Certainly, the search for happiness is the aim of every life. However, we may have a difference of opinion on how to achieve it. There is a difference between pleasure, sensation and happiness. Even the U.S. Constitution gives its citizens the unalienable right to “the pursuit of happiness.” We can be happy in spite of undesirable circumstances that occur in life. Persecutions may befall one in his or her life, and yet, a person can still be happy. “Blessed [happy] are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12 NKJV). On may experience some degree of poverty, and yet not despair over one’s situation. “Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk’” (Acts 3:6). In addition, some disappointments visit everyone from time to time. If a person cannot be happy despite disappointments, then no one could be happy, for all have some disappointments. Possessing things is not necessary to obtain happiness. The wealth of the rich often fail to insulate them from being miserable. Wisdom, the possession of an intangible, brings heaviness of mind. Sensual pursuits after which most of the world pursues is unable to bring lasting happiness. Acquiring power over others …

When Paul wrote a second time to Timothy, he was thankful “when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also” (2 Timothy 1:5). Timothy’s faith was indeed remarkable, considering his family background. He came from a religiously mixed family where his mother was a “Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek” who did not believe in God as evidenced by the fact that Timothy was not circumcised (Acts 16:1, 3). Yet, even from a home like that, Paul could say that Timothy’s faith was real. The word “genuine” [“unfeigned,” KJV; “sincere,” ESV]” is translated from a word that means sincere, genuine, without hypocrisy (1 Timothy 1:5; Romans 12:9; 2 Corinthians 6:6; James 3:15; 1 Peter 1:22). How was Timothy able to have such genuine faith from that less than ideal family situation? The answer is his mother and grandmother! Later in this letter, Paul acknowledged that “from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). Parents, and even grandparents, must teach the Scriptures to their children and grandchildren! Children must be receptive to their teaching! Many family situations today are less than ideal, but that does not mean we cannot do what Timothy’s mom and grandmother did! Let us always teach and exemplify God’s Word!

Lately, it seems like I’ve been consistently adding things to my plate. Tasks, jobs and responsibilities seem to pile up pretty quickly, and those things tend to dominate our lives, don’t they? Yet, as the burdens get more numerous and heavier, have you been guilty of leaving God out of your life every now and then? With the added responsibility you might have recently taken, did you make sure you still found time to read God’s Word and pray to Him? If your life seems to be getting cluttered like mine, will you commit to making more time for God as your tasks and jobs increase? What would that look like practically in your life?

The Collyer brothers, Homer and Langley, lived in a four-story brownstone house located in Harlem, New York. Both were college educated, and they also were extremely eccentric and reclusive. Over the years, their home became a junk fortress. When it was apparent that these two brothers had died, officials entered their home. They found the entire four-stories filled with junk. With boarded up windows, the house had no telephone, power or water. The brothers hauled water from a pond located in a park that was four blocks away. They barricaded themselves and lived in isolation from the outside world. These two men had accumulated a vast amount of junk to include an old Ford Model T automobile, yes, in their house. The first observation of their bizarre behavior and their self-restricted world was observed in the year of 1942. After their death and the finding of their bodies, approximately 130 to 180 tons of litter and junk were removed from the house. The year was 1947. Such is the extreme desire for material things that shattered the lives of these two very sad human beings. We would pray that such a strong desire for possessions would not own us. Yet, we know that many have this trait. Why would so many allow themselves to be captured by their self-serving material possessions? We have heard persons say, “Why do I need God?” as they looked upon their great material belongings and wealth. You see, their entire self—their whole being—is wrapped around …

The phone rings, rings and rings. Nobody answers. Does that mean that nobody is home? No. Does that mean that the person was busy, not necessarily? Sometime, you may send a very short, vague text message to someone, but in all actuality, unless you tell something earthshattering, you do not even receive a reply to your text message. Communication is a worldwide problem, which is amazing since we have so many different communication devices that are supposed to make communication easier. Countries, states, school systems, families and marriages suffer each day because people no longer know how to communicate effectively. If our communication is so bad with each other, how bad do we think our communication is with God? Prayer is the way that we can approach the throne of God with our every care, which would include the good and the bad in our lives. Yet, for so many people when success and victories come their way, the tendency is to glory in themselves instead of giving God the glory. Do we not realize that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17)? On top of not giving God the glory, what do we do when something bad happens in our lives? For so many people, the instinct is to try to solve their own problems or maybe to share them with a close friend. We may …

