Judging is a hot topic, both in and out of the church. It is one of the Bible themes that, like a coin, has two sides. Some judging is sinful, yet judging is commanded. Jesus Is Against Speck Inspecting It is wrong to unfairly judge others. The Master plainly said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” (Matthew 7:1-2). His younger brother added, “Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou are not a doer of the law, but a judge” (James 4:11). It is wrong to judge others if we are guilty of the same things (Romans 2:1-2). We sometimes give ourselves a free pass but collect a heavy toll of another for the same action. Longfellow said, “We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done.” Bertrand Russell capsulized this hypocrisy when he said, “I am firm. You are obstinate. He’s pig-headed. I have reconsidered. You have changed your mind. He’s gone back on his word.” It is wrong to prematurely judge others (1 Corinthians 4:5). It is sinful to judge others in matters of opinion. Paul made this clear. “Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? …
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What Does God Expect from Me, Anyway?
Modern religion has attempted to make Christianity “user-friendly” by taking a marketing approach to recruiting new members. Popular TV preachers make it a matter of policy to never use the “S” word—sin. Churches openly trumpet a “come as you are” approach (and they mean both casual lifestyle and casual dress). Today’s pulpit mutes repentance and trumpets self-esteem. Hell is old-fashioned. Feel-good is in; life-change is out. God is remade in man’s image. Jesus took a different approach. His religion is high stakes. “…whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33). We risk everything to gain everything. Christ was up front with people. He put nothing in the fine print—hid no “gotcha clauses” to be discovered later. He said simply, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it” (Luke 9:23-24). At the same time, He gave us an incredible offer. He promised to help us! We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). The good news is not that if we straighten ourselves up we will be saved, because that would be bad news, since we cannot do it (Ephesians 2:9). The good news is that Jesus enables us to become like Him (Philippians 2:12-13). His power, manifested through His Word, works in us …
Master, Master
Jesus was a worker. We do not find Him idling away the hours He spent on earth. Those He chose to be apostles were industrious men. They tackled their tasks with fervor and energy. Christ calls us to be workers. He does not have time for shirkers. He explained that it is not the talkers but the doers He will reward at the Judgment. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). If there is any truth He emphasized, it is this: “To the work, to the work, we are servants of God” (as the songwriter put it), or as Jesus Himself said, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4). Choose Your Employer A long time ago, a man named Joshua said, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15). The Lord pictured the church as a man hiring laborers for his vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16). He continuously looked for new workers, and he hired as many as he …
Bio: Saul of Tarsus
One could make a case that Saul of Tarsus (Paul) was the most remarkable follower Jesus ever had. He is mentioned more often than any other Christian in the New Testament (202 times1). He got a late start (1 Corinthians 15:8), but he made up for it by laboring more diligently (1 Corinthians 15:10). Before or since, no other person ever came so far and did so much. Background Facts Name: In Hebrew Saul means “desired.” His Roman name was Paul, which means “little.” Because one of the ancients called him Homo tricubitalis2, tradition says he was but four and a half feet in height. If this is true, he was as remarkably little in stature as his namesake King Saul was remarkably tall. King Saul stood physically head and shoulders above the soldiers of Israel (1 Samuel 9:2); the apostle Saul stands spiritually head and shoulders above the soldiers of the Lord’s army. Birthplace/Family: Saul was born in Tarsus, a city of Cilicia, a free city of the Romans. He was a free man in that city (Acts 22:28), which was not usual for Jews in Roman provinces. In the Roman Empire, citizenship outside of Italy was reserved for those who made significant contributions to the Empire; so it is thought that perhaps Saul’s family was wealthy and philanthropic. We can say with certainty that Saul’s father and mother were native Jews; therefore, Paul calls himself a “Hebrew of the Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5). He was of the tribe of Benjamin (the kingly tribe), which …
Who Is Missing Out?
