Good News 01-21-25 | Daily Devotions

Keep Climbing

January 21, 2025

A compilation

Audio length: 12:00

The other day some friends took me on what I thought would be a short climb. We parked the car and looked at the summit.

It doesn’t seem that far or that difficult. Good! I thought.

We started walking along the path uphill and my legs soon began to hurt, I lacked breath, and all the while I was still hoping it would be a short climb. Then the path changed into a rockier, winding trail. We were still in the woods that, although green and beautiful, were enveloping us and keeping us from seeing any kind of view around us. It wasn’t until we came out of the woods and stopped by a gorgeous lookout point that we could see the progress we’d made and the height yet to conquer in order to reach the top.

Those few minutes spent admiring the breathtaking view over the lake beneath us encouraged us, even though the summit still seemed quite far.

Then the path turned into a climb. At this point I could feel myself beginning to panic a little. The sky had been gathering dark clouds, and right then ominous raindrops started falling, making the rock slippery. We met others along the way, some experienced climbers, some attempting it for the first time. The uncertainty of the weather made everyone feel a common trepidation. It wasn’t an easy climb and it required some stretching for sure, but the view got more intriguing and majestic over time.

At one point, on a particularly difficult passage, my more experienced friend whispered in my ear, “You are doing good, you know. There are others climbing today who are having a much harder time.” Those few words had a profound effect on me: they got my eyes off my personal struggle. I took a look at the young girl climbing for the first time, who looked worried. I smiled at her and said a few words.

And finally, we were at the top!

There’s always something exhilarating about reaching the summit, no matter how tough the climb, but this time a magical sense of peace inundated my soul, bringing tears to my eyes. By God’s help I made it. He was with me all the way. He lifted me when I thought I couldn’t make it one more step. I was now able to see the whole path that had brought me to the top. Many turns were needed in order to get up there, and they made the journey richer—not easier, but definitely more interesting and exciting.

On the way back to the car I couldn’t help but reflect on some of the events that have taken place in my life. When you are in the thick of the forest and on a hard uphill climb, it’s often difficult to make sense of things or to understand where you are and how you can find the strength and conviction to keep going. All you can feel is the sweat, the strain, the tiredness. In that moment it’s so easy to give up and turn back, and to be honest, a few times I have been tempted to do so!

I can only thank Jesus for the power of His Word that gave me strength to persevere! I also thank my dear friends for the encouragement they’ve given me along the way. Their prayers, love, and example have definitely helped me make it this far!—Anna Perlini

The rugged climb doesn’t dissuade the determined mountain climber; he revels in the challenge. Nothing can stop him from pressing on until he reaches his goal. No adversity can cause him to turn back. When he looks at the steep cliffs ahead, he doesn’t focus on the danger but on the toeholds and narrow rock ledges that will take him to the peak. He isn’t held back by the harshness of his surroundings or the toll the climb is taking on his body; he is propelled onward and upward by the thought of triumph.

There are many obstacles to surmount in life, but each one you conquer is another one behind you. When the going gets tough, lean on Me. Let Me lead the way and guide you up the rugged cliffs. I know all the danger spots and how to get past them. Together we will surmount each obstacle, together we will reach the summit, and together we will plant the flag of victory!—Jesus

Several places in Scripture refer to God making our feet “like hinds’ feet” (Habakkuk 3:19; 2 Samuel 22:34; Psalm 18:33). More modern translations speak of “the feet of a deer.” This metaphoric language describes the blessings the presence of God brings to a situation. … The deer can climb sheer rocky cliffs and never stumble or fall. … She can scamper across what appears to be a vertical cliff, unafraid and undeterred by seemingly impassable terrain. …

When we run with hinds’ feet on high places, treading “on the heights,” we live above our circumstances. God gives us the grace, courage, and inner strength we need to press on to attain new heights and experience new vistas. With the swiftness of a deer, we can escape our enemies and gain freedom. All this is because “the Sovereign LORD is my strength” (Habakkuk 3:19).

Regardless of what others may do, we keep our eyes securely fastened on the Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:2). … We shake off the temptation to live for ourselves, and like a deer on a mountain slope, we step boldly into whatever God has called us to do. … With God’s promises as our strong foundation, we can walk in freedom and courage, as unafraid and undaunted as a deer leaping on high places.—GotQuestions.org¹

2 Peter 1:3 says that “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.”

God’s divine power is available to us. To you and me. Right now, through the knowledge of His Son, Jesus Christ. It is in Jesus that we find everything we need to live a godly life.

Of course, I realize godliness in the midst of a world overflowing with sin, pain, and corruption may feel like a daunting and impossible feat. That’s why I’m so thankful Peter lets us know that godliness in the midst of great darkness is possible. Because of Jesus, we can escape “the corruption that is in the world” (2 Peter 1:4). Jesus is our source of life and godliness.

We don’t have to fight an uphill battle on our own to live good and pure lives. We don’t have to exhaust ourselves as we try to muster up as much goodness as we possibly can. The Christian life has never been about what we can do in our own power. It’s about fully stepping into the grace-filled flow of His power. This, friends, is what it really looks like to cooperate with the Holy Spirit.

Do you feel exhausted from trying to be good enough? Does living a life that is pleasing to God feel impossibly hard?

Well, I have good news for you today. Jesus never once says, “Perform for Me to save yourself.” Instead, He tenderly whispers, “Draw near to Me” (James 4:8). He wants us to learn from Him. He wants us to discover who He is and all that we have in Him. He wants us to cling to the precious promises He has given us and receive from Him all we need to live for Him today.—Lysa TerKeurst ²

I am training you in the discipline of perseverance. You are on a long uphill journey, and sometimes it seems endless to you. Looking back, you can see some times of ease and refreshment. Looking ahead, however, you see only a continuous ascent. The top of the mountain you are climbing is nowhere in sight. I know how hard it is for you to keep going day after day. So I say to you, “Do not become weary and discouraged in your soul.”

You live in a culture dedicated to entertainment and pleasure-seeking. In such a climate, a life of struggle feels alien. If you are not careful, you will succumb to self-pity, a sinful snare. To avoid falling into this trap, remember that I am Sovereign and I am lovingly present with you. Your ongoing struggle is not a mistake or a punishment. Try to view it, instead, as a rich opportunity: Your uphill journey keeps you aware of your neediness, so you look to Me for help. The difficulties in your life make your heavenly home more precious and real to you. Even now, as you are trustingly whispering My Name, I embrace you in everlasting Love.—Jesus³

Published on Anchor January 2025. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso. Music by Michael Fogarty.

¹ https://www.gotquestions.org/feet-like-a-deer.html

² https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2023/02/23/how-can-i-really-live-a-life-that-pleases-god

³ Sarah Young, Jesus Today (Thomas Nelson, 2012).

The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds

January 20, 2025

By Peter Amsterdam

Audio length: 11:45

Download Audio (10.7MB)

The parable of the wheat and the weeds, which only appears in the Gospel of Matthew, shares some similarities with the parable of the seed growing in Mark 4:26–29, in terms of vocabulary used and ideas expressed, but it is also significantly different. Chapter 13 of Matthew contains eight parables, and in that line-up “the wheat and weeds” directly follows another parable that has to do with sowing seed—“the sower and the seed.”

Let’s take a look at the parable:

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn’” (Matthew 13:24–30).

Unlike the farmer in the parable of the sower and the seed, who actually did the sowing himself, the man in this parable was a man of means, a landowner who had servants who did such tasks. In the story, after the good wheat seed was sown, an enemy came in the night and sowed weed seeds in the same field.

In the ancient world, when there were rivalries between farmers, they would sometimes sow harmful seeds in the field of their enemy. The weeds (tares in some translations) referred to here were likely darnel—a poisonous weed which is related to the wheat family and grows plentifully in Syria and Palestine. In its early stages of growth, darnel resembles wheat; though it’s easy to distinguish between the two later, as darnel produces a smaller ear.

No one noticed that the man’s enemy had sown the darnel until months later, when the plants came up and bore grain. It was at that time that the weeds appeared, and until then it hadn’t been obvious that the wheat and weeds were growing together.

The master of the house recognizes that his enemy has sowed the weeds, and also knows that it would be futile to pull out the darnel. Any effort to enter the field and pull out the darnel plants at this stage would damage the wheat as well, since their roots would be completely intertwined. Instead, he decides that when the time of harvest comes, the harvesters will do the laborious task of harvesting twice, first gathering the darnel and then the wheat. The darnel will be bound in bundles to be burned, probably as fuel. The wheat will be gathered and put into the barn.

Jesus didn’t give an explanation of this parable to the crowds, but later He explained it to His disciples.

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear” (Matthew 13:36–43).

The field is the world, in which the Son of Man, Jesus, sows “the sons of the kingdom.” However, the Devil has sown “the sons of the evil one” in the field as well. The expression “sons of…” in this sort of context is a familiar phrase in Hebrew or Aramaic, meaning “someone who belongs to.”

The sons of the kingdom were sown by the sower (Jesus), God is described as “their Father,” they are called “righteous,” and they will “shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” In contrast, the sons of the evil one are “sown by the enemy” (the Devil), called “lawbreakers,” or in other translations, “those who do evil,” and the end result for them is described as being “thrown in a fiery furnace” where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

According to Jesus’ teaching in this parable, good and evil would continue on side by side within the world and evil would not be purged from humanity until the close of the age, the Day of Judgment. While wheat and weed grow side by side for a while, the time will come when there is a separation, and the fate of each will be different. The darnel which grew alongside the wheat will be gathered, bundled, and burned.

By contrast, the imagery for the fate of the wheat that is gathered into the barn of the landowner is one of glory. The language reflects Daniel 12:3: “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”

This parable teaches us that sons of the kingdom and sons of the evil one coexist in this world and that it will remain that way until the Day of Judgment. While the kingdom had come into the world through Jesus’ ministry, it didn’t come in its fullness. Both good and evil cohabit this world, but in the future, evil will be cast out—and at that time, the fullness of God’s kingdom will be present.

We see a similar message given in the parable of the dragnet, which Matthew includes just a few verses later.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:47–50).

While the parable of the wheat and weeds speaks about the righteous shining like the sun, as well as the fate of the lawbreakers, this parable of the dragnet focuses solely on the destiny of the evil or wicked. We again hear of the angels separating the evil and throwing them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. In telling this parable, Jesus was saying there will be a separation process and that judgment will occur. At that specific time, the end of the age, evil will be excluded from God’s kingdom.

I have to admit that I don’t like to think about the judgment that is woven throughout the entire Bible and was often spoken about by Jesus. As C. S. Lewis wrote:

There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this, if it lay in my power. But it has the full support of Scripture and, specially, of our Lord’s own words; it has always been held by Christendom; and it has the support of reason.¹

In Matthew’s Gospel alone, there are 21 separate instances when Jesus speaks directly about or infers judgment. Judgment isn’t a popular topic, and it has wrongly been used as a scare tactic by some within the body of Christ, both past and present. But however much we might not like the concept, it is undeniably a central feature of Jesus’ message as part of His preaching about the kingdom.

Future judgment is a reality, and it is precisely the reason Jesus came to earth and sacrificed His life for all of us. Every human being deserves judgment because of our sin, which separates us from God. God doesn’t want that separation, but because He is complete holiness, nothing unholy can be in His presence. However, because of His love for humanity, He made a way for us to be redeemed and pronounced pure—through Jesus’ death on the cross bringing forgiveness of our sins. Due to this, we are counted as righteous; and at the separation at the end of the age, those who have entered a relationship with God through Jesus will not share the same fate as those who haven’t.

The imagery of a fiery furnace and a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth used within both of these parables is just that—imagery, and it shouldn’t be taken literally. However, whatever the exact circumstances will be, it will be a place of a separation from God and from those who love God. When we consider all the things that God is—love, beauty, goodness, mercy, holiness, kindness, justice, righteousness, trustworthiness, and so much more—thinking of being in a place where the things that God is are not present is harrowing.

This truth should make us grateful that we had the opportunity of hearing the gospel, receiving Jesus as our Savior, and entering into a relationship with God. Second, it should impress upon us the importance of sharing the gospel message with others.

People need God. God doesn’t want anyone to perish, but rather, as the apostle Peter wrote, He desires that all should reach repentance (2 Peter 3:9). God “so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). We who have experienced the love and mercy of God have been asked to share the news of God’s love with others, and when we do, we bring them the opportunity to be in company with those who will eternally be in a place that is full of all that God is. May we do our best to share God’s love and message with others.

Originally published November 2015. Adapted and republished January 2025. Read by Jon Marc.

¹ The Problem of Pain (New York: HarperCollins, 2015), 119–20.

Why Disasters? (part 1)

Is Death a Curse or Blessing?

David Brandt Berg

1980-11-01

God is righteous and God is just. God is fair and God is loving, so I know He knows what’s best when it comes to natural disasters. If He allows thousands to die in earthquakes and natural disasters—“acts of God,” as they’re called in insurance policies and laws—then we know that it’s God’s will for some reason, and that His reasons are good and fair and just and loving and even kind.

After all, those who were killed are, as the world would say, the “lucky” ones or the blessed ones, because if they did know the Lord or they did have faith or believe, they’ve gone to a better world where they’ll learn better. The ones left behind and suffering either pain or grief are the ones God is still trying to reach.

For the others, the lesson is over and school is out and they’ve graduated to another realm to learn, possibly because they couldn’t learn here. But the ones left behind are the ones to feel sorry for, who are still suffering sorrow, grief, pain, and deprivation.

When God takes people, it must be their time for some reason. When they asked Jesus about the people upon whom the tower of Siloam fell, whether they were more wicked than others, the Lord said, “I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:4–5). Only God in His wisdom knows exactly why He allows so many to die in a natural disaster, but it’s apparently their time.

It’s a big subject and a question that the world has wondered about for ages, even Christians and theologians and church leaders: Why does God allow so many people to be killed? Why did He destroy the whole world in a flood? Because they were so wicked He just couldn’t let them continue. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth” (Genesis 6:5–7).

The thing that people wonder about is why natural disasters so often seem to strike the poor and the needy and the helpless and children and the innocent. When you realize there’s a better world hereafter and the afterlife is one to be anticipated and looked forward to, who else but those who are the most suffering and the most innocent need to be relieved of this life and will appreciate the next life more than ever? Who else deserves to go sooner?

As someone has said, “The good die young!” This isn’t always true, but it often seems true. Who better deserves to go on to a better world than the good? Yet most people say “they don’t deserve to die.” To “deserve to die” for us means a promise and something far better than we have now.

To deserve to die means we have finished our job. “We have fought the good fight, we have kept the faith, and from henceforth is laid up for us a crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:7–8). So we deserve to die, having finished our job. To us, death is a blessing and a relief and an exit from the suffering of this world.

It’s the ones who are left behind that are to be pitied, the ones who don’t die. But those, no doubt, God is trying to teach lessons to and prepare for the afterlife to get them ready to die.

Death is not a curse for little children and the innocent and ignorant and the poor and the suffering and the less responsible, the less accountable. Death is not a curse for them, because they go to a better world and a better life and a relief from the evils of this planet. Perhaps this is why the Lord allows so many of the poor and the young to die, those who are suffering just almost beyond endurance in this life. Therefore the Lord takes them out of their suffering and out of their poverty and out of their pain and out of their starvation, and blesses them with death—which to those upon whom He has such mercy is a mere gateway, an entrance to a better life in which they’ll be relieved of all this.

People have difficulty getting over this habit of considering death a complete curse, that to die is horrible. Everybody will be rewarded according to his works and according to his sins. He says that they which did things deserving punishment, stripes, having known their Master’s will and still having done those things, shall be beaten with many stripes—they will receive severe punishment. But those who knew not their Master’s will and yet did things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes (Luke 12:47–48).

Their punishment will be very light, corrective, no doubt of the chastisement nature, and they’ll undoubtedly then repent and be forgiven and be given a new life. Not the same as those who are saved, not the same as those who serve the Lord faithfully here and repented here and now before death, but there are going to be plenty of people repenting after death.

Jesus went and preached to the spirits in prison, and there wouldn’t have been any point in preaching to them if it hadn’t been possible for them to repent and be sorry for their sins and to receive some kind of opportunity thereby to get forgiveness and to find a better life, to be delivered from their imprisonment in the heart of the earth. Whatever it was or what it was like is not clear, but if it’s spoken of as a prison, and that’s bad enough (Matthew 12:40; 1 Peter 3:19; 4:6; Ephesians 4:9).

For Jesus to come and preach to them, it was obviously to give them an opportunity to believe and receive that they had not had, and to be released or saved. Theologians argue about it because it doesn’t fit their particular doctrine, but it’s right there in the Bible! Why would Jesus have gone to the trouble to preach to them unless there was a second chance in some way—really their first chance—and an opportunity for them to be sorry and repent and be forgiven and released?

God probably has as varied terms and means of punishment and correction in the afterlife as there are in this life. He’s probably got a great, wide variety to show people how wrong they were and to give them an opportunity of repentance and change—as has been manifested in many near-death experiences.

God actually let them leave this life temporarily to show them their mistakes when they couldn’t learn any other way; to actually come face to face with the judgment angel and be showed and taught where they were making their mistakes and what they were doing wrong, with the opportunity to correct their life and even to go back and live again in order to change.

If God will do that for the living, then why not also for the dead? And if there’s a chance to repent and change not only here but there, then there must be some opportunity for forgiveness and release from punishment and from chastening and such purging as Purgatory. I’m a firm believer in Purgatory, as the Catholics call it, but not necessarily their kind of Purgatory. Whether it’s hellfire, the Lake of Fire, or whatever, it’s a purging.

It seems from all I can gather from the Scripture that the lake of fire is pretty bad punishment for the very worst! To be cast in the Lake of Fire you’ve got to be a pretty wicked sinner who has been really defiant of God and every opportunity God has given you to repent, and have really done a lot of damage and hurt a lot of people; like Hitler and some others, someone who has turned many astray.

That’s the kind of people the Lake of Fire is reserved for—including the Devil and the False Prophet and the Antichrist and all his crowd! That’s very plain in the Scripture. (See Revelation 14:11; 19:20; 20:10,14–15; 21:8.) These are the very worst and the ultimately wicked who have slaughtered millions and destroyed nations and killed babies and innocent women and children. Hell could hardly be bad enough for some of those people.

But for the people who haven’t been that wicked, but have been disobedient—especially, of course, for those who knew God’s will and knew the truth and defied and disobeyed it—they’ll receive a very great punishment even though saved. They’re going to receive a certain amount of correction for their disobediences, even though they claim to be saved.

It says “his master,” so He must be their master; they must be saved. In this case He says, “That servant which knew his Master’s will and prepared not himself neither did according to His will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not his Master’s will”—in other words, the ignorant and innocent, those who never heard the Gospel and never heard about Jesus—“and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes” (Luke 12:47–48).

These folks, they not only didn’t know it was their Master’s will, maybe they didn’t even know there was a Master! But if they didn’t know their Master’s will and did things worthy of stripes, they’re still worthy of some punishment. Because the Lord Himself in His Word says “This is the Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9). Everybody is given some light.

This is the greatest question that has plagued the world for ages: Why great disasters that slaughter thousands of innocent little children and babies and women and mothers and old people, the helpless. Why these disasters? The same age-old question, why pain and suffering and why even death?

To those who have faith, to those who know the Lord and have implicit confidence in His love and His mercy and His righteousness and justice and fairness and implicit belief in a life after death—a better life, a place where things will be corrected and made right and people will be rewarded according to their works, whether they be good or evil—we know there’s an answer, and I think the answer’s pretty clear even in the Bible, as well as through experience.

In order to understand the problem and know the answer, of course, you must believe in God and His love and His faithfulness and His righteousness, goodness, mercy, justice and fairness. Then you know there’s got to be an answer, a good answer, why He has to do this or allow it to happen. If He doesn’t do it, then the Devil’s done it; but He allowed him to do it, so it’s almost the same thing.

God allows these things to happen! He allows the Devil to wreak destruction and horror such as war through wicked men that take thousands of lives. If you have total confidence in the future and in a better life after death, then you can certainly understand why God even in His mercy would sometimes take thousands of people out of this world and their suffering and their pain and their agony and their oppression and their poverty.

When they get to the point where they’re possibly suffering beyond endurance, He releases them and takes them into a better world where they’re relieved of all this pain and agony and poverty and suffering and starvation and sickness—most of it caused by man himself and his own sins and the sins of others—and all of it caused, of course, by sin of some kind. All of the suffering, pain, tragedy, sickness, war and death is caused by sin, somebody’s sin—either the sins of the people who are suffering for their own sins, or many who suffer for the sins of others.

I think that’s going to be part of the punishment of the wicked: to have to suffer the sight of the very suffering they caused, maybe for a long time in retrospect in God’s movie houses of the future life. What could be worse in the afterlife than the constant review of the pictures of the pain and suffering and agony that you have caused others, to witness their suffering? What worse punishment could you have than to see in the hereafter all the damage you’ve caused and all the people you’ve caused to suffer; all the pain and agony you’ve brought through your sins and oppression and wars and cruelty?

Apparently there’s some hope even for these people if God’s going to allow them to suffer the sight of what they have caused to try to bring them to repentance, to make them sorry so that they can be forgiven. For others it looks like there’s almost virtually no hope of their ever repenting, like the Devil, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet.

Jesus says they will be cast in the Lake of Fire as well as those who follow them, that take the Mark of the Beast and worship him. “Cast into the Lake of Fire which burneth for ever and ever!” It says, “The smoke of their torment ariseth for ever and ever” (Revelation 14:11), but that’s where you have to go back to the original Greek to see what the actual word “for ever and ever” means.

This does not mean in every case eternally; it means “ages upon ages.” “Aenon” is the word that’s used in Revelation 14:11, and the word used for “eternity” is a different word. Even the word using aenon to represent something which is virtually eternal, going on and on seemingly forever, is a doubling of the word aenon, which means age. In some places this word aenon—which is translated in the Bible, of course, by the Catholics or Reformers or the Church of England—is translated “for ever,” but it literally means “for an age,” and an age has limitations; all ages have ends.

This is all in Dr. Charles Pridgeon’s book, Is Hell Eternal or Will God’s Plan Fail? He was a Presbyterian minister who could not believe that God would cast everybody who didn’t know Jesus into an eternal hell of fire and brimstone, the same kind of punishment for everybody, for the innocent as well as for the Hitlers and the guilty. So he began to search the scriptures—is hell really eternal? If so, then it looks like God’s plan is going to fail if He can’t really redeem mankind, if He can’t really save man and “cause all men everywhere to repent” or “cause every knee to bow, above the earth, on the earth, and under the earth” (Acts 17:30; Philippians 2:10).

So he found scriptures indicating that the time would come when everyone would believe, everyone would repent, every knee would bow, everyone would worship the Lord, every man would know Him, everyone would be corrected, and virtually everyone would change—whether they did in this life or in an afterlife of some kind; whether they did in a hellfire type of Purgatory or in some milder type of punishment or retribution or chastisement and judgment for their sins.

But virtually all punishment, including in this life according to law, has some kind of end. There comes a time when the sinner has paid for his sins with his imprisonment or his fines or even with his life. This satisfies the law of man, why not the laws of God? Perhaps some people pay for their own sins, since they wouldn’t believe in Christ and they wouldn’t believe in His death, so they have to suffer the prescribed punishment pronounced upon sin, and that is death.

Everyone will die, but those who receive Christ’s substitutionary offering in their place do not have to suffer the kind of death that the sinner will suffer, but suffer only a mere momentary cessation from this physical life in an almost instantaneous transfer to another life in the Spirit which is far better (1 Corinthians 15:51–52).

But the kind of a life that the sinners are transferred to who have not repented, have not received Jesus, who even rejected Him when they had a chance and have done evil, “knowing to do good and doing it not” … they deserve some pretty severe punishment, including death to begin with. They receive a lot of punishment in this life, and in the world to come they receive even more until they get straightened out.

Certainly not everybody deserves the same kind and the same amount of punishment and the same severity of judgment as do the worst of sinners. Many simply didn’t know the truth, never heard the Gospel, never even heard about Jesus, didn’t know about His love, were ignorant of their Master’s will, but they had still done things worthy of stripes and had sinned.

It’s an amazing, wonderful thing that the world over, even in the darkest jungles and the most remote places, even aboriginal people have seemed to know the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, and know that certain things are sins and that it’s wrong to do them. God’s basic moral standard against, for example, stealing and killing and things like that, is pretty universal. Nearly every kind of culture, even the most primitive culture, knows that these things are wrong and have laws against them. (to be continued)

Fear Thou Not, for I Am with Thee

David Brandt Berg

1990-03-01

God’s Word tells us, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof” (Psalm 46:1–3).

That’s His promise, amen? He is our refuge and strength, and through the trying days that now are and shall yet come, He is “a very present help in trouble.” If we love Him and if we’re obeying Him and keeping His commandments, the Lord is very concerned about helping and preserving and protecting us.

Just read the Bible and you’ll see story after story of how marvelously the Lord protects and keeps His children. Once in a while they got in trouble and they suffered some, but He always delivered them! He doesn’t say that you’re never going to have any trials or afflictions, but He promises He’ll deliver you out of them all (Psalm 34:19).

God may allow a test now and then just to see how much faith we’ve got, how determined we are, how much patience we have. He sometimes allows troubles as a testing and trial to see how much knowledge of the Word we have, and how much we’ll stand on the Word.

Once, when I was concerned and worrying about the future, He answered me with a question: “Will I not care for My own?” What an encouragement from the Lord! “Will I not care for My own?” The Lord is able to keep us through anything and everything. He will care for us. In fact, He won’t let a hair of your head be touched without His permission. “He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of Mine eye” (Matthew 10:30; Zechariah 2:8).

Lord, You are our deliverer, our strong fortress in whom we hide, our strong tower in which the righteous hide. You are our strength. You promised, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1), and we know that’s the best protection there could possibly be. So we put our faith and trust in You, in Jesus’ name, amen.

“Hedged about”

Don’t ever forget, we are surrounded by the angels of God. We are hedged in, as the Devil himself said about Job. The Devil complained to God about Job, “How can I touch him? You’ve got him fenced in! You’ve got him so hedged in, I can’t even reach him, I can’t even touch him” (Job 1:10). God has placed a hedge of angels around us too.

“The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them” (Psalm 34:7). So thank God for the great company of angels!

When it looked like the prophet Elisha was cornered and surrounded by an entire army of his enemies, his servant became very worried and upset, as it looked like a truly impossible situation. “And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, ‘Alas, my master! How shall we do?’” (2 Kings 6:15).

But the prophet answered, “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them! And Elisha prayed, and said, ‘Lord, I pray Thee, open his eyes, that he may see.’ And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (2 Kings 6:16–17).

So that’s something that we need to remember and constantly thank the Lord for—His marvelous, miraculous, supernatural protection! Thank God for His angels that encamp round about us.

Precious hiding place,
Blessed hiding place,
In the shelter of His love.
Not a doubt nor fear,
When my Lord is near,
For I’m sheltered in His love.
—Avis M. Christiansen, 1918

Pray without ceasing

Keep close to the Lord and constantly claim His protection, always asking the Lord to keep you, and bless and protect you, because lots of things can happen that are totally beyond your control, but not the Lord’s!

“Men ought always to pray and not to faint” (Luke 18:1), God’s Word says. And He says, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Jesus said, “Watch and pray” (Matthew 26:41). He didn’t say that for no reason. He not only knew you would need it, but it’s one way the Lord has of trying to keep you close to Him, in His presence continually, and constantly dependent upon Him and His protection and provision.

Your best protection is to stay strong in the Lord and the Word and in prayer and the Spirit. Jesus Himself said, “A strong man armed keepeth his goods in peace” (Luke 11:21). What did Jesus mean by that? To be strong is to be watchful and to be wise. Not just physically, but to be strong in spirit, strong in prayer.

“Fear not”

When people get upset and worried about things, we often say, “Don’t worry about it!” If anybody could say that to us, it’s the Lord. “Don’t worry about it! You’re My child, and I’m going to take care of you no matter what happens.”

Just trust the Lord, and He’ll take care of you. He never fails, no matter what the conditions. He says, “Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust” (Psalm 40:4).

Once, when I was very burdened about something I cried out, “Lord, what should we do?” Instead of telling me what to do, He told me what not to do. I wasn’t asking the Lord for a scripture; I wanted to know what to do. But He simply told me, “Fear thou not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10).

That’s a verse I’ve gotten before, but it was certainly an encouragement from the Lord at that time. So whatever you do, don’t be afraid. Be like King David, who exclaimed, “In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid” (Psalm 56:11). Keep your faith in the Lord and trust the Lord and know that the Lord is in control, and nothing’s going to happen but what the Lord allows.

The Lord’s going to take care of us, whatever happens, and He’s going to do what He wants to do. God is in control, and nothing happens to His children without His permission, and all things that He allows will eventually work together for our good. Praise the Lord!

Lord, help us not to worry or fear, but only to fear You and love You and follow and obey You. You said, “In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and His children shall have a place of refuge” (Proverbs 14:26). Help us to remain at peace in You, Lord. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee” (Isaiah 26:3). Help us not to worry about any of the waves and winds and billows that we face. Help us just to look to You, and keep our eyes on You and trust You. We know You work everything out for the best somehow. All things, Lord, shall work together for good to us who love You. In some way it’s all going to work together for our good, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Lord is our refuge!

Safe in the arms of Jesus,
Safe on His gentle breast,
There by His Love o’er shaded,
Sweetly my soul shall rest.

Safe in the arms of Jesus,
Safe from all worry and care,
Safe from the world’s tribulations,
Nothing can harm me there.

Jesus, my heart’s dear Refuge,
Jesus has died for me;
Firm on the Rock of Ages,
Ever my trust shall be!
—Franny Crosby, 1868

Steps Toward Hope and a Future

January 17, 2025

By Brandon Gilliam

When life falls apart and answers seem far away, it can feel impossible to hold onto hope. But even in the most challenging times, God invites us to trust him and find peace, no matter what the circumstances. One verse often cited for comfort is Jeremiah 29:11: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

At first glance, this verse might sound like a promise for instant relief or quick success. However, the true beauty of this passage lies in the deeper context of God’s enduring presence and purposes—even through hardship.

Understanding Jeremiah’s message to the exiles

To grasp the full meaning of Jeremiah 29:11, we need to look at its historical context. When God spoke these words through the prophet Jeremiah, the people of Israel were living in exile in Babylon, far from home and under oppressive rule. They were weary, longing for a quick rescue. But instead of promising immediate relief, God told them to settle down, build homes, and even contribute to the welfare of the city they were in (Jeremiah 29:5–7). God’s promise wasn’t about immediate escape from their troubles; it was about his presence and purpose in the midst of their situation.

Jeremiah’s message reminds us that sometimes God calls us to endure rather than escape. This isn’t an easy word, especially when life is hard. Yet, God’s promise to be with us and to work for our good stands firm. Trusting in His plan doesn’t mean all problems will vanish, but it does mean we’re not alone.

Finding strength in the here and now

God asked the Israelites to build, plant, and pray for their city—not because their exile was good, but because their perseverance in it would lead to growth. When we’re in a crisis, we can take a similar approach by shifting our focus from what’s beyond our control to what we can cultivate right where we are.

Step 1: Focus on what you can build

Even in hard times, there are ways we can contribute to our surroundings. Perhaps you’re in a job you don’t love, but can you find ways to make a positive impact? Maybe there’s a relationship that needs nurturing or a skill you can develop. Ask yourself, “What can I build right now?” Taking small, intentional steps helps to ground us, creating a sense of purpose that brings calm amid the chaos.

Jeremiah 29:11 isn’t a promise of immediate success; it’s a promise of God’s companionship and ultimate purpose. Sometimes the most comforting truth isn’t that God has a plan but that He is with us as it unfolds. In crisis, we may be tempted to demand solutions. Instead, we can ask God to deepen our trust in His presence.

Step 2: Pray in the small moments

God’s presence is most deeply felt when we make time for Him. Begin each day with a simple prayer, inviting God into your journey: “Lord, help me see You in the midst of this. Guide my steps today, even when I can’t see the way forward.” Making time for small, honest moments of prayer can help anchor our faith, reminding us that God’s love is constant even when life feels uncertain.

Endurance doesn’t come naturally in our fast-paced, solution-oriented culture. Yet God often works within us through the very process of waiting and persevering. If you’re in a place of suffering, remember that resilience doesn’t mean being unaffected by hardship; it means moving forward with trust, one day at a time.

Step 3: Take care of yourself

When life gets heavy, self-care isn’t indulgent—it’s essential. Eat well, rest when you need to, and spend time in nature. These aren’t just “feel-good” habits; they’re part of how God designed us to restore and recharge. Setting simple, achievable goals like taking a walk each day or journaling can be acts of faith. It’s a way of honoring the body and spirit God gave us, acknowledging His ongoing work within us.

Just as God called the Israelites to pray for the prosperity of Babylon, we’re also called to look beyond our immediate troubles and be a blessing to others. Sometimes, the most profound way to find peace is to serve others. When we contribute to someone else’s life, we often gain new perspective on our own.

Step 4: Find a way to serve

Consider volunteering at a local shelter, making a meal for a friend, or simply offering a listening ear. When we give from our place of hardship, God often uses our service to bring healing to our own hearts. Serving others helps shift our focus outward, reminding us that our struggles don’t define us.

The exiles had to wait seventy years before seeing the fulfillment of God’s promise—a whole generation! While we may not wait that long, Jeremiah 29:11 is a reminder that God’s timing is often different from ours. Trusting his plan means believing that even now, he’s laying the groundwork for our future.

Step 5: Write it down

When you’re in the middle of a hard season, keeping a journal can be powerful. Write about what you’re experiencing, any signs of God’s presence, or lessons He may be teaching you. Months or years down the road, you’ll look back and see how He was shaping you even when you couldn’t see it.

Here are some practical journaling tips to help you through difficult times:

Start small: Begin with just 5-10 minutes a day. Consistency matters more than length.
Use prompts: If you’re stuck, try questions like “What am I grateful for today?” or “Where did I see God’s hand?”
Be honest: Don’t censor your feelings. God can handle your raw emotions.
Record Scripture: Write down verses that speak to you, and reflect on how they apply to your situation.
Track growth: Periodically review your entries to see patterns of progress and answered prayers.
Remember, journaling isn’t just about recording events; it’s a way to process your thoughts, emotions, and spiritual journey. As you write, you may find clarity, comfort, and even glimpses of hope in unexpected places. This practice can become a tangible reminder of God’s faithfulness, even when circumstances haven’t changed yet.

Finding lasting peace

Jeremiah 29:11 doesn’t promise a life free from hardship, but it does promise that God is at work, even in the most difficult circumstances. Finding peace in God means surrendering our need for answers and embracing his enduring presence. As you lean into his promises, may you discover that true peace isn’t found in the absence of trials but in the faithful presence of God who walks with you through them.

Article by Brandon Gilliam posted on https://becomenew.com.

Keys for Peaceful Sleep

January 16, 2025

Treasures

Audio length: 8:21

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My Saviour, hear my prayer
Before I go to rest;
It is Your little child
Who comes now to be blest.

Forgive me all my sin,
And let me sleep this night
In safety and in peace
Until the morning light.
—Book of Praise for Children, 1875

When we lie down to sleep at night, we can take the time to thank Jesus for His love and grace, and commit our sleep and safekeeping through the night to Him. The Bible says that God will keep in perfect peace all who trust in Him, whose thoughts are fixed on Him (Isaiah 26:3). It’s conducive to a peaceful night’s sleep to get our minds off our worries and problems and to fix our thoughts on Jesus, and to pray or read or recite a short prayer or comforting thoughts from His Word.

There are beautiful verses in the Bible about sleep that we can memorize and recite, such as “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8). “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet” (Proverbs 3:24).

As we go to sleep, it can also be a good time to “commune with our own heart upon our bed and be still” (Psalm 4:4), to take stock of things and to reflect on the day’s events and accomplishments, as well as what we could have done better and what we learned. We can think about whether it was a day committed to walking in God’s ways and living according to His Word. What have I done with my life this day? Did I do my best to live it for Jesus and others?

When we struggle with sleeplessness, these verses from the Psalms give us a picture of how we can fight our midnight battle: “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words. My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise” (Psalm 119:147–148).

The Lord watches over His children every moment of every day; He never sleeps. The Bible says that “He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you” (Psalm 121:4–5). We also read in the Psalms that “the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them” (Psalm 34:7). What a comforting thought!

Now I lay me down to sleep;
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
His Love to guard me through the night,
And wake me in the morning’s light.
—Grace Bridges, 1932

Prayer for our dreams

On several occasions in the Bible, God communicated to people in their dreams. Some of them were prophetic (such as the dreams in Daniel), and some expressed specific instructions from God. For example, Joseph was prevented from divorcing Mary by an angel sent to him by God in a dream to confirm that this pregnancy was from God and that she would give birth to Jesus (Matthew 1:20–21). After Jesus was born, God gave Joseph two more dreams, first to warn him to flee with his family to Egypt from Herod (Matthew 2:13), and then to tell him Herod was dead and that it was safe to return home (Matthew 2:19–20).

At times God spoke through a dream to warn a person (Genesis 20:3) or to give encouragement, such as Jacob’s dream of a ladder reaching to heaven, where God promised to bless him and his children (Genesis 28:12–15). The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream in the night and granted him wisdom and knowledge as he had requested (1 Kings 3:5–15). At other times, dreams were prophetic and symbolic, such as Joseph’s dream of his brothers bowing down to him as sheaves of grain (Genesis 37:6–7).

Of course, most of our dreams are not prophetic, nor do they contain specific instructions from God, and at times our dreams can be troubling or unsettling. There may be different reasons why we sometimes have bad dreams. It could be something we were worrying about when we went to sleep, and we subconsciously carried that train of thought with us. Although the Bible records cases where dreams were a warning from the Lord about something that was going to happen, warning dreams from the Lord usually have something good and meaningful in them.

As Christians, we can commit our sleep to the Lord and pray and ask the Lord to grant us a good night’s sleep and peaceful dreams. As His child, He has promised to keep you and protect you, even in your sleep. His presence surrounds you and He “commands His angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways” (Psalm 91:11). So “you do not need to fear terrors of the night,” including bad dreams or nightmares (Psalm 91:5).

Those times in the night when we can’t sleep or are awakened by a bad dream can be a good time to pray and commit all our cares, burdens, worries, and concerns to the Lord. King David said, “I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night” (Psalm 63:6). The night is so quiet and still that it can be a good time to commune with God during the night when sleep eludes us. “I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me” (Psalm 16:7).

It can be difficult to hear His “still, small voice” in the daytime with all the noise, the other voices, and the concerns of this life that compete for our attention (1 Kings 19:11–12). But the quiet of the night can be conducive to deep communion with the Lord. In the Bible, we read that Jesus often arose “very early in the morning while it was still dark” to pray (Mark 1:35), and at times He also “spent the night praying to God” (Luke 6:12). David in the Psalms also often spoke of communing with God in the night seasons (Psalm 77:6).

God works through every circumstance in our lives for His good purposes, even our sleeplessness (Romans 8:28). He can use the times when we struggle to sleep to draw us close to Him, as we take time to commune with Him, acknowledge Him in all our ways, and draw near to Him. No matter what circumstances we face, we can trust that God is with us always, and He will keep us in the night seasons.

Savior, grant me rest and peace,
Let my troubled dreamings cease;
With the chiming midnight bell
Teach my heart that “all is well.”

I would trust my all to Thee,
All my cares and sorrows flee;
Till the breaking light shall tell—
Night is past and “all is well.”
— Lucinda M. Beal Bateman, 1886

May God bless you and grant you good sleep and sweet dreams!

From an article in Treasures, published by the Family International in 1987. Adapted and republished January 2025. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.

The Parable of the Talents

January 15, 2025

By Mara Hodler

A friend of mine has a 12-year-old daughter, Jenni, who is enrolled in a high-commitment gymnastics program. She practices 16 hours a week, which means that four times a week, she gets picked up from school at 3:30 in the afternoon, heads to gymnastics, and works out until 8:00 in the evening. She does her homework in the car on the way to gymnastics or late at night after her session. She eats dinner in the car on the way home.

Enrolling in this program was Jenni’s choice and not something that her family pushed her into doing. She loves gymnastics and wants to take it as far as she can. For years before enrolling in this intense program, she practiced between four and eight hours a week. She had won a lot of medals and was considered the best gymnast at her level in the area. Last year, she decided that she wanted to earn a gymnastic scholarship for college and so she enrolled in this high-commitment program.

After a few months in the program, she admitted that it’s tough. Some days she really just wants to be with her friends like other 12-year-old girls, instead of practicing back walks on the bar over and over. Sometimes she gets frustrated at the combined load of keeping good grades in school as well as progressing in her gymnastics program. An additional challenge is that she went from being “advanced” in her level to “beginner” in a new level. Her coaches have high expectations. They aren’t just training girls to do cartwheels; they are training athletes to compete and to win!

Honestly, this is a lot for a girl who is only 12 years old, so why does she do it? It’s because she’s following a dream. She is choosing excellence. She’s taking her talent and developing it into a skill. Even though it’s hard right now, I don’t think she’s going to regret it. She’s not going to ask herself one day, “I wonder if I could have done anything more with my gymnastics skills. I wonder if I missed an opportunity.”

A lot of us haven’t got it in us to push ourselves toward excellence. We love the idea of something, but the thought of the commitment, discipline, and hard work it would take to achieve that idea is enough to dissuade us. We talk ourselves out of our dreams and passions, telling ourselves, “It’s just too much work!” But the fact is that each of us has the opportunity to develop excellence and skill in our lives, to be the very best we can be, to do the outstanding. We just have to commit to it.

Jesus told a story along these lines that is very interesting: In the parable of the talents a certain rich man was going away on a trip. He called his three most trusted servants to him and explained that he wanted them to care for his estate in his absence. He obviously knew something of their characters and abilities, and according to this knowledge, he entrusted each of them with some talents.

To the first, he gave five talents, to the second, two, and to the last, one. Now, a talent is not something that can fit in a little coin purse. A talent was equal to about 80 pounds (around 36 kg) of silver; and as a unit of currency, it was worth about 6,000 denarii, or about 20 years of earnings for the average person. It was also considered the “value of a life.” In some cases, a condemned criminal could buy his freedom for a talent. So, receiving five talents was a huge opportunity, but receiving even one talent wasn’t shabby either.

So the master went away for a time, and upon his return he wanted to know what the servants had done with his wealth. The first servant said, “Lord, you left me with five talents. I invested them, and now they are doubled.” The lord was very pleased with his servant and said, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

The second servant had also doubled the talents he had been given and got the same response from his lord. When the third servant was asked the same question, he had a different response: “I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.”

His lord’s response to him was not filled with any sympathy. He said, “You wicked and slothful servant! You ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness.”

The third servant had done the safe thing. He had hidden the talent so that when his master returned, he would be sure to have at least the one talent kept safe. But the master wanted to see him do something with the talent. (The parable of the talents is found in Matthew 25:14–30 and Luke 19:12–27.)

It seems to me that the master was not looking at how much each servant had to begin with, but what they did with what they had. Some scholars credit this parable with being the reason for how we use the word “talent” today. “Talent” refers to a gift, ability, or skill. When we look at the story in that context, it becomes obvious that God expects us to do something with the gifts, talents, and abilities He’s entrusted to us.

I admire Jenni for what she’s doing with her talent. I think that what she’s learning through the discipline, sacrifice, and commitment involved will be of great value to her.

If you have a talent or skill that God has given you and called you to develop, invest in it. Grow it for God’s glory. And at the end of life’s journey, you’ll hear Him say, “Well done.”

Adapted from a Just1Thing podcast, a Christian character-building resource for young people.

A New Day, a New Start

January 14, 2025

A compilation

Audio length: 10:54

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Morning by morning new mercies I see! Great is Thy faithfulness, dear Lord, unto me.—Thomas Chisholm

The dawning of every new day could be seen as a symbol of God’s light breaking through the darkness and His mercy overcoming our troubles. Every morning demonstrates God’s grace, a new beginning in which gloom must flee. We need look no further than the breath in our lungs, the sun that shines upon us, or the rain that falls to nourish the soil. The mercies of God continue to come to us via a multitude of manifestations.

There is no expiration date on God’s mercy toward us. His mercies are new every morning in that they are perpetual and always available to those in need. We have our ups and downs, and “even youths grow tired and weary” (Isaiah 40:30), but God is faithful through it all. With the dawn of each day comes a new batch of compassion made freshly available to us. God’s compassion is poured out from an infinite store; His mercies will never run out.—GotQuestions.org¹

Every morning is a new chance to do things differently, better than we have before—especially when we take time to connect with God, get His perspective on the areas we want to improve in, and ask Him to help us make the necessary adjustments in our thinking, attitudes, and actions.

A wonderful way to start your day is with a prayer of thanksgiving to God for His loving care. Take a few minutes first thing in the morning to do this and see what a difference it makes in your day. You can pray the following prayer and adapt it to your situation.

Thank You for this new day, fresh and clean, unspoiled by yesterday’s messes and mistakes. You made all things new.

Thank You for brand-new mercy, brand-new love, brand-new forgiveness, renewed strength, and Your unfailing promise of help. You’re so wonderful to me, so patient with my shortcomings and my weaknesses.

I leave all my mistakes and failures behind. Help me to go forward, with my hand in Yours.—Activated magazine

I want to give you a new start. When you feel discouraged about a mistake you’ve made or a weakness you have, remember that I use weak, fallible people to show My love to the world. I allowed the disappointments and setbacks you’ve experienced in order to make you gentler, more compassionate, more understanding of others’ weaknesses—more like Me—so you can be a greater help to others.

Even your difficult experiences can work together for good for you. If you will put yourself into My hands and be soft and moldable, like clay in the hands of a master potter, I will remake you. I will take your broken dreams, heartaches, disappointments, and with My hands of love, I will make you into a better “pot.” It may not be as grand or beautiful or perfect as what you had in mind, but it will be perfect in My sight, perfect for the role I have for you to play, and perfect for your place in My heavenly kingdom.—Jesus

What does the Bible say about new beginnings?

New beginnings happen in season. Life can be so wonderfully measured by seasons and stages. Fall begins with the shedding of colorful leaves; winter begins with a cold bed of snow; spring begins with the sprouting of new life; and summer begins with warm sunny days. Ecclesiastes 3:1–5 says: “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; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing.”…

The former things pass away and all things are made new. God doesn’t remember our past, he gives us a fresh start. Isaiah 43:18–19 says: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Perseverance is the path to new beginnings. Perseverance is the pathway to a new start because a new beginning often requires patience. James 5:11 says: “As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the LORD finally brought about. The LORD is full of compassion and mercy.”

A new beginning can start right where you are. A new beginning awaits anyone who is willing and wanting to make Jesus Christ the Lord of their life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”—The Billy Graham Library²

I had deep questions on an ordinary day when I looked in the mirror and asked, Who am I now that my life is so different again? What am I supposed to do, and who do I want to be in this new season?

So much had changed in my life over the past 10 years that I found myself pondering my identity in this new phase of life and my desires for the future.

I knew I had to let go of what was gone, appreciate what remained, determine what was next. …

God is always at work, bringing forth newness and transformation in our hearts and lives. … Perhaps you are in a transition period right now—a career change, a relationship transition, a personal challenge, or just a new and unfamiliar season of life. Maybe you are longing to reinvent yourself and reshape your life, but you feel unsure of how to begin and doubtful of whether you have what it takes. Below are five steps to help you move into the new thing God has for you.

Step 1: Identify what you want to change or improve. Allow yourself to consider who you want to be and what you want to accomplish.

Step 2: Determine any skills you may need to develop to move forward, and be willing to invest in yourself.

Step 3: Map out a life plan. A dream without a plan is just a wish. Without setting goals for ourselves, we’ll stay stuck right where we are.

Step 4: Spend time in solitude and prayer, asking God to guide your steps.

Step 5: Get out of your comfort zone and start working toward your goals! Maintain a positive attitude, and stay focused on your aspirations.