 “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:16-17). It is very important to recognize that God is the Deliverer of all that is good. Every blessing that any person receives comes down from the Father above. Therefore, it is appropriate for someone who has had something good happen in his or her life to give the glory to God, no matter who that person is, but especially if he or she is a Christian. To declare, “God Is So Good,” is not inappropriate at times like that, and I am not simply criticizing or attacking. I do think, however, that we need to be careful in saying this that we do not fail to recognize that God is good—all the time, even when bad things happen to us. I have often thought of the importance of this perception. When we suffer, it does not mean that God is not good. One of the major lessons of the Book of Job is that God is just and right, and that He is with the one who suffers. When we are in the midst of great difficulties in life, we still need to understand that God is good. The attitude of the Christian should be that of the song by Jennie Wilson, “Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand.” Time is filled with swift transition,Naught of …

We know that David, “a man after God’s own heart,” diligently sought and worshipped God. David’s charge to his son, Solomon, was, “You, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts. If you seek Him, you will find Him but, if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever” (1 Chronicles 28:9). David instructed his son to serve God willingly with pure intentions. He told him that if he would seek to know God, he would find Him, but he must never forsake God because the consequences would be to his detriment. How does one find God and know what He wants? When a child doesn’t know what parents expect of him, he doesn’t know how to please them. When a student does not know what the teacher expects of him, he can’t please the teacher. In order for an athlete to do what makes the coach happy, he must know what the rules are and what is expected of him. The rules have to be shared so that everyone knows what they are. The same is true with our relationship with God. In order to serve Him better, we must get to know Him better and to know how to please Him. He didn’t leave us ignorant as to what He expects of His children. The best way for one to …

William Shakespeare wrote, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.” If that is true then, how long is our performance? What is our role in the performance? What entrances? What exits? What lies between curtain up and final curtain call? We appear in the age of love and innocence, born of two people who love each other dearly. We are brought in to a family filled with love and devotion to the idea that we are going to be the wisest, most charming child, grandchild, brother, sister, niece or nephew ever. We learn to walk, talk, eat, dress ourselves and deal with living among siblings or other children. Our family tries to teach us how to be the best person we are capable of being. Education we receive will help us achieve that goal. As we age a bit, we begin to believe that we can find a better way on our own. We have our own desires and wishes for what we will do with this life we have been given. A dark shadow of temptation comes into focus. We see things, ways and ideas that appear to be enjoyable. Yet, fellow players on this stage may say that it is not so. We wish to “find” ourselves. We want to make our own way through this performance. This is the age in which we think we …

The Pareto Principle or 80-20 rule applies not just to the workplace, but also to life in general. Essentially, the principle states that 80 percent of the effects can be attributed to 20 percent of the causes. We would say, “Eighty percent of the work to be done is accomplished by twenty percent of the people.” In business the standard rule of sales is that “eighty percent of your sales comes from twenty percent of your clients.” Concerning computers, Microsoft found that by fixing the top 20 percent of reported problems or bugs, eighty percent of the crashes and failures could be eliminated. We certainly see such things in ministry or works of the church in general. One of the biggest complaints that one often hears in ministry is that “when we have work parties or anything that needs to be done, it’s the same small group that does them.” More often than not, that is true. Though every child of God has an obligation to work, most of that work will be done by the few, perhaps with good reasons or perhaps not. Yet, I want you to think of this principle in terms of your own life. Essentially what the principle, if indeed we can apply it to an individual’s actions, says is that 80 percent of the actions we may choose or not choose on a daily basis will have little effect. Only twenty percent of these actions will have some sort of affect. There are times …

