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What Does the Bible Say about Selfishness?

I once knew someone who often made the statement, “Sometimes you just have to be selfish.” We live in a country that encourages and glorifies selfishness in every aspect of life. Often, people feel that they have an obligation to look out for themselves first and everyone else if they feel like it. However, God has a very different view of selfishness. If we desire to be acceptable to him, we must instead be selfless. Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). Paul admonished: “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Philippians 2:3-4). We need to be those who love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). That does not mean that we never take a thought or care for ourselves, but that we care about others just as much as we do ourselves.

What Does the Bible Say about Division?

People look at the religious world, see all of the division, and wonder why it exists. If we all worship the same God and claim to follow the same book, why are there so many different groups? Paul said there were to “be no divisions among you [the people of God],” but Christians are to be “perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10). The reason there is so much division is because many have stopped allowing the Bible to do the talking and have turned to their own ideas and philosophies. Should there be all of these divisions? No. But there also cannot be unity without a unity of beliefs. Amos 3:3 asks, “Can two walk together except they be agreed?” The answer, of course, is “No.” God does not desire division, and we should not either, but the only way to dissolve division is to use God’s Word, and it alone, as the standard.

In the Beginning

There are two books of the Bible that begin with this particular phrase, “In the beginning.” The very first words laid out in Scripture bear these words: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). In the New Testament, John begins his epistle, by inspiration, with these words: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Both of these books introduce themselves by going back to the beginning. Yet, they both deal with very different facets of that beginning. When you put these two statements concerning the beginning of time together, they lead to a beautiful conclusion of the might and majesty of the creation. John, in his writing, deals with the spiritual presence at the beginning of time. Unlike many in the modern world would have us to believe, there was “someone” or “something” present in the beginning. It was not simply an accidental “big bang,” but there was an intentional cause behind it. John wrote that the Word both “was with God,” and “was God.” This statement shows emphatically that there were multiple persons, but one being, present at the Creation: God. John continues by stating: “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3). John shows, in the first fourteen verses of the book, Who was responsible for the creation. It was the one Who was, “made flesh and dwelt among us” (John …

A Spiritual Cup of Coffee

There are millions of people in this country who begin every morning with a cup of coffee. Without it they feel as though something is missing in their morning routine, and the day is left incomplete, or certainly more difficult. From a spiritual perspective, the same should hold true for the Christian when it comes to our lives. Our study of the Scriptures, prayer lives and time spent meditating on the things of God should be such an integrated part of our lives to the point that a day where any of those things does not occur is considered an incomplete day. On Sunday mornings at the congregation here, we have a forty-five minute devotional of songs, prayers and Scripture reading to start off the day. My wife recently commented that this devotional was her cup of coffee on Sunday mornings to get her mind focused and ready for what the rest of the day would bring. In pondering it, I found that it holds the same effect for me. I wish more congregations of the Lord’s church would consider what a powerful asset such a program could be to the attitude and mindset of the Lord’s people beginning each Lord’s Day. However, should such a “cup of coffee” be confined to only the Lord’s Day? Certainly, if time spent with the Word of God and giving honor and praise to Him on the first day of the week is beneficial to the mentality of the Christian, doing the same …

Sacrifice

One of the central principles of the entire Bible is sacrifice. It is the foundation upon which all service and godliness is built and fastened. Nevertheless, many people have many different ideas about what sacrifice is and what role it plays in the lives of the servants of God. Some define sacrifice as being forced to do something you do not want or prefer to do. Others will define sacrifice, as it is seen in the Scriptures, as nothing more than a biblical description of ancient cruelty to animals. The true significance and purpose to be found in sacrifice is utterly lost in such concepts. Therefore, it is worth our time and effort to understand what it means to sacrifice, and how the Bible uses this particular concept. The term “sacrifice” is used over two hundred times in the Bible. Though the majority of the passages are found in the Old Testament, there are twenty-four uses of the term in the New Testament as well.  Webster defines this word as: the offering of animal, plant, or human life or of some material possession to a deity, as in propitiation or homage; the person, animal, or thing so offered; the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim; to surrender or give up, or permit injury or disadvantage to, for the sake of something else. It is obvious that there are a number of different ways this …