It’s natural to feel apprehensive about the unknown, but God’s ability to bring about transformation and renewal in our lives never fails. We can trust in His sovereignty, remembering He is the master of making all things new … including helping us to become the best version of ourselves and to enjoy the lives He has given us.

Lord, You know the desires of my heart. Walk beside me, and help me embrace my new season with optimism and excitement. Thank You for the promise of new beginnings. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.—Tracie Miles ³

Published on Anchor January 2025. Read by Jerry Paladino. Music by John Listen.

¹ https://www.gotquestions.org/mercies-new-every-morning.html

² https://billygrahamlibrary.org/blog-5-things-the-bible-says-about-new-beginnings/

³ https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2024/06/07/when-its-time-to-reinvent-yourself-and-your-life

Overcoming Bad Habits—Part 1

January 13, 2025

By Maria Fontaine

Audio length: 12:18

Download Audio (11.2MB)

I received a letter from a dear man who was struggling with some long-standing bad habits, and he had begun to wonder if he could ever overcome them.

I think we’ve all experienced how bad habits can develop over time. We may still be battling to overcome some of them. We’ve probably all seen how they can interrupt our lives and hinder our efforts to accomplish our goals. Some bad habits can even jeopardize our health, both mentally and physically, and our relationships with others. They can be detrimental to our spiritual life and waste our time and energy. It’s easy to get discouraged when we feel like we can’t overcome them.

One person commented that in his case, opening his email as soon as he turns on his phone in the morning is a bad habit. It makes him feel “connected,” so it’s somewhat of a benefit to him in that way. But the downside is that the messages, some of which may be about others’ problems, as well as headlines about world issues, frequently leave him feeling discouraged and stressed.

With his attention divided between these things and his work, he has often found that it has hindered his productivity. Nevertheless, it’s hard not to be pulled into checking messages when they are right there trying to capture your attention. He doesn’t want to feel like he’s “missing out,” so he keeps doing it.

Almost all bad habits provide some perceived benefit, which is what makes them attractive in the first place. But that benefit is outweighed by the negative effects produced in the long run.

How much progress you make in overcoming a bad habit will often depend on how serious you are about changing. When you realize that a bad habit is costing you more than you’re willing to pay or resulting in setbacks in your life and relationships with others, that can motivate you to break it.

One of my co-workers explained to me that in the past he was very energetic and would often push himself too hard when it came to physical activities, until eventually he had a serious knee injury. The doctors told him he couldn’t do certain sports and other activities ever again, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. As a result, he incurred several other injuries and had a number of close calls.

He wanted to change, but the temptation to push himself beyond safe limits seemed irresistible. In other areas of his life he’s not the risk-taker type, but for some reason, in this area he kept giving in. He finally decided to pray a whatever-it-takes prayer, telling the Lord that he was ready to let Him do whatever it took to help him change this bad habit that he couldn’t seem to overcome.

This man has a great love for kids and a very protective nature toward them. He’d dedicated his life to working with children for many years. Shortly after he prayed that prayer, he was running and playing with a group of kids and once again pushed his injured knee too hard while holding a three-year-old girl in his arms. The injured knee gave way once again, but this time was different because for the first time his actions had put a child at risk of injury. Thankfully she wasn’t hurt, but the very real possibility that by pushing himself he had put her at risk drove him to change.

The Lord worked in a way that He knew would bring the needed change. What this man couldn’t summon up the willpower to do, even for his own safety, he found he could do to keep from possibly injuring a child. It created a desperation and conviction that helped him break that bad habit. He never again took that kind of chance, and he has never had another fall or injury involving his knee.

We are each responsible for the choices we make that result in our developing bad habits. The enemy cannot force us to give in to bad habits. He can only tempt us to choose these things. When Jesus was tempted by the Devil in the wilderness, what did He do? He fought back by quoting scriptures. (See Matthew 4:1–11.) If Jesus was tempted by the Devil in the wilderness in this way, Satan will likely try the same tricks on us. We should follow the Lord’s example and quote the Word of God and rebuke the enemy when he does.

Another factor is that not everything negative comes from the Devil. There are plenty of bad habits that we develop because of our own weaknesses, selfishness, desire for the praise and acceptance of others, and other reasons. But whatever the source of our bad habits, we always have the freedom to choose to change and overcome them.

If you’re desperate and you want to break your bad habits, there are several things you can do.

1) Pray for a lasting victory, and the Lord will help you. Jesus never fails. He always answers when we call upon Him with a whole heart. He said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). We have Jesus, so we can call on His power to help us.

2) If there are any demonic powers trying to play on your weaknesses or wrong choices to tempt you to give in to bad habits, you can rebuke them in the name of Jesus, and they have to depart. One way to do this is to keep quoting the Word and praising the Lord and not giving the enemy any place. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Of course, it often takes time to completely break free from ingrained habits. The enemy will be trying as hard as he can to tempt you and play upon your weaknesses and tendencies along those lines. You may still have some battles over it. So be mindful of that and don’t give up!

3) You have the stronger Man on your side. “Christ Jesus, it is He,” as Martin Luther’s song says. I love this song and can listen to it over and over. Even if you know it by heart, read it or listen to it thoughtfully and prayerfully, and I’m sure you’ll be blessed by it:

A mighty Fortress is our God,
A Bulwark never failing;
Our Helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth His Name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us.
The Prince of Darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Through Him who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still,
His Kingdom is forever.

Hallelujah! No one can stand against Jesus and His power. We have access to it through “the Man of God’s own choosing.” God’s truth will always prevail. So, if we will do our part, He is definitely very eager to do His.

Here are a few of the many verses that you can claim as you fight to overcome bad habits:

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (John 15:7).

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).

For ours is not a conflict with mere flesh and blood, but with the despotisms (dictatorships), the empires, the forces that control and govern this dark world—the spiritual hosts of evil arrayed against us in the heavenly warfare (Ephesians 6:12).

Nothing will be impossible with God (Luke 1:37).

Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith. You know that all over the world the Lord’s followers are suffering just as you are (1 Peter 5:8–9).

I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me for anything in My name, I will do it (John 14:12–14).

Neither give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27).

And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name (Luke 10:17).

If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36).

For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord! (Romans 8:38–39).

And, of course, along with the multitude of promises in the Bible, we can also call on the power of the keys! I claim this power. I love how it works!

Originally published February 2022. Adapted and republished January 2025. Read by Debra Lee.

Fight for Your Rights (part 2)

David Brandt Berg

1980-04-01

Within the next month, before the next board meeting, I began to research, and that’s when I found out that the book was not on the approved textbook list of the state of Florida, and that according to law, anyone introducing an unapproved-by-the-state book into the state school system—such as the school board who had approved of it had done—and any teacher teaching it, was required by state law to be fired, teacher’s credentials removed, fined a minimum of $10,000!

Next meeting when my time came, I stood up and said, “This is a violation of human rights! Freedom of religion, number one, and freedom of speech. They would only let my son out of the course if I promised not to give the story to the press, and that’s a violation of my rights to free press.” I said, “What are we in, the U.S.A. or Russia? I just don’t think this is American.”

I said, “I have 19 ministers here with me today who agree with me.” In the meantime I had gone before the Fundamentalist Ministerial Association, Full Gospel Businessmen, and recruited all the help I could get. I appealed to them to come to the school board meeting where I was to have my last say. Out of 300 or more in the town, 19 of them showed up, God bless them.

So I stood up and made my protest again. She said, “We’ve heard all this before. You told us that last time. We’re not interested, and as far as we are concerned, you’re completely out of order.”

I said, “All right, you have refused to listen to me and to my protest and heed it. According to law, you have approved of an unapproved illegal textbook in the public high schools here, and we have documented proof that you encouraged it to be taught in the local schools. If you won’t withdraw that textbook officially within the next week after this meeting, I am going to take you to court!” They said, “That’s your affair. You do whatever you want to do. Next.”

When I saw that they weren’t planning to do anything about it, I went down to the office I knew so well where I used to work, the District Attorney of Metropolitan Miami in Dade County, Florida.

I said, “I want to file a formal complaint against the Dade County school board for violating state law in permitting and even recommending a textbook to be taught and required in the public schools of Dade County which is not on the accepted list of textbooks approved by the state legislature and the educational committee.

“They have broken state law and are guilty of a felony, the whole school board and the teacher, name by name”—I had the whole list, everybody specifically named—“for using this textbook in Miami Beach High School. “I’ve talked to them and they didn’t even want to let my boy out of the class; they insisted that it was required.”

He looked at my complaint, all typed up, and he said, “Wait a minute, Dave. Don’t you know that the school board members are sacrificial, civic-minded citizens who serve in this capacity without salary, volunteers who give of their time?”

He said, “I’m sorry, how do you expect me to accept a complaint like that? First of all, you’re charging here in this complaint that they are compelling students to use a certain textbook.” He said, “Now, if we really take this thing to court, how do you expect me to prove this? Take for example the word use. U-S-E. What does it really mean? How am I going to convince any jury that U-S-E really means that they actually use this textbook in the class? It would be very difficult to prove that this word U-S-E in the law really means what your son was doing or the teacher was doing in the class.”

He said, “Dave, I’m sorry, you just don’t have a case. We just can’t accept your complaint.”

I left on my next business trip. While gone, I asked the Lord, “What should I do next” And the Lord, as clearly as ever I heard His voice, said, “They’re going to condemn your house to get you out of town.”

So I phoned my wife and I said, “Get packed. We’ve got to move! They are going to condemn the house.” She said, “No, Dave. We just spent $30 on the plumbing in the bathroom and we’ve got all these new rugs and carpeting; we’ve bought this furniture. They couldn’t do that to us.” I said, “They’re going to. The Lord told me so.”

The city wasn’t going to take it lying down. I had them over a barrel legally, and if I could have found a lawyer with the guts to go to bat and fight for it, we could have had one hell of a fight. But I couldn’t find one lawyer. And I couldn’t file my complaint because the assistant district attorney refused to accept it.

So while I was gone on my trip, my family got all packed up and they had trunks and boxes piled up in the foyer and everything ready to go. Investigators came through from five different county and municipal agencies to condemn the building as a fire, health and sanitation hazard. Let me tell you, you can’t fight city hall on their terms.

So, it pays not to let people push you around. Of course, when you see you’re totally outnumbered and it’s impossible, “He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.” Discretion is the better part of valor in that case. In other words, fight as long as you can, but when you see that it’s impossible and you can’t win, then it’s time to retreat.

While on business I had to go to Washington anyhow, so I decided I wanted to go see the Supreme Court because I was determined we were going to take this thing to the Supreme Court, just about the same time they were taking the case of the Bible in the public schools to the Supreme Court.

They were trying to kick the Bible out of the public schools because it’s religion, going against separation of church and state. So I figured, let’s kick out evolution too! It’s religion, a faith.

So I went to the Supreme Court in Washington and tried to see some member of the Supreme Court to discuss it with him and ask him his opinion and to complain and tell him what was happening in the public schools in Miami. By some miracle of God I ran into Justice Brennan in the hall, in his robes, and I very quickly and briefly told him my story.

He said, “Well, son, it sounds like you may have a case, but you must go through the proper legal channels.” He said, “Start there and appeal your case. Go to court and appeal it, and if it gets far enough, we’ll consider it.” So the next time I went back to Miami before the school board for the last time I told them, “If you don’t withdraw this book, I’m going to take you to court!

“If I have to, I’m going to take you clear to the Supreme Court for violation of our freedom. I’ve even discussed it with members of the Supreme Court, and they think we have a case.” Right away their lawyer piped up and said, “Supreme Court? What members?” I said, “I discussed it with Justice Brennan.”

He said, “If this ever comes before the Supreme Court, we’re going to accuse him of prejudice.” You talk about the deck being stacked against you. But even if you know you can’t win, you still have to fight.

So the moral of the whole thing is: Don’t let people push you around. Fight! Even if you can’t win, fight just the same. Show some spunk, show some fight. I got sick and fed up with them trying to push us around. Some of the newspapers went to bat for us too. The Miami News and Miami Herald really started going to bat for us and we got lots of good publicity.

“When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will raise a standard against him” (Isaiah 59:19). What have you got to be afraid of? God’s on your side. You’re with the Lord. He’s the winner. He can’t possibly lose!

Fight for Your Rights (part 1)

David Brandt Berg

1980-04-01

If you let people push you around, you’ll never get anywhere in this world. You’ve got to fight for your rights. You’ve got to go on the attack and fight!

This reminds me of the evolution battle we fought in Miami. My son Aaron came home from Miami Beach High School one day and showed me this so-called Blue Book, a workbook on biology, and it was a whole book on nothing but evolution from cover to cover.

It was financed by the U.S. government, supposedly to train scientists after WWII, because the United States was not developing enough scientists and technicians compared to the Russians. Students in Russia—boys and girls both—were studying to be scientists and technicians, and the U.S. saw that it was behind the times and not developing enough scientists and technicians. So they developed the BSCS, the Biological Sciences Curriculum Studies, their so-called Blue Book, which the introduction said was authored and edited and produced by the nation’s leading biological scientists to be used as a workbook in conjunction with biological studies in every high school in the United States.

Aaron said, “Dad, please, I don’t want to study this; it’s nothing but evolution. All this biology class is about is evolution.” I said, “Don’t worry about it, son. They always try to bring evolution into biology.”

He said, “They’re not just bringing in evolution. The biology they are teaching me in Miami Beach High School is nothing but evolution!” So I sat up one night till five o’clock the next morning and read that whole book through.

It made me so furious! I said to Aaron, “I agree with you. I don’t want you studying this junk. Just tell them you want to drop out of biology. Don’t make any stir about it, just drop it.”

So he went back to school the next day and told them he wanted to drop out of the class. His teacher said, “I’m sorry, but you can’t. You’ve got to take biology as a pre-college requirement.” He said, “I don’t care about going to college. I don’t want to take it.” “Yes, but you signed up for it already, and once you’ve signed up, you’ve got to take this subject.”

He came home and told me, “They won’t let me drop out. They said I’ve signed up for it, so I’ve got to take it.” I said, “What are you talking about, son? This is the United States of America, a free country, free speech, free press, freedom of religion. If you don’t want to take this subject, you don’t have to take it.” He said, “Dad, they say I have to take it or else they’ll expel me from school because I have disobeyed and refused to go to classes, and I won’t be able to earn my diploma. Come and talk to them.”

So I tagged along with him to school the next day. I went to his class with him and I told the teacher that I was his father and I wanted to sign him out of biology. The teacher was very cold, “I’m sorry, sir, but you’ll have to get written permission from the principal to sign him out of this class.” We went to the vice-principal’s office. I told him, “I just want to sign my son out of biology. He doesn’t like it.”

He replied, “I’m so sorry, but according to the county rules, once a student signs up for a course, he’s got to stick to it through the year or take a failing grade for the course, which will count against his diploma.” I said, “He signed up for it because he thought he wanted to take it, and when he tried it he didn’t like it, so he doesn’t want to take it now. And after I’ve seen what he’s studying, this junk you’re teaching him called biology, I don’t want him to take it either.”

“I’m very sorry, sir, but you’ll have to see the principal and get his permission.” So by and by, after half an hour or so of waiting in the waiting room, the principal deigned to have an audience with us. We went into his office and the vice-principal came trailing along and sat down on the other side of the desk with him, and the battle was on.

The principal said, “Once he’s signed up for a course, the Dade County school board rules are that he cannot drop out without a failing grade which will count against his diploma.”

I said, “What do you mean, he can’t drop out of it? Is this Russia or is this the United States of America where we’ve got free speech and free press and freedom of religion? This course is against his religion.” He said, “That’s the rules laid down by the school board.”

I said, “We’ll take a failing grade. Let it count against his diploma; he doesn’t care anyway.” “Yes, but he already signed up for it, so he’s got to take it anyhow whether he likes it or not.” I said, “You mean then that in this city and county school system, it is an absolute dictatorship and there’s no freedom of choice?”

I said, “That’s the final word? He said, “Yes, and we could even hold you responsible for his truancy if you don’t make him come and take this course.”

I said, “That’s very interesting to find out. I think the free press of Miami would be very interested in this case, that an American student, a so-called free citizen of the United States of America, and his father, a so-called free citizen of the United States of America, has no right to withdraw him from a course that he doesn’t like because he claims it’s against his religion and his freedom of choice, and you say he cannot drop out or I am subject to legal procedures, possible fine, and truancy and all the rest.”

I said, “I think the newspapers would like to hear about this, that we’re not living in the United States of America and a free country, but we are now living in Russia, where they insist on cramming down my son’s throat anti-God, anti-Bible propaganda that he is forced to swallow in the public school and he cannot get out of it.”

They looked at each other and said, “Just a moment please. We’ll confer about this a moment if you don’t mind.” We sat there for a few minutes and pretty soon they came back in. They said, “Well, Mr. Berg, we’re very sorry that this has happened and we are happy to let your son out of this course. There will be no penalties and you will hear no more about it. Everything will be fine as long as he keeps up his other work and comes to school as he should, etc., if you promise that you won’t take it to the press.”

I said, “Fine, that’s all I came here for, to get him out of the class, to quit having to study evolution that you’re teaching in this book.” I went to bed that night very happy that I got my boy out of that class.

But sometime in the night, I couldn’t go to sleep, and the Lord said to me as clear as I ever heard the voice of God, “You got Aaron out of class, good. So you don’t care about the rest of them, all the rest of those kids having the same stuff crammed down their throats?”

I got under real conviction, I had saved my boy but I didn’t care if the rest of them went to hell. I wrote the school board a letter of protest and told them why I withdrew my boy and why it was wrong for them to teach this. I based it on freedom of religion and wrote my letter on the premise that evolution is religion. If nothing else, it’s anti-religion, it’s against the Bible, and therefore students shouldn’t have to take it if they didn’t want to.

Aaron mailed the letter to the school board and I came back from a business trip after two weeks, and received a letter from the school board, probably a form letter, saying, “We have received your letter of complaint and we invite you”—good politics—“to appear before the next school board meeting on such-and-such a date to present your protest in person if you wish.”

I went to the school board meeting. They had an agenda of business, and finally there were to be heard complaints or protests or comments from the audience. Anybody who wanted to could stand up and talk for ten minutes. So I got up and I proceeded to read six closely typewritten single-spaced pages.

It ran over ten minutes and the chairwoman finally tapped her gavel and said, “That’s enough, your ten minutes are up.” And I said, “I’m not quite finished, I have a few more things to say here, if you don’t mind. Could I ask for a little bit more time?” I kept on reading five more minutes and I still wasn’t finished.

I said, “I think the public needs to hear what I’ve got to say. I think it’s unfair; it’s putting a squelch on freedom of speech to limit what I’ve got to say to 10 or 15 minutes. I’ve only got two more pages here, I want to read the rest of what I’ve got to say about this.”

She said, “I’m very sorry, we have a lot of other things on our agenda and other people who want to speak and have their ten minutes. You’ve had more than your share already.” I said, “I’m going to finish what I’ve got to say.” And I kept on reading and got through with about one more page, all but the last page.

She said, “I’m warning you, if you go any further I am going to call the sergeant at arms and have you forcibly ejected from this meeting.” And I read a little further and she said, “Sergeant.” I saw this big, husky, burly policeman coming down the aisle toward me! I said, “Thank you very much, madam,” and I sat down quietly. He came right up to my elbow, and he said to me, “Buddy, if you cause any more trouble, out you go.”

But just before I sat down, I said, “If you don’t mind, I would just like to have your permission to continue this at the next board meeting, one month from now.” She said, “You can have your ten minutes like anybody else.” And I sat down, and I smiled at the sergeant. (to be continued)

What Is at the Heart of the Book of Acts?

January 10, 2025

By Nancy Guthrie

If you think about it, Acts is kind of a funny name for a book, isn’t it? It immediately raises the question, “Whose acts? What acts?”

Of course, the fuller name we find in our English Bibles for this book is Acts of the Apostles. Luke, the author of this book, didn’t actually give it that title. It wasn’t until the third century that the early church gave it this designation. Why might they have given it that title?

(Read the article here.)

https://www.crossway.org/articles/what-is-at-the-heart-of-the-book-of-acts

Taking Time with the Master

January 9, 2025

Happier Living Series

Audio length: 14:54

Download Audio (13.6MB)

The issue

Life can be confusing! We search for answers, but often end up with more questions. What are we here for? Why is there so much pain and heartache in the world? Where can we find hope, even when things seem to be going all wrong? Where can we find the strength to face life’s challenges? Where can we find happiness that lasts?

The answers to all these questions and more are found in a personal and close relationship with Jesus, who promises us not only eternal life in heaven, but that He will be with us every hour of every day until we get there. He has promised us a future of hope, joy, peace, freedom, and everlasting love. The Bible tells us to “think on these things”—the noble, just, true, praiseworthy and excellent things (Philippians 4:8).

God is for us, He is with us, and best of all, God is in us and will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5)! Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross delivered us from the weight of sin and qualified us to “share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” God “transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins,” and Christ is now in us, “the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:12–14, 27). God loves us and cares for us and is with us through everything we face in life.

During a time of great uncertainty, while facing the prospect of war in 1939, in his Christmas address King George VI of England quoted the preamble to the poem God Knows, written by Minnie Louise Haskins, that continues to speak to us today. “And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown. And he replied: Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

Jesus is the light of the world, and He promised that if we follow Him, we will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life to guide us (John 8:12).

What the Bible says…

God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.—John 1:3–5

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.—Proverbs 3:5–6

Shock absorbers

Oh, that ditch again! I was driving home and—as I had done every day for months—had to drive very slowly over a dip in the road to avoid a bone-jarring jolt.

My car was due for a general servicing, so I took it to the mechanic I regularly go to. He got behind the wheel to pull it into his shop, and when he stepped on the brakes, he turned to me with a look of surprise and asked, “How can you drive your car like this?! Your shock absorbers are gone!” He replaced the shocks and I set off for home.

Oops, that ditch again. As I was driving my newly serviced car home, my mind was somewhere else, and I didn’t think to slow down for the familiar dip until it was too late. I braced myself for the inevitable impact, but hardly felt that old ditch. I had gotten so used to driving my car with no shock absorbers that I had forgotten what it was like to have them.

If you drive only on good roads, you hardly need shock absorbers, but when the road gets rough or you come to one of those bone-jarring dips or potholes, it’s a different story. Isn’t life a lot like that? Most of the time, thank God, the ride is pretty smooth. But what about when we lose someone close to us, or suffer a business failure, or an injury shakes our lives? What if there is a power failure and we are stuck in an elevator for hours, or we find ourselves in an earthquake or other disaster? What kind of “shock absorbers” can help us make it through incidents like these?

Ask the man who walked the rough and rugged road to Mount Calvary and gave His life there for you and me. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

So many people drive through life with absolutely no shock absorbers, carefully trying to avoid every bump and hole in the road that could give them a jolt. They try to only drive on the smoothest roads because they know they’re not prepared for any sudden bumps. They don’t have the peace that Jesus offers—spiritual shock absorbers for their earthly vehicle. Maybe they don’t even realize they need shock absorbers, or how much wear and tear these things can spare them.

There are going to be bumps on the road of life. That’s inevitable. But with Jesus’ loving hands underneath you, you’ll be able to navigate them and know that no matter how many bumps or obstacles you face, you will arrive safe and sound at your final destination.

Put yourself in His hands and see the difference it makes.—Matthew Nantes

Feeling pressured?

When it seems there is much more to be done than there is time to do it, it’s easy to get under pressure. At such times, we can find ourselves putting aside spending time in God’s Word and prayer and communion with Him. Like Martha in the Bible, we can become “anxious and troubled about many things,” which can include caring for and serving others. Jesus gently reminded Martha that “but one thing is necessary,” and that is “the good portion” that will never be taken away from us. What is that good portion? Martha’s sister, Mary, exemplified it as she “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching” (Luke 10:38–42).

Stress can hinder us in a number of other ways as well. It puts extra strain on our nervous system, which can make us more likely to make mistakes or poor decisions. It squelches our inspiration. It can make us irritable and harder for others to work with. It can take the joy out of life and be counterproductive on so many levels.

Learning to recognize when we’re starting to get under pressure and taking positive steps to counter it is an important habit to build. This starts with bringing all our cares and burdens to the Lord in prayer and seeking His help and guidance. “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7).

When we feel under pressure, often the first thing to get crowded out of our schedule is the very thing we need most—our daily time of communion with the Lord and His Word. We have to learn how to give all our worries about yesterday, with its mistakes and failures, and all our concerns and fears of the future to God. The Bible tells us to “turn your burdens over to the Lord, and he will take care of you” (Psalm 55:22).

It can be helpful to remind ourselves that we can’t change the past, but we can ruin a perfectly good present by worrying about the future and allowing ourselves to get under undue pressure. If we can learn to take quiet moments of prayer throughout the day and spend time communing with God and reading His Word, this will lighten our load. We will find that as we come to Him with our heavy burdens, He will give us rest for our souls and renew our hope and joy as we place our trust in Him (Matthew 11:28–30).

Stress management

The battle with stress in your life begins between your ears. It’s in your thought life. What you fill your mind with determines your level of stress. If you want peace of mind, you have to control what you allow into your mind. For most people, the mind is like a freeway. They let anything drive through it. … Then they’re surprised when their mind’s freeway becomes polluted with all these things. And they wonder why their stress is so high.

The Bible offers another way. Philippians 4:8 says, “Think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected.”

To lower your stress, change what you think about. In this verse, the Bible gives you eight tests for deciding if you should allow something in your mind. Ask yourself: Are the things you’re putting into your mind all week good, worthy of praise, true, honorable, right, pure, beautiful, and respected? If not, it’s time to start filling your mind with different things.

Each one of those eight attributes actually describes God. So when you think about things that are good, worthy of praise, true, honorable, right, pure, beautiful, and respected, you’re really picturing God. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

Corrie ten Boom—a Dutch Christian during World War II—knew the truth of that verse. She and her family hid Jews from the Nazis and were eventually sent to death camps, where her sister and father died. But through that horrible time, she discovered the secret of living with a mind at peace. She said it like this: “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest.”

Whatever is going on around you, … if you fix your thoughts on God, he will keep you in perfect peace.—Rick Warren¹

Think about it…

There is a saying that “life is a marathon, not a sprint,” and the Bible tells us that it takes perseverance to run the race marked out for us, as we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1–2).
No matter how busy you are, remember the formula Jesus gave: Seek first the kingdom of God, and the rest will be added to you (Matthew 6:33).
Take time to commune with God, read a chapter from the Bible, and commit your day to Him, and “He will direct your path” (Proverbs 3:6).

What the Bible says…

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? … Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? … Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.—Matthew 6:25–34

In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.—Isaiah 30:15

Published on Anchor January 2025. Read by John Laurence.

¹ https://pastorrick.com/stress-management-starts-in-the-mind-2

Life Is a Journey—Take a Rest

January 8, 2025

By Chloe Rose

“Life is hard, sometimes harder than it needs to be.” That is how my client started the conversation when he called me. I was very chipper and tried to assure him that I would do my best to support him in the matter. But I couldn’t help but remember how the previous day I had thought the very same thing.

It seems that no matter who you are, at some point life gets hard. Was it meant to be this way? Were we meant to have to struggle? I know that there is triumph in tribulation and suffering makes you stronger, but was that God’s plan for us from the beginning, or do we make life harder for ourselves than it needs to be? What if our life on earth was just a long journey, and even though we get seasons of rest along the way, it’s not till we really get home that we can put our weight down and find peace? That would explain the constant struggle we face on this side of heaven.

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27). We can be partakers of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), which is flowing with peace, and we can live with our eyes fixed on Him. We can go to Him and find rivers of living water (John 7:37–38). We can be on this journey that includes hardship and suffering and yet still enjoy the freedom and peace that He offers.

I get easily distracted, going from one thing to the next, and I sometimes find it hard to remember to come back to something I’ve started. So, when things get busy, I forget to find peace by going to Jesus, the source of living water. Then I am reminded like I was today, while I am going about my daily tasks, that there is someone who waits to walk beside me if I will let Him. Someone who will give me peace in the midst of a storm, who will provide a place of refuge when I feel lost and I don’t know what my next move should be. When I think I can’t take another step, He carries me. When I am in need of friendship, He is my friend who listens and comforts me. When I am in doubt, He encourages my faith.

The reality that life is hard somehow served as a reminder for me that, yes, it may be difficult, but there is also hope and faith and a God big enough to handle all my problems and more. He is the living, breathing Word come to life and made flesh among us (John 1:14). He is the rock and the anchor that I need (Psalm 18:2, Hebrews 6:19).

We all face our personal battles and need help. I have a real God on my side and He sees me. I only hope the client I spoke to today can have that same perspective and an anchor to get them through their day. I said a prayer and asked my Creator to help the weary traveler to find the rest that he needed.

If you, my fellow traveler, find yourself on a difficult part of your journey, my prayer for you is that you can stop, look up at the stars, and know that home is not far away, that rest and peace are available through the Prince of Peace.

“Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). You see, He wants to be there for us. He wants us close. All we have to do is come to Him. Life gets busy and we forget sometimes, but He doesn’t, so He sends us nudges, reminders of His presence, and we get glimpses of that joy.

What makes heaven so special? His presence! Life with Him contains joy and peace. The everyday struggles we face, if we let them, can serve as a reminder to go to that presence to find peace and to bask in the sunshine of His love.

Not everything that’s difficult is unpleasant. Joy can be found in overcoming challenges. But anything that’s worth something costs something.

I’d like to leave you with a song called “Weary Traveler,” by Jordan St. Cyr, that has encouraged me through some hard days. A line from the chorus says, “Weary traveler, restless soul, you were never meant to walk this road alone…” I pray that you can find the strength to carry on today, by resting in the peace found through walking in His presence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBg_u48_F6w

All Things New

January 7, 2025

A compilation

Audio length: 10:50

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New is great. New sounds like potential and opportunity … unless I think about it too much. Then it sounds like change and the unknown. As this new year begins, I’ve promised myself that instead of fearing the unknown I will choose to hope in the known. So what is known about new? What do I know to be true that I can securely place my hope in? I know this—that God is the author of new. And since he authors every good and perfect thing, I can trust that this new year will bring good with it (James 1:17).

New is one of God’s promises to us, and we know that all of his promises are fulfilled in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). As believers, our hope ultimately rests in the promise that Christ will come back for us one day and make all things new (Revelation 21:5). But what about the here and now? What can I hang my hope-hat on today, tomorrow, and every other day of this new year? Scripture is full of stories that show us how God makes things new for his glory and for the good of his people. …

He restores.I love God most for his ability to restore. He restores us to a right relationship with him through the gift of forgiveness and justification. He is able to restore earthly relationships. And he can even restore days and years that have been lost to the effects of sin (Joel 2:25). That has to be great evidence of the extravagant nature of God’s mercy. Not only can he renew a life and redeem its future, but he can also redeem its past. …

In the New Testament, we see Jesus live a ministry of restoration. He restores sight to the blind, the ability to walk to the crippled, hearing to the deaf, and new clean skin to the diseased (Mark 8:22–26; Matthew 9:2–8; Mark 7:31–37; Luke 5:12–26). In all of these accounts, Jesus didn’t just heal a condition. He restored life, security, and hope to broken people. …

He resurrects. God makes dead things alive again. Literally. He has power over death in every sense, and he demonstrated that to us when he raised Jesus from the grave. Scripture says that, as believers, we have that same power dwelling in us. It’s what gives life to our dead souls (Romans 8:11).

I can get so easily discouraged when I think about all the times I’ve failed. … And it makes the idea of fighting this battle for another year of life seem overwhelming. But this truth, that I have the same power that raised Christ from the grave dwelling in me, gives me great hope. If I lay down my weak, flawed existence every day, I can trust that God will resurrect it with new life and new grace. …

All things new. As I begin this new year, I’m committing to hope in God’s power to make things new. He restores lost time, bestows new identities, and creates new life. He offers renewed mercy to his own with each day. He promises good plans for his people, plans that include a hopeful future (Jeremiah 29:11).

So rather than seeing the start of another year as a daunting task to be met or an unknown to be feared, my prayer is that I can trust in God’s sovereignty over new. There will be new blessings, new trials, new failures, and new victories, but his goodness will guard them all.—Caitlin Plascencia¹

“Behold, I make all things new” is a truth anticipated from the beginning. When Adam and Eve sinned, God gave glimpses of this promise as He meted out judgment on sin and promised the Messiah (Genesis 3). The prophet Isaiah … prophesies of the new heaven and new earth: “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered” (Isaiah 65:17). This sinful, depraved world is not God’s ultimate destiny for those who trust in Him, and we, like Paul, long for the time when God will “bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ” (Ephesians 1:10).

Decay, destruction, death, and evil are all part of our lives on this earth. Even nature groans to be delivered from the curse (Romans 8:22). Yet Jesus’ declaration, “Behold I make all things new,” affords the hope that one day we will be free from the consequences and effects of sin and will live with Him in a new heaven and earth. This truth makes us live with eager expectation, seeking to know Him more, become more like Him, and make Him known. Our hopeful future is what changes how we live as we await Jesus’ making all things new.—GotQuestions.org²

We long to see God’s kingdom come and his will done on earth as in heaven (Matthew 6:10). We long for the redemption of our bodies and the renovation of our world (Romans 8:21–23). Revelation strengthens our weary hearts with God’s sure promise, “I am making all things new.” New and ever new, with no more sin or sorrow, death, or decay.

God will surely make all things new, and he has already begun that new creation work in his people: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Creator has shined saving light in our hearts so that we might see his glory in the face of Christ, and we now have this treasure in clay jars (2 Corinthians 4:6–7). In other words, we have an advance on the glories of the new Eden in the midst of the present world that is passing away, a preview of coming attractions. The renovation of the hearts and lives of God’s people now anticipates the coming renewal and restoration of all things. Lord, hasten the day when our faith will be sight.—Brian Tabb³

As sure as the night follows the day—as sure as the sun rises, it must also set. As sure as the rain falls, it must also rise again. As sure as “from dust thou art, to dust thou shalt return” (Genesis 3:19). As sure as life and death, there must be a continual birth, life, death, and resurrection. The cycle must be completed. The perfect circle of eternity, to complete the creation of God, of which He is the designer and the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega (Revelation 1:8).

Society, economics, and politics tend to solidify. But God moves. He is a moving God. He is never still. He is always doing, going, effecting change in every sphere of creation. He is never static, except for Himself—“I am the Lord: I change not” (Malachi 3:6). Except for His Word—“Forever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89). And except for the future—His promises to His children. “For the things which are seen are temporal”—for a little while—“but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). “For whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever; nothing shall be put to it, nor anything taken from it” (Ecclesiastes 3:14).

Are you moving with the white-hot fires of the Spirit of God—burning, melting, moving, molding, flowing, pouring, sharing? Are you loving, and wooing and sowing and conceiving with the seed of God’s Word that brings life—new birth, new creatures, and a new world, where “old things are passed away and all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17)?—David Brandt Berg

Published on Anchor January 2025. Read by Jon Marc. Music by Michael Dooley.

¹ https://openthebible.org/article/three-ways-god-makes-all-things-new

² https://www.gotquestions.org/I-make-all-things-new.html

³ https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/all-things-new

Faithfully Running the Race

January 6, 2025

By Maria Fontaine

Audio length: 7:57

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And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.—Hebrews 12:1–2

Peter and I love you very much, and you are ever present in our prayers. Each of you is very precious to us and to the Lord. We are so grateful for your faithfulness to keep running the race that He has set before us.

Throughout our lives, we each experience times of discouragement, feeling as though we have failed, or as though our world has fallen apart, or that we have disappointed others. At times, we may experience confusion, loneliness, or isolation. We can be tempted to look back and think about how we could have done things differently.

But the Lord so often looks at things very differently than the way they may appear on the surface. So be encouraged, dear ones, that you are never alone, and He is with you through every season and trial of life! His promise to work everything together for our good, as we continue to faithfully love and serve Him, is as true today as ever (Romans 8:28)!

We can’t tell you how thankful we are that you have faithfully shone His light in the darkness of the world around you. You may feel small and insignificant, and like your light is very tiny, but remember that even a flicker of light can shine very brightly in the midst of darkness.

Please know that each one of your acts of love and service to Jesus—each smile, each prayer, each witness, each tract you distribute, each word of hope and encouragement—is very important, and He will bless you for sharing His message with others. You have been faithful messengers of God’s love and truth to the world, and when you get to heaven you will hear His “Well done” and receive His reward for your sacrifices.

Following are words of encouragement from Jesus that I pray will be a blessing to you.

Greater love has no one than this, that they lay down their lives for others (John 15:13). I am pleased with the faithfulness of all who share My love and truth with others. You have been willing to follow Me wherever I guide you to reach the lost, to share the good news, and to lead souls to Me. You have given of your time and yourself day after day, through thick and thin, rain or shine, in the rough times and the tough times, in the cold of the night and the gray of the day.

You obeyed My call to the Great Commission, and you sacrificed at times through extreme difficulty and challenging conditions because of your love for Me and for the lost. Great is your reward in heaven, for with such sacrifices I am well pleased (Hebrews 13:16). In your love for Me and for others, you have been willing to endure hardness as good soldiers (2 Timothy 2:3).

You are My precious ones in whom I delight! Great will be your reward for all the times you have faithfully ventured out to reach lost souls, whether they would accept your message or not, whether they were receptive or not. You have dared to step outside of cultural norms to make a difference in people’s lives and to help the needy, the hungry, the poor, and the impoverished.

You will not see all the fruit of your labors in this life, but you can be assured that you have gained precious lessons and experience, and you have gained My blessings for your obedience to My call. I do not judge by outward appearance, and success in My sight is not as man sees. For those who are truly successful are those who are faithful, no matter what the visible results or immediate fruit of their witness or service for Me may be.

Even when you make mistakes or fail, look at these as opportunities to learn and grow. The best lessons are often learned in the face of mistakes or seeming failure. But for those who love Me, every difficult experience will ultimately propel you upward to heights of greater victory, greater faith, and growth through experience.

So do not be discouraged, but lift up your eyes, look into My face, and know that I am upholding you with My strength! I have never left you or forsaken you, and I never will. I will always see you through. I am right by your side, a very present help in times of trouble.

Your time on earth is a training season for the future—your eternal life in My heavenly kingdom. It takes hard work and dedication and personal sacrifices on your part. Just as an athlete who trains for the Olympics, you experience aches and pains and weariness in your earthly training. It takes avoiding the spiritual junk food this world has to offer and taking in the nourishment of My Word if you want to stay in shape and have the strength to keep running the race to the end.

Earthly athletes sacrifice and discipline themselves for an earthly prize or a crown that will not last, but your race is for a crown that will last forever (1 Corinthians 9:24–25). Great is your reward in heaven, so rejoice and be glad (Matthew 5:12)!

(Maria:) God bless you, dear Family. Keep going for Jesus! He’s always with us and cheering us on as we continue to run the race that is set before us until that day when He takes us home to be with Him forever! As the old hymn says, it will be worth it all.

Oft times the day seems long, our trials hard to bear,
We’re tempted to complain, to murmur and despair;
But Christ will soon appear to catch His Bride away,
All tears forever over in God’s eternal day.

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

Sometimes the sky looks dark with not a ray of light,
We’re tossed and driven on, no human help in sight;
But there is one in heaven who knows our deepest care,
Let Jesus solve your problem—just go to Him in prayer.

Life’s day will soon be o’er, all storms forever past,
We’ll cross the great divide, to glory, safe at last;
We’ll share the joys of heaven—a harp, a home, a crown,
The tempter will be banished, we’ll lay our burden down.
—Esther Kerr Rusthoi

Originally published June 1996. Adapted and republished January 2025. Read by Lenore Welsh.

The Story of the Ten Virgins

Peter Amsterdam

2023-01-30

The parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25:1–13 follows on the heels of the parable of the Faithful and Unfaithful Servant, which speaks of the servant who paid no attention to when his master would return. The parable of the Ten Virgins also addresses the need for continual readiness as believers wait for Christ’s return. The parable begins with “The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom” (Matthew 25:1).

Wedding ceremonies in first-century Palestine were preceded by a betrothal. The betrothal was the first stage of marriage, and once a couple was betrothed, they were considered husband and wife. The second stage was the actual wedding ceremony, which is the setting for this parable. Not a lot is known about the details of these wedding ceremonies, but it seems that part of the ceremony included the groom and his friends escorting the bride and the bridal party to the home of the groom where the wedding feast—which often lasted some days—was held.

The procession of the bride to the groom’s home often took place at night and included song and dancing. In Jesus’ parable, ten unmarried young women were going to be part of this procession; and because it was dark, they were going to carry torches while escorting the bride and groom.

We’re now told something about the ten young women: “Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps” (Matthew 25:2–4).

The lamps these young women carried would have been torches for outdoor use, which were a stick with bundles of cloth wrapped around the top. The cloth would be soaked in oil and then lit. These torches would burn brightly for about fifteen minutes and then start to go out, as the oil was consumed. For this reason, those carrying such torches would take extra oil in some sort of container, called vessels in KJV and flasks or jars in other translations.

Five of the girls brought extra oil with them, while the other five didn’t bring any surplus. The girls who brought the oil were referred to as wise, while those who didn’t make such preparations were referred to as foolish by Jesus. Jesus used the same wise/foolish comparison in the parable of the wise man who built his house on the rock and the foolish one who built his house on the sand (Matthew 7:24–27).

Jesus goes on to say, “As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept” (Matthew 25:5). The ten young women were ready and waiting for the arrival of the bridegroom; however, the groom was delayed. No explanation is given in the parable for the delay, nor is one needed, since parables are meant to illustrate a point or principle. Considering that they had everything prepared for the bridegroom’s arrival, and there was much they would need to do after he arrived, taking a nap was a reasonable course of action.

“At midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him’” (Matthew 25:6). The word translated as midnight expresses that he came sometime in the middle of the night. Someone had sighted the approach of the groom’s party and called out for everyone to come outside and meet him.

“Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out’” (Matthew 25:7–8). All the women rose and prepared their lamps. The wise girls began to re-soak and light their torches. The foolish girls’ lamps, however, wouldn’t stay lit due to a lack of oil, and were probably smoking badly since the cloth didn’t have enough oil. If their torches went out then, these five young women would not be able to play their role in the torchlight parade to the groom’s parents’ home.

“But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves’” (Matthew 25:9). The unwillingness of the wise girls to share their oil could seem selfish, but their supply of oil was probably limited, and if they shared it, none of them would have enough oil in their lamps for the procession of the bridegroom. So they refused to give their oil away, and suggested that those who needed oil go and purchase some.

Since it was the middle of the night, suggesting that the girls go buy oil could seem somewhat ridiculous, but as this is a parable, the technical details didn’t have to all line up. It’s also possible that the wise girls may have been suggesting going to the shop/home of the oil seller to wake him or, since there was a wedding in the village, some of the shops may have stayed open during the festivities. In any case, the foolish girls went off to try to buy the oil they should have brought with them.

“While they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut” (Matthew 25:10). The bridegroom arrived while the foolish girls were away looking for oil, and the girls who had oil in their lamps went into the marriage feast with the groom, and the door to the feast was closed.

When commenting on the door being closed, one commentator wrote: “The closing of the door is another element in the story which seems out of place in the open hospitality and conviviality of a village wedding; late arrival is not normally an issue in oriental society, certainly not penalized in such a dramatic fashion.^”¹ Though this was out of the norm, the fact that the door was shut indicates that at this wedding feast there was a time when one was able to enter into the festivities, and those who didn’t make it on time were excluded.

“Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you’” (Matthew 25:11–12). We’re not told if the young women were successful in finding the oil, but when they returned, they found the door to the wedding feast closed.

This was baffling to them. They were presumably on the guest list, as they had a role to play as torchbearers; they desired to be part of the wedding party, but the door was shut. So they appealed to the bridegroom, respectfully calling out “lord, lord,” appealing to him to open the door so they can enter. His response is chilling: “I do not know you.”

These dismissive words aren’t a statement that the bridegroom was not acquainted with the young women, but rather a form of dissociation from them. His words make it painfully clear that they will not partake of the wedding festivities; they are shut out of the celebration. The Truly, I say to you statement drives home the importance of the words I do not know you. They had expected to be part of the wedding, they had a role to play, they wanted to be let in, but they were completely excluded.

The parable ends with: “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:13).

The primary message that this parable conveys is the idea of Jesus’ return being delayed. Believers in the early days of Christianity expected that Jesus’ second coming would be soon. Elsewhere in the Gospels, Jesus makes it clear that none of us know when that time will be (Matthew 24:36).

“Know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:43–44).

This parable makes the point that since no one knows the time of the Lord’s return, each of us must always be ready for that moment. We don’t know when the Lord will return, and we certainly don’t know when our lives on this earth will end. Through this parable, Jesus expressed the need to be mindful of His return and live in a manner which reflects readiness for coming into His presence. For some believers, that will happen at His return; but for others, it will be at the time of their death.

Our time to live our faith, to follow Jesus, to love others, to live honorable lives, is now. May we all live in a manner which reflects the readiness of the wise virgins, so that when we pass from this life to the next, we will hear Jesus say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21).

Originally published May 2018. Adapted and republished January 2023.
Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso.

¹ R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007), 949–50.

Core 8-01: What It Is

2014-02-01

The Bible tells us that there is a spiritual battle going on between good and evil. It speaks of this spiritual battle in many places, but one of the most common verses on this topic is from the apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:12.

Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities [authorities], against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 also explains what this warfare is, and makes it clear that Christians aren’t engaged in a physical battle but a spiritual one.

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.

What is the purpose of this spiritual battle? It’s a battle that Christians need to fight in order to protect our hearts and minds from the influence and attacks of Satan.

Satan’s number-one enemy is Jesus, and he makes it a priority to try to defeat those who believe in Him. He will do what he can to get in the way of your relationship with Jesus and to stop you from being an effective Christian—one who brings more souls into God’s kingdom and influences the lives of others for good.

Every time you bring Jesus’ truth and salvation to others, there is no doubt that you will take part in this spiritual battle of good against evil.

True Spiritual Awakening

January 3, 2025

On Scripture, Meditation, and God’s Voice

By John Lennox and James Tour

Discussion on the power of God’s Word, hearing the voice of God through His Word, and how it gives us conviction to overcome fear and to be witnesses for Him.

Run time for this video is 52 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEFQh8I8lO8

Stepping into the New Year

January 2, 2025

A compilation

Audio length: 11:49

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Romans 12:1–2 says: “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. … Fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. … God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”

Using this passage, let’s write a New Year’s Prayer. But not just any prayer. Reread Romans 12:1. There is a powerful little word tucked in that first sentence. Paul tells us to take our lives and place them before God as an offering.

Together, let’s make a New Year’s offering.

We can make all the resolutions we want, but we can’t change ourselves. But when we willingly offer our lives to God, He will change us. The NIV translation of Romans 12:2 says, “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The renewing of our mind requires inward change and comes from God at work in us. It requires diligence on our part. It requires changing our thoughts, our priorities, and goals to be aligned with those of Christ.

It’s baby steps. And it doesn’t require changing everything all at once.

Let’s begin today with our first step … a simple prayer, offering our hearts to God.

How do we do this?

We’re going to write a prayer together. I’ll start. You finish.

Heavenly Father, I praise You this day as Elohim, God my Creator. You are the Author of my life. You are the Strength of my heart and my Portion forever. You are all I need. My heart’s desire in this New Year is to grow closer to You. In knowing You better, I will know myself more because my identity is found in You.

I want to become a [person] after Your own heart. God, I ask You to help me each day carve out time to spend with You. Give me eyes to see, ears to hear, a heart to receive, and a mind to understand all that You will teach me. Make my heart tender to hear Your voice each time I meet with You.

Take Your Word and penetrate my heart. Create a hunger deep inside my soul for more and more of You. May nothing else satisfy me more than You.

Give me a heart of humility. If there is anything in me that keeps me from hearing You, reveal it to me. Convict me. Move me to confession. Cleanse my heart and renew a right spirit within me so I can be in perfect fellowship with You.