In our first article we dealt with the origin of Satan. Although our opinion is that the Lucifer spoken of in Isaiah 14 is not Satan, there seems to be little doubt that he belongs to the angelic order of beings and was among the sons of God (Job 1:6). He has fallen, apparently through pride as 1 Timothy 3:6 suggests. The very title, “Satan” means adversary, so he is opposed to God in every aspect of his being. As one with a high degree of intelligence and power, he has exercised great power over other beings, including other angels who sinned (2 Peter 2:4). In this article, we want to deal with the character and the works of Satan, for we need to understand his methods in order to defeat him. The names or titles by which he is called evidence a large part of his character. He is called Tempter in Matthew 4:5 and 1 Thessalonians 3:5. He is called Beelzebub, the prince of the demons (Matthew 12:24). In other places he is called the Enemy, the Evil One, the Father of lies, a Murderer, a Deceiver, the Great Dragon and Belial. That last word seems to be related to the Hebrew word “beliar” and means “worthlessness.” In this article we shall not be concerned primarily with the ability of Satan during the time Christ was on earth to control the actions of individuals in what is called “demon possession.” We simply point out that there is no …

Since I have not seen anything recently written in any gospel papers about Satan, and yet I find he is still operating, I decided it would be appropriate to call attention to him again. First Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” Many operations are “downsizing” for economic or other reasons. His seems to be adding workers from all sections of society.  Almost always when we are studying with a person who knows little about the Bible, the question is raised about the origin of Satan. Is he eternal or co-existent with God? If he is not eternal, then why did God create an evil being? The answer is reasonably easy if we read all that the Bible has to say about the matter. It may surprise us that the Bible says so little about how he began to operate. There are many things the Bible does not say that are assumed by preachers and theologians. First, let us look at the simple answer, and then we will examine various aspects of the question of Satan and his work. God did not create an evil being, but He created both superhuman and human beings that possess the power of choice. One of those superhuman beings with the power of choice rebelled against God and became His adversary (which is the meaning of the term “Satan”). It is assumed by many Bible scholars and theologians …

Those professing a commitment to Christianity will doubtlessly express a singular voice as we discuss the need and the value of strong fellowship within the boundaries of the divine kingdom. We ask, do we recognize what generates and evidences the oneness and unity that constitutes divinely approved fellowship? Here are some biblical things that come to mind: [1] the gracious efforts of the strong to bear the weaknesses of the weak (Romans 15:1-3), [2] members being good students of the Word of God (Romans 15:4), [3] everyone working for harmony (Romans 15:5-6), [4] everyone accepting one another without discrimination (Romans 15:7-12) and [5] everyone being filled by the God of hope (Romans 15:13). Quality fellowship among faithful children of God is truly a wonderful blessing. The qualities that characterize divine fellowship truly deserve our diligence in attaining and our utmost care in preserving them. As we travel the uncertain road of life, may we so conduct ourselves that others will not doubt our commitment to quality and biblically approved fellowship with others who are genuinely approved by the Lord. This is eternally important.

If you have ever discussed the Bible with anyone who disagrees with you, chances are sooner or later you have heard the reply, “That’s just your interpretation!” To hear some people, you would think that reading and trying to understand, that is, interpret, the Bible is the “unpardonable sin.” Interpreting is acceptable in all areas of life—except in religion. In religion, it is a catch phrase, used by the unknowing, to suggest that one’s religious belief might just be wrong. Every time we read a newspaper, a magazine or some other document, we interpret it. The issue is not one of interpretation, but one of application. Many today believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, but they refuse to properly apply His commandments to their lives, such as the commandment to “believe and be baptized” to be saved. How do you respond to the plain teachings of God’s Word?

