September 2020, Vol. 39, No. 9

Awaiting Justice

[211 words] Current events cause us to consider the idea of justice, and why some people seem to “get away” with hurting other people. This is not a new question, of course. David wrote about such things many times in the scriptures. In Psalm 10, David voices the temptation to feel that God is “afar…

Fighting in Our Streets and God

[414 words] Nations reap what they sow just as individuals do. “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psa. 9:17). This happens partly because rebellion against God is by nature self-destructive and partly because God providentially intervenes to chastise evil societies. In terms of the latter, one of…

Are You a Hero of Patience?

[150 words] Everyone loves a hero! We marvel at the mighty deeds of brave folks around us, and we wonder what it would take to be just like them. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “A man is a hero, not because he is braver than anyone else, but because he is brave for ten minutes…

Our Spiritual Beauty

[144 words] A city dweller was being driven by a rancher over a blistering and almost barren stretch of desert when a large brightly-colored bird scurried across the road in front of them. The visitor asked what it was. “That’s a bird of paradise,” said the rancher. “Pretty long way from home, isn’t he!” remarked…

Lessons for Life

[338 words] “Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life” (Proverbs 4:13). I won’t forget that day on the mountain. It was our first time for snow skiing, so lessons were suggested. Not me, I had been on water skis many times. I could do this. We…

Annie’s Death

[323 words] Charles and his wife were devastated. Their little girl, Annie, had died. Charles blamed himself and his wife because they were first cousins. While such inbreeding can cause birth defects, this was not the cause of Annie’s death. She, most likely, died of tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In other words, Annie…

The Christian Tree

[185 words] If a Christian were a tree, what should it look like? It would have roots that grow downward. Roots help with strength and stability. Roots also bring nutrients to the tree. Deeply rooted in the Scriptures the Christian can stand strong. It would be healthy inward. A tree must be healthy from the…

l Will Fear No Evil

[322 words] “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil” (Psalm 23:4). We live in a fearful age: Covid-19, quarantines, economic uncertainty, riots, and Chinese communist belligerence. Many are incapacitated with uncertainty and fear. But Paul declares: “God has not given us a spirit of fear,…

The Ballad of Fort McHenry

[318 words] On the evening of September 13, 1814 an American diplomat found himself stuck on a British vessel watching a fierce bombardment of Baltimore’s Fort McHenry. The state of affairs looked grim. As he spent the night detained by the enemy, Francis Scott Key looked out across the waters towards the American fort. But…

Why Has All This Happened to Us?

[366 words] The history of Gideon is fascinating. There is a reason why his story is so commonly shared with young people at Vacation Bible School, etc. But before he was smashing jars and blowing trumpets (Judges 7:19-21), he was wrestling with difficult questions. And Gideon said to him, “Please, sir, if the LORD is…

The Providence of God

[472 words] We often rehearse what God has done for us in centuries now past, and such is proper. God created the world, made man, provided our salvation though Christ, and established the church. We are thankful for these mighty works of the past. Yet, we must not ignore the fact that God is still…

Bulimic Christians

[433 words] A couple of weeks ago I shared some observations from the book Point Man by Steve Farrar. The specific observation was dealing with Christians who are starving (anorexic) due to a lack of time spent in reading God’s Word and in prayer. Mr. Farrar also observes that there are Christians battling spiritual bulimia.…

Trees and Grace

[309 words] I have given a lot of thought on how to describe God’s grace, and I have come up with the following: Grace is like a tree. Now, stay with me on this: Only God can make a tree. As we know from the famous poem, only God can make a tree and only…

Lost in the Woods

[377 words] Everyone who has ever spent any time hiking or hunting in the forests of our land, knows of the possibility of getting lost. Some time ago, a teenager hunting in the Rocky Mountains with his father, discovered firsthand what it means to be lost. The young man did not see game in his…

She Hath Done What She Could

[470 words] These words spoken by Jesus memorialize the actions of a woman who anointed his head with a very valuable ointment. Several denounced the apparent waste of this expensive item, saying that it should have been sold to help the poor. Jesus defended her with the words used in the title above, found in…

Spiritual Growth

[344 words] Parents are rightly concerned about the physical development of their children. They will keep a close check on the height and weight of growing children. They will encourage them to eat food that will be healthy and will help them to grow stronger. Christians of all ages need to be concerned about our…

The Six Most-Needed Things in the Church

[283 words] Conversion of the Members. The new birth consists of more than baptism. One has to be born of the Spirit and of the water. Those of us who have been baptized must have been led to believe in Jesus as the Son of God and the Lord of life. Conversion is in reality…

Providence Does Not Interfere With Nature

[236 words] Providence is one of the hardest concepts to understand in the Bible, yet it is taught, without any doubt. When Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, they did not have anything in mind other than ridding themselves of a “nuisance” and making a little extra money. Though Joseph handled the situation very well,…

Spiritual Myopathy

[335 words] Things that are seen don’t last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. That’s why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen” (2 Cor. 4:18). Poor eyesight has plagued me for the most part of my life. After more than ten surgeries, I still have poor eyesight.…

Heart Changes

[129 words] If people are to become like Jesus there must be heart changes. The result of these changes of heart will be changes in our behavior. The heart change is what gives room for God to work in our life. Realizing certain truths helps us to change our heart. We must learn from our…

Bible Quiz: James 3:6-12

[43 words] “And the __ is a fire, a world of __.”True or False: James says the tongue defiles the whole body.“But no man can __ the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly __.”What does “similitude” mean?“Thus no spring yields both __ __ and __.” Solution: tongue, iniquity; true; tame, poison; likeness;…

Bible Quiz: James 3:13-18

[56 words] If you are wise and understanding, you will show it by __ __.“But if you have __ __ and __ in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.”True or False: Self-seeking is demonic wisdom.Name some characteristics of wisdom that is from above.“Now the fruit of __ is sown in __…

Bible Quiz: James 4:1-6

[45 words] James says wars and fights among Christians come from __ for __.“Yet you do not __ because you do not __.”Some were asking amiss because they wanted to spend it on their __.“Do you not know that __ with the world is __ with God?”Who does God resist? Solution: desires, pleasure; have, ask;…

Bible Quiz: James 4:7-10

[50 words] “Therefore submit to __. Resist the __ and he will flee from you.”What should you do if you want God to draw near to you?“Cleanse your __, you sinners;”“Let your __ be turned to __ and your joy to gloom.”“__ yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will __ you up.”…

Quotes and Sayings (September 2020)

[266 words] “A man is a hero, not because he is braver than anyone else, but because he is brave for ten minutes longer.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson “As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colors enough to paint the beautiful things I see.” — Vincent Van Gogh “I would…

On the Lighter Side (September 2020)

Things Are Tough All OverMy wife and I went out for a leisurely drive to see the autumn leaves, when we noticed that one of the tires seemed to be getting low… She was a bit taken aback when I asked her for some change and asked, “Why in the world did they start charging…