Alton Norman

Embracing The Shadow

[330 words] Have you ever embraced a shadow? As a kid, did you ever chase your shadow? Did you catch it? I had much rather shake hands with a real person than to try to embrace a shadow. Still, there are many religious people attempting to embrace the shadow.  You may be familiar with the…

Conduct

[183 words] I just read a report from mission workers in India. The closing article reported on the rules of conduct expected in Sinclair High School in Bangalore. Nine rules were given covering everything from proper dress to items not acceptable in the classroom to respect for fellow students and teachers. And there was one…

The Schemes of Man

[213 words] Solomon said, “Truly this only have I found: that God made man upright but they have sought out many schemes” (Ecclesiastes 7:29). And “All the schemes of the schemer are evil; he devises wicked plans to destroy the poor with lying words…” (Isaiah 32:7). Jezebel schemed to steal Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21:5-16).…

Thanksgiving or Turkey Day?

[321 words] ls it “Turkey Day” or “Thanksgiving?” This question came to me a few days ago as I read an ad in the newspaper regarding the upcoming holiday. But I wonder if the renaming of Thanksgiving is not filled with cultural overtones. Church attendance has been in decline for many years and the culture…

Coexistence or Confrontation?

[236 words] How do you approach the sinful world in which we live? Are we content to coexist with sinful people or do we creatively confront sinners? If we are content to coexist nothing changes. But if we creatively confront sinners they may repent; they may get angry with us; and they may even persecute…

Upside Down

[293 words] What impact should you as a Christian have on society? Should you be passive or active in the lives of the people around you? How do we help people become better? How can we help the sinner become a saint? We are sometimes reluctant to become involved in social change. We would rather…

Stewards of God

[209 words] According to Webster’s dictionary a steward is “one who manages another’s property, finances, or other affairs.” Many parables of Jesus relate to stewardship (Luke 12:42-46; 16:1-13; 19:12-27; etc.). The idea of stewardship carries with it the idea of accountability. If I am your steward you will expect me to handle your affairs, your…

Pride

[183 words] Most of us know about a man named Haman. He was the villain of the book of Esther. Haman was a man of pride and his life shows us the truthfulness of God’s word. Proverbs 13:10 says, “By pride comes nothing but strife.” When Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman his pride…

Wickedness

[245 words] There are over 200 verses in the Bible which contain the words “the wicked.” The wicked, of course, practice “wickedness” and there are 121 occurrences of this word. Synonyms for wickedness are also numerous in scripture: “evil” (533 times), “iniquity” (229), “sin” (1467), and “malice” (6). In addition to these words we read…

How Small is a Small Sin?

[176 words] How small is a small sin? Before you answer we need to ask another question: Who holds the measuring stick ? We tend to think my sin is small and God will take no notice, but your sin is another matter. According to an old story the devil one day gave a man…

Then

[228 words] Reading God ‘s word is exciting. It seems that every time I read it I notice something I had missed in earlier readings. In the past I had noticed the oft repeated phrase (about 56 times), “Then they shall know that I am the Lord (Jehovah) God.” This time I noticed the tragedy…

My People

[243 words] Joshua, the great leader of Israel, said, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). It has always been up to man to choose his own path. Truth and error is ever present. The sad part is that men often choose to follow the wrong way. The tendency is to…

Destructive Weapons

[150 words] Bombs are destructive weapons of warfare. A hand grenade will not kill as many people as an atomic bomb but it is still deadly. Land mines are destructive even though they are hidden from view. Peter uses the word “destructive” when he describes false teachers (2 Peter 2:1). Peter is writing this to…

Psychics

[195 words] The March 2014 issue of Reader s Digest had an article by Robert Powell titled, “The Psychic, the Novelist, and the $17 Million Scam.” It is the true story of a writer who went to a psychic “on a whim” and would end up losing $17 million. The novelist was bored, had been…

Good Days

[224 words] Would you rather have good days or bad days? I know the answer to that question, but here is another question for you: do you know how to have good days? Many people pursue good days and never find them because they run in the wrong direction. God’s Word holds the secret to…

Partiality

[267 words] “To show partiality is not good” (Proverbs 28:21), but men do! God on the other hand does not and never has shown partiality the way men do. A good example of God’s impartiality is seen in comparing Ephesians 6:9 with Colossians 4:25. In Ephesians Paul tells the “masters” how they should treat their…

The Truth

  [281 words] When I was a young boy in school the teachers often gave us a “True/False” quiz. I loved that kind of test. I could rip right through them marking “T” or “F” with abandon and very little thought. I was usually disappointed in my grade because a good teacher knows how to…

National Pride

  [258 words] Have you ever wondered why strong nations fall? Think about it: strong nations always have the best armies, most up-to-date weapons, strongest economies, and the best citizens. So why do they fall? And we must admit that they do fall! The British Empire fell. Rome fell. Alexander’s Greek kingdom fell. Babylon, Assyria,…

