Our world has been turned upside down because of the Corona virus. None of us has ever experienced what is now occurring in our lifetime and in our country. Perhaps it has caused us to consider what we really need in this life rather than just what we want. There is definitely a need for food to sustain life. Because of health problems, there is a need for many to see a doctor while others may need to be hospitalized. Grandparents truly need to hug their grandchildren. Students need to be in school. There is a great need for family members who are separated to be together again. There is a great need for an owner to open his or her business soon! There are people who need to go back to work. There are multitudes of family members who need to see their loved ones who are in hospitals and nursing homes! There are individuals who are in an emergency room, an intensive care unit or in a hospital room who are in critical condition, who desperately need loved ones to hold their hands and express words of comfort and love to them. There are Christians who have a great need to assemble with their brothers and sisters in Christ to worship Almighty God and Jesus Christ. During this crisis, we should all realize that we really don’t have control over what a tomorrow may bring in this life. In the epistle of James, we read, “Come now, you who say, …

How many times have you heard someone say, “God made me this way!” Emotional justification for sinful action is a common claim made by many, and unfortunately, not only the unsaved make such an assertion. The idea is this: If emotions are uncontrollable, then we are not responsible for our actions. That’s a very dangerous proposition! “I’m not in control” sounds very much like, “Don’t blame me for my actions, blame God. He made me this way!” Therefore, I have justification to act as I will without remorse. “Do as thou wilt and whatever feels good do it” are, by the way, central tenets of Satanism and not Christianity. It is true that God gave us emotions, but He also gave us reason. It is true you can choose not to lose your temper. You can make a different decision and make up your mind that you’re going to act on reason and not on emotion. That is one of the things that separates us from the animals. We have the ability to think things over and not act immediately on our emotions. Our feelings are not our thoughts, yet, sadly, many are ignorant of this truth or behave badly in spite of what they know. Our ability to reason is a supernatural aspect of our God-given spirits. We can think before we act or react. Take, for example, King David’s lust for Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11. David did not have to act on that emotion, and he was …

For many years, people have been taught that their babies must be baptized. The doctrine of infant baptism grew out of a belief that should a child die without having been baptized, he or she would suffer eternal punishment in hell with the devil and his angels. It is supposed that souls share in Adam’s guilt, and every person, therefore, is under condemnation and is punishable for the inherited guilt quite apart from any actual sins one may commit. Hence, the manmade doctrine of original sin teaches that children are born with the guilt of sin through inheritance and are depraved in nature. However, this is not what the Bible teaches. Had it been so that children are born in sin, and thus depraved, Christ would not have said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted, and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). Again, in another instance, when little children were being brought to Him so that He might put His hands on them and pray, His disciples rebuked those who were bringing their children to Him. Then, Jesus said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14). Now, if those children were depraved sinners, as it is supposed by some people, why did Christ say, “of such is the kingdom of heaven”? Further, why did He tell the …

Does anything get by our God? Does anything happen to catch Him off guard or threaten to defeat Him? Of course, the answer is, “No.” When we hurt or get swallowed up in circumstances beyond our control, it is real easy to think that this got past God’s control as well, but nothing could be further from the truth. He feeds the animals, dresses the grass and runs the heavens. He supplies all His creation with everything it needs all the time. He neither sleeps nor is weary; He is not distracted, preoccupied or enfeebled. He sees everything, is everywhere and knows all. How can anything get past Him? The answer is, “It can’t.” Does God use trouble and trials for our eternal benefit? Oh, yes, He always has and will continue to as we have need (Romans 8:28). However, will these situations ever get out of His control? Never. How could they? He’s got the whole world in His hands. “The earth belongs to the Lord, and all its fulness, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1).