Fill my heart with Your truth. Plant it deep so that it takes root. Move me. Change me. Transform me. Empower me to live out what I hear and learn.

Every day of this new year, make my life one long walk of obedience in response to Your Word and Your Holy Spirit who lives and reigns in me. Let Your love and Your Word shape my life. This is my prayer offering. I ask this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Now let’s commit together to pray our prayer throughout the year, asking God to change us from the inside out in baby steps.—Wendy Blight¹

A journey of ten million steps

The Christian life is not a sprint. It is a journey of ten million steps.

Day after day, and year after year, we put one foot in front of the other as we flee the wreckage of our sin and follow Jesus on the path of life. We step away from self-protection toward love, away from darkness toward light, away from foolishness toward wisdom. Step after step after step—ten million times.

But unless we stop every so often, and take a careful look backward and forward, our feet will gradually drift from God’s paths and stumble onto others. Like a hiker who never checks his compass, we’ll set out in the right direction and end up miles off the mark. Slowly, subtly, and perhaps imperceptibly, we’ll exit the narrow and hard path that leads to life and merge onto the wide and easy way to destruction (Matthew 7:13–14).

The new year is a time for course correction—a time for taking out the map, consulting the compass, and heeding Paul’s command to “look carefully … how you walk” (Ephesians 5:15).

In Ephesians, Paul commands his readers five times to “walk”—in good works, in a manner worthy of their calling, in love, in light, and in wisdom. As we consider Paul’s “walk” commands, take a look backward and forward: Where have you drifted off the path? What steps might you take this year, with God’s help, to follow Jesus down these hard but happy roads? …

One day soon, you will not need to look carefully to how you are walking. Perfect love will course through the veins of your resurrected body. The light of God’s righteousness will radiate from your every thought, word, and action. Unclouded wisdom will rest upon your immortal shoulders.

Until that day, [the coming year] is another year to “look carefully … how you walk” (Ephesians 5:15). Walk in love—go low to lift others up. Walk in light—drive the shadows from your soul. And walk in wisdom—seize your days from the devil’s hand. These are three roads that lead us to God’s city of joy, where our journey of ten million steps will finally end.—Scott Hubbard²

Steps of the New Year

Dear Lord, as I set out on the path of the coming year, I don’t know exactly where it leads, but no matter what happens, I pray for the strength to acknowledge You on each step of my journey. Whatever joys or difficulties I encounter, may Your presence give me peace (Exodus 33:14).

“Does he not see my ways and count my every step?” (Job 31:4).

“Uphold my steps in Your paths, that my footsteps may not slip” (Psalm 17:5).

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way” (Psalm 37:23).—Activated

I will be with you each step of the way

I know how often you wish you had another chance, a fresh beginning, the opportunity to blot out your mistakes, to change past fiascos into successes. You can’t change the past, but you can still make a difference in the way your future goes. You can let go of the memories and mistakes from the past and learn to do things better today. You can learn from the past, gain experience and wisdom, and turn it into something worthwhile in your life by becoming a better person, the person I want you to be.

You can have a brand-new start. All it takes is a deep desire to try with all your heart to live a little better, to love a little more, to be forgiving, to cast away bitterness and hurt and the grudges that keep you chained to the past, and work on adding to the world in which you are living, beginning this very moment to contribute to a wonderful future.

There are times when it can be difficult to see the positive side of life. But no matter how dark the night may be for you, there is always a way to move steadily and optimistically through it into the light of a brand-new day and way of living.

You can take positive steps each day, contributing to a brighter tomorrow, even when the world and your circumstances say you can’t, even when situations seem to conspire against you. In fact, it is during difficult times that those who are committed to being positive, productive, and effective can have the greatest impact.

So don’t give up in despair, thinking that you’re through, because there’s always a chance to start anew. Even in the most trying times there is more reason for hope than there is reason for despair. Even in the midst of uncertainty, there is an abundance of positive possibilities. Even when the world is awash in troubles, it is also filled with My goodness.

I love you and delight to travel the road of life with you, but you need to remember to hold on to Me. This road will not always be smooth. It will have its costs, its tests, its difficulties, its sacrifices, but these are designed by Me to help you mature and grow in love, in depth, in giving, and in learning what real love is. They are designed to draw you closer to My heart.

Sometimes, as in a fog, you won’t be able to see the road ahead, but I want you to trust Me anyway. Always give Me first place in your life, and all the rest will be added to you. Trust in Me to bless, protect, and keep you. The road will take some turns you’re not expecting or prepared for, but I will be with you each step of the way.—Jesus

Published on Anchor January 2025. Read by Jerry Paladino. Music by Michael Fogarty.

¹ https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2014/01/01/my-new-years-offering

² https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/watch-where-you-walk-in-2018

Visions of a New Year

January 1, 2025

By Filoiann Wiedenhoff

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.—Philippians 3:13–14

As Christmas comes to an end, we anxiously await the words “Happy New Year!” My best friend and I have this tradition we do every year for the last five years usually around the end of December. We go to our favorite beach spot, where we talk and pray about the past year and look ahead to the New Year.

We ponder and discuss all the interesting occurrences that happened the past year; the good times, the bad times, the frustrating times and also the fun times. We share what valuable lessons we learned from our experiences, what God showed us and how He was faithful through all of it.

We do this as a closure to one year and then an opening to the next. After we have laughed a while and then cried, we begin to look forward with great excitement, wondering what God has for us this coming new year. What new experiences will we go through and what new lessons will we learn. It’s all fresh and new, and that is exciting.

(Read the article here.)

https://justbetweenus.org/everyday-life/faith-for-the-new-year/visions-of-a-new-year

Hope for the New Year

December 31, 2024

A compilation

Audio length: 12:20

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The fireworks are over. The balloons have dropped. The year is officially over. But the celebration is not yet done. After the festivities of New Year’s Eve wind down, there is another holiday to be celebrated—New Year’s Day. It is the beginning of a new year. It is a holiday of hope for what is to come. It does not matter what happened in the past year, the past day, or even the past hour. The dawn of [a new year] ushers in a feeling of hope within us where our slates are wiped clean and we can start fresh.

But what are we putting our hope in this year? Are we trusting in our New Year’s resolutions to bring us joy? Is it the anticipation of a new job, new relationship, or a new season of life that is stirring up hope within us? While resolutions and new opportunities are joyful, they are not guaranteed and will not last forever. …

Our hope cannot be based on our circumstances because it is unstable ground. Instead, we can place our hope on the solid rock of Jesus.

Jesus explained the security of our hope in Him through a parable. He said, “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock” (Matthew 7:24–25). Jesus compares our lives in Him to a house built on a rock. Even when great storms attacked the house with wind and rain, the house remained intact. Because the foundation of the house was secure, the house would never fall.

In the same way, Jesus tells us that our hope in Him is as secure as a house built on solid rock. No matter what difficult circumstances we face, those who have been saved through faith in Christ will never crumble. Even if difficult circumstances arise, we know that our salvation is secure in Him and our future with Him is guaranteed. Therefore, we will stand secure because of the hope we have in Him. …

Those in Christ have hope that we are already saved by His work on the cross and that we are being transformed by His Spirit that dwells within us day by day. And we have hope that He is returning again one day to rid the world of all sin and death forever. Even if we stumble in our resolutions or our plans for the year go awry, we are confident that Christ will always remain within us until the day He returns and we can live with Him forever (Revelation 21:22–25).—The Daily Grace Co.¹

A hopeful New Year

Another year has come to a close, leaving its indelible mark in our lives. Reflecting on this year, we as believers can see an abundance of things to give God thanks for, though many areas remain where we like Paul must say, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected, but I press on” (Philippians 3:12).

If we have continued in the faith of the gospel, we go into the New Year as a new person, having experienced God’s promise of transformation by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1–2). Though our outward man is perishing, the inward man is being renewed day by day. We therefore have no reason to lose heart, but can go boldly forward on the way of life, having our confidence in God, who is at work in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Paul also writes that He who has begun this good work in us will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). … To this end, God works all things for our best, that we can be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:28–29).

Our task is to remain in the mind of Christ, who humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death on the cross. “If we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection” (Romans 6:5).

“Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new’” (Revelation 21:5). What a tremendous hope to have in one’s heart in the coming new year.—Gary Fenn²

Strength and courage for the New Year

In his very last speech, given in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968, the day before he was assassinated, Martin Luther King imagined God asking him what era he would like to live in. He goes on to survey all of human history, starting with Moses leading the Israelites out of slavery, goes through Greece and Rome, the Renaissance and Reformation, the Emancipation Proclamation, and finally the very troubled times he lived in, when his country was full of hatred, injustice, and fear. Here is his reply:

“Strangely enough, I would turn to the Almighty, and say, ‘If you allow me to live just a few years in the second half of the 20th century, I will be happy.’

“Now that’s a strange statement to make, because the world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land; confusion all around. … But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. And I see God working in this period. … We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop… I’ve seen the Promised Land… I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!”³

Martin Luther King believed that no matter what the circumstances were, or what difficulties, setbacks, pain, and anguish he experienced, God was in control. His optimism wasn’t based only on his belief that his cause was right and would prevail, but mainly on his belief that God was right and would prevail.

In our lives as well, whatever this new year will bring, we can depend on the same certainty. “Be strong and courageous. … For the Lord your God is the one who will go with you; He will never leave you or abandon you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). May God bless you with a wonderful new year filled with His love and care!—Ronan Keane

A prayer to keep God first this New Year

Dear God, thank you that you make all things new. Thank you for all that you’ve allowed into our lives this past year, the good along with the hard things, which have reminded us how much we need you and rely on your presence filling us every single day.

We pray for your Spirit to lead us each step of this New Year. We ask that you will guide our decisions and turn our hearts to deeply desire you above all else. We ask that you will open doors needing to be opened and close the ones needing to be shut tight. We ask that you would help us release our grip on the things to which you’ve said “no,” “not yet,” or “wait.” We ask for help to pursue you first, above every dream and desire you’ve put within our hearts.

We ask for your wisdom, for your strength and power to be constantly present within us. We pray you would make us strong and courageous for the road ahead. Give us ability beyond what we feel able, let your gifts flow freely through us, so that you would be honored by our lives, and others would be drawn to you. …

We ask that you would provide for our needs, we ask for your grace and favor. … Help us to be known as great givers, help us to be generous and kind, help us to look to the needs of others and not be consumed by only our own. May we be lovers of truth, may the fruits of your spirit be evident in our lives—your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Shine your light in us, through us, over us. May we make a difference in this world, for your glory and purposes. Set your way before us. May all your plans succeed. May we reflect your peace and hope to a world that so desperately needs your presence and healing. To you be glory and honor, in this New Year, and forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.—Debbie McDaniel⁴

Published on Anchor December 2024. Read by John Laurence. Music by John Listen.

¹ https://thedailygraceco.com/en-ca/blogs/the-daily-grace-blog/hope-for-a-new-year

² https://activechristianity.org/a-hopeful-new-year

³ See http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkivebeentothemountaintop.htm

⁴ https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/a-prayer-to-keep-god-first-this-new-year-10-verses-of-hope.html

Be Faithful: A Vision for the New Year

December 30, 2024

By David Brandt Berg

Audio length: 6:05

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I think one of the best verses I could give you for the coming year, and for that matter the rest of your life and ministry, is “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).

If you’re faithful from now unto death, from now till the day you die—and we will all die, except those who are raptured and changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:52)—those of us whose bodies die here, we actually never die. The Lord Himself promised, “Whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:26).

You can only live one day at a time; you can only be faithful one day at a time. So don’t worry about when you weren’t faithful yesterday or whether you’re going to be faithful tomorrow, but do your best to be faithful today. Forget the past, and trust God for tomorrow (Philippians 3:13). The Lord will take care of it. Just be faithful today.

You can only be faithful one day at a time. Don’t worry about your whole life or ask yourself, “I wonder if I’ll be faithful to the day of my death? And how can I be sure that I will receive a crown of life?” Just be faithful every day, one day at a time, and you’ll be faithful unto death, and you’ll inherit an eternal crown of life!

If you think about trying to be faithful for the rest of your life, that can scare you. It can worry you that you’ll never make it. But what about today? Weren’t you faithful today? Give yourself a little appreciation and thank the Lord for how long He’s kept you already. You were faithful—not yet unto death, but you were faithful this far.

So don’t worry about the future or even tomorrow. Jesus said, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow; sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:34). The Lord kept you faithful today and you should thank Him for it and give Him all the glory.

Too many people think about “faithful” as something that you worked up and that you did. But faith comes from the Lord and through hearing the Word of God, and if you’re faithful, you’re full of faith (Romans 10:17). If you still believe in the Lord today, you’re full of faith. If you believe you’re saved through faith, you’re full of faith.

You’ve been faithful today, so why worry about tomorrow? You may have your times of trial and testing; you may get discouraged sometimes. You may get tired, you may fail, and you may make mistakes, but you’re still full of faith.

The most important thing for a servant is to be found faithful, as Paul wrote (1 Corinthians 4:2). But there’s no point trying to work it up or even pray it down. There’s a saying, “Don’t work it up; pray it down,” but we can’t even depend on praying it down. We have to depend on the Lord to keep us faithful and trust Him that our faith won’t fail, because our faith comes from Him. Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

Only the Lord can keep you faithful. You have to give Him your cooperation, and you have to read His Word and obey His commandments (John 14:15). But that’s the easy part. It’s His job to keep you faithful.

You don’t have to have faith for tomorrow. You don’t have to have faith for next week or next month, certainly not for next year. You’ll have the faith for what you face in the future when the time comes.

The Bible says, “Rest in the Lord, trust in Him and do good, and verily thou shalt be fed, and thou shalt dwell in the land” (Psalm 37:3). So don’t worry. Just be faithful today. And if you’re struggling to have faith for a whole day, focus on just having faith for this moment, one moment at a time.

You don’t have to worry when you wake up in the morning, “Have I got faith for today?” Just get up and go about your day by faith. If a grain of mustard-seed faith can move a whole mountain, surely we can have enough faith to do the things needed for this day (Matthew 17:20). You’re still alive, you still love the Lord, you’re still saved, you’re still serving Him. So quit worrying about the future, or about tomorrow or even the next hour! God will give you grace when the hour comes and power for the hour.

“Be faithful unto death,” He says, “and I will give you a crown of life.” You’re going to receive a shining, glowing crown for all eternity. Of course, you’re going to kneel down before the Lord and cast your crown before Him like the twenty-four elders do in Revelation (Revelation 4:10). Every time you start praising the Lord you’re going to forget all about that crown, and it’s going to tumble off right at His feet, as you bow down and give Him the glory, casting your crown at His feet. But you’ll pick it up again and wear it, because that’s the one He gave you.

So don’t try to live the whole year in advance. Just keep busy today and do what you’re supposed to do today. Be faithful today and trust God to keep you faithful every day of this year. “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).

Originally published December 1983. Adapted and republished December 2024. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso.

A New Year’s Greeting

From your friend, A. B. Simpson

2018-01-03

(Reprinted from a personal letter to friends and acquaintances, January 1886—equally relevant for today.)

In the name of the Lord, we wish for all to whom these words may come a happy New Year. In order that it may be so, let it be:

1) A year with Jesus. Let us seek its plan and direction from Him. Let us take His highest thought and will for us in it. Let us look to Him for our desire, ideals, and expectations in it. Then shall it bring to us exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think. Let Him be our Guide and Way. Let us not so much be thinking even of His plan and way, as of Him as the personal guide of every moment, on whom we constantly depend to lead our every step: and ignorant ourselves, leaving all care to Him who knowest the way we take. Let Him also be the sufficiency and strength of all the year. Let us never forget “the secret,” I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me. Let us not merely try to obey Christ or imitate Christ. Let us have Christ Himself in us to do the works, and let us every moment fall back on Him both to will and do in us of His good pleasure. Let our holiness be “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” Let our health be the “life of Jesus manifest in our mortal flesh.” Let our faith be “the faith of the Son of God who loved us.” Let our peace and joy be His peace and joy. And let our service be not our works, but the grace of Christ with us.

2) A year of self-forgetting ministry for Christ and others. Let us not once think of being ministered unto, but say ever with Him: “I am among you as he that doth serve.” Let us not drag our burdens through the year, but drop all our loads of care and be free to carry His yoke and His burden. Let us make the happy exchange, giving ours and taking His. Let the covenant be: “Thou shall abide for me, I also for Thee.” So shall we lose our heaviest load—ourselves—and so shall we find our highest joy, divine love, the more blessed “to give” rather “than to receive.” Let us do good to all men as we have opportunity, let us lose no opportunity of blessing, and let us study ingenious ways of service and usefulness. Especially let us seek to win souls, and may [this year] be the harvest year of our lives.

3) A year of prayer. Let us see that our highest ministry and power is to deal with God for men. Let us be obedient to all the Holy Spirit’s voices of prayer in us. Let us count every pressure a call to prayer. Let us cherish the spirit of unceasing prayer and abiding communion. Let us learn the meaning of the ministry of prayer. Let us reach persons this year we cannot reach in person; let us expect results that we have never dared to claim before; let us count every difficulty only a greater occasion for prayer, and let us call on God for great and mighty things which we know not, and may the most glorious reminiscences of next New Year’s Eve be the wonders of answered prayer. Let us consider the suggestion to keep a little book for the record of our prayers, with a place for the answer to be entered—our account book with God.

4) A year of joy and praise. Let us live in the promises of God and the outlook of His deliverance and blessing. Let us never dwell on the trial, but always on the victory. Let us not dwell in the tomb, but in the garden of Joseph and the light of the resurrection. Let us keep our faces toward the sun rising. Arise, shine. Rejoice evermore. In everything give thanks. Praise ye the Lord.

5) A year to forget the things that are behind and reach out unto those that are before. God has “a new thing” for us in [this year]. “Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward.” Let it be a year of deeper, wider, higher, diviner things. Let us hold fast that which we have attained, but go out also to “the regions beyond,” and arise and possess the length and breadth of the land which the Lord our God does give to us.

“Onward we press in haste,
Upward our journey still;
Ours is the path the Master trod
Thro’ good report and ill.”

Yours in Him,
Rev. A. B. Simpson

www.cmalliance.org/news/2014/12/31/a-new-years-greeting-from-your-friend-a-b-simpson

A Different Kind of New Year’s Wish

A compilation

2020-12-29

No one knows what the future holds. We’re quick to wish a “happy new year” on January 1st, but we actually have very little control over how things will play out. “You do not know what a day may bring,” the Bible cautions.¹ Over the past year, people the world over have been through some very trying times, and typical New Year wishes for happiness and success now feel slightly hollow.

It’s good to plan ahead and lay solid foundations in our personal and professional lives, but we know from the start that the year is going to be full of events and circumstances that we haven’t foreseen and that we will have limited ability to influence.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though, if it reminds us that when all is said and done, the happiest and most secure place for us and our loved ones is in God’s hands. Perhaps rather than wishing the outward manifestations of happiness to those we care about, we should wish for them to be connected to the source of those blessings, the loving Father who promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”²

Whether this year brings prosperity or hardship, health or sickness, love or loss, we can be assured of God’s love and presence, His ability to answer our prayers, and His standing resolution to make all things work together for good in the lives of those who are His children and who love Him.³ God never forgets His promises and He’s never unable to keep them. As Paul observed, “All of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding ‘Yes!’”⁴

May God bless you with His presence and care in the coming year.—Samuel Keating

Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
For I lift up my soul to You.—Psalm 143:8

A New Year’s prayer

As I begin this New Year, I am reminded of that popular song of the 1970s: “Day by day, day by day, oh, dear Lord, three things I pray: To see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly, day by day.”⁵

To see You more clearly… The Bible tells us that God is Spirit.⁶ He is invisible, and yet we can see Him—in Jesus, in the love shared amongst believers, in the beauties of His world.⁷

Love You more dearly… “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving.”⁸ I can show God my love by thanking Him for His blessings. Psalm 118:24 says: “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” I will try to maintain an attitude of gratitude each day in this coming year.

Follow You more nearly… This can be the hardest part, but if I look to Him, and love Him, I will feel His caring presence gently guiding me where He wants me to go. And I can sing with the old refrain: “My Lord knows the way through the wilderness, all I’ve got to do is follow. Strength for the day is mine always, and all that I need for tomorrow. My Lord knows the way through the wilderness, all I have to do is follow!”⁹

And last, but not least, I will ask for peace of mind. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.”¹⁰ And Paul gives us the recipe in detail: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”¹¹—Rosane Pereira

Because the world needs a Savior

Christmas and New Year. Seasons of love, joy, hope, and cheer. For many of us, it is a favorite time of the year. Sadly, though, in all the hustle and bustle, fun and frolic, we seem to forget the sobering realities of the ones around us and perhaps even among us who might dread the dawn of another day, let alone another year. All is not well for those mourning the loss of a loved one, for those battling chronic illnesses, for those struggling to repay debts, for those whose marriages are breaking.

At a global level, it is even more disturbing. There are wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, forest fires, epidemic outbreaks, drought, poverty, global warming, and on and on. The lofty promises and feeble attempts of geo-political messiahs, economic wizards, and health-care champions are so disproportionate to the magnitude of the crisis.

As mere mortals struggling to fix cosmic problems with earthy interventions, we do well to admit aloud that we need a sort of help that is far bigger than anything we are able to create with our own hands or minds. We need help from the Maker of the cosmos, who has the wherewithal to remedy this god-sized, human cosmic catastrophe.

The Apostle Peter, writing in the thick of intense persecution, suggests to the fledgling early Church struggling under the tyranny of an eccentric Nero to set apart and to revere Christ as Lord, the one born in Bethlehem of a virgin, the child and king foretold by the prophets. … The antidote to hopelessness and despair, says Peter, is to recognize the God-sent Savior, Jesus Christ, and to revere him as Lord. The Son of God became the Son of Man, so that the sons and daughters of humankind could become the sons and daughters of God.

Christ Jesus is the one who unlocks the possibility for hope in this otherwise hope-impoverished world. Jesus Christ is the all-sufficient hope for us. And he is a hope the size of every agony and death, the size of all of humankind and all creation.

Peter then carries this thought outward. If Christ is Lord indeed, those who follow him ought to be agents of hope in this world that is so desperately searching for hope. … Can we present Christ as light and life in a dark world? Can we multiply hope in a world that needs a savior? Christ is the gift of hope in whom these questions find their answer.—Charles Premkumar Joseph¹²

His unfailing presence

Another year I enter
Its history unknown;
Oh, how my feet would tremble
To tread its paths alone!

But I have heard a whisper,
I know I shall be blest;
“My presence shall go with thee,
And I will give thee rest.”

What will the New Year bring me?
Will it be love and rapture,
Or loneliness and woe?

Hush! Hush! I hear His whisper;
I surely shall be blest;
“My presence shall go with thee,
And I will give thee rest.”
—Author unknown

Climbing the New Year

Taking on the challenges of the New Year is often likened to climbing a mountain: Although it’s a lot of hard work and potentially dangerous, it holds special rewards for those who rise to the challenge and don’t quit till they reach the summit.

But sometimes we may become too self-confident and feel that we can go it alone. If we’re smart, we’ll realize that we need the help of a mountain guide, and of course there’s no better guide than Jesus, who the Bible calls the “Chief Shepherd” of our souls.¹³ He knows where the green pastures are, as well as where the dangers lie. If we stay close to Him, He will help us to reach our goals for the coming year, to conquer the summit and experience the peace of His presence.

The new year is a good time to reflect on the past twelve months, to thank God for the blessings He’s brought our way, and to open our hearts and minds in anticipation of what He has for us in the year ahead.—Curtis Peter Van Gorder

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”—Jeremiah 29:11¹⁴

Published on Anchor December 2020. Read by Jon Marc. Music by Michael Dooley.

¹ Proverbs 27:1.

² Hebrews 13:5.

³ Romans 8:28.

⁴ 2 Corinthians 1:20 NLT.

⁵ Stephen Schwartz in Godspell (1971).

⁶ John 4:24.

⁷ Colossians 1:15; Romans 1:20.

⁸ Psalm 95:2.

⁹ Sidney E. Cox (1887–1975).

¹⁰ John 14:27.

¹¹ Philippians 4:6–7 NLT.

¹² https://www.rzim.org/read/a-slice-of-infinity/because-the-world-needs-a-savior.

¹³ 1 Peter 5:4.

¹⁴ NIV.

New Year’s Eve Sermon

December 27, 2024

By Daniel Johnson

Learn key insights and reflections on watching our step, redeeming the time, and doing His will, to help you enter into a fruitful new year. (While the pastor references 2022 and 2023, the message can be applied to the coming year.)

“Here’s the good news tonight. We live on this side of the empty tomb! I think we should be more optimist, because though we see what is happening in the world around us, we know that Jesus has conquered the grave, and because He lives, we live too! I truly believe that these are some great days to be alive. Yes, they are uncertain days. Yes, they are frightening days. But they are also exciting days and they are amazing days!”

Run time for this video is 26 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6jxEOksapk

https://youtu.be/R6jxEOksapk?si=_pF6jwk50ZVbjHE8

Peace, Be Still

December 26, 2024

Words from Jesus

Audio length: 9:47

Download Audio (8.9MB)

The peace I give you exceeds all understanding (Philippians 4:7), calms storms, and overcomes stress and worry. The storms may come and the waves may rise, and you may be buffeted and besieged on all sides, but your boat will not sink, because I am the Master of the sea and everything is within My control. I will be with you always—across the rivers, over the mountains, through the plains and meadows, and in the rain, sunshine, and wind.

No matter what you face, I will always love you, uphold you, and help you. Through everything you experience, you can grow and learn new things that will be transformative. You will come to know Me in a truly deep and personal way, and appreciate the gifts that I have given you—My Spirit, truth, and love—and how bountiful, perfect, and enduring they are.

When you feel overwhelmed, take the time to rest in Me. Lean on Me. Take each day and each challenge as it comes, one step at a time, one moment at a time, and trust that I will supply what you need at each turn.

Reality check

Many people are accustomed to moving fast and expecting quick results. What was sufficient yesterday seldom seems to be enough today, and escalating expectations spill over into what they expect from other people and from life in general. It can be a struggle to keep up with the rapid pace of change in the modern world, but the reality is that many things in life simply take time. Most problems at work or with your health or relationships can’t be resolved with the click of a mouse or the push of a button.

Some situations in life are challenging, and they stay that way for a time or a season (Ecclesiastes 3:1–8). During such times, your faith may be tested, and in the process, you learn patience and you grow in endurance (James 1:3–4). When problems or difficult situations drag on and you feel mentally exhausted or emotionally drained, remember that I am with you. As you come to Me, I will renew your spirit and grant you the patience and perseverance you need to continue to be faithful.

I didn’t promise you a trouble-free life. In this world, you will face troubles and trials, but take heart, as I have overcome the world (John 16:33). I won’t instantly remove all your problems and struggles, but I have given you My peace and faith to face adversity and the storms of life, and to come out stronger and better equipped to face the next challenge.

The strength of humility

Come to Me when you are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest and teach you how to be gentle and humble in heart, like I am (Matthew 11:28–29). This humility of heart is manifested in gentleness, kindness, and love for others, and in love that doesn’t need to assert itself or boast, and is not self-seeking (1 Corinthians 13:4–5). When you know who you are as a child of God and you ground your identity in Me and My Word, you can walk in confidence, no matter how you are feeling.

When things get busy and hectic and topsy-turvy, it’s easy to let yourself get a little gruff or sharp with people, rather than walking in humility. My love is patient and kind, not easily angered, and always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres (1 Corinthians 13:4–7). When you rest in Me and put your trust in Me, your strength will be renewed (Isaiah 40:31). Then you will be able to meet the demands that you face—whether pressure or overload at work, relationship challenges, or difficult situations—and work through them in My strength.

As you learn from Me by resting in Me and growing in gentleness and humility of spirit, you will find rest for your soul. When you come to Me, My Spirit will give you the strength you need to overcome your daily challenges.

Always with you

I am the source of strength, love, and life, and I am always with you. I will never leave you alone or comfortless. I will never leave you without My presence or the grace and strength to fight life’s battles. I will always provide your needs (Philippians 4:19). You don’t need to be anxious or fearful about the future because I, the One who loves you like no other can, have plans for your future and a purpose for your life.

When you choose to walk the path of discipleship, you invite Me to work in and through you to fulfill My good purposes (Philippians 2:13). As you make your walk with Me your first priority and trust that I will work out My plans for your life, you can rest in My faithful love for you that will endure forever (Psalm 138:8).

More than a speck

As you take time to draw near to Me through your times of communion with Me and My Word, I will always draw near to you and renew your spirit (James 4:8). When you come to Me, you experience My love and blessings, and My provision and power. The fruit of My Spirit grows in your life in the form of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). These will grow and multiply within your own heart and spread into the lives of others whom your life touches.

Never think that you are just one among many, just a speck in the world, and that what you do doesn’t have much of an effect on others or on society around you. You can make the world a better place, in your own special way, through the things you say and do and through sharing your faith with others. You can be an instrument of My peace, love, and goodness in the world. When you are being led by Me and working in the power of My Spirit, I work in and through you to accomplish My perfect plan.

Faith in Me

Faith is believing, hoping, and trusting. Faith is the assurance—the reality—of things hoped for, the conviction and the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Faith refuses to allow circumstances or difficulties to steal My joy and peace. Faith stands on My promise that if you can believe in Me, all things are possible (Mark 9:23).

If you are lacking in faith in some area of your life, ask Me to increase your faith, as My first apostles did (Luke 17:5), and I will not fail to provide all that you need. As you put your trust in Me, you will be able to rise above the storms of life and the circumstances that weigh you down. You will be able to stand on the solid foundation of My Word, knowing that My presence is always with you. My love for you will never cease and My mercies begin afresh every morning (Lamentations 3:22–23).

Published on Anchor December 2024. Read by Jon Marc. Music by Michael Dooley.

The First Christmas: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How

December 25, 2024

By Lori Lynch

What Christmas commemorates is fundamental to the Christian faith. At the same time, it’s not just for Christians, Westerners, or sellers who want to make a few extra bucks. It affects everyone on the face of the earth, and understanding what it means can radically change the way you live and see life.

To understand the story of the first Christmas, it’s important to know a bit of background information.

The story starts when God created everything. The Bible says He made land, plants, trees, the sun and moon, animals, and humans. (See Genesis 1.) It also tells us that He made angels, heavenly beings that do His bidding in the unseen world of the spirit (Colossians 1:15–16). Everything was perfect. No one sinned or did evil.

Unfortunately, Lucifer, one of the angels God created, rebelled against God because he wanted to be God himself (Isaiah 14:12–14). He became the Devil (also known as Satan) and got busy trying to ruin God’s work and plan. He tricked the first two humans God made, Adam and Eve, into allowing sin into the world. Humanity and even creation itself changed. There was a division between God and humanity, as God is perfect and humans no longer were.

God, however, already knew that this would happen. Even as He punished Adam and Eve for their disobedience, He said that a redeemer or savior would one day come to undo the consequences of their actions. (See Genesis 3.)

Thousands of years later, God spoke to a man called Abraham ¹ and called him and his descendants to worship only Him. It was a radical notion at a time when people worshipped a range of animate and inanimate objects. But Abraham remained true to the one true God. His descendants, the Israelites, eventually settled in the land we now call Israel. (See Genesis 11:27–25:11.) The Israelites obeyed God at times and disobeyed Him at others; even so, they kept records of God’s messages given to prophets, people who were filled with God’s Spirit and wrote down what God told them. These messages included “clues” regarding what the coming Savior would be like. One prophet foretold that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem, a small town in Israel (Micah 5:2). Another said His mother would be a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), and that He would preach good news to the poor, free the captives, and heal the sick (Isaiah 61:1).

Around 4 BC, God finally put His plan into action. He sent one of His angels to a young woman called Mary. She was a virgin but she was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph. The angel, named Gabriel, told Mary that she would immediately become pregnant and have a son. The angel explained that her child, Jesus, would be God’s son and would save the people from their sins. Mary’s fiancé, Joseph, was upset and confused when he found out Mary was pregnant, as he knew he wasn’t the father, but God sent an angel to talk to him and tell him the baby was conceived by God Himself. Joseph breathed a sigh of relief and married Mary as the angel had commanded him. (See Luke 1:26–35, Matthew 1:18–25.)

Now, Joseph and Mary lived in a town called Nazareth, in northern Israel. Most people rarely traveled at this point in time. However, the emperor ordered everyone back to their hometown for a census to ensure each person in his realm was paying taxes. Joseph, whose family was originally from Bethlehem, traveled back to that town with his wife, Mary. Once they arrived, they could not find a place to stay. Popular culture typically depicts the couple being turned away from multiple inns before finding shelter in a remote stable; however, Bethlehem was so small that it most likely didn’t even have inns. Estimates vary, but experts say the town was only about 760 square meters in size and had no more than 3,000 people living in it.² It’s probable that relatives took the couple in but didn’t have space to offer them a room. Rather, Joseph and Mary were put up in a space off the side of the main room of the home where animals were kept for the night.³ This stable is where Jesus was born into the world.

The Bible then tells us that an angel appeared to a group of shepherds who were out watching sheep on a nearby hillside. The shepherds were terrified, but the angel told them not to be afraid. “The Savior of the world has been born tonight!” the angel proclaimed, telling the shepherds they would find Jesus wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger. The shepherds then went to Bethlehem looking for Jesus. Once they found Him, they worshipped Him and then told the entire town about what they’d heard and seen that night. People were amazed, but there is no record of anyone else in the town coming out to see Jesus for themselves. (See Luke 2:1–20.)

However, a group of men living outside of Israel did pay Jesus a visit after His birth. The three kings, or three wise men as they are also known, are often depicted as part of the manger scene. But it is likely that some time had passed, what many scholars believe may be up to two years, before the wise men arrived. The Bible tells us that they saw an unusual star in the sky when Jesus was born. Like many people of that time period, they believed that the out-of-the-ordinary “sign in the heavens” meant something; in this instance, the birth of a new king of Israel. Thus, they started traveling to see him. At some point in the journey, or perhaps even beforehand, they realized that they weren’t just going to see royalty. The Bible tells us that at the end of the journey, when the star appeared directly over the house where Joseph and Mary were staying, the wise men not only gave Jesus gifts but also worshipped Him. (See Matthew 2:1–12.)

There’s a lot about the Christmas story that can seem fantastical. Angels, unusual stars, and virgins having babies are certainly not common occurrences. But historical evidence outside the Bible tells us that Jesus was a real person who lived in the first century.⁴ What’s more, His mission makes perfect sense when we understand the original context. God is just, holy, and perfect, but also merciful. The Bible says He is love itself (1 John 4:8). He can’t accept sin in His presence but wanted to close the gap between us and Him. He doesn’t want us to suffer punishment for our sins even though we deserve to do so. That’s why Jesus came to earth. Jesus lived a perfect life, and His death paid the price for our sins. That’s why billions of people the world over, on December 25, celebrate the fact that “to us a child is born, to us a son is given. … And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

¹ https://www.gotquestions.org/life-Abraham.html

² https://christianfaithguide.com/how-big-was-bethlehem-when-jesus-was-born

³ https://directors.tfionline.com/post/jesushis-life-and-message-jesus-birth-part-4

⁴ https://www.gotquestions.org/is-Jesus-real.html

If Christmas Had Never Come

December 24, 2024

A compilation

Audio length: 13:18

Download Audio (12.1MB)

What if Christmas had never come? No star, no shepherds, no stable. No angelic visitations and no extraordinary happenings—just a common Nazarene girl living out her obscure life. The shepherds would have passed the night like any other, keeping watch over their flocks, with no reason to hope for a better life, no Savior, no personal experience with a God who loved them. Those wise men in the East would have continued their exploration of the night sky, marveling at the wonders of creation but never knowing the Creator.

The years would pass, the ages would roll on by, the Ebenezer Scrooges would continue to grouch their way through life, and the Bob Cratchits would continue to eke out a living. No hope, no joy. Two thousand times, December 25th would come and go like any other day—no family reunions, no gift giving, no quiet reflection, no year-end forgiveness. No one would miss Christmas, because no one would realize what they were missing.

And then there would be the end, that mysterious, dreaded moment that comes in every life. No atonement, no assurance of forgiveness. No babe in a manger would mean no cross on a hillside and no empty tomb—just a hollow existence, day-to-day drudgery, with no constant companion through life and no Savior from death.

What if Christmas had never come?

The good news is that Christmas did come! The star at the top of the Christmas tree each year shines like a beacon of hope. The figurines in the manger scene echo the angels’ proclamation: “Joy to the world!” Christmas is a celebration of the most wonderful gift possible—God’s love in the form of a Savior.—Christina Andreassen

Immanuel, God with us

Throughout different seasons of my life, I’ve … found myself crying out to God, Help—I’m falling! Nothing major or traumatic needs to have happened. It could be that I simply feel emotionally unsteady, physically exhausted, or overwhelmed by life, like I am wandering and I’m not sure if I have the strength to keep going.

Then I feel God’s steadying hand reach for mine to strengthen me and help me, and I remember what His Word assures in Isaiah 41:10: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Today especially, we praise God that He has kept this promise to strengthen, comfort, and never let go of His people. How do we know? He sent Jesus to be Immanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23).

One thing I love about Jesus is that He reveals to us the very heart of God—because He is God. Matthew 9:36 says, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

The Son of God, who knows all things, could see every last thought in the mind of every human. But in this moment, He didn’t respond with judgment or condemnation of the crowd’s lusts or jealousies or anger or sin; He had compassion on their inner torment. He saw their harassment and helplessness and knew they could do nothing to save themselves from it.

Because of Jesus’ compassion toward us, He came to earth as a baby to live a sinless life; to die on the cross, bearing our sin, shame, and powerlessness; and to be raised to life again so that whoever believes in and receives Him will never again have to live life harassed and helpless on their own. We not only have God’s steadying hand that will hold us—we now have God’s steadying Spirit who will live within us, if only we turn our hearts to Him (Ephesians 1:13–14).

As we celebrate this Christmas, may we remember that Jesus is God with us in our mess. He is God with us in our pain. He is God with us in the deepest dark valley. He is God with us in our exhaustion. He is God with us in our waiting and in our wandering.

Jesus is Immanuel. He is with us all the days of our lives—and all eternity.—Alice Matagora¹

Help us to remember

Loving Father, help us to remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.

Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children, and the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.—Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894)

What difference does Christmas make?

What difference does Christmas make? Besides giving us a holiday where we deck the halls, exchange gifts, go to parties, and have some time off. What difference does Christmas actually make in our heart and life, in our world today, and in history even more generally?

Surprisingly, the best answer to this question comes from an unwed, pregnant, teenage girl who was most likely around 13 to 16 years old. This unwed, pregnant, teenage girl was Mary, the soon-to-be mother of Jesus. She has a very unique perspective into the dramatic coming of Jesus and its meaning for her as his mother, which causes her to sing out in praise for the wonder of it all, when she is visiting a relative named Elizabeth.

“And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name” (Luke 1:46–55). …

From deep down in her soul, Mary expresses her happiness, excitement, and gratitude to God. … Mary perceived that God had reached down to her to do great things for her. Mary knows who she is in that world. She’s a nobody. She’s an unwed, engaged, teenage girl living in a world where age and marital status mattered, and where being a man mattered. …

But despite that humble standing and relatively unimportant state, God reached out to her through his messenger, Gabriel—that angel of his who delivers messages for him. Gabriel had informed her that God would reach even further and more personally into her life because she would supernaturally conceive and bear Jesus Christ. …

We can appreciate how Mary recognized that God made Christ’s coming very personal for her: beyond just being a womb for Jesus. You see, Mary is reflecting something very important about Christ coming and that it is deeply and profoundly personal. Christ’s coming is also deeply personal for us.

Christmas isn’t just some holiday on the calendar, or some sentimental moment in history. Christmas is also deeply and profoundly personal for us because God did something great for us: he sent Christ for each one of us. God didn’t just send Christ at Christmas for the nameless, faceless, masses of humanity. He sent Christ at Christmas for me, and for you. …

Christmas makes a difference. That’s why Mary sang here in the Magnificat as she did.

But she doesn’t just sing for us to sit on the sidelines and listen to it. She sings it for us to join in with her, praising and magnifying God with Christ’s coming at Christmas, because Christ’s coming is so significant that it cries out for our song in this season too.

So sing, praise, magnify God this Christmas season, because for the Christian, Christmas makes all the difference in the world.—Leonard Reiss²

A Christmas prayer of thankfulness

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for leaving the halls of heaven to be born on earth, then to live and die amongst us and thereby to change the world—and my life.

Though You came as a little child, Your truth, love, and peace soon spread throughout the whole earth. Your love enters into every heart that welcomes You.

Thank You for what Christmas means—that whether I have family and friends, good times or bad, I will always have You. I will always have Your love—love that has stood the test of time, love that saved me and so many others like me.

Jesus, the stars and angels welcomed Your birth, as I welcome You into my heart with praise and thankfulness.—Alex Peterson

Published on Anchor December 2024. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky. Music from the Rhythm of Christmas album, used by permission.

¹ https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2023/12/25/immanuel-god-with-us

² https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/843556-what-difference-does-christmas-make

Why Christmas Matters

December 23, 2024

A compilation

Audio length: 13:29

Download Audio (12.3MB)

We sing it every year in our Christmas carols, especially in “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” when we cry out: “Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see; hail the incarnate Deity.” The Apostles’ Creed doesn’t use it, but it teaches the doctrine of it when we read “conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.”

Incarnation. If you understand the word incarnation, you’ll understand what Christmas is about. Christmas is frankly doctrinal. The invisible has become visible, the incorporeal has become corporeal. In other words, God has become human. …

Here’s why the doctrine of Christmas is unique. On one hand, you’ve got religions that say God is so immanent in all things that incarnation is normal. If you’re a Buddhist or Hindu, God is immanent in everything. On the other hand, religions like Islam and Judaism say God is so transcendent over all things that incarnation is impossible.

But Christianity is unique. It doesn’t say incarnation is normal, but it doesn’t say it’s impossible. It says God is so immanent that it is possible, but He is so transcendent that the incarnation of God in the person of Jesus Christ is a history-altering, life-transforming, paradigm-shattering event.

Christmas is not just frankly doctrinal; it’s also boldly historical. The manger, the resurrection, the story of Jesus is not just a story. It’s true.

The point of Christmas is that Jesus Christ really lived, and He really died. It happened in history. He did these things. He said these things. … The Gospel is that Jesus Christ came to earth, lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died, so when we believe in Him we live a life of grateful joy for Him. …

First John 1:3 says, “Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son.” “Fellowship” means that if Jesus Christ has come, if Christmas is true, then we’ve got a basis for a personal relationship with God. …

If Jesus Christ is actually God come in the flesh, you’re going to know much more about God. You’re seeing Him weep. You’re seeing Him upset. You’re seeing Him cast down. You’re seeing Him exalted. If Jesus is who He says He is, we have a 500-page autobiography from God, in a sense. And our understanding will be vastly more personal and specific than any philosophy or religion could give us.

Look at what God has done to get you to know Him personally. If the Son would come all this way to become a real person to you, don’t you think the Holy Spirit will do anything in His power to make Jesus a real person to you in your heart?

Christmas is an invitation to know Christ personally. Christmas is an invitation by God to say: Look what I’ve done to come near to you. Now draw near to me. I don’t want to be a concept; I want to be a friend.—Tim Keller¹

Christmas shows us that God uses fallible, imperfect people—and still does

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.—Luke 1:38

A truth I find amazing every year at Christmas is that God uses imperfect people to bring about His perfect will. The Lord chose Mary. He revealed His will to her. He also chose Joseph to be part of the story and reassured him—this is My will…

He chooses this storyline as the means to usher in His redemptive plan. It doesn’t make sense to us, but then again, neither does the plan He uses to establish His church and His Kingdom. He uses us once again.

All of this tells me that as I walk through the days and weeks leading up to Christmas, there is a strong tie at the beginning of the story with the end. The Book of Matthew starts with Jesus’ birth and it ends with the Great Commission. With those two bookends, there is human involvement and we have an active role in the process. I’m wowed by that. Christmas takes on a whole other level of meaning when I consider this: He used humanity to come into this world and He still partners with us today.Praise God!

As I conclude … I am inclined to consider the words of the Christmas hymn, I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day by Henry Longfellow…

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

Christmas is important because it points to the Gospel and the promise God has kept. In addition, it shows that we are caught up in and part of His great plan on the Earth. Beyond this, the road for Christ wasn’t just manger to cross. It included the tomb, which was once occupied but now is empty. These lines by Longfellow direct our thoughts to this truth: God is not dead. Truth will win the day. The wrong shall fail and the right will prevail. Amen, hallelujah. As we consider Christmas and why it still matters, may we be brought all the way to the end—that Christ shall reign and we shall be with Him in heaven.

As December rolls along, I hope you will have many opportunities to consider these points and others as you reflect on Christmas. … Perhaps a prayer you can have is to simply allow God’s truth to awaken you afresh this year at Christmas. To see Him as the conquering, risen Savior, not just the baby lying in a manger. It’s all part of the Gospel story. It’s all true. May we come to fall in love with Him all over again this Christmas season.—Derek Charles Johnson²

The ultimate Christmas gift

The Bible tells us that “God is Spirit” and “God is love” (John 4:24; 1 John 4:8). He is the great Creator who created you and me, this beautiful world, and the entire universe. Then, to show us His love and to help us understand Him better, God sent us His Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth in the form of a man.

Although He was predestined to be the King of kings, Jesus was not born in a palace. Instead, He was born on the dirty floor of a barn and laid to sleep in the animals’ feed trough (Luke 2:7). His arrival received no official recognition from the rich and powerful of His day. Instead, He was visited by a few poor shepherds who had heard the news from a band of angels. “There is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:8–14).

When Jesus began His life’s work at the age of 30, He not only preached His message, but He lived it among the common people, as one of them. He ministered to their spiritual needs, but also spent a great deal of time tending to their physical needs, healing them when they were sick and feeding them when they were hungry. He loved without partiality, even at the cost of His reputation. He befriended drunks, prostitutes, and sinners, the outcasts and downtrodden, and proved that no one was beyond the reach of God’s love and forgiveness.

In Jesus, God shared His love with the whole world. But He also loves each of us individually. God loves you so much that He gave the most cherished thing He had, His only Son, so you could have everlasting life (John 3:16).

God feels our pain. He understands our heartaches and sympathizes with our losses. He longs to draw us close, to soothe, to heal, to comfort, to reassure. He loved us so much that He sent His Son in human form, to live among us, to experience our hardships, to be His hands, to reveal His heart, and to put us in direct, personal contact with His love and power. God didn’t send Jesus to remove all our problems but to equip us to get through them and become better for them.

And that is why we have reason to hope this Christmas.

Jesus wants to enter into a personal relationship with you and become a very real part of your life both here and now and forever in eternity. He stands at your heart’s door, waiting for you to open the door and invite Him into your life. (See Revelation 3:20.)

You can do so by sincerely praying this prayer:

Jesus, please forgive me for all my sins. I believe that You died for me. I open the door to my heart and I invite You into my life. Please fill me with Your love and Holy Spirit, help me get to know You, and guide me in the way of truth. Amen.—The Family International

Published on Anchor December 2024. Read by John Laurence. Music from the Rhythm of Christmas album, used by permission.

¹ https://relevantmagazine.com/faith/why-christmas-matters

² https://derekcharlesjohnson.com/blogs/latest-news/posts/7102893/why-christmas-still-matters

02 – “He Shall Confirm a Covenant with Many”

The Rise and Fall of the Antichrist

Scott MacGregor

2012-01-01

According to Bible prophecy, the event that takes the Antichrist to the pinnacle of power on the international scene and begins his seven-year reign is a seven-year pact or covenant described in the book of Daniel. Whether this covenant is the actual formation of a one-world government or whether it is brokered by that government, already in place is a matter of speculation. However, events such as the formation of the European Union and the adoption of the euro by most of its members as a single currency have shown that nations are prepared to put aside national sovereignty in order to achieve greater economic and political ends. And it is not only Europe. The African Union, which includes 53 African nations, was formed in 2001 and aims eventually to have a single currency, a single integrated defense force, as well as other institutions of state, including a cabinet for the AU Head of State.