Students are told by sin-loving peers that they are missing out by not getting drunk, attending wild parties, dancing, frequenting public beaches and having sex. Young adults are made to feel that they are missing out if they don’t barhop and bed-hop. Sinners just can’t see how a Christian could enjoy life without imbibing deeply at sin’s fountain. On the other hand, Christians see that sinners are the ones who are missing out. The best life and the most enjoyable times come to those who have learned God’s secret to abundant living (John 10:10; 1 Peter 3:11). Paul wrote of the prior sinful lives of some Christians, contrasting their present state with their former one. The contrast was significant and all in favor of their new world. Paul said, “At that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace” (Ephesians 2:12-14). From Ephesians 2:12, what is a sinner missing out on? A sinner is without Christ. He is a sheep without the Shepherd (Luke 15:1-7), a traveler without a way (John 14:6) and a hungry man without bread (John 6:41). He is a weary pilgrim without a place to rest (Matthew 11:28-30), a soldier without a captain (Hebrews 2:10), a branch without a vine (John 15:1-7) and …
Paternity Determined in Bethlehem Case
An unwed mother in a conservative town. A fiancé who is not the father. Whispers. Handwringing. Innuendo. Scandal. Red faces among the bluebloods. Just who is the father? Forty weeks of rumors; nine long months and finally a baby boy is born. But the usual congratulations are muted, reserved, cut short. A mother’s joy is mixed with pain. It didn’t end there. The rumors persisted into adult years. Since illegitimate children in those days were identified by town instead of by father, He was called “Jesus of Nazareth” most of the time instead of “Jesus ben Joseph.” Who is the father? Where paternity of a child is in question, a court determines paternity based initially upon sworn statements and then upon testimony or other evidence. In the Bethlehem Case, the Father finally came forward. A definitive answer was reached in a bizarre case. Joseph and Mary had been telling the truth after all. A virgin had conceived (Isaiah 7:14). “I am the Father.” A voice from heaven claimed the Son. The eternal God shook the earth around the Jordan River with a declarative pronouncement of paternity (Matthew 3:17). He later interrupted Peter’s speech with the same acknowledgement (Matthew 17:5). On both occasions, Jehovah said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” So at a crowded river one day and on an isolated mountain one night, God twice signed the birth certificate. These are words of affirmation: “This is my beloved Son.” On the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew …
Is the Church Jesus Built on the Earth Today?
We are not interested in a church that is like the church Jesus built any more than we are interested in a Savior like the Son of God. He either is or He isn’t; it either is or it isn’t. A cow is like a horse in that it has four legs and a tail, but a cow is not a horse. A monkey is like a man in that it is a mammal that walks on two legs, but a man is no monkey. The worship of Cain and Abel was similar (both worshipped the same God, at the same time, in response to blessings), but Cain’s was rejected and Abel’s was accepted (Genesis 4:4-5; Hebrews 11:4). Tares and wheat were close in appearance, but one was edible and desirable, and the other was poisonous and hated (Matthew 13:24-30). We are interested in finding the same church Jesus promised Peter He would build (Matthew 16:18). On that occasion Peter did not say that Jesus was “like” the Son of God. He called Him “the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Since it is not possible for any church to prove historically that it has existed from the time of the New Testament, is it even possible that the New Testament church still exists today? Yes, because it is not necessary to trace a line of succession back two thousand years. That possibility is easily proved by considering three simple principles. Come, “let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18). Consider …
Simon Says
Please Read Luke 7:36-50 Jesus had an unusual lunch one day with a Pharisee named Simon (Luke 7:36-50). During the course of the meal, a prostitute1 came into the courtyard and approached Jesus. Since their custom was to remove sandals and recline on pillows while eating, when she came up behind him, she stood over his bare feet. She noticed that they had not been washed by the host (a common custom), so she knelt beside him and began to wipe his feet clean with the hairs of her head (picture this!), expressing gratitude for what he had done.2 All this, as you might imagine, was quite embarrassing to Simon! Under normal circumstances, he would not even walk on the same street with this woman. Now she’s on his property, affectionately greeting his Guest. What should he do? How can he graciously handle this situation? Why was Jesus letting her do this? Simon used the circumstances to form an opinion about the validity of Jesus’ claim to be a prophet. He figures no true prophet would allow such a woman to touch him, so he either did not know what kind of woman she was (thus lacking a prophet’s discernment) or knew and did not care (thus lacking a prophet’s holiness). Simon’s conclusion: Either way, Jesus was no prophet. Of course Simon did not verbalize these thoughts to his Guest, but the whole time Simon was reasoning this out, Jesus was reading his mind. Simon “said” more than he meant to that day. …