This past week, I heard someone on TV make this statement: “There is no God. What happens to us, just happens to us.” These are probably among the saddest words I have ever heard come out of someone’s mouth. It’s so pitiful to think that anyone could ever believe such a thing, much less to broadcast the fact of their pitiful condition. You see, it is pitiful to think that someone could feel that way and deny God’s existence and any hope of eternal salvation they may have had. By saying, “What happens to us, just happens to us,” leads me to believe this man thinks the world just came to exist from nothing, all on its own. It seems to me that anyone with any common sense can’t possibly believe that the heavens, this beautiful earth and all that dwells therein just came out of nowhere. To me, that is a preposterous concept. If one believes that life “just happens to us,” that person is in a sad condition, not only in this present world but respecting the one to come after the Judgment. I wonder whether that person believes he could stand on a railroad track with a train bearing down on him and he couldn’t do anything about it. If one just stands there, he is going to die. Somehow, I can’t imagine that scenario as I believe that person will do his best to remove himself from harm’s way if he has any mind about him. …

For years, my family and I have taken vitamins. It is now part of our everyday routine, finding its place right after breakfast but before we all scamper out the doorways of our home to the various places that demand our attention. Our days can be long and often difficult between the school and work routines, let alone the inordinate amount of time spent on the various extracurricular activities. In an effort to provide for optimum health and well-being that enables productivity and positive attitudes (among other things), we take vitamins. Such is life in the Benesh household. Just the other day, however, as I was filling the case that holds the vitamins that my wife and I take, I began thinking about the notion of spiritual vitamins. I looked at the pills and thought, “I am taking all these for good physical health and productivity, but what sort of vitamin am I taking today to help with spiritual health and productivity?” Now, rest assured, you cannot run down to your local pharmacy and find spiritual vitamins, and I wouldn’t recommend consulting with your pharmacist about them. To get your spiritual charge, you may, instead, want to spend just a few moments in prayer or picking out a verse from the Bible on which you could focus that day. Imagine how your day could be improved if you read aloud the words, “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice” and then prayed, very simply, that God would grant …

Over the past several weeks while worshipping at home with my family, I have had the opportunity to sing a lot with my kids. What I have learned is that my children have very few songs that they love, and they want to sing them over and over again. Yet, how can I really say no? They love to sing, and they love God. So, in our devotional times and in some extra singing we do as a family, we usually sing a lot of the same songs. One of those songs that we have been singing a lot is “Blue Skies and Rainbows.” This has been one of Joshua’s favorite songs for a long time. I know that typically this song is sung with children, but this song has a powerful and an encouraging message. “Blue skies and rainbows and sunbeams from Heaven are what I can see when the Lord is living in me. I know that Jesus is well and alive today. He makes His home in my heart. Nevermore will I be all alone since He promised me that we never would part.” As Christians, even when things are not going the way that we expected, we can know that Jesus is there and that He is alive. He is with us always, and one day He is coming to take us home.

The conquests of Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) not only spread the Greek culture but also the Greek language throughout the known world. The common Greek language of his day was Koine Greek. Due to the spread of Greek influence, the world had greater access to the Word of God than ever before because God’s Word was in words. Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews 11:317-335) wrote about Alexander’s visit to Judaea on his route to Egypt; however, scholars question the validity of this account. Keep in mind that Josephus wrote about this 400 years later. Josephus’ record certainly contains some embellishments, and some scholars question whether or not Alexander ever came to Jerusalem. Alexander’s campaign eventually brought him to Egypt in 331 B.C. The city Alexandria in Egypt was named in his honor. There was a great library in Alexandria begun by Ptolemy I (305-285 B.C.) and completed by Ptolemy II (285-246 B.C.). Writings from across the world were sought to be included in this famous library, including the Old Testament but translated into Greek. Supposedly, Ptolemy II instructed the librarian, Demetrius, to obtain a Greek translation. Septuagint is the name for the Greek translation of the Old Testament. The name is from the Latin word septuaginta, meaning seventy. Readers will sometimes come across the designation for the Septuagint as LXX, seventy in Roman numerals. One of the sources regarding the creation of the translation is the Letter of Aristeas, which is a supposed correspondence between Aristeas and his brother, Philocrates, about the …