In 2004 the nations of South America signed the Cuzco Declaration, a two-page statement of intent, announcing the foundation of the South American Community modeled after the European Union, including a common currency, parliament, and passport.

The Asian Cooperation Dialogue which includes 30 Asian countries including Russia, China, and India, states that its aim is to ultimately transform the Asian continent into an Asian Community.

Those are watershed events, for until relatively recently, national sovereignty has been nonnegotiable to nations since the beginning of time. To voluntarily pass on some of the rights and privileges inherent to national sovereignty to a supranational body is a major step.

Just when this one-world government is inaugurated or what events will lead up to it is not now known, but this one-world government will not be a debating club similar to the United Nations. This government will wield governmental authority on a global scale.

The Bible refers to this covenant as a “Holy Covenant” (Daniel 11:30), because of its religious implications. At least in part, it has to do with the Jews rebuilding their national temple in Jerusalem and the restoration of animal blood sacrifices on its altar, a practice that was the heart of their religious observance until their temple was destroyed by the Romans nearly two millennia ago.

The temple was situated on the top of Mount Moriah, now commonly known as Temple Mount or to the Muslims as Al-Haram al-Sharif (The Noble Sanctuary), in the center of old Jerusalem. The first temple was built there under the direction of King Solomon and dedicated in 960 b.c. The Babylonians later razed it to the ground during their sack of Jerusalem in 587 b.c. The Jews under Zerubbabel rebuilt the temple in 515 b.c. In 19 b.c., King Herod I, the Idumean king of Judea, which was part of the Roman Empire at this stage, began the project of enlarging and beautifying the temple complex in the period shortly before Jesus’ birth, circa 4 b.c. This project wasn’t totally completed till 64 a.d. To facilitate the building of the original temple, the top of Mount Moriah had originally been made level by the building of a retaining wall around the summit and then filling it in with rock and dirt. Part of this retaining wall remains today and is referred to as the Wailing Wall.

In 70 a.d., the Romans sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. They did not leave one stone upon another, fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24:2: “Do you not see all these [temple buildings]? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” Jerusalem remained under Roman/Byzantine dominion until the Muslim Arabs captured Jerusalem in 638 a.d. under the second Khalif, ’Umar ibn al-Khattab. He built a wooden mosque on the southernmost wall of the Noble Sanctuary. This was later replaced by a stone structure in 705 a.d. It is called the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which still stands.

Moreover, in 687 a.d., Abd al-Malik, the fifth Khalif of the Arab Umayyad dynasty, had a second mosque, the beautiful Dome of the Rock, built over the rock that was previously the altar rock in the Jewish temple—the rock upon which it is believed that the Hebrew patriarch Abraham started to sacrifice Isaac. And that mosque also still stands there today. The rock was also sacred to Muslims because it is the site from which the Muslims believe the prophet Muhammad made his Miraaj or Night Journey into the heavens.¹ Because of the significance of this spot, it’s quite obvious that the Muslims today would never agree to the Jews rebuilding their temple over this site, and it is extremely unlikely that the Jews would ever consider building it anywhere else.

When Israel captured East Jerusalem in 1967, the aged Jewish historian, Israel Eldad, was quoted in TIME magazine as saying, “We are at the stage which David was when he liberated Jerusalem. From that time until the construction of the temple by Solomon, only one generation passed.—So will it be with us.”

Just two weeks before the war in which the Israelis occupied old Jerusalem and the Temple Mount area, on May 21, 1967, the Washington Post and the New York Times ran the following anonymously sponsored full-page ad:

To Persons of the Jewish Faith all over the world:

The project to rebuild the temple of God in Israel is now being started. With divine guidance and hope, the temple will be completed. It will signal a new era in Judaism. Jews will be inspired to conduct themselves in such a moral way that our Maker will see fit to pay us a visit here on Earth. God will place in the midst of many persons in all walks of Jewish life the desire to participate in this work. Executive talents, administrators, and workers in all levels are needed. All efforts will be anonymous. God will know those desiring to participate. God’s Will Shall Prevail.

Today, there is a growing impetus within Israel and amongst Jews worldwide, a drive spearheaded by the Temple Institute situated in Old Jerusalem, to see the temple rebuilt. Indeed, it is reported that much of it has already been prefabricated and it just remains for it to be assembled. The Temple Institute has also already fabricated the sacred vessels and garments needed for use in the temple, and these can be seen displayed in their headquarters. Some of these can be viewed on the World Wide Web at www.templeinstitute.org.

Even though the Israelis are in control of Jerusalem, the Temple Mount remains under the control of the Muslims in the person of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. The only way the Muslims and the Israelis could work out some kind of an agreement or compromise with each other so that the temple could be rebuilt would be with the direct intervention of a dominant outside third party, such as a world government. This compromise or agreement is thought by many Bible scholars with expertise in Endtime studies to be part and parcel of the Covenant spoken of in the Bible prophecies of Daniel.

Daniel wrote: “And he [the Antichrist] shall confirm a Covenant with many for one week” (Daniel 9:27). The original Hebrew word that is translated “week” in the New King James Bible, the Bible translation we will be quoting from in this book, is shabua, which means “unit of seven.” Therefore a little better, more understandable translation of this verse would be: “And he shall confirm the Covenant with many for one unit of seven.” And by carefully studying the marvelous Messianic prophecy regarding the exact time of the first coming and crucifixion of Christ in verses 24 to 26 of Daniel chapter 9, we know that “one week” or “one seven” equals seven years. Thus the verse can be understood as saying, “And he shall confirm a Covenant with many for seven years.” (See Appendix 2.)

This seven-year agreement will have to be a very ingenious compromise, and it is thought it will deal with not only the Temple Mount, but also the entire city of Jerusalem. Today Jerusalem is an irresolvable issue. The majority of Israelis have sworn that they will never let it go nor share it, that it is their “eternal capital” forever. David Ben-Gurion (1886–1973), the first prime minister of Israel, vowed, “We took Jerusalem and we will never give it up again until the last man and woman is dead defending it. No matter what the cost, we will never give it up until the last Jew is dead. That’s how all our people feel.”

On the other hand, the Palestinians, who have lived there for over a thousand years and refer to it as Al-Quds (The Holy), want East Jerusalem, which the Israelis captured from them in the 1967 war, as their capital. This is a proposal that successive Israeli governments have dismissed outright. The future of Jerusalem and of the Temple Mount is one of the most intractable issues of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

To resolve this issue, it is believed that the Antichrist will internationalize the city of Jerusalem. Most people today don’t realize that this was in the original agreement that set up Israel as a homeland for the Jewish nation. Corpus Separatum (Latin for separate body) was the term used in the 1947 UN Partition Plan to describe the internationalizing of Jerusalem. The unique status for the city was because of its association with three world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It was to be under a special international regime administered by the United Nations. This plan was reconfirmed in United Nations General Assembly Resolutions 194 and 303.

Many Bible prophecy teachers believe that the Antichrist is going to be of Jewish descent, as one description of him in Daniel says that he “regards not the God of his fathers” (Daniel 11:37). If he is Jewish, this could be one reason he succeeds in getting the Israelis to compromise and allow this to occur. In fact, according to the Bible, this world dictator of this one-world government eventually makes Jerusalem the political capital of his world government (Daniel 11:45; 2 Thessalonians 2:4). Could the prestige that comes with the world being governed from its ancient capital be the impetus that Israel needs to compromise its stance on Jerusalem?

Daniel prophesied of the Antichrist that there “shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue” (Daniel 11:21). He is described here as a “vile person” because God knows he is, but it would seem that he is going to be quite a popular leader as far as the peoples of the world are concerned. Exactly what it means about not giving him the honor of royalty remains to be seen, but in today’s world royalty and monarchy grow increasingly unpopular. So perhaps it means he is confirmed as a leader without giving him an appellation of royalty, such as king, but he nevertheless rules as an absolute monarch in the style of ancient kings. It appears he doesn’t use violence to achieve his initial aims, and therefore would probably present himself as a promoter of international peace. But whatever his platform, he achieves his aims through intrigue.

In the early stages of the Antichrist’s regime, everything will appear to be going well. He’ll be trying to make everybody happy, and will somehow manage to bring peace to many parts of the world. He will seem to be the smartest man who ever lived, with the greatest power and the greatest wisdom, able to solve intractable problems, stop all wars, and put everybody to work building peace. “Peace and safety” will be a slogan of his government and the general populace. “Everything’s going to be peaceful and safe now. No more wars. Everything’s going to be secure. Everybody’s going to have plenty” (1 Thessalonians 5:3). And despite some setbacks and troubles, initially it will seem to be true! (To be continued)

01 – Introduction

The Rise and Fall of the Antichrist

Scott MacGregor

2012-01-01

THERE HAVE BEEN MANY “RISE AND FALL” BOOKS WRITTEN OVER THE YEARS, each one dealing with the history of a civilization, an ideology, or a person that has had a marked impact on the world. This is also a history book—but one with a difference: Although the history covered in this book has already been recorded in celestial annals, it has yet to occur on Earth. It is about the inevitable rise and the spectacular fall of the man who would rule the world—the Antichrist!

Who is this mysterious master of evil—whom the Bible calls the Antichrist, the Beast, the Evil One, the Man of Sin, and the Son of Perdition (Hell)—who is destined to stride onto and dominate the world stage in the last seven years before the return of Jesus Christ? His identity has been a matter of speculation for millennia, and although in this book we won’t be able to point to someone and say, “There he is! That’s him!” the Bible does tell us a lot about him. It is incumbent on us to understand all we can about him because he will, perhaps even soon, be leading a one-world government. That means he could be in power over you and me.

The major characters and events of that future period that is commonly called the Endtime will be described in this book and its sequel, From the End to Eternity. While the Bible is clear on certain major events, there are still many details that are open to conjecture. The Bible is often cryptic in what it says about some events and we will not clearly understand some of the things it is talking about until they happen. This book is intended to provide a foundation of understanding to its readers so that as the Endtime events begin to transpire, they can be aware of what is happening and know how to react.

From all that the Scripture indicates, it looks like this coming one-world leader will rise to power by intrigue and clever deceit (Daniel 11:21,23). By his clever political maneuvering, he will temporarily solve some of the world’s most pressing problems, and will broker a remarkable pact between the conflicting powers, ideologies, and religions of the world.

However, the price to pay will finally be not only compliance with the world government and the deprivation of personal rights, freedoms, and religious liberty, but the Bible teaches that the eventual aim of the leader of this global government is to be worshiped as God by his followers.

Why is it important that we are aware of the details of the Antichrist and his reign? How is all this relevant to us? After all, many Christians believe, as popularized by the widely sold Left Behind series of books written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, that God will take them to Heaven and out of this world before the reign of the Antichrist. However much we might want to avoid that man and his reign of terror, many scriptures indicate that Christians alive on Earth at the time the Antichrist assumes power will, barring their deaths, remain on Earth during his reign. Sadly, many Christians will not be prepared for what is to come and will not be the witnesses—that is, the examples and evangelists of their faith—that God wants them to be during that time. Instead of being beacons of light and understanding, they run the risk of being as hopelessly confused as the rest of humanity. (See Appendix 1.)

Over 500 years before Christ, the prophet Daniel predicted that “the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. And those of the people who understand shall instruct many” (1 Daniel 11:32–33). Yet if we are not cognizant of what is to happen, and thus prepared to fulfill the role God has for us during those times, how will we be a part of the fulfillment of that Scripture? God has commissioned as many as know Him to be numbered among the strong that do these great exploits and instruct many. Let’s not fail Him. Let’s immerse ourselves in the study of the Scriptures so we will understand and thus be able to carry His standard through the years of the Antichrist’s rule to the day when Jesus will appear in the clouds to take us to Heaven, there to receive the greatest accolade of all time when He says, “Well done, good and faithful servant; … enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25:23).

You, Me, and the Christmas Tree

December 20, 2024

By Max Lucado

Max Lucado shares a special Christmas message, reminding the Gateway family that much like we decorate a Christmas tree, God spends intentional time choosing us, preparing us, and decorating us in His beauty.

Run time for this video is 42 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQw4NCpmQvk

https://youtu.be/vQw4NCpmQvk?si=O

The Triumphant Story of a Man Named Christmas

December 19, 2024

By Maria Fontaine

Audio length: 10:25

Download Audio (9.5MB)

With Christmas close at hand, the Lord reminded me of a story about a man named Christmas. I have recounted here some of the events of his life in a dramatized form, written with the assistance of a TFI member, Ian Cutter.

“Hey, Christmas!” the rough voice shouted out of a darkened alcove in the dimly lit alleyway. It was a voice that brought back haunting memories of times past that Christmas wanted to forget. Out of the shadows an all-too-familiar shape emerged, followed by a clan of other rough-hewn figures, their faces sullen, their eyes filled with hate.

“Have you forgotten your old mates? Is it true that you’ve turned from the manly life to be a goodie-boy of a Christian, and a preacher at that?” The words were spit out with such disgust that Christmas knew all too well what he was facing.

“I’ve found a better life and I’ll not be looking back except to offer it to you,” Christmas stated, determined not to be intimidated by the burly group of former companions who’d surrounded him with clenched fists and sadistic laughs at his words.

“Then you’ll be meetin’ your maker sooner than you’d planned,” the man in front of him sneered. The first push came from behind, but before Christmas could turn, he was shoved from one side and then another and another. He struggled to protect himself, but to no avail, as blow after blow began to batter his large frame. A sudden strike with something hard to his face sent shafts of light and pain streaking through his brain, knocking him off balance.

As he fell to the ground, the fists were replaced by work boots that carried the strength of powerful legs as they drove deeper and deeper into him until there wasn’t a spot on his body that wasn’t screaming with agonizing pain. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the relief of unconsciousness mercifully began to shield his tormented mind, filling the void with thoughts, ones he’d long ago forgotten.

Gently they began to wash over him: arms that had surrounded him, gentle arms that brought comfort, the arms of a mother and father protecting him, and arms of siblings pulling on him playfully as they tumbled together into a heap in the grass.

He relived the soothing effect of his father’s voice. He seemed to be back again, sitting on his lap, eyes aglow, as his father told him again the story of how Jesus had sent him to the humble home of a shoemaker and his wife, early on a Christmas morning. They named him Christmas to always remind them of that first Christmas baby born long before to bring life and hope to men.

But then those feelings of early years filled with innocence and sincere love began to grow gray and troubled as the storms of other times gathered around him. He found himself reliving those terrible times when at nine years old his father’s death caused his world to come crashing down.

He shuddered as he remembered the hollow darkness of loneliness and isolation that took over his existence as his impoverished mother was forced to send him and his brother and sister to live with relatives. Then came the life as a virtual slave with a violent, alcoholic uncle who often vented his rage in cruel ways on him.

His memories drew him into the depths of hopelessness that had filled the many nights when he had lain on the bare wood floor in the dark after a beating and how he’d struggled to find some comfort, but couldn’t.

He remembered how the tears that ran down his face would sting in the cuts he’d received, so that they hurt almost as much as the countless bruises. Yet nothing compared to the wrenching pain tearing at his heart when memories of those earlier, happier times came.

He’d only been nine when the beatings began. But by the age of fifteen his now exceptional stature and angry nature empowered him to leave his uncle and to travel from farm to farm as a laborer with other rough, wild men.

The clouds of memories were momentarily drawn aside as through the haze of semi-consciousness he could make out voices and shadowy faces looking down at him. “Is he dead?” one said. “There’s so much blood, he must be. And look at his eye!” another spoke in astonishment. “He moved! Get a meddyg (doctor)! Bring a plank and we’ll carry him to the inn. Hurry!”

The searing pain racked his body as he was lifted onto the makeshift stretcher and carried to a place where it was light enough for a doctor to go to work on his broken and battered frame. Though he tried to hang on to the present, he began to slip back into unconsciousness, where he sensed his memories were lying in wait to overwhelm him again.

He almost preferred the nearly unbearable physical pain to the thoughts he was being forced to remember, but he was powerless to stop them as they rushed on him like a swarm of ghosts, reminding him of how far he’d sunk into the depths of hell on earth.

It seemed hard now to believe that at only seventeen, he’d seen more of the evil that man was capable of than most people ever experience in their whole life. But it was in that hopeless pit that he’d found the One who had come to bring him the light of truth to guide him out. The depths he’d sunk to gradually led to a deep-seated desire that had been instilled in him as a young child, a love for the One who he’d been taught had sent him here for a purpose.

Slowly, glimmers of light and hope began to fill his heart as he recalled that night when something had changed inside him as he had sat listening to the truth that a Christian man patiently tried to explain to him. For the first time in many years he’d begun to feel a touch of those happy memories of his early childhood.

Looking back now, he felt a wave of contentment wash over him as he watched the hatred and anger and bitterness at all that he’d endured begin to change into a passion and fire for God. The sun seemed to come bursting over the horizon as he reveled in the remembrance of how from that point on he’d been determined to tell others of the power that had overcome all that had held him captive.

He considered the lacks he’d faced being poor, and how he had never even learned to read. Yet the determination in his heart had driven him on in his quest for the truth, till he found a group of other poor people meeting by candlelight till late into the night in the barn of a pastor.

He almost laughed at how the impossible began to happen as this kind man of God, seeing his determination to study the Bible, began to teach him to read. Christmas remembered the insight that seemed to burst from his own heart and the growing number of people who would listen to what he had to share with them.

The memories of his joy and his newfound purpose brought him full circle to the present and what had just happened to him.

Afterword

Like the apostle Paul, who several times was beaten and left for dead, Christmas Evans (1766–1838) survived his “martyrdom.” This humble yet dynamic man went on to become one of the most well-known preachers of Wales, traveling the countryside for over 40 years, stirring the hearts of many for God.

Life is filled with times that are good and bad, ups and downs, blessings and hardships, but none of these times on their own determine what God can do with your life when it’s placed in His hands. The Spirit of God can often shine all the brighter in a vessel that is broken, because the holes and cracks allow even more of His light to shine out.

Christmas Evans had so many reasons why he shouldn’t have become a force for God: poverty, tragedy, abuse, bad influences, anger, no education, the loss of one eye from his beating, ill health, social stigmas, and persecution trying to crush whatever good he tried to do. But with every setback, God provided a way for him to overcome, and He can do the same for you.

Originally published December 2013. Republished on Anchor December 2024. Read by Debra Lee.

December 18, 2024

A Tiny Babe in My Arms

By Curtis Peter van Gorder

My friend’s wife gave birth to a darling little girl. When we visited them, I had the chance to hold the sweet baby in my arms. She was only a few weeks old and her head fit snugly in the palm of my hand while the other hand held her tiny body. I was overcome with emotion, that here in my hand was a new soul recently created by God to live among us.

I couldn’t help but think of the wonder of Christ coming to earth some 2,000 years ago. Imagine the God of the entire cosmos coming down and inhabiting our tiny planet and becoming a weak, helpless babe entirely reliant on others to take care of Him, just like this tiny infant lying in my arms. The little baby girl smiled in her sleep as though she were romping in a field of fragrant wildflowers chasing butterflies. I smiled, too.

My thoughts turned to the shepherds who visited Jesus lying in the manger. I wondered if they were given the chance to hold the baby. I imagine that they would have liked to. I wondered why God chose these humble folk to receive the angelic announcement rather than the revered religious leaders of His day. Randy Alcorn, a best-selling author and pastor, writes that in Jesus’ day “shepherds stood on the bottom rung of the Palestinian social ladder. They shared the same unenviable status as tax collectors and dung sweepers.” Even though they cared for the sheep that were used as sin-cleansing sacrifices, they were forbidden to enter the gates of the temple because their dirty work made them ceremonially unclean.

I found it remarkable that, despite the fact that the esteemed religious scribes and rabbis knew that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), it seems that none of them bothered to accompany the wise men to visit the long-awaited Messiah. Good thing, too! Imagine if they had come along and Herod had found out the babe’s location. It shows once again that God is in control! Instead, the lowly shepherds were the ones chosen to find their way to Christ’s crib.

In relating to the nativity story of the shepherds, it is good to remember that we are all shepherds of some sort, whether it be in guiding our own children, managing our coworkers, or influencing others in some way. Shepherds and the sheep that they watch over hold a special place in God’s affections and symbolize His interactions with us. Throughout the Bible there are so many allusions to them.¹ In John 10, Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd who protects and cares for the special needs of His flock. So, there is a lot that the Lord wants us to learn from these shepherds of yore, who were some of the first visitors to Jesus’ birth. There is much that we can apply in our lives.

A shepherd’s life is committed, and he sacrificially puts the needs of the sheep before his own comfort. There is a shepherd living near us, and I am amazed at his fortitude and stick-to-itiveness to care for his flock through all kinds of rainy and cold weather. We too should be wholeheartedly devoted to helping those we are responsible for.

These shepherds on that first Christmas saw an angelic revelation that gave them the message. They were obedient to the heavenly vision. God may not speak to us in a choir of heavenly hosts, but rather in a still small voice, saying, “This is the way, walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21). Not only did they go and see Christ, but they were so impressed that they shared the good news with everybody they met. Sharing our faith is best received when we tell others what happened to us when we met Jesus, just as these shepherds did. One of them might have recounted the story like this:

Shepherds like me don’t get lots of excitement out in the pastures, but I tell you, that night was a humdinger! A bright glorious angel appeared out of nowhere to a few of us! You are probably thinking the hot sun and the freezing nights tending sheep must have addled my brain, and maybe there’s some truth to that. But there was no denying what we saw! You can ask the others that were with me and they’ll tell you the same thing!

The angel said … what was it exactly? The angel started off with: “Don’t be afraid.” And I was like: Afraid? No, I’m not afraid, I’m plumb terrified… And then the messenger said, “I have good news of a great joy that shall be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior, which is Christ the Lord.” And then he said, “He is wrapped in cloth; go find him.” If that weren’t enough, a whole choir of angels appeared as backup singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!”

So after the show, we’re all sitting around stunned trying to process the whole event and asking each other: “Why us?” Then one of the shepherds asks, “Hey, what are we doing just sitting around here gabbing? Let’s go to Bethlehem and check it out! Maybe we can find the baby lying in a manger. There couldn’t be that many babies in a feeding trough, right?” So, we split, and sure enough, it didn’t take us that long to find that beautiful baby of promise.

I tell you, I was a different man after that. God chose me, and no one had ever chosen me for anything. I’ll never forget what the angel said to us: “I bring good news to all people.” And since I am one of those people, that includes me. And hey, it includes you, too. So that’s the good news. The Messiah is here at last and has come to save us! (See Luke 2:8–14.)

If the simple shepherds could share their faith, so can we. Let’s share the ecstatic wonder of Christ’s coming to live with us! All the angels in heaven rejoice when a soul repents and receives Him and enters into everlasting glory (Luke 15:10, John 3:16). This is the greatest joy of Christmas!

Did Christmas Borrow from Pagan Traditions?

December 17, 2024

A compilation

Audio length: 14:53

Download Audio (13.6MB)

Growing up I was taught that the date of Christmas, December 25th, was a borrowed pagan festival. I couldn’t tell you exactly when or where, but I remember being told (more than a few times) that there was a myriad of ancient pagan festivals like Sol Invictus, Saturnalia, Brumalia, and European feasts like Yule, that also took place on the 25th of December.

“The Christians,” the narrative went, “moved the celebration of Christ’s birth to the place of these other pagan festivities in order to make it easier for converts and/or to encourage pagans to convert.”

In many ways this story made sense. Why not supersede, redeem, and cover up the former pagan festivals with a Christian celebration? Christen and baptize these already celebrated days with a new meaning that moved new and inquiring Christians away from the darkness of their former heathen worship and fill it with light?

I was sometimes told that certain pagan activities were inevitably smuggled in, sometimes purposefully and other times completely unintentionally. Christmas trees, holly, wreaths, and so on, were all grandfathered trappings of a previous pagan context, forgotten and replaced. These decorations were incorporated into Christmas and over time their original meaning was lost and simply associated with the Christian celebration rather than their former pagan beginnings.

All of that, however, is bogus. If we turn back the pages of history and look into the firsthand sources, none of the modern traditions associated with Christmas today turn out to be some lost trapping of a long forgotten and profane past. … While there were other festivals taking place on ancient Roman and European calendars, these had nothing to do with the Christians’ choice for choosing December 25th as the date to celebrate the incarnation. …

Nowhere in Scripture does it tell us to celebrate Jesus’ birth, that’s true. However, just because the Bible never specifically commands us to celebrate it does not mean that we shouldn’t. … The incarnation and birth of Christ is—along with Jesus’ death and resurrection—the most awesome event in all of human history. Why wouldn’t we want to carve out some specific time to celebrate such an amazing event?—Wes Huff¹

A Charlie Brown Christmas

One of the first shows about Christmas I watched as a kid was A Charlie Brown Christmas. I haven’t watched it in years, but I haven’t forgotten the climactic scene, where Charlie Brown shouts above the noise to demand an answer to a question he’s struggling with: What is Christmas all about? As we all know, Linus steps forward and proclaims the birth of Christ.

The scene is … reminiscent of the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15, where, after much disputation among the apostles, Peter rises and puts the debate on circumcision to rest. Linus was our second pope, and it seems no small coincidence that, amid all the noise, it was Linus who delivered the truth of Christmas to Charlie Brown and his friends.

The show first aired in 1965, and it became a holiday favorite for many, but modern critics dislike the show for its Christian sentiment. It’s a lot more than sentiment—it’s catechism! I can’t name another Christmas movie that goes so far as to recite an entire section of the Bible (see Luke 2:8–14) to discuss the reason we celebrate the birth of Christ.

Unfortunately, times have changed, and fewer people are willing to recognize that Christmas is a Christian celebration. If Charlie Brown entered a crowded room today to ask what Christmas is all about, he’d get mixed answers. Perhaps out of a desire to further secularize Christmas, many claim that it is not Christian at all, that it was “invented.”

The modern [Christian] has many fronts to defend, one of them being the so-called “pagan roots” of Christmas. Around Christmastime, you are likely to hear the objection that Christmas is a Christo-pagan holiday, a mash-up of pagan beliefs and Christian celebration.

The person who maintains Christmas’s “pagan roots” has to ask himself the following questions: (1) After centuries of the Church being persecuted for not observing pagan holidays, where is the proof of influence? (2) Who influenced whom? Did Christianity influence pagans to begin to adopt a more public and concrete celebration, or did Christians “Christianize” a pagan event? Neither scenario is a problem for the Christian, because the Church has the ability to Christianize people and celebrations alike. …

[As] Paul said to the Greeks at the Areopagus: “For as I passed along, and observed the object of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘to an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you . . . that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him” (Acts 17:23,27).

A desire for the “unknown God” is written on the hearts of all men. The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it this way: “The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for.”—Shaun McAfee²

Reclaiming Christmas

It’s that time of year again, when many Christians encounter claims that pagan deities predating Jesus Christ were born on December 25. In popular films, internet videos, and other media, you can find long lists of gods who were supposedly born on the same day.

This idea is not limited to unbelievers. I have heard many Christians claim that the date of Christmas was intended to provide an alternative to pagan celebrations. In some ways, it has become a pious legend. On the other hand, some Fundamentalist denominations refuse to celebrate Christmas for this reason. …

Although the date of Christ’s birth is not given to us in Scripture, there is documented evidence that December 25 was already of some significance to Christians prior to 354. One example can be found in the writings of Hippolytus of Rome, who explains in his Commentary on the book of Daniel (c. 204) that the Lord’s birth was believed to have occurred on that day. …

But we know one thing for sure: the evidence that this day held a special significance to Christians predates the proof of a supposed celebration of Sol Invictus or other pagan deities on that day.

Nor was the Christians’ choice of a date so close to the winter solstice done to mimic pagan festivals. The various pagan religions all had festivals spanning the calendar. Whatever month the early Christians might have otherwise chosen would still place Christmas near some pagan celebration, and oppositional theorists would still be making the same claims.—Jon Sorensen³

The remembrance and the celebration

Christmas is the Christian remembrance and celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Christians believe that, in Christ, God entered the human race and so deserves the title Immanuel or “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). … When cultures clash, there is always an attempt to change and co-opt language and cultural symbols. Paul had no problem co-opting a pagan altar in order to spread the gospel. Speaking at the Areopagus, he says, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you” (Acts 17:22–23).

If what we know as Christmas originally started out as a pagan celebration, then it has been so successfully co-opted by Christians that any self-respecting pagan would be distressed at what Christians have done to it. Christmas celebrations are so completely the opposite of paganism that any suggested link between the two can be disregarded.—GotQuestions.org⁴

Why December 25th?

Christmas has been widely celebrated by underground Christians and documented by Christians since about AD 200. Christmas became even more popular when Christianity was allowed to be out in the open after the Edicts of Toleration and Milan in AD 311 and 313 respectively.

Popular early church father Sextus Julius Africanus wrote the Chronographiai around AD 221, which put the conception of Christ on March 25—nine months prior to December 25, the date being used for Christmas. For context, this was about 125 years after the last of Jesus’ apostles died. Hippolytus of Rome also mentions December 25 in the first decade of AD 200 in his Commentary on Daniel. …

Is December 25 the actual day of Christ’s birth? That is a great question with mixed reviews, but what we know is that widespread celebrating of December 25 in churches across the Roman Empire as the birth and first nativity of Christ was very early. …

When it comes to Christmas, the Bible simply doesn’t tell us the day Jesus was born. We know it was at nighttime though. Early Christians were uniformly celebrating Christ’s birth throughout the Roman Empire on December 25 by about AD 200. They commented on it without defense as though it were common knowledge.—Bodie Hodge⁵

Why we celebrate Christmas

He came to earth as a helpless baby, born to a humble young girl who miraculously conceived the child. Although ordained and predestined to be the King of kings, He was not born in a palace with the honor and praise of the establishment. Instead, He was born on the dirty floor of a barn amidst the cattle and the donkeys, wrapped in rags and laid to rest in the animals’ feed-trough.

Though His birth brought no great fanfare or recognition from the institutions of men, that night on a nearby hillside, some poor shepherds were awestruck as a brilliant light shone in the starry sky and a host of heavenly messengers filled the night with their joyful declaration: “Glory to God in the highest! Peace on earth to men of good will! For unto you this day is born a Savior, Christ the Lord.”

Since that miraculous day over 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ has done more to change history and the course of civilization and the condition of man than any other leader, group, government, or empire. He has saved billions from the fear and uncertainty of a hopeless tomb and has given eternal life and the love of God to all who call upon His name. And that’s why we celebrate Christmas … not only on December 25th but every day of the year.—The Family International

Published on Anchor December 2024. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso. Music from the Rhythm of Christmas album, used by permission.

¹ https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/christmas-isnt-pagan

² https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/refuting-the-pagan-roots-of-christmas-claim

³ https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/why-december-25

⁴ https://www.gotquestions.org/Christmas-pagan-holiday.html

⁵ https://answersingenesis.org/christmas/was-christmas-pagan

Finding God’s Will and Making Godly Decisions

December 16, 2024

Treasures

Audio length: 9:51

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Every one of us has to make countless decisions throughout our lives, including course-altering ones that affect our future, such as discerning God’s will for our life, where to live, who to marry, what career to pursue, and how to commit to our faith and participate in God’s work. Every time of challenge, testing, and trial can also be a pivotal time of decision-making. But the point is, how do we make wise decisions that will bring the best results and bear good fruit in our lives?

One of the mysteries of God’s plan for humankind is that as beings created in His image, He has bestowed upon each of us the majesty of free will. This includes both the ability to make decisions and the responsibility for the outcomes of those decisions. Part of our growth process as Christians is learning to discern God’s will and make godly decisions through our personal relationship with Him, our knowledge of His Word, and our love for Him and others.

Throughout life, each of us is continuously faced with choices between good and evil, right or wrong, whether to serve God or our own interests. In the process, we learn the benefits of serving God, reaping the joy of obeying His Word, and worshipping and thanking Him in return. As grateful children of our heavenly Father, we have the privilege of choosing to believe in Him and trust Him and His Word, and to experience His blessings as we seek to walk in His will and bring glory to Him through our lives.

Accepting Jesus as our Savior and receiving His free gift of salvation is the most important decision we can make in this life, as it determines our eternal standing in relationship to God and His kingdom. Once we give our life to Christ, it is the start of a new life, and we are faced with numerous other decisions on a daily basis.

For Christians, making decisions starts with learning to discern God’s will, what God knows will be the best choice in the situation. Only God knows what is going to happen, and only He can see the whole picture—the past, present, and future of our lives. He has promised to instruct and guide us in His Word: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8).

Discerning the will of God for Christians is meant to be a relational process, involving ourselves and God. In the book of Isaiah, we read “come now, let us reason together, says the Lord” (Isaiah 1:18), indicating God’s desire to communicate with us. A starting point for finding God’s will and making good decisions is committing all our ways to Him. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5–6). “Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him, and He will act” (Psalm 37:5).

If we are seeking to walk in close relationship with the Lord, in obedience to the teachings in His Word, and truly seeking His will for our lives, we can trust that God will guide us and place His desires on our heart. The Bible teaches, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). But the starting point is to reverence God and desire His will above all else, not our own. As Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9–10). We should go into decision-making with the same mindset that Jesus did, when He said: “Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).

The Bible teaches us a cornerstone principle for discerning God’s will in Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Finding God’s will and making godly decisions starts with the Word of God, as we seek to learn and walk in His ways, the teachings in His Word, and to live according to His precepts. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

As we make daily choices to follow and pattern our lives after the Bible’s teachings, He has promised to grant us wisdom to make good decisions. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5). Sometimes God will speak to us through a certain verse or passage from Scripture, which seems as if it were written just for the situation we are facing. Sometimes God speaks to our heart in a “still small voice” or a whisper, guiding us into His will and truth (see 1 Kings 19:11–13).

We may have an inner conviction that something we are praying about is God’s will. In your heart you just know that a thing is the will of God and what you’re supposed to do or not do. His Word says, “You will hear a voice behind you, saying, this is the way; walk ye in it” (Isaiah 30:21). At times God may speak to us in a dream or a prophetic message to give us specific guidance, which we can then seek further confirmation for.

When seeking God’s will in a decision, it is often wise to ask others for their guidance as well. Proverbs 15:22 says, “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” Of course, it is important to weigh the counsel and to prayerfully seek out good counselors whose lives are producing good fruit and show good results. It is wise to seek confirmations when making important decisions for greater assurance that the decision is the right one.

If something is God’s will, He’ll often open the door to make it possible. Which direction is God providing or opening the way and the means to do it? Granted, circumstances and opportunities are not necessarily the criteria for making godly decisions, but they can sometimes be an indication of how the Lord is leading. Sometimes by closing one door and opening another, the Lord leads and directs us. God may orchestrate certain setups and situations which become golden opportunities.

An important factor in our decision-making is that we seek to make decisions that will accomplish God’s purposes and bring glory to Him. The Bible says that “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). His Word teaches us to make decisions that reflect His goodness and kindness and promote justice: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).

Once you’ve made your decision, commit it to the Lord and trust in Him to act according to His good purposes. If you’ve done your best to make your decision with prayer and biblical counsel, have faith in God for the outcome: “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). If your decision proves to be mistaken down the road or needs a change in direction, admit your mistake and ask God to guide and redirect your path.

What a comfort it is to know that we can discern God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will! As we seek to walk in His will and dwell in His presence, we are in the safest place to be in this world. Even if war breaks out around us, or we endure personal tragedy or loss or the inevitable storms of life, we will always be safe in God’s hands. Even when you seem to be all alone, God will always be with you. “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

God bless you!—And He will as you seek to follow Him and love Him with all your heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37), and to make godly decisions and walk in His will.

From an article in Treasures, published by the Family International in 1987. Adapted and republished December 2024. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.

Forever Christmas

David Brandt Berg

2020-12-21

As David Livingstone once stated, when we serve the Lord, we never truly make a sacrifice. The Lord always more than repays anything we give to Him. He said, “Whatsoever thou spendest, I will repay when I come again.”¹ He has repaid us so much already in this life, just in the people we have led to salvation and service for the Lord. That’s a big payoff in itself; that’s almost reward enough without anything else.

We have all this here and now and heaven too! This is only the beginning, as they used to say at the circus, of the “Greatest Show on Earth,” as they used to advertise them. We are characters in the greatest show on earth, and it is only the beginning! When we die and go to be with the Lord, our eternal lives are just getting started.

You’ve each been laying up treasures in heaven, rewards that you haven’t received here that you’ll receive there. Frankly, the more I think about heaven, the more thrilled I am about what the Lord has stored up for us there, “more than eye hath seen or ear heard, or hath even entered into the heart of man,” except that the Holy Spirit has showed it to us, thank the Lord.²

We can get as excited about heaven as children do about Christmas. Didn’t you get excited as a child when December rolled around? From the very first of the month children begin thinking about Christmas and Christmas presents and doing a little Christmas shopping. I remember my mother used to give me $5 to go out and buy Christmas presents for about 25 people, which meant I could only spend about 20 to 25 cents on each one—including her and my dad and brother and sister.

The more I’ve been reading about heaven, the more excited I get about how wonderful and beautiful it is and what a thrilling place it’s going to be and already is for those who are there. Don’t be sorry for those who die in the Lord! “They shall see His face,” God’s Word tells us in Revelation 22:4.

Heaven is something to look forward to, like Christmas, only it will be the greatest Christmas you ever experience! It will be the greatest family reunion you will ever know, with all your loved ones and relatives and children and parents and ancestors and descendants and ascendants in one place at the same time, rejoicing and praising the Lord together in one grand heavenly fellowship meeting. All together at last!

As Christians, we don’t need to fear death, because sudden death for us is sudden glory, and we will be forever with the Lord. So don’t feel sorry for those who go on or who have already gone. We do feel sad for ourselves sometimes because we have lost them from this life, and we miss their fellowship and love. But surely we wouldn’t feel so sorry for ourselves that we would want them to have to come back to this old world and all its troubles and sorrows and hardships and hard work.

Heaven is certainly a lot more inspiring than earth and all its problems. Thank God for the heaven we have in our hearts with the love of Jesus, His Spirit, and the heaven we have in our love and service for Him.

Those of us who know and love the Lord and have His Spirit have heaven in our hearts, and we can have a little bit of heaven in our lives and work for the Lord by bringing the heaven of His love to others. But this is only a small sample of what’s coming! God’s Word tells us that this is just the earnest of our salvation.³ This is just a little sample, just a little bit of heaven here to have His love and His Spirit and His wonderful work. If this is just a sample, think of what the full reality is going to be like!

We’re halfway to heaven here in spirit, and we can get half of the enjoyment ahead of time just thinking about it, praising and thanking the Lord for it, reading about it, looking forward to it, and anticipating it. After all, that’s where we’re going to spend eternity! It’s our eternal home, the place Jesus has gone to prepare for us forever.

I like to talk about heaven to inspire you and encourage you and to give you all the more determination to get as many other people there as you possibly can. That is going to be one of the greatest thrills in heaven, to see those souls that you preached the gospel to and led to the Lord, who are there because of your witness.—All those friends and loved ones and people that you witnessed to, many of whom you didn’t even know got saved until after you had sowed the seed. That’s going to be one of the greatest blessings in heaven besides being with the Lord and being with loved ones—being with those whom we played a role in getting there, by preaching the gospel to them so they could be saved and be members of His kingdom.

Heaven is a great place to look forward to, as it will help you bear some of these burdens and trials that you’re going through now when you realize these are only just for a moment. “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”⁴

This is one reason Moses could continue to press on in spite of tremendous hardship, because he had “respect unto the recompense of the reward. He endured, as seeing Him who is invisible.”⁵ He looked past all the troubles he had in Egypt, as if seeing the Lord and seeing His reward in the future. He could put up with the present by foreseeing the future, as did all of those heroes in God’s Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11, who counted themselves as pilgrims and strangers on the earth because they were looking for a city whose builder and maker is God, which hath foundations, and a country that belongs to them. They were able to endure all kinds of tribulation on this earth and suffering and hard work and even torture and death because they looked forward to that city.⁶

So it is heartening to think about heaven and to keep in mind what you have to look forward to—knowing that the suffering of this present time is nothing compared to the glories that we are going to share in the near future.

When His time has come for you and it’s your time to go, that’s the day you’re going to be the most thankful of all, and you’re going to arrive in your eternal home and see that it was really worth it all. Praise the Lord! That’s going to be the happiest Christmas you ever had! Your happiest Christmas of all is still in the future, your first Christmas in heaven.

Lord, we know that in the future, in the most trying times, we will treasure even more Your gift of eternal life and be thankful for You until finally, we spend that first Christmas with You in heaven, our most memorable Christmas of all! Help us to look forward to our greatest and most blessed Christmas of all with You where we live forever in Your kingdom, in Jesus’ name.

Originally published June 1983. Adapted and republished December 2020.
Read by Simon Peterson.

¹ Luke 10:35.

² 1 Corinthians 2:9–10.

³ Ephesians 1:14.

⁴ Romans 8:18.

⁵ Hebrews 11:26–27.

⁶ Hebrews 11:10, 13–14, 16.

The Real Victors of the Tribulation

We’re “More Than Conquerors” (Romans 8:37)

David Brandt Berg

1983-09-01

In the case of the outstandingly gifted prophets and prophetesses and witnesses of the last days, particularly the Tribulation period, their powers to fight off the Enemy and to continue to protect their witness and witnesses may be similar to some of the powers we’ll be using in the Millennium to force evildoers into submission. The Lord uses the words “rod of iron” (Revelation 2:27), which certainly symbolizes the use of force.

There comes a time when even good has to use force against evil, and this is certainly clear throughout the Bible, because force is almost the only thing that evil understands. That’s why the Lord says that the police are officers of God who bear not the sword in vain (Romans 13). This means they need to bear swords, weapons, and not in vain, which means that if necessary, they use them. Even some of Jesus’ disciples carried swords. But our weapons are not carnal but are much more powerful, unto the tearing down of strongholds, spiritual strongholds, fighting and opposing the spiritual wickedness in the spiritual realm (2 Corinthians 10:4).

Therefore, we have to have weapons that are more powerful than normal physical, carnal weapons. We have to have powerful spiritual weapons, and we don’t carry these in vain. We’re supposed to use them if necessary to resist the powers of evil and to protect ourselves from the Devil, and we even have some of these powers available now. Men and women of God have always had these powers available from the very beginning. God had to give godly people godly powers to defeat and oppose and defend themselves from the powers of the Devil.

So there’s nothing new about it, and it could happen with others and will happen definitely during the Tribulation when we need particularly strong powers for self-defense and to make our witness possible and to protect us to the very end. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be any live Christians left for Jesus to rapture! We would all have been killed by the Enemy.

It says that power is going to be given to the Antichrist to overcome the organized church and to destroy its temporal power (Daniel 7:21–25; 8:24; Revelation 13:7). But that doesn’t mean that they’re going to defeat or dominate or destroy all of us, the true believers and those who have the supernatural powers and miraculous defenses of the Lord. “For they which do know their God shall do exploits and shall instruct many, but even some of these shall fall,” it says (Daniel 11:32–33). But when they fall, it says that they’ll be helped. The Lord is going to enable us to continue till the end and to survive all the onslaughts of the Antichrist and his forces. Otherwise there wouldn’t be anybody left to rapture. So the Lord is going to have to give His true believers, men and women of God, prophets and prophetesses and witnesses, supernatural, miraculous powers of self-defense and even of attack in order to survive and continue witnessing until the Lord comes.

It says that the Antichrist forces weren’t able to do anything against the final two witnesses until the very end because they were able to cause curses and plagues on the evil and to call down fire from God out of heaven to devour their enemies. That’s a picture of mighty men and women of God fighting a victorious battle over the demons of hell right until the very end, even though some of them were allowed to be martyrs. Obviously most of them are going to survive and endure all of that until the very coming of the Lord when they’re raptured out of it all, and that’s no little mean handful. It’s going to be millions. So they must have survived somehow with some kind of supernatural, miraculous help.

I believe, according to the Scriptures, that certain very powerful men and women of God like the ancient prophets and prophetesses of old are going to have miraculous powers to protect and defend their flocks and followers and help them to survive to the very end, the final great witnesses depicted in Revelation, even the famous two last witnesses described in Revelation 11. It doesn’t say that they are the only ones, but it shows how victorious they are right up to the very end, that the Antichrist and all his forces and all the forces of hell are not able to really touch them until only 3½ days before the Second Coming of the Lord and their rapture. Their bodies are left in the streets for 3½ days while the wicked rejoice over them, thinking they have won the victory, when suddenly to their surprise they arise from the dead and are raptured into the heavens at the Second Coming of the Lord (Revelation 11:11–12).

So I believe there are going to be millions of Christians who survive until the Rapture.—Some by hiding out in the wilderness as the Scripture says (Revelation 12:6,14), others by defying the forces of Satan face-to-face and being victorious over all the powers of the Enemy till the very end! “Where sin doth abound, grace doth much more abound” (Romans 5:20). And where satanic power is going to abound, then God’s power is going to much more abound to protect His own. God’s purpose is not going to be defeated; He’s going to have millions of witnesses right up to the end, at least 144,000.

The Tribulation period is not going to be a defeat for the church of God, for genuine Christians. It’s going to be a time of waging war on the Antichrist and all his forces right up to the end! Otherwise there’d be nobody to survive to be raptured. So don’t worry about it! Those who live during those times will have what it takes when the time comes—power for the hour, and every hour. Even at the darkest hour they’ll still have power for the hour to meet every difficulty and every problem and every opposition—the supernatural, miraculous power of God.

Just think, there will be nothing the Antichrist can do against the famous two witnesses of Revelation 11, nothing he can do to stop them until 3½ days before the Lord comes. Then he will be allowed to kill them, so that the cup of the iniquity of the wicked may be full, and while they’re actually rejoicing over their deaths, suddenly the Lord will come and resurrect them and rapture them. That in itself is a mighty victory, showing that God can even be victorious over the deaths of martyrdom and slaughter. What is death if you can be resurrected?—And be raptured on top of it! So it will still wind up a mighty victory for the Lord right in the sight of the whole world. And the world will be amazed, as the Lord will show His wrath then with a great earthquake and hail as He rains wrath on the wicked as He resurrects and raptures His saints.

So we don’t have to think that those who live through that time are just going to be cowering, hunted victims, although some may be. Obviously most are not going to be cowering but powering in their fight and battle and defense of the Gospel right up to the end, with all the forces of heaven on their side, including the curses and plagues of God on the Enemy, and the Lord’s defense by all kinds of strange monsters described in the Bible that appear during the Tribulation period to defend His children.

It is not a period of complete defeat and destruction as some have pictured, particularly some of our teachers and writers of the past who seemed to enjoy drawing the most gruesome kind of pictures to terrify us about that period. We’ve been given too much hell about the Tribulation. We need to show a little more of what heaven can do and is going to do for God’s children during that time of trial. There’s going to be a lot of hell—in fact, the most hell the world has ever known—but the world is going to get most of it, not the Christians! Although there’s going to be the most hell the world has ever known, there is also going to be the most power of heaven that we have ever known, the most heavenly power and defense and help and protection in order that we can be powerful witnesses to the truth right up to the end.

So why have this terrible picture of constant defeat of the saints and the Christians? The Tribulation period is not going to be a period of just defeats and horrors for the Christians. It’s going to be a time of probably our greatest victories and greatest battles and greatest powers that the true church has ever known, to defeat the forces of evil in spite of all the satanic power of the Antichrist forces of the Devil.

The Tribulation period is going to be mostly a time of horror and suffering for the Antichrist forces and his people. They’re the ones that are pictured as suffering the most, and in a sense, it’s the time of their greatest defeat. For despite the fact that they’ve finally got the whole world under their power and control, they still can’t defeat the true Christians or stop them or even stop their witness.

