Loyalty is a valuable asset in a relationship, and the Scriptures speak positively about loyalty, especially to God. Loyalty is valuable for the short term and eternally. “Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man” (Proverbs 3:3-4 NKJV). The concept of truth used in this passage is that of faithfulness. The root word is defined as “a primitive root; properly, to build up or support; to foster as a parent or nurse; figuratively to render (or be) firm or faithful, to trust or believe, to be permanent or quiet; morally to be true or certain…” (Strong’s). As a child can rely on the steady strength and support of a parent as a foundation for life, so the son of the writer of Proverbs was exhorted to take mercy and truth and to bind them about himself every day, to add them to his heart, and they would deliver value now and forever. Love and loyalty are repaid by the Lord. “Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints! For the Lord preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person” (Psalm 31:23). Some argue that God presents Himself as one Who shows favoritism, one who uses the carrot and stick approach to humanity to convince it to obey Him. This is simply false. God shows no arbitrary partiality. Indeed, He sends his rain and sunshine on the …
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God Tells You to Prepare It Before You Need It
“…You shall separate… You shall prepare roads for yourself… that any manslayer may flee there. …that he may live… lest the avenger of blood… overtake him… though he was not deserving of death…” (Deuteronomy 19:1-6 NKJV). God gave the children of Israel in this passage a commandment concerning the cities of refuge that were to be created in the land of Israel after it received its inheritance. These cities were to be a refuge, not for evildoers but for those who were responsible for an accidental death (i.e., who committed manslaughter). No malice, ill-intent or premeditation existed by those who would seek shelter in the cities of refuge. They would be tried, judged and remain in that city until the death of the current High Priest, at which time they could return home and be safe from harm. This was an important law that had connections to a number of events in the Old Testament, but the law itself is not the focus of this article. Instead, it is the principle God used to explain the command. God provided clear instruction that there was to be no delay in accomplishing this task. The separation was to happen, the preparation was to happen, the clarification was given and the evaluation was mandated, which resulted in protection. Consider those four steps. 1. Separation. God established the value of consecration, sanctification or separation that a specific item (in this case a city) might be available for a special designated service. It is of …
Give Thanks Every Morning and Every Evening
When the Israelites came out of Egypt, God told them that all the firstborn belonged to Him. However, He redeemed them with the Levites who would become His special tribe. Then the LORD said to Moses: “Number all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and above, and take the number of their names. And you shall take the Levites for Me – I am the LORD – instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the livestock of the children of Israel.” (Numbers 3:40-41 NKJV) To the children of Kohath, Merari and Gershon – the sons of Levi – God gave responsibilities unique to them. He also gave them inheritances of cities throughout the land of Israel. Among those responsibilities was the care of the Tabernacle in the wilderness and in Canaan. “These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari…” (Exodus 6:16). “The duties of the children of Gershon in the tabernacle of meeting included the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the screen for the door of the tabernacle of meeting” [“congregation” KJV] (Numbers 3:25). “And the leader of the fathers’ house of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. Their duty included the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, the screen, and all the work …
A Credit to Her Name
Many of us know and realize that some of the greatest advice we’ve ever received came from a significant mother or grandmother in our lives. Although Scripture regularly records the instruction, admonition and wisdom of fathers (as given to them through God), it is often the wisdom of mothers that guides their children throughout their entire lives. What makes the wisdom of mothers so different from the wisdom of fathers is not the quality of wisdom. Perhaps the difference is the willingness of mothers to offer that wisdom through the emotional connection they have with their children. It is not just the words that we remember, but it is the tone, the emotion, the care, the concern, the expectations and ultimately the love with which the words were wrapped that make their wisdom enduring. Proverbs 31 describes such a mother who was a credit to her family and her name. This woman answered the unending curiosities of a child. “What, my son? And what, son of my womb? And what, son of my vows?” (verse 2). We know that children are constantly asking questions and expecting their parents to know all the answers. A gift of a mother is that heartfelt interest in a child’s questions. No matter how outlandish they might be, she will respond with some nugget of wisdom that will provide direction and understanding – all described in a way that a child can learn. However, the child is not a youngster anymore. He’s a King – a grown …
It Is More Than Just Fake News
God Hates Lies. “You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness” (Exodus 23:1 NKJV). “These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren” (Proverbs 6:16-19). Twice in the Proverbs list of abominations before God are the lies of men. It can be stated no more clearly that a liar’s actions and speech are abominable before the Lord. We Hate Lies. “One of them, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons’” (Titus 1:12). Not all people all hate lies all the time. Often people rejoice in lies when they support their cause, enrich themselves or cause problems for their enemies, but there comes a day when all the tables are turned, and the lies oppose them. Then, we all will hate lies. The truth of the matter is that lies are detrimental for humanity no matter how they are used and who they “help.” Sin Came into the World by Lies. “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (Genesis …