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43 NKJV) We have heard and read the Scriptures concerning the three crosses on calvary the day that Jesus was crucified. Each cross has its own meaning and significance for all of us. Cross Number One: The Crossof Rashness, Rebellion and Rejection The criminal hanging there in agony took no thought for the reason that he should suffer this awful fate. He rashly taunted Christ. He, in anger and rejection, mockingly called out “are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.” He not only rejected Christ, but in total rebellion, he refused to acknowledge his own responsibility for his sinful ways. Cross Number Two: The Crossof Repentance, Reception and Request This man showed repentance in his rebuke of the man who had railed on the Lord Jesus. He, in asking, “Do you not fear God?” accepted the fact that he himself was responsible for his own plight. He, then, expressed his acknowledgment of who Christ was, …

And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” …But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins — He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” (Mark 2:1-5, 10-12 NKJV) What great initiative and ingenuity the friends of the man sick of palsy showed! Webster defines initiative in part as “the characteristic of originating new ideas or methods; ability to think and act without being urged.” A free, online dictionary says of ingenuity that it implies “the power of creative imagination; inventiveness; resourcefulness.” Some of us have been employed where an efficiency report is prepared and submitted by …

Bad news. It seems like there is a lot of it these days. Our country is in a pandemic, there are people losing their jobs, some of our dear friends are fighting life-threatening diseases with little hope, and many of us are still grieving the deaths of dear friends and family members. Now, I am not sure that these are the worst of times in which we have ever lived, but nevertheless, we are still living in some difficult times. Often, I am asked, “How can we cope?” Just how will we deal with all these problems? Well, what I like to do is go to the Bible and see how the servants of God dealt with their problems, their difficulties and their struggles. One example is in the Old Testament. The prophet Habakkuk prophesied in Judah just before Nebuchadnezzar first invaded Jerusalem in 605 B.C.; this was about the time when the prophet Daniel was taken into Babylonian captivity. The Lord spoke to Habakkuk and commissioned him to carry the message that He was going to punish Judah by the hand of the Babylonians. The result of this was that the Jews were going to be taken out of their homeland and carried off to another land because of their refusal to obey God and repent of their sins. Talk about bad news, Habakkuk was commissioned to tell the people of Judah they were going to lose their homes and land, and they would become slaves. This was such …

Christians have to be on guard constantly against sin. In 2 Timothy 3:2-5, Paul told of a time coming when men would be “…lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these.” Something in this list I have not thought much about before is ingratitude or “ungrateful.” Most would not say that ingratitude is sinful, though perhaps they would pronounce it rude and bad manners. Paul said it’s more than that; to be an ungrateful person is to be on the same plane as the other things listed in the passage, things we would not hesitate to announce as sinful. As we go about our lives warring against the ways of sin, let us always be grateful for the blessings in our lives and not let ingratitude bring us down!

God has always expected His people to care for one another. In the New Testament, this is evident by the way the early Christians cared for one another’s needs. The closing verses of Acts 2 present a picture of an assembly of people sharing as anyone had need. They didn’t hoard their possessions or look out only for their interests. We read, “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.” This pervasive attitude among Christians to care for other Christians shouldn’t surprise us. We know Christ promised that our loving Father in Heaven would also hear our prayers and care for our needs. Often that care comes through the hands of His obedient servants. Even in the Old Testament, the Law set forth standards of caring for those who were in need. In Deuteronomy 15, Moses taught the children of Israel to lend to their brothers and sisters (Israelites) who were in need. Also, they were to loan this money at no interest. Furthermore, every seventh (or sabbath) year, all debts among Israelites were to be canceled. In this way, God provided for the poor through the blessings of the rich. Because of this law about a loan getting canceled, God also gave this command: Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, “The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,” and your eye be evil …

Faith is good, and it is clearly defined in the Bible as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is required for answered prayers (Matthew 21:22) and before one is pleasing to God (Hebrews 11:6). However, faith without virtue is useless. Virtue is good, for without holiness no one will see God (Hebrew 12:14). Yet, virtue without knowledge is destructive. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6a). Christians are God’s people through obedient faith in Christ. “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26). We, as “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people” (1 Peter 2:9), should add to our faith virtue and to virtue, knowledge. Knowledge is required in all things for success to smile on us. To break the depths and to permit the clouds to drop down the dew, God employed knowledge. The knowledge of the Holy One, which gives accurate direction and injects meaning to living and life, can be acquired through constant reading of the Bible (John 5:39; 1 Timothy 4:13; 2 Timothy 2:15). By hearing the inerrant Word of God, we grow in knowledge and in His grace. By careful study of it, we have the intimate and profound power of God. The sincere student of the Gospel who uses the Word daily is insightful and powerful (2 Timothy 1:7). He or she gets power and superb understanding that the world …