We need a picture of the Tribulation as a time of great battle, that’s true, a great struggle, great tribulation, but most of the horrors are for the world and the wicked, not for God’s children. It’ll be a time of some of our greatest victories and greatest witness and greatest miracles and greatest manifestations of the supernatural.

So we shouldn’t be always painting such a horrible gloomy picture of the Tribulation. It’s true, it’s going to be a time of great persecution and great battles. But it’s also going to be a time of great, phenomenal, supernatural, miraculous victories that will spare us and protect us and help us to survive and witness to the very Coming of the Lord, when “We which are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). There are going to be a lot of us who are still alive and remain right to the end.

The Lord is going to take care of His children and He’s going to have mighty saints and men and women of God, prophets and prophetesses at the last day to continue our witness until the very end and the Coming of the Lord.

We need to show our people the other side of the Tribulation: the victorious view of what marvelous witnessing His children are going to do then, in which the whole world will know about us and even see us on television and hear of our mighty wonders and miracles and supernatural protection in spite of everything the Devil and his Antichrist can do. What a defeat for Satan to do everything he can to kill us and be unable to! How humiliating that’s going to be for the Antichrist when he has declared war on God’s people and said we should all be killed, and yet he can’t. That will surely be a time of frustration and humiliation for the Antichrist and his forces.

So why get so worried about the Tribulation? It’s going to be a period when God’s children are going to have a greater testimony and a greater witness and even more miraculous survival and supernatural defense, and in some ways it’s going to be a time of great victory and marvelous testimony, so that the whole world will know, and every last person that can possibly be saved is going to be saved. The whole world will hear the Gospel and our witness will have gone out to the ends of the earth. Even angels will be preaching the Gospel from the heavens so that the whole world will hear it and be without excuse, and so that everyone who can possibly be saved then will be saved.

The greater the battle, the greater the victory; the greater the test, the greater the testimony. And the greater the trial or tribulation, the greater the triumph! You can’t have a triumph and a victory and a testimony without a war and without battles. So it is going to be a time of great battle and great war between the forces of good and evil, but it’s also going to be a time of great victory, tremendous triumph and terrific testimonies of the victories of the forces of God over the forces of evil. For the greater the battle, the greater the victory, and the more tremendous the trial, the greater the triumph!

So quit looking on the Tribulation as a horrible defeat with nothing but persecution and suffering. There will be some of that, but I’m convinced from Scripture and the nature of God and His dealings with man that it’s going to be primarily a time of great victory over the forces of Satan and tremendous triumph over the Antichrist wicked. So don’t fear it. Don’t worry about it!

When you watch those Superman and Wonder Woman movies and others of that sort, you don’t really worry about what’s going to happen to them, because no matter what happens to them, you know they always win in the end. They’ve got to win. They’re the hero and the heroine of the series. If anything happens to them, it would be the end of the series. God’s people are the heroes and the heroines. We’ve got to win! The forces of God cannot be defeated and the plan of God cannot be frustrated. We’re bound to win. We can’t lose!

Christmas Like a Christian: Five Glories the World Belittles

December 13, 2024

By Marshall Segal

Words alone could never fully capture the meaning and wonder of Christmas—but we can sure do a whole lot better than the card aisles in stores today. “Many blessings and wishes to you.” “May your life be filled with warmth and good cheer this holiday season.” “Sending lots of peace and joy to you and your family this Christmas.” “It’s people like you who make this season so magical and bright.”

No, it’s not people like you (or me) that make this season merry, magical, or bright. In fact, by increasingly thinking we’re what makes Christmas so merry, we’re slowly siphoning off its true power. The Son of the living God was born human in a small town in the Middle East, sent to bear the awful weight of sin and shame, overpower Satan’s terrifying forces of evil, place death itself in the grave, and clear the narrow path to paradise.

(Read the article or listen to the podcast here.)

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/christmas-like-a-christian

Rebounding with Praise—Part 3

December 12, 2024

Words from Jesus

Audio length: 8:13

Download Audio (7.5MB)

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.—1 Thessalonians 5:16–18

An attitude of praise and worship engenders faith and hope, whether you’re in a difficult situation or you are in a good situation. Your words of praise in every situation and circumstance in which you find yourself are an expression of faith. This is why the Apostle Paul said to give thanks in everything and to rejoice evermore.

Choosing the path of praise in the times when you least feel like it can go against your natural inclinations. But when you go against your natural grain by walking in praise, your faith is honed and your spirit is lifted above the circumstances. When you experience times that test your faith and you choose to trust and praise Me in the midst of it, your faith is strengthened.

When you walk through the world with praise and a sense of wonder at My creation and the works of My hands, everything becomes clearer and you can walk through your day without getting bogged down by the cares and uncertainty of the world. When you take on the mindset of praise, it’s like climbing up to a mountaintop and taking on a new perspective, and the trials and problems of everyday life seem much smaller.

Mountain-climbing faith

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.—Psalm 100:4–5

When there’s a mountain looming in front of you that you just can’t climb, take a step back and bring the problem to Me with praise and prayer. Entering into My presence with praise and thanksgiving, no matter what situation you’re in, is a declaration of faith. Don’t try to keep forging ahead or to find a way to climb over it—bring your every concern to Me and trust that I will guide you and, if need be, help you to blast a tunnel right through the mountain you’re facing! As you trust that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, even when all is dark around you, by faith you will find the sunshine at the other end.

Have you ever felt like a magnet for problems and insurmountable obstacles and setbacks? Bring your every problem, difficulty, and setback to Me, and trust that I care for you (1 Peter 5:7). Remind yourself of the many times I have acted on your behalf, and put your faith into action through praise, standing on My promise to work every single setback you face together for your good (Romans 8:28). I made the world out of nothing, and I can surely work in and through every obstacle and problem that comes your way and cause all things to serve My good purposes.

As you enter into My presence with thanksgiving and praise, you will see things with greater clarity, and you will be able to take on a heavenly perspective regarding each difficulty you face in life. You will find peace in the knowledge that I do all things well.

It is well with my soul

When your first reaction to difficult situations, loss, or heartbreak is to come to Me and give Me your concerns and your burdens, and express your worship, you are trusting Me to work on your behalf. You are allowing Me to engineer circumstances and conditions that either turn the situation around or work even something extremely difficult or painful together for your good. I can use even the most difficult situations to bring about good in your life, and to engineer new possibilities that will help you to grow spiritually and draw closer to Me than ever before.

When you can come to Me in the midst of adversity and say, “It is well with my soul,” you are expressing your faith that one day you will see My hand in each adverse circumstance or problem that comes your way. In expressing your worship and praise even in extreme or dire circumstances, you are taking a stand of faith to trust in Me.

Choose a praiseful and grateful perspective. Determine to hold on to hope. As you learn to be joyful, no matter what the situation, you’ll find yourself eagerly looking forward to the fulfillment of My eternal promises—and you’ll learn to look at the future differently, knowing that it will be bright with the brilliance of My promises.

A prayer of praise from the Psalms

Lord, I will rejoice in Your salvation and lift up banners of victory in Your name (Psalm 20:5). I will find joy in Your strength, and I will sing and praise Your power (Psalm 21:13). Blessed be Your name, because You have heard the voice of my prayers. You are my strength and shield; I trusted in You, and I was helped. Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song, I give thanks to You (Psalm 28:6–7).

O Lord, I will give thanks to You for ever. For Your Word is right; and all Your works are done in truth (Psalm 33:4). I will praise You at all times; I will constantly speak Your praises (Psalm 34:1). O Lord my God, You have performed many wonders for us; Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all Your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them (Psalm 40:5).

Each day You pour Your unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing Your songs, praying to You who gives me life. I will put my hope in You, God! I will praise You again—my Savior and my God (Psalm 42:8, 11). For what You have done I will always praise You, and I will always hope in Your name, for Your name is good (Psalm 52:9).

Published on Anchor December 2024. Read by Jon Marc. Music by John Listen.

Why Does the Bible Say That “God Dwells in Darkness”?

December 11, 2024

By Tommy Paluchowski

Did you know that this exact same verse appears in the Bible twice? “Then Solomon said, ‘The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness’” (1 Kings 8:12 and 2 Chronicles 6:1). Actually, it was the same event, recorded twice. Why? I would like to think because it was important. Solomon announced this during a celebration when the ark of the covenant was set in place and God’s glory filled the temple.

At first, what Solomon announced in God’s name seemed strange to me. It was as if someone was talking off-topic. I was surprised by the lack of any logical connection between the occasion for celebration and the statement that God was in a dark place.

When I was researching the meaning of this verse, I found the explanation by Adam J. Walker to be helpful, that no one can view the full glory of God directly, so when God is within the reaches of human contact, He dwells in thick darkness so that His glory doesn’t consume those He loves.¹

I reflected further on this concept of God dwelling in darkness. An interesting question is whether the darkness could be a type of invitation. At first glance, that idea seems counterintuitive. But an invitation to what?—To intimacy with God, of course!

When praying about this, the scripture came to mind with the invitation from Matthew 6:6: “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Perhaps personal contact with God took place in thick darkness, so that, among other things, no one would disturb our one-on-one relationship, the time we spend alone with God.

Moses experienced something similar: “Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.’ The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was” (Exodus 20:18–19, 21).

The apostle Paul was changed into a new man after three days in darkness, following Jesus’ appearance to him in the light while he was on his journey to Damascus. (See Acts 9:1–19.)

Jesus died in darkness for our sins. “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit” (Matthew 27:45, 50).

And God told the freed Israelites: “Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the LORD your God, for in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night” (Deuteronomy 16:1). “It was a night of watching by the Lord, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the Lord by all the people of Israel throughout their generations” (Exodus 12:42).

Did God decide to bring the Jews out of Egypt at night because it is easier to travel in the desert since it is not as hot as during the day? Or was He showing them a metaphor by using night as a symbol?

In my life and work for the Lord I have seen many unusual events, even miracles when they were needed. I’ve celebrated and had fun with others. I’ve rejoiced in the Lord’s accomplishments. All this was a satisfying experience for me. But I can say with certainty that these moments of joy, although pleasant, did not teach me a whole lot.

The real learning and spiritual growth came during moments of darkness. Days when, for example, I got sick suddenly and had to quarantine alone for days. It was then that I experienced moments of inspiration while reading the Bible for hours, not rushing to some activity that normally would be waiting for me in my everyday life. I had a lot of free time and I could spend it with God. Sometimes it was the only thing I could do.

It was precisely these moments, shutting myself in my room to talk to God alone, that were like entering darkness. I say darkness, because sometimes it was not easy for me to listen and accept God’s correction of my life course. But it was worth the effort. It was during this time in darkness that I learned a lot about my spiritual life and my behavior.

What was painful to my pride was at the same time a gift for me personally as I grew in spiritual strength and in the knowledge of my Savior. I am certain that God allowed my failures, illnesses, and misadventures, if only so that we could be together. Just the two of us.

While being in darkness, I learned important principles and great truths. In hindsight, I know that if it were not for these times of darkness, I would not have managed my future life journey as well. God gave me enough time for this teaching to soak into my soul, to remain there forever. “I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things” (Isaiah 45:7).

Now that I have a chronic illness—a kind of darkness that I didn’t know before—in addition to the new things I discover, I am also learning again what I have already learned. Of course, I would like to act, perform, and generally be active, but it is not my choice anymore. I surrendered my life to Jesus again. I placed my desires on Him. I did it once. Then I did it again. And again. And… Jesus is my best choice. My only choice.

At first, I resisted this time of learning. Later, when I calmed down, I made this choice even though I knew He would lead me through darkness and night. Yes, I did it consciously. Here is my reasoning.

Most of us have a bad feeling about darkness. I don’t remember hearing many sermons that were titled “God dwells in darkness.” People seem to avoid this topic. Despite this negative connotation, it was in darkness that I learned that God is light. To some, this may sound absurd, but it is the truth. It was the darkness that made me realize the need for His light. Gratitude for Jesus appeared in my life. He is the light, and through Him I see and am seen.

In the darkness I appreciated the brilliance of the treasure that is God’s Word. The dense darkness motivated me to look for the shining promises of God that I could lean on and that would give me direction in the darkness of this world. When I could see nothing in front of me, I learned how to take steps of faith.

In the dark, I was trained to recognize the “still, small voice” of God that replaced my sight. When I was walking gropingly, fearing that I’d stumble over something, I then began to appreciate and hold on tight to the hand of God, who was saying to me, “Do not be afraid.”

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).

* * *

Often we walk in darkness. Who hasn’t felt the darkness of depression or uncertainty, of fear or sadness? In the dark moments of life I believe that God is far nearer than we can comprehend. In those times when He feels distant, when it feels like we are lost in the darkness, God is in fact with us, near enough to touch if we will simply reach out. …

One of the funny things about mankind is that we always expect God to come onto the scene with a flash of lightning and thunder that will shake our very souls. But God is rarely like that, I think it’s because He isn’t much of a show-off. God loves to come on the scene quietly and even humbly. He peers onto the scene of human suffering with the caring heart of a Father and the gentle grace of a lamb. He can be easily found by those that realize He is in the thick darkness, we just have to remember to look. After all, He did come onto the scene of mankind as a baby in the little town of Bethlehem. And on that dark night He was found by those humble enough to seek Him.—Adam J. Walker

¹ https://adamjwalker.com/2014/03/god-dwells-in-thick-darkness/

Faith

David Brandt Berg

1971-05-01

When you ask the Lord for an answer, expect an answer, and take the first thing that comes. If you really believe and ask the Lord, and you want to hear or see, you won’t be disappointed. And that thing you see or hear with the eyes or ears of your spirit, that’s the Lord—and it will be such a comfort to you. You just have to have faith. Expect God to answer. Just open up your heart and let the sunshine in.

If you’re really desperate and crying with your whole heart and are asking Him, He’ll answer. A baby is such an illustration of this. When he’s crying for his mother, you wouldn’t think of refusing him. Hearing from the Lord is our spiritual nourishment—and you’ve got to be able to hear from the Lord.

That little baby has more faith than we do sometimes, because when he cries, he expects someone to hear him. He knows—God put it in him to know—that if he calls, you’ll answer. He expects the answer and he gets it. If he asks for milk, you’re sure not going to give him a serpent or something else. (See Luke 11:11–12.) You’re going to give him what he needs. So you must expect that what you get is from the Lord.

Shutting your eyes helps you to see in the spirit and to become unconscious of the things and people around you. Get your mind on the Lord, and your body in a relaxed position where nothing distracts you, and then expect that what you hear or see will be something from the Lord.

This is the way God tests you when you are asking Him for something. You’re crying just like a baby for the spiritual food you need to live on, to survive on. When you cry, you must expect the Lord to answer. When you pick up the child, what do you do? You have to pick him up, reveal yourself to him, and, when he’s a tiny baby, you have to bring the nourishment to him; you have to show him where it is. As he gets older, he automatically knows where to find the milk, he can reach out himself.

The longer you practice receiving nourishment from God, the more you know where to find it, and you just open your eyes and see it and reach for it. After the nipple is in the baby’s mouth, he automatically starts nursing. When you cry out to God for something, He pushes it in your mouth, but if you don’t start sucking, you’ll never get it. You have to have the faith to begin to pull. You absolutely have to draw God’s nourishment. You have to put your faith into action.

Faith is a kind of drawing power. It is your drawing power from God. It’s kind of like a bank account: the money is there, and the Father has put it there in your name in the Bank of Heaven, but you’ll never get it—not one red cent—unless you’re willing to go to the bank and sign the check by faith, and draw on it. You’ve got to draw, or you won’t get it. But you see, faith is what draws it.

What is it that brings milk out of the breast? What is the physical principle of that suction? It’s a vacuum. You create a vacuum—a space, an emptiness. When he sucks, the baby deliberately creates a vacuum inside his mouth which pulls the milk out. You have to create a vacuum inside your heart: “Lord, here is this empty space. Please fill it!”

You reduce the pressure in a certain area, forming a vacuum, And do you know what fills that vacuum? It’s not the child. All the child does is create the vacuum by reducing the pressure inside his mouth, which then becomes lower than the pressure inside the breast. And so the milk flows from the mother’s breast into the child’s mouth.

In prayer, you create a vacuum. There’s a space that needs filling—you seek the Lord’s help. You create the vacuum, and the Lord’s pressure fills it. The power comes from outside, not from inside. All you did was create the vacuum, but that vacuum drew the power. It draws, and therefore the pressure from the Lord seeks the place where there is less pressure.

There’s an old saying: Nature abhors a vacuum. But God really likes a vacuum. He likes to fill every vacuum. He likes to fill every place that’s made for Him. Every place where you open up your heart, your spirit, a low-pressure area, His Spirit will flow in, in all His power.

The Lord wants you to draw on the Word—not only the recorded Word, but the living Word. When you start sucking for dear life and desire it with all your heart, you’ll finally get it. You have to believe when you create that vacuum in your heart—you draw on the Lord—that sucking action of your faith, that the first thing that comes into your mouth is the Lord. The first thing you see, you must believe that that is from the Lord, and you must go straight on from there. You must begin to speak those words He puts in your mouth, and speak that scripture or phrase He gives you. He gives you a little, but then you’ve got to expect more.

If the baby didn’t swallow what he got, he couldn’t get any more. Your mouth can only hold so much at once. So you get a mouthful and you swallow it. Then He gives you another mouthful. In this case, by giving it out, you’re absorbing it—you’re swallowing it.

And that’s how you get revelations from the Lord. If it’s a message in tongues and prophecy, you drink it into your own mouth, and then you show your belief by giving it. But you only get one mouthful at a time. If you don’t give that mouthful, you won’t get another. When you ask the Lord for a picture and you get it, start describing it. Describe what you see, and then the Lord will keep giving you more. What do you do when you see a movie? You have to keep drinking in scene by scene by scene by scene. You couldn’t possibly get it all in one shot. You have to keep swallowing. So you have to exercise your faith. You have to create a vacuum in your spirit and then the Lord will fill it.

The radio is like a vacuum. In the air right now all around us, just like the Spirit of the Lord, there are radio waves. But until you turn on the radio, and in a sense create a vacuum in the receiver, you’re not going to get anything. You have to open a channel, an electric circuit. You have to make contact by making a vacuum.

Faithful people are people who are full of faith—full of a vacuum, and the Lord’s high pressure fills that vacuum. But you’ve got to keep swallowing. In this case, the giving out is a swallowing. The Lord’s not going to squirt milk out into the thin air where it will be lost or into some baby who won’t swallow it. He’s got to swallow it and digest it and assimilate it, or he won’t get it. You create that little spiritual vacuum, and that’s faith which draws on the Lord, and His high pressure fills it.

The power is always on. The message is always there. God’s Spirit is like a broadcasting station transmitting all the time. All you have to do is throw the switch and tune in. You have to have the vacuum and sincerely open your mouth, and He’ll fill it. That drawing draws the power of God. Then you have to describe the vision, tell the dream, give the message, interpret the tongues.

God has unlimited capacity to give, and what you get is only limited by your own capacity to receive. Pretty soon you get so full, you can’t stand it. Your vacuum is full, your tummy is satisfied, and your spirit is content. The Lord will keep on feeding you until you’re satisfied, until your spiritual vacuum is filled.

Faith is the hand of the spirit that reaches out and receives. It is the part that you do—your spiritual effort. Sometimes the prophets were actually sick afterwards, because it was so hard on their flesh. It left them absolutely exhausted. Sometimes they fell down as if dead. It took some physical strength. There is a link between the spiritual and the physical that we don’t quite understand. They are inseparable except by death, unless the Lord separates them in the spirit and takes you on a spiritual trip. The physical affects the spiritual and the spiritual affects the physical.

It’s so simple: You just have to have the faith of that little baby. And pretty soon you’ll recognize it when the Lord begins to speak. Some people get things from the Lord and don’t even know it is from the Lord. I did that for years. I’ve been getting things like this all my life, and for a long time I thought it was just me—and all the time the Lord was speaking to me.

I used to go out by myself and walk in the woods and the fields. I was scared of people and liked to be alone—but God must have made me that way so that I would stay by myself and commune with Him. The Lord showed me things about the birds and the bees, the sky and the clouds, the flowers and the trees, and the Lord showed me so many spiritual truths. “I learned alone. I learned to love. I listened to the still, small voice of God.” It just came as if it was natural. I didn’t realize what a supernatural thing it was, what a miracle. Everything is a miracle! Everything is supernatural, because God made it all.

If you’ve got an open channel and tune in, the Lord will fill you—your mind, your heart, your ears, your eyes. But if you resist the answer He gives, He shuts up, because you won’t listen.

We were always trying to get my mother to hear from the Lord. We kept saying, “Let’s have prayer; let’s have a prayer meeting.” My mother would get so mad. She’d say, “You’re just trying to have me get something from the Lord for you when you could get it yourself.”

The Lord is trying to show you that you can get it yourself. The answer’s always there if you’re willing to receive it. You have to be willing to take what He gives, and give it.

Good News, Great Joy, All People

December 6, 2024

By Brett McBride

When Jesus calls His disciples to follow Him, they learn that walking with Jesus expands our vision and understanding of who Jesus wants us to reach with the good news and our capacity to love people.

Run time for this video is 30 minutes. The sermon ends 22 minutes into the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdQqvZ4fy7M

Notes from the Heart for Christmas

December 5, 2024

By Maria Fontaine

Audio length: 11:52

Download Audio (10.8MB)

With Christmas approaching, you will likely want to communicate the Lord’s love and message through cards, personal emails, newsletters, blog posts, etc.

I find it challenging to find new ways to spark people’s interest about the real meaning of Christmas, whether I’m reaching out to someone who doesn’t yet have a personal connection with Jesus or reminding those who do know Him of how important that link is.

Each year Peter and I try to come up with a slightly different presentation of God’s love brought to us at Christmas, to use in our communications with friends and family. I’d like to share some of our ideas.

Perhaps these will be helpful in providing you with a fresh approach that you can adapt to assist you in connecting with others during this season when we celebrate the birth of our dear Savior.

Love and prayers for a fruitful, meaningful, witness-filled Christmas season.

Merry Christmas!

The meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus, is God telling you, “I love you more than you can ever know.” May you experience His love during this season and throughout the new year.

We regularly pray for God’s blessing in your life. If you ever need prayer for something specific, please let us know, and we’ll be happy to pray for you or with you.

Merry Christmas,

For those of us who love Jesus, Christmas is a time to ponder, to contemplate the great mystery of God’s love, to remember He is our strength for everyday life.

It’s a time when we remember that there is always hope that good will come from our troubles, because God’s love and mercy are that great.

It’s a time when the birth of Jesus is a reminder of what a beautiful gift we have in Him—the gift of grace, mercy, forgiveness, and hope.

May your Christmas be blessed with God’s love!

Dear _____,

We pray that you will have a very happy Christmas, blessed by all that is meaningful and special to you as you celebrate our Savior’s birth. May this season be filled with happiness, love, and praise!

We give thanks to the Lord, because even though so much is unknown, He holds our future in His hands, and His Word can be more to us than a light and better than a known way.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Thank you for all you have given us throughout this year in the way of prayers, friendship, and support. We pray that the Lord will reward and bless you in abundance with special gifts of His blessings and answers to your prayers.

We love you dearly! Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

With love and prayers,

Christmas Thoughts

As we think about baby Jesus, we also have the opportunity to contemplate the magnificence of the God of the universe! Only God, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-sufficient, could have possibly thought of such an amazing way to manifest Himself to the world. It shows just how great God is, that He was willing to do something this spectacular! God made Himself helpless, vulnerable, of no reputation, and then He conquered death forever. What an amazing God, what an amazing plan, what an amazing gift.

Merry Christmas, _______.

As each day of this special season brings us closer to the end of this year and the beginning of another, we are reminded of the wonderful blessings that God gave us as we journeyed through this past year. One of those very special gifts that we give thanks for is the blessing of your friendship, support, and prayers, dear (name).

The following poem expresses some of the gifts that we are asking God to bless you with.

The gifts we’d place beneath your tree,
Bring more than just what you can see.
From heart to heart through every day,
They warm and help in every way.

The gift of friendship warm and true,
Is one that we would leave for you.
Good health and happiness and cheer
To keep you smiling through the year.

A peace that stills the storms of life,
And faith to conquer pain and strife.
And should your heart have lost its song
The gift of hope to cheer you on.
These are the gifts we’d leave for you.
—Kay Hoffman, adapted

We pray that God’s blessings will indeed fill your life and that He will bless you with answers to prayer, good health, happiness, and the supply of all your needs.

Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year!

Merry Christmas, dear _____.

I wish you a joyful and fulfilling Christmas season as you celebrate with those close to you.

Did you ever wonder what Jesus might say if He were here speaking personally to each of us? I’ve imagined that He might explain the meaning of this special season something like this:

I love you so much it’s as if there were only you in this whole world. I, as God, was born as a man to bring you life. My gift to you is the opportunity to accept me as your Savior, your closest friend and confidant.

No matter how difficult life may seem at times, you can know that I will be with you each moment. I am here right now, close to your heart. I can replace your stress with calm, your sorrows with comfort, and your suffering with the promise of a time when tears, pain, and loss will be no more.

If you have fears, I can give you faith. If you have regrets, I can give you peace. Instead of confusion about the future, let Me give you the assurance that I have prepared for you a wonderful life in heaven.

I pray that you will have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy and meaningful year ahead.

With warmest Christmas wishes,

May this Christmas season be a wonderful one for you and your family! We pray that your home will be full of love, your every need provided, and your heart filled with love, peace, and contentment.

We’d like to share a message with you from Jesus, the one who gives Christmas its very special meaning.

My Christmas gift of love for you is one that knows no boundaries. It gives, it cares. It is vibrant, warm, and kind. It is unconditional and forever.

It is accepting in a world of intolerance. It is understanding and tender when everything around you seems callous and hard. It will comfort you in your sorrow and will be your closest companion when you are lonely. It will be there to lift you when you are down and will bring peace amid life’s storms. It will fill your heart with contentment and joy.

My divine love sent to fill your heart is My Christmas gift for you.

May you have a meaningful Christmas and a very happy New Year.

A Christmas Thought for You!

Christmas is a celebration of love—God’s love that He shared with each of us when He sent His Son, Jesus, who was born long ago in a lowly manger.

Through following God’s example of giving, we can continue the true spirit of Christmas each day of the year as we give gifts of love to others—our time, our friendship, our forgiveness and understanding, our material goods. Through giving to others, we can help make the world a happier place.

“It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you. Yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand.”—Mother Teresa

May Christ’s blessings of love, peace and happiness shine brightly on you and your loved ones this Christmas season.

Originally published December 2015. Adapted and republished December 2024. Read by Debra Lee. Music from the Rhythm of Christmas album, used by permission..

An Officer and a Gentile Man

December 4, 2024

Treasures

The year was approximately AD 38. The place: Caesarea, the Roman capital of Palestine. Caesarea, named in honor of Caesar Augustus, had been built by Herod the Great only 50 years earlier. It was so well constructed that it was considered one of the most attractive cities in the entire Roman Empire, and frequently referred to as “Little Rome.”

Because it was the seat of government where both the Roman governor and King Herod Agrippa had their royal residences, it was guarded by a cohort of 600 Roman soldiers called “the Italian Cohort.” Six centurions were each in charge of a regiment of 100 men within the Band. Cornelius, the main character of this Bible account, was a centurion and a member of the Italian Cohort with 100 men under his command.

Centurions were paid as much as five times the pay of an ordinary soldier, so Cornelius was socially prominent and wealthy. He was a loyal Roman officer, but instead of worshipping the pagan gods of Rome, he and his entire family worshipped the true God of Israel. That is the setting of this groundbreaking story found in Acts 10 of the New Testament.

It was nearly 3:00 in the afternoon when a slave entered the chamber where the centurion Cornelius sat reading security reports. Cornelius looked up, “Aristarchus, you’re back! Did you take the money to that poor Jewish family?” “Yes sir, I did,” the servant replied. “They were very thankful, and wanted me to tell you how helpful your gift was.”

Cornelius smiled and said, “Tell them to thank God. It is He who has blessed me with such riches. I would be a poor believer indeed if I did not share my material blessings with those in need. Now I have been informed that there is a family near the harbor whose father has recently died. Take this money, along with this letter of consolation, to his widow and family.”

Aristarchus carefully counted out the money, then said, “This is very generous, sir! You are becoming well-known throughout all Caesarea for your generosity.”

Cornelius watched his faithful servant departing, then informed the guard at the door, “Please see that no one disturbs me for the next hour, as I’ll be taking time to pray” (Acts 10:1–3). But not half an hour had passed when suddenly the great doors of his chamber flew open. The guard jumped back and out raced Cornelius, visibly shaken, and shouting for his two personal servants to come immediately!

Fearing that some urgent security matter had arisen, the guard nervously held his sword. “What is it, sir?” he questioned. The servants came running across the hall. Cornelius ushered them into his room, then motioned to the guard, saying, “You, too, come in!”

The two servants and the soldier listened intently as Cornelius, speaking excitedly and pacing back and forth, told them what had just happened. Then he said, “Because you all believe in God, I know I can trust you to carry out this important mission. You will leave for Joppa just before sunrise tomorrow morning. It is just 35 miles down the coast by horseback” (Acts 10:7–8).

It was about 12:30 the next day when the three men arrived at the outskirts of the dusty Jewish port city of Joppa. The little town lay still and quiet, baking under the noonday heat. After asking for directions, they made their way down the cobblestone street toward the seashore. Within minutes, they arrived at the gate of a large run-down house. A short distance beyond the house they saw the Mediterranean and seagulls circled over the nearby waves where Roman cargo ships and small fishing boats lay tied. From within the house came the aroma of food cooking, mixed with the strong smell of leather being cured and tanned.

One of the men knocked on the gate and called out, “Is this the house of Simon the tanner?” The door of the house swung open, and Simon stood there, wiping his hands on a dirty, greasy apron tied around him. A little anxiously, he looked at the men outside his gate; two men dressed in Roman tunics stood there. Behind them stood a Roman soldier in full battle gear, a spear in his hand.

“Yes, I’m Simon. What can I do for you?” he queried.

“Is Simon Peter a guest in your home?” the men asked. Simon the tanner paused, not knowing what to answer and wondering if his guest was in trouble. Suddenly a strong, burly man, dressed in simple rough clothing, his beard and hair streaked with gray, appeared in the doorway behind him. In a voice full of authority he spoke, “I am the man you are looking for. What brings you here?”

The Romans answered, “The centurion Cornelius, who is an upright and God-fearing man and well thought of in the Jewish community, has been instructed by an angel of God to summon you to his house. There he is to hear whatever you have to tell him.” A most unusual introduction indeed! But Peter was not surprised, and striding forward, he swung open the gate and invited the strangers in (Acts 10:21–23).

Once inside, the strangers excitedly told Peter that Cornelius had been praying in his house about three o’clock the day before, when suddenly an angel clothed in brilliant white garments had appeared before him. “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a remembrance before God,” the angel told him. “Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man called Simon Peter who is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea” (Acts 10:3–6).

Looking intently at the strangers, Peter said, “Until one minute ago I was on the roof terrace in prayer, and just now the Lord told me to come downstairs, because three men were looking for me. He told me that He had sent you, and that I was not to hesitate to go with you!” (Acts 10:17–20).

News of this unusual encounter spread, and soon the house was filled with Christians from Joppa. That night it was decided that six of them would accompany Peter and the Romans to Caesarea, so at sunrise the next morning they embarked on the journey. Sometime after midday, they saw the magnificent Roman capital of Caesarea ahead, with its extensive harbor constructed of great stone blocks, where Roman galleys rested and deep-sea cargo vessels unloaded goods from distant lands.

Passing through the city, the group came to a villa. A slave quickly opened the door for them, and then disappeared to summon his master. Peter observed the mosaic tiles and the painted murals on the walls and felt somewhat out of place in such a fine residence.

Cornelius was expecting them, and upon seeing Peter, fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter reached out his hand, saying, “Stand up, I am only a man myself.” Rising to his feet, Cornelius greeted Peter and his companions, and began speaking with them as he escorted them to the banquet room. Peter looked around with surprise, for the room was filled with Roman nobles and soldiers, as well as men and women of all ages. “These are my relatives and friends,” Cornelius explained. “I knew they would also be very interested to hear what you had to say, so I invited them” (Acts 10:24–27).

Peter looked about on the gathering and said, “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean! So when I was sent for, I came without any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?” (Acts 10:28–29).

Cornelius then recounted his vision, explaining how the angel had told him to send for Peter, who would tell him how he and all his household could be saved. Then he said, “Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to all that the Lord has commanded you to tell us” (Acts 10:30–33).

Peter then began to speak. “You surely know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how He went around doing good and healing people.”

Cornelius was indeed aware that less than ten years earlier, the former Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, had sentenced Jesus Christ to death on the cross. As a Roman centurion, it was his business to know what was happening in the land, and he had heard of Jesus, that He was a great teacher, but he did not know about His message of salvation.

Gesturing to himself and the six other rough-clad bearded Jews with him, Peter said, “We are eyewitnesses of everything He did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by crucifixion, but God raised Him from the dead on the third day!” Peter spoke with such authority and conviction that everyone in the room sat on the edge of their seats listening intently.

“And we saw Him,” Peter continued. “We ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.” Looking around the roomful of nobles and officials, Peter said, “And everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name” (Acts 10:37–43).

This was what they had been searching for, how to obtain forgiveness for their sins and to be reconciled to God. At that moment, everyone in the room believed and opened their hearts to accept Jesus, and experienced a miraculous spiritual rebirth! Even as Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon them and they broke out in joyous praise of God (Acts 10:44).

And the believers who had come with Peter were astonished to see that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. Then Peter declared, “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 10:47–48).

A total transformation had come that day to the lives of Cornelius, his household, his relatives, and his friends! Through the power of God’s Spirit, they were all “born again” through faith in Jesus. Cornelius begged Peter and his friends to stay with them for a few days, to teach them more about this new life, and how they as Roman nobles and army officers should live their Christian faith, so Peter and his companions stayed for several days to teach them. By the time they left, there was a strong new group of Christian believers amongst the Roman rulers of Caesarea.

As is the case with so many people in the world today, Cornelius had heard about Jesus. He knew Jesus was a good man and a great teacher who healed and helped people, but he did not know that Jesus had died on the cross for his sins and to reconcile him to God. Jesus had made a way for him to become a child of God and receive the gift of eternal salvation promised to all who would receive Him (John 1:12; 1 Peter 2:24–25).

This event was monumental in the history of the early church, as God revealed through the salvation of Cornelius and his friends and family to the apostles and all the followers throughout Judea that the Gentiles could also receive the Word of God and become Christians (Acts 11:1). God’s gift of salvation through faith in Christ is for all people. “For God so loved the world [and every person in it] that He gave His Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

From an article in Treasures, published by the Family International in 1987. Adapted and republished December 2024.

Good News for Everyone Everywhere

December 3, 2024

A compilation

Audio length: 11:12

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On the very first occasion when someone stood up in public to tell people about Jesus, he made it very clear: this message is for everyone.

It was a great day—sometimes called the birthday of the church. The great wind of God’s Spirit had swept through Jesus’ followers and filled them with a new joy and a sense of God’s presence and power. Their leader, Peter, who only a few weeks before had been crying like a baby because he’d lied and cursed and denied even knowing Jesus, found himself on his feet explaining to a huge crowd that something had happened which had changed the world forever. What God had done for him, Peter, he was beginning to do for the whole world: new life, forgiveness, new hope and power were opening up like spring flowers after a long winter. A new age had begun in which the living God was going to do new things in the world—beginning then and there with the individuals who were listening to him.

“This promise is for you,” he said, “and for your children, and for everyone who is far away” (Acts 2:39). It wasn’t just for the person standing next to you. It was for everyone. Within a remarkably short time, this came true to such an extent that the young movement spread throughout much of the known world. And one way in which the “everyone” promise worked out was through the writings of the early Christian leaders. These short works—mostly letters and stories about Jesus—were widely circulated and eagerly read. They were never intended for either a religious or intellectual elite. From the very beginning they were meant for everyone. …

The book of Acts is full of the energy and excitement of the early Christians as they found God doing new things all over the place and learned to take the good news of Jesus around the world. It’s also full of the puzzles and problems that churches faced then and face today—crises over leadership, money, ethnic divisions, theology and ethics, not to mention serious clashes with political and religious authorities. It’s comforting to know that “normal church life,” even in the time of the first apostles, was neither trouble-free nor plain sailing, just as it’s encouraging to know that even in the midst of all their difficulties the early church was able to take the gospel forward in such dynamic ways.

Actually, “plain sailing” reminds us that this is the book where more journeys take place, including several across the sea, than anywhere else in the Bible. … There isn’t a dull page in Acts. But, equally importantly, the whole book reminds us that whatever “journey” we are making, in our own lives, our spirituality, our following of Jesus, and our work for His kingdom, His Spirit will guide us, too, and make us fruitful in His service.—N. T. Wright¹

The invitation

Jesus was God’s love, God’s Word, walking the earth. He was called to pay the ultimate price of dying for the sins of those in the world, and in doing so, He made it possible for us to be reconciled to God, to become God’s children, to have the right to receive the inheritance of our Father, which is eternal life.

We, as members of God’s family, His adopted children (Galatians 4:4–7), play a role in God’s great story, in His love for humanity, His love for His creation. For we are called to share this story with those who haven’t heard it, who don’t understand it, and who have trouble believing it. With God’s Spirit dwelling in us, we are temples of the Holy Spirit. We are ambassadors of Christ, who have a personal relationship with God, and our commission from Jesus Himself is to share the message, to tell the story, to let others know that they can be part of God’s family. They can become part of God’s kingdom, of His new creation. Their sins can be forgiven—all for free—since the price of their entry into God’s family has been paid for. It’s theirs for the asking.

It’s helpful to remember the end result of it all, what God is offering, so it’s fresh in our hearts and minds when we offer it to others. Those who become members of God’s family will live forever in a place of incredible beauty—a place with no need of the sun or stars, for God will be its light. There will be no death, mourning, crying, or pain. It’s a place that is free from all evil, a place where God will dwell with His people forever! (See Revelation, Chapter 21). Ours is a message of joy, of happiness, of the possibility of eternal life in the most wonderful place possible, and a renewed life now. It truly is the most important message there is.

As partakers of these eternal blessings, as His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20), His messengers, we should do our very best to live in a manner which reflects God and His love, which lets people see God’s light and feel His warmth through us, His children. We are to be messengers of the divine invitation, inviting one and all to the feast, to the kingdom of God (Luke 14:23). We are to preach the gospel, the good news that anyone can become God’s child, that His free gift is available to everyone.

We are to be messengers of love, in word and in deed, to a world desperately in need of God, of His love, His forgiveness, and His mercy (Romans 10:14). We are His messengers; our job is to pass on the invitation, to share the good news, to tell the story through our words, our actions, and our love. Let’s invite everyone we can!—Peter Amsterdam

Everyone’s invited

Not everyone will believe the gospel, but everyone should be invited. We know from Scripture, and experience, that not everyone will trust in Jesus and be saved. In fact, many will not. … They will refuse Jesus, so why should we invite them to trust him? …

We offer the gospel universally because as far as we can discern, every person we encounter could believe. God knows whom he will draw (John 6:44). Jesus knows who will hear his voice (John 10:27). We don’t, so we just preach. …

“Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). This verse tells us two things about “everyone.” First, it is not simply everyone, but everyone who calls. Everyone will not be saved, but everyone who calls on the name of Lord will certainly be saved. Second, part of the “everyone who calls” can be anyone at all.

It doesn’t matter how messed up your life is, or what mistakes you’ve made, or how dismal you see your tomorrow. If you—hardened criminal, reckless teen—if you call on the name of the Lord, you will be saved. It doesn’t matter what language you speak, or what color of skin you have, or how much money is in your bank account, if you turn from your sins and trust in Jesus, you will be saved.

And therefore, since Jesus can save anybody, we offer this message to everybody. … Every soul is thirsty, every soul is broken, and so it goes for every soul when God says, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1).

Grace, in this sense, is the great equalizer. It is the only way that anyone can be reconciled to God. The kid who grows up in church, nourished by a gospel-centered stay-at-home mom, and the strung-out crack addict downtown—if they will belong to God, it will happen by the same way: grace, grace, grace. …

Because we don’t know who will or won’t believe, because Jesus can save anybody, because everyone can afford free, today this gospel goes to everyone.—Jonathan Parnell²

Published on Anchor December 2024. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso. Music by Michael Fogarty.

¹ N. T. Wright, Acts for Everyone (SPCK, 2008).

² https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/good-news-everyones-invited

Be a Christmas Blessing

December 2, 2024

By Peter Amsterdam

Audio length: 7:14

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Once when I was traveling home from a meeting, I had a layover at Heathrow Airport in London. While waiting for my flight I gave a tract to a thirty-something woman who was manning a desk near where I was sitting. A short while later, when it was time to go to the gate, I went over to ask her a question and she right away asked me, “Are you a vicar or a priest?” I said, “No, but I’m involved in missionary work.”

She said, “Life can throw things at you when you least expect it. Recently I’ve had a number of things happen to me which are very difficult, and I feel as if I’m barely hanging on. But when I read the message you gave me, it brought me such peace. It spoke to me and made me feel loved. I feel that things are going to be okay, that someone is watching over me and loves me. I put the paper you gave me in my wallet and I’m going to keep it…” She looked as if she was searching for the right word, and she continued, “Forever!” “I’m going to keep it forever and I’m going to read it again and again!”

It was a brief encounter, as she was working and couldn’t spend time talking with me, and I had to rush off to catch my flight, but she was obviously deeply moved by the message in the tract. I was once again reminded of the power of the gospel message in print to touch and change lives.

I reflected on how giving someone the message of God’s love, even through a simple tract, can affect them so powerfully. The fact that this woman reacted by saying that she was going to keep the tract forever and read it over and over emphasized the importance of getting the written word into people’s hands. It also emphasized the importance of our role as Christ followers of taking the initiative to share the message with others.

I thank God that I took the time to share this tract. It was clear that the message had pointed her in a very tangible way to the Lord and helped her to realize that she was loved and God cared about her. That simple gospel message gave her faith that she could face the difficulties in her life with hope. As Billy Graham once said, “Nothing surpasses a tract for sowing the seed of the Good News.”

It’s always very inspiring when people receive the message with joy. But you might be wondering, “So what has this got to do with Christmas?”

As I pondered on the profound effect this one tract had, I was grateful that I had made the effort to give this person the tract, and that I even had the tract with me. The Lord was able to touch the life of this woman and bless her with His love because of a decision made months earlier—the decision to ensure I had tracts on hand to give to others.

Christmas isn’t that far away. It’s a time of year that’s filled with joy and love for those who understand its true meaning. But it is also a time of year when many people are lonely, lost, and searching for truth and love. If they’re away from their loved ones or they’ve suffered some kind of loss or disappointment, the sadness they feel can be accentuated at Christmastime, turning Christmas into a time of emptiness, despair, or anxiety.

But as Christians, it’s a time of year when we can make a difference. We can each reach out and be a blessing to others. Sometimes all it takes is a little conversation or acknowledgment, perhaps a smile, a hello, or a small courtesy to give someone in need a sense of encouragement or to make them feel that someone cares about them. When you add a message in the form of a tract about the Lord to the encounter, it can have a powerful and life-changing effect. They can come to realize that God loves them and cares about them personally, that He knows what they are going through and will help them. They can learn about Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), and accept Him as their savior and receive His free gift of salvation.

Charles Spurgeon (1834–1892), who was a great proponent of tracts, has been credited with the following quotation:

There is a real service of Christ in the distribution of the gospel in its printed form, a service the result of which heaven alone shall disclose. How many thousands have been carried to heaven instrumentally upon the wings of these tracts, none can tell… Let each one of us, if we have done nothing for Christ, begin to do something now. The distribution of tracts is the first thing.

Many of us may not be in situations where we can devote most of our time to sharing the Good News with others at Christmas. But if we plan ahead and invest in ensuring that we are equipped with tracts, we will be able to share a Christmas message that can bless those in need. As R. A. Torrey (1856–1928) once wrote, “We cannot all preach; we cannot all conduct meetings; but we can all select useful tracts and then hand them out to others.”

We can each make a commitment to make a difference this Christmas by being a deliberate witness as we go about our daily activities. We can commit to giving away tracts to people we encounter throughout the Christmas season. We can make a goal of giving away 50 tracts—the gift of God’s blessing and truth to 50 people. That will give us 50 opportunities to bring the message about Jesus to people this Christmas season. If every Christian shared a tract with 50 people this Christmas, imagine the impact!

To do this takes not only making the commitment, but also taking action. It starts with the decision that we will each do our part to give these blessings to others this Christmas. That’s the commitment. Then make sure to print or purchase tracts to have on hand to share with others. That’s the action. And once you have the tracts on hand, you can keep them in your car, purse, backpack, etc., and give them out to everyone the Lord leads you to.

Your commitment and follow-through to share the Good News in printed form with others will make a difference in the lives of those the Lord brings across your path this Christmas. Your effort and sacrifice may change someone’s life forever. What a Christmas gift that will be for someone! God bless you.

(Note: An assortment of tracts for printing can be found here. You will find Christmas tracts as well, including The Essence of Christmas—Love and The Ultimate Christmas Gift.)

Originally published September 2013. Adapted and republished December 2024. Read by Jon Marc.

01 – Life Balance Check, Part 1: Time with the Lord

Life Balance Check

Peter Amsterdam

2019-08-20

We all know that time spent with the Lord is of paramount importance, but because we are so familiar with the concepts of “Word time,” “devotions,” and “prayer time,” they can sadly become cliché. Because of this familiarity, it is all the more important to perform a self-check or evaluation on how you are nurturing your spiritual health. If achieving holistic life balance sounds good to you, time with the Lord is critical.

You’re invited

The Bible says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”—James 4:8 ESV

God is available. He’s waiting on us to take the step to draw near to Him. He offers us an open invitation, but the question is: Will we accept it? Consider this story:

Spinning a yarn about a phone call from [the] president to have breakfast in the White House, Jean Fleming described her disbelief and awe at being extended such an honor. She then drew a parallel between how she would react if such an invitation were extended and what could happen if individuals consider the scriptural mandate to spend time alone with God daily.

“All of us have been offered an invitation by the King of the universe to meet him every morning before breakfast,” she said. “The Lord said, ‘I want to meet with you and tell you what I’m thinking about, what my plans are and intentions. I want to hear your concerns that I might bring the resources of heaven. Then let’s have breakfast together.’”

People who do not avail themselves of communication with God miss out on the “whole package” of what God intended, Fleming said.¹

I don’t want to miss out on the “whole package” of what God intended, and I’m sure you don’t either. That’s why it’s important that we go to the Lord to evaluate our time with Him. We may need a specific focus at different times, whether it’s in our prayer life, spiritual feeding, or times of meditation. This can change from month to month. The Lord knows what is coming into our lives and we need to be regularly checking in with Him. In fact, the same applies in all these points of life balance. Because we experience change throughout our lives, we can’t expect to figure out what we need in terms of our spiritual life and time with the Lord once and then keep that plan indefinitely. Life is so fluid, things are always changing; different issues come up in our lives, and we have to adjust to be able to manage in the best possible way.

Something that can change over time for each of us is the way that we receive the spiritual feeding we need. Sometimes our needs are met in community, while attending a church or spending time with a body of believers or a prayer group. Other times it could be through personal fellowship with the Lord in the quiet prayer closet, communing with Him and hearing from Him in prophecy. It could be that we’re following a certain podcast or a pastor, reading a particular devotional book, or listening to an audio reading of the Bible. The point is that our needs change; it helps to understand that and make adjustments accordingly.

Some questions that are good to ask ourselves are:

Am I seeking to walk with the Lord throughout my life?
Am I seeking God’s presence in my life?
Am I acknowledging Him and His role in my life and letting the Holy Spirit speak to me, comfort me, and give me joy and peace?
Am I conferring with Jesus about my everyday decisions and not just the “big things”?
Do I care enough about what God thinks about what I am doing, what I’m thinking, and who I’m spending time with?

