I recently noticed something about myself that needs to improve dramatically. This is not a confession as such but rather a recognition and determination to improve. In-fact, this particular shortcoming may not have been noticed by anyone but myself.  It is, nonetheless, disturbing and it may have serious consequences. After thinking on this for sometime, I realized that I may not be the only one who needs to improve in this area. If this article strikes a chord with you, I hope that you will also try to improve. I believe the problem begins with our manner of conversation. We, in our society, are uncomfortable with silence. When we engage someone in conversation, we are accustomed to filling every moment with words. We will say anything to fill that awful silence. Perhaps this fundamental means of conversation is wrong. Think about that for a moment. Since we are so very uncomfortable with silence in our conversation, what must we do while someone else is speaking? We must digest what they are saying and assemble our reply at the same time. Now, here is the shortcoming I have noticed in myself. At times, I find myself giving more thought to my reply than to what the other person is actually saying. What will I say?  How will I say it? What will the other person think about my reply? Will they believe it to be an intelligent reply? Will they think it to be a silly reply? Have you ever found

Have you noticed in recent years the attempt in this nation to label people with moral convictions as intolerant and loveless? Those who are engaged in the sin of homosexuality often employ this tactic. They have apparently convinced themselves and also seek to convince others that the Bible does not condemn homosexuality. This, however, is not true. The Bible deals with homosexuality in a powerful and conclusive way. People who stand firmly where the Bible stands on this subject are far from loveless. In fact, it is love, which compels us to emphatically state that; “Homosexuality really is a sin.” It is sound Bible study and respect for biblical authority, which allows us to prove the truth of this statement. True love has never been permissive. Permissiveness comes from apathy, not from love. In 1 John 4:8 these simple words are recorded, “…God is love.” The truth of this statement is evident in that,”…God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). God’s love is absolute. He loves all of mankind. Because God is love, his desire is for humanity to “have everlasting life.” To receive everlasting life, however, there are conditions which must be met. Two of these conditions are belief in God and in Jesus Christ. The question, then, is what does it mean to believe? Belief in God goes far beyond a simple acknowledgement of who he is. “You believe

Of all the questions Christians ask, one question stands out in my mind as highly disrespectful and an indicator of deep spiritual problems. The question is, “Do we have to attend Sunday and Wednesday night assemblies?” The answer is, if these assemblies are available, yes we do. Now, let’s examine the evidence. A natural place to turn for an answer to this question is Hebrews 10:24-25. This passage says, “. . . let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” After diligent study of this passage, we correctly conclude that it is dealing with one assembly on the first day of every week. The Bible, then, does not deal directly with additional assemblies. Up to this point, our reasoning is valid. The problem is that some brethren, based on this passage, make an erroneous assumption. They assume that, since the Bible does not deal directly with additional assemblies, the attendance of such assemblies is optional. That assumption is not correct, and this is why. Since this passage in no way deals with additional assemblies, it cannot condemn or approve such assemblies. This passage contains a command to assemble ourselves together. Further, New Testament study teaches us that this assembling is to occur on the first day of every week. Do we have to attend Sunday night and

Buddhists would say yes. Hindus would say yes. Moslems would say yes. In fact, most of the world would say yes. The question is “Are you religious?” If, then, Christians answer this same question in the affirmative, what exactly do we mean by “religious?” It would appear that there exist different concepts of religion among those who attend the services of the Lord’s church. We are not concerning ourselves with what people say in this regard, rather with what they do. It is obvious by their actions that some view religion merely as something they do on a regular basis. Attending services is the beginning and end of their “religion.” They surround themselves with a false sense of security. They have convinced themselves that regular attendance relieves them of any other obligations. Whether they verbalize it or not, they view religion as isolated events, which they can perform on a regular basis. They then go home and are not concerned with Christianity until the next event takes place. This is the attitude, which dominated the “religion of the Jews” in the first century. They were concerned with little more than outward appearances. Their religion was limited to rituals, which they could perform with great fanfare. Jesus addressed this issue in Matthew 23:5-7. “But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in