When the Great Physician Got Sick
Evidently, Jesus had a healthy body from birth. There is no record of him ever being sick or injured before the terrible scene that started in Gethsemane and culminated at Golgotha. He may have been sickened by some virus or by something he ate as a child, but we have no record of it. The only time we know he ever got sick was after he want back to heaven. Jesus told John about it, and John passed it along to some churches he knew in Asia Minor (by inspiration, of course, 2 Timothy 3:16). We can still read the letter for it is found in the Bible’s last book. The emotion here ascribed to our Lord is, so far as I know, not ascribed to him anywhere else in God’s Word. At times Christ was represented as being grieved (Mark 3:5), angry (Mark 3:5) and disappointed (John 6:67), but John pictures him as disgusted, even to the point of nausea. He felt like he would “spue…of out His mouth” (Revelation 3:16, literally, “I am about to vomit”). What made the Lord sick? Or, rather, who are those with whom he was so thoroughly displeased? It was not Nero and his court officials. It was not a brothel or bar. It was not homosexuals marching down main street or bootleggers selling on back streets. It was not an “Atheists’ Association” or a local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. It was not some group of pagan worshippers — not even …
The Curse of Jericho
“And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it” (Joshua 6:26). There they stood in the smoking ruins of what’s left of Jericho. The Israelites had marched, shouted, blew, slaughtered and burned. What does God want them to do now? It is what he does not want them to do. He commands them to never rebuild the city that he had destroyed.1 The situation of Jericho was very pleasant; its nearness to Jordan was an advantage, which would tempt someone to build on the same spot. Nonetheless, they are warned of what would happen to the man who decided to rebuild the city. His oldest son would die when he began the work, and if he persisted in building, he would attend the funeral of his youngest son when he finished it.2 About five hundred and thirty years later (ca. 850 B.C.), during the reign of King Ahab, a man named Hiel3 of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. Just as God had said, when he laid the foundation, he lost his firstborn son (Abiram); and when he set up the gates, he lost his youngest son (Segub) (1 Kings 16:34). What a sacrifice to make for a city! It is interesting and instructive to place ourselves mentally in the position of this man from Bethel. What possibly could have been …
Sweat the Small Stuff
Some religious people feel that as long as one has a sincere heart, the “little” details do not make much difference. Yet, we don’t think this way about other matters which are not of eternal consequences. Consider: If 99.9 percent is good enough, then … Two million documents will be lost by the IRS this year. 811,000 faulty rolls of 35 mm film will be sold this year. 22,000 checks will be deducted from the wrong bank accounts in the next 60 minutes. 1,314 phone calls will be misplaced by telecommunication services every minute. 12 babies will be given to the wrong parents each day. 268,500 defective tires and 14,208 defective personal computers will be shipped this year. 403,260 tax returns will be returned incorrectly this year. 2,488,200 books will go out every 12 months with the wrong cover. 5,517,200 cases of soft drinks produced in the next 12 months will be flatter than a bad tire. Two plane landings daily at O’Hare Airport will be unsafe. 3,056 copies of tomorrow’s Wall Street Journal will be missing one of three sections. 18,322 pieces of mail will be mishandled next hour. 880,000 credit cards in circulation will turn out to have incorrect cardholder information on their magnetic strips. $9,690 will be spent today, next Thursday, and every day in the future on defective, often unsafe sporting equipment. 55 malfunctioning automatic teller machines will be installed in the next 12 months. 20,000 incorrect prescriptions will be written this year. 114,500 mismatched shoes will be …
What Will We Leave Behind?