If you think deeply about these things, I believe the result will be that you will want to draw near to the Lord and take time to pray and read the Word or devotional writings, because you know that without Him, you can do nothing. You’ll also take time to take stock of your life and evaluate your obedience levels and make sure you’re not letting sin in your life go unrecognized or unconfessed.

Perception of time

We often talk about time. It can be a struggle to find the time needed to do all that there is to do. However, it may be that we need to radically alter our perception of time and our relationship with time. The following excerpt was convicting for me and caused me to reflect on my notion of time, as I often feel like I just don’t have enough time.

In Jonathan Swift’s classic book Gulliver’s Travels, when Gulliver arrives in Lilliput, the Lilliputians see his pocket watch and conclude that it must be Gulliver’s god. After all, Gulliver told them that he never did anything without consulting it first.

Is the clock your god? I believe that there is probably no other part of our lives so thoroughly co-opted by a secular worldview as our notion of time. We say time is a gift from God, but most of the time we treat time as a club rather than a gift—something that we chase, and once we catch it, it beats us up. It’s a notion of time that is contrary to a Christian worldview.

Because we believe in the providence of God, we can affirm that we have enough time, and we can then receive [each] day as a gift.

Prayer and meditation on God’s Word must be built into our schedules. Keeping God and His Word at the forefront of our minds helps us develop the biblical notion of time.

The next time you look at your watch, take a moment to remember who your God is and how He has providentially given you all the time you need.²

Life is not easy

Sometimes I sense the Lord’s presence in my life and I feel at peace. That is wonderful. But it’s not always like that. At times we all experience negative emotions—fear, remorse, regret, anger, or bitterness. When that happens, it’s easy to feel down and condemned, which is such a miserable feeling. Of course, that could be a sign that we need more time with the Lord in deeper meditation and communion. It may also be time to take a deeper spiritual check, to realize that these symptoms can indicate that something is not going well in our lives.

But on the other hand, life is hard. Period. We live in a fallen world and we struggle. The following counsel was comforting for me, as it helped remind me that it’s inevitable that we’ll have battles and difficulties and that sometimes life is just tough, and rather than feeling discouraged and condemned, we can see it for what it is, shake it off, and dive into some quality fellowship with the Lord.

Nothing prepares you for how ministry can drain you emotionally, leaving you in pain or, even worse, feeling numb or in despair or seething with anger. This is why so many good men and women in ministry have careened into moral ditches or still soldier on with plastic smiles and burned-out souls. In ministry so many things can sap your emotions and strength, your very soul and spirit, almost daily. So what can you do?

There’s not a quick fix. Instead, my emotional survival has depended upon a way of life that protects, strengthens, and replenishes me emotionally. The most strategic investment is time with God. But not just any time with God—I must have time with God that touches me at a heart and soul level. Every day, I seek to spend some time pouring out my heart, and in turn, receiving his. Few people had the emotional ups and downs of David, and if you read the Psalms carefully, you see that he poured out his emotions to God in a disarmingly candid way. Learning to pray like David has been healthy for me.³

Do not lose heart

One thing that is important to evaluate in our spiritual lives and walk with the Lord is how we’re doing with worship and praise, how much we’re living in thanksgiving. Whether our life is going well or whether we’re in a time of struggle or hardship, that shouldn’t change our attitude of gratefulness to God for our salvation and the hope that we have within us for the future and the wonderful life that is to come.

We all have times when things are not going well, and it’s easy to let that dictate our level of praise or gratitude. But the blessings of life, heaven, and salvation endure just the same, whether we are in illness or good health, whether we are in poverty or wealth, whether our children are doing poorly or well. We know that, like the saying goes, “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end,” because we have that hope of our salvation in Christ.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.—2 Corinthians 4:16–18 NIV

I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.—Romans 8:38 NLT

A sense of wonder

If we focus our thoughts on God and all that He is and all that He does, and His master plan, we’ll gain a sense of wonder about the Lord and His presence in our life. As Mark Batterson wrote in his book Primal:

When we lose our sense of wonder, what we really lose is our soul. Our lack of wonder is really a lack of love. … Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.⁴

Mark makes a point about how in getting back to the “primal roots” of Christianity, one of those roots is having a “sense of wonder” all the time. That stood out to me, as it’s not something that we think about every day, since we often get bogged down in the minutiae of life’s problems. But when you rise above that which is here today and gone tomorrow, then you can live in awe and wonder at God and all the beauty He has created around you, the miracle of life, and the beautiful people He has placed in your life, and His ultimate plan for your future.

If we have that sense of wonder, then everything takes on a brighter hue of hopefulness. If we’re focusing on the right things, living and walking closely with God, we can live in wonder and full of gratitude. We will make room for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, and it will be manifested through the fruits of the Spirit and in fullness of joy and peace.

(To read the next article in this series, click here.)

¹ Joni B. Hannigan, “NavPress author tells seminary women of honor to spend time alone with God,” Baptist Press, March 1, 2001.

² Mark Earley, “Worldview and the Clock,” BreakPoint, August 3, 2003.

³ James Emery White, “Survival Skills: What you need to minister with your spirit intact,” Leadership Journal, July 27, 2009.

⁴ Mark Batterson, Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity (Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2009).

The 400-Year Prophecy | Thanksgiving Message | Jonathan Cahn Sermon

https://youtu.be/gxvBHJaLEFU?si=_bPCA3jT_npEmlNl

Eternal Treasures

November 29, 2024

By Richard Garnett

In this video Richard Garnett shares profound insight into how God desires for us to view our finances, after practicing decades of sacrificial giving. This video not only captures the testimony of a man joyfully surrendered to God, but also illuminates the importance of thoughtfully stewarding what we’ve been entrusted with. (Richard went on to his heavenly reward in September 2024.)

Run time for this video is 20 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGZ5bU9tF0E

Approaching Life with Optimism and Gratitude

November 28, 2024

Happier Living Series

Audio length: 10:34

Download Audio (9.6MB)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.—Romans 15:13

The issue

It’s true that we may not be responsible for many of the things that happen to us, but as Christians we are responsible for the way we react to whatever comes our way. In fact, whether you have a positive or negative outlook on life can have a lot to do with whether you overcome your problems or whether you are overcome by them. Our joy and peace are found in our faith in Christ and His presence in our lives, and not in the circumstances of our everyday lives (Galatians 5:22).

Rick Warren wrote the following about how to approach life with “godly optimism”:

We tend to feel the way we expect to feel. We see what we expect to see. We hear what we expect to hear. We act the way we expect to act. We set ourselves up for failure or success—for fulfillment or frustration—depending on our level of faith. Living by faith means expecting the best.

Matthew 9:29 says, “According to your faith let it be done to you.” Faith is positive expectation. You expect God to answer. You expect the solution to come through. You expect things to work out. … Expectations are faith.

As Christians, we don’t believe that everything in life will turn out well, no matter how much faith we have. That’s just not a reality in a world full of sin. But we can be confident that God is working [all things together] for our good. We can trust him with our future because he knows better than we do what is best for us—and he will help us become more like him.

Living by faith does not mean you wear rose-colored glasses. It means you trust that God is always working, so you can expect things to work out just as he intends them to. That can give you great confidence. That truth can build your faith.

To become a godly optimist, expect God to work in your life and in the world. Expect him to keep his promises. Expect that he wants to accomplish his will through you. And expect him to provide everything you need to do that.—Rick Warren ¹

Think about it…

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the one million people who will not survive this week.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, or the pangs of starvation, you have not had to live through what over 900 million people in the world have.
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 25% of the people in this world.
If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over 770 million people in the world who cannot read at all.

What the Bible says…

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.—Philippians 4:8

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength.—Philippians 4:11–13

An attitude of gratitude

Whenever we are tempted to complain about whatever our problems are, it’s very easy to find others with much greater problems than ours. And if we take the time for this little exercise in comparison, we will likely feel better and be more thankful for all our blessings! Even when it comes to our biggest challenges, we can think of countless others who have much worse problems than ours. No matter how difficult the circumstances we are facing, we are always better off than millions of other people in the world, and this reminder helps us to be aware and thankful for how God is working in our lives, and to count our blessings, as the following story illustrates.

“I used to worry a lot,” says Harold Abbott of Webb City, Missouri. “But one spring day I was walking down West Dougherty Street when I saw a sight that banished all my worries. It happened in ten seconds, but during those ten seconds I learned more about how to live than I had learned in the previous ten years!

For two years I had been running a grocery store. I not only lost all my savings, but I was heavily in debt. In fact, my store had been closed the previous Saturday, and now I was going to the bank to borrow money so I could go to Kansas City to look for a job.

I walked like a beaten man. I had lost all my fight and faith. But then suddenly, I saw coming down the street a man who had no legs. He was sitting on a little wooden platform equipped with roller skates for wheels. He propelled himself along the street with a block of wood in each hand. I met him just after he had crossed the street and was starting to lift himself up a few inches over the curb to the sidewalk. As he tilted his wooden platform to an angle, his eyes met mine. He greeted me with a grand smile, “Good morning, Sir! It is a fine morning, isn’t it?” he said with spirit!

As I looked at him, I realized how rich I am. I have two legs. I can walk. I felt ashamed of my self-pity. I said to myself, “If he can be happy, cheerful and victorious without legs, I certainly can with legs.” I could already feel my chest lifting. I had intended to ask the bank for only one hundred dollars. But now I had courage to ask the bank for two hundred! I had intended to say that I wanted to go to Kansas City to try to get a job. But now I announced confidently that I wanted to go to Kansas City to get a job. I got the loan, and I got the job!

I now have the following words pasted on my bathroom mirror, and I read them every morning as I shave: “I had the blues because I had no shoes, until upon the street, I met a man who had no feet.”—Dale Carnegie²

Think about it…

To be content, just think how happy you would be if you lost everything you have right now, and then got it back again!
It isn’t what you have in your pockets that makes you thankful, but what you have in your heart.
We can lose everything in this world and yet suffer no loss in comparison to the gain we receive in Christ (Philippians 3:8).

What the Bible says…

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.—1 Thessalonians 5:16–18

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.—Proverbs 17:22

Ask God to make you a truly grateful person every day—and you will be, as you turn regularly to God’s Word, the Bible, and discover just how much God loves you. Even when hard times come (and they will), we still can thank God for giving us the hope and strength we need. Don’t let gratitude become the missing ingredient in your life. Instead, focus on Christ and the hope we have in Him—and thanksgiving will fill your soul. The Bible says, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful” (Hebrews 12:28).—Billy Graham Foundation

Published on Anchor November 2024. Read by John Laurence.

¹ https://pastorrick.com/how-to-become-a-godly-optimist

² Dale Carnegie, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living (originally published in 1948).

Embracing Thanksgiving: A Heart of Gratitude

November 27, 2024

L. Ellens

In a world that is characterized by fast-paced living and a relentless pursuit of materialism, the essence of gratitude can easily get lost in the shuffle. For us as Christians, however, thanksgiving is not just a holiday but an important spiritual discipline that has the power to transform our lives. The approach of the Thanksgiving season gives us an opportunity to reflect on the significance of gratitude in our faith journey.

In essence, gratitude is acknowledging God’s goodness and grace as we see it manifested in our lives and the lives of others. It’s an expression of humility, recognizing that all we have and all we are come from the hand of our Creator (1 Chronicles 29:14; 1 Corinthians 4:7).

The Bible contains many verses about giving thanks, such as: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18), and “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). These verses remind us that gratitude doesn’t depend on our circumstances, but it flows from a heart that’s anchored in the unchanging character of God.

This can be seen in the story of the first Thanksgiving, which began with the journey of the Pilgrims from England to the New World in 1620. These brave men and women endured a perilous voyage across the Atlantic Ocean so they could find religious freedom. They landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, in the midst of winter. Because of the brutal weather, sickness, and lack of food, nearly half of the Pilgrims died. Despite these challenges and hardships, the Pilgrims persevered because they had strong faith in God. When spring came the following year, the indigenous Wampanoag people taught the Pilgrims essential skills that helped them survive in their new environment. That autumn brought a bountiful harvest for the Pilgrims.

In gratitude for God’s care and provision, Governor Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and feasting to celebrate the harvest. The event lasted three days and brought the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag together in a spirit of camaraderie. It was a time of rejoicing and fellowship, as they shared food and gave thanks to God for the blessings He had bestowed on them.

Thus, the first Thanksgiving was not just a time of feasting on good food but a profound expression of gratitude amidst adversity. It symbolized the Pilgrims’ resilience in the face of hardship and their acknowledgment of God’s faithfulness and loving care.

Today, Thanksgiving serves as a reminder of the Pilgrims’ legacy of faith and gratitude, inspiring us to embrace the practice of giving thanks to God in our own lives. As we gather with family and friends around the table, may we remember the sacrifices of those who came before us and the blessings we have received. And may we, like the Pilgrims, cultivate a heart of gratitude that transcends circumstances and is stayed on God.

Thanksgiving is more than just a holiday—it’s a way of life for Christians. It’s a call to cultivate a heart of gratitude that pervades every aspect of our being. As we embrace the practice of thanksgiving, may we be transformed from the inside out, becoming vessels of God’s love in a world that’s hungry for true hope and love.

* * *

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.”—Melody Beattie

“My faith instills in me a deep sense of humility and gratitude, reminding me how often I fall short and how much I need the savior, and how thankful I am that God has done for us what we could not do for ourselves.”—Karen Hughes

“A grateful heart is a beginning of greatness. It is an expression of humility. It is a foundation for the development of such virtues as prayer, faith, courage, contentment, happiness, love, and well-being.”—James E. Faust

“A thankful heart is one of the primary identifying characteristics of a believer. It stands in stark contrast to pride, selfishness, and worry. And it helps fortify the believer’s trust in the Lord and reliance on His provision, even in the toughest times. No matter how choppy the seas become, a believer’s heart is buoyed by constant praise and gratefulness to the Lord.”—John MacArthur

Heaven: Our Eternal Dwelling Place

November 26, 2024

A compilation

Audio length: 10:32

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The God of love Himself dwells in heaven. Heaven is the palace or presence-chamber of the high and holy One, Whose name is love, and Who is both the cause and source of all holy love. God, considered with respect to His essence, is everywhere—He fills both heaven and earth. But yet He is said, in some respects, to be more especially in some places than in others.

He was said of old to dwell in the land of Israel, above all other lands; and in Jerusalem, above all other cities of that land; and in the temple, above all other buildings in the city; and in the holy of holies, above all other apartments of the temple; and on the mercy seat, over the ark of the covenant, above all other places in the holy of holies. But heaven is His dwelling place above all other places in the universe; and all those places in which He was said to dwell of old were but types of this. Heaven is a part of creation that God has built for this end, to be the place of His glorious presence, and it is His abode forever; and here will He dwell, and gloriously manifest Himself to all eternity.

And this renders heaven a world of love; for God is the fountain of love, as the sun is the fountain of light. And therefore the glorious presence of God in heaven fills heaven with love, as the sun, placed in the midst of the visible heavens in a clear day, fills the world with light. …

There dwells Christ, the Lamb of God, the Prince of Peace and of love, Who so loved the world that He shed His blood, and poured out his soul unto death for men. There dwells the great Mediator, through Whom all the divine love is expressed toward men, and by Whom the fruits of that love have been purchased, and through Whom they are communicated, and through Whom love is imparted to the hearts of all God’s people. …

Christ loves all His saints in heaven. His love flows out to His whole church there, and to every individual member of it. And they all, with one heart and one soul, unite in love to their common Redeemer. Every heart is wedded to this holy and spiritual Husband, and all rejoice in Him, while the angels join them in their love. And the angels and saints all love each other. All the members of the glorious society of heaven are sincerely united. There is not a single secret or open enemy among them all.

Not a heart is there that is not full of love, and not a solitary inhabitant that is not beloved by all the others. And as all are lovely, so all see each other’s loveliness with full complacence and delight. Every soul goes out in love to every other; and among all the blessed inhabitants, love is mutual, and full, and eternal.—Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758)

The parting of the veil

Throughout medical school I had taken care of dying patients, but this was the first time that I, as the senior resident, would be the one in charge when a patient died. I didn’t know what to expect.

“Dr. Anderson,” the elderly woman began, her voice starting to fade. “Will you hold my hand? I’m going to see Jesus, and I need an escort.”

That night, I experienced the veil parting—the veil that separates this life from the next. As I held the dying woman’s hands, I felt the warmth of her soul pass by my cheek when it left her body, swept up by an inexplicably cool breeze in an otherwise stagnant room. I smelled the familiar fragrance of lilac and citrus, and I knew the veil was parting to allow her soul to pass through.

Since that first patient, I’ve walked with countless others to the doorstep of heaven and watched them enter paradise. On many occasions, as I held hands with the dying, God allowed me to peer into heaven’s entryway, where I watched each patient slip into the next world.

I’ve sensed Jesus on the other side, standing in heaven’s foyer, welcoming the dead who are made whole again. I’ve glimpsed surreal colors and sights and heard sounds more intense than anything I’ve ever experienced in this ordinary world. I’ve inhaled the scents of lilac, citrus, freshly carved cedar, and baking bread—more fragrant than I ever thought possible. Sometimes I’ve even witnessed patients leave this world and come back. …

The one thing these experiences have in common is the intensity of the sights, sounds, fragrances, and feelings that I sensed. Heaven is more real than anything we experience here, and the sense of peace, joy, and overwhelming love is beyond description.—Reggie Anderson¹

God is going to prepare a place for us

Heaven is not an imaginary place, an idea, or a celestial dream that you and I will experience forever and ever and ever. Jesus said, “I’m going to prepare a place” (John 14:3). That is, a place where a glorified, literal body is going to communicate with other people and walk around and be somebody, and where we’re going to know each other. …

Dear God, thank You for loving us enough to prepare heaven for us. Thank You for giving us Your only Son as a door into this heavenly home, this place where You have allowed us to belong. You have created the sun, the moon, the stars, and worlds beyond ours that are unimaginable and brilliant. You continue to create and invent ways to bring Your everlasting light to us.

You have prepared us for heaven by giving us glimpses of the wonder and grace, the community and the fellowship, that will exist in heaven. We are excited to live forever inside our relationship with You. We want that oneness and that closeness and that fulfillment and that love. Please guide us on earth now, so that we may live eternally by Your side. Thank You for this miracle. Thank You, God, for our heavenly home, amen.—Charles Stanley²

A special place

When I was on earth, I told My disciples that I was going to prepare a place for us to be together forever (John 14:2–3.). This place is for all of you who have invited Me into your hearts and lives‚ and it will be the most wonderful place there has ever been, perfect in every way. I have also prepared a room for you to live in My Father’s house where you can enjoy the beauties of your heavenly home forever (John 14:2).

If you have received Me as your Savior, that makes you one of My special friends, and I have prepared such a place for you. I have reserved a place in heaven just for you, a place where all your tears will be wiped away and all sorrow and grief will be forgotten, where you will be totally happy forever. This is what is waiting for you when your earthly life is over.

You might feel you don’t deserve these things. But I love you more than you could possibly know or understand, and these things are My gift to you. When you give a gift, it’s not because of what someone can do for you or because they deserve it; it’s because you love them. Your future in heaven is My eternal gift to you.—Jesus

Published on Anchor November 2024. Read by Jerry Paladino. Music by Michael Dooley.

¹ Dr. Reggie Anderson, 30 Daily Appointments with Heaven (Tyndale House Publishers, 2013).

² Charles Stanley, The Gift of Heaven (Thomas Nelson, 2017).

The Blessings of Obedience to God

November 25, 2024

By Peter Amsterdam

Audio length: 9:20

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Each of us is regularly faced with making both moral and nonmoral decisions. Choosing what food to order at a restaurant, what color to paint your bedroom, whether or not to buy a new pair of gloves, for example, are nonmoral decisions—they are morally neutral, as there is no ethical value attached to them. They are just a matter of personal preference. Most of our day-to-day decisions fall into this category.

However, at times we are faced with making decisions of a moral nature. Do I exaggerate my level of education on my résumé? Do I deliberately lie in order to get out of a difficult decision? Should I support my government’s decision to fight an unjust war?

The moral and ethical choices we make play a large role in our relationships with God and others. As Christians, the foundation of our ethics is the Bible. A life that is lived in service to God finds its ethical compass within Scripture, and through obedience to its teachings we find the joy of pleasing the Lord. Both the Old and New Testaments teach that obedience to God brings blessings to one’s life, and that sin brings negative consequences. The Bible also teaches that all of us sin: “None is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10).

As believers, we want to please God by living in obedience to His Word; yet, as sinful human beings, we aren’t able to fully obey all that Scripture teaches. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). In spite of our natural, human inclination toward sin, Scripture teaches that if we endeavor to glorify God through our actions, we will receive His blessings. What do those blessings look like? Let’s take a look at what the Bible teaches on this topic.¹

The blessing of His love and fellowship. In the Gospel of John, we read the secret to dwelling in God’s love and fellowship. “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. … If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 15:10; John 14:23).

And the Psalms teach us of the joy and delight of dwelling in God’s presence: “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

The joy of expressing our love for God through obedience to His Word. The apostle John wrote that “This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments” (1 John 5:3). In several verses, Jesus equates our love for Him with obedience to His teachings:

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him” (John 14:21).

The blessing of pleasing God. At the time of Jesus’ baptism, God said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Jesus pleased His Father.

Throughout the Epistles, we read about conducting ourselves in a manner that pleases God, as Jesus did. We are called to “try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:10), and to “please God … more and more” through our actions (1 Thessalonians 4:1).

We are called to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10), and to “make it our aim to please him” (2 Corinthians 5:9). Also, to “not neglect to do good … for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” (Hebrews 13:16).

So how do we live in a way that pleases God? By doing our best to apply the principles of His Word to our lives and allowing the fruit of those principles to flow through our actions, resulting in the “good works” which God’s Word directs us to do. His Word tells us that we are “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10), and to give glory to our Father through our good works (Matthew 5:16).

The blessing of being effective in our example and witness. When our words and actions are guided by Scripture, they will be moral and ethical and therefore honorable. The apostle Peter wrote: “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12). If we act with Christlikeness, then even those who may dislike us or who speak against us will still see the good we do and perhaps be moved by it.

The blessing of God being more attentive to us. Scripture teaches that we receive blessings from God when we make an effort to avoid evil. “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:12).

We read about having confidence when we come before God in prayer with a clear conscience and live what Scripture teaches: “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him” (1 John 3:21–22). “The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way” (Psalm 37:23).

The apostle Paul directed Timothy to train people to keep a good conscience before God, and to hold on to faith and a good conscience (1 Timothy 1:5; 1:18–19). Of course, having a good conscience requires striving to live in obedience to God’s Word and resisting the temptation to sin.

The blessing of peace. The apostle Paul wrote that practicing what he taught would bring God’s peace: “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9). In the book of Isaiah we read something similar. “Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea” (Isaiah 48:18).

The blessing of avoiding God’s discipline. Scripture compares God’s loving discipline of His children to that of an earthly father who disciplines his children when they are disobedient. Such discipline is an act of love. In the book of Revelation, we hear Jesus say, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:19). In Hebrews 12:11, we read, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” In other words, if we get off track, God’s discipline is a blessing. Of course, it is even better to live in a way that makes it unnecessary to receive His discipline.

The blessing of experiencing a foretaste of heaven. The Bible tells us that life in heaven will be lived in complete alignment with God’s standards and love, and nothing unrighteous will be present. “We are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). If we live in obedience to what God commands in Scripture, then in a sense we will have a foretaste of what heaven will be like.

The blessing of heavenly reward. The Epistles show that salvation is a free gift from God. They also teach that there are degrees of reward for believers in the life to come, and that those rewards are related to how we live on earth. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

When we stand before the Lord and give account for our lives, it will be a time of blessing and reward for those who loved and obeyed Him. The book of Revelation speaks of the time “for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great” (Revelation 11:18).

It’s not easy to live in obedience to God’s Word, but when we do, we encounter His blessings. When we “taste and see that the Lord is good,” and we seek Him, He has promised to answer us and bless us and make our faces “radiant with joy” (Psalm 34:4–8).

Originally published October 2018. Adapted and republished November 2024. Read by Jon Marc.

¹ The following points are condensed from Wayne Grudem’s Christian Ethics (Wheaton: Crossway, 2018), chapter 5.

Blood to Grace

Peter Amsterdam

2009-06-04

Something we need to keep in mind during those times that the Lord redefines and remakes us is this: Just because the Lord changes something now, it doesn’t mean that the way He instructed us to do it in the past was wrong. He’s God, and He can change His instructions to us, or what He expects of us, depending on what He knows is needed at the time.

This isn’t a new concept, of course. The Lord has done this throughout time with His children and anyone who was willing to listen.

When the Lord gave the Mosaic Law, that was His law for His people for more than a thousand years. People could die for small infractions of the law. Israel was judged and conquered, or prospered, depending on their obedience to the law. There were many ceremonies and rituals required—and at the time, they were anything but token. The Lord used people’s adherence to those very strict rules and rituals to gauge their obedience, and they were blessed or cursed accordingly.

When Jesus came, He fulfilled the law, and His sacrifice on the cross made many those rules and sacrifices—which the Jews had lived by and adhered to for so many years—outdated. Many of the rules and traditions of the Mosaic Law weren’t needed anymore. All that people had to do was believe in Him, accept Him as the Son of God, and be willing to live by His Law of Love, upon which all the previous Law and the prophets depended (Matthew 22:37–40). He was the way to salvation, by grace through faith.

Another example was blood sacrifice. That was the way for Jews to seek forgiveness and to be absolved from their sins (Leviticus 17:11). They had to sacrifice a lamb—and there were many regulations regarding what kind of lamb, the age of the lamb, that it was the best of their flock, without blemish, etc.—and through that sacrifice, they were cleansed and forgiven. When Jesus died for us, He was the Lamb of God, sacrificed for the forgiveness of the sins of all humanity. He shed His blood for us once for all, and no further blood sacrifice was needed (Hebrews 10:10).

Another example is that the early church considered Gentiles unclean, because that’s what God had told them in the Old Testament. The apostles wouldn’t even witness to them at first. It took a direct revelation from God to change Peter’s mind on that, and Paul had to continually reinforce the point. Even then, many of the Jewish Christians were reluctant to change. Many thought that Gentiles must first be circumcised and obey Jewish ordinances before they could be Christians. Paul devoted a considerable portion of his writings to arguing that “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6).

The Lord isn’t concerned about preserving the past or the way He showed us to do it before, if it’s no longer His will for today. And if He isn’t concerned about it, we shouldn’t be either! He is interested in keeping us alive and fresh and relevant to today, so He’s going to continue to help us adjust, change course, and even reverse course when necessary, in order to get the job done.

The Lord once told us in prophecy:

I want you to be successful in the mission I have given you. The past is past. It suited the needs at the time very well, but today’s needs are very different. The world is different, the needs of the lost are different, and if you hold on to the way things were or the vestiges of the past, you will miss the mark for today!—Not to mention the future. Today and tomorrow are what count, not yesterday or yesteryear.

When I say that old things are passed away and all things are become new, you have to believe that I have the power and authority to do just that. When I walked the earth two thousand years ago, My announcements of change were big news to people in that day. When I told them that I had the power to forgive sins, it was a real departure from what they’d been taught—something they didn’t think was possible—and that’s why so much of what I did seemed wrong to them.

When My Father and I reveal new plans to you, we have the power and authority to do so as the Creators of the universe.

It was a stretch for the people of My day to accept that I could forgive sins, when previously only blood sacrifices could make atonement, but those who accepted My new teaching found that it opened a door to greater closeness between us, not to mention the peace and security of My love and forgiveness.

Though My ways may be past your comprehension, I do all things well. Though many things may change, My love and My great desire for all to know Me has never changed and will never change. This is what I continue to work toward, and why I often call you to make changes —to better accomplish My purpose. (End of message.)

Thank You, Jesus, for that beautiful message.

Thank the Lord for His up-to-date guidance, changes, and adjustments. That’s what David was talking about in “For God’s Sake, Follow God.” We’re still doing that today, and trusting the Lord as He leads us in new ways. Amen? Praise the Lord!

Winning the World with Love

11-23-24 Excerpts of a letter written to some missionaries in training

Members of any missionary team should be prayerfully chosen for their proven, self-sacrificial love for the lost; their close spiritual link with the Lord; and their tested ability to be led by Him in major decisions in the absence of earthly counselors or supervisors. They should also demonstrate a loving concern for their coworkers and those to whom they minister, and be able to get along with them. And of course they also need to know how to win souls.

The leaders of these teams must also have a great deal of wisdom, common sense, business sense, and management ability in order to handle the practical affairs of transportation, legal matters, public relations, and the everyday things of life, as well as to teach and to provide spiritual leadership. They should have a thorough understanding of the people and conditions of their prospective field, including a working knowledge of their language and a familiarity with their customs, religions, taboos, laws, and attitudes towards foreign missionaries.

But I want to emphasize that the prime requisite for any missionary must be the same driving passion which motivated the apostle Paul, the disciples of Jesus, and every great man or woman of God—that irresistible compassion which should motivate every Christian in everything they say and do, everywhere they go, with everybody, and which Paul summed up in these few famous and ringing words that have cried out from the heart of every true Christian in every true good deed he has ever done: “The love of Christ compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14).

“Let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:7-11).

“We have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this: Because as He is, so are we in this world. We love Him because He first loved us. And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also” (1 John 4:16-17,19,21). “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments” (1 John 5:2). “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12).

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16). “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). “Love one another, as I have loved you. By this all will know that you are My disciples” (John 13:34-35). “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God” (1 John 3:1).

“The fruit of the Spirit is love” (Galatians 5:22). “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5). “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40). “All the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself'” (Galatians 5:14). “This is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4). But it is “faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6). Therefore “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). For “the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). “Do you love Me? Feed My sheep” (John 21:17). … “And His banner over me was love” (Song of Solomon 2:4). Win with love!

If you can’t love your brother or sister, your husband or wife, your mother or father, or your coworker whom you have seen, how are you going to love God or His unsaved children whom you have not seen, especially when their looks, language, and customs will be so different from yours? If you can’t win souls in your home country, you’re certainly not going to be able to win them in some other country under even more difficult conditions. Just transporting you to a different country is not going to make a true disciple or missionary out of you if you have no concern for your neighbor at home, or your brothers and sisters in Christ in your present fellowship (1 John 4:20). You’re not going to make a good missionary unless you love them enough to lay down your life in loving service for them.

Ah, sweet mystery of life, at last I have found thee!
At last I’ve found the reason for it all.
‘Tis love and love alone the whole world yearns for!
And ’tis love that bids them heed Thy call!

—Rida Johnson Young, paraphrased

Love conquers all, and to win some, you must be winsome and willing to become all things to all men (1 Corinthians 9:22). Love loves the unlovely and casts a veil over countless sins (Proverbs 10:12). Love prefers the happiness of others to your own. It’s hard for you to see anything good in people you don’t love, but if you really love them, it’s much easier to overlook and forgive their faults.

God’s love can love anybody—even your enemies! (Matthew 5:44-45). Love begets love. Ask God to help you love others with His love that passes all understanding. Love is not blind—it has an extra spiritual eye, which sees the good and possibilities that others cannot see. Ask God for His love for others, or you’ll never make it as a missionary. Only the love of Christ can compel you!

Only God’s love will make you strong enough to make it—”Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Then you can do all things through Christ, who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13). But if you have any other motive, you’ll fail. You’ll fail the people the Lord wants you to win to Him, you’ll fail your coworkers, and you’ll fail the Lord. But love never fails! “Whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. But love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8). Do you want to be successful for the Lord and with others? Love and you can’t lose, for love never fails! Do you want the key to every heart? Try love! It never fails, because God is love and it’s impossible for Him to fail!

If you go in God’s love, you cannot help but win them, as so many of you have discovered. God’s love is the answer to everything: It saves souls, forgives sins, satisfies hearts, purifies minds, redeems bodies, wins friends, and makes life worth living. It’s the only truth, the only way, and the only peace! “Love does no harm to a neighbor” (Romans 13:10). You’ll not curse him, cheat him, steal from him, or lie to him, much less hurt him if you love him!

Love even prevents accidents. I gave a safety lecture in college once on how most traffic accidents are caused by a lack of love and consideration for the other driver. Not only wars, but also death on the highways is caused by pride, selfishness, and lack of love. Many of our problems are undoubtedly caused by a lack of love and the consequent breaking of His commandments, for if we truly love Him we’ll obey Him and avoid these (James 4:1; John 14:15,23).

The only way to win the world is with the love of Jesus. So make each new step to each new country a loving step, and let each new missionary be a loving missionary, and each new team a loving fellowship, and each new team leader a loving one. Then you cannot fail, for love never fails. Let’s win the world with His love! Love your way in, through, out, and around it! Long live love!

How God Spells Success

November 22, 2024

By Rick Warren

God wants you to succeed. He didn’t call you into church leadership to fail in what he created you to do. But here’s the catch—he doesn’t define success like the rest of the world defines it.

The world measures success by how you look, what you have, or who you know. But God says success is measured by who you are—your character.

The apostle Paul is a great example of success in the Bible. He models for us seven attitudes we need to have in our ministries, as shown in the acrostic: SUCCESS.

(Read the article here.)

https://blog.pastors.com/articles/how-god-spells-success

Overcoming Fear with Faith

November 21, 2024

Treasures

Audio length: 11:50

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Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.—Isaiah 43:1–2

The phrases “do not fear,” “fear not,” or “be not afraid” appear over 70 times in the Bible. The frequency of these expressions indicates that we should expect that every day life will present circumstances and situations which can generate fear, anxiety, and worry. Meanwhile, the word “faith” appears over 400 times in the Bible. As Christians, we are called to live by faith, and we are given the power and promises in the Bible to help us to overcome fear through our faith.

The Bible refers to two types of fear. The first is the fear of God, which represents reverence and proper worship for God’s power and glory, and an understanding of and respect for His sovereignty. The Bible teaches us that “the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). A part of our love for God should be a healthy respect for Him, like a child respects his father. Fearing God is a form of worshipping God, and granting Him the reverence and respect that He deserves. “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

The Bible tells us to avoid the second type of fear, which refers to a state of anxiety or dread or alarm. When the Bible tells us to not fear or be afraid, it is instructing us to not allow fear, anxiety, or fretfulness to rule our lives or take root in our hearts. God’s people are called to be people of faith. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18).

However, we do at times experience fear and anxiety in this life, and to overcome it we have to continue to trust in God, as we stand on His promises in His Word. When you understand that your heavenly Father loves you so much that He gave His only Son for your redemption (John 3:16), you can know that He is going to take care of you and everything that concerns you. His Word says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).

Throughout the New Testament, we read many times where Jesus tells His followers and the people to not be fearful or afraid. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. … Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27). “Do not be afraid, little flock, because your Father is well pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1). Our faith in the presence of fearful circumstances is rooted in our faith and trust in God and His love for us.

God’s Word tells us that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea” (Psalm 46:1–2). If we have received Jesus as our Savior and are doing our best to live according to His commandments, we can take refuge during troubling times in His unfailing presence.

No matter what we face in this life, no matter how distressing and fearful the circumstances appear, Jesus has promised to always be with us (Matthew 28:20). God didn’t promise that we would never face trials, tribulations, or afflictions during our time on earth, but He promised to deliver us out of them all (Psalm 34:19). Jesus told His followers, “In this world you will have trouble [or tribulation]. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Sometimes God may allow things to happen to us to try our faith, to see how determined we are, how much patience we have, and to build our endurance. That’s why we are to “count it all joy” when we face trials, knowing that the trial of our faith produces patience and endurance (James 1:2–3). But the Lord is able to keep us through everything we face in life, and He has promised to care for us. Jesus said that every hair on your head is numbered, and not even a sparrow falls to the ground outside God’s care. “So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows” (Matthew 10:29–31).

The Lord is our deliverer in times of trouble, our fortress where we take refuge, our strong tower in which we are kept safe (Proverbs 18:10). His Word says that “whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1), and we know that’s the best protection possible from anything we face in life.

Trusting in the Lord

In the Bible, the Lord tells us, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up” (Isaiah 41:10). And in the Psalms, we read: “The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?” (Psalm 27:1).

No matter what you face, trust in the Lord and His promise to care for you. He never fails, no matter what the conditions, no matter how dire or desperate the situation, no matter how hopeless the circumstances. Bring all your cares to the Lord in prayer and trust that He will answer. “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4). So whatever you’re facing, stand on God’s promises in His Word to overcome fear with faith. Follow the example King David set when he exclaimed, “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid” (Psalm 56:11).

Place all your faith and trust in the Lord, knowing that the Lord will take care of you, no matter what you face or what happens. “The Lord will rescue me from every evil work and will bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:18). God is sovereign over our lives and this world, and we know that He “causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Stay close to the Lord and continually commit all your ways to the Lord, asking Him to guide and keep you, and to bless and protect you. God’s Word says, “Men ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). Jesus said, “Watch and pray” (Matthew 26:41).

Times of trouble and anxiety are one way the Lord uses to draw us close to Him, as we seek His presence and bring all our cares and burdens to Him. The Bible instructs us to “never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:17–18). Our best protection through the storms of life is to keep the faith and stay “strong in the Lord and in His mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10). “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:12).

Prayer, worshipping the Lord, and claiming God’s promises are excellent ways to overcome fear. Memorizing faith-building scriptures is also an important way to dispel fear with faith, such as Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. … Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:1–4). Or “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid” (Psalm 56:3–4).

You can also make an intentional effort to put all other thoughts out of your mind and focus on God’s love and His Word and power. His Word tells us that God “will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed on Him, because they trust in Him” (Isaiah 26:3).

Dear Jesus, help us not to worry or fear, but only to fear You and love You. You said, “In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge” (Proverbs 14:26). Help us not to worry about any of the waves and winds and billows that we face in life. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on You, Lord, the author and finisher of our faith, and to place all our trust in You (Hebrews 12:2). Thank You for Your care for us, Your provision and presence in every moment of our lives. Amen.

Safe in the arms of Jesus,
Safe on His gentle breast,
There by His love o’ershaded,
Sweetly my soul shall rest.

Safe in the arms of Jesus,
Safe from all worry and care,
Safe from the world’s tribulations,
Nothing can harm me there.

Jesus, my heart’s dear refuge,
Jesus has died for me;
Firm on the Rock of Ages,
Ever my trust shall be!
—Fanny Crosby, adapted

From an article in Treasures, published by the Family International in 1987. Adapted and republished November 2024. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.

November 20, 2024

The Neglected Virtue of Gratitude

By Christopher L. Reese

As we approach Thanksgiving, our thoughts turn to giving thanks for all the good things the Lord has done and provided, especially since the beginning of the year. At the same time, we know that gratitude is a virtue that we should continually pursue as followers of Christ. In what follows, we’ll consider several ways we can grow in the often-neglected virtue of gratitude and make it part of our daily lives.

(Read the article here.)

https://www.summit.org/resources/articles/the-neglected-virtue-of-gratitude

Be Strong in the Joy of the Lord

November 19, 2024

A compilation

Audio length: 12:22

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Don’t be sad [grieve; mourn], because the joy of the Lord will make you strong [is your strength].—Nehemiah 8:10

Joy cannot remain simply an abstract idea; it must be practiced in the Christian life if we are to benefit from its strengthening power. But how can we experience joy when the world is so full of struggle and suffering? Here are a few suggestions:

Make God your highest joy. We cannot make the joy of the Lord our strength if we are also making something elseour strength. Doing so is idolatry, behaving as if something else will give us more joy than God Himself. While earthly gifts and experiences can give us joy, these pale in comparison with the greatest Gift: God Himself, whose love is poured out to us through Christ. We can say with the Psalmist: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26).
Focus on the Holy Spirit.There is a strong correlation in Scripture between the presence of the Holy Spirit and the presence of joy. In fact, Galatians 5:22says that one of the fruits of the Spirit is joy. Acts 13:52 recounts that “the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” In Romans 15:13, Paul prays: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Paul also praises the Thessalonians by saying: “You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit.” Joy … is the wonderful by-product of a life lived following God. If we “are led by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:18), “live by the Spirit,” and “walk by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25), then the Spirit will grow the fruit of joy in our lives!
Express gratitude for God’s gifts.Though God Himself is our highest joy, he has also given us many good gifts. The writer of Ecclesiastes observes “that there is nothing better for [people] than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man” (Ecclesiastes 3:12–13). … Taking time each day to notice, acknowledge, and praise God for what we are grateful for will go a long way to helping us experience the strengthening joy of the Lord welling up within us.—Jessica Udall¹

Joy is a tremendous source of strength. … Many verses in Scripture speak to the joy that God provides His people:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:11).

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8–9).

“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you” (Psalm 5:11).

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him” (Psalm 28:7). …

When [we] come to realize how much God has done for [us] and what great things He has in store, the result is joy, and that joy will produce strength. … He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). As we focus on God’s presence and promises, our joy and strength will increase.—GotQuestions.org²

“The joy of the Lord is my strength” is a familiar line. We use it to encourage ourselves and others. But what does it really mean? Where do we get it? …

The term “the joy of the Lord is my strength” is found in Nehemiah 8:10. It’s after the children of Israel returned to Jerusalem from exile. They were listening to the law being read, were overcome with condemnation, and were weeping.

The scripture reads: “Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, ‘This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength’” (Nehemiah 8:9–10).

What is the joy of the Lord?

When Ezra was reading the law to the people, it produced sorrow because their lives and behavior were not in alignment with the law. But instead of being rebuked and condemned, they were instructed to celebrate because of “the joy of the Lord.” Why would the Lord have joy when they were “a bunch of sinners”?

The children of Israel were never known for their perfect behavior. They were known for being the people of God. They were His. He loved them. …

How does the joy of the Lord provide strength? …

The joy of the Lord gives us strength to reach for God’s provision of love and salvation.

“For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs” (Zephaniah 3:17).

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:11).

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3).

What is this strength?

The strength that God provides us with is His grace.

“To each one of us grace has been given” (Ephesians 4:7).

“So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son” (Ephesians 1:6).

Because we feel connected to God and loved by Him, it gives us the confidence and boldness to approach Him to “find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). And the grace that He provides is enough for everything in our lives.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

“The joy of the Lord is our strength” is brought to fullness when we accept His provision of righteousness by grace that reunites us so we can enjoy His presence.

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

“… those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” (Romans 5:17).

“You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence” (Acts 2:28).—Danielle Bernock³

I want you to be filled with My joy, which will be your strength. I want you to be convinced of My love and at peace.

I want to take away any feeling of inferiority and worry because you have not yet achieved all you had planned or hoped for. Sometimes your expectations are unrealistic and cause you to overextend yourself, and then you feel guilty that you didn’t make the grade. I want to wipe away all those negative feelings. I want to wipe away your fears and worries and give you peace. All is well. As you seek to live according to My Word and My plan, you will find My joy.

As the scripture says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength!” And so it shall be for you. You can hold on to that promise. That can be your motto from this day forth. Fear and worry are debilitating. Any nervousness, fear, or worry quenches the flow of My Spirit in your life. So trust Me, knowing that I love you.

Now, let My joy be your strength. Rejoice in your victories. Rejoice in the battles. Rejoice in the blessings. Rejoice in the triumphs. Rejoice in the challenges. Do not dwell on your shortcomings and seeming defeats. Knowing and serving Me is a joyous experience! I know it’s not always easy, and there is pain and suffering along the way, but there can always be the joy of My Spirit in your heart. Remember, My joy is your strength.—Jesus

Published on Anchor November 2024. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso. Music by Michael Dooley.

¹ https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/ways-to-make-the-joy-of-the-lord-your-strength.html

² https://www.gotquestions.org/joy-of-the-Lord-is-your-strength.html

³ https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/what-does-it-mean-the-joy-of-the-lord-is-my-strength.html

November 18, 2024

The Best Preparation for the Future

By Maria Fontaine

Audio length: 9:13

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Throughout Christian history, people have sought to figure out the exact times and dates for Jesus’ Second Coming. In Matthew 24, Jesus said that “no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven… Only the Father knows” (Matthew 24:36). And because we don’t know the details or exactly how or when the final events will play out, it keeps us on our toes, in expectation of His coming, and we don’t get settled down in this world.

While the Lord told His disciples that no one knows the exact “when” of His return, He did tell us how to prepare for the future and how to live our lives in the expectation of His coming—whenever it happens and whether it happens in our lifetime or not. If we live in a state of preparedness, it won’t matter when it comes, because we will have prepared all along.

The One who is all-wise, all-loving, all-knowing delights in sharing His gifts of love and wisdom with His children in order to prepare us for our future in eternity with Him (Matthew 7:11). The Bible tells us in Ephesians to prepare ourselves by “putting on the whole armor of God,” including the belt of truth, the shoes of the gospel, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:11–17).

We can also choose in these days of preparation to set our affections on things above and not on things of this earth (Colossian 3:2). We can make everyday choices to live in the Spirit and walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:25). We can clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (Colossians 3:12). And we can be faithful to the Great Commission to share the Good News with everyone we can.

In the story of the five foolish virgins, we see that these women got caught without any oil for their lamps and then they had to go out and find some. When they got back, the doors were closed and it was too late for them to get in to the wedding. (See Matthew 25:1–13.) Meanwhile, the five virgins who had extra oil represented those who were looking with eagerness to the coming of Christ.

What are some of the ways that we can live in a state of preparedness?

Diligently seeking the Lord.
Studying and obeying His Word.
Learning to be led by His Spirit.
Separating ourselves from the world in spirit.
Being faithful to the Lord and to His call of discipleship.
Doing our part to carry out the Great Commission.

The following words from Jesus provide encouragement on the importance of our faithfulness to the Lord and His calling to each of us to do our part to fulfill His Great Commission.

As the world grows ever darker, I continue to send you forth to share My truth and gospel with others, so that they will be drawn to Me (John 12:32). My presence will be with you and My Spirit will empower you to be witnesses to Me even to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Many people are lingering in the valley of indecision and searching for the truth. But how will they believe if they have never heard or received a witness (Romans 10:14)? I have called each of My disciples to reach whoever you can, so that people who do not know Me or have not heard the truth will have the opportunity to hear and receive.

Do not be overwhelmed by what seems to be the impossible task of reaching the world of your day. Just go forth in faith and My Spirit will work in you to reach the people I place in your path. As you are faithful to sow the seed and shine My light on those around you, you will have done your part (1 Corinthians 3:7).

My Spirit in you will help you to fulfill your commission to reach the lost, to share the gospel, and to bring My love and My Word to others so that they have the opportunity to enter into My kingdom. Pray for My strength and power to let your light shine brightly so that others will see your good works and be drawn to Me and My kingdom (Matthew 5:16).

If you wish to be prepared for the future and that which is to come, be diligent to make your calling and election sure, and supplement your faith with virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, and love. As you grow in these qualities, you will be effective in your calling and bear fruit for Me (2 Peter 1:5–10).—Jesus

Living for Jesus is a blessing and a privilege

Living for Jesus is a tremendous blessing! It’s a wonderful privilege! Not only does it “pay” here on earth in wonderful blessings, but it will richly pay above all that we can imagine in the next world. In heaven, the wise people who dedicated their lives to Jesus will shine like the stars (Daniel 12:3).

True and lasting joy is found in a life lived for Jesus, in dedicating yourself to Him, in seeing Him work in your life and the lives of others, and in experiencing His love and mercy. True, there are trials and tests, heartaches, and battles, but we have the Lord to turn to, and He gives us the strength, the Holy Spirit power and anointing, and the love, peace, and joy that we need.

He is our refuge and strength and ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). He upholds you when you are cast down, and “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:29). He changes the darkness into light. He puts light in our eyes, and enthusiasm in our spirits, and joy in our service, and challenge in our tasks. And even sometimes when these seem to fail, still we know He is there holding us close, comforting and reassuring us.

What would life be like without knowing that we can run to Him in our distress? So many people in our world don’t know Jesus and have no hope for the present or the future—much less for eternity. We know Jesus cares for us and loves us so deeply and unconditionally that He gave His life for us and suffered a terrible death for our salvation. We never have to feel alone! No matter how bad things get, we will always have Jesus.