A book was written by Jonathan Swift, entitled Gulliver’s Travels. In that book, the central character, Gulliver, traveled to different lands; each land provided him with a different perspective. In one land Gulliver found himself surrounded by people who were, from his perspective, very small. These people, at first, feared Gulliver because from their perspective, he was a giant. Gulliver’s travels also carried him to a land where he was kept as a pet by a little girl who, from his perspective, was a giant. The little girl was enthralled by what she saw as a tiny little man. Gulliver was huge and small; a giant and a tiny little man, yet Gulliver himself had not changed at all. He was the same size when he appeared to be a giant as when he appeared to be tiny. It was not Gulliver who changed, rather the world around him changed. Through all of this change Gulliver maintained his dignity, compassion and strength of character. Before the book ends, it is clear that Gulliver was a giant and a force to be reckoned with regardless of his perceived size. Perspective is a very important thing. When we think of David’s battle with Goliath, we often think of the “little man” battling against the “odds” and emerging victorious. But things are not always as they appear to be. Based solely on appearances, Goliath was a mighty foe. “And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of

If God is love, why does war exist?  If God is love, why do innocent children die?  If God is love, why are there so many heartaches in life?  Some people allow these questions to keep them from obeying the Gospel of Christ.  Some Christians allow these questions to detract from their service to the Lord.  No doubt, some ask these questions in sincerity.  They are truly searching for answers to these questions.  But, some that ask these questions act as if they have the right to sit in judgement of God. As we seek answers to these questions, there are two passages of Scripture that we must bear in mind.  The first is Isaiah 55:8-9. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” We are simply unable to fully understand God’s intricate design for the workings of the universe.  This, however, does not mean that we cannot know some things concerning the subject of this article. The second passage of Scripture is Isaiah 59:1-2. “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.  But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that he will not hear.” To honestly approach the questions of our concern, we must understand and never forget the horrendous effect of sin.  Only with this understanding

As children of God, we must ever look to eternity as we travel the complex and difficult road of life.  If our spiritual eyes could not penetrate the physical realm and focus on the majesty and glory of our God, life would be mundane or simply pointless.  There are great joys in life, but there are also heartache and pain.  Life, in and of itself, is like a tiny crumb from your favorite cake.  It hints at something very good, yet is too little to be beneficial or to provide true enjoyment.  So it is with life outside of godliness.  The youth rejoices in his strength and endurance.  The old man suffers with swollen joints and agonizes over his dependency on others.  The young lady swoons over the attention of a young man, but her heart is broken when he rejects her for another girl.  Joy soars to great heights in the hearts of parents whose children are happy.  But there are few things that compare with the pain parents feel when their children are hurting.  Life, in and of itself, is at best a trade off of joy and sadness, pleasure and pain, good and bad.  Life, however, transcends this mortal existence. The Word of God allows the spiritually-minded a brief look into eternity.  We are able to focus our mind’s eye on the majesty of our God within the confines of human understanding.  Ezekiel saw a likeness of God’s glory.  “And above the firmament that was over their

I knew a fine, old, southern gentleman whose passion in life was the breeding and training of coon dogs.  He would go to any length to own the finest coon dogs in the state of Mississippi.  He, of course, was the owner of many champion dogs and bred a number of exceptional dogs, which he sold for a nice profit.  Though he sold many dogs, he always kept the best dog of every litter for himself.  He was always looking for the perfect coon dog and hoped, through his breeding program, to produce such an animal. The time came when the conditions were right.  He owned the greatest male coon dog in the state, and was fortunate enough to purchase the most prized female.  He felt that his dream of producing the perfect coon dog would be realized through this pair.  After some initial difficulties, the female became pregnant.  She received the best care available.  The man was in a high state of excitement throughout the pregnancy.  Finally, the great day came.  The female dropped four pups.  Three of the pups were splendid animals, but the fourth was the most perfect the man had ever seen. This pup was absolutely perfect in form.  The man spared nothing in the care of this fine animal.  He grew into a beautiful, healthy, young dog.  He had a large frame and was extremely muscular for a young dog.  His voice was deep, even as a pup.  He was destined to be the champion of

