful for it, will never be a substitute. His people need to be willing to take a little bit of RISK to follow His plan and ideal. We need to have a little bit of FAITH—not that God will miraculously protect us from getting the virus—but that assembling with His people is more pleasing to Him than cutting ourselves off from the church.

Let’s take safety measures. But I need “church.” I need to be in relatively close proximity to my brethren. I need the friendships. I need the encouragement. I need the congregational singing. I need the classes. I need the accountability. I need to hear YOU—in person—push me to keep going, “and all the more as we see the Day drawing near.”

Let’s not give Satan one more inch.

– by Ben Giselbach

“You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made …” (Psalm 139:13, 14).

Roe versus Wade, 1973: It’s been over forty years since this law was passed. You have read and heard a plethora of observations on the issue of abortion. One of the most common is this: “It’s a woman’s body.”

I am fairly well acquainted with anatomy. I am aware that when it comes to a uterus, men are anatomically challenged. So yes, the baby is lodged in a woman’s body.

But here’s an observation, as obvious as a nine-month distended belly: There is always a father involved in this transaction, too.

I am the father of a daughter. She is smart, intuitive, compassionate, funny, and most of all, a Christian. Had her mother considered (she most decidedly never did) aborting our child, I would have liked to have been consulted! This was my child, too. When did fathers have this deep privilege of parenting taken away from them? When were we consulted? Where did we ever get the idea that losing a child was not devastating for a father?

My daughter is currently carrying my grandson. I don’t have the words to describe how I feel about all of this. But I know that boy’s father feels strongly about his son’s survival.

Christianity elevates the value of life: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his own soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).

Selfish is the society that thinks only of their own well-being and not that of others, particularly the most helpless others in society. It’s time fathers stood and with steady gaze spoke out in favor of life.

Stan Mitchell

My girls recently modified the game of Slug Bug in order to make it more exciting and faster-paced. A couple of months ago, with the whole family in the car, we were introduced to it when we heard the words “grocery bag in a bush” shouted three times in rapid succession followed by “wow! three in a row” from one of the other girls.

The modification was simple. Instead of calling out VW Beetles, we all began to call out grocery bags that were snagged up in a bush alongside the road. We would also accept “tree.”  A grocery bag caught in a tree was also acceptable. Turns out, “Grocery Bag In A Bush” is much more exciting and fun than Slug Bug. Tons more action! I’ve never seen so many grocery bags in my life! And you should hear the squeals and laughter when one was spotted so far up in a tree that we all knew that it wasn’t coming down until the tree did.

Good times.

I’ve thought about Grocery Bag In A Bush many times since that day, and have made many observations about it. I’d like to share three of them.

Observation #1
The grocery bags have always been, and will always be, there. I just never “saw” them before. I don’t recall seeing a single slug bug while playing Grocery Bag In A Bush, even though they were probably there.

Conclusion #1
I will see that which I look for. Matthew 7:7-8 says,  “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

Observation #2
Grocery Bags don’t belong in a bush or a tree. It’s not what they were created for, but somehow they have found themselves hopelessly ensnared. They will most likely remain ensnared until someone cares enough to pick them up, or a violent storm rips them away from the unreachable limb where they are trapped. And if no one stops and picks them up, they will most likely drift away until they find themselves ensnared in another bush.

Conclusion #2
While we may excel at “stopping to say hello” when a brother is in the way, we should not let the business of “rolling our gospel chariots along” keep us from our responsibility to the lost to “stop and pick them up”.

Observation #3
We all financially support a vast army of sanitation workers through taxes and fees. We even personally pay for these services out of pocket so that they will come by our house each week to take our trash, and grocery bags, to where they belong. And yet, the grocery bags are everywhere.

Conclusion #3
Christianity cannot be outsourced. It’s not enough to pay for, or support others, to do the work for us. This world is not our home, but it becomes a more beautiful place when each of us can see those around us who are ensnared in sin, and gently help them get to where they belong.

