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"What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?" (Psalm 8:4). The Psalmist asked this question of God long ago. Man is still striving to answer it. But it is certainly a valid question. It is vitally important for us to know both what and who we are. Fleshly man is generally interested in the answer to "what" he is. In general, the question of who is ignored; or is left to the religionists. We have one place only to go. The Bible. Notice the New Testament: "It has been solemnly and earnestly said in a certain…  ( Click for more )

As Christians we all must live and move, exist and act, in the righteous of Jesus Christ. Why? Because we have no righteousness.of our own. Without His righteousness, we would all be dead, perhaps dead physically except for His mercy in accordance with His plan. Our spirit would be destined for eternal death because of the sin principle in us. Several years ago I entitled this column as I did when I realized that without Christ living His life in us, we are all doomed to death. The first article of the column was entitled "Whole Council Of God". Last week was the firth…  ( Click for more )

"Do not judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves. For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you." - Matthew 7:1-2 (AMP) Everyone with whom we come into contact, we physically see. But those of us who belong to Christ must also see the unseen while we are seeing what is visible and discernable with our five senses. Otherwise, we can be trapped…  ( Click for more )

Cynicism is the enemy of accepting the grace of God through Christ. It seems just too good to be true. Many who hear the Gospel in a way that implies that just making a statement of belief in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior is all that is required to make them true Christians will not respond. "you can't get something for nothing", they believe. They are not living in that kind of world. That kind of gospel turns them off. Why can't they believe? Belief cannot come until there is acceptance of the cost. Before acceptance of the cost, one must know what the cost is.…  ( Click for more )

We are living in a time not too different from what was occurring in Greece during the Apostle Paul's journeys. Worldly philosophies can become a religion created into a private "God", a pseudo Christianity. They also present a counterfeit spiritualism, a subtle mix of logic and practical way of dealing with life problems and circumstances. It refers to the "spiritual" often, falsely leaving the impression that since the ideas are spiritual, they can be trusted to solve the individual's emotional and psychological conflicts and problems. All is an attempt to…  ( Click for more )

Prior to Jesus' crucifixion and ascension to the Father's right hand, he told the disciples to ask anything of Him and He would grant it. John emphasized His promise. (John 14:13) The whole issue resolves around relationship - of oneness with Him, on a level very few have experienced or known. It is a very simple reason for many answered prayers. If you at some time casually meet someone, could you expect to receive from this person ANYTHING you asked? Having just met this person, or someone that you do not know very well, would it not be presumptuous to them for you to ask having…  ( Click for more )

Is there such a thing as being - or attempting to be - too "righteous"? Isn't it easier to conceive of being to wicked in some way, than it is to accept anything as being overly righteous. How could anyone be too righteous? Isn't that an impossibility? God is as righteous as is possible. And we realize from many scriptures in the Word of God that we are to grow up into a new creation expressing righteousness. So how could Solomon write these words: "Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself ? Be not over much wicked,…  ( Click for more )

There is a great mystery in the body of Christ. How can there be individualism and conformity at the same time - diversity in the midst of uniformity? The Apostle Paul states: "I THEREFORE, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to and beg you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the [divine] calling to which you have been called [with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God's service, Living as becomes you] with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love…  ( Click for more )

Would God ever want a loser in His Kingdom? Would Jesus ever want a loser in His Church? Would you ever want a loser for a brother, friend, neighbor, or even an acquaintance? Most people, regardless of their status and position in life, would not want to consider themselves as losers. Someone else might consider them a loser or a winner. Some might not consider themselves winners per se, but probably never an out and out loser. If you are Christ's, if you are in Him, and He is in you, you are a bonified member of an exclusive fraternity. But you have all been members of the loser…  ( Click for more )

Many years ago when I read the scripture containing this statement (Psalm 103:1-4), I had great expectations regarding this statement. I knew many who really needed immediate healing of their diseases, but were not being healed, at least very quickly. Eventually I realized to whom this statement was made. Then I began to understand why so many were not receiving the kind of healing they desired. Many believed in miraculous, instantaneous, divine healing, but were not seeing it. Paul healed, by the power and authority of Christ. Jesus certainly healed many. Paul also was not healed…  ( Click for more )

Some live their lives as though they really CAN take it with them - whatever they really want to take with them when they die. Perhaps their philosophy is like a well known comedian who said he was not taking the chance of not being able to take it with him; he was sending his on ahead of him. This nearly always gets a laugh. Why? Because they "know" no one can do that. Not many believe (I hope) that's possible with material things. Some believe that they can do neither one. When its over, it over. They can "only go around once". But what if they are wrong?

What…  ( Click for more )

Do you find it difficult to love the unlovable? Is it difficult to love the difficult? In a conversation with a dear friend a few years ago, the subject of workplace environment came up. This person had worked for a very large corporation for many years, had one boss, and generally the same companion workers for many years. We were lamenting the almost war-like environment that exists in many work places today. My friend was appalled when I described some of the true accounts that I was familiar with at the time. It was beyond my friend's comphension that such conditions could exist.…  ( Click for more )

There is an almost universal opinion about God, although the word "God" is seldomn heard except as a expletive. Very few, relatively speaking, would blatantly assert that there is no God. Whatever concept they may have about God, most believe a God exists. Therefore, many are convinced that they are OK - as far as the hereafter is concerned. Therefore, they go about their lives very much like those who believe there is no God. The Word of God witnesses against them in a very straight forward way by saying, "The fool has said in his heart 'there is no God'" (Psalm…  ( Click for more )

"Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy." - 1 Timothy 6:17

If you sat down and made a list of the things you enjoy most, how long would it be? Would you consider it a short list or a very long list?