Abandonment Is Real
Abandonment is real for an unimaginable number of people in the world today. They have been forsaken by those who were supposed to protect them. Their days are fraught with danger and temptation, and their protection is virtually non-existent. The Psalmist writer penned, “When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the LORD will take care of me” (Psalm 27:10 NKJV). Many people in this world have found themselves alone, forsaken and abandoned. Their own parents will not come to their rescue. Their families have no care or concern for their wellbeing. These people need to learn what the Psalmist writer learned – that God never forsakes you. Psalm 27:14 provides consolation when it says, “Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!” I’ll Never Abandon the Lord Joshua 24:16 represents a praiseworthy disposition toward God. “So the people answered and said: ‘Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods.’” However, the commitment of one generation is often followed by the downfall of another as humanity’s relationship with God ebbs and flows. The Israelites of Joshua’s day were filled with conviction that they would never depart from God, and they would never be willing to forsake the Lord. Yet, in reality, it was just a short time before they turned away from the Lord and turned to idols. Even in the first century church, the reality is that Christians abandoned …
Solomon Examined Happiness
We live in an age where people do not feel that they are bound by honor, commitment and principle. Instead, they live their lives looking for what makes them happy. They will argue that all God really wants is for them to be happy or if they are happy, God must be as well. Ecclesiastes may be the single most applicable book of the Old Testament to our lives today. It is the account of Solomon’s search for truth and for the purpose of our existence on this earth. It details the various ways and means by which he tested what had value in life and how it all brought him back to the conclusion that the ultimate purpose of a life that would not end empty (in vanity) is to “Fear God, and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13 NKJV). Within his trials and studies, Solomon focused one section on pleasure and happiness. Notice what he said. I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, this also was vanity. I said of laughter – “Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives. I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted …
We All Need a Guide
Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be blind – to always see nothing but blackness? How disorienting that must be! How great a struggle to go through each day and operate in this world! The simplest of tasks would be monumental. The difficulty of safely operating a device like a toaster or a stove, cooking an egg or making a cake would be inconvenient at best. This concept is important to realize. Imagine how a journey through life would be without the Word of God – divine revelation. “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. I have sworn and confirmed That I will keep Your righteous judgments” (Psalm 119:105-106 NKJV). Jesus Christ and His Gospel are the light God sent into the world. Without Jesus and the Gospel, we would go through this life with our eyes wide open but lost completely in spiritual darkness without any guiding light at all. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the …
You May Have Your Worldly Pleasures
The song found in our songbooks, “I Want to Be Ready,“ begins with the line of this article. You may have your worldly pleasuresYour silver and your gold,You may pile up all the richesThat this old world can hold;But I’d rather have my SaviorAnd with Him firmly standFor I want to be ready to meet HimIn the glory land I agree completely with the sentiment of the song, one found often in Scripture. Truly, man’s focus ought to be on the spiritual things and eternity rather than on the things of this world. This sentiment is reinforced in the moral teaching of Scripture. “‘Stolen water is sweet, And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.’ But he does not know that the dead are there, That her guests are in the depths of hell” (Proverbs 9:17-18). Amos prophesied to the Israelites in his day to warn them about the waywardness of the rich, prosperous, lazy and gluttonous nation they had become. Woe to you who put far off the day of doom, Who cause the seat of violence to come near; Who lie on beds of ivory, Stretch out on your couches, Eat lambs from the flock And calves from the midst of the stall; Who sing idly to the sound of stringed instruments, And invent for yourselves musical instruments like David; Who drink wine from bowls, And anoint yourselves with the best ointments, But are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. Therefore, they shall now go captive as the …
Fishers of Men
“And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men’” (Mark 1:16 NKJV). Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, and He spied a man and his brother. Their names were Simon and Andrew. Previously, they had followed John the Baptist when he was preaching in Judea, and one of them, Andrew, was present the day following Jesus’ baptism when John declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” When Andrew heard John say this, he went to find his brother Simon and brought him to Jesus. They listened to Jesus teach, and they obeyed His teaching. When Jesus called them, Simon and Andrew were working with their father. Their current task was mending the nets of the fishing boat. Fishing was their livelihood. This was their occupation, their trade. Some men, it might be said, live to fish. Simon and Andrew fished to live. Jesus came to them and said, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” They immediately left their father’s nets behind and followed Him. Following below are two important lessons from these events. When Jesus Calls, You Have to Choose. Jesus did not present a third alternative. Simon and Andrew had to choose to either stay or to follow Him. They made the right choice. They chose their Teacher. Their determination that …
If I Still Pleased Men