If the Lord delays his coming, none of us will get out of this world alive. We have an appointment with death (Hebrews 9:27), when we hope to meet our angelic guide to Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:22). Tear-dimmed eyes will last view our casket, and lonely mourners will follow the trail of tears to the silent city of the dead where our bodies will wait for the resurrection morn (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). All desire to leave something worthwhile behind. We want our families left financially secure and to be remembered for making some contribution to society. From Methuselah, who, though he lived the longest he accomplished the least (Genesis 5:26-27), we learn that it is not the length of our lives that counts, but what we do with them. Jesus, though he lived only 33 years, made the most of them. So should we. A Record Of Good Deeds: When they visit the funeral home, will our friends reminiscence about the good that we have done like Dorcas’ friends did (Acts 9:36, 39)? Will the preacher’s eulogy be long and full? Hopefully, they can remember our kindness to widows and orphans (James 1:27), the food we gave the hungry (Matthew 25:35), the clothes given to those cold, visits to the sick (Matthew 25:36), flowers to the bereaved (John 11:19), comfort for the hurting (Philemon 7) and encouragement we gave the downtrodden (Acts 9:27). When the Herods died, people must have cheered (Matthew 2:16; Acts 12:1). They were not remembered for their good …
Offering
When Al Kaline finished high school, he walked off Baltimore’s sandlots to play right field for the Detroit Tigers. Without playing a day of minor league or college ball, he played right field for the Tigers like no one before. He once turned down a $100,000 contract saying it was too much. (He signed for $90,000.) At thirty-four, Kaline batted .379 in the 1968 World Series. Near his career’s end, he was asked how he wanted to be remembered. He replied, “As a man who gave his best every day.” When we come to the end of our “Christian careers,” we hope that Jehovah might say, “He did his best worship for me each Sunday.” God deserves the best we can offer him (cf. Genesis 4:4; 22:16). What Is Worship Offering? “What did you get out of worship?” is the wrong question. “What did you give in worship?” is the question. Worship has always involved giving. Elhanah “…went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh” (1 Samuel 1:3). It was called a “sacrifice” because that was what it was — sacrifice.1 Who paid for the animal that was killed? The worshiper. The average person in those days did not lose a sheep, goat or heifer without feeling it in the pocketbook. (Remember the story of the man who left his ninety-nine sheep to search for one that was lost?) An animal sacrifice was a meaningful offering of something of value …
Closet Christians
There is a difference between a secret religion and a religion in secret. Some in Jesus’ day were secret disciples for fear of the Jews (John 7:13), including (at one point) Nicodemus (John 19:38). Some today are secretive about where their affections lie, not wanting classmates, co-workers or comrades to know they are Christians. They should “come out of the closet” (Romans 1:16; Mark 8:38) and take a stand for Christ (Philippians 1:17; Jude 3). Others claim to be Christians, but only in public. They are outwardly devoted, attend worship assemblies and try to keep good reputations. But that is about as much “religion” as they can muster. Christ is not mentioned around their dinner tables or invited into their inner chambers. When private lives become public record at Judgment, they will be red-faced. Jesus gave some indication at how he will handle this when he confronted some while still on earth whose lips did not match their hearts (Matthew 15:8-9; 23:1-39). They did not leave smiling! God intends for Christians to have religion in secret, though not secret religion! He wants us to practice “closet Christianity.” CLOSET CHRISTIANS PRAY IN PRIVATE. Jesus said, “…when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:6). “Closets” may be taken literally, of course, but the word (tameion) simply refers to, “a chamber on the ground-floor or interior of …
What’s On Your Mind?
1 Timothy 4:13-16 In our fast-paced, gotta-be-there-in-a-hurry, should-have-been-done-yesterday world, few take time to think deeply about spiritual things. Life goes by in a blur and we just try to hold on without getting run over. It makes for shallow, superficial lives. The Bible commands us to meditate upon the Word (1 Timothy 4:15). What is meditation? In Eastern mysticism, Yoga and Transcendental Meditation, meditation refers to a passive state of “emptying the mind.” In the Bible, meditation is active. It involves concentration, alertness and energy. The Old Testament word muse is a synonym for “meditate.” It literally means to “mutter” as when working on a problem (cf. Hannah, 1 Samuel 1:12-16). The word meditate is used only twice in the New Testament (here; Luke 21:14). The verb (meletao1) means, “to attend to” (A-S) or “imagine” (Strong). A more vivid definition is “to revolve in the mind” (like a display in a jewelry store). In 4:14, Paul says to Timothy, “Don’t be careless about the gift2 you received.” In 4:15 he says, “Be constantly careful about these things.” The English word meditation literally means, “to be in the midst of something” (just the opposite of mystic withdrawal). The second clause of 4:15, “Give thyself wholly to them,” literally reads, “Be in these things” (Acts 6:4; 1 Corinthians 16:15; 2 Corinthians 8:5; Titus 2:14), and could be paraphrased “be absorbed in them.” Upon what should Christians meditate? Our thoughts will be filled with something (cf. sports, boy/girlfriend, spouse, making money, grandchildren). What are my free-time (daydreaming) thoughts about during an average …
What Will We Leave Behind?