In 420 B.C. in the province of Illyria, just across the Adriatic Sea from Italy, was a city that had existed in peace for centuries. In the early morning hours women could be seen in the streets as they made their way to wells in order to draw water for the preparation of morning meals. Men moved about performing their early morning chores. Children slept peacefully within the comfort of their homes. Suddenly, on the surrounding hills, horsemen were silhouetted against the morning sky. It was Attila and one thousand of his Hun horsemen. At the sounding of a horn death descended the hills. The Huns spurred their horses to a full gallop. With a war cry on their lips and fury in their hearts the Huns hit that small city with the force of utter destruction. When the chaos was over two thousand human beings were dead. Attila simply moved on ever toward the conquest of Italy, killing all who stood against him. On February 9, 1950, in the early morning hours, well before light, the third division of the North Korean Army moved across the Naktong River. Men from the U.S. 7th Calvary spotted their movement and alerted the American lines. Star shells and flares illuminated the Koreans at mid-stream. U.S. artillery and automatic weapons were directed at the Koreans. The Koreans, however, successfully crossed the Naktong River. They took a defensive position on hill 268. A two-day battle raged. At the end of that battle one thousand

It was a beautiful November morning.  The air was clean, clear and crisp.  The hunter sat motionless in his stand twenty feet above the ground.  He felt the bite of the wind on his exposed face.  His eyes began to water, but he dared not move in order to wipe them.  He needed to cough, but by shear will power suppressed it for he could not afford to make any noise.  The hunter was here for the purpose of harvesting a magnificent buck.  The hunter had well chosen this spot from which to hunt this deer.  He knew from extensive scouting that the buck would cross the trail below him.  It was not a matter of “if,” rather a matter of “when.”  The hunter’s equipment was in excellent condition.  His rifle operated smoothly and his scope was adjusted to near perfection.  He had only to wait for the inevitable. The buck was moving at first light.  Upon awakening he had laid very still listening intently to the sounds around him.  Once convinced that all was as it should be, he stood and tested the air for any scent of danger.  Now reassured that no danger was present, he cautiously made his way to a nearby water source where he satisfied his thirst.  The buck then alertly headed down the trail that led to his favorite acorn trees where he would spend the morning grazing. Because the hunter knew where to look, he saw the buck coming from a great distance. 

When I take a good look at the claims of the evolutionist, I do not know whether to laugh or cry. If it were not for the infiltration of the religion of evolution into our school systems I most certainly would laugh. Fortunately we have good brethren such as Bert Thompson and the staff of Apologetics Press, and others who fight mightily in support of creation. While this is a most serious subject, on this occasion, I wish to point out some things that are simply laughable to me. We are told that many, many, many, many, many years ago our little monkey-man ancestors ran around in the tree tops. Safe in the tree tops, they avoided nasty characters like saber-tooth tigers. But one day while skittering and chattering about a thought occurred to one little monkey-man. He thought, “If me could make point on stick, me really have something.” It was a great idea, but monkey man vocabulary had not kept pace with intellectual capacity. It took a long, long, time for that monkey-man to explain his idea to his contemporaries. After a million or so years of handing this idea down from generation to generation a descendent of the original monkey-man hatched a plan to accomplish this task. One day when Saber-Tooth wasn’t looking he scrambled down the tree grabbed a rock and ran back up the tree to safety. He proceeded to scrape the rock against the stick and bingo he had a sharp stick. This sharp

In a small southern town lived a seventy-eight-year-old-lady. This dear lady was referred to by most of the townspeople as Granny. Granny loved the people of this town and they loved her. Granny met the needs of her fellow citizens in every way that she could. A smile on her face was as natural as the sunrise. Pleasant words of encouragement flowed from her lips in sincerity. Food from her kitchen was found in the home of every sick or grieving person in this little town. One year, in early autumn, Granny fell ill. She was taken to a hospital in a nearby city. Granny’s condition worsened over the next few days. Her doctor ordered a battery of tests for her. When the test results came back, the doctor recognized the problem. He realized that Granny needed immediate surgery. He went to Granny’s room to tell her that while the surgery was needed immediately, her life could certainly be saved. When he walked into her room Granny said, “I do not want to hear any bad news. Just tell me that everything is all right.” The doctor thought, “Whatever.” He said, “Well then, everything is all right.” The doctor then left the room. Granny died the next day never knowing the danger she was in. Were this a true story, how would you feel about it? Perhaps you feel that Granny made a terrible mistake. Certainly, if one goes to a medical facility, one ought to seek the truth concerning

