In Layman's Terms

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=95 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Vrinda" >the<I><B><U>right</U></B></I>slant.com</FONT>.......... <B>never afraid to be </B><I><B><U>right</U></B></I><B>!</B><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >   </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#009900" FACE="Arial" > |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="therightslant.com"><U>home</U></A></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Right Slant"><U>The Right Slant</U></A>   |   <B>In Layman's Terms</B>   |   <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="4th Inches"><U>4th & Inches</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Favorite Quotes"><U>Favorite Quotes</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id170.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Published Credits"><U>Published Credits</U></A>   |   <A 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TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Leviticus 6:13</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#joshua_19" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Joshua 1:9</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#2_samuel_1214" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">2 Samuel 12:14</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#2_chronicles_2016" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">2 Chronicles 20:16</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#psalms_1271" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Psalms 12:71</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#isaiah_4013" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Isaiah 40:13</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#isaiah_424" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Isaiah 42:4</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#isaiah_483" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Isaiah 48:3</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#isaiah_489__kjv_" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Isaiah 48:9</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#isaiah_571" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Isaiah 57:1</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#isaiah_6020" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Isaiah 60:20</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#ecclesiastes_710_1" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Ecclesiastes 7:10</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#ezekiel_3311" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Ezekiel 33:11</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#hosea_910" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Hosea 9:10</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#amos_214_16" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Amos 2:14-16</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#amos_7_1_3" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Amos 7: 1-3</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#jonah_310_a_" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Jonah 3:10(a)</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#jonah_310_b_" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Jonah 3:10(b)</U></A></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="new_testament"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>New Testament:</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#matthew_286" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Matthew 28:6</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#mark_6_42_43" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Mark 6: 42, 43</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#mark_878" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Mark 8:7,8</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#mark_1022" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Mark 10:22</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#luke_2325" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Luke 23:25</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#john_941" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">John 9:41</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#john_131" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">John 13:1</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#romans_323" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Romans 3:23</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#romans_822" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Romans 8:22</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#romans_1019" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Romans 10:19</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#romans_1013" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Romans 10:13</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#romans_124_" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Romans 12:4 </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#ephesians_222" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Ephesians 2:22</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#ephesians_522_" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Ephesians 5:22</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#ephesians_611" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Ephesians 6:11</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#colossians_216" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Colossians 2:16</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#colossians_221_22" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Colossians 2:21-22</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#colossians_322" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Colossians 3:22</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#1_thessalonians_41112" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">1 Thessalonians 4:11,12</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#1_thessalonians_518" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">1 Thessalonians 5:18</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#2_timothy_17" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">2 Timothy 1:7</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#2_timothy_216" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">2 Timothy 2:16</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#titus_39" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Titus 3:9</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#hebrews_1014" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Hebrews 10:14</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#1_peter_27" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">1 Peter 2:7</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#1_peter_33" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">1 Peter 3:3</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#2_peter_31012_b_" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">2 Peter 3;10,12(b)</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm#james_43" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ffffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">James 4:3</U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=385 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B><U>In Layman's Terms</U></B></div> <div> ** If you are a visitor to this page you are likely a Christian. As such I ask for your prayers, along with those of your friends, family, and fellow church members. God has a new direction for me. He has given me a gift, and I ask your prayers that I might understand that new direction so I can use the Lord's gift for His purpose. Thank you.</div> <div> Anthony W. Hager, October 7, 2007.</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Keeping your altar warm takes effort and commitment</FONT>.  <A NAME="leviticus_613"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Leviticus 6:13</div> <div> (545)</div> <bR> <div> “The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.” Leviticus 6:13</div> <bR> <div> There's nothing quite like the physical and emotional warmth that a stove or a fireplace offers. The home fire's presence is comforting; its warmth is satisfying, and the sound of crackling flames welcomes the frozen hand. The charm of a stove or fireplace, and the heat it provides, proclaims “home” with a capital “H”.</div> <div> I grew up with a wood stove in my home. I can remember coming through the back door after a Saturday of cutting and splitting firewood or a day spent playing in the snow. The heat from our wood stove filled the room, embracing my frost-numbed cheeks, ears, fingers and toes. Clothing damp from a friendly snowball fight, an evening of sledding on a nearby hill, or an accidental tumble into a frosty creek, dried quickly. Even while out in the cold, a thin tendril of pale, gray smoke rising silently from the chimney gave testament to the warmth to come.</div> <div> But a home heated with wood can get cold quickly when the fire goes out. Between work, school, and other schedules, it was a chore to keep the fire burning sufficiently to maintain a comfortable temperature. Using the stove efficiently meant effort, commitment and perseverance. If we weren't diligent the warmth and welcoming comfort of the wood fire died. If you've heated with wood you can sympathize with our dilemma, and that of the Levite priest who was charged with keeping the fire “burning on the altar continuously.” Even if you've never heated with wood you should sympathize, for this verse from Leviticus depicts our commitment to Christ perfectly.</div> <div> The fact that we don't present burnt offerings on altars of stone doesn't mean that there is no altar, or that this verse is antiquated or unnecessary. There is an altar consecrated to the glory of God today. It is found in the Christian heart, and it just makes sense to keep it warm.</div> <div> We've established how much easier and efficient it is to keep a fire going and the stove warm than to build a new fire and heat the stove a second time. It's easier, too, to keep a room warm than to heat it again. The Christian heart functions on the same principle. It is far more efficient to keep our hearts warm, to keep a fire burning on our altar continuously, than to re-kindle a spiritual fire that's been allowed to die. Keep your “altar” warm and it will provide comfort to you and to all who come near, like the fondly remembered wood stove of my youth.</div> <div> Christians too often consider a verse such as Leviticus 6:13 to be an afterthought, as if it is outdated and inapplicable. It's our mistake, for all Scripture is useful to the follower of Christ. These few words from the Mosaic Law remind us of the need to keep our hearts warm for our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep a fire burning continuously on our altars. God's Word is the fuel for that fire; an ample supply must be maintained. It is the only way we can live for him every day.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >All men are created equal, but not identical.</FONT>  <A NAME="romans_124_"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Romans 12:4 </div> <div> (573) </div> <bR> <div> “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:” Romans 12:4</div> <bR> <div> There's little doubt that Paul is referring to the church in this verse, the body of Christ through which Our Lord accomplishes his work and will among men. But we can also apply this teaching to all people in all walks of life. We know that God created all things and that He remains in the creation business. It is just as sure that each man is created in God's image, although not necessarily with equal gifts. Yet every one of us has been designed for a purpose and equipped with a unique blend of blessings and talents that will allow us to fulfill God's role for our lives.</div> <div> Isn't that miraculous news, that we can be equal and yet totally dissimilar? Where would mankind be, and how boring would be life itself, if we were absolute equivalents in every way?</div> <div> God grants to some of his children the skill of communication, with that skill as diverse as the people who deploy the gift. He may manifest that skill in the orator, who possesses a unique ability to speak with a dynamic and persuading voice. Such people are equally comfortable speaking to the ordinary man on the street, in a one-on-one situation, or to a thousand of the world's most powerful and influential leaders. Another equally adept communicator may not be able to speak publicly at all. However, that person has received a gift for manipulating language through the written word. They can chose and align words to create the perfect sentence and connect them to form the consummate paragraph. Ultimately, through writing, the blessed author can relay a message that touches far more people in a shorter time period than even the orator.</div> <div> God may grant someone the ability to solve complex problems. This visionary person can see through the façade, the nonsensical and the worthless, going straight to the heart of a matter. Their keen insight produces solutions when others can find naught but despair. Still more are gifted in the sciences, are aggressive leaders, loyal followers, or cautious and thoughtful planners. Each and every one of them is essential to fulfilling man's role as caretaker and subjugator of God's created world.</div> <div> The world in which we live and the church in which we serve Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord, cry out for these varying qualities and abilities in order to function and flourish. Without them the church could not achieve its purpose. It couldn't manage its assigned task of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Without communicators and theorists, leaders and followers, planners and doers, the work of Christ would grind to a halt. The same is true for our nation's prosperity.</div> <div> In truth, the differing aptitudes of various persons aren't at all unusual. We need not “celebrate diversity” in order to recognize and appreciate the unique qualities that God has bestowed upon our neighbors and our selves. We need merely to accept them as an integral part of life--as normal and elemental as drawing our next breath or drinking a tall glass of cool, clear water--and develop them to the utmost of our abilities. Then and only then can we know true peace, success and fulfillment, whether it be in the spiritual or physical sense.