If the Lord delays his coming, none of us will get out of this world alive. We have an appointment with death (Hebrews 9:27), when we hope to meet our angelic guide to Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:22). Tear-dimmed eyes will last view our casket, and lonely mourners will follow the trail of tears to the silent city of the dead where our bodies will wait for the resurrection morn (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). All desire to leave something worthwhile behind. We want our families left financially secure and to be remembered for making some contribution to society. From Methuselah, who, though he lived the longest, accomplished the least (Genesis 5:26-27), we learn that it is not the length of our lives that counts, but what we do with them. Jesus, though he lived only 33 years, made the most of them. So should we. A Record Of Good Deeds: When they visit the funeral home, will our friends reminiscence about the good that we have done, like Dorcas’ friends did (Acts 9:36, 39)? Will the preacher’s eulogy be long and full? Hopefully, they can remember our kindness to widows and orphans (James 1:27), the food we gave the hungry (Matthew 25:35), the clothes given to those cold, visits to the sick (Matthew 25:36), flowers to the bereaved (John 11:19), comfort for the hurting (Philemon 7) and encouragement we gave the downtrodden (Acts 9:27). When the Herods died, they must have cheered (Matthew 2:16; Acts 12:1). They were not remembered for their good …
The Weaknesses of a Strong Man
Samson is called the strongest man in the Bible. He would also be in the running for the weakest man in the Bible. AS STRONG AS SAMSON WAS, HE WAS NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO …OVERCOME BAD COMAPNIONS. “Samson went down…” (Judges 14:1) is true both geographically and spiritually. We begin here to notice the reckless attitude that will dominate his adult years. Instead of staying within Israel’s borders, he went into enemy territory to find friends. He deliberately chose evil associates — the woman of Timnath, a harlot in Gaza, and Delilah of Sorek (14:1-3, 7; 16:1-20; cf. Proverbs 1:10-15; 4:14) — and these relationships eventually destroyed him. As Christians, we are not to see how close we can come to evil and not be tainted. The words put off in Colossians 3:8 mean, “to move out of and away from.” As Israel had to get out of Egypt and then move away from its borders, so Christians leaving worldly evil must put some distance between it and themselves. We should be careful about our associates for four reasons. (1) We will be judged by those with whom we associate. Most people know the old saying is true, “Birds of a feather flock together.” We tend to gravitate to people who are most like us (cf. Amos 3:3). The Bible teaches that Christians are the “salt of the earth,” “light of the world” and “a city which is set on a hill” (Matthew 5:13-14). As such, Christians cannot be friends of the world …
Big Boys Don’t Cry
So we tell little boys when they fall. Then they read in their Bibles that Jesus wept. Does this mean he was a “sissy?” No. One has to consider the reason for the tears. Are they tears of weakness or strength? Of fear or compassion? Jesus was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3) and he wept on three occasions. Each time he left us the right example. JESUS WEPT AT LAZARUS’ TOMB (John 11:35). The shortest verse of the Bible says a lot! It says the Great Physician has good “bedside manners.” Jesus could overturn moneychanger tables when necessary, but also knew how to show he cared. Mary said the same thing to Jesus her sister had earlier said (11:1, 32), but Jesus reacted differently. With practical Martha, he discussed reasonable facts and helped her heart through her head. With emotional Mary (she was crying), he groaned in spirit,1 was troubled and wept. He helped her through commiseration. As we help people grieve, we should deal with different personalities in different ways. Jesus knew Mary needed somebody to care about her pain. She had lost a brother and her heart was breaking, so, even though he was about to resurrect Lazarus, he “wept2 with those that wept” (Romans 12:15; Job 30:25). He illustrated the Jewish proverb: Among those who stand, do not sit;Among those who sit, do not stand;Among those who laugh, do not weep;Among those who weep, do not laugh. Experience brings sympathy. Wandering disguised one night in London, …
Baptism Doesn’t Do Any Good If…