Feel free to make your own observations from this parable. It’s not perfect, and I’m certainly not equating those trapped in sin with trash. But before we start asking God to provide us with more opportunities, we might first ask ourselves if we are really in the  game. Because once you know what to look for, the opportunities are everywhere.

Scott Phillips

Writing

In Exodus 34:1-3 Moses is recorded as writing (for the second time) the commandments of God on Mount Sinai. Many skeptical scholars in the 1960s pointed out that although the Bible records both God and Moses writing, there was no evidence that humans had learned the technology of writing at all by the time of Moses (about 1400 BC). No civilization had a system more complex than hieroglyphics, they declared, a picture system, rather than a symbol system complete with vowels, consonants, and grammar.

The first thing we should note is the logical fallacy in play. To say that writing did not exist in the day of Moses is an inadequate statement. To say that we know of no instance of writing in Moses’ day would be more accurate. Do we know everything about the ancient world of the Bible? Of course not! There are gaps the size of Mount Sinai in our historical knowledge of the era. The reason we do archaeology is to attempt to fill in some of those gaps.

Since then, however, archaeologists have discovered clay tablets containing cuneiform (a Sumerian alphabet) in southern Iraq that dates to 3,500 BC, demonstrating writing to have been in existence 2,100 before Moses. Think about that for a moment. The writing technology had been around for a little more than two millennia when Moses is recorded as writing the Law of God. Think about it from our perspective; two thousand years before our day the Lord had not yet begun to walk the face of the earth. The temple of Herod had not yet been built. The Jews were an independent nation under the Hasmoneans. Rome was not yet in control of Palestine. Two thousand years is a long time for a technology to be around, and there is no question that it was well developed by Moses’ day.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Cut for yourself two tablets of stone and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke’” (Exodus 34:1).

Stan Mitchell

Our actions often tell the world more than we want to reveal. The attitudes behind our behavior will be leaked to the world regardless of our intentions.

“For as he thinks in his heart so is he” (Proverb 23:7, NKJV).  A mind or soul that is sick will produce foul fruit (Galatians 5:16-21).

A congregation once met for midweek Bible study. Gathering in the auditorium for a period of devotional time before going to class, the preacher delivered the invitation and two teens came forward to be baptized (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4).

Yet, the euphoria of the preacher was short-lived.

Afterwards, two Bible class teachers wanted to express their serious frustration that the baptisms had delayed their classes!

Such moments leave you speechless.

Whatever the reason, their behavior was abominable and they should have repented publicly.

It’s very likely that they spread their anger to their class, friends and family. Criticizing someone who has just put on the Lord in baptism can help doom a soul for eternity.

When we place our own goals, desires and preferences above the Lord’s, we’re in very dangerous waters. Satan will be eager to push us over the edge into apostasy and use us to rattle the faith of others (1 Peter 5:8).

The work of the Lord is difficult enough without such behavior from inside the Church (1 Corinthians 1:10).

We must be very busy glorifying the Lord (Ephesians 3:20-21; 1 Peter 5:11). Nothing matters more than his mission. We don’t want our Lord to say to us, “Get behind me Satan” (Matthew 16:23).

Our personal baggage must be jettisoned so we can exalt Christ in his kingdom. Our biases, prejudices and conflicts have no place. All they do is endanger souls.

We always want to be on the side of the Lord because being against him is a terrifying place to be.

Richard Mansel

For me

“Alas and did my savior bleed, and did my sovereign die?
Would he devote that sacred head for such a one as I?” (Isaac Watts)

If you are a little older you will notice something about these lines from the familiar song, “At the Cross”: Isaac Watts distinctly did not write “for such a one as I.” You might recall he said, instead, “for such a worm as I.” This seems to be a form of verbal airbrushing.