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Jesus set the example for bearing persecution. </FONT>Based on  <A NAME="john_131"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>John 13:1</div> <bR> <div> “Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.” John 13:1</div> <bR> <div> The human body can endure more physical pain and mental anguish than we realize. Spend an hour or so with a World War II, Korea, or Vietnam veteran. You'll quickly learn that they endured more hardship than they thought possible. They answered a call to forego comfort and self for country and family, things in which they believed. Yet no soldier wants to suffer or die. Christians have faced a similar situation since Christ's ascension.</div> <div> James--the son of Zebedee--is the only apostle whose death is recorded in Scripture, having been killed at the command of King Herod. However, he wasn't alone. Church history says that the other disciples, aside from John, also met gruesome ends.</div> <div> Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross in Achaia, Greece. Tradition holds that he hung there for two days before he died. Bartholomew was flayed and crucified upside-down in Armenia. Peter and Simon the Canaanite were also crucified. Thaddeus and Paul were beheaded. Matthew died by the sword; James the lesser and Matthias, who replaced Judas Iscariot, were stoned; Thomas was speared.</div> <div> Over the years Christians have been impaled, burned, fed to lions, and used as human torches to light Nero's garden parties. How would we, the modern Christians, react if we faced such abuse? Maybe we would accept martyrdom for the name of Christ if we knew death would be quick and painless. But what if we faced the same death that our Savior faced?</div> <div> In reality, it isn't death itself that most Christians fear, although we certainly have a love for life and a desire for self-preservation. We fear the possibility of pain and agony, or the knowledge that death is imminent and we're powerless to stop it. We know from our key verse that Jesus wasn't so different. He knew he would soon die, and he knew the nature of the death he would suffer. He understood the extreme anguish of the Father's abandonment, the lingering pain of the nails, the struggle for each breath that crucifixion wrought, and the public humiliation.</div> <div> Jesus Christ also knew why he was here and was faithful to the end. But that doesn't mean that he wanted to suffer. That doesn't mean that he wanted to die. We know this from the prayers he offered the night of his arrest. Jesus didn't covet the pain that awaited him any more than we covet pain. Yet he recognized that his mission of salvation was far, far greater than self.</div> <div> Although man is created in God's image our actions alienate us from Him. When we try to serve God our sinful, selfish flesh betrays us. Christ faced the same human nature that we face, but he was also God. He submitted to the Divine even when his humanity wanted an easier path.</div> <div> If the perfect Christ preferred a different, less painful death, why should we think that we can stand in the time of trial? We can't, at least not alone. Beginning with the apostles there has never been a Christian who faced martyrdom single-handedly. A Christian's courage comes from the spirit within.</div> <div> There's no guarantee that we'll escape persecution or death for the cause of Christ. Let us not be ashamed if we fear that prospect, for not even the Savior desired an agonizing death. However, we can face persecution if we faithfully accept God's purpose, relying on Him, and dedicating our life to a mission greater than self.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Christians don't serve the God of Rules.</FONT> Based on  <A NAME="colossians_221_22"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Colossians 2:21-22</div> <bR> <div> “Touch not; taste not; handle not, which all are to perish with the using, after the commandments and doctrines of men?” Colossians 2:21, 22</div> <bR> <div> Generally speaking these columns are based on a single verse of scripture, with this case being the rare exception. It is rarer still that a contextual reference is needed. Such background information often defeats the purpose of writing these articles, which is to promote the stand alone truth and application of a single Bible passage. This case is a bit different and a brief summary is prudent.</div> <div> Paul is writing about man's religious doctrines. Pick a religion--even Christianity, if you must consider the faith a religion--and you'll find man imposing human rules and virtues where they aren't applicable.</div> <div> In false religions and cults this human doctrine is the sum of the equation. Lacking a foundation to support their beliefs, the “faithful” must concoct all manner of rule and regulation to maintain the appearance of holiness. Too often those stipulations come wrapped in an attractive package. Some cults and religions espouse unimpeachable personal characteristics: kindness, humility, morality and purity. Yet those traits lack a divine foundation, leaving them hollow and void. They are like ornate doors concealing dark and empty rooms.</div> <div> The cult mentality takes center stage when we consider such doctrines, often carrying sinister images of sexual abuse and suicide, or visions of white robes dancing through airport concourses.</div> <div> Cults are rife with stringent regulations that must be followed to the letter. “Enlightenment” comes from fully adopting the cult leader's demands and living according to the mandates of the order. Indoctrination and isolation are the norm, along with mass suicide. Jim Jones presided over the murder/suicide of more than 900 people in Guyana's jungle. Heaven's Gate led 38 people to commit suicide when the Hale-Bopp comet appeared, under the impression that they would join Jesus on a spaceship. It sounds loony, perhaps laughable. But it's actually a sad, sad situation.</div> <div> Resisting the self-fulfilling prophecies of doomsday cults is easy for most people. However, more mainstream religions also incorporate rules and doctrines that must be followed to “please” god. Parishioners may be required to shun modernity. Perhaps they must wear certain clothing or pray at specified times while facing a certain direction. They may be required to reach some higher plane of consciousness, attainable only at the peak of a Himalayan mountain.</div> <div> The more mainstream and devotional a religion appears the more likely it will be accepted, unlike the suicide cults. Yet none can reconcile a sinful man with a righteous God. Man's religious impositions will fade, doomed by their repetitious nature. They cannot pass eternity's test for they are the product of the finite mind. Man's rules, while they may lead to an exemplary life by human standards, cannot please God or produce salvation.</div> <div> Even for Christians, who are to live perfectly through faith, placing laws and rules above faith and obedience can cheapen the relationship with the Lord. However, that's not an excuse to shun God's righteous commandments and sin freely, as some renounced First Century heresies suggested. We must understand that the only hope for living righteously rests on faithful submission to the Holy Spirit, not human rules and understanding.</div> <div> Only the eternal words of the Living God can stand the test of time. Humanity's spiritual concoctions and additions to the worship of God are doomed to fail, whether part of a cult or an “accepted” religion. Such human doctrines will succumb to the next fad or movement. They will change and adapt in the futile struggle for viability. Only God and His plan will stand the passage of eternity.</div> <div> God's plan doesn't require our submission to human opinion, theory, doctrine, imposition, or rule. In fact, we cannot fulfill God's Law at all without the help of the Holy Spirit. Our duty is complete submission. Let Him do the rest.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >It's easy to be thankful for blessings. But what about trials?</FONT> Based on  <A NAME="1_thessalonians_518"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>1 Thessalonians 5:18</div> <bR> <div> “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18</div> <bR> <div> You'd be hard pressed to find someone who isn't thankful for the good things in life. Even the most ardent secularist will occasionally express appreciation for what they have, even if they don't give the praise to God. Thanksgiving Day is the perfect time to reflect on life's blessings and the gracious Creator who provides them. Let's do it, but with a twist.</div> <div> I consider it a great blessing to live in the United States. We are free to express our opinions without undue fear of government reprisal. We can pursue any goal we care to pursue, even those that aren't worthwhile, and to create our own unique reality. Our prospects for education, success and prosperity are boundless.</div> <div> Americans can participate in unarmed rebellion every two years. Without the burden of war, destruction and death we can overthrow our government and replace it with one more responsive to our wishes. And remember, we get exactly the government we demand and deserve.</div> <div> On this Thanksgiving Day I am grateful that God allowed me to be born an American.</div> <div> I am thankful for what God has done for me individually. First, He gave life to my body, but primarily for His redeeming that life by the blood of Christ. I am grateful for a mate who isn't a desperate housewife, posting racy videos on the Internet or trolling the personal ads. God has blessed me with two sons--age 14 and 8--who do well academically and athletically, and are generally well-behaved.</div> <div> My home is dry when the rain falls, cool when the temperatures reach 100 and warm when they're below freezing. My family has food to eat, clothes to wear and beds for sleeping. During this period of drought, I'm thankful for a deep well that provides our home with cool, clean water. My sons, my wife and I enjoy good health. And while I'm not crazy about gasoline's rising price, I am thankful it's available so I can easily visit family for a holiday feast.</div> <div> For all of these personal blessings I am beholden to God this Thanksgiving Day.</div> <div> Little effort is required to thank God for such obvious blessings. Even the weakest faith is strong when the seas are smooth and the destinations are predictable. However, our focal verse tells us to be thankful in every situation. Gratefulness is more difficult when we're distressed or uncertain.</div> <div> Last spring I left an evening job for one during normal daylight hours. Within two weeks the job fell through and thoughts of returning to the former position produced an indescribable dread. I knew quickly that God had used the new job to remove me from one He no longer wanted me to fill, and a peace ensued.</div> <div> I began to write full-time. We've lived on my wife's income, our savings and what few articles I've actually sold. It was the right decision, and one I don't regret. But there's a reality to face. Savings only goes so far. And although a stack of rejection notices are a great learning experience they won't satisfy the monthly bills. My family faces uncertainty and yet I'm to give thanks for everything. No, it's not easy. But it's also not optional.</div> <div> This Thanksgiving Day I am grateful for the efforts and setbacks I have expended and experienced this year. I'm thankful for the opportunity to see my boy's play ball and for the simple pleasure of being home with my family every evening. Such times have been all too rare during my adult life.</div> <div> I'm thankful that God wouldn't allow my return to the status quo, to a reliance on the familiar. I'm thankful for each column and article that resulted in a rejection slip and each resume that a prospective employer ignored, for each brings me a step closer to God's purpose. I'm thankful that He has a plan for my life even while I'm struggling to discover it. And when prosperity returns I'll appreciate it all the more.</div> <div> Anyone can give thanks when life goes according to plan, when the barns are full and the future is bright. This Thanksgiving Day, and every day, we should be thankful not only for comforts but for our trials and uncertainties, too. It isn't the jewelry display case that refines the gold; it's the fire beforehand.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Are you serving Christ, or the enemy? </FONT>Based on  <A NAME="titus_39"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Titus 3:9</div> <bR> <div> “But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.” Titus 3:9</div> <bR> <div> How many Christians truly consider Satan? He is our adversary, yes; our foremost opponent. Satan is trickery personified, the author of lies and the master of deception. He is also thoroughly beaten. Yet the devil is one smart cookie, and he is certainly no quitter.</div> <div> Satan was defeated when Christ died on the cross and rose on the third day. But he still pursues victory, or at least seeks to add as many souls to the ranks of the eternally defeated as possible until he meets his certain demise.</div> <div> Lucifer, the age-old liar, is hard at work making hay while the sun shines. The worst part is how he often dupes God's people into helping him with his harvest. Is that a harsh thought? Surely it is, but a harsh thought is frequently based on a harsh reality. Time and again God's people have twisted the Holy Scriptures in ways that circumvent His divine purpose.</div> <div> The Jewish leaders during Christ's time were famous--perhaps infamous is a better term--for adding rules and regulations to God's Law. They asked Christ foolish questions, the answers to which they would have known had they dedicated as much time to contemplating God's teachings as they spent manipulating them.