Moses: A True Leader

Outside of the Lord Himself, there is no other individual within the pages of Scripture about whom we know more than Moses. There are four books of the Old Testament dedicated to his leadership (Exodus), his role as lawgiver (Leviticus), his “survival skills” (Numbers) and his speeches (Deuteronomy). Within the pages of these four books, God reveals to man an individual who did not seek fame or personal glory. Yet, Moses was exactly the type of leader the children of Israel needed. It is interesting to note that one of the greatest leaders of biblical record was not, at first, a willing participant. When God called Moses from the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-10), Moses responded by giving every possible excuse he could find as to why God had made a mistake. However, his caution and fear in taking the job showed that he was exactly the type of leader Israel needed. God found in Moses an individual who understood that he could not lead these people by himself. Rather, he needed help, not just from God, but from those around him as well. Without the assistance of men such as Jethro, Aaron and Joshua, Moses’ life would have been far more difficult than it already was! Moses was not self-centered, but instead was willing on a number of occasions to sacrifice himself for the people he led. It is, therefore, obvious that as Moses led the people of Israel, he placed his trust, not in himself, but in God. There …

What Does the Bible Say about Looking in the Mirror?

In James 1:22-25, the writer gives a very appropriate analogy showing two different types of people, those who hear God’s Word and ignore it, and those who hear it and obey it. The first group is compared to a person who looks in the mirror, sees his/her unkempt reflection and simply walks away not caring about their appearance. Such individuals are not considered to be wise or to care about themselves and their image before others. Yet, how many people fall into this category spiritually? They see what the Bible says about their deeds, but they walk away as though they saw nothing. On the other hand, the second group of people is the one that looks into the mirror, sees the changes that need to be made, and takes the time to make them. Spiritually, we need to be like this example. When we look to God’s Word and see the changes that need to be made, we ensure they are accomplished in our lives. How do you look in the mirror?

Which Hope Is Yours?

Generally, when people speak of hope, they define it in the sense of wishful thinking, stating that they hope a certain thing occurs or that they receive a particular thing. Unfortunately, that mentality also bleeds over into their philosophy about biblical hope. They, then, will state that they “hope” to go to heaven or they “hope” that God will answer their prayers. These statements are also made as nothing more than wishful thinking with no certainty involved. Thankfully, this is not the biblical teaching about “hope.” The term in the New Testament that is translated “hope” comes from the Greek word “elpis” and literally means “expectation or confidence in someone or something” (Strong’s). This is by no means similar to the earlier connotations discussed. Biblical hope lies in confidence that something will occur, not a wish that something might occur. There is a vast difference between the two. The writer of the Book of Hebrews shows in chapters six and seven that we have a better hope available through Christ than any who had come before. This confident hope comes from the understanding that God always keeps His promises (Hebrews 6:11-19), has raised His Son from the dead to be our High Priest (Hebrews 6:20-7:18) and makes available the perfection of full salvation through our Lord (7:19). When we understand that God, through His Word, has laid at our feet all that we need in order to have a biblical hope, there is no reason for us to be as …

Testing Preachers

There are many preachers in the religious world proclaiming that, because of their position and level of education, their teachings concerning God and the Bible should not be questioned by their hearers. However, what does the Bible say? John wrote in 1 John 4:1, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” John argued that we are to try (test) the words of every man to see whether they match the teachings of the Bible or not. We are not to take any man’s word that what he is teaching is true. During the missionary journeys of Paul, he preached to the Bereans and they exemplified this principle perfectly. As the apostle was preaching it is stated that they “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). Let us always be ones who test what we hear by the Word of God to ensure it is the truth.

What Does the Bible Say about the Golden Rule?

The Golden Rule is often referenced as one of the most basic principles in the New Testament. Jesus said, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12). The principle of this verse is one that is often stated, but rarely done. Jesus says we are to treat others the way we wish to be treated. Unfortunately, we more often adhere to The Wicked Man’s Golden Rule: “Do unto others before they can do unto you.” If we are to adhere to Jesus’ statement, we must be willing to look out for others first. We must replace selfishness with selflessness and be willing to give the same respect and courtesy to others we desire for ourselves. Are you living by The Golden Rule of Matthew 7:12?