I don’t know if the PC Police got in on this one. Did some devotee of “I’m OK, You’re OK” (a best seller by Thomas Harris) object that we ought not to be calling ourselves after the icky creatures lacking limbs?

Isaac Watts wrote something similar in his classic “Amazing Grace.”

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me” (John Newton).

A wretch? A worm? Isn’t it Christianity’s job to give us all good self-images? And we can’t be calling ourselves worms if it is our life’s goal to feel good about ourselves, right?

All of which would be good points if, indeed, it was God’s purpose to affirm our self images, or if the purpose of Christianity was to affirm our pride.

In fact, the purpose of Christianity is to do the opposite!

Can we say it, ever so cautiously, that sometimes our actions should be condemned, not confirmed? And when did it become a good thing not to be deeply conscious of our sinful condition? And how, exactly, are we going to change if we do not first feel a profound sense of remorse for our sins?

Peter was astonished by Jesus and declared, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man” (Luke 5:8). Jesus did not abandon his sinful disciple, but neither did he dispute Peter’s sinful nature. The Prodigal declared he was “no longer worthy to be called” a son (Luke 15:19). We know the father accepted him back, but the young man’s self-assessment was not far off. Joshua the high priest was observed wearing “filthy rags” (Zechariah 3:1-3). God arranged to cleanse him, but the rags were still filthy.

If you have been forgiven a debt of five dollars, you might say “thank you.” If you have been forgiven an incomparable debt, you might respond with your life. You would move from wretch to saint.

Stan Mitchell

If we consider the history of Christendom, it should not come to us as a surprise that for many people, the terms pastor, bishop and presbyter designate different people. And yet, it caught me off guard. I did not expect everyone to be amazed how the New Testament presents a different perspective.

Each Wednesday afternoon at a retirement community located within walking distance of my office, a group of seniors from a variety of church traditions gather to study God’s word. On this particular day as we worked through 1 Timothy, wonder, excitement and surprise broke out on everyone’s face as they learned that the New Testament uses elder, shepherd and overseer interchangeably to identify the same church leadership function with three different descriptions.

For example, in Acts 20:17 Paul requested the elders (presbyters) of Ephesus to meet with him. When speaking with them he identified them as overseers (bishops) and pastors (shepherds) of the church of God (Acts 20:28). In similar fashion 1 Peter 5:1 provides instruction to elders, whom we learn are to shepherd God’s flock and be overseers (1 Peter 5:2). Similarly, Paul equates elders and overseers (Titus 1:5-6).

So why three different designations for the same person? It is actually quite wonderful. These terms of leadership originate from three different societal backgrounds. Everyone could relate to at least one, if not more of these leadership metaphors.

Let’s start with elders. From the Bible we are quite familiar with the language of elders sitting in the city gate (Deuteronomy 25:7), the elders of Israel (Exodus 3:16) or elders being listed among those influential leaders opposed to Jesus (Matthew 21:23). In a society shaped by male leadership, elders were those respected older men, who by their experience and wisdom had attained social influence.

When it comes to rural leadership, there are not many metaphors native to the countryside. However, the picture of a shepherd leading a flock and caring for them certainly jumps forth. Shepherds or pastors provide a rich tapestry of leadership evoking care, protection and guiding wisdom.

Long before it became a church term, the Greeks described as “onlookers” (episkopoi) those who graciously watched over and protected others.  This largely urban term came to be extended to other arenas such as overseeing finances or a shipment of goods. Eventually the “onlooker” or overseer came to designate the office of those assigned with the responsibility of caring for someone or something. Within the Greco-Roman urban church context, describing someone as an overseer aptly communicated someone responsible for guarding and seeking the church’s well being.

It seems only natural that in a religious community arising out of a variety of backgrounds various terms for protective and caring leadership would be used to describe those older men who were pastoring and overseeing the church’s well-being.

I feel we do a disfavor to congregants whenever biblical terms are used in unbiblical ways.  This occurs, for example, if we make a distinction between a pastor and a group of elders.