</div> <div> Unfortunately, Christians aren't much different today. We often succumb to the perils outlined in Titus 3:9. Religion becomes so entrenched, such a part of our lives, that we totally forget spirituality, which is the essence of authentic worship. We debate and quarrel over trivialities of law and doctrine, becoming blind to the Church's mission. The nuances of Christian living become so important that we lose touch with the basic Gospel message, which renders us impotent in fulfilling the Great Commission.</div> <div> We are Christ's disciples, his ambassadors to a world filled with sin, destruction and death. Our great purpose isn't to be correct about all things spiritual but to point out God's intolerance of sin and the salvation from that intolerance found only in Jesus Christ. We needn't spend endless time arguing in defense of God, His word, or His morality, as if we are His defense attorneys. He is more than capable of defending Himself.</div> <div> The heart of the believer should focus on proclaiming the coming judgment of a righteous God and the redemption available during this Age of Grace. When the Church becomes obsessed with regulation, statute, observance, or hierarchy, it is primed for failure. We cannot fulfill our purpose while carrying this self-imposed baggage.</div> <div> Does this mean we shouldn't defend the Holy Scriptures? Of course not! We know it is God's message to mankind and it is useful, reliable and true. But let's also remember that God's moral law is of little value to someone who doesn't trust. What sense is there in believing that unbelievers will let God's word rule their life? The lost soul must accept Christ before they can accept his moral prudence.</div> <div> Our purpose isn't to publicly debate theological doctrines or inconsequential questions. It's not to argue our spiritual family trees, or to haggle fine points of Christian living while a lost world looks on. These discussions center on us and accomplish nothing.</div> <div> We can analyze Christian theologies inside the Church, among believers. However, when we are before the world, where our true light shines, we're more effective when sharing a simple Gospel message of salvation through Christ or judgment for unrepentant sin. If we bring our doctrinal differences outside the walls of the church we confuse the Gospel and push the lost away from Christ. It is then Satan whom we have served, not our risen Lord.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >The cure for the faltering family. </FONT>Based on  <A NAME="ephesians_522_"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Ephesians 5:22.</div> <bR> <div> “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:22</div> <bR> <div> Divorce rates and instances of unfaithful couples have risen dramatically over the last four decades. Alright, so that's not a news flash, and the causes for marital discontent are as innumerable as the sands of the sea. Promiscuity, pornography, finances, child-rearing pressures, and work addiction are foundational to marital problems. Thanks in no small part to the technology age we have added a new wave of marriage-eating bacteria, such as Internet dating, online gambling, chat rooms, phone and cyber sex, and heaven knows what else.</div> <div> Each and every one of these temptations has contributed greatly to the American family's deterioration. But perhaps the greatest contributor to the escalating divorce rate is a misunderstanding of this simple verse from Ephesians.</div> <div> Since the 1960s we have allowed feminists, who generally have more words than brains, to define this profound directive as sexist and domineering. It's as if a wife submitting to a husband is the equivalent of being sentenced to a twisted form of medieval servitude. Barefoot and pregnant, that's what Paul is preaching in Ephesians 5:22! Not quite.</div> <div> Paul's admonition is based on a very reasonable assessment of how the two sexes think and act. God made us men and women, and He had a purpose for so doing.</div> <div> In general, men are more inclined to approach a problem logically and practically than are women. The male is less emotional and likely to be more objective when deciding how to tackle a specific problem. Women, conversely, tend to make decisions based on how they feel about a situation. Females have a strong sense for guarding and nurturing. Neither set of qualities is more important than the other. In fact, both are essential to a stable marriage and a healthy family. But men and women remain different, with diverse roles to fulfill.</div> <div> This short passage contains four words that are the key to making its teaching viable, “as to the Lord.” These words confound secularists, for they cannot comprehend the depth of their meaning. Quite simply, this verse imposes more pressure on the husband's authority than on the wife's submission. If husbands will fulfill their responsibility within the marriage their wives will submit to them voluntarily. And to be worthy of the wife's submission the husband must live as Jesus Christ lived.</div> <div> The Bible mentions no wife for Jesus Christ, although secular attempts to deny his deity have linked him to Mary Magdalene. But suppose Christ had been married; what type of husband would he have been?</div> <div> It's safe to say that Jesus wouldn't have been an overbearing husband. He wouldn't have verbally or physically abused a wife. He wouldn't have belittled her in public or in private. He wouldn't have come home drunk from a strip club, abused drugs, or gambled the mortgage payment on the Super Bowl. He would've harbored no grudges, nor would he have been given to envy, rage, or unwarranted anger. But how can Jesus establish such an example for us when he had no wife himself?</div> <div> In fact, Jesus does have a wife--the New Jerusalem--which is the church. Christ loved the church so much that he gave his life for her redemption, and the saints willingly submit to his authority. Jesus loved mankind enough to hang on a cross for our sins, to give eternal life to those who will repent and believe on him, and to establish an example for us to follow in all aspects of our lives. </div> <div> Ladies, a wife who submits to such a husband isn't bound like the contemporary version of an indentured servant, no matter how loud the National Organization of Women may claim otherwise. Men, if you will love your wives the way Christ loves his bride, they will submit to you voluntarily, just as the church submits “to the Lord.”</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >The enduring lesson of Nineveh</FONT>. Based on  <A NAME="jonah_310_a_"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Jonah 3:10(a)</div> <bR> <div> “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.” Jonah 3:10</div> <bR> <div> Forgiveness is a unique subject. It can be the most sought after treasure in a person's life, and the most elusive. There's no profit in gaining the entire world if we lose our self in the process. When forgiveness is lacking, we are lost.</div> <div> Every man, woman, and child needs forgiveness. We have--in some way or another-- betrayed our spouses, parents, children, employer, or other trusting partner. When we do so a little bit of us dies. We need their forgiveness, their restoration, and for the most part we'll receive it if we'll only ask.</div> <div> However, far greater than the bonds we break with our family, friends, etc., is the bond we break with God. Each sin we commit against a neighbor we also commit against Him. Our greatest need for forgiveness comes from our Lord, and what a debt we owe to Him. Think of everyone with whom we've broken fellowship. Of them all, He has the greatest reason to be angry with us and to hold a grudge.</div> <div> God has the grounds and authority to pronounce judgment for each and every one of us, for both the good and the evil man is subject to Him. There is ample evidence to condemn our actions and proclaim a guilty sentence. Even so, with His power and discernment so great and perfect, mercy rules His being.</div> <div> When Jonah's message brought the Ninevites face-to-face with their sins they called out in shame and repentance. The king removed his royal robe, donned sackcloth, sat in ashes and fasted, as did his officials and all the people. The city made a 180-degree turn from their sinful ways on the hope that God would refrain from sending destruction upon them. </div> <div> God, whose condemnation was commanded by Nineveh's sin, responded not with a heavy hand but with mercy and forgiveness. This is God's nature, and it is just as prevalent today as it was in Jonah's time. More so, really, considering that we are now under the grace of Jesus Christ and not the Law of Moses.</div> <div> With such compelling evidence of God's forgiving heart, why don't more people experience His cleansing, as the Ninevites did? God has promised not only to forgive our sins but to also wipe them from His memory. Since our Holy God cannot break His word, who is at fault when we fail to experience both the forgiveness and the peace we desperately seek? It's an unpleasant thought, but the fault lies in each of us.</div> <div> Our mission is clear and our part is simple. We must recognize our sins, confess them to God, ask His forgiveness and leave those sins at His feet. Then we will know not only the forgiveness that the Ninevites experienced but also the surpassing peace He has promised. Yet, so often we take up the sinful trash that He has emptied from our souls and carry it away with us. We are no less forgiven, but we haven't left our burden at His feet.</div> <div> Pride can prevent mankind from accepting God's salvation. But, once we're saved, the greatest hurdle to experiencing His peace may be the ability to forgive our self. We can know forgiveness and salvation through faith and acceptance. However, we will only know His unimaginable peace and joy when we leave our evil ways behind, as did the Ninevites. We must be willing to humble our selves before Him and leave our forgiven sins at the foot of His throne.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Face your fears with God's strength</FONT>. Based on  <A NAME="2_chronicles_2016"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>2 Chronicles 20:16</div> <bR> <div> “To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.” </div> <bR> <bR> <div> Fear is one of humanity's strongest emotions and is definable in more than one way. Fear can be an overpowering, even crippling, emotion produced by an anticipated real or perceived danger. It's unlikely that I would fall from a rooftop. But, if you want to see absolute proof that imagined fear can become actual fear, put me on top of a tall building.</div> <div> However, fear isn't always motivated by danger; it's not always about being afraid. It can also be defined as apprehension or anxiety brought on by uncertain situations. A young boy or girl may fear their first date with the same realism that an Old West cattle rustler feared the gallows. Yet, they wouldn't miss their first date for all the gold that is, or once was, in Fort Knox.</div> <div> I experienced such apprehension while serving as an assistant baseball coach. During a game, instruction was given to a young player who returned an unwarranted and disrespectful response. The proper remedy would've been to take the player aside and inform him, in no uncertain terms, that the attitude was unacceptable. However, I lost my temper and several past incidences came to an instant boil. The point was made, but not in the proper way. </div> <div> The next game was three days away and there were some anxious moments in the meantime. Would the other parents, most of whom knew me well and were somewhat familiar with the situation, understand? Or, would they tar and feather me? The myriad possibilities produced anxiety, a fear or dread of the unknown. Well, admittedly, I knew it wouldn't go as far as physical torture and no matter what happened I could go home following the game. Jehoshaphat and Judah didn't have that option.</div> <div> Judah stared squarely in the face of several hostile armies. Not only was their country threatened, the covenant land given to them by God, but perhaps their very existence. No hope for victory could be found in their army's might. There was a very real reason for fear in the land of Judah.</div> <div> Imagine their relief when the Spirit of God came upon Jahaziel, telling the people that their fight belonged to the Lord and not to them. Yet they had to face the source of their fear. They had to show faith in God's promise. Judah went out to meet her enemies in faith and God delivered, just as He said He would.</div> <div> God's deliverance was on vivid display at the wilderness of Jeruel and it serves as a lesson for believers to this day. Just as the Lord fought Judah's battle He will fight our battle. We can be victorious through His strength when we're following His will. We can have confidence in God whenever we face a fearsome situation, for He is there and has promised to protect us.</div> <div> However, His protection doesn't mean we can avoid all of life's unpleasant, uncertain, or fearful situations. He may require us to come face-to-face with our anxieties. To witness his deliverance we must be willing to trust His guidance, then go out to face our enemies. There, on the edge of trust, He is with us, just as He was with Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah.</div> <div> I survived that next game. In fact, everything was fine between me and the player in question (who played his best game of the year), and nary a parent cast the first stone. I asked God's guidance, and then I went out to face the source of my anxiety. He delivered me, just as He said He would. Won't He do the same for you?</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >God's patience serves His glory.</FONT> Based on  <A NAME="isaiah_489__kjv_"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Isaiah 48:9</div> <bR> <div> “For my name's sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.” Isaiah 48:9 (KJV)</div> <bR> <div> Beating a habit or addiction is an arduous task under the best circumstances. I know from first-hand experience, for I was once a user of smokeless tobacco. When my son Noah was a toddler I hid my habit by calling snuff “Daddy's medicine.”</div> <div> One evening as I sat in front of my computer preparing to indulge my habit Noah said, “Daddy, you going to take your medicine?” When I replied in the affirmative he stated, rather proudly, “When I grow up I'm taking that medicine.”