That’s what he said. The words, plain and sharp, were spoken with a smile, and for a moment I thought, “He’s just kidding,” because he has a wet sense of humor (in contradistinction to those who have a dry one). Then, I realized he really meant it! Here was a preacher whom I liked and even admired who said he did not like me! What should my response be? The first thing that came to my mind was, “It does not matter too much, as long as you love me,” so I said it. He did not reply to that, so I was left with the problem of how to react. I asked myself the question, “Why do you like and admire him?” There were several reasons. First, he is a Christian gentleman, albeit blunt at times. Second, he is a thoughtful Bible student, sound in the faith and concerned about the lost and the kingdom of God. Then, a simple truth came to mind that might be of value to you. The fact that he did not like me in no way changed those things about him that caused me to like and admire him in the first place. In fact, it may have added a third and fourth.  He apparently was more astute and discerning than the average person, for he was able to see in me something that the average person did not see, for the average person seems to like me. Fourth, there was no sense …

There is on cable television a channel that shows the big things of man (i.e., manmade things). It is interesting to see some of the accomplishments of man. The host of the program travels all over the world to see and to operate, when possible, some of the great machines built by man. He showed viewers a giant drill that carves tunnels in mountains. Then, there is the big open pit copper mine somewhere in Scandinavia with all of its extremely large machines used to dig and haul out the ore. Space does not permit the listing of all such things that he has shown, but suffice it to say, it is a most interesting program, at least to me. However, as I watch the program, I am made to think of just how small these things are compared to the works of Almighty God. For instance, what about Genesis 1:1, which reads, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”? Now that is big! How does this compare to the greatest accomplishment of man at any time in man’s history? Again, what about God’s great work of bringing a universal flood upon the earth? Would man ever be able to do such a thing? On one of the programs, the host went to Arizona to visit the world’s largest telescope. As I viewed it, the one thing I didn’t assume or think was that the telescope came into existence by evolution. It took a lot of brain power to even think of …

We love our kids dearly. No doubt we would go to the end of the earth to assist them in a worthy cause, despite the burdens and heartaches that sometimes come our way because of the misadventures of our children. Sometimes, we may ask, in a moment of frustration, “What are we going to do with our kids?” In response, I suggest that we be responsible parents to our children as they experience the maturation process. Accordingly, may we generate full and balanced growth in our youth (Luke 2:52), including intellectual (Proverbs 13:1), physical (Titus 2:4), spiritual (Ephesians 6:4) and social growth and well-being (Ephesians 6:2-3). May we study a child’s temperament and mold his way of life accordingly (Proverbs 22:6). May we maintain parental character that is worthy of honor (Ephesians 6:2), reverence (Romans 12:3) and piety (1 Timothy 5:4). May we practice discipline and instruction in order to provide a foundation for our children that will serve them well throughout their lives (Ephesians 6:4). May we do all things with a sense of fairness and justice that will motivate our children to receive good instruction and leadership, which we may provide from time to time (Acts 10:34-35). Yes, our dear children are most certainly worth this noble effort!

The New Testament tells us that Satan is a roaring lion who walks around seeking to devour God’s people (1 Peter 5:8). Christians are clothed with the armor of God as they seek to be on guard against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:11-17). The more we know about the way Satan operates, the better off we will be in our efforts to withstand him. As Christians, we should remember that we do not have to fear the devil because Jesus has destroyed him and the power he possesses (Hebrews 2:14-15). However, he can still exercise power and influence over us if we yield to him. Paul dealt with several issues in 2 Corinthians: defending his apostleship, discussing the contribution for Jerusalem and following up on some of the things he wrote in 1 Corinthians. Also within 2 Corinthians, Paul spoke more about Satan and how he works than he did in any of his other writings. The Corinthian congregation is known for the problems it had. Like every congregation, there were issues with which to deal, and these two letters reveal the guidance he gave to them. By looking at the warnings he gave the Corinthians and also the way in which he described Satan’s work, we can be better prepared to resist the devil ourselves. We Know How Satan Works In 2 Corinthians 2, Paul wrote about receiving the one who had repented. Paul told them that they should realize the punishment he received was enough (2 …