Draw Near

  [210 words] “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). This verse from James is very closely related to what he said in 1:12, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation.” Temptations come against us fast and hard. And the devil has an army of assistants who pressure us…

Your Speech

[204 words] It was said of Peter, “Your speech betrays you.” James said, “No one can tame the tongue.” And Jesus said, “Out of the heart the mouth speaks.” We talk about the things that are dearest to us. A UK fan will not keep quiet! His speech will surely tell whose side he is…

Jesus’ Deity

[163 words] Many books have been written by men concerning the deity of Jesus but there is no need to read any of them. Just read the Bible and you will be convinced that Jesus is God. Here is a simple verse that sets forth the deity of Jesus: “‘Behold! The virgin will conceive in…

Mind Your Own

A few weeks ago Neil Wheeler gave me a note he had written as the result of our discussion in a Bible class. The note said, we should “Be careful of the dirt you rake up, you never know what nasty things might take root.” We both laughed because the lesson was about tale-bearing and…

Momentous Decisions

  [226 words] Not every decision you make will be a major one. It matters not which type of car you buy, as long as it is not a lemon! It does not matter whether you wear a suit and tie or some other modest outfit to worship. But some decisions are life changing. Some…

‘In Him’

Ephesians is a book every Christian should lay up in his heart. It is about the tremendous privilege we have as Christians. It is about the great blessings we enjoy as a result of being Christians. It is about the huge challenges we face because we are Christians. And it is about the eager anticipation…

God’s Plan Revealed

God had a planned the church before the creation of the world (Ephesians 3:10-11). But it was not made known until “the dispensation of the fullness of times” (1:9). The “dispensation of the fullness of times” is a statement filled with meaning. Jesus was sent into the world by the Father “in the fullness of…

Unity

God’s word is truth (John 17:17) and when we are all grounded in the truth of God’s word unity will be the result (Ephesians 4:1-15). Truth does not cause division because truth is constant. Division comes when someone blows the winds of false doctrine and topples Christians who are not grounded in truth. They are…

Grounded in Truth

Truth is constant. Truth does not vary from one person to the next and it does not change with the circumstance. Truth is like a tree with deep roots. The winds of change may blow strong against it but that tree does not move an inch and when the storm passes by the tree is…

To Whom Does the Law Speak?

[233 words] Paul answers the above question in Romans 3:19. The law speaks to those who are under the law. It is obvious that the citizens of America are not subject to the laws of Russia. Paul had just quoted extensively from the Law of Moses (3:10-18) and the law said something to the Jews…

Tear Jerkers

[231 words] If you are on the internet you have probably received some tear jerker stories that play on your emotions. I have one about a world-wide crisis with a terrible disease and only one little boy could provide a remedy…it would take all of his blood. The mom and dad were asked to sacrifice…

A Loyal Heart

[240 words] One of the strangest verses in the Bible (my opinion) is found in 2 Chronicles 25:2. It is about king Amaziah. It says “he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a loyal heart” (NKJV). Normally I can’t see into your heart. But God can, and He…

Hold to Good People

[172 words] All of us know that “evil companions corrupt good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33). But many of us seem to prefer the company of bad people rather than good people. Good people will be at worship on Sunday. They will sing praise to God, pray and study together; but many had rather sit beside…

Shall or May

Johnny Botts talks about his job as a police officer. In his line of duty “shall” and “may” are important words. Certain laws require an arrest or a ticket to be issued by the police. These laws use the word “shall” to indicate the requirement. Other laws use the word “may.” These laws allow discretion…

By Nature Children of Wrath

[293 words] A few days ago some of us were discussing Paul’s statement in Ephesians 3:3 where he says “among whom also we all once conducted ourselves, in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature the children of wrath, just as the others.”…

Doubting Thomas

[111 words] Doubting Thomas has received a bad reputation. You remember why. He was not present on that first day of the week when Jesus appeared to the rest of the apostles. As a result he expressed his doubt saying, “No, I have to see before I will believe” (John 20:19-25). Thomas’ absence resulted in…

Remember

[254 words] A few days ago John Wills and I were visiting Glennis Parker and he told us about a visit to the doctor. “The doctor gave me some new pills,” he said, “and I asked him what they were for.“ The doctor replied, “They will help you remember.” Glennis told the doctor, “I don’t…

Incorruptible Seed

[249 words] First Peter was written to Christians scattered throughout Asia. He says that they had been “born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever” (1 Peter 1:23). Seeds are remarkable things in their ability to reproduce. Gardeners love them and farmers live by them.…

Measuring Growth

We measure the growth of children with a yardstick. We measure the growth of knowledge by testing students in school. But how do you measure spiritual growth? Second Peter gives us the measuring stick. We must “add to our faith” (2 Pet. 1:5-8). Our children grow to be six feet tall, but they do it…