The Plague of Singing

The beauty of singing as a means of praise to God is something that truly cannot be paralleled by any of man’s inventions. Beyond the fact of its commandment by God and His statements that this is what He wants to hear, there are few things that can bring the wonderful sentiments of God’s graciousness and glory to bear like singing. Unfortunately, we seem to have a plague among the congregations in American society today. It seems that many congregations are filled with individuals who are afraid to sing out or unwilling to sing at all. These individuals, many times, do not understand the situation in which they are placing themselves with their actions. Singing is a command of God (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). As such, when we fail to fulfill that command, we are sinning because sin, by definition is going against God’s laws and commands (1 John 3:4). We must take very seriously the things that are stated in Scripture concerning this topic. They are not suggestions, but are commands that must be upheld. When one does not sing as God has commanded, there are a couple of things which that individual cannot complete as commanded. That individual cannot make melody in/with his or her heart to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19). There is a direct correlation made between “singing” and making melody in/with the heart. The degree to which we sing is the degree to which the melody of the heart is made to the Lord. It is …

An Ambiguous God?

We live in a world that revels in ambiguity. Webster defines “ambiguous” as: “Having two or more meanings; doubtful; being of uncertain signification; susceptible of different interpretations; hence, obscure. It is applied to words and expressions.” Ambiguity revolves around uncertainty, making someone unsure of what should be done or why something is being done. It is specifically described as being applied to words and expressions, the things that we write and say. Ambiguity has long been the politician’s best friend. Politicians are able to make promises about anything they want, but never have to explain what they mean or how they intend to pay for all of these glorious additions to life and luxury. Unfortunately, many times, those who are ambiguous make things sound so good that many people do not even pick up on the ambiguity. They are happy to go along, thinking they are following one thing, when in reality they are swallowing something else entirely. The most exasperating aspects of ambiguity are found in another area – religion. It has become commonplace in our religious society, today, to make everything biblical ambiguous. There is no way truly to understand what God wanted to say to us because He wasn’t intelligent enough to be able to give it in a way that we could understand it, or at least so the perceived argument goes. Yet, is God really ambiguous in the Bible? Has God really given us doubletalk and unclear terminology of which we cannot come to a …

What Does the Bible Say About the Greatest Command?

In Matthew 22:34-40, Jesus was asked by a lawyer of his day, “Master, which is the great commandment of the law?” Jesus responded, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Jesus tells this man that the greatest commandment is for one to love God with all their heart, soul, and mind. This involves far more than simply saying that we love God, but requires of us the willingness to do all that God commands in the way He commands it to be done. It is unfortunate that many who say they love God believe they can then do whatever they desire and God will approve. Such is not the case. Part of showing that we love God is also seen in our treatment of one another (Vs. 39). If we love God, we will look out for the welfare of others as much as our own. Are we fulfilling the greatest command in our lives?

What Does the Bible Say about the Purpose of the Bible?

Many people misunderstand the Bible because they do not understand its purpose. Some see it as a history book, some as a book of stories and mythology. However, such ideas are not accurate representations of what the Bible is, or of its purpose. John wrote, “But these things are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31). John states that there are two reasons for the writing of the Scriptures. First, it was so that man would believe in whom Jesus was. The Old Testament prophesies of the coming of Christ and shows what God did to pave the way for His coming. The New Testament tells of His life and teachings, proclaiming the new covenant under which we live today. The second reason is that we might have life through his name. The New Testament teaches us how to get to Christ, and how to remain in Christ. This is the purpose of the Bible.

What Does the Bible Say About Possessions?

It is not uncommon in our country for people to judge their position in life by their possessions. Whether it is the kind of car they drive, the size houses they have, or the size of the televisions in their living rooms, many people use these things as signs of their prosperity and blessings. However, what does the Bible say? Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-21: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Jesus says our treasures, those things that we value most, are to be in Heaven. We are not to base our value or success on the level of possessions we have accumulated on this earth, but instead on how we have prepared ourselves to serve the Lord. With what are we more concerned, physical possessions or eternal blessings?