You’ve heard it. And discussed it. And argued about it — until you ran out of words and patience. But, you know, they may be on to something. Baptism does not do any good — in some cases. For centuries, unbelievers and denominationalists have argued against the necessity of baptism. Many see it as a useless ritual or a superstitious relic from a dark past. Others divorce it from any saving power. On the other hand, some see baptism as a “cure all.” To them, baptism is a magic action through which one passes which immunizes him against any danger of future spiritual disease. The truth lies somewhere in between. Baptism Does Not Do Any Good If …if it is not preceded by correct understanding. “And many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized” (Acts 18:8b). Scriptural baptism requires that one hear and understand that Jesus, the Son of God, died for all (John 3:16; 8:24) and that all sinners must obey him in order to be saved (Hebrews 5:8-9). It is possible to be immersed without understanding the reasons for it. For instance, many babies are “baptized,” but do not have a correct understanding, so their “baptism” does no good. …if it is not preceded by proper faith. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be” (Mark 16:16). One must believe that Jesus is Divine before his baptism is Scriptural. Further, one must believe that he is lost without baptism for it …
Life’s Remote Control
One young girl was asked to recite the fruit of the Spirit. She answered, “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and remote control…” (cf. Galatians 5:22, 23). It might be easier if there was an omnipotent hand pressing the buttons to direct our lives, but it does not work that way — we must have self-control. The Bible says to add “temperance” to faith (1 Peter 1:6). Temperance is “self-control.” WE MUST CONTROL OUR TONGUES. Speech is a powerful tool — either for good or for evil. With it we can praise God, or we can curse Him. With it we can teach others the Good News, or we can teach false doctrine. With it we can encourage a brother, or we can discourage him. The tongue can say, “I hate you” to an enemy. James addressed these possible discrepancies: “…the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be” (3:8-10). We must not use our tongues to constantly complain. It’s easy to find something to criticize; it takes a mature person to find something to compliment. Two kids sat down for lunch, and one opened his lunchbox and began to gripe. “Baloney again? This is the fourth day in a row! I’m sick and tired of baloney.” His …
Tell Me More About Jesus
JESUS TOOK AFTER HISFATHER — AND HIS MOTHER We may say of a baby, “He looks like his mother.” As he gets a little older and develops a personality, we may say, “He took after his father.” Jesus was God’s Son (divine) (John 3:16), yet He was Mary’s Son (human) (Matthew 1:18-25). So, which was it — human or divine? Did Jesus take after His father or His mother? Both! A baby is completely his father’s son and completely his mother’s son. We can see traits of both in any child. And we see some of both His Father and mother in Jesus. Jesus often showed His “human side” of compassion, physical weakness, and spiritual struggle (Luke 4:1-11). Jesus also showed His “divine side” of miraculous power, remarkable wisdom, and insight into the secrets of men’s hearts (cf. John 2:25). Consider a few examples: It was the mother’s Son who was so tired that He slept in the back of the boat during a storm (Matthew 8:24), but it was the Father’s Son who awoke to say, “Peace be still,” and the wind hushed at the sound of His voice (8:26). It was the mother’s Son who wept for Lazarus’ grieving sisters (John 11:35), but it was the Father’s Son who offered the Samaritan woman the water of life (4:14) and knew all her personal history (4:17). It was the mother’s Son who wept for Lazarus’ grieving sisters (John 11:35), but it was the Father’s Son who said, “Roll away …
Death Hurts, But Jesus Helps
Death hurts. We see this in Martha’s words and Mary’s tears. When the Visitor welcome above all others finally arrived at Martha’s house, he did not find a party. He found tear-blurred eyes, faces red and swollen from crying, and emotions on edge. Death had charged a high toll and left poverty in its wake. Death hurts because of the initial shock. Mary and Martha’s grief was doubtless intensified by the fact that Lazarus was cut off in the midst of this life. We never know when death will come. The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power,To tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour.Now is the only time you own, live, love, toil with a willPlace no faith in tomorrow, for the hands may then be still. Often death comes unexpectedly — as in an accident or an emergency surgery that failed. Even if it comes expected — after several hard months dealing with a terminal illness, it still leaves a shock in its wake. If you’ve been to a funeral, then you know that death still hurts. If you’ve lost a parent, child, spouse, grandparent, friend or someone else dear to you, then you know about the pain you feel deep down. You had time to tally the loss that continues long after everyone has gone home. Death hurts because it leaves us lonely. These sisters missed their brother. When death leaves an empty chair at the table, an …