</div> <div> You want to talk about an arrow through the heart! I was face-to-face with my poor example. I closed the lid and tossed the nearly new can in the garbage, kicking a 13-year tobacco habit cold turkey. That was 10 years ago and I haven't taken a single dip of snuff since. Whenever I'm tempted, and it still happens, I recall my son's words and my responsibility as a Christian parent. I'm sure my kids see many negative influences when they watch my life, but at least I did the right thing once.</div> <div> However, the fact that I had success in quitting tobacco doesn't mean it came easily. Beating a habit or addiction is tough at best and can be downright impossible alone. Sometimes we need help from other people.</div> <div> A drunkard may seek help for alcoholism from Alcoholics Anonymous or myriad other treatment centers and programs. Similar programs and support groups are available for battling drug addiction, sex addiction, or fingernail biting. People that face these problems and take action may be credited with recognizing their problem and seeking a remedy. But they can't become too self-congratulatory, for it is a blessing to find such help before self-destruction.</div> <div> Neighbor, although I sought no outside help, I didn't quit tobacco alone. It was God--and a forest full of toothpicks--who delivered me from that vice. Without Him, I wouldn't have succeeded. God remained patient through my many failed attempts at quitting tobacco and now He receives praise for my accomplishment, just as our key verse says. He takes the same approach with a greater problem, one to which every vice imaginable is but a symptom. That problem is sin.</div> <div> Look at it this way, if you're walking a trail of sin and you stop and repent, do you have the right to congratulate yourself? You can be pleased with your decision, for that decision is yours; God doesn't force anyone to repentance. However, more than happy and self-congratulatory you should be grateful that God gave you the opportunity to repent. </div> <div> This will come as a shock to most people, including Christians, but God owes us nothing. We can't fool God and we are defenseless before Him, save for faith in His Son. No man can hide from God, neither can anyone escape His all-seeing eye. God can do what He pleases as He pleases, for He is the righteous judge. He need not refrain for our benefit but for His own sake.</div> <div> We should take neither pride nor credit for overcoming a temptation or conquering an addiction, just as we can take neither pride nor credit for turning to Christ. It is for God's name, God's sake, and God's glory that He opens the way for our victory. It is for His praise that He restrains His wrath.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >God's disciplined judgment. </FONT>Based on  <A NAME="isaiah_483"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Isaiah 48:3</div> <bR> <div> 3 I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass.</div> <bR> <div> Raising children requires discipline. “Spare the rod and spoil the child,” the old adage goes. This means that a child must receive punishment, in some form, to correct bad behavior. It's a concept that's as old as humanity itself, and Biblically confirmed in Proverbs 13:24.</div> <div> What's the first image to your mind when you think of “spare the rod?” If you're like me, it's either being sent to the woods to cut your own hickory or an encounter with a belt or paddle. We think of child discipline as the time-old spanking, and many parents there are (although probably not enough) who'll still switch a backside at the appropriate time. Other, more contemporary methods are timeout, grounding, and revoking privileges, all of which are effective punishments to a certain extent.</div> <div> However, for child discipline to be effective parents must be disciplined in their discipline. That may sound like a mouthful, but not if you chew it slowly.</div> <div> Parents must be in total control, totally disciplined, when correcting children or a spanking can become a beating. We must resist sending a message via unwarranted or excessive punishments. Sometimes punishment must come swiftly, surely and harshly. At other times discipline should be delayed, but it must always be completed or parents lose credibility.</div> <div> Too often we'll pronounce punishments that go unfulfilled. We say it, we threaten it, and we promise it, but we don't follow through. Our Heavenly Father doesn't work that way.</div> <div> What God plans or promises He delivers, whether it is a blessing for faithfulness or a judgment for sin. God will make good on His promises at the appropriate time. Oh yes, this is definitely beyond our understanding. But isn't that true of God's ways in general?  Just because we don't see the results of His judgment or the fruits of His blessing immediately doesn't preclude their imminence, which creates a perilous situation for the unrepentant.</div> <div> When a parent delays punishment a child may think they've gotten away with their transgression. In many cases they're correct and greater disobedience is the result. People think the same of God when He doesn't act within a conceivable human timeframe. That false sense of security is extremely and eternally dangerous.</div> <div> God warned Noah of a coming judgment, which wouldn't arrive for more than 100 years. Since Noah built the ark without the aid of power tools and home improvement warehouses that time span is quite likely. Imagine the ridicule Noah endured from his apathetic neighbors while God delayed His judgment during the construction period. Even when the work was complete and the time for judgment was at hand God relented seven days before shutting Noah and his family inside the ark. </div> <div> God told Abraham how his descendents would suffer in bondage and how their masters would be ultimately overthrown. This was fulfilled when the Israelites fell to Egyptian servitude and were delivered 430 years to the day from their enslavement. Egypt received her ultimate judgment at the Red Sea when the waters consumed Pharaoh's chariots.</div> <div> Old Testament prophets told of a coming Messiah who would be the world's salvation. Those words were completed 1000 years later in a small, unimportant stable in the small, unimportant town of Bethlehem.</div> <div> God proved His faithfulness in each case, though passing time may have left mankind asleep and unprepared.</div> <div> Two thousand years have passed since that Bethlehem baby was crucified, buried, arose and ascended with the promise that He would come again. As Isaiah wrote, God will fulfill His declarations. Suddenly, at a time unexpected, they will come to pass and too many people will be found unprepared. Don't be the child who thinks God's delay means you've escaped His rod.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Meekness and weakness aren't synonymous.</FONT> Based on  <A NAME="2_timothy_17"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>2 Timothy 1:7</div> <bR> <div> 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (KJV)</div> <bR> <div> Would you consider meekness a desirable quality? It's likely that you do, especially if you're a Christian, and God's Word confirms the conclusion. King David wrote that the meek will inherit the earth and enjoy an overflowing peace. Jesus, while delivering the Sermon on the Mount, reiterated and confirmed David's inspired writing. What's more, Christ set an example of meekness to guide your path. But does it mean that you should be tepid and weak?</div> <div> Jesus described himself as meek and modest in spirit. Despite being God in a human body he didn't exalt himself as would've been his due. Although he was the King of kings and the Lord of lords, he entered Jerusalem riding a young donkey.</div> <div> Ancient Middle Eastern customs considered the donkey a humble animal. When a king approached a city riding a donkey it was a sign of peaceful intentions. Conversely, horses were used in warfare. For a king to approach a city on horseback was a sign of aggression. Yes, Jesus entered Jerusalem as a king, but as a king on a peaceful mission, not as one seeking exaltation or personal glory. Christ deferred his proper due until a more appropriate time so God's purpose and glory would be magnified.</div> <div> Jesus offered no resistance at his arrest. When he healed a leper he took no credit, instead instructing the grateful man to keep the miracle secret. Even at the transfiguration, when any lingering doubt about Christ's Lordship was dispelled, he charged his disciples with silence. He was meek in trouble and in power. Could you remain so humble?</div> <div> Jesus Christ, who was worthy of arrogance, exemplified gentleness and humility. Sometimes Christians equate the meekness that Christ taught and lived with weakness. What an error, for Christ was anything but weak.</div> <div> What did Jesus, the son of an unimportant Nazarene carpenter, say to the learned and wise religious leaders? “Woe unto you . . . Hypocrites!” he said. He called them blind fools, serpents, and vipers. The pious scribes and Pharisees, the teachers and keepers (and distorters) of the Law of Moses Christ said were dead in their sins. He called them murderers, telling them plainly how they would persecute and kill those sent in God's name. Now neighbor, those words aren't exactly high praise--nor are they the actions of a weak, timid, or cowardly man.</div> <div> There was no weakness in Jesus Christ when he single-handedly drove the merchants and moneychangers from the temple courts and intimidated the chief priests. Christ's example is one of strength, courage, and assertiveness tempered with the knowledge of a greater good and a higher calling.</div> <div> Christian, you compromise your witness, influence and the Gospel message when you equate meekness with weakness. Nothing could be farther from the truth. A spirit of power is available to you, along with the ability to make reliable judgments and rational decisions. The Holy Spirit gives you the discipline and the understanding to use these gifts wisely so that your Heavenly Father may be glorified.</div> <div> How can you live this odd combination of spiritual assertiveness and personal humility? You can't! But thank God, for He has made it possible. God has given you an aggressive nature for doing His will and defending His commands. Miraculously, He also grants you a meekness that allows you to love others as Christ loves you. Do not confuse the meekness required to properly deflect glory from you to God with a weakness that renders impossible the fulfillment of His supreme purpose.</div> <div> “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19, 20).” You'll recognize these words as the Great Commission. It's hardly a task for the fainthearted, is it?</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> God isn't afraid to prove Himself.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > Based on  <A NAME="matthew_286"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Matthew 28:6</FONT></div> <bR> <div> 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. (NIV)</div> <bR> <div> 6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. (KJV)</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Jesus Christ rose from the dead. That's the simple, straight forward gospel message. Do you believe it, or do you merely pretend? If you do believe, you have everlasting life. But if you're only pretending so as to present a “righteous” façade before man you have condemned yourself, at least to this point. Not everyone who calls “Lord, Lord” has believed and accepted.</div> <div> Mankind is naturally skeptical. Sometimes our sinful nature drives that skepticism and trust becomes difficult. We like to see proof, tangible evidence, before taking a leap of faith. Yet many people consider it sinful or disrespectful for a mere man to ask God for signs or explanations. What a pity, when God Himself knows our need for evidence, welcomes our questions, and understands the weakness of our faith.</div> <div> We can approach God with our concerns and our misunderstandings. He is strong and secure enough that we can ask our tough questions. “Come now, and let us reason together saith the Lord,” through His prophet Isaiah. Abraham reasoned with God, even bartered with Him, over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. That didn't turn out so well for Sodom and Gomorrah, but Abraham became the father of many people. </div> <div> Gideon asked God for a sign not once but twice, and this after God had sent his angel to Gideon and had spoken to him in His own voice. Some of the most prominent men in Biblical history dared to reason with God or to ask for proof of His message, and they were greatly blessed.</div> <div> John and Peter were among the first disciples Jesus called. They traveled with the Lord; they lived with him, and they saw him heal the lame, the blind, and the deaf. Jesus removed fever from Peter's own mother-in-law in the presence of both Peter and John. They were at the temple when Jesus drove out the moneychangers and foretold both his death and his resurrection on the third day. They were the first disciples on the scene that first Easter morning.</div> <div> Christ had risen, just as he said he would. With all the disciples knew of him and everything he had shared with them concerning his purpose, do you not think they should've immediately recognized what had happened? Yet the Lord's angel didn't instruct them to go immediately and tell the other disciples. Instead he invited them to see for themselves that the tomb no longer held the Risen Savior. God knew their hesitancy and proved Himself. Not because He needed to validate His power and purpose, but because He loved Peter and John, His creation, and desired their belief. He wants the same from us today.</div> <div> Man has no right to make demands of God, for we aren't worthy of His acknowledgement. Yet, in His grace and mercy He does acknowledge us for a season. Friend, if you're struggling with the gospel message ask God to make it real and understandable. If you're a Christian and unclear of God's purpose for your life, don't fear asking for a sign or clarification. He has provided both to His people before. Is there any doubt that He will do so again?