It is reasonable to assume that whenever someone hears their church designate someone as a “pastor” or “bishop/overseer” that he or she would expect these terms to reflect how the Bible uses them. One group of seniors had this perspective. Unfortunately, their churches had not provided them with this blessing.

Barry Newton

NAMING THE SHEEP

The following story comes from Julie Helms in Christian Reader, “Lite Fare”:

My husband and I, with our two daughters, operate a small sheep farm.  One day a non-farming friend asked, “How can you bear to slaughter those cute little lambs?”

My husband explained, “We don’t want to get emotionally attached to the ones we plan to eat, so we don’t give them names.”

Not satisfied, the friend probed, “What about your kids?”

Her husband quickly replied, “Oh, we name them!”

While very few of us are personally familiar with sheep and shepherds, the relationship between the two is one of the most powerful images in the Bible used to describe the relationship between Christ and his followers. The loving care shown by shepherds to their flock, and the willingness of sheep to utterly depend on what the shepherd can provide offer a glimpse of our personal relationship with the good shepherd.   While it may seem to be a small thing, our name plays a significant role in that relationship.

“He who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” (John 10:2-3)

“He calls his own sheep by name.”  Though there are many disciples of Christ around the world, we are not just “one of the masses”, not just a number.  We are intimately known and loved by the good shepherd.  He knows us by name.   It tells us not only that he cares about us, but that he plans for his relationship with us to be a lasting one.

May the fact that your shepherd knows your name give you comfort this day.

Have a great day!

Alan Smith

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ‘Speak to the Israelites and tell them, “When you cross over the Jordan River into the land of Canaan, you must then designate some towns as towns of refuge for you, to which a person who has killed someone unintentionally may flee. And they must stand as your towns of refuge from the avenger in order that the killer may not die until he has stood trial before the community. These towns that you must give shall be your six towns for refuge.”’” (Numbers 35:9-13 NET).

God is a God of mercy. We can see this in his providing towns of refuge for the Israelites. These towns were so designated to allow someone who had accidentally killed another person to be safe from any ‘avenger’ who might come after them to take their life. If they were within these towns they were safe. In more recent years church buildings have often served this same purpose as a place of sanctuary.

Even the location of these six towns of refuge shows God’s mercy and concern for his people. Three were west of the Jordan River and three were on the east (Numbers 35:14-15). If we were to locate their probable locations on a map we would also see that they were positioned in way that anyone could quickly get to one of them.

God is also a God of justice. Once they were in the town there would be a hearing to determine whether the person was innocent of murder. Even without witnesses, the circumstances surrounding the death would determine whether this were an accidental death or intentional murder (see Numbers 35:16-24). If guilty, then the person would be put to death. Justice would be done.

But if the person were innocent, he was protected from anyone who wished to avenge the death. There was a condition: he had to remain in the town of refuge until the death of the high priest. If he were found outside the town, the avenger could take his life without being guilty of murder (see Numbers 35:25-29). As long as the person was in the town, they were safe. Once again, we see mercy.

As Christians, we also experience God’s mercy and justice (and grace!). God remains a just God, which means that there had to be a price paid for our sin. Once we sin, we cannot undo it, we cannot erase it, we cannot take it back. We have sinned and have earned the wages of sin: death (Romans 6:23). But God has shown his mercy in giving us a free gift – eternal life. When we “obey from the heart that pattern of teaching you were entrusted to” we are then “freed from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness” (Romans 6:17-18).

God’s justice is served in that a price of blood was paid for our sin, through Jesus. God’s mercy is seen in that we are freed from sin to serve God. But there is a condition. Just as the innocent person had to remain in the town of refuge, we have to remain in Jesus. If we chose to turn our back on him and die in that condition, there is no more sacrifice for us (Hebrews 10:26). “But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

The choice we must make: do we want God’s mercy or justice?

Jon Galloway