Everyone has trials and suffering, everyone has heartaches. This is a fallen world, still under the curse of sin, until Jesus comes back to redeem it. But as Christians, we know that God works in all those things, including sorrow, tragedy, and death, and makes all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28). He can even turn the greatest challenges we face into a thing of beauty in our lives. Everything that Jesus does or allows in each of our lives is because He loves us.

We are privileged, we are blessed of all people on the face of the earth! We have our share of problems, burdens, and heartaches, but we have Someone who helps us to carry them (Matthew 11:28). We have a wonderful God, who has promised to always be with us and to give us life in abundance and joy that overflows (John 10:10; 15:11). The God of our salvation daily loads us with benefits and blessings (Psalm 68:19).

One day, when He receives you into His heavenly Kingdom and you hear His “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23), you will experience such joy and eternal glory that you will know that it has truly been worth every sacrifice you made in this life and everything you did to bring others into His kingdom.

Originally published November 1995. Adapted and republished November 2024. Read by Lenore Welsh.

Integrity—Part 2

Peter Amsterdam

2018-08-30

Resisting temptation

Each of us is tempted to do things that are wrong. A good rule of thumb is, if you wouldn’t do something in front of your child, your spouse, or someone you love and respect, then it’s probably not something you should do at all. If you feel you have to hide your action, then there’s a good possibility that you aren’t acting with integrity.

Something to keep in mind is that when we are around others who don’t act with integrity, it can influence our own behavior and morals. The example of others’ lack of morality can make it more likely that we will act in a similar manner. Of course, spending time with those whose moral standard is lower than yours doesn’t necessarily mean yours will automatically drop, but it might be harder for you to maintain your higher standards in such an environment.

It’s especially important to realize that your integrity, your example, can either positively or negatively affect others when you are in a position of authority or respect. As a parent, a pastor or spiritual leader, a teacher, a coach, a public figure, etc., you are an example to others. Others will look up to you and model themselves after you; therefore you bear some added responsibility to conduct yourself with integrity. As Christians, lack of integrity can damage our ability to share the gospel with others. If we are unethical in our dealings, if integrity is weak in our lives, it may make the message that we share appear untrue. It reflects not only on us, but on Jesus as well.

What does integrity look like?

Integrity is living according to scriptural principles. It’s being honest, noble, trustworthy, reliable, acting honorably, keeping your word. It’s acting or speaking with transparency, as if someone you love or respect is watching what you are doing. It’s not speaking negatively about others or gossiping. It’s treating others as you would want them to treat you. It’s living an honorable and respectful life.

When you live with integrity, you accrue numerous benefits:

In proving to be trustworthy, you earn people’s trust, which can be a make-or-break factor in your personal and professional life.
You gain people’s confidence and respect, which puts you in a better position to become a positive influence on them and add value to their lives.
Your relationships with others are stronger, healthier, happier, and more satisfying.
People will be more likely to listen to you.
Because people trust you, they won’t worry about your motives.
Others will be comfortable opening up to you, knowing that you will keep what they say confidential.
You will experience more peace in your life.
God will bless you.

When we have committed to living according to our moral values, it’s important to regularly remind ourselves of them—especially when we are faced with a moral challenge. There will be times when we are face to face with situations where one option might seem beneficial, may be something that we want or want to do, or could bring us rewards or gratification, but that we know is wrong or not quite right. But even though we know it’s not right, we can be sorely tempted. At times like that, we need to reinforce the standard we have committed to. This can be done by reminding ourselves of our values, by praying, by reading or quoting God’s Word, or whatever helps us to reconnect with our standards and affirm our commitment to them.

As a proactive measure, regularly connecting with the foundational touchstone—God’s values as expressed through His Word—is a means of consistently bolstering our integrity. Regular Bible reading, prayer, and communicating with the Lord not only draws us closer to Him but also strengthens our resolve to live His values, to make them our own, and to stay true to them.

What should we do if we’ve let our moral standard fall? What if we’ve had a temporary lapse in living our values, or have even ignored them for a long time? Perhaps we feel we’ve traveled so far from God’s values that we don’t know if we can reconnect with them. The good news is that we can go to the Lord, confess our sins, ask His forgiveness, and reconnect with Him and His truth. We can renew our relationship with Him and seek His help and strength to turn our lives around. By His grace and with His help, and perhaps the help of others, our lives can be turned around and we can rebuild our integrity.

Sometimes we have to pay the price for the damage that our lack of integrity has caused, through restitution as well as admitting our wrongdoing, asking for forgiveness, and working to restore trust and relationship. It costs something to repair such damage, but it is worthwhile, and there are benefits to reconnecting with God’s love and adjusting our values to His.

If we are people of integrity, when we share the gospel with others, they will be more likely to listen, as our example will show that we both live and believe what we are saying. Integrity is crucial to our calling of sharing Jesus with others. Living with integrity is a key to a better life, a better future, and a better eternity.

“Who may worship in Your sanctuary, LORD? Who may enter Your presence on Your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the LORD, and keep their promises even when it hurts. Those who lend money without charging interest, and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever.”—Psalm 15¹

Originally published May 2014. Adapted and republished August 2018.
Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.

¹ NLT.

Becoming God’s Champions

Peter Amsterdam

2013-11-25

“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”—Galatians 6:9¹

Over the years I’ve seen a number of movies about sports teams, as I’m sure you have. The story often centers around a new coach coming into a high school that has a weak team. The coach often has a style of coaching that is quite different from the former coach, and the team or the parents or the school officials don’t like it. The coach is tough on the team, he pushes them really hard, he makes them work like never before, and it seems like he’s almost killing the team. The team may even lose the first few games, and he pushes them harder. Then the team starts winning games and eventually wins the championship.

These films are very inspiring, because you see the hard work and determination of the coach and the team pay off. Sometimes they’re tearjerkers, and they almost always have good lessons of some kind. There are usually lessons for the coach, for the star of the team, for the parents, for the teachers, and for the team as a whole.

You often see the rallying speech given by the coach to the team at the halftime of the championship game, when the team is behind and it looks as if they might lose. Sometimes the coach yells and screams; other times he gives a gentle speech invoking the memory of a team player who has died or some past event about the school, which fires up the team to go out and win.

When the game is over and the team has won, there is great jubilation. The team is thrilled, the parents are joyous, and the school is proud because their team won the championship. The players know that this was a great time in their lives, and many of them now go off to college to play for their new school. Many times those films end with the coach either in his office or back home, looking over who’s going to be on the team next year and thinking about how he’s going to do it all over again next year with a new team.

There are many lessons to draw from those kinds of movies or stories, but there are two that stand out to me. The first lesson has to do with something that you generally don’t see in one of those movies.

You don’t usually see the coach, at the end of the movie, when the team has won the championship, get the team together and tell them how sorry he is that the team members had to work so hard and endure so much in order to win. He might let them know that all the training he put them through wasn’t personal, that it wasn’t because he didn’t like the team players that he made it so tough.

But I’ve never seen the coach express regret for the rigors or training, for the difficulties, or for the sacrifice. I’ve never seen any coach show remorse or apologize for the fact that in order for his team to become champions, he had to push them pretty hard.

To the contrary, leading up to the championship game you always see the coach being very demanding of the team. He never seems to be happy with the team’s performance; he’s always wanting more, expecting more. He makes them work out, run, run, and run some more. Sometimes it almost looks like he’s unfeeling and uncaring, especially when they are totally exhausted after a practice, and instead of letting them stop, he makes them do it all over again.

The team is wiped out. They complain. Usually one or two members quit. Sometimes the parents complain, and sometimes they try to get the coach fired. It’s probably not easy for the coach to put his team through so much, but he knows that that’s what he has to do to make them winners. And in the end, when the team starts winning, when there are positive results, and especially when they become champions, then it dawns on everyone else that it was precisely all that hard work and difficulty that brought about the victory.

It’s clear that to become champions requires hard work and sacrifice. It’s clear that there’s no easy road to victory.

It would be an anticlimactic ending to one of those inspiring movies if the coach got the team together after their victorious season and said, “You know, team, I’m super sorry that I expected, in fact demanded, so much of you, and that you had to work so hard as a result. I’m sorry if I pushed you further than you wanted or felt you could go.” I don’t think you’ll see one of those movies end that way, because there’s no one on that championship team who would expect or want to hear such a speech.

Why? Because the team is a team of winners, who put their hard work and sweat into becoming winners. They know that the expectations of the coach were what pushed them to victory, and that without that, victory wouldn’t have been achieved. They wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

The second lesson is that the coach realizes that when the sports season has ended, he has to begin all over again with a new team, because most of the players have moved on to college. He realizes that in order to produce a victorious team next year, he has to do it all over again; that a victory one year doesn’t guarantee a victory the next year. He has to put in the same time, the same work, the same sacrifice, to make his next team a winning team.

He also knows that as he plans ahead for the next season, everything will be different, and he has to adapt his strategy. The teams he’ll face next year will be different teams, with different players. His team will be different as well. It won’t have the same strengths as last year’s team. If one of his players last year was strong in a certain aspect of the game, but now he’s gone, then the coach has to change the strategy so as to play off the strengths and to cover for the weaknesses that the new team has.

These coaches have to begin almost from scratch each year. Last year’s glories are just that—last year’s glories. They’re not renewable glories. It takes the same, and sometimes more, blood, sweat, and tears, to win the next season as it did last season.

I haven’t seen in any of those movies a scene where the coach is bemoaning the next season and all of the work that it’s going to be. They’re never shown saying, “I can’t believe that after this tough year I’m going to have to do it again! How can the school expect me to have a fresh start in a new season when I’ve just given my all last season? I think it should be easier. I think I should be able to coast for a year or two on our last championship. I’m satisfied with our wins, and it’s so unfair to have to keep working hard to produce a championship team.” No, you’ll never see a movie with a scene like that.

The great coaches don’t think that way; it’s not in their blood. They’re hungry to win, they’re determined to keep fighting, to keep sacrificing, year after year, to produce champions year after year. That’s the nature of sports and competition. It’s also the nature of the spiritual warfare we engage in as Christians in our service to the Lord and others, and in our mission of bringing salvation to as many as will receive Him.

I’m sure you’ve had times in your life for the Lord when you were exhausted to the point of giving up, and have wondered if you could go on one more day. But you did. You fought hard, you sacrificed, you laid down your life for others, and you have witnessed the fruit of your labors, or you will one day. But I’m pretty sure if you’re like me, at some point you have felt like, “How can the Lord expect this of us? It’s like the Egyptians making the children of Israel make bricks without straw.² Does He know what He’s asking of us? Does He know how hard He’s pushing us? Does He know how exhausted we are? Does He know that we have our limits? What’s the matter with Him?”

Well, here’s the deal: He’s like a coach who is working hard to turn his team into a champion team. Sometimes He has to push us to the limit so that we can go beyond what we believe we can do and be victorious. Like the coaches in those movies, He’s working to produce champions of each of us personally and His body of believers as a whole.

I’m pretty sure that most of us at one time or another have felt like those team members in the movies. We got angry at our Coach; we couldn’t believe He would be expecting so much of us. Perhaps we complained. I’m sure we have all felt like quitting at some time or another. But the price of victory, the price of progress, the price of championship is sacrifice, hard work, dedication, obedience, perseverance and faith. And we have our Coach—Jesus—to thank for training us in these attributes.

No one wins great victories without paying the price. No battle is won without pouring your all into the battle. No athletic contest is won without the months or years of grueling training. Victory costs! It sometimes costs everything. Victory is the culmination of sacrifice, hard work, dedication, obedience, perseverance, and faith.

When you arrive in heaven you’ll hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of your Lord.” You will hear the champions of centuries past cheering your names as you enter heaven’s hall of fame.

This is a war worth fighting. This is a war that’s worth giving our all to. This is a war worth laying down our lives for. It’s a war to free the hearts and souls of the lost. It’s a war to set the captives free. It’s a war to fulfill God’s desire to reach the world with His truth and love.

This war is not a negative. The fact that we’re going to have to fight hard is not a negative. The spiritual warfare that we’re engaged in is a positive, because it’s the means to securing victory—not just for ourselves or for our loved ones, but for the world, for God’s kingdom on earth, for the future of humankind.

We love the fact that our warfare enables us to wreak havoc and destruction on the Devil’s kingdom. We love the fact that we’re ripping souls out of his clutches. We love the fact that by preaching the Gospel in all the world, we’re paving the way for the Lord’s return to come. We love the fact that we can show the Enemy that we’re not afraid of him. We love the fact that we are going to win!

If there is only one route to securing your goals and dreams, and you determine that your goals are so worth it that you’re willing to take that route, come hell or high water, then you realize that you have a choice as to whether you’ll look at that path positively or negatively. Since you have to take that path anyway, and there’s no alternative, then why not look at it positively? Why not decide to enjoy it and make the best of it, to relish every moment of the journey? Rather than just letting your feet flop along, mechanically putting one foot in front of the other, put passion and determination into each step! Choose to do so, because in doing so you will have the kind of outlook needed to lead others to victory.

That’s the point we need to come to in our outlook on the trials and tests we face and the fact that there are years of spiritual warfare ahead of us, because the fight for the souls of humankind is going to continue until the Lord’s return. The Rapture will be the culmination of the victories of this earthly warfare, and it’s going to be thrilling. To get there, we’re going to have to “fight the good fight of faith,”³ and it’s going to be a long and tough fight, but it’s going to be a thrilling fight because we’re going to win thrilling victories.

In our war against Satan for the souls of the world, we know that victory is guaranteed, but we also know that it takes time to win victories and that victories cost. So we have to learn to appreciate, or at least to look very positively on, all that it takes to win the victory and all that it costs along the way.

Embrace the price. Embrace what it costs you to win. Glory in your infirmities.⁴ It makes the victory that much more worth it and sweeter. The training you endure to become fit to run the race and to fight the good fight of faith is acceptable because of what you achieve, because of the victories you win.

He’ll empower us for every situation we find ourselves in. We just have to be willing to go forward, to not give up, no matter how we feel. We have to depend on the Lord and wield His might and power. We have to rest in the Lord and keep fighting.

Why are we willing to fight the good fight? We’re willing to do it because the love of Christ constrains us, because there’s no greater love in all the world than to lay down our lives for Him and for others.⁵ That’s our calling and commission. We can be sure that as we lay down our lives, as we willingly sacrifice in His service, He will quicken us in spirit and give us what we need to keep persevering, to keep fighting, and to keep going.

We know that the Lord never asks anything of us that He doesn’t give us the grace for.⁶ That doesn’t just mean grace to barely make it through, but to rise above, to be victorious, to be champions. So we know that we will have strength, power, faith, and grace equal to the task, that even though the battles we face in this life will be tough and the load will be heavy, the Lord will never let things be too tough or too hard or too heavy.

Sometimes we might feel that we can’t do something or that it’s too much, but actually, when we look to the Lord and find out that it’s His will for us to press on, we find that we do have the strength and the ability to do what He’s asking. We just have to go deeper into Jesus, deeper into the Spirit, so that we can summon strength and energy from His never-ending reservoir of willpower and determination to fight and win.

Originally published November 2008. Adapted and republished November 2013.
Read by Jerry Paladino.

¹ NASB.

² Exodus 5:12–18.

³ 1 Timothy 6:12

⁴ 2 Corinthians 11:23–30.

⁵ 2 Corinthians 5:14–15; John 15:13.

⁶ 2 Corinthians 12:9–10.

You’ll Get Through This

November 15, 2024

By Max Lucado

What happens when life feels like it will never get better? Max Lucado shares an encouraging reminder that even if it takes time, you will get through whatever you’re facing. Because you are not alone—you have God, His Word, and His people with you every step of the way.

(Run time for this video is 41 minutes. This message was given to the Gateway Church following a period of turmoil, after which Max Lucado stepped in as interim teaching pastor. But the message has a broad application to any “pit” we may find ourselves in.)

https://youtu.be/RUwbtFZmqao

Man’s Heart

November 14, 2024

By Virginia Brandt Berg

Audio length: 8:14

Download Audio (7.5MB)

As I’m sitting here praying about this message, I’m in the heart of Los Angeles, and not very far from where I am, there is a terrible situation, a riot that is like anarchy. It’s more like a war than anything I have known since war days.¹

I just read Psalm 140, which talks about violent men, because we are living in an age of violence. This has been a terrible situation—rebellion so vicious that you couldn’t conceive of it unless you had seen some of the things that have gone on here. The brutality of it has been terrible.

Just a few moments ago there was an announcement that a mother was sitting with her two children out in the front yard to enjoy a little breeze, because it’s such a hot day, and a sniper killed the one child and wounded the other child. Cowards have been shooting at will and have not even allowed the firemen to get to the fires; they have been trying to kill the firemen.

There has been $100,000,000 worth of destruction and burning buildings! One entire block of stores burned to the ground. Up to this time there are 28 dead and nearly 700 wounded. Most of the big markets in this area have been burned, and now even a food shortage is acute because of food spoilage.

How can these things be? How can they come to pass in such an age of enlightenment? Let me read this passage from God’s Word:

Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;
preserve me from violent men,
who plan evil things in their heart
and stir up wars continually.
They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s,
and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah
Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
preserve me from violent men,
who have planned to trip up my feet. …
I say to the Lord, You are my God;
give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord!
O Lord, my Lord, the strength of my salvation,
you have covered my head in the day of battle.
Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
do not further their evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah
As for the head of those who surround me,
let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!
Let burning coals fall upon them!
Let them be cast into fire,
into miry pits, no more to rise!
Let not the slanderer be established in the land;
let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!
—Psalm 140:1–4, 6–11

You see that verse 11 ends with these words, “let evil hunt down the violent man speedily,” and I’m sure that some of these people that are so violent are going to reap that which they have sown (Galatians 6:7).

We can find comfort in verses 12 and 13 from this same psalm:

I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
and will execute justice for the needy.
Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
the upright shall dwell in your presence.

As we read in God’s Word, how true it is that there will be a time when evil men shall “wax worse and worse” (2 Timothy 3:13).

We wonder if things will get better, and we hear about the Great Society ² ushering in much that’s better, and some people are looking for a utopia. Instead of that, we seem to be moving into an age of violence, just like God’s Word tells us that these things shall happen in the Last Days (Luke 21:25).

I started to say that this is a rebellion in the heart of men against the old established order, against authority, and it’s found today in every avenue of life. Some of this violence is even depicted in the movies and in the music of the day. The same with art. I remember my trips to some art galleries, how amazed I was that it was so ugly and distorted, and it hadn’t a bit of beauty about it. And in literature—so rarely you run across a real good book that’s sweet and pure and uplifting.

Now may I just bring this thought to your own heart: Don’t you see that when you are rebellious toward God, when you are disobedient, then you also are a rebel in your own heart? When God has told you to do certain things, and when He speaks to your heart, it’s always for your own good. God wouldn’t tell you to do something unless it was for your good, unless it was that which would not only please Him, but that which would reap a reward for you in the future, as you follow Him.

But when there is rebellion in your heart, when you refuse to listen to His voice and you want your own way, that’s some of the rebel that’s in your own heart.

There isn’t any place for compromise today; you have to be on one side or the other. There cannot be any conforming to this rebellious, violent world. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2).

I know in some places people have tried to erase that clearly defined line that separates conforming and transforming. You can’t do that! The lines are gray in some lives, but if you’re a sincere Christian, that line of demarcation is clearly drawn. You’re either on the one side or the other in this age of violence and unbelief when men’s hearts are seemingly turning against God in so many cases.

People look for the causes. It’s in the heart of man, which God’s Word says is desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). Your only hope is to yield your heart utterly to the Lord Jesus Christ in a full surrender.

You know what surrender means. It is expressed in this well-known song.

“I work so hard for Jesus,” I often boast and say,
“I’ve sacrificed a lot of things to walk the narrow way.
I gave up fame and fortune, I’m worth a lot to Thee.”
Then I heard Him gently say to me,
“I left the throne of glory and counted it but loss.
My hands were nailed in anger upon the cruel cross.
Now we’ll make the journey with your hand safe in mine,
So lift your cross and follow, follow me.”
—Adapted from “Follow Me,” by Ira F. Stanphill, 1953

That’s the only safe place, and oh, the reward. I can tell you how He will bless your heart and give you peace and rest. Obey Him, listen to His voice. Do what He bids you. God bless you and make you a blessing.

From a transcript of a Meditation Moments broadcast, adapted. Published on Anchor November 2024. Read by Lenore Welsh.

¹ The Watts Riots took place in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, from August 11 to August 15, 1965. The 5-day riot resulted in 34 deaths, 1,032 injuries, 3,438 arrests, and over $40 million in property damage.—Wikipedia

² The Great Society was an ambitious series of policy initiatives, legislation, and programs spearheaded by President Lyndon B. Johnson with the main goals of ending poverty, reducing crime, abolishing inequality, and improving the environment. In May 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson laid out his agenda for a “Great Society” during a speech at the University of Michigan. With his eye on reelection that year, Johnson set in motion his Great Society, the largest social reform plan in modern history. https://www.history.com/topics/1960s/great-society

Faith and Comfort Zones

November 13, 2024

By Marie Story

I often hear people talking about “getting out of your comfort zone.” I hate hearing that. I admit that I like my comfort zones. I don’t like doing new things—especially if it’s something I don’t understand or don’t think I’ll do well at. I find it really difficult to take risks, even calculated risks, because risks are uncomfortable and take me into the zone of the unknown.

Lately, however, I’ve been pushed out of my comfort zone on a regular basis, and in that setting, I very quickly start to feel overwhelmed. It’s not the work that I’m afraid of—it’s the idea. As I begin to contemplate the magnitude of some project or venture, I start to shrivel inside, mentally backing away in consternation.

As I was discussing a concept for a new project with a friend some time ago, he was explaining his ideas. He’s the type of person who thinks big, detailed, and long-term—he’s definitely not scared off by the work or the risks. In fact, for him, the bigger and more out-of-the-box, the better. He was laying out his plan and automatically my mind started shutting down, shrinking back, and going into “overwhelm” mode. My eyes started to glaze over, and he noticed.

“What’s up?”

“Well …” I stammered, while trying to look supportive, “umm … it’s a good plan, but it seems a bit big, a bit overwhelming to me.”

“Is it the idea that is overwhelming you, or are you struggling with the idea of introducing change?”

This was food for thought (though I didn’t like to admit it), and I took some time with the Lord in prayer about it. I realized I was a bit of a wimp when it came to stepping outside my comfort zone, and that this was going to hold me back in life, and I needed a plan to grow my faith for change. Here is a three-step faith-building plan that worked for me, so I thought I’d share it with you—in case you find yourself in a similar situation:

Step one: Feed your faith. The Bible says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God, and that we need to desire God’s Word so that we can grow thereby (Romans 10:17; 1 Peter 2:2). If we want to grow in faith, we need to ensure we have a healthy Word diet. Just like our bodies can’t survive on a diet of junk food—or even on an occasional good meal—our faith won’t grow, much less thrive, unless we’re faithful to take in good, spiritually feeding input.

Read things that feed your faith. The Bible is bursting with promises that God has made to us and teachings that will guide us through life and give us principles to make godly decisions. His Word will guide us in our transformation process and help us to not fall into the pitfall of conforming to this world, and guide us to discern the good and perfect and acceptable will of God (Romans 12:2). When your heart is full of God’s Word, His truth, and His promises, your faith won’t be easily shaken.

Step two: Strengthen your faith. Our faith doesn’t thrive when we choose the comfortable option to avoid sacrifice, struggle, or challenges. When all our needs are covered, when we can handle the work on our own, when we are confident about what’s ahead—that’s when we can be tempted to try to carry all the weight ourselves. It’s when things are difficult, and when we just can’t carry the load, that our faith is strengthened, because we have to intentionally come to Jesus and hand the load over to Him and place our trust in Him (Matthew 11:28–30).

The Bible says to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding,” or your own strength, “and He will direct your path” (Proverbs 3:5–6). And “Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22). That means putting your weight down. And as we do that—as we depend more on Jesus and put our trust in His promises—our faith will be strengthened.

Step three: Stretch your faith. Be prepared to step out to do those things that seem overwhelming that God calls you to do. In other words, step out of your comfort zone. Often difficulties or challenges present themselves in our everyday lives and we don’t have a choice but to take them on. But at other times, God brings new opportunities into our lives and we need to be willing to stretch and choose to step out by faith and trust in His plan, even if we can’t know the outcome for sure.

When we read stories in the Bible, we see that many times people were placed in difficult situations where their faith had to grow to meet the need; at other times God waited for them to choose to take a step of faith before He performed the miracle.

For example, when Jesus came walking on the water toward His disciples, it was in the midst of a storm, and the boat was a long way from land and being “beaten by the waves and the wind was against them.” Jesus calmed the winds, and that was a great miracle, and it strengthened their faith, and they “worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’”

But the story that everyone remembers from this passage started when Peter took a literal step of faith out of the boat onto the water. He didn’t have to do that, but he chose to. He said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water” (Matthew 14:24–33)

So, what’s the point of growing and strengthening our faith? Jesus said that faith the size of a mustard seed could move mountains (Matthew 17:20–21). And sometimes that small faith is all we can muster, but nonetheless, “all things are possible if you can believe” (Mark 9:23).

God has plans for each of our lives, and step by step He prepares us for those plans. However, sometimes we have to step out by faith and reach toward those plans (whether we know how things will turn out or not). We need to take action and start building on what God’s will is for us. If we hold back until everything is “safe,” we may miss out.

The book of Romans highlights the example of the faith of Abraham, who “did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” This passage goes on to tell us that the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead (Romans 4:20–24).

One definition of faith is “confidence or trust in another’s ability.” Faith starts with acknowledging that we’re incapable in ourselves, but we are still stepping out by faith to do what God asks of us because we trust in His ability to work through us (Philippians 2:13).

I’ve still got a long way to go in strengthening my faith. I am, however, starting to look at each “overwhelming” situation as an opportunity for a faith workout!

Adapted from a Just1Thing podcast, a Christian character-building resource for young people.

The Wounds of a Friend

November 12, 2024

A compilation

Audio length: 10:44

Download Audio (9.8MB)

What are the hallmarks of a good friendship? What characteristics do you look for in a friend?

Often, the entryway into friendship is two people sharing a common interest. … Another important bond in a friendship is loyalty. We all want friends who will stick by us when the going gets tough. We want friends who will keep our secrets a secret. And certainly, we want friends who will encourage us, cheer us on, and affirm us. But do we ever look for friends who exhort us? …

A good Christian friend will point out to us when we’ve wandered off the narrow path. … A Christian friend won’t tell us what we want to hear, but what we need to hear. “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy” (Proverbs 27:5–6).

As C. H. Spurgeon said about such friendships:

True friends put enough trust in you to tell you openly of your faults. Give me for a friend the man who will speak honestly of me before my face; who will not tell first one neighbor, and then another, but who will come straight to my house, and say, “Sir, I feel there is such-and-such a thing in you, which, as my brother, I must tell you of.” That man is a true friend.

An exhorting friendship is not a relationship where we simply sit around and point fingers at one another. It’s not an opportunity to make people feel bad. … The efforts we make to exhort one another are always done out of love and gentleness. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear” (Proverbs 25:11–12). We go out of our way to speak to [our friend] in kindness, encouraging them, and seeking to spur them on forward in the faith. As the apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted” (Galatians 6:1).

We see the quicksand they are stepping into and we desperately want to pull them out before it sucks them in. So we preach the gospel to our friends. We remind them of the joy found in knowing God and being known by him, of the deep satisfaction found in enjoying the One who made us. We remind them of who they are in Christ and what he has done for them. We remind them they were bought at a price, they are new creations, and Christ will not forsake them. We point them to the cross, to redemption, forgiveness, and the way of repentance. And we offer to walk with them in the journey. …

When a friend exhorts us, we need to take time and consider it. We need to pray about it and ask the Lord to help us see what our friend sees. We need to evaluate our heart for sin and for ways we seek to find joy and meaning outside of God. We need to learn from it and grow in Christlikeness. And we need to respond to our friend with gratitude for being honest with us.

Do you have an exhorting friend in your life? Pray that the Lord would provide you such a friend. Seek out friendships with those who radiate the joy and love of Christ in their lives. Spend time with those who live to enjoy God for the glory of God. Take the time to develop deep, trusting friendships with others and mutually seek the best in one another—including exhorting one another in the faith. As believers, we all need friends who will exhort us because they care about our hearts.—Christina Fox¹

A friend that is willing to tell you hard truths is a very good friend. The Bible says that “faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Proverbs 27:6). That means that even if a friend tells you something that hurts you a little bit—like that your attitude is maybe not so great, or that you’re doing something wrong or dangerous—it’s because they care about you.

Those are the friends who aren’t going to leave you in the dark. They’re going to tell you what’s what, even if it’s hard for you to hear. They aren’t telling you to hurt you; they’re telling you to help you. Not every friend will be invested enough in your friendship to say something that could potentially irritate you. But if you have a friend who will, value them.

We all need a friend who will tell us if we have something stuck between our teeth, or if our breath stinks, or we need to find a better deodorant. We also need someone to tell us if our actions have unwittingly hurt someone without us noticing.

Sometimes it’s much easier to not tell someone the truth. That way you don’t have to deal with anyone getting sensitive or upset at you, and you don’t have to be the “bad guy.”

If you want to be a good and faithful friend, you will sometimes be faced with the challenge of having to “wound” your friend. I still find this very difficult to do. Sometimes I manage to say it just the way I planned, it’s quick, and the happy ending comes fast. At other times, I blurt it out and things get worse before they get better.

I know that doesn’t sound very good, and it can go down kind of messy sometimes. After all, the Bible does talk about the wounds of a friend. The word “wound” implies that it could be a bit messy, that it could hurt.

Something important to first ask yourself is why you feel compelled to tell your friend something. If it’s you being moody or having a bad day, maybe you need to refrain. But if your motivation for telling your friend some hard truth is to protect them from being hurt or from hurting themselves or someone else, then you have the right motivation.

With the right motivation, you’re ready to “speak the truth in love.” If you’re nervous or uncomfortable, remind yourself of the reason that you’re saying anything at all. It’s because you care about your friend. It’s what you would want your friend to do for you.

In time, you will come to see which friends really have your back and which ones will be willing to work through the “ugly” with you. Those are the friends you need. In a good friendship, the “faithful wounds” will work both ways. You will both be able to rely on the other for the tough truths. When you find friends like that, be grateful. Take the sting, because the wound will heal, and you will be wiser and happier. Be grateful for a few good friends who value you enough to tell you the truth.—Mara Hodler

“Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Proverbs 27:5–6). Open rebuke refers to confronting someone’s misbehavior frankly and truthfully. It may be perceived as harsh or wounding to the recipient, but when the intent is to promote another person’s well-being and help him change his behavior, the real motivation is love. …

The wounds of a friend are faithful because a true friend’s criticism or candid speech is based on a relationship that is loyal, sincere, trustworthy, and authentic. We can rely on a friend who cares enough not to hide his or her true feelings. “You can trust a friend who corrects you,” says the Contemporary English Version. … A faithful friend dares to correct what is wrong, and a wise person is courageous enough to receive correction from a trustworthy friend. …

Paul said, “But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children” (1 Thessalonians 2:7; cf. 2 Corinthians 10:1). He urged the Galatians, “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path” (Galatians 6:1). Paul taught Timothy to “gently instruct those who oppose the truth” (2 Timothy 2:25). Jesus, who is our ultimate example, said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29).—GotQuestions.org²

Published on Anchor November 2024. Read by Debra Lee. Music by Michael Fogarty.

¹ https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/faithful-are-the-wounds-of-a-friend

² https://www.gotquestions.org/faithful-are-the-wounds-of-a-friend.html

The Message of Jeremiah

Huntington Beach Light Club 1968

David Brandt Berg

1970-11-22

God turned Jeremiah around and made a revolutionary out of him, but he had a little difficulty trying to turn the nation around. In fact, he never quite succeeded! But at least he tried.

Are you willing to be a revolutionary even if nobody ever joins? That’s about the way Jeremiah had it. And let me tell you who joined him—God. God took him through in his own little revolution, all the way through a war, the great confusion, and the takeover by the communists of his day, and helped him to survive it.

I told you the other day, there’s revolution rampant in the country and the swelling tide is rising. (The Jesus Revolution!) You know how the surf rises? You spot that wave out there and you watch that swell lift and you say, “Oh, man, there’s coming one, that’s going to be it!” And it rises and rises until it reaches that peak, and then it really begins to roll. And if you hit it just right, you jump on that board just in time, you can ride the crest, and it’s a thrill to ride on top.

But you know, some of these preachers see that swell coming and they don’t want revolution, they don’t want a change, they don’t want to be different. So they take their surfboards and they try to stop the wave, like that guy did to you yesterday. The Lord said, “If these should hold their peace, the very rocks would cry out” (Luke 19:40).

What happens when you try to stop the wave? It just rolls right over you. It rolls you down, that’s all! You can submerge and let it roll over you if you want to, but personally, I like to ride it. Now you can think about that for a while as we study Jeremiah.

There’s only one thing that’s really worth dying for, and that’s Jesus. You’re going to find this book of Jeremiah a very dangerous book. It was plenty dangerous for Jeremiah! Nearly got him killed. Got him thrown in prison, got him thrown in a dungeon where he sank in the slime right up to his armpits.

His own family wanted to murder him and his own church put him in stocks, one of those pieces of wood where your head, hands, and feet are sticking through, where they could spit on him and slap him and make him a mocking derision to his people. Wait till you hear what Jeremiah suffered for preaching revolution! Of course, he preached the same kind we do—not one of violence, but one of the Spirit.

What is revolution? Revolve, turn around, and go the other direction. Similar to the Latin word repentance and the Greek word metanoia, it means a complete change of mind, change of direction.

We’re not interested in trying to patch up the old system; we don’t give a hang about trying to reform it! I’m not talking about the true Christians that love God. I’m not talking about the gospel being preached. I’m not talking about Christians getting together and enjoying fellowship. I’m talking about the system they’ve got. The system of—instead of witnessing and winning souls—of going into all the world and building buildings! Going into all the world and telling everybody to just be a Christian and go to church on Sunday. Not that those things were intrinsically bad to begin with, that a building’s anything evil of itself, or that going to church on Sunday is bad.

God has asked His prophets to do a lot of peculiar things! He asked one prophet—Isaiah, a courtier of the king’s blood, royal family—to go stark naked for three years before all Israel as a testimony against them of how God was going to strip the nation. He asked another prophet, Hosea, to go out and marry a prostitute, to illustrate what Israel had done to God, that Israel had become a harlot in the eyes of God, but that God was still married to her and still loved her and would forgive her.

And Jeremiah, He asked him to do some peculiar things too. One of the most peculiar things He asked him to do was to wear a wooden ox yoke around his neck to illustrate that the nation was going to go into servitude and slavery and bondage to her enemies—yoked, slaves in chains, because of her sins. Popular message?

You’ll find Jeremiah was a revolutionist! He was trying to revolve the nation, turn it around and start it the other direction. But he never succeeded; he was a flat failure. He never changed Israel, he never got them to repent. And God judged them and let their enemies conquer them and take them as slaves because they didn’t repent. Was he a failure? His job was not to make Israel change her mind or heart or repent, because only Israel could do that.

We can’t make the churches change. We can’t make this nation change. They have to make that decision; our job is to tell them. And when it came to telling them, let me tell you, Jeremiah was a huge success! They got the point so well, they nearly killed him. If it hadn’t been for the power of God he never would have made it. Because listen to the kind of call God gave him in this first chapter:

“The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin.” He was from Anathoth, his hometown. You’re going to hear what his hometown tried to do with him later. His hometown got so mad at him, they said, “Now listen, this guy is such a radical revolutionary, the king’s going to think that we’re like this too, so we’d better kill him before the king takes it out on us!”

What made Jeremiah a revolutionary? He broke with the system, and he followed God. No matter what the system said or did to him, he was more afraid of God than he was of the system. Now I’m not talking about the government; don’t misunderstand me. I’m not talking about the people that love the Lord, but their system that they are trapped in.

One government or another makes little difference to us for the plain and simple reason we find out all the way through the Bible, they changed governments like they changed clothes, and all governments amount to about the same thing in the long run: It’s all Roman, still Rome, but it’s put here by God to try to keep the peace and order.

Jeremiah’s message was nothing but trouble and doom for the country! There were little rays of sunshine here and there, a little blessing that was going to be far off in the future after they’d gone through the mill and really suffered—God was going to forgive them then. They’d repent then, He’d forgive them, and then He’d bring them back, but it was going to be a long time.

When God has appointed somebody to a special task, this frequently happens; God sets you aside. He’s got a special job cut out just for you! And you’d better believe it and you’d better obey it and you’d better do it.

“Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child” (Jeremiah 1:6). “Lord, I can’t do it!” You’ll never find anyone in the Word of God who wanted to be a prophet. Almost all of them were forced to be prophets. They didn’t want to be, they were reluctant, and they tried to talk God out of it. Someone once said, don’t ever try to be a leader unless God virtually forces you to be, where He puts you in a position of responsibility where you have to.

There are a lot of people running around the world who’d love to be boss. They want to run things; they want to be an executive behind a big polished desk. If they only knew the problems of those guys. If they only knew the hassle they go through mentally and every other way. We read in the paper just recently, some guy jumped out the hospital window, a big executive. The responsibility nearly drives them out of their minds, all the things they have to do. I saw a sign on the grocery store wall one day: “Work your eight hours a day and don’t worry—maybe someday you’ll be boss, work 16 hours a day, and have all the worry!”

“But the Lord said unto me, Say not I am a child, for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee. And whatsoever I command thee, thou shalt speak” (Jeremiah 1:7). “Just tell them what I tell you, that’s all you have to know. That’s all you have to do, just tell them what I tell you.”

“Be not afraid of their faces, for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put My words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms” (Jeremiah 1:8–10).

What do you mean? Jeremiah was nothing but a prophet! He wasn’t even of the blood royal. Who was he? Of just one little town of Anathoth, of one little tiny insignificant country in world history. But God said He had set him over the nations and over the kingdoms. You mean this little insignificant prophet was that important to God? Let me tell you, he had a message for the nations, a message for the kingdoms, a message for the world!

Listen to the kind of ministry that Jeremiah had: “To root out and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down.” Four parts of his message was destruction, two-thirds of his total message. Get rid of the false, obliterate the false, throw out the false, throw down the false, cast out the false, root out the false! Because if you can’t get rid of the weeds, if you can’t get rid of the ruins and the rubble, how are you going to plant or build anything in the same place? Ever had a garden? Let me tell you, if you don’t get rid of those weeds, they’ll get rid of your garden! You’ve got to get rid of them; they can’t grow side by side.

I regret to tell you that so far, according to world history, the prophets have usually gotten it in the neck and the system got them first. But they saved a lot of souls, and they woke up a lot of people, and they preserved at least some truth and some gospel and some salvation. And that’s why you’re here tonight, because somebody fought for the truth!

All the way from the prophets of old up to guys like Martin Luther, Savonarola, John Knox, and Tyndale, who gave up their lives so you could have the truth. But as a result, you’re here today hearing the truth of God and this book has been preserved. And because we are willing to live and die for the truth of God, somebody’s going to hear about it and believe it and receive it and carry it on after we’re dead!

For every drop of blood we shed, God raises up ten more drops to keep on preaching it! Praise God? For the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church, some great martyr once said. It was not just what the Christians said that turned Rome to Christianity, it was the way they died! Then people knew they believed. They were fighting the system, and you couldn’t have fought a bigger system than they had then. That’s one case where the system finally got conquered.

The message that we preach down here, this kind of Christianity, is as far from what is being preached in those churches on Sunday as night is from day, as communism is from capitalism. The early church seemed to have more success with some of the Romans than the Jews. And Paul finally gave up on the Jews and said, “From henceforth I will go to the Gentiles! I’m sick of preaching to the church people. I’m going to the heathen; they’ll receive it” (Acts 18:6).

Let’s pray and ask God to help us to have the courage to preach a message that’s hard to preach, a message many will not receive, and a message that they’ll persecute you for.

The Just One and Political Justice

Reflections 340

2006-04-02

By Rui Barbosa

In an essay first published in 1899 and excerpted here, Brazilian jurist, essayist, lawyer, author, politician, and diplomat Rui Barbosa (1849-1923) analyzes the prosecution of Jesus from a legal standpoint and holds it up as an example for the ages of the miscarriage of justice.

Christ was subjected to six trials—three at the hands of the Jews, three at the hands of Rome—yet He stood before no judge. In court after court His divine innocence was evident to all who judged Him, but not one dared grant Him judicial protection. In Hebraic traditions, the concept of the divine nature of a magistrate’s role was emphasized. It was taught that to rule contrary to the truth was to drive the presence of the Lord from the bosom of Israel, while to judge with integrity, even for an hour, was likened to the creation of the universe. It was taught that there, in the place of judgment, divine majesty abode. Laws and holy books are of little worth, however, when men lose sight of their meaning.

In the very trial of the One who was sinless, there was not a precept or rule in the laws of Israel that her judges did not transgress. From His arrest, approximately an hour before midnight, until dawn, all the events of Christ’s trial were tumultuous, extrajudicial, and an assault on Hebrew precepts. The third phase, the inquiry before the Sanhedrin, was the first to even remotely simulate a judicial hearing—the first act in this judgment to vaguely resemble due process. At least it took place in the light of day.

Christ Himself did not renounce such rights. Annas interrogated Him, making a procedural error, as he had no judicial authority in the matter. In resigning Himself to martyrdom, Jesus never resigned Himself to the abdication of His lawful rights. Jesus answered Annas, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing. Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said.” It was an appeal to the Hebrew institutions, which made no allowance for courts or witnesses representing only one side of a question. The accused had the right to a public trial and could not have been convicted without a body of incriminating testimony. Jesus’ ministry had been to the people. If His preaching had crossed into criminal activity, the place should have been teeming with witnesses. They stood on judicial soil, yet because the Son of God invoked the law, His judges slapped Him. To answer the priest in this manner was insolence. “Do You answer the high priest like that?” “Yes,” replied Christ, insisting on legal grounds. “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?”

Disoriented, Annas sent Him to Caiaphas, the high priest that year. This matter, however, was also outside Caiaphas’ jurisdiction. It was solely a prerogative of the great Sanhedrin, before whom Caiaphas had already revealed his political bias in persuading them it was necessary for Jesus to die in order to “save the nation.” It was now up to Caiaphas to carry out his own malicious design, which resulted in the damnation of the people he had intended to save and the salvation of the world, which he had never considered.

The illegality of the nighttime judgment, which Jewish law prohibited even in ordinary civil issues, was worsened by the scandal of the false witnesses. They were bribed by the judge himself, who should have, according to the jurisprudence of that nation, played the role of the defendant’s foremost protector. Yet, no matter how many false witnesses they arranged, they were not able to impute to Him guilt as they had hoped. Jesus remained silent. His judges lost the second round. The high priest, in his “wisdom,” suggested a way to open the divine lips of the accused. Caiaphas questioned Him in the name of the living God, an invocation which the Son could not resist. Obliged to reply, He did not recant and therefore found Himself accused of a capital crime. “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!” Hearing this statement, all present cried, “He is deserving of death.”

The morning dawned, and in the first hours of daylight, the entire Sanhedrin met. It was an attempt to satisfy the judicial guarantees. Daybreak brought with it the required condition of openness. This was now a legitimate judicial proceeding. These were the proper judges, but judges who had already hired witnesses to testify against the defendant could represent little more than a disgraceful travesty of justice. Having agreed beforehand to condemn, these judges left an example to the world, imitated countless times over the years, of tribunals that decide together in the shadows, later merely simulating in public an actual judgment.

Naturally, therefore, Christ was condemned a third time. The Sanhedrin, however, did not have the authority to pronounce the death sentence. It was a jury of sorts, whose verdict was more opinion than ruling. The Roman courts were under no obligation to heed this verdict. Pontius Pilate, therefore, was under no constraint; he could either condemn or acquit. He asked them, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” “If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you” was the insolent reply of his prosecutors. Not wanting to play the role of executioner in a case about which he knew nothing, Pilate tried to weasel out of the predicament by returning the victim to His accusers. “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.” “But,” replied the Jews, “you know very well that it is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” Their goal was death. Without it the depraved justice of the accusers would not be satisfied.

At this point their libel changed. The accusation was no longer of blasphemy against holy law, but of an infraction of political law. Jesus was no longer the impostor who claimed to be the Son of God, but a conspirator who crowned Himself king of Judea. Again, however, Christ’s answer spoiled the morning for His accusers. His kingdom was not of this world. Therefore He posed neither a threat to the security of national institutions, nor to the stability of Rome’s rule. “For this cause I have come into the world,” Christ said, “that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” “What is truth?” asked Pilate, clearly revealing his cynicism. He did not believe in the truth, but the truth of Christ’s innocence penetrated irresistibly into the depths of his soul. “I find no fault in Him at all,” said the Roman procurator, once again forestalling the priests’ plot.

The innocent should have been spared. He was not. Public opinion demanded a victim. Jesus had stirred the people, not only there in Pilate’s territory, but all the way to Galilee. It so happened that Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee with whom the governor of Judea had severed relations, was in Jerusalem. It was an excellent occasion for Pilate to restore their friendship and at the same time pacify the crowds that had been inflamed by the high priests. Pilate sent the defendant to Herod, flattering him with this homage—vanity. Two enemies, from that day on, became friends. Thus tyrants are reconciled over the ruins of justice. Herod, also, could find no way to condemn Jesus. The martyr returned from Herod to Pilate without being sentenced.

Pilate reiterated to the people the purity of that just Man. It was the third time that Rome’s judges had proclaimed His innocence. However, the clamor of the multitudes grew.

Jesus’ fourth defense came again from Pilate’s mouth. “What evil has He done?” The conflict escalated as the uproar of the multitude grew stronger, and the governor asked, “Shall I crucify your King?” The crowd’s shouting answer was the lightning bolt that disarmed Pilate’s attempts to forestall. “We have no king but Caesar!” With this word the specter of Tiberius Caesar arose in the depths of the governor’s soul. The monster of Capri, betrayed, consumed with fever, covered with ulcers, contaminated with leprosy, entertained himself with atrocities during his final days. To betray him was to bring about one’s own destruction—to fall under even the suspicion of infidelity to him was to die. Frightened, the slave of Caesar acquiesced, washing his hands before the people. “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person,” he said, and handed Jesus over to His crucifiers. Behold the proceedings of a court that will not take responsibility for its actions.

From Annas to Herod, the judgment of Christ is a mirror of all the ways in which a judicial system, corrupted by factions, demagogues, and governments, deserts its own. Their weakness, their naiveté, their moral perversion crucified the Savior and continue to crucify Him today, in empires and republics, every time that a court covers the truth with a lie, abdicates responsibility, turns its back on or hides from the truth. Jesus was sacrificed because He was accused of being an agitator and a subversive. Every time that it is deemed necessary to sacrifice a friend of our rights, an advocate of the truth, a defender of the defenseless, an apostle of generosity, a proponent of law, or an educator of the people, this is the order that always rises again to justify the activities of the lukewarm judges whose only interest is power. All believe, like Pontius Pilate, that they will save themselves by washing their hands of the blood that they themselves will spill, of the crime that they will commit. Fear, venality, partisan politics, personal reputation, subservience, a conservative spirit, a closed interpretation, reasons of state, overriding interests—call it what you will—judicial prevarication will not escape being branded.

“For this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

R340—April 2006
Topics: Easter, Jesus, justice.
Excerpted and adapted from Selected Works of Rui Barbosa, Vol. VIII. Copyright ©1957 by Casa de Rui Barbosa, Rio de Janeiro. Translated by John Paul M. Connolly.
Reflections © 2006 The Family International.
Visit our website at www.thefamilyinternational.org.