There is a vast difference between a guard dog and a vicious cur. The guard dog performs a noble task. He is conditioned or trained for that task and is motivated to carry it out. He is able to employ judgement in various confrontations. He may be wary of a stranger but will not attack unless there is a threat to his master. He does not attack for his own purposes. He does not serve himself; rather he serves his master.    The vicious cur has entirely different characteristics. The task that he sets for himself is not noble. He employs no judgement in confrontations. He does not care who a stranger is. He does not care if the stranger is a threat; he simply attacks. He may attack because he does not like the stranger. He may attack because he is in a bad mood. His actions are not held in check by obedience to a higher authority. He does not serve a master, rather he serves himself.    When one is on the attack, motivation and purpose are of utmost importance. This is especially true when Christians are on the attack. If we defend the Gospel with love in our hearts and actively attack doctrinal error, we are justified. If we attack brethren because we do not like them or we are in a bad mood or we want to make a name for ourselves we are sinners. I fear that SOME brethren have forgotten these things.    In many of

Author The name Obadiah means “servant of Yahweh.” Other than his good name, little is known about Obadiah. There is, perhaps, more speculation than fact relating to his historical identity. The book of Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament and reveals nothing personal about the prophet. Date The exact date of this prophecy is hard to determine. “The date of Obadiah’s work is ascribed to periods ranging from 845 to 400 B.C. However, the two most probable dates are 845 and 586 B.C. or shortly thereafter” (Homer Hailey, A Commentary On The Minor Prophets, p. 28). Some of the arguments against the late date are as follows: There is no mention of Babylon or the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. There is no mention of Jerusalem or the temple. There is no mention of refugees fleeing to Egypt. The following are some of the arguments for the early date: The book of Obadiah is listed with the pre-Assyrian prophets in the canon. Jeremiah quoted from Obadiah; therefore, the book of Obadiah was written before the book of Jeremiah. The enemies as described in Obadiah were from early history. Verses 19 and 20 speak of the Judeans repossessing their land. This did not happen after they were carried away in Assyrian and Babylonian captivity. There is an abundance of material available where the arguments for the date of this book are set forth. In this overview, we have not pursued these many arguments in detail. The simple point that must be

It had been a long day. The man was tired, hungry and sore. Yet, still he faced the long walk home. He was weary to the bone, but he began to put one foot in front of the other, for he had not been home in a very long time. The man was aware of activity all around him. He was conscious of a throbbing headache and his back had been hurting all day. These things, however, were suppressed, for surely he had other things on his mind. Life had been burdensome from time to time. The man had seen good friends and family pass away. He had shown goodwill toward his fellow man, only to have it thrown back in his face. He had been honest and forthright, only to be ridiculed for it. He did not lie, cheat or steal, yet, few people were impressed by this conduct. He stood by his friends in difficult times, yet most of his friends did not return this loyalty. He was a good brother to his siblings, but there existed a gap between himself and his family. Yes, the man had a lot on his mind as he traveled home. Weary beyond belief and deep in thought, the man did not at first realize that he had been approached by someone. A hand fell on his shoulder and Jesus of Nazareth lifted His weary eyes and looked into the face of Simon of Cyrene. Simon took the weight of the cross

The Eternal Lord A baby boy was born to a virgin mother in the town of Bethlehem. The child had no earthly father for He was the only begotten Son of God. Baby Jesus grew into a man, who worked miracles, taught like no other and lived a perfect life. He set a great example for all of humanity to follow. The example included compassion, love and obedience. God’s Son established His church and gave his life for the redemption of mankind. In an attempt to understand the depth of the Lord’s sacrifice, we must understand what He was, what He became, and what He is. “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, ‘This Man is calling for Elijah!’ Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. The rest said, ‘Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.’ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the