Refuge
“Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee.” In the Hawaiian Islands, on the Kona coast of the Big Island, there is a tourist attraction known as the City of Refuge. In the old days when tribes constantly fought each other and even offered human sacrifices, it was the one place a person could flee and avoid molestation. The idea did not originate with the Hawaiians, though, but in the mind of God. He had six cities of refuge in the Old Testament for His people. In the New Testament, he has a world-wide city of refuge he calls the “church.” In the Old Testament, each family had an “avenger1 of blood.” It could be any blood relative — a brother, uncle, cousin (Leviticus 25:48-49). His job was to take the life of one who killed a family member (Numbers 35:12), to receive restitution for crimes against a deceased relative (Numbers 5:7-8), buy back property lost to the family (Leviticus 25:25), redeem a relative who sold himself into slavery (Leviticus 25:48-49) or marry the widow of a relative without sons and perpetuate the family (Deuteronomy 25:5-10). In Old Testament times, if you killed someone, then that family’s avenger could hunt you down and kill you. (This sounds like the “wild west days” of our country.) The avenger did not take into consideration the motive for the killing. Suppose, for instance, you were cutting wood with a fellow Israelite and the axe slipped from the handle and fatally …
Somebody’s Lying to the Old People
If we live, we’ll get there. Our hair will either turn gray, or it will turn loose. Our step will falter, our eyes will dim, our strength will fail. It is the way of all the earth (Ecclesiastes 12:3-7). This stage of life reminds us that this old world is not a good place to set up permanent residence. It was never intended to be man’s retirement home. It’s just a training ground for the soul, a parade field for the spectacle of those who inhabit heavenly places (Hebrews 12:1); it’s a prep school for the final exam, a planning session for the business of eternity (Hebrews 9:27). This life is a trial run for the one that really counts (2 Timothy 4:6-8). The devil is busy preaching to the senior generation. He’s lying, of course (he always does, John 8:44). Nonetheless, sometimes his messages take root in minds that should be aware of his tricks (2 Corinthians 2:11; 11:14). What lies does Satan peddle among senior saints? “You’re all washed up and useless.” Age does take its toll. When Mickey Mantle was sixty-one, he was approached by an autograph-seeking middle-aged man and his little boy. The man had tears in his eyes when he said, “Son, it took me thirty years to get here to shake this man’s hand. This is the greatest baseball player who ever lived.” The boy looked at Mantle, then turned to his dad and said, “Daddy, that’s an old man.” No one can stop the aging …
A Good Fisherman
Jesus used the “Fish Miracle” to tell the disciples that they would become “fishers of men” (Luke 5:1-11; cf. Matthew 4:18; Mark 1:16). They liked fishing, and Jesus wanted them to continue, but to change the species. He says, in effect, “You have been catching minnows; I call you to catch men.” “Catching people” seems a strange term for evangelism. We catch fish for our good (to sell or eat), not the good of the fish. But the word Jesus used means “to bring life to people” (Jeremiah 16:16-18; Amos 4:2). Christians fish for souls, not to hurt them by removing them from their element, but to save them by bringing them into a different element. It is like transferring fish from a contaminated lake where they are sure to die soon, to a lake of clear, fresh water where they will never die. We rescue people from the world’s deep waters of guilt and despair. We help them find God’s “water of life” (Revelation 21:6), including peace and contentment. Our motivation for “fishing” is not personal gain but love of souls (Hebrews 13:17; 2 Corinthians 12:14, 16). We want them to be in heaven with us. A good fisherman possesses qualities that make him a good soul winner. Consider these: A fisherman must go where the fish are. He cannot stay at home and watch fishing shows on the Sports Channel. He can’t just read magazines about fishing or spend his time looking at Wal-Mart fishing tackle. If he wants a “fish fry,” he …