</div> <div> Jesus gave his life for you, to forgive your sins, and to join you unto him. If you have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior your eternity is secure. If not, then why?</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >The Light of the world. </FONT>Based on  <A NAME="isaiah_6020"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Isaiah 60:20</div> <bR> <div> 20 Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.</div> <bR> <div> 20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.</div> <bR> <div> Human beings love light. We are drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Few are the people who prefer stumbling about in a dark place, groping for a familiar reference. Instead we'll flip on the light switch or carry a flashlight. Why bump into the furniture, step in a hole, or fall in a ditch when light prevents it all? Businesses install lighted signs to attract our attention. What's more, light can even affect our moods and attitudes.</div> <div> You may have experienced an air of gloom during the winter months. Days become shorter and provide less sunlight, and the sunlight itself loses intensity. Cold, rainy, and snowy days drive us inside and we get a little down, a little depressed. We may get a case of what's commonly known as the “winter blahs”.</div> <div> Sometimes this condition is so prevalent that therapists will treat it with artificial light. At its most extreme it's diagnosed as Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. It seems there's a disorder for everything these days so make what you will of SAD. Still, there's little doubt that light can improve our mood, and natural light, God-made light, is vastly superior for improving mood than is man-made light. If God's natural light can lift our spirits, how much more so His spiritual light?</div> <div> Mankind lives is a world fraught with trouble and pain (Job 5:7, 14:1). At times our humanity will surrender to pain, opening the door to gloom and suppressing our spirit. It's as if we have the spiritual “winter blahs”. How can we deal with the sorrows from financial setbacks, poor health, or the death of a loved one? Brothers and Sisters, we can regain a positive outlook when life turns sour.</div> <div> Through Isaiah's writing God has promised His people a sun that never sets and a moon that never wanes. It's far more than the normal light of the daytime sun or the nocturnal moon. It is a perpetual source of mood-enhancing, soul-lifting light. It is God's eternal, spiritual light, reigning supreme over sorrow's darkness and crowding the weight of sin from our soul.</div> <div> If natural light can improve our mood then surely His light can mend our spirit. We need not fear or worry; only accept and believe (John 14:1, 14:27). His light lifts the soul and revives the wilting spirit. Sadly, while mankind seeks light to improve mental and physical outlook we often cling to darkness in the spiritual sense, for men love darkness rather than light (John 3:19).</div> <div> God hasn't promised that faith will make life a bed of roses. God's light isn't a magic blanket that makes our troubles disappear. Jesus himself was described as a “man of sorrows” (Isaiah 53:3), and promised his followers that we can expect adversity, too (John 16:33, Rev. 2:10). However, His light helps us endure and overcome those hardships; hardships need not overcome us.</div> <div> Jesus Christ is our light therapy. He is the sun that never sets and the moon that never wanes. He is our everlasting light (John 13:46), bringing our days of sorrow to an end.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >For rich or for poor.  </FONT>Based on  <A NAME="mark_1022"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Mark 10:22</div> <bR> <div> 22 At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. (NIV)</div> <bR> <div> 22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. (KJV)</div> <bR> <div> When I became a Christian I admitted my sin before God. I believed that Jesus is God's Son, the perfect lamb, sacrificed for my transgressions. I then made that decision public at a revival meeting on Friday, March 23, 1973. I can't recall a vow of poverty being part of the deal, though life seems to work that way sometimes.</div> <div> When a rich man asked Jesus about eternal life, the Lord told him to sell his possessions, give the proceeds to the poor, and follow him. We know from our topical verse what happened. The man went away dejected, for he had great wealth. This exchange raises some interesting questions. Does Jesus intend for his followers to live as paupers? Or, did the problem arise because the rich man had allowed his wealth to take top priority in his life?</div> <div> It's often said that money is the root of all evil. This is where we miss a key point, for it is the love of money, not the money itself that brings problems.</div> <div> Abraham was known as a friend of God, yet he was rich in cattle, silver, gold, and servants, wealthy beyond the means of most men in his day. Jacob, the patriarch of the Israelites, was a wealthy man. Job, too, was a man of vast fortune, who lost everything only to see it restored double at God's hand. And what about Solomon, who may have surpassed them all? These examples make it difficult to conclude that wealth itself equals separation from God.</div> <div> Why did Christ make such a seemingly burdensome request to his wealthy visitor? Perhaps he was attempting to remove an obstacle that limited the man's ability to love and serve God. This man faced a choice, he could place God above his riches, where He belongs, or he could cling to the pleasures of this world. When you think about it, we face the same choices today. Far too often even Christians fail that test.</div> <div> It's interesting to consider what might have happened if the young man had said, “Yes, Lord,” and rushed away to follow Christ's instructions. Is it beyond reason to think that Jesus may have stopped him, satisfied his faith and priorities had passed the test? Suppose he followed the Lord's directions and Jesus did not stop him? What then? He may have seen God work in his life and bless him in ways the human mind cannot imagine. Perhaps God would've restored his wealth two-fold, just as He did for Job.</div> <div> No, this theory can't be proven accurate to this particular situation. But we do know that whatever we sacrifice for the glory of God doesn't escape His watchful eye.</div> <div> God will test His people. We will face tests and we will be tried. This doesn't necessarily mean that our faith and obedience binds us to perpetual poverty. Many of the Bible's greatest people were men of means, wealth, stature, and power. In each case they loved God more than their wealth. Christians who view financial success as incompatible with the Lord's purpose do so in error. Wealth becomes sin only when it takes Christ's proper place as Lord of our lives, as it had for the man in Mark's Gospel.</div> <div> Let us seek first the kingdom of God, and then allow Him to bless our efforts as He deems appropriate.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Separate observance from worship. </FONT>Based on  <A NAME="colossians_216"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Colossians 2:16</div> <bR> <div> 16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. (NIV)</div> <bR> <div> 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: (KJV)</div> <bR> <div> During the pre-grace period, the Old Testament, law and observance governed God's people. In order to maintain fellowship with God they presented all manner of sacrifice, observed religious festivals, and kept rules concerning the Sabbath (Num. 15:32-35).</div> <div> The Jewish people sacrificed unblemished calves for sin offerings, and made burnt offerings of rams (Lev. 9:2). They prepared unleavened bread mixed with oil for peace and thank offerings (Lev. 7:11, 12). Various rules and stipulations applied to these and other sacrifices (Lev. 7:8; Num. 10:10; Ex. 29:27).</div> <div> The Festival of Weeks, celebrated in the 3<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >rd</FONT> month, was a time of sacrifice and thanksgiving for God's harvest. During the 7<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >th</FONT> month Jewish families would spend a week living in booths, somewhat like today's camp meetings. This was called the Festival of Tabernacles and it served as a time of thanksgiving and to memorialize the Israelite's journey to Canaan. Purim was celebrated in the 12<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >th</FONT> month. It was a time of feasting and gift-giving commemorating the Jews deliverance in Queen Esther's day.</div> <div> However, the sacrifices, feasts, and observances themselves didn't justify man. It was the faith behind the actions that brought sanctification. Even Abraham was judged righteous because he believed (Gen.15:6). The Old Testament observances and Mosaic Law indicated how far short man falls from God's standard for holiness. They still proclaim that point today. The law confirms our need for a savior, who came as Jesus Christ.</div> <div> The Law of Moses doesn't bind Christians like a slave is bound to a master. Instead it serves as a reminder of our sinfulness in light of God's perfect holiness. Through the Old Testament scriptures and Mosaic Law Christians are drawn closer to Christ, constantly reminded of the guilt Jesus bore for us.</div> <div> Christians need observe no ritual or festival to please our Heavenly Father, save for baptism (Matt. 3:16; 28:19) and the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:23-26). Acceptance is due solely to faith in Christ, just as Abraham was justified thousands of years ago. That's not to say that observances and the like are totally unworthy. Believers observe the Lord's Day, Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving as an expression of love and gratitude to the Father. However, we need not recognize or observe these occasions from a sense of duty or in a vain attempt to appease God's wrath. Such religious observance will not save.</div> <div> The fact is that God's anger and fury isn't so much with us, His creation made in His image (Gen. 1:26). God's anger is directed toward the sinful nature that dwells within us and separates us from Him. What a comfort is it to know that Jesus forever satisfied God's judgment on Calvary's cross! No sacrifice, ritual, law or ceremony is required, only our faith expressed in love and worship.</div> <div> We must take care that our witness expresses the faith within us, and that our actions cause no man to stumble (Rom. 14:20; 1 Cor. 10:32). However, we should allow no man's use of dogmatic rule or ritual to judge our relationship with God.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Why do good people die young? </FONT>Based on  <A NAME="isaiah_571"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Isaiah 57:1</div> <bR> <div> 1 The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. (NIV)</div> <div> 1 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. KJV)</div> <bR> <div> At first look it's easy to see this verse as prophesying the church's rapture. This is especially true when we relate it to other rapture scriptures, such as Matthew 24:40-41, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. These passages all point toward God removing his people sometime before the tribulation period. It is a plausible interpretation.</div> <div> In Isaiah's writing devout men are taken away and those left behind fail to understand. But the rapture will come unexpectedly, for no one knows that day or hour. So, like most Biblical passages, there is another application.</div> <div> There is at least one experience common to all mankind. Each of us has known at least one good and decent person who died prematurely. We are left with far more questions than answers. We wonder why death snatches a person in the prime of life, when there seemed so much to live for. Personally, I've seen this happen on at least three occasions. </div> <div> Dub Tate was as fine a Christian man as ever lived. Anyone who talked with Dub was soon talking about Jesus. Christ was the core of his life, and he didn't mind letting you know it. Dub led the Royal Ambassadors at my church. He coached my RA ball team to the South Fork Association championship during my last year in the program.</div> <div> Dub was a loving husband, a dedicated father, a deacon, a teacher, and a friend. He was fit, active, and healthy. He died from a sudden heart attack in his early 50's. There was no sign, no warning, just death. Why was such a good and giving man who led such a beneficial life taken away?</div> <div> Barry Youngblood was less than 50-years-old when he died in his sleep, his wife by his side. Barry was active in church. He was regular in his attendance and served the Lord and the church faithfully. Left behind was a sweet wife to ponder questions for which there appear no answers. Left behind was a pretty teenage daughter. He didn't see her win a national cheerleading championship. She's left to navigate the vulnerable and impressionable high school years without her father's guidance. Again, you wonder why.</div> <div> Eddie Wallace was an adult when he gave his life to Christ. Once he accepted the Lord he became an integral part of the church. He served as a deacon. He also served on the budget and nominating committees. You well know that those are two of the most difficult, thankless and time-consuming positions in the church.</div> <div> Eddie was a successful and energetic businessman. In fact, he was rather wealthy. Yet, he never flaunted his playthings. Whenever I spoke with him he appeared genuinely humbled by his success, invariably giving thanks to God. He was also quite generous. It was widely believed that he gave substantial offerings to the church in times of need, and to missions. He never called attention to his giving. No one could accuse Eddie of being the Pharisee praying on the street corner.</div> <div> One night he lost control of his motorcycle and opened his eyes in eternity. He, too, left behind a beautiful daughter and a teenage son. Worse still, it was his son who found him shortly after the accident.</div> <div> Why were Dub, Barry, and Eddie taken away at life's pinnacle? Perhaps Isaiah's writing provides an answer, one that we can use while awaiting the church's rapture.