“For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10 NKJV). Doctrine and direction are two areas where men often seek to be in control. Throughout history, man has observed God’s instructions and found them insufficient, unsatisfactory and offensive. Out of a desire to have a better world in their worldview, they have changed and manipulated the revelation of God and turned it into nothing more than the revelation of men. When a person manipulates the Gospel message to declare another gospel, God declares them “accursed” (Galatians 1:9). The person who claims God’s message is His bondservant. So then, how do we determine what Gospel message, doctrine and direction we need to hold? A Revealed Message “But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11-12). Paul demonstrated that if his message originated from men, it was not from God. Not only did it not come from men, but it came directly from the source of authority and standard of judgment, Jesus Christ. A Miraculous Message For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I …
I Saw the Light and Was Glad
…Do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance [patience, KJV], so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise. (Hebrews 10:35-36 NKJV) This morning, I was driving east as the sunlight was beginning to shine over the ridge. The spectacle was beautiful. The sun was at the perfect angle to send rays of light across the sky in streams while still being below the horizon in other areas. Our Father’s creation is magnificent. Habakkuk prophesied about God as if His presence were the sun itself. God came from Teman, The Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of His praise. His brightness was like the light; He had rays flashing from His hand, And there His power was hidden. (Habakkuk 3:3-4) When we see the sun rays on a calm, cool morning, we know Who exists and Who reigns supreme over the day and the night. The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoices like a strong man to …
God and Time
God is not bound by time like you and me. While you and I live in an existence that is started and ended by a measurement of time (at least this physical existence is), God’s existence is not measured the same way. Humanity has a time to be born and a time to die. “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 NKJV). God is eternal in each direction (past and future). “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen” (Psalm 41:13). Were you to ask, “When was God born?” you would ask an illogical question because God was never born (excluding the birth of Jesus). He simply was and is. There was never a time God was not, and there will never be a time when God is not. So, Jesus said, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,’ says the Lord, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty’” (Revelation 1:8). God judges outside of time. The Psalmist writer wanted God to remember that he, the Psalmist, is not eternal like Jehovah. He desired God to remember that He judges the sinfulness and imperfection of those who are frail and human. “I said, ‘O my God, Do not take me away in the midst of my days; Your years are throughout all …
Dodge Trucks are Ram Tough
“Dodge Trucks are Ram Tough.” Slogans about the toughness of a product are everywhere. Some things in this life are tough, and they do not crumble upon impact. Some things are built to be tough. Other things are tender. Some things are supposed to be easy to mold – to change. God wants your heart to be tender. Life can cause it to become tough. Life can cause it to become hardened. God wants you to be kind, tenderhearted and forgiving. Ephesians 4:32 reads, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (NKJV). Mark 3:5 is one of the few occasions where the Scriptures describe Jesus as angry. It reads, “And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts” (NKJV). When we become hard and refuse to listen to God, we also fail to act like God. When we refuse to extend the grace we receive from God, then we lose that grace. Jesus spoke, “Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7). The opposite is also true; unhappy is the unmerciful, for they shall not obtain mercy. Jesus further declared, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses” (Mark 11:25-26). We are to see others’ needs and …
The Weak, God Makes Strong
A man was struggling. His doubt about his ability to endure was evident. He repeatedly suffered at the hand of his enemy. He longed for relief, for respite from the pain. He hoped for a solution. He turned to God. God said, “No.” One person might think this is amazing. Other people might see it as an opportunity to criticize God for allowing one to suffer while being able to remove that suffering. There is a mentality in our culture that longs for the ideal with no pain. The secularist ideal is that everyone should receive alleviation of pain. No one should suffer. Hardship should be removed. God, though, knows better. Is some suffering senseless? Yes. Are some suffering a result of evil men doing evil deeds? Certainly. Is all suffering, even that suffering, inherently evil? No. The apostle Paul desired for his thorn in the flesh to be removed. God refused. He refused because He offered something of more value than “absence of suffering.” God offered grace. Paul recounted God’s response as, “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV). Isaiah prophesied this truth of God to Israel in Isaiah 40 when he wrote: Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: “My way is hidden from the Lord, And my just claim is passed over by my …
Solomon Examined Happiness
We live in an age where people do not feel themselves bound by honor, commitment and principle. Instead, they live their lives looking for what makes them happy. They will argue that all God really wants is for them to be happy, or if they are happy, God must be as well. The Book of Ecclesiastes may be the single most applicable book of the Old Testament to our lives today. It is the account of Solomon’s search for truth and the purpose of our existence on this earth. It details the various ways and means by which he tested what had value in life and how it all brought him back to the conclusion that the ultimate purpose of a life that would not end empty (in vanity) is to, “Fear God, and keep his commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Within his trials and studies, Solomon focused one section on pleasure and happiness. Notice what he said. I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine… I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools… I bought male and female slaves… I had also great possessions of herds and flocks… I …
Who Needs Our Comfort?