What do we mean by the holiness of God? Holiness is defined as, “that essential rectitude of God’s nature, whereby He takes infinite delight and pleasure in that which is pure and holy; and hates, with a perfect hatred, everything which is morally evil” (Village Sermons, Bruder, 322). Conner says: The original meaning of the term translated holiness in the Old Testament seems to be impossible now to determine. The emphasis seems to have been on the idea of transcendence, the separateness of God. It was that quality in God which separated or distinguished Him from things finite and created. This idea of transcendence or separateness from the world the term never lost. And since the term signified that in God which marked His separateness from the world, the term came to be synonymous with deity… The idea of holiness, then, seems to be closely akin to the idea of absoluteness as ascribed to God. (Revelation and God, Conner, 243) Thiessen in commenting on God’s holiness states: …absolutely separate from and exalted above all His creatures, and that He is equally separate from moral evil and sin. In the first sense His holiness is not really an attribute that is coordinate with the other attributes, but is rather coextensive with them all. It denotes the perfection of God in all that He is. In the second sense it is viewed as the eternal conformity of His being and His will. In God we have purity of being before purity of …

There is only one Taj Mahal in the whole world. People from all over the world come to India to see the Taj Mahal. How would you react if someone told you that he went to Japan to see the Taj Mahal? The apostle Paul had the same reaction concerning the Gospel when he wrote to people in Galatia. He said, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than that we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:6-8). Paul’s marveling was real and genuine because there is only one Gospel of Jesus Christ; there is only one way to be saved. Yet there, the Galatians were turning to a “different gospel.” Jesus Christ, the Author of the Gospel sent His disciples into all the world to preach the Gospel—not gospels (plural) as some erroneously refer to the first four books of the New Testament, saying, “the Gospels” (plural). The first four books of the New Testament—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—contain the message of the Gospel of Christ. They consist of four accounts of the same one Gospel. There is only one Gospel, not four gospels. The Gospel of Christ consists of three important ingredients, which are: Christ died for …

“In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness” (Zechariah 13:1). The prophet Zechariah, inspired by the Holy Spirit, penned these words approximately five hundred years before the coming of Jesus Christ. Because of the immediate context containing prophecies regarding Jesus Christ before and during His crucifixion, we understand that this passage pertains to His death. In Zechariah 9:9, the writer mentioned that “Your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey” (NKJV). This was fulfilled according to Matthew 21:4-5. In Zechariah 12:10, we read, “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” This prophecy was fulfilled according to John 19:37. Again, we find another prophecy regarding Christ in Zechariah 13:7, “…Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered.” The fulfillment of this prophecy is recorded in Matthew 26:31. The location of the “fountain” in Zechariah 13:1 was to be in Jerusalem. A fountain is a source of fresh water that gushes forth for thirsty souls. However this “fountain” refers to that which flowed from the side of our Savior while He hung …

The authorization for singing in the New Testament is contained in the following Scriptures: Matthew 26:30; Acts 16:25; Romans 15:9; 1 Corinthians 14:15; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 2:12; 13:15; James 5:13; Revelation 5:8-9; 14:1-3; 15:2-3. Every one of these passages constitute singing–vocal music–as part of worship of the New Testament Church. The aforementioned passages are the strongest authority for using vocal music in worship of the church of Christ. Notice the categorization of these passages. Direct command: Hebrews 13:15; James 5:13; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16.Apostolic example: Matthew 26:30; Acts 16:25; 1 Corinthians 14:15. God told us clearly and plainly how He wants to be praised. With the fruit of our lips we sing praises to Him and lift up His High and Holy Name. God is worthy of our best. Note that God was specific regarding how to worship Him in song. He authorized vocal singing for those living under the Law of Christ. May we never stray from His desire—our obligation!

“Consider the work of God. For who is able to strengthen what He has bent?” (Ecclesiastes 7:13). Solomon calls on us to “consider” the work of God. What God has done in creation is worthy of contemplation because there is so much to learn. The wise man most certainly does “consider the work of God.” When he does, he will note the following truths. First, there are things that God has bent. When God created His world, He established some immutable principles. For instance, birds need air and fish need water. Man needs food. Survival is contingent upon these elements. Yet, what does it mean that He “bent” some things? It means that there are aspects of God’s divine plan that are wrong (bent) for man to do, and they will always be wrong. Earlier Solomon had noted “what is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted” (Ecclesiastes 1:15). Men may foolishly believe that they have the right or the power to change God’s laws. However, such is not the case. Paul told Timothy that he needed to “handle accurately the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). People of God today recognize that they need to study God’s Word to discover God’s immutable spiritual truths. In Romans 7:7-8, Paul said that he didn’t know coveting was wrong until he came to realize the commandment of God. God declared covetousness as “bent.” Only when we consider seriously the Bible will we comprehend all of those things God has bent. …