</div> <bR> <div> Are you clairvoyant? Can you see the future? Sure, you can plan for the future based on past experience and gain at least some idea of how events may unfold. But it is at best an educated guess. Any reputable financial planner will tell you that past experience doesn't guarantee future results. The point is that you aren't clairvoyant and neither am I. We don't know the future. But God does!</div> <div> God knows what we face tomorrow, next week, and next year. Thus He knows our coming joys and successes, and our approaching trials and failures. Maybe the key to why good people die at what seems an inopportune time is found in the last line of our text.</div> <div> In my mind Dub, Barry, and Eddie died far too soon. In your mind, your friends did too. But we don't know what our friends may have faced had they lived. God knew what lay ahead. Is it beyond belief that He may have spared them great suffering from an unavoidable catastrophe simply by taking them into His eternal glory?</div> <div> I know this is impossible to prove. You may look back and see no event that justifies this conclusion. However, the fact that God took them could have changed subsequent events, preempting the otherwise unavoidable disaster. We'll never know, short of eternity, what hardships were averted when God called our friends home. But we can have faith that God sees beyond our sight to a reality beyond our understanding. Maybe we can take comfort in that knowledge, too.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Our efforts reflect whom we serve. </FONT>Based on  <A NAME="colossians_322"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Colossians 3:22</div> <bR> <div> 22: Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. (NIV)</div> <div> 22: Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: (KJV)</div> <bR> <div> Modern Christians may see this verse as insignificant. Slavery is rare in predominantly Christian societies today. However, we do know slavery existed in Old Testament days and that the Law of Moses addressed the treatment of slaves. Slavery also existed during Christ's life. Jesus addressed the issue of slavery in an unusual way, encouraging slaves to honor their service to their masters.</div> <div> Quite frankly, I don't think Jesus was condoning slavery in his teaching. In Isaiah 61:1 the prophet told how God chose him to “<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arabic Transparent" >proclaim liberty to the captives.</FONT>”<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arabic Transparent" > God</FONT>'<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arabic Transparent" >s directive to Isaiah was ultimately fulfilled in Christ.</FONT> However, slavery was a reality of Jesus' day, and he wanted slaves to realize that a higher calling, a higher existence, was waiting. Men, whether bond or free, were to express a hope above the worldly experience and so were to conduct their duties, even as slaves, for the greater glory of God. Yet we are all slaves to some extent.</div> <div> Jesus himself taught in John 8:34 that anyone who sins becomes its servant. Essentially our humanity makes us slaves to sin. Not that we should willingly serve sin, but he who redeemed us from sin, rendering it a former master. Christ is the Christian's master, having purchased us from sin. We are to serve Him. However, to make this case in light of our key text is to stretch that text somewhat. Paul instructs slaves to obey earthly masters. Christ is our heavenly, eternal master. So, if this text applies to earthly masters how can it help us live our daily lives?</div> <div> We have no authority to change scripture. It is God's message. Who is man to alter its meaning? So, since most of the modern world neither practices nor condones slavery, is this passage irrelevant? Hardly, for Paul also wrote in II Timothy 3:16 that all scripture is God given and useful for doctrine, correction and encouragement. Therefore, this verse has an applicable meaning in modern society. Perhaps applying this passage's truth to our lives requires us to change not the meaning but the application.</div> <div> Paul teaches slaves to work honorably, for the right reasons. Slaves were not to honor their masters with good work only when they were being watched or for the possibility of reward. Slaves were to serve their masters for God's glory. Suppose we were to substitute worker or employee for slave or servant, and bosses or foremen for masters? Now we have a modern illustration, one that can speak the underlying truth of this passage without changing the meaning one iota.</div> <div> Have you known a co-worker who produced top quality work… as long as the boss was watching? But, when the boss wasn't present the co-worker's production slipped and the quality of their work deteriorated. Have you also noticed that this person is most likely to grumble about their job and gripe about management's foolishness?</div> <div> No one to whom a worker is accountable -be it a department head, a district manager, a board of directors, stockholders, or customers- can watch a worker all of the time. This verse teaches today's Christian that we must honor our supervisors with our best efforts, even when those efforts aren't recognized. We must do this because Jesus is our ultimate master, our great boss, and his back is never turned. When we remember this we will produce our best work at all times. We will produce our best work for our own sense of satisfaction and pride in workmanship, not for the praise of our boss or company. Most important, we will produce our best work so that we reflect well on our true boss, the Lord Jesus Christ.</div> <div> No matter our level of wealth or our professional standing we can take pride in our work if we give our best effort at all times. We can take pleasure in knowing that we have used the gifts our Creator has granted, and done so for His glory. It is called accountability, and it's a quality becoming far too uncommon in both the Christian and secular worker.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Who is man to advise God? </FONT>Based on  <A NAME="isaiah_4013"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Isaiah 40:13</div> <bR> <div> 13: Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed him as his counselor?</div> <div> 13: Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counseller hath taught him?</div> <bR> <div> How can we humans, with finite mind and comprehension, understand a God whose ways are not our ways? “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD,” ironically through the prophet Isaiah (55:9). We are encased in a corruptible shell. Our nature leans toward the easiest path, which is most often the path of evil. God, by contrast, is perfect. He has no corruptible shell for He is spirit, which we know from the fourth chapter of John's Gospel, verse 24. We cannot understand God, or his ways, in our own power.</div> <div> When we come to grip with God's superior intellect we also understand how deep and powerful are His words. Each nugget of Biblical truth is applicable in multiple ways, to multiple situations. A single verse read and grasped alone can teach a great truth. It can instruct us in His ways. Conversely, that same verse when read and understood in relation to the surrounding passages may convey a different truth. Both revelations can be factual, practical, inspirational, and useful. Yet those truths can be unrelated, conveying different depths of meaning or levels of understanding.</div> <div> Mankind, we must realize that everything we know and understand about God is given us by God Himself. He can reveal His knowledge and purpose to anyone He chooses, from the most experienced Doctor of Christian ministry to the newest of believers. Don't think this is meant to discount seminary or divinity training and study; nothing is further from the truth. It does indicate that God can speak through the layman to convey an important lesson, learned from a single verse, just as He can speak through the most exhaustive theological analyses. For an example we'll look to Isaiah 59:1-8.</div> <div> The overall passage speaks to man's sin. Verse four tells us that man doesn't seek justice with honor and integrity. Attempting to defend our iniquity is an empty lie, for our hearts are set on wrongdoing. However, when we read verse four alone it is a stinging rebuke of many tort lawyers practicing in America's courts today. Do not many lawyers ignore justice in pursuit of legal victory, shunning integrity in favor of shallow and misleading arguments?</div> <div> It is evident that even our most learned actually know very little. The more God's word is pondered the more a quote attributed to Einstein is proven correct, “The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know.” If, then, we know so little, how can we expect to instruct God?</div> <div> Vast amounts of God's Word remain mysterious to even the most comprehending mind. What He has revealed to us is often inconceivable. Explain, for instance, with absolute certainty Revelations 21:21. Heaven's street is described as pure gold, like transparent glass. How can we envision, much less understand, transparent gold? God showed this street to John, who saw it with his eyes, and yet he could not clearly convey his vision. So how can we, who have not seen, picture the Heaven's golden street?</div> <div> That which is incomprehensible for us is simple for God. He can create a street so majestic that we can't contemplate, much less envision, its existence. Yet, we try to impose our will on Him? What nonsense!</div> <div> God doesn't need our instruction and advice. Not only does He know His eternal plan, He also knows His plan for us. What's more, God knows where we fit into both. Can there be any doubt that our lives would be better if we'd listen to Him and follow His lead, rather than trying to act as His instructor?</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Pursuing an impossible goal. </FONT>Based on  <A NAME="ephesians_222"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Ephesians 2:22</div> <bR> <div> 22: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. (KJV)</div> <div> 22: And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (NIV)</div> <bR> <div> Only the most disciplined and focused of people can continue to work on a project they can't complete alone. Such a task is not the same as refusing to acknowledge the impossible. Perseverance in that case is foolish. But continuing to work on a task the fruition of which is beyond our life and power is the essence of foresight and faith.</div> <div> This principle is the founding block for the Church of Jesus Christ. Through him, men and women of faith continue working to perfect his church while knowing full-well that it will not happen until after his Second Coming. What keeps the Christian builder going is the sustaining power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit helps us see beyond the limits of human constraints to a time of promises fulfilled. But this is applicable to more than just the church.</div> <div> God is not working through man only to establish the church in its earthly, or eternal, state. He wants more than a place of worship; He wants to establish each believer. Just as God builds the church through us, He also builds us. Each and every person who accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is being developed as a place of worship for the Almighty God. We are His temple, his habitation. He lives in each of us.</div> <div> Friends, our humanity will not allow us to see the completion of God's perfect work during this life. But through diligence and persistence we will, by God's power and grace, become what He wants us to be. We will become useful to Him in this life, a suitable habitation from which His message can flow to a world in need. Someday we will become perfect through Him.</div> <div> God is working on His people, those saved by His Son Jesus, so that we may be acceptable to Him. He finishes what He starts, even when that task seems impossible. If we are to follow his example we must finish what we start, even when the finish cannot be reached through our power alone.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Apply the “KISS” principle to salvation. </FONT>Based on  <A NAME="hebrews_1014"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Hebrews 10:14</div> <bR> <div> 14: because by one sacrifice he had made perfect forever those who are being made holy. (NIV)</div> <div> 14: For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (KJV)</div> <bR> <div> You have heard of the “KISS” principle haven't you: “Keep it simple, stupid?” Yes, you've heard the phrase before; everyone has heard the phrase before. So, why is it that we humans are so adamant about complicating every activity and process? Why do we elevate problems to their highest degree instead of boiling them down to their base element? I guess we'll never know the answer, at least not beyond conjecture. But the premise is no less true.</div> <div> Christianity is a perfect example of this human condition due entirely to our weak faith. Even among born again believers, people having asked Christ into their hearts, there are those who don't fully accept his gift in the unconditional manner in which it is offered. It's as if there is something more we can do, or a missing piece we can add, to a work that is already whole.</div> <div> Some Christian followers maintain that a believer can lose their salvation. This idea depends on a Christian's sinful behavior or backsliding having the power to separate us from God once more, since God cannot accept sin into His Holy Presence. This is the thinking of the law. Yet, even before Mosaic Law we know that Abraham was justified not by law or works but by faith. If, then, salvation comes through faith in God's work, how can man unravel that which God has woven? If man possessed that power there would be no need to worship God, for he would not be omnipotent.</div> <div> Jesus made the perfect sacrifice, and he made it once for all who would believe. Through accepting Christ and repenting of our sins we are considered perfect forevermore. Each time God looks upon our guilt, He sees it through the blood of His Son and our stains become white. Although we may endure hardship related to our transgressions we are, in essence, credited for now being what we will be when we enter God's Eternal Kingdom.