As Christians, we serve a wonderful and caring God who seeks to give us all that we need to adequately navigate lives in service to Him. He is described in 2 Corinthians 1:3 as the God of comfort, and such He certainly is – both through His Word and His promises. However, there is another reason mentioned why He is the God of comfort. It is so that we might also be able to comfort others as we have been comforted. This, of course, raises the immediate question, “Who needs our comfort?” An understanding of the answer to this question is pivotal to our ability to adequately fulfill our mandate as comforters. There are many categories that could be considered. The first one that comes to mind for many people is responding to the physically needy. This is certainly one of the reasons God gave commandments concerning the need “to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction” (James 1:27). We are commanded to see to the physical needs of our brethren, as well as to those outside the body of Christ. Paul wrote, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:9-10). Therefore, it is obvious that God intended for us to use our ability to comfort others who are physically needy. A second category needing …
The Consecration of the Levites
“I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the children of Israel. And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the work for the children of Israel in the tabernacle of meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come near the sanctuary” (Numbers 8:18-19). To consecrate or to sanctify someone is the idea of separation. That person has been set aside for a purpose. When God kept all of the firstborn of Israel from being killed by the angel that passed over during the tenth plague, He redeemed the firstborn. God told Israel, “Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine” (Exodus 12:2). God would claim every firstborn of man and beast among Israel as His personal, consecrated, set apart possession. This consecration, according to verses 11-16, was to be a continual reminder that God had delivered them from Egypt and had done so mightily. And it shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you, that you shall set apart to the LORD all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males …
God Guarantees You the Right to Healthcare
During a recent election season, candidates promoted themselves as the solution to the healthcare crisis in America. They promised change. They promised solutions. Some of them even promised free healthcare as a fundamental human right. (You should expect to get what you pay for when the cost is free.) Yet, there is a country that has already promised universal healthcare as a basic right to all of its citizens. Better yet, it is even free for the taking. Further still, it is not even funded with taxes. In addition, healthcare is not only free, but the food in the nation is also unlimited and free. No, it is neither Canada nor the European Union. The country is eternal. The King is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The citizens of that kingdom are part of the bride of Christ, the church. As John described his heavenly vision of the church descending from the presence of God, he wrote of the eternal healthcare system of God. “In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2). Remember the Tree of Life in the midst of the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve could freely eat from it. That tree gave life, but they lost access to its power when they sinned. They were …
Want To Leave, Says God?
Who remembers and mourns for those destroyed by a wicked nation? Who weeps for the fallen, the downtrodden, and abused? Whose eyes are fountains of tears for the slain of Israel? God. Oh, that my head were waters,And my eyes a fountain of tears,That I might weep day and nightFor the slain of the daughter of my people! (Jeremiah 9:1) Has God ever sought an escape from your nation? A strange idea to some, but one with a clear scriptural principle at its foundation. God spoke to Israel and said that He would dwell with them (Deuteronomy 14), but then God wanted a dwelling place in the wilderness, an escape from this nation, a place of solace where travelers would lodge, but where no one from Israel dwelt. Oh, that I had in the wildernessA lodging place for travelers;That I might leave my people,And go from them! (Jeremiah 9:2) What could make God want an escape from those whom He once sought? Has God changed? Does He no longer love these people? No. The people changed. The nation became corrupt. The people that were once defined by holiness, purity and loveliness bathed themselves in sin. For they are all adulterers,An assembly of treacherous men.And like their bow they have bent their tongues for lies. (Jeremiah 9:2-3) Wickedness is all the rage today. America, like Israel of old, has bent its tongues for lies. Religion is ancient fables. God a myth. Morality relative. Evil has become excellent. Abomination is overwhelmingly popular. …
What Should Cause Your Heart to Rejoice?
“Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!” (1 Chronicles 16:10). What should cause you to be happy? What should cause you to know that there are value and purpose in life? David, the King in Israel, believed that seeking the Lord and His strength should cause us to be happy – to rejoice. In times of trouble and times of sorrow, in the height of anxiety and the depth of despair, we need to apply our minds to something more important than ourselves. We lose heart when we look at ourselves and our plights too often and for too long. Looking outside of ourselves is the solution to this myopic approach to life, but looking outside to the wrong person or circumstance will not help us either. The writer of Hebrews, guided by the Holy Spirit, wrote it this way, “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2). When the troubles of life weigh you down, and the despair of hopelessness brings you low, start focusing on Christ, Jehovah, and seek the Lord and His strength. Then, your heart can rejoice! “Rejoice in the Lord …
Pointing People to Jesus
The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” [which means Teacher], “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” [which means Christ]. He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas” [which means Peter].” (John 1:35-42) It is interesting to see how people came to know Jesus in the days before He started His full ministry. They did not hear His sermons or see His miracles, but they simply were introduced by those who already knew Him. Andrew learned of Jesus from John the Immerser; Peter learned of Him from Andrew his brother. In the following verses, Jesus found Philip (sometimes thought to be the other of the two disciples mentioned here), who afterward found and told Nathaniel of the Christ. Those who came …
Be Careful
Jesus often encouraged His followers to be careful about certain things. We read words like “take heed,” meaning pay close attention to this. In Matthew 7, He warned to be careful how one judges. In Mark 4, our Lord said, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.” Jesus encouraged people who hear Him to judge, to understand and to measure what they hear, but to do so carefully because it will be measured to them the same way. We have to be careful how we hear. We must be careful what we hear. Yet, we must hear and judge based upon the Word of God. Take heed what you hear today. Aaron Cozort preaches for the Church of Christ in Collierville, Tennessee, USA. Starting in 2021, he is also the Internet consultant for and a partner in the production and circulation of Gospel Gazette Online.
Welcome to the Family
Many people all around the world today are lonely and desire to be a part of a real family. They do not have families. For some reason or another, their families are gone. Jesus had a family in the physical sense, yet His family rejected Him at the beginning. Instead, He invites you and everyone else to be a part of a different family. Who belongs to the family of Jesus? Who does Jesus consider to be the most special to Him? Who gets the priority of Jesus’ attention? In Mark 3:35, Jesus said, “For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.” The relationship of Jesus’ real family revolves around a person’s obedience to His Father. Jesus made it clear that He will choose those who obey God above any physical bond on this earth. John 1:12-13 reads, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Jesus elsewhere said that this birth comes by water and the Spirit – baptism. May I encourage you to be a part of the family – to obey God? If you have become obedient to God, may I welcome you to the family? Aaron Cozort preaches for the Church of Christ in Collierville, Tennessee, USA. Starting in 2021, he is …
A Chaste Life
Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines the word chaste as: “1. Pure from all unlawful commerce of sexes. Applied to persons before marriage, it signifies pure from all sexual commerce, undefiled; applied to married persons, true to the marriage bed. 2. Free from obscenity. While they behold your chaste conversation. 1 Peter 3:2. 3. In language, pure, uncorrupt, free from barbarous words and phrases, and quaint, affected, extravagant expressions.“ The primary use of the term in English indicates purity in sexual matters. Paul wrote to the Corinthians and used the sexual purity concept in an analogy concerning the congregation as a body of Christ. Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly — and indeed you do bear with me. For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1-3) As the bride of Christ, the church is to be pure and chaste, but it can only be such if its members who make up that body are chaste. The analogy in this passage speaks of the Corinthian’s assembly as a betrothed (engaged) woman. She has been promised to her spouse and is awaiting that marriage date. How, then, can she be seeking after other men? Also notice the description of her as a virgin. She has …
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