There are few religious acts about which there is more controversy than baptism. Most of the Christian world does not believe that it has anything to do with our salvation. Many say that it is only a symbolic ritual to show what has already taken place in our hearts and our lives, namely, the forgiveness of our sins. No passage speaks against this attitude more clearly than Romans 6:3-4. “Or do you know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” We need to understand that Romans 6 is not about baptism. It is about sin. The word “sin” appears 16 times in this chapter. Paul was encouraging Christians to remember what took place when they were baptized. I do not know of anyone who questions the fact that faith in the sacrifice of Christ is the basis for our forgiveness. Thus, the question is, “When are our sins washed away?” Paul said that it occurs in baptism. Baptism is much more than a mere symbol or ritual. It is more than a physical act of obedience. In Romans 6:2, Paul taught that we died to sin when we were baptized. In 6:3, Paul declared that we are baptized into Jesus Christ as well as baptized into …

Truth is a precious commodity. It is unfathomable how much of the world runs on lies. In ancient times, many Greco-Roman cities each had their own gods and temples. The economies focused around the activities at those temples. People’s lives were practically subservient to the idolatry-based economies, and they were all based on lies. The ancient prophet bemoaned the ignorance of the man who made an idol of wood and was too misled to say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” (Isaiah 44:20). When such a lie was challenged with the truth, there might be an uproar, such as the one Paul witnessed in Ephesus. The apostle Paul tried to preach about the unseen God, but the silversmiths of the region protested that they would not be able to make money off of an unseen God (Acts 19:21-41). Lies were responsible for running the world and for making policy. Modern (or postmodern) man has not advanced much further. From preschools to universities, evolution is the crux of academia, rakes in millions in media coverage and is the basis for many business and political decisions. Truth is absent in the sphere of those who have professed themselves to be wise (Romans 1:22). Regarding truth, it seems that contemporary man is faced with three difficulties: Finding it, standing for it and standing for it in love. Finding truth might not be as easy as it sounds. America used to be a nation flooded both with Bibles and with people who …

In the New Testament, one of the words for sin comes from the Greek word “hamartano.” The word means “to sin, to miss a mark on the way, not to hit the mark” (The Complete Word Study Dictionary – New Testament). As Creator, God is the standard of truth and reveals His truth through Scripture. “Sanctify them in your truth: Your word is truth” (John 17:17). The Bible is God’s pattern or standard, the mark we are to hit for human conduct. “Your word I have treasured in my heart that I may not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. (Romans 6:16-18) How well has humanity done in following God’s commandments? Throughout history, not very well. Paul, shortly after teaching the truth of salvation and Christian living to the churches in Galatia, wrote to them, “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to …

Unity can only be achieved with a plan. God’s plan includes just one body, the ultimate symbol of unity. That one body is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23). There is only one Holy Spirit to give members of the body life and peace through His message. Following that message will result in all followers of Christ having one hope, eternal life in Heaven with God. The hope of Heaven serves as an anchor during life’s storms and is the Christian’s means of remaining steadfast (Ephesians 4:4; Hebrews 6:19). Real unity is only achievable when all submit to one Master. The Master of the church is the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18; Acts 2:36; 10:36, 43; Romans 10:12; 1 Peter 3:22). The Savior’s life on earth points believers to God’s Word and His will (John 4:34; 6:38; 7:16; 7:25-29; 9:4). The entirety of God’s will comprises the sum of all that Christians believe and is the one faith. Actively following the singular faith will result in being added to the one body through being baptized with the Lord’s one baptism (Ephesians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 12:13). Baptism in the name of Jesus, the one Lord, gives one remission of sins and begins the walk of a new life (Romans 6:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:17). The unifying “ones” come from the mind and active will of but one God, the great Creator Who is over all things. Nothing exists without Him, nor is anything outside of His authority. He rules in the entire universe, and …