</div> <div> Our time on earth is merely a process through which God is spreading His redemptive work and, simultaneously, making us holy. When we leave this world His work of holiness will be completed in His Glory. It's a done deal… signed, sealed, and delivered.</div> <div> There is no need to complicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God has given man the opportunity to be saved by grace, through faith, and not of works lest any man should boast. It is as simple as taking God at His word and accepting that our sins are eternally forgiven if we will simply trust Him to complete that work in us. Salvation is just that simple. It only becomes complicated when we try to impose our flawed and terrestrial conditions on the perfect and supernatural work He has performed.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> No one gets away with sin  <A NAME="2_samuel_1214"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>2 Samuel 12:14</div> <bR> <div> 14: But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt, the son born to you will die. (NIV)</div> <div> 14: Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. (KJV)</div> <bR> <div> God is not mocked. No man can hide his ways or thoughts from his Creator. This is a simple truth, one that most Christians understand very well, and it is illustrated in this account from David's life. So, why does it seem that evil often does go unpunished, or even rewarded?</div> <div> How many times have the wicked prospered while the righteous suffer? It seems a fact of modern life that double-dealing, treachery, debauchery, and deceit produce success and fame. On one hand, honorable people who fear God and serve him struggle with every circumstance. On the other hand, the more vile and perverse a person lives the more life seems to go their way. Just take a look at celebrity life.</div> <div> One any given day you'll find Brittney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, or Nicole Ritchie involved in some sort of illicit behavior. Yet, instead of resulting in rejection, it seems their fame skyrockets due to acts for which we would punish our teenagers. Paris Hilton is another example. Celebrities of all types promote all manner of loathsome immorality, and they continue to find success and public acceptance.</div> <div> Life can be discouraging. But we can know that God is not mocked, although He may remain silent at times.</div> <div> This sad episode in David's life, a man after God's own heart, isn't included to alter his legacy or defame his achievements. It is here so we can learn the destructive cycle of evil desires and disobedience, and to show that no one escapes God's watchful eye or is exempt from his judgment.</div> <div> A chance glimpse of the bathing Bathsheba spawned David's lust. The lust led to adultery, which impregnated another man's wife. These sins built upon themselves, producing lies and deceit that led to the planned death of a subordinate, Bathsheba's husband Uriah.</div> <div> The child born from David and Bathsheba's adulterous union did not survive, as the prophet predicted to David. It should serve notice that no one “gets by” with anything in the sight of God, even though it may seem like they do. Each and every sin, great and small, public and secret, are know to God. Even our thoughts, such as David's lust for Bathsheba, do not escape his watchful eye. Everyone is subject to His authority and judgment.</div> <div> David's actions dishonored God before unbelievers. He was known as a credible man of God and, in this case, he didn't provide an honorable witness for Him. Nothing could save him when God called him into account. Despite his wealth, power, stature and fame he paid a price for his sins.</div> <div> Sometimes the price of sin is paid outwardly and publicly. Other times no one knows the price an individual pays for their sins. We do, however, know that a price is paid. If God didn't grant an exception for the king of Israel, why should he grant one for us? We will pay a price for our sins, and so will people who seem to “get by” with their transgressions. But the good news is that the price doesn't have to be eternal.</div> <div> The ultimate price, the eternal price, was paid by Jesus Christ when he was nailed to the cross, buried in the borrowed tomb, and arose on the third day. God never promised that we wouldn't suffer the consequence of our choices on earth. He has promised that we need not take them into eternity.</div> <div> Though we may live obscure and mundane lives compared to other people, if we have latched onto this truth we are wealthier by far than the rich and famous.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> Whatever we do, God is a step ahead  <A NAME="joshua_19"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Joshua 1:9</div> <div> 9: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (NIV)</div> <div> 9: Have not I commanded thee?  Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (KJV)</div> <bR> <div> All of us -every man, woman, and child- needs comfort and encouragement from time to time. Everyone faces uncertainties and anxieties. Are we good enough to succeed? Are we thoroughly prepared? Do we have the knowledge and expertise to see our tasks through to the end? These questions and doubts have entered everyone's mind at one time or another. Everyone has experienced inadequacy, either real or perceived, at some point.</div> <div> For a child, a looming math test will produce enormous amounts of insecurity. A college student doubts their ability to complete their doctoral thesis. They are swamped, surrounded by the research and the books, to say nothing of the notes from each source. How can this tangled web of information transform into an intelligible document that still retains the writer's personality? </div> <div> Farmers worry about excessive rain. Then, when the rain stops, their concerns shift to drought. Perhaps no one experiences such angst as does the sales professional while making that long, solitary trek toward the prospect's door. Will the occupants offer acceptance, mere tolerance, or rejection accompanied by a flood of expletives? Having spent a brief, and altogether unsatisfying and unproductive, time in sales I know this firsthand.</div> <div> Man frets about such things to the extent that inadequacy and doubt become a normal, if not particularly desirable, fact of life. Inadequacy and doubt can be intimidating, threatening, and often humiliating. But they don't have to be overwhelming or lonely.</div> <div> What does God tell us to do when doubt, fear, and discouragement arise? “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged,” He says. If He is for us, who can be against us? We should, therefore, face our obstacles with strength and bravery. We need not fear, nor is there cause for discouragement, because He is with us when we seek and follow His will.</div> <div> God is there when the teacher hands the math test to the fifth grader. He is there when the college student is researching and writing the thesis. God knows the needs of the farmer even better than the farmer himself. He is in step with the salesman approaching the client's door. It is when we pursue goals in our strength, shunning God's will and purpose, that doubt takes root and failure looms.</div> <div> If only we realized that we are not required to provide strength, intelligence, action, or courage. God asks us only to be submissive to His calling, willing to follow His plan, and faithful to His leadership. If we can provide these three qualities, all born of faith, He is ready and able to do the rest.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> Our abilities are only as strong as our faith  <A NAME="amos_214_16"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Amos 2:14-16</div> <div> 14 The swift will not escape, the strong will not muster their strength, and the warrior will not save his life. </div> <div> 15 The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet-footed soldier will not get away, and the horseman will not save his life. </div> <div> 16 Even the bravest warriors will flee naked on that day," declares the LORD. (NIV)</div> <bR> <div> 14: Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself:</div> <div> 15: Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself.</div> <div> 16: And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the LORD. (KJV)</div> <bR> <div> Amos paints a rather pessimistic picture, doesn't he? Apparently there is no security, no strength, no escape, and no hope in the face of a coming judgment.</div> <div> The fast runner will not be able to escape the advancing armies. Though they may run their speed will be insufficient. They will not deliver themselves, for their trust is in their ability.</div> <div> Strength, individually or militarily, won't be adequate when God brings his wrath upon a rebellious people. Nations will fortify their defenses, and it is wise to do so, but to no avail. When God has determined His course no amount of human power or might will alter His action. Military force, technology, and training will be insufficient when man has pushed His Creator beyond His limit for tolerance, which is extensive but not boundless.</div> <div> Not even the rider of the horse will evade his enemy. In modern terminology it may be the rider of the tank, armored vehicle, or plane. Soldiers and armaments will provide no defense, nor will their mechanisms. When man has pushed God to His limit, these things will not defeat His judgment. They will neither deliver nor protect.</div> <div> When the runner's speed fails to carry him to safety and the strong and mighty, in person and force, falter, what of the courageous?</div> <div> Some individuals are fearless in the face of danger. They are unaffected by the possibility of harm, or even death. These brave soldiers become the battlefield heroes, for they are the ones who attack fortified positions single-handedly. They are warriors who hold their positions against all odds, facing overwhelming forces with an unreasonable and indefinable courage. Their purpose is clear in their heart and mind. Failure is not an option, and they will pursue their duty at all costs.</div> <div> Yet, when faced with God's righteous and powerful presence, they will shrink and flee. Their bravery will be stripped and their carefully concealed weakness exposed. They will run, naked before their Maker.</div> <div> What hope do we, mere humans, have? The speed of the swift is slowed. Strength is made weak, and confidence is swallowed up in insecurity. The strong nation cannot present an adequate resistance. Weaponry, bravery, and numbers will wither like grass under the scorching desert sun.</div> <div> None of these qualities or abilities is weak in themselves. All of them are necessary for a people, a nation, to survive and prosper. Yet, while impressive to man, they are nothing to God. They cannot prevent, restrain, or escape God's judgment.</div> <div> Still man trusts these abilities exclusively. We think our bravery, our speed, our cunning, our military and technology, can protect us from all harm. What fools we are, for they are not our ultimate protection. They are vanity in His sight, a gnat to be brushed aside.</div> <div> It is time God reclaimed first place in our lives, and in the life of America. Then, to that faith, all these capabilities will be added, just as they have been in times past. However, when we continue to trust our strengths we are welcoming disaster. If God would not overlook Israel's rebellion, though they were His chosen people, why should we think He will overlook ours?</div> <div> We should be thankful for our nation's military. We should be thankful for our troop's strength and bravery. We should be thankful for the swiftness with which we can deploy and withdraw forces when necessary. But we must remember that it is for naught without God.</div> <div> He strengthens strength and hastens swiftness. He bolsters courage and multiplies force. He encourages the warrior in his trial. It is God who provides the strength to stand. As Paul to church at Rome, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”</div> <div> It's time we remembered the source of our strength.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> We work in vain unless God is our contractor  <A NAME="psalms_1271"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Psalms 127:1</div> <div> 1 Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.</div> <div> 1: Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.</div> <bR> <div> America is a land of great wealth and success, and American tastes reflect those achievements. People seek larger and larger homes and are willing to sacrifice their future to that pursuit. Despite the financial risks this remains a personal choice and should be decided privately.</div> <div> In reality, there is nothing at all wrong with a large house if you can afford one and choose to spend your money in that way. No, there's nothing wrong with owning a large, opulent home… unless that home owns you.</div> <div> Unless you have a large family, and most Americans don't, you have no real “need” for the five bedrooms, three bath homes with the three car garage, a kitchen, pantry, dining room, breakfast nook, living room, reception area, family room, game room, play room and den. Desire, not need, determines most such home designs. We build not for need but for status. However, your need isn't the point, for need is arbitrary and has different meanings to different people. You must determine need for yourself.</div> <div> Even so, homeowners should consider the home, no matter its size, as a material treasure. It's no different than a car, truck, boat, motorcycle, or whatever plaything you simply can't live without. You work hard to build that house and obtain those pleasures, and yet there is a catch. If you build your home solely upon luxury, on your strength, you have gained but futility. Your foundation is shabby at best.</div> <div> What if we look at the “city” and its “watchman” as a nation and its defenses?