The Bible has some surprising things to say about enjoyment. Actually, it is shocking what the Bible has to say about what we can enjoy. And it could be diametrically opposite to what we have always assumed. In the verse above, It was not…  ( Click for more )

The absence of Barnabas from history after he and Paul separated has posed many questions that seem unanswerable in any satisfactory way. Did he continue to minister in Cyprus with Mark? Did he die or meet some other untimely death? (Acts 15:36-39}. The sharpness of their disagreement and the long term result is unique in all the New Testament after the Gospels. Could this event in the life of Barnabas be related in some way to the Book Of Hebrews? Mark had returned apparently from Cyprus some time later, and was finally accepted by Paul as a helper in his ministry. Perhaps the…  ( Click for more )

What do you think when you hear the words "Holy Spirit"? Do you instantly envision some kind of firey shapes resembling tongues coming down upon those on the Day of Pentecost? Or, do you imagine an invisible power of some kind moving in invisible ways among the people of God and the world?

All of this would be valid thoughts and impressions. However, there is so much more to the Holy Spirit than we can hardly imagine.

Prior to the Father sending His Son into this world to redeem mankind back to Himself, God's activities in the world were mostly manifested through…  ( Click for more )

A movie was released years ago entitled "Tender Mercies". The title was intriguing at the time. In essence, as I recall, it was about the extension of forgiveness, patience, and gentleness which enabled an individual to put his live back together again. Of course, there was much more to the story, but that is what I remember.

Mercy is not often found or experienced today. Have you ever longed for mercy - especially tender mercy? I have. Tender mercy is the direct approach of an Almighty God in dealing with all peoples. This is of course not understood or recognized by…  ( Click for more )

With the conclusion of this series from 2 Peter 1, we have seen in capsule form the whole purpose of God for our existence. Even with the pause in His plan beginning with the fall, He did not say in vain "let us make man in our image, after Our likeness..". His plan is steadily and intricately being built into a family of immortals. He expects His children to bare fruit unto perfection in Him (2 Peter 1:8), and if we do not we are shortsighted indeed (v. 9)! From these inspired writings of the Apostle Peter we can see that these things are required to make God's…  ( Click for more )

Now we have ascended and built to the ultimate height. We have reached the apex. All should be ready for the construction of the capstone of the grand pyramid of Godly character! The capstone is perhaps the most talked about, the most used, misused, abused , and misunderstood of all character traits! It is often portrayed and practiced in the most vulgar, demeaning and evil contexts. It is almost incomprehensible, that this highest of all qualities of God’s nature is co-mingled with such evil and degrading situations, and defined in such base emotions, human experience and conduct. …  ( Click for more )

If we have been growing and building, and if we have been doing so on the Rock-solid Foundation, our character edifice has risen higher and higher. And if this is so, there should be no worry or concern - what has been built is good, and more than this, it is necessary in order to support something even more grand. Although what we have built will stand, it must go higher. The character that we have built so far will only take us so far.- it is not yet complete. Many today leave off building at some point, thinking that what has been done in them is enough - are you ready to keep…  ( Click for more )

As we have seen thus far in the last three columns in this series, those who truly belong to Jesus Christ, who are surrendered to Him, are enabled through the true knowledge of Jesus (not the false "knowledge" of the deceivers), and have ALREADY had given to them the POWER via wonderful promises (forgiveness, favor, the Holy Spirit, acceptance "in the Beloved", etc.) to share in the "divine nature", which in its fulness, completes the formation of "Jesus Christ in us, the hope of glory...", the "mystery" which has been hidden from…  ( Click for more )

Let us continue with our examination of how God is building a "pyramid", a holy habitation for the Holy Spirit, a temple of Godly character! Last week we saw that true "knowledge" is reposed in Jesus Christ. He is the source and the Enabler of all truth and knowledge. We need to continue this week with a deeper look at knowledge, as it is used here.

It is important to note that there are different words translated as "knowledge" in verses 2,3, and 8, and verse 7 with which we ended our discussion. The same word is used in verses 2,3,8. However, another…  ( Click for more )

Today we will continue our examination of 2Peter, chapter 1. This section of God’s inspired word is perhaps one of the most profound, straightforward, and clear instruction about the purpose and meaning of the Christian life in the Bible. It reveals what Jesus Christ would have us be doing with whatever amount of time each one of us has to live, after we have surrendered to Him. What we DO with the time we have in this life is important beyond measure It will be to our peril if neglect this key to so great a salvation! (Matthew 24:48-51) By God’s grace that we have received,…  ( Click for more )

While pondering how to commence this column today, a refrain and a few words from an old hymn came to mind. I can still hear the melody and those few words, - "will the circle be unbroken...?" I wonder if perhaps the Apostle Peter could have asked the same question, had he had them, as he was writing 2Peter, chapter 1.

There are several reason why he wrote this chapter and the letter. He was very concerned about what was occurring in the church(s) to whom he was writing. He realized that his time was short, and he urgently desired to give his full weight of authority…  ( Click for more )