Patience—Essential to Experiencing God’s Best

November 8, 2024

By Charles Stanley

Patience is a virtue we all respect—that is, until we have to exercise it in our own lives. In this message, Dr. Charles Stanley lays out the truth plainly: Patience is indispensable to our ability to obey God and receive His best for us. It may feel excruciating to wait upon the Lord, but that’s exactly where He said He would renew our strength (Isaiah 40:31). Discover why you can trust God’s perfect timing.

Run time for this video is 37 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD9m9GcUWcI

God’s Amazing Grace

November 7, 2024

Treasures

Audio length: 14:04

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God created human beings in His image with free will and the majesty of choice to choose to love and obey Him as His grateful children. However, the first human beings fell into sin through their choice to disobey God (Genesis 3:1–19). Through this entrance of sin into the world, all people became sinners by nature and separated from God (Romans 5:12–14). But God, in His infinite love and mercy, reconciled humanity to Himself by giving the world His only Son, “so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Anyone who accepts God’s pardon for sin through Jesus Christ is not only forgiven and redeemed, but will live forever in God’s presence.

Salvation is a gift of God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness, and can only be attained through belief in Jesus. Once we receive God’s gift of salvation, we have the sure knowledge that after death, we will live forever in heaven. “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28). We continue to be fallible people in need of God’s forgiveness, but despite our shortcomings and sins, we will never lose our salvation.

According to the Mosaic law (revealed to Moses by God), every one of us is a sinner, because not one of us can keep it. “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin” (Romans 3:20). In fact, it is impossible for anyone to live up to the standard set in the laws God gave in the Old Testament.

The law was our guardian or “schoolmaster” to show us that we’re sinners, to bring us to God for mercy, and to show us His absolute perfection and perfect righteousness, which was impossible for us to attain. “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24).

The law was a gift to God’s people to learn to walk according to His truth and holiness, and to keep them from the destruction of sin. In Psalms we read, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether” (Psalm 19:7–9). By the old law, God taught us that we could never attain to His holiness and perfection. The Old Covenant served its purpose for its time, and has been replaced by “a better covenant” (Hebrews 7:22).

When Jesus came to earth, through His life and death He became the mediator of a new covenant of God’s grace, mercy, forgiveness, love, and truth—our salvation by faith in Jesus: “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). Jesus came and gave His life for us on the cross, and now salvation comes “not by works of righteousness which we have done,” but by His grace and mercy (Titus 3:5).

God’s grace and salvation through faith is the end of the Old Covenant for all who receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. Paul preached sermon after sermon teaching that the old law was finished for the Christian who is living under God’s grace. “But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code” (Romans 7:6).

This became a raging controversy in the early church with the “concision,” the converted Jews who said, “We believe in Jesus, but we still have to keep all the old law. We still have to keep the Mosaic laws and rituals under the Old Testament covenant.” (See Galatians 3.) However, according to the New Testament, God’s children today are no longer under the old covenant of the Old Testament with its many ritual and religious laws.

As Paul proclaimed, “Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith” (Galatians 3:23–26).

God’s Law of Love

When the religious leaders questioned Jesus, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” He replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:36–39).

He then shocked them by continuing to say, “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:40). “The Law and the Prophets” encompass the entire Old Testament. They had numerous religious and ritual laws, but Jesus said that all the Law as well as all the Prophets depend on this one law—love of God and love of neighbor. In other words, if you love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and you love others as you love yourself, you will fulfill God’s law.

Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). As the sinless son of God, Jesus fulfilled the commandments and requirements of the law. And by fulfilling it, He ended it for all who believe in Him and accept His sacrifice on the cross for their sin. Therefore all who receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior are no longer required to keep the laws of the Old Testament. “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4).

When the religious leaders of Jesus’ day questioned why He was eating with sinners, Jesus replied, “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:13). In other words, God’s idea of righteousness is not about earning merit with God through dutiful keeping of the law. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). Through Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection we are freed from the bondage of sin. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1–2).

Jesus told His disciples in John 13: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34). In His famous “golden rule,” Jesus taught: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12). The apostle Paul echoed this principle when he wrote: “The entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Galatians 5:14).

What about the Ten Commandments?

In the Gospels, Jesus reaffirmed many of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20:1–17, which contained the moral code of God’s law. For example, when a rich young ruler asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life,” Jesus repeated many of the Ten Commandments to the rich young ruler. “You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother’” (Mark 10:17–19). Nine of the Ten Commandments are repeated in the New Testament in numerous places. The only commandment not repeated in the New Testament is the fourth one regarding keeping the Sabbath.

Loving God first and foremost and loving others will result in the ultimate fulfillment of the Ten Commandments. If we as Christians love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind, and our neighbor as ourselves, we will naturally fulfill the spirit and intent of all the other laws. For example, we won’t put other gods before Him or take His name in vain. To love our neighbors as ourselves precludes murder, stealing, slander, or coveting what others have.

The motivation for us—as Christians—to obey these commandments is because we are compelled by our love for God and others to be examples of His love and kindness to our neighbors (2 Corinthians 5:14). We refrain from activities forbidden by the Ten Commandments because they would not be in accordance with our love for God and others.

In many ways, the new covenant Jesus ushered in requires a stricter code of conduct than the old one under the Mosaic law. The Ten Commandments required that people act justly and refrain from activities that would dishonor God or harm others, but under the new covenant, much more is required of us—sacrificial love and mercy. We are to “owe no one anything, but to love one another: for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8). “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well” (James 2:8).

Through Jesus’ fulfillment of the old law, we are no longer bound by it and have been granted grace and freedom. But God’s Law of Love is the most binding law of all and can be much more difficult to keep—in fact, it is humanly impossible. That’s why He taught that “apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). But the Bible also teaches that we “can do all things through Christ who strengthens us” (Philippians 4:13). For “His grace is sufficient for us; His strength is made perfect in our weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

You can’t possibly keep Jesus’ commands unless you have accepted Him as your Savior and God’s Spirit dwells within you, to give you the power and the strength to love others as you love yourself, and to “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

As Christians, we have received eternal salvation and a life filled with God’s love—full of grace. It has nothing to do with our own sinlessness or any kind of perfection or works or law-keeping of our own. We all make mistakes and fail, we all sin, and any righteousness we have is only the grace of God. But we have been freed from the bondage and condemnation of sin by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Jesus “canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14). It was on the cross, at the very end of His ministry on earth, that He proclaimed, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

God’s Law of Love as explained in Matthew 22:35–40 should govern every aspect of a Christian’s life and interactions with others. The biblical passages “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “love your neighbor as yourself” express the heart and soul of God’s laws and should guide all our actions and interaction with others. As Christians, our actions should be motivated by unselfish, sacrificial love—the love of God for our fellow man.

From an article in Treasures, published by the Family International in 1987. Adapted and republished November 2024. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.

Chapter 09 – The Stand of Faith (part 1)

The Promises of God are Streams that Never Run Dry

Virginia Brandt Berg

1970-01-02

I well remember a time in my own life when I had prayed, ceaselessly it seemed, and in fact had done almost everything else that I knew to do, and yet the heavens seemed blank, the Lord seemed deaf; there was no answer to my prayer. I had come to the end of myself and could do nothing more. But why did not God answer? I took my Bible and turning the pages I prayed earnestly, when my eyes fell on these very words, “Having done all, stand” (Ephesians 6:13). Immediately I saw the truth. I had been asking and asking of the Lord but there had been no receiving on my part, and I said to myself, “Why, here I have been virtually blaming the Lord for not answering my prayer when I have not been doing my part at all, though I felt I had done everything I could think of. I will do what this verse of scripture says, that is, “Having done all, to stand.” Immediately upon this determination the following words formed themselves in my mind. Though I had never thought of them before, they seemed to come from out my very heart, sentence after sentence until each verse took shape:

I take the stand, I count it done,
God answers through His precious Son.
It is His Word, it cannot fail,
Though all the powers of Hell assail.
So come what may, the promise mine.
I’ll hold it to the end of time.

I take the stand, I count it done,
God answers through His precious Son.
He’s never failed, oh, praise His Name;
For Jesus Christ is just the same.
So live or die, or sink or swim,
Through every test I’ll trust in Him.

I believed that the Lord had heard me, that His Word could not fail and that what I was asking was absolutely within His will. So I began to praise and thank Him that the answer was on the way. “And having done all” I stood my ground with real expectancy of seeing soon the complete realization. Within six hours the prayer was definitely answered, but I could not praise Him any more than I had when I took the “stand of faith” upon His Word, for so deep had been my assurance and so keen my expectation that it was already mine by faith—”the evidence of things not seen.” I know how deep-seated the natural desire to have some visible evidence that our petition is granted, but to have any other evidence than God’s Word is not faith. God says so, and that’s enough. The man or woman who walks by faith needs no other evidence than that. We shall see because we have believed, not believe because we have seen. David says in Psalm 27:13, “I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” You will note that he had not yet seen the answer, but “he believed to see.”

It is during this period when we are “believing to see,” (after we have taken the stand of faith, yet we have not seen the full realization) that there comes the test period. You remember that Daniel went through this trying time and how the Lord spoke these words unto him: “From the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard”; yet God’s Word teaches that there was a delay of three weeks before Daniel really received the answer, though the scripture says he was heard from the very first day. What sweet comfort there is in this story for we can say to our own hearts right now, “From the first day that you prayed He heard you.”

The answer’s coming,
Never fear,
The answer’s coming,
It’s almost here.
Keep on believing
Just trust and obey,
The answer’s coming,
It’s on the way.

—Phil Kerr

I would like to add one more verse of scripture at this point. This is one of the sweetest faith verses in God’s Word; “They that believe have entered into rest.”

It would really be amusing at times if it were not so serious how very difficult it is for people to grasp this simple principle of faith that can secure them so many blessings and definite answers to prayer. Difficult perhaps, because so simple.

Countless times I have prayed with people claiming some precious promise from His Word and feeling that everything was right, and within His will, and that we might really praise Him for the answer; but upon arising from my knees, I would find to my amazement that the one I had been praying with was not believing at all, but simply hoping that the Lord had somehow heard. Then over and over again I’ve said, “Why your part is to believe that you receive; only believe, Sister, only believe.” And they would repeat the words after me, but I knew from the expression of their face that they were not believing for that moment, but hoping in an indefinite sort of way for some future evidence that God had heard that prayer. And sometimes months and even years afterwards they have come excited as a child, faces all aglow, jubilant in spirit, as if they had just made a brand new discovery, of which no one had ever told them a thing. “Why, Sister, the Lord has just revealed to me the most wonderful thing—I am just to believe that I have received, just as Mark 11:24 says, ‘when you pray, believe that you receive and you shall have.’ Oh, it’s so wonderful to find that all I have to do is just believe.” Somewhat wearily one has to answer, “That is just what I have been trying to tell you for two years”; and I have had them look back at me rather surprised and say: “Oh, is that what you were trying to explain to me?”

So after all God’s spirit must enlighten the heart to understand this great principle of faith. Ask him and He will “Do exceedingly abundantly, above all you ask or think.”

The stand of faith is described in Ephesians 6:13, which says, “take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand,” and then it describes very fully, just what we shall do when we want something from the Lord, in other words, “how to get things from God.”

Let us take up this armour piece by piece and put it on ready to go out and face the enemy, who of course will fight us every inch of the way in his effort to keep us from getting things from God. He is an enemy so strong that no natural strength can combat his onslaughts. Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

But with this armour that the Lord gives us, we are perfectly equipped to stand against fiercest attacks.

First we will note He says: “Take unto you the whole armour of God” (Ephesians 6:13). We do not have to make this armour; God has done that. We have only to take it. The scripture says for us to take it for our use “in the evil day”; that is, the day of Satan’s special assaults, which may come at any moment, the war being perpetual. Then “having done all, stand.” Standing means to maintain our ground, not yielding nor fleeing. (We have already explained this in detail.)

“Having your loins girt about with truth.” that is with sincerity. Truth is the band that girds up and keeps together the flowing robes, so that the Christian soldier may not be encumbered for action. Sincerity is absolutely necessary in the stand of faith, for we are dealing personally with the Lord Himself and any shams or subterfuges will be checked by the Spirit of God immediately.

“And having on the breastplate of righteousness.” It is of course understood in getting things from God, that the heart must be right; any unconfessed sin in the life will hinder faith. Anything unyielded to God will come up before you and accuse you mightily in some time of testing. Do not let this discourage you, because God does not ask for perfection. He only asks that we put our will over on His side, that with all our hearts we are trying the very best we know how. Here is where so many stumble and say, “Oh, I am not good enough. Others may be worthy, but I am not.” And yet in their hearts, there is the deep desire to do right and the great longing to please the Lord. This is all that He asks; a perfect yieldedness, an entire surrender, that everything should be on the altar, and He will do the rest.

“And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” This refers to the military shoes used by soldiers of that day and is significant of preparedness, readiness for the march. The Christian soldier should be ready at any minute to do and suffer all that God wills.

“Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” Now God’s Word says, “Faith is evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1. Faith is that attitude of heart that calls the things that are not as though they are, as in Romans 4:17 the Word says, “God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.” If we are asking God to let us see before we believe, this is not faith, but unbelief.

You say this is a strange teaching, but we know there’s not a business in the world that’s not based on this very principle of faith. But the natural man’s attitude towards God is such that while he will take man’s word, he refuses to believe God’s in the same way. “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual”, “the natural man is at enmity towards God.”

Why is it that we thank a man who makes us a promise, just as soon as he makes it, before there is the slightest evidence that he will keep it? But we are not willing to thank God on His promise long before we see it. This has been called the reckonings of faith. This is dead reckoning on the Word of God. One great Bible teacher wonderfully describes this in the illustration of the mariner, who gets his bearings when the sun is shining and all is well; then, when the storm in the night comes and he can no longer sail by sight, nor does he have the opportunity of getting his bearings again, he sails by what is called dead reckoning; utterly dependent upon the “reckonings” he secured when the sun shone.

Just so the one who is getting something from God takes a promise from His Word, stands upon it, and from that moment fully reckons upon it, no matter what happens after he claims the promise and though he may not be able to see a foot ahead of him, yet he sails by dead reckoning. He says, “Back there I claimed that promise from the Lord and I am still standing upon it, no matter if I sail in perfect darkness.” Then according to Romans 4:20 we will be “fully persuaded that what He has promised, He is able to perform.” Then we do not look around at the waves, the fog, or the storm—the circumstances—we keep our eyes simply on that promise of scripture, as someone has rightfully said, “For every look at your trouble, take a hundred looks at the promise of God.” This will look foolish sometimes to you and to others, but you can afford to look foolish to uphold God’s Word, for you only honor God when you believe His Word against all feelings, circumstances, and conditions.

Faith is not some great thing, not some glorious feeling, some wonderful sensation, as many think, but simply taking God at his word. Faith says amen to everything God says. Faith is utter dependence upon the veracity of another. You tell a man you have no faith in him and you cannot do business with him. Just so God’s Word says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Hard times were caused by the loss of confidence on the part of men, and so there are “hard times” in the life of faith, when a man or woman loses the least confidence in the Word of God. In Hebrews 11:1 the Scripture says, “Faith is the evidence of things not seen.” Just as your physical hand reaches out and takes hold of something, so faith is the spiritual hand that reaches out and takes hold of promises of God and appropriates them.

Now God has given us five senses: feeling, seeing, hearing, tasting, and smelling. When we taste something that is sweet we have the evidence that it is so, because our taste has given us this evidence. No matter what any one else says we know it’s sweet, because we have evidence. This same application can be worked out with the other senses.

Now in spiritual life God gives us faith to witness to us of spiritual things, just as our five senses bring us the evidence of temporal things. We accept what our five senses tell us. Why do we not accept faith as the evidence, for it will bring to pass, and absolutely make real to us, all that we take by faith. Matthew 8:13: “As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.” Just as our taste is the evidence that the thing we partook was sweet, so our faith is the evidence that we have the thing we have asked. Faith is not an uncertain sort of thing, but is a principle which operates in the spiritual world as surely as the unseen principle of force does in the material world.

In the social world, that is the human sphere, faith is a principle that binds families together and cements friendships. It is the very foundation stone of commercial confidence and business transactions between men. Why is it thought strange then that this same principle should be applied in the spiritual kingdom? For just as an unseen force of attraction holds the material world together, and an unseen principle holds the social and financial world together, just so an unseen law of faith is the underlying force which holds the spiritual world together. It is the mightiest force in the spiritual world, the active creative force, which produces effects and brings things to pass. Just because faith in God’s promises is not in the natural realm, it is none the less a real active force in the universe.

Faith is practical. The law of faith is just as real as any other of God’s laws. And so God says, “The just shall walk by faith”; “without faith it is impossible to please God”; “this is the victory that overcomes the world, even your faith.” And then He gives a very simple clear definition of faith, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” But let us now continue putting the rest of our armour on. (to be continued)

Chapter 09 – The Stand of Faith (part 2)

The Promises of God are Streams that Never Run Dry

Virginia Brandt Berg

1970-01-02

“And take the helmet of salvation.” The head of the soldier was among the principal parts to be defended, as on it the deadliest strokes might fall, and it is the head that commands the whole body. The head is the seat of the mind, which when it has laid hold of the sure gospel hope of eternal life, will not receive false doctrine, nor give way to Satan’s temptations to despair. The helmet is subjoined to the shield of faith, as being its inseparable accompaniment.

“And the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God.” It is absolutely necessary when we are asking God for something, that we have the authority of His Word upon which to stand. We must get hold of His promises, not only commit them to memory, but get them deep down into our hearts, ingrained into our beings. We must find the authority in God’s Word, and then faith will come of itself. God’s Words says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing, by the Word of God.” you can never have faith for anything if you are not sure God has given you authority to ask for it. If you really believe the scripture means, “Whatsoever things you desire,” then you will have faith for “whatsoever things.”

It would be impossible to stress too much the committing to memory of some of the outstanding promises. Here are a few that have been standbys of many faith warriors for years: Mark 11:24, “Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them”; Mark 9:23, “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth”; 1 John 5:14, “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us”; 1 John.5:15, “and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desire of Him”; Jeremiah 33:3, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knoweth not.”

You may not be able to commit a great many promises, but even one or two will so strengthen your faith in time of need that you will wonder how you ever got along without knowing them before.

Works in Progress

November 5, 2024

A compilation

Audio length: 12:23

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Becoming like Christ is a long, slow process of growth. Spiritual maturity is neither instant nor automatic; it is a gradual, progressive development that will take the rest of your life. Referring to this process, Paul said, “This will continue until we are … mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him” (Ephesians 4:13).

You are a work in progress. Your spiritual transformation in developing the character of Jesus will take the rest of your life, and even then it won’t be completed here on Earth. It will only be finished when you get to Heaven or when Jesus returns.

At that point, whatever unfinished work on your character is left will be wrapped up. The Bible says that when we are finally able to see Jesus perfectly, we will become perfectly like him: “We can’t even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is” (1 John 3:2).

Much confusion in the Christian life comes from ignoring the simple truth that God is far more interested in building your character than he is anything else. We worry when God seems silent on specific issues such as “What career should I choose?” The truth is, there are many different careers that could be in God’s will for your life. What God cares about most is that whatever you do, you do it in a Christlike manner (1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 Corinthians 16:14; Colossians 3:17, 23).

God is far more interested in who you are than what you do. We are human beings, not human doings. God is much more concerned about your character than your career, because you will take your character into eternity but not your career.

The Bible warns, “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. … Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you” (Romans 12:2).

You must make a counterculture decision to focus on becoming more like Jesus. Otherwise, other forces like peers, parents, coworkers, and culture will try to mold you into their image. Sadly, a quick review of many popular Christian books reveals that many believers have abandoned living for God’s great purposes and have instead settled for personal fulfillment and emotional stability. That is narcissism, not discipleship.

Jesus did not die on the cross just so we could live comfortable, well-adjusted lives. His purpose is far deeper: He wants to make us like himself before he takes us to Heaven. This is our greatest privilege, our immediate responsibility, and our ultimate destiny.—Rick Warren¹

Recovering sinners

Dallas Willard used to say that we should begin church services like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings: “Hi, my name is Cameron McAllister, and I’m a recovering sinner.” Let’s revisit the apostle Paul, this time in his letter to the Philippians. Consider these words:

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you” (Philippians 3:12–15). …

When we think of transformation in the lives of Christians, we need to think in present-tense terms. Every Christian, like Paul, is a work in progress—a person “being saved” (1 Corinthians 1:18). Moreover, different Christians are at different stages of the journey, displaying varying levels of spiritual maturity. To be sure, this state of affairs can be surreal. Some old people are spiritual infants; some young people are spiritual grown-ups; some giants are spiritual shrimps, and some shrimps are spiritual giants. This is part of what Christ is getting at when He says that the first shall be last and the last shall be first…

According to Scripture, the problems dogging humanity are more severe than poverty and ignorance, as serious as those are. Sadly, a sterling education doesn’t guarantee moral behavior any more than a big bank account does. Even with the best of resources and in the best of circumstances, we still do ourselves and others harm. To use scriptural language, we are fallen. We are sinners.

Jesus came to earth on a rescue mission. In all of human history, His is the one perfect life, the shining example, and the beacon of hope for us all. He alone can address what we are and point us to what He would have us become. True Christians are the ones who have made Jesus their Master and who stagger forward on the road to becoming like Him, picking up many scrapes and bruises on the way. They aren’t perfect, but their Master is, and He’s the reason they keep pressing stubbornly forward, even if they have to limp.—Cameron McAllister²

God’s unfinished business

In a way, we are all unfinished business, as far as God’s concerned. He’s started a lot of “projects” that are well begun, even perfect in their own right, but not complete. The Master never stops work on His creation—the molding, the shaping, the chiseling, the polishing are all meant to help us make progress and bring us closer to Him.

We can lean into God’s work in our lives by intentionally seeking to grow in our relationship with our heavenly Father. We can do this by involving God in our decision-making and applying the spiritual principles in His Word to our decisions (James 1:5). We can seek to learn through the things we experience in life and remind ourselves in the hard times that we grow spiritually when our faith is tested and we see that God is the ultimate solution to life’s problems. “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (James 1:2–3).

We can recognize and work on weak areas. We all have room for improvement. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It’s not too hard to accept in a general way that we are imperfect. It gets harder when we get specific about our mistakes or weaknesses. It’s humbling to acknowledge where we fall short, even if only to ourselves and God. But doing so helps us to make spiritual progress. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:10).

We can focus on giving of ourselves to others. As we forget ourselves and focus on meeting the needs of others and bringing them the gospel, we become conduits of God’s love to those people. And as we pour out, God’s Spirit works in and through us. “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6).—Alex Peterson

Prayer for progress

When we first received the good news of the gospel, we became God’s handiwork, newly created in Christ for good works (Ephesians 2:10). Emphasizing the newness that has already come to us, Paul can write in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!” Yet, earlier in the same letter, Paul writes, “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed [present tense] day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

So what is it? Are we already renewed? Or are we in the process of being renewed? The biblical answer is “Both.” This answer is based on the eschatological dimension of our lives in Christ, the “already and not yet” reality in which we live. When we became Christians, we were already made new by God’s power through the Word and Spirit. Yet that newness isn’t complete yet.

Our lives in Christ are a long process of ongoing renewal through the Word and Spirit as we live in communion with the Triune God and God’s people. In Ephesians 4:23 [“to be renewed in the spirit of your mind”], the present tense of “to be made new” reminds us of this fact. As you look at your life today, you should be able to see ways in which God has already renewed you. And I expect you can also identify ways still in need of renovation because you are God’s work in progress. …

Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for all the ways you have begun to make me new inside. I’m sure I can’t even count half of them. Yet, how grateful I am for what I can see. Thank you! Still, Lord, I know that I am a work in progress. Yes, you will bring this work to completion one day. But, for now, I am still being formed and reformed by you. Thank you. And may this continue to happen as I open my whole life to you. Amen.—Mark Roberts³

Published on Anchor November 2024. Read by Jerry Paladino. Music by John Listen.

¹ https://www.danielplan.com/you-are-a-work-in-progress

² https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/why-go-to-church-its-just-full-of-hypocrites

³ https://depree.org/you-are-a-work-in-progress

In the Garden of Affliction

November 4, 2024

Words from Jesus

Audio length: 10:46

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But we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.—Romans 5:3–5

My children often tend to see the time they spend in the garden of affliction as a time of languishing and sorrow, a place where they fear to tread. The ground seems harsh and rocky, the outlook grim. But I know the breadth, depth, and height of this garden, and I am with you in this place. I know its every corner and I understand your every suffering and difficulty.

This time in the garden may appear to be shrouded in darkness, but wonderful grace can grow from affliction—greater compassion for others, and tenderness, sympathy, and longsuffering. The times of affliction and the things you suffer on Earth work to prepare your spirit and character, both for the present life and for the next life.

Trust Me and pray fervently that My purposes will be established in your heart and spirit through every time of trouble. Through all that you experience in this life, because you love Me and trust Me, you grow spiritually, and you gain eternal benefits and rewards. Nothing is wasted; nothing is in vain. Every experience can benefit your spiritual growth and can serve to draw you closer to Me if you will allow it.

I know that when you are going through trying times, it can be difficult to endure. But if you let Me comfort you, you will find rest in the assurance that things won’t always be like that. The cross to bear is heavy for those who are afflicted, but with it come blessings and My grace.

Why afflictions

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.—James 1:2–4

There are many reasons why you experience afflictions and times of testing in this life. There are many lessons and blessings you can receive through them. Seek Me when you face a time of affliction to understand what you can learn through it, what you can do to rise above it, and how you can grow through it.

Sometimes the cause of your affliction might be physical—something in your diet or health that you need to pay attention to or change. Sometimes you might need a time of rest—either physically, spiritually, or both. As your body ages, you often face new afflictions or physical weakness, and you have to make adjustments for that stage of life.

Sometimes there’s something out of alignment in your life that needs to be corrected or adjusted, and this time of affliction draws you close to Me, as you remain under the shelter of My wings and in communion with Me. Sometimes I allow a minor affliction in your life so that you will be moved to pray for those who are desperate for your prayers for their much larger afflictions.

Sometimes affliction serves to humble you and draw you closer to Me. It can help you to gain more compassion, understanding, or brokenness for others. Sometimes times of affliction give you a break from your normal routine—a chance to step back and see things from a different perspective.

No matter what you are facing, bring your every care and anxiety to Me, and I will give you comfort and faith (1 Peter 5:7). My promises in My Word will remind and encourage you that by faith you can rise above and rest in Me, and receive spiritual treasures from every experience. There is always good that I want to bring out of everything you go through in life, which you can keep and treasure.

In every situation, as you come to Me and seek Me, whether you are healed quickly or the affliction lingers, I will give you My grace and strength for times of trouble. My hope, peace, and promise of blessing will be with you through your time of affliction. I will give you My comfort and the joy of My presence, as you take time for prayer for others, or for praise and thankfulness for the many blessings I give you.

When you face long-term battles with affliction, continue to come to Me and hold on to My Word and promises. Tell Me your fears, and let Me wipe away every trace of fear or anxiety. I know it’s difficult to go through these times of afflictions, and I feel your pain and weep with you.

In your weakness and brokenness, you are truly a testimony of faith and perseverance. Others who see how weak, afflicted, and even discouraged you are at times, also see how you continue to trust in Me, praise Me, and how when it seems you can’t walk one more step, I give you the strength to continue to put all your hope in Me.

Strength in weakness

And then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness.—2 Corinthians 12:9

Through all that you suffer, you can learn to manifest understanding and compassion for others who suffer. When you’re battling an affliction and turn to Me for help in prayer, you can also say a prayer for others. Pray for those with critical life-and-death conditions, and for the health and well-being of others. And as you pray for these and thank Me for other afflictions that I have healed you from, you’ll see that the burden of your affliction will be easier to bear.

Don’t give in to despair or fear with every new affliction you face, but thank Me for the good health you do have. Seek Me in prayer and remember that I will never let you suffer more than you are able to bear, and will always bring My promised deliverance (1 Corinthians 10:13). I see your silent tears, and I feel the intensity of your pain. I see the times that you praise Me even in the midst of affliction, as you smile, you walk in faith, trusting in Me and My will in your life. For this you will be blessed.

Come to Me and spend time with Me to be renewed and strengthened, for when you are weak, I am strong, and I can renew your strength so that in spirit you will mount up with wings of the eagle and run and not be weary, and walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31). My grace is sufficient for you, and My presence will always be with you. So take comfort in My Word and promises, for I will never fail to help you and comfort you. Take these quiet moments in My arms and be refreshed.

This time of affliction and suffering is not worthy of comparing with the glory that will be revealed in you (Romans 8:18). So come to Me in your time of sickness and seek Me fervently, and allow Me to manifest My power through your weakness. Lean fully on Me, keeping your eyes fixed on Me and the eternal joy that awaits you (Hebrews 12:2). One day you will see that this time that has been so difficult to bear and to understand will reap eternal rewards and blessings.

Originally published March 2001. Adapted and republished November 2024. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso. Music by Michael Dooley.

The Good News in a Culture of Consumerism

A compilation

2021-10-26

In a very perceptive book called Life: The Movie, author Neal Gabler argues that entertainment has conquered reality. All of life has become a stage, and the way to success is through the pathway of becoming a celebrity. Gabler suggests that we spend our lives buying and shopping according to images and ideals that we hold as we seek to shape ourselves for our own performance.

The constant use of significant celebrities to model lines of clothing, sporting goods, and cosmetics tell us subtly that if we own these items, we too can be like our heroes. We are strategically convinced that we don’t simply have to watch the rich and famous; we can become them. The democratization of credit and the availability of easily-accessed goods guarantee our ability to play the part or parts we choose.

The practical aids are many. Credit and finance options bluntly inquire, “Why wait?” In earlier times people had to consider whether they could afford such things, and they might have had to delay while they saved. The time between viewing and having was often considerable, but not anymore. The messages are clear that we can have it if we want it, and we can have it now. It comes, of course, with a huge price tag in terms of increasing debt and anxiety. …

Is the bottom line to make money at all costs? Is happiness really being able to get what you want when you want it? Maybe it is time to recognize that life is far more than these trivial yet powerful views. Maybe it is time to call foul, to insist that real life is something far more nuanced, focused, and holistic than what the prophets of materialism have to offer.

The Christian view and alternative is that we are the products of a personal, loving Creator, and that our lives, opportunities, and resources are gifts to us. We interact with nature and the material world, we see God within it, but we also have other dimensions to our nature. The psalmist explains it in a way that much of the world rejects: The earth is filled with the glory of God. Because we have been made by God and for God, our ultimate glory—our claim to fame—is found in God.

The pretensions of the world are many, the seductions vast, and the attractions powerful. Yet in a world of invasive desires, intrusive demands, and restless indulgence, another voice can be heard: “Come unto me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” The answer is not in a product but in a living Person.—Stuart McAllister

Relaying the message in contemporary culture

As Christians we face the task of delivering the good news, the Gospel, God’s message of love and salvation, to the world of today. In order to do so in a relatable fashion, it’s important to understand the fundamental changes that have occurred in society, affecting many people’s worldview, values, and perception of Christianity. Recognizing that these changes run deep and bring with them fears and insecurities, as well as skepticism, can help us to better convey the message in a manner that relates to those we are commissioned to reach.

We know that the Gospel is a message for today’s world, but finding the manner to reach those who have not yet been attracted to the message, or who have been put off by it for one reason or another, is an ever-increasing challenge. The modern world has changed incredibly and rapidly within the past thirty years, and it continues to do so. Secularism has heavily permeated spheres of thought and influence with values that promote self-interest and materialism, as well as other values that are incompatible with and ultimately undermine Christian and traditional values.

Meanwhile, certain principles or concepts that have been accepted as bedrock in the West for the past half century are no longer as solid as was supposed. Many people feel insecure about their future. They have much less trust in governmental, religious, and educational institutions, or in the veracity of what they read and hear in the news and media. Even saving money has increased risk, as many financial institutions have failed, and even countries are teetering on the brink of economic collapse.

Today’s cultural, societal, intellectual, secular, and moral environment, fused with widespread questioning, skepticism, and rejection of what have been accepted standards and values for years, has brought about a fundamental shift in many people’s values, ethics, worldview, relationship to authority, and their interactions with other people. For many it’s much more difficult to know what one can place trust in. While for some, conditions of the world and society may draw them to the message of the Gospel, for others the environment of today’s world makes it much more difficult for them to relate to it, much less believe it or receive it.

This presents those of us who are committed to sharing the Gospel with numerous challenges, not least of which is that we are called to bring a message about a man who lived and died and was resurrected 2,000 years ago—with the claim that this is the most important message they will ever encounter. It is therefore vital for the mission-minded Christian to find new and creative ways to express and deliver the timeless message of the love of God in a manner that speaks to the people of today’s world. No doubt Christians of the past have had challenges in their time periods as well, but today’s world is our challenge.

We are faced with the challenge of how we present Jesus in a manner that resonates with those we interact with, especially when, in the West at least, many non-Christians hold values which cause Christianity to be seen as irrelevant to their lives and worldview. In many countries, it can sometimes be difficult to bring up the topic of God, let alone Jesus, because widespread secularism and materialism have replaced belief in God and made Him irrelevant to their belief system.

Many people today are wary of the messages they hear, and why wouldn’t they be? Every day on the Internet, on television, in the news, in advertisements, they are bombarded with messages that they need this, that, and the other, that this is the right way to think, the right position to take. To them the message of the Gospel might seem like another advertisement telling them what they need, how to live, what will make them happy. People are often not inclined to trust such messages, because their experience is that many messages contain little or no validity. People are searching for answers, but many are cautious regarding where they place their trust.

To be effective in making the Gospel known to people, it is necessary to relate to them. To reach the people in your city or your country, or those you work with in your job, or your neighbors and acquaintances, you need to understand them, their culture, what they value.

Each person in every country or culture deserves and needs to hear the Gospel. As Christians, we are commissioned to bring it to those in the country, culture, and community in which we live, in a manner which they can most easily relate to and understand and accept.—Peter Amsterdam

Countering the gospel of consumerism

The gospel of consumerism has three core tenets: (1) we are created to be individual consumers; (2) we are meant to be passive; (3) our sole duty is to consume more.

The first tenet relates to our identity: who we are and how we see ourselves. The second tenet relates to our agency: how empowered we are to effect change and engage the world around us. The third tenet relates to our purpose: what is our reason for being and our way of life? The gospel of consumerism infiltrates every part of our personhood and runs counter to … the God revealed in Scripture.

God is not a consumer. God is a creator. Being created in the image of God means we are made to create too. Ephesians 2:10 says that we are “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”—Reesheda Graham-Washington and Shawn Casselberry¹

Shaped for a greater purpose

Jesus spoke often about the challenge of materialism. Sure, there weren’t all the advertisements, brands, cosmetics and fashion magazines, but he did explain in Luke 12 how things have a way of taking hold of our hearts and becoming our master. He did talk about how we can so easily give our heart to the wrong grid, define ourselves by our “treasure,” and end up serving money.

Paul writes in Romans 12 that we get “conformed to the patterns of this world” without even thinking. Paul wasn’t writing about consumerism as such, but he was talking about how the dominant values of the empire have a way of moulding who we are. Consumerism, as an advanced cultural expression of materialism, is just a modern institutionalised expression of the same selfishness that has always been the problem. As Christians, we are called to live with a different hope and desire and remember that we are shaped for a greater purpose. …

The biblical story of Daniel highlights how we can live, and even thrive, in Babylon—an empire that symbolises false worship. Daniel purposed in his heart that he belonged to a more significant empire. He prayed with and sought support from friends with similar values. He recalibrated around God’s purpose for him often (at least formally three times a day) and remembered that everything, including his intellect and ability to interpret dreams, was from God and that only God was worthy of ultimate glory. …

As Christians we are called to give our life to a different story. Rather than conformed, we are to be transformed.² We will consume, but with different glasses on. We will find our hope, desire, and identity in Jesus and ironically find our life by giving it away—shifting from our agenda to serving God’s. We will value people, take time to grow, serve, share, and worship in ways that resist commodification. We will live to God’s glory in a world that focuses on self. This is the starting point of a significant life that matters for now and eternity.—Brendan Pratt³

Published on Anchor October 2021. Read by Simon Peterson.

¹ https://outreachmagazine.com/resources/books/compassion-and-justice-books/30710-countering-gospel-consumerism.html.

² Romans 12:1–3.

³ https://spectrummagazine.org/article/2018/01/12/i-see-i-want-i-take-%25E2%2580%2593-materialism-consumerism-god-and-discipleship.

Virtues for Christ-Followers: Faithfulness

By Peter Amsterdam

October 15, 2024

The seventh virtue in our list is faithfulness. Much is written throughout both the Old and New Testaments about faithfulness. In biblical terms, faithfulness expresses the concept of being reliable, steadfast, and unwavering.

Throughout Scripture, God is spoken of as being faithful. When God revealed Himself to Moses on Mount Sinai, He declared: “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.^”¹ He is described as “a God of faithfulness^,”² and in the Psalms, we read that “the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.^”³

God is faithful, unwavering in His promises and His love for us. Even if we weaken or lose faith, “He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.^”⁴

In the context of cultivating the virtue of faithfulness in our lives, faithfulness means being true to our commitment to live in accordance with God’s Word, to put Him first, and not give anything else priority over our commitment to Him. This concept is expressed in the first of the Ten Commandments, “You shall have no other gods before me.”⁵ The commitment for us, as Christians, is to be faithful to God by giving Him our primary allegiance, our love and dedication.

Faithfulness also means being trustworthy. When you give your word, you keep it. You fulfill your obligations. Someone who is faithful, who keeps their word, who acts honorably, will do so no matter what the situation.

As Christians, we are called to be faithful, honorable, trustworthy, and reliable in our speech and our interactions with others. In so doing, we reflect the Lord to others. “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.^”⁶

The following articles provide helpful encouragement on how we can grow in faithfulness and manifest this fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The One-Day-at-a-Time Fruit

Faithful people are dependable and true. They’re faithful to God, faithful to the work He has called them to, whatever that may be, and faithful to keep their word and fulfill their obligations to others. All of these things are part of their Christian duty.

Faithful people are that way because they are full of faith. Their faith is what gives them the strength to be responsible. They’re full of God’s Word, which is the source of faith,⁷ so it comes naturally for them to do what it says. Theirs is a living faith, and it shows.⁸ Faithful people keep going through thick and thin because they know Him in whom they believe and are persuaded that He will work everything out for their good in the end.⁹

How can you remain faithful? Stay close to Jesus. If you strengthen your faith through reading God’s Word and do your best to be faithful today, you’ll stay faithful, and that will be a testimony to others.—Rafael Holding ¹⁰

What does faithfulness look like?

When a person walks consistently with God, in humble service to Him, he or she can be called “faithful.” When Nehemiah had to leave Jerusalem to return to Persia, he put Hanani and Hananiah in charge. The reason for his choice of these men was that they were “more faithful and God-fearing … than many” (Nehemiah 7:2 ESV). Nehemiah needed men of character whom he could trust. Men who would not take bribes, who were committed to the welfare of the people, and who would uphold the integrity of the office.

Notice, also, that faithfulness is associated with fearing God. The better we truly know God, the more we will want to imitate Him (Ephesians 5:1). Other examples of faithfulness include Silas (1 Peter 5:8), Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21), Epaphras (Colossians 1:7), Onesimus (Colossians 4:9), and Moses (Hebrews 3:2). Some of the names included in this “faithful list” are unfamiliar to most people. Not much is known of Tychicus or Epaphras, for example. But faithfulness, even in small matters, is known to God and rewarded in the end (Luke 19:17).—Got Questions ¹¹

Never Give Up

The difference between faithful people and unfaithful people is that unfaithful people give up at the first sign of difficulty. Faithful people keep on keeping on.

Faithful people are determined. Faithful people are diligent. Faithful people are persistent. Faithful people don’t know how to quit. You know how a little acorn becomes an oak tree? An oak tree is just an acorn that refused to give up…

You are never a failure until you quit, and it’s always too soon to quit. God uses tough times to test your persistence.

When we started Saddleback Church, I thought we’d quickly get into a building. But we went 15 years without one. In the first 13 years of the church, we used 79 different facilities. You know how many times I felt like giving up? Just every Monday morning!…

If you’re going through tough times right now, then this verse is for you: “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (2 Corinthians 4:16–17 NLT).

God is more interested in what you’re becoming than what’s happening to you. He often allows trials, troubles, tribulations, and problems in your life to teach you diligence, determination, and character. What about the problems you’re going through right now? They’re a test of your faithfulness. Will you continue to serve God even when life stinks?

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9 NIV).—Rick Warren ¹²

Choices for Eternity

Here are some ways you can make choices now that will positively impact your eternal destiny:

Be consistent as you serve God, striving to be faithful in little things as well as big things. You don’t have to worry about trying to impress God with huge accomplishments that impress other people. For example, God will smile on you if you diligently change your baby’s diapers day after day. If God has called you to that mundane task and you’re faithful to it, God will be as pleased with you as if you had written a Pulitzer Prize-winning book. Even when no one else notices your service, God does, and He applauds you for it. Doing whatever God wants you to at a particular moment is what’s most important.
Arrange your priorities around loving God and loving the people He has made. If you strive to do that in every situation, every aspect of your life will fall into place in ways that please God.
Realize that you don’t have to wait until you have better circumstances in your life to be faithful to God. If you’re faithful with what you have right now, God will know He can trust you enough to give you more…
Strive to handle every situation with integrity, and fulfill the commitments you have made.
Persevere in your service by spending regular time in prayer with God each day and asking for fresh grace to strengthen you and keep you growing. Don’t ever quit; remember that God has a prize waiting for you in heaven.—Kent Crockett ¹³

“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”—1 Corinthians 4:2

Picture yourself standing before God on the day that he rewards believers. You are longing to hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” but as you glance to your left you notice Hudson Taylor, the famous missionary to China. To your right stands Corrie ten Boom, the saint who put her life on the line to hide Jews from the Nazis. Somehow, you feel a little small and insignificant.

There’s no need to. God is only looking for you to be faithful in what he’s called you to be and do. No matter if your calling is lofty or lowly, it is faithfulness for which he will commend you on that day when all believers stand before him. That means that your faithfulness may be rewarded by God with as great a glory as that reserved for the Billy Grahams of this world!…

So remember: God requires you to be faithful. That’s enough. That’s everything.—Joni Eareckson Tada ¹⁴

The following anecdotes express touching stories, especially for those of us who are now in our senior years. It is encouraging to see how God continues to use His faithful followers throughout their lives to bring people to Him and to share the good news through words and actions with their neighbors and communities.

Biblical Greatness

I had the great privilege of seeing my grandfather cross the finish line. One moment he was sucking stale air through an oxygen mask; the next moment he was inhaling the glories of heaven.

By worldly standards, my grandpa wasn’t great. He didn’t have a single Facebook friend or Twitter follower. He never wrote a book, never spoke at a conference, never created a viral video. He didn’t have a popular blog.

Despite his lack of public fame, my grandpa was truly great in God’s eyes. That’s the funny thing about true, biblical greatness. Biblical greatness almost never goes viral, because biblical greatness almost always involves doing things no one ever sees.

No one saw my grandpa help his blind neighbor, Homer, pay his bills.

No one saw my grandpa give weekly Bible lessons at Saint Andrews Retirement Home.

No one saw my grandpa take Tom and Tony (older men on welfare) out to get groceries every week.

Every month my grandpa hand-painted approximately thirty birthday cards, which he sent to friends and members of the church. Over the course of his life he painted somewhere around 6,000 cards.

In our celebrity-infatuated culture, my grandpa was the quintessential anti-celebrity. He shopped at Wal-Mart. He once pulled out a rotten tooth with a pair of pliers. He kept score at local church softball games. He was a WWII vet who was most certainly not impressed with himself.

But my grandpa was most certainly great in God’s eyes. Shortly before he took his last breath, I read Matthew 25:20–21 to him: “And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’”

I wish I could have heard the cheers when Jesus said those words to my grandpa.—Stephen Altrogge ¹⁵

Dr. Charles McCoy was a pastor with seven degrees. His church expected him to retire at 72 and move into a retirement home.

But Dr. McCoy was an explorer at heart. He retired to India. His friends said, “You might die in India.” He replied, “It’s just as close to heaven from there as it is from here.”

He shared Christ before political leaders, educational institutions, large crowds. He planted churches in Calcutta and Hong Kong. At age 86, he died. A friend said, “He had come to the end of his great adventure. … He had been faithful.”

God intends for us to be rivers, fresh and flowing, ever growing, never stagnant. He wants us to press on, to keep the wonder, and to think of our life in Christ as a Great Adventure.—David Jeremiah ¹⁶

One of the great things about being around Christian mission work is associating with people who are more faithful, more committed and more passionate about serving God than you are. They are a “cloud of witnesses,” as Hebrews 12:1 describes the saints of old, who motivate the rest of us to pursue a higher calling.

Anna, a 98-year-old lady in my church, participates in multiple ministries during a typical week. Recently she spoke at a women’s detention facility and 14 inmates gave their lives to Christ. Anna has a great sense of humor, too. No one can top that! But we can listen to her wisdom, learn from her life and follow her example with God’s help.

To paraphrase Forrest Gump, faithful is as faithful does.—Erich Bridges ¹⁷

I have never met Mary Ruth, but I’ve received inspiring letters from her. She has known Christ as her Savior for 63 years, and she is investing her life in doing business for Him until He returns. Here is an excerpt from one of her letters:

“Each night before I go to sleep, I say, ‘Good night, Lord Jesus. I love You. I’ll see You in the morning, either here or there (heaven).’ When I awake and see that I am still here, I say, ‘Good morning, Lord. I love You. I see we have another day together.’ Immediately I report for duty and ask Him to let me know, moment by moment, His plans for the day so we can ‘get with it’ together. I aim to help everyone I can to get ready to meet Him.”

Mary Ruth then wrote about recent opportunities she and her brother had to witness to people from other countries, and she said that several had received Christ. “God reached Chinese, Vietnamese, Buddhists, and a Jew—all in 3 days, and I didn’t need a passport, visa, or plane ticket. God brought them to us, and all I had to do was report for duty.”—Joanie Yoder ¹⁸

Prayer for Faithfulness

Dear Heavenly Father, I am humbly reminded of my commitment to You—a commitment that calls for faithfulness in both the calm and the storms of life. I understand that faithfulness is not determined by the absence of storms, but by my unyielding allegiance to You in the midst of those storms.

When the winds blow and the waves rise, when I am tossed to and fro by the challenges of this life, help me to remain steadfast and faithful. I am acutely aware, Lord, that faithfulness during the storm is a testament to my trust in You. It means looking beyond the raging storm, beyond the unsettling waves, and focusing my eyes on You.

I need Your strength, Lord, to remain anchored to You, to hold on to Your promises… Teach me to not only be faithful in the storm but to also find joy in the midst of it. Amen.—ChristiansTT.com ¹⁹

Food for Thought

“Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful [to His word]” (Hebrews 10:23 AMP).

“I know of nothing which I would choose to have as the subject of my ambition for life than to be kept faithful to my God till death, still to be a soul winner, still to be a true herald of the cross, and testify the name of Jesus to the last hour.”—Charles Spurgeon

His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:23).

You are writing a Gospel, a chapter each day,
By the deeds that you do and the words that you say.
Men read what you write, whether faithful or true:
Just what is the Gospel according to you?—Paul Gilbert

(To be continued.)

Note

Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

¹ Exodus 34:6.

² Deuteronomy 32:4.

³ Psalm 117:2.

⁴ 2 Timothy 2:13 NKJV.

⁵ Exodus 20:3–5.

⁶ Proverbs 3:3–4 NIV.

⁷ Romans 10:17.

⁸ James 2:18, 21–26.

⁹ 2 Timothy 1:12; Romans 8:28.

¹⁰ “Faithfulness—the one-day-at-a-time fruit” (adapted), Activated, August 2013, https://activated.org/en/life/the-whole-you/personal-growth/faithfulness-the-one-day-at-a-time-fruit/.

¹¹ https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-faithfulness.html

¹² https://pastorrick.com/its-too-soon-to-quit/