</div> <div> It is not our policemen who protect us from the criminal element. Policemen aren't likely to be there when a crime is committed. Their job is to investigate, identify, and apprehend suspects after the fact. The fire is already burning when you call the fire department, and you won't call the paramedics until you're hurt or ill. These are remedies. They aren't preventatives and their protective effect is small.</div> <div> America's military, troop strength and preparedness are second to none. We have the most advanced military technology in world history. We have Apache helicopters to provide close air and anti-armor support. The F/A 18 Hornet is a versatile, carrier-based, super-sonic jet capable of a wide array of combat operations from fighter to medium attack bomber. The Air Force's B-2 Stealth Bomber can penetrate enemy territory undetected, even to the point of delivering nuclear payloads.</div> <div> There are F-15s, F-16s, and the technologically advanced F-22 fighters. Somewhere in the developmental stage is the F-35 Lightning, which may make all of the above obsolete. We have missiles ranging from the shoulder fired Javelin to the Peacekeeper ICBM. There are numerous combat vehicles, ships, submarines, helicopters, airplanes, jets, missiles, rockets, and satellites. In the developmental stage is a system to defend against missile weaponry that an enemy might possess.</div> <div> However, if these are the only watchmen to keep the nation secure then their watch is futile.</div> <div> God our Father is the builder of sound homes and the protector of great nations. No matter how grand your home may be. No matter how intricate its design or advanced its security system, you labor in vain if the Lord isn't the centerpiece. Our weapons, troops, and training can provide no defense if our security rests not in God. Our homes will provide neither peace nor contentment if not built by the Master.</div> <div> Everything begins with the Lord. We must trust Him to build the home. We must trust Him to watch the city. If we do not trust the Lord first, the other things we seek to provide happiness and security will never provide the happiness and security we seek.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> Ask God the tough question  <A NAME="john_941"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>John 9:41</div> <div> 41: Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” (NIV)</div> <div> 41: Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. (KJV)</div> <bR> <div> As Christians we serve a king unlike any other ruler the world has ever known. Throughout human history the vast majority of kings were unchallenged, unchecked, and unquestioned rulers. Anyone bold enough to question those kings was often rewarded not with an answer but with an execution. Our King doesn't treat us this way.</div> <div> Our King welcomes our questions. He wants to know our concerns. He longs to make His word and will known to us. This passage from the Gospel of John opens a question I have often pondered. Perhaps you have, too. Can it also answer that question?</div> <div> What eternity awaits people in remote areas, people neither touched nor reached by the outside world? What happened to the countless souls of tribesmen who lived in the Amazon, Darkest Africa and pre-colonial America, where the news of Jesus was unknown? What is the eternal destination of isolated people who never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not even once? Think about the number of people who have lived this way over the years. What is their relationship to God? While it's true that this verse doesn't address the question directly, it can open the door to some interesting thoughts.</div> <div> In the first sentence Jesus says a blind man isn't guilty of sin. The notion of physical blindness can be quickly dismissed since such a person can still “see” the spiritual concept of good and evil. They can also hear how Christ's sacrifice paid the price of sin. But, if a man has never heard the Gospel how can he accept or reject its message? Will he be held accountable for rejecting what he has never known or had the opportunity to learn?</div> <div> By now you should notice that questions are being posed but no answers are provided. I don't know how people that have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ are judged by our Heavenly Father. Some observers stress an implied understanding, that being the innate concept of God that lives in each human being. Perhaps that concept leads to a salvation by faith similar to Abraham's in Genesis 15:6 and revisited by Paul in Romans 4:3. </div> <div> Is it possible that Christ addressed the situation in this statement to the Pharisees? Jesus assigns responsibility to those who claim to “see,” meaning people who know God's Word and understand its declarations on good and evil. Exposure to God's message holds us accountable for our response. The Pharisees, learned men of the Old Testament, fit this description. They knew Mosaic Law and the prophecies concerning the Messiah. They could see, yet they rejected what they saw and their guilt remained.</div> <div> Now, there remain the people who are truly “blind,” having no knowledge of the Gospel whatsoever. When such a person dies, are they accountable for rejecting a saving message they have never heard? Could it be that Jesus reveals his saving message to people who respond to that inner knowledge of God and the need for a relationship with Him that was mentioned earlier? Since such people are “blind,” are they not guilty of sin?</div> <div> I don't know that we can answer this question, at least not with our frail and limited knowledge of God and His purposes. We can, however, recognize that Christians are responsible for acting upon the Gospel's message. Christians “see” God's salvation through Christ and cannot claim to be blind. The same is true for anyone who hears the Gospel and rejects its truth.</div> <div> The lesson in this verse isn't found in the theological debates, faithful assertions, or unanswerable possibilities that were raised previously. To focus exclusively on those points misses the greater truth. Our desire for answers to deep spiritual and scriptural questions doesn't offend God. He isn't sitting on His throne, lightning bolt in hand, patiently waiting for us to ask a question about Him or His Word. In fact, He welcomes such exchanges. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD…” in Isaiah 1:18.</div> <div> Of course, we must be willing to listen to His answers.  </div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> Little words mean a lot  <A NAME="2_timothy_216"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>2 Timothy 2:16</div> <bR> <div> 16: Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. (NIV)</div> <div> 16: But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. (KJV)</div> <bR> <div> It has been said that a frog dropped in boiling water will hop out immediately. However, if that same frog is placed in a pot of cool water, which is then heated slowly, he will sit there and boil to his death. I don't know this to be a scientific truth and it should be understood that I have not attempted to gain proof through personal experiment.</div> <div> Whether or not this tale is factual is immaterial; it serves as a useful transition to another analogy, that of the slippery slope. Once we set foot on the slope and the slide begins it can be difficult, often impossible, to stop. We may not even realize we're sliding until we slip off the edge. Like the frog, we do not recognize the trouble we are in. If we do, it may be too late to alter the outcome.</div> <div> Sometimes an ungodly word can appear such a trivial, unnoticeable event. We don't appreciate the use of a few off-color words as morally problematic. We even condone such language occasionally… you know, to accentuate a story or enhance a situation. What could be the harm in sharing a semi-obscene story with the boys at work, or a risqué joke in the gym locker room? </div> <div> It is the first instance of temperature change that sets the frog on his way to boiling. It is the first step onto a slippery slope that sets the slide in motion. So it goes with the “minor” sin. It doesn't seem serious at its onset. Yet it represents us ignoring God's perfect will, breaking our fellowship with Him. Once that fellowship is broken, once that heat increases, once that slide begins, we are on our way to greater and greater sin.</div> <div> If we were to commit a sudden, unplanned act of absolute debauchery, or use vile and despicable language, the likes of which the Devil himself would not claim, we would be appalled upon reflection. Just like the burned frog we would jump from the scalding water. When Christians plunge defiantly into a sinful activity we are overcome with shame and guilt. We confess our sin to God, beg forgiveness, and run from further temptation. We are hopping from the boiling water and scrambling away from the slippery slope. But what if the sin weren't so blatant and instantaneous?</div> <div> Suppose, Christian, you have an attractive, young co-worker. Your standard, friendly conversation begins to take a new direction, a flirtatious direction. There are no perceivable adverse affects. In fact, the banter is enjoyable and welcomed. This acceptance leads to exchanges of a more suggestive and provocative nature. Erstwhile friendly lunches now find you sitting on the same side of the booth. Soon you're entering the restaurant arm in arm, and the rendezvous end with physical contact. The lunches become dinners, the dinners become dates, and the dates become... you can see where this is going.</div> <div> You are slowly boiling in the pot, sliding down the slope. Catastrophe awaits and you are oblivious to its presence until it's too late. You never meant for things to get this far. How did you come to this point?</div> <div> It was the little words, that godless chatter. It was those profane and vain babblings. Indeed, it is the “little” sin that enslaves.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> Jews didn't crucify Jesus… we did!  <A NAME="luke_2325"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Luke 23:25</div> <bR> <div> 25: He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.</div> <div> 25: And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.</div> <bR> <div> It is easy for people today, both Christian and non-Christian, to belittle the Jews for their attitude toward Jesus. They demanded the release of a dangerous, murderous rebel. They rejected the presence of the Messiah they had long anticipated. Jesus had taught them in their synagogues, from the writings of Moses and the prophets, with an authority they had never experienced. They had witnessed Jesus healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, and causing the lame to walk. More important than all this, they knew he was innocent.</div> <div> To see their decision from a modern perspective simply apply this analogy. Suppose America had the choice of releasing from prison either Billy Graham or Charles Manson… and chose Manson.</div> <div> We would never do such a thing, would we? We wouldn't choose a vile and murderous criminal over someone who lived a just and exemplary life, would we? Before answering, look at this verse in a different light.</div> <div> We know Barabbas' background. He represents a choice rooted in evil. Jesus lived perfectly, sinless. His miracles were unequaled. His teaching was spiritual, logical, and irrefutable. Jesus represents the opposite choice from Barabbas, the choice of good. Now that we face a choice between evil and good, which do we generally choose?</div> <div> Even the most devout Christian will experience as much or more failure than success. We defile our Savior and our witness with our foul words and dirty jokes, or our apathy towards both. We demean spiritual liberty with public intoxication, excessive materialism, jealousy, pride, gossip and selfish greed. Even those of us who live the pious public life demean our Christian walk privately.</div> <div> How many Christians have committed physical adultery, known only to them and their accomplice? How many have committed mental adultery, which Jesus said in Matthew 5:28 is equivalent? How many Christians secretly view pornography, thinking no one will know? How many harbor malicious hatred toward an enemy, or bathe their words with falsehood and slander?</div> <div> When we look at the choice between Barabbas and Jesus as a choice between evil and good we find that we are little different from the Jews of that first “Good Friday.” We raise our hands and cry, “Lord, Lord.” But the way we live shouts, “Crucify him!”</div> <div> Don't be too quick to judge Jesus' contemporaries. When we point a finger at them we also point a finger at ourselves. The choice of Jesus or Barabbas is the same choice of good or evil that we face each day.  If we are honest we must acknowledge that we release Barabbas far more often than we release Jesus.</div> <div> <A HREF="in_layman_s_terms_m.htm" TITLE="In Laymans Terms"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="mark_6_42_43"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Mark 6: 42, 43</div> <div> 42: And they did all eat, and were filled. 43: And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. (KJV)</div> <bR> <div> 42: They all ate and were satisfied, 43: and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. (NIV)</div> <bR> <div> Anyone who attended so much as a children's Sunday School class will immediately recognize this passage. It's from Jesus' feeding of the 5000 men by the Sea of Galilee. You'll recall how Jesus took the two available fish and five loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to the multitude.</div> <div> Each man in attendance ate until their need was met. Additionally, there were women and children present. Would the Lord not also have fed them? The number of people Christ fed at the shores of Galilee may have been twice that mentioned in Scripture, making the miracle all the more amazing. And in verse 43 we see that there was plenty left over. In fact, there was more left over than existed at the beginning.</div> <div> I accept this story as a literal account, meaning that I believe Jesus took the small amount of food and literally fed more than 5000 people. First, I believe it because the Bible records the event in a historical context, not in the context of the parable teachi