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| Volume 24 Number 10 October 2022 |
Page 5 |
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| Volume 24 Number 10 October 2022 |
Page 5 |
Denny Petrillo
Sometimes (many times), change is hard. My wife tells me I don’t like change. This may be the way it is with most people.
Solomon knew we may make choices in life that are hard to change. One area that is hard to change is the people with whom we associate. It takes wisdom for a person to determine to no longer associate with unspiritual people. There comes a time when one must honestly admit that others influence him more than he influences them.
Solomon didn’t beat around the bush. He identified clearly the kind of people he wanted his son to avoid, “…the man who speaks perverse things; From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil; Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways; To deliver you from the strange woman, From the adulteress who flatters with her words” (Proverbs 2:14-16 NASU).
These may all be, overall, nice people. They might be funny, entertaining and even charismatic. Yet, wisdom screams that we should get away from such. They all have the tendency to turn others into being like them – people who have no relationship with God.
If we are wise, we will find good people and make them our true friends. Solomon said to his son, “So you will walk in the way of good men And keep to the paths of the righteous” (Proverbs 2:20).
Maybe it’s time for a change, for you to say to your friends, “I’m out of here!” Or, related to this, maybe it is time to say, “I’m done watching that TV show,” “I’m finished going to that type of movie” or “I’m not going to read that kind of material anymore.” Realizing that these people and activities pull us down should make us pull away from them. That would be a wise choice.
God’s Grace, Love and
Mercy –
For which We
Should Be Thankful!
Raymond Elliott
Grace, love and mercy are inherent in the very nature of our Heavenly Father, God Almighty! Two Scriptures have these attributes mentioned regarding our God. They are Ephesians 2:4-8 and Titus 3:4-7. Please read the first passage in Ephesians 2 and observe what is written about mercy, love and grace: “rich in mercy,” “great love,” “exceeding riches of His grace” and “For by grace you have been saved” (NKJV). Now read the passage in Titus 3 and observe what Paul wrote about love, mercy and grace: “Love of God our Savior, but according to His mercy He saved us” and “justified by His grace.”
God’s grace is greater than our sins. “…He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9). “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). Our iniquities demanded God’s justice, but instead, He extended His unmerited favor to us so we could be redeemed by the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ His beloved Son!
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:13). “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). In our finite minds, we will never be able to comprehend the “width and length and depth and height” of the love of God and Christ (Ephesians 3:17-18).
It is “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:5-6). “For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:11-14). Oh, how great is the kindness and compassion of our Heavenly Father!
There is an old story that tells of two angels who were dispatched from Heaven, each with a basket – one to bring back the prayers of petitions, the other, prayers of thanksgivings. Both returned in great distress and trouble. The collector of petitions had his basket full and a sack as well, but the angel of thanksgiving had only three. It is right and good that we should make intercession for others (Romans 10:1), petitions to God (Matthew 6:11, Colossians 1:9) and supplications (Philippians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:1-2). What is often lacking in our prayers, both private and public, is the giving of thanks to God! Should we not praise God from whom all blessings flow? In Revelation 7:11-12, we read that the angels, elders and the four living creatures worshiped God, saying, “…Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
My brothers and sisters in Christ, when we pray let us praise God and give thanks to Him for His infinite grace, steadfast love and tender mercy! Our hearts should overflow with gratitude for these blessings, without which we could not be saved! Furthermore, it would be good if our songs and our prayers in our assemblies were filled with praise and adoration to God for such blessings from our Heavenly Father! Let us all think on these things. “Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies” (Psalm 103:1-4).