One of the greatest aspects about which Paul marveled in his own life was the fact that he, “chief” of all sinners, received forgiveness and ministry through Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 1:15-16). In the paragraph that contains these verses, Paul briefly departed from his warning about false teachers (1 Timothy 1:10-11) and exclaimed thankfulness to God for what He had done for him. And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. (1 Timothy 1:12-16) Jesus Transforms The words “has enabled…counted…putting” (1 Timothy 1:12) point to a specific time when this reality for Paul occurred. The specific time goes back to the appearance of Jesus to Paul while on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:15-16; 22:14; 26:16-18) and his subsequent conversion in Damascus (Acts 9:6; 22:10, 16; 26:19). Paul mentioned three specific truths for which he was thankful. First, Jesus Christ …

Much has been said. Many topics covered. Yet, Solomon in all his wisdom reduced his conclusion to two simple truths: fear God and keep His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Are these really simple truths? In one sense, yes. There isn’t a whole lot of theology involved, not a need to call in the scholars to explain to us their meaning. In another sense, these points are remarkably complex. Indeed, volumes have been written discussing the many facets to these two statements. Why, though, do these two truths entail “the conclusion”? Solomon explains with his two “because” clauses. Why should we fear God and keep His commandments? First, because this applies to every person. While other points made through the book have application to some, this point doesn’t. The rich need to hear this along with the poor. Those in foreign lands as well as our next-door neighbors need to hear these truths. The old and the young, the brave, the weak, the world leaders and the hermits also need the same. Think about it. Who doesn’t need to be told to “fear God”? Who doesn’t need to be encouraged to “keep His commandments”? Second, because God will bring every act to judgment. Everyone needs to hear this because everyone will be judged (Revelation 20:11-14; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Acts 17:30-31). Does this mean that, literally, no one will escape God’s judgment? Yes! This is why it is imperative for people to know what lies ahead. They need to think about the future and prepare …

God entrusted us with many things. Jesus’ powerful point in the Parable of the Talents is that the Almighty has given us things that belong to Him, and they are to be used in a way that furthers His interest (Matthew 25:14-30). Every individual needs to ensure that he or she uses those things in a way that will glorify our Father. God gave us life. Paul declared, “for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring ’” (Acts 17:28). We are a part of His creation, exist by His power and should live to give Him glory (Colossians 1:16; Romans 11:36). He has given us today as a part of our lives, and we should seek Him while we can (Isaiah 55:6; Hebrews 3:12-13). Our loving Father gave us material things to sustain us in life. All Christians should purpose to lay something into the treasury of the church on the first day of the week based upon the way God prospers us (1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 9:7). God gave us ability that should be used in His service (Matthew 25:14-30). This includes working to provide for the needs of our families and others (1 Timothy 5:8; Ephesians 4:28). We serve the God of all comfort. He blesses us with comfort so that we will, in turn, be prepared to bless others in their times of struggle. The greatest comfort comes from the …

“Be in agreement with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation” (Romans 12:16). It would seem that sometimes we get caught in extremes, rather than taking the proper paths in our lives. For example, there are those who think too little of themselves, who cannot see any value in their lives. This is an extreme, because we all are created in the image of God, with the talents and abilities He has given us. He loves each of us with the same love in Christ and provides each of us what we need for life today and life eternal. Satan knows, however, that thinking which belittles ourselves offers an opportunity to give in to sin. So, he tries to take advantage of such. We must always remember, however, that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). On the other hand, the above passage of Scripture reminds us it is also possible to think too much of ourselves. This seems to be a greater temptation, as Scripture addresses this issue more than the other. Solomon said, “Don’t consider yourself to be wise; fear the Lord and turn away from evil” (Proverbs 3:7). Paul encouraged those in Philippi, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also …