The Bible is full of practical advice for Christian living. We can learn what God would have us to do from reading the Scriptures, and we can also find the keys to happiness in this life. In 1 Peter 3:10-11, the apostle Peter wrote a simple formula for how a Christian can love life and see good days. He wrote, “For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.” Let us notice this three-part formula more closely. Refrain Our Tongues from Evil, v. 10. James 3:5-6 tells us that our tongues are little members but boast great things. The tongue is also described as a fire and a world of iniquity. When we use our tongues for positive things such as confessing Christ and preaching the Gospel to others, then the tongue is used for its intended purpose. However, when we misuse the tongue, it can be very dangerous. Misusing the tongue includes gossiping, which is condemned in 1 Timothy 5:13 and cursing, condemned in James 3:10. The context of 1 Peter 3:10-11 also deals with speaking no guile. This means we are not to use our tongues to speak deceitfully. Speaking good things will lead to good results and will save us from so many problems in our lives. It will allow us to love life and see good

In 1 Peter 3:15, we find these words, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” This charge was given from the apostle Peter to Christians of the early church, but it still very much applies to us today. Let us take a close look at what we are charged with doing. Our Defense Peter said by inspiration that we must be ready to give an answer. This word “answer” comes from the Greek word apologia, which means a defense. As Christians, we must stand prepared to defend the faith we hold so dear. This preparation, however, will not come without effort on our part. We must study God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15) in order to be knowledgeable, and we must be knowledgeable in order to capably defend what we believe. Notice also that the text says, “always ready.” This indicates continual preparation and study on the part of the faithful Christian. We might not know every single answer to every single question, but we stand ready to find the answers for every man who would ask. Our Disposition Our disposition is the manner in which we are to give an answer. This manner is given in the text. We are to give an answer to others with “meekness and fear.” Meekness means with humility. We should never beat people over the head with

The Bible has much to say about our relationship with God. For example, we are to love God (Mark 12:30). We are to obey God (John 14:15), which is how we demonstrate our love for Him. Our relationship with God also includes reverence (Hebrews 12:28). Yet, the Bible has much to say about our relationships one with another. For a moment let’s focus on those words “one another.” Love One Another (John 15:12, 17) There are different kinds of love mentioned in the Bible. The word “love” in the Greek rendered “agapao” is defined as a love of action. We must have this type of love toward our brethren. It is a love of choice. I will choose to love my brother because he is a fellow citizen in the kingdom. Forbear One Another (Ephesians 4:2) To forbear means to bear or endure, in other words to put up with someone. In the context of my brethren, this means that I must love brethren that I do not even like, and put up with their misgivings and personality quirks that I may not appreciate. A church is a group of people with different backgrounds, interests and personalities. We are not all similar in these areas. However, we have a common bond and a common goal. Thus, we put up with differences of opinion and different temperaments at times because we are forbearing. Be Kindly Affectionate to One Another (Romans 12:10) This verse says we are to be affectionate. This means

Atheists are people who believe there is no God. Of course nothing could be more opposite to what we believe as Christians. We believe in the Almighty Creator – One who is eternal, who created the universe with His words, who sustains the universe as it is today, who will destroy the earth one day with fire, and one before whom we will stand in judgment. However, atheists scoff at such notions. They think God-believing people are weak, imagining up a God that does not exist to use Him as a crutch to get through life. Atheists view themselves as intellectuals who have achieved some higher knowledge than Christians. They’re smarter than we are; just ask them, they will tell you. However, have you ever considered what really would be the outcome if they were right? What if there really was no God? John Lennon wrote these words in his now famous song “Imagine”: “Imagine there’s no Heaven; it’s easy if you try. No Hell below us, above us only sky.” So what would the world be like if God did not exist? If There Is No God, ThenWe Are All Here By Accident Christians believe that mankind is uniquely special because we were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Atheists believe there is no greater power that created us. We all just evolved. If that is the case, then we have no purpose for being here. We are just animals – just molecules in motion. We have

In Luke 12:13-21 we find the parable of the rich fool. We often notice that this man was called a fool, but seldom do we ask why. Following are some reasons Jesus called this man a fool. He thought about the gifts, but not about the Giver. God is the giver of every blessing (James 1:17). Yet, this man gave credit to himself and not God. The man had an I problem. He said, “I” will do this, and “I” will do that. He was focused on his material wealth, to the exclusion of the Giver of those gifts. Today, we are rich in this nation. We must never forget that the blessings we have are from God. Whatever talents we have to earn money are given from God as well. Without Him we would be nothing. He thought about himself and forgot about his neighbor. The rich fool was making plans for all his wealth. He was going to tear down his barns and build greater ones. He was storing up money all for himself. There is no mention of his planning to help anyone else. Today, we must be willing to share our wealth to help others. First John 3:17 says, “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” Let us remember the Words of Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Look for someone in need, and

Every marriage has both good times and bad. A preview of this is often found in the wedding vows. We vow our undying love for better or for worse. Most of us hope for more of the better than we do of the worse. Yet, every marriage, no matter how good, has times of conflict and difficulty. So, what are some of the most common problems? Notice a few sources and solutions. Money Problems Money problems rank near the top of virtually every survey done on marital difficulties. Money in and of itself actually is not the problem. It is the abuse and misuse of money that is the problem. Some people are just not willing to compromise when it comes to what they want in life from a material standpoint. Because of this, married couples find themselves spending all they have earned and then some. God requires us to be good stewards (1 Corinthians 4:2), and this certainly includes being stewards of our money. The first rule of money is to put God at the top of the list (Matthew 6:33). Having a budget is essential in managing money, but we must make sure we put God at the top of that budget. We also need to communicate together as husband and wife about the family finances. No major purchases should be made without consulting one’s mate. Finally, we must live within our means. Being content with what we have will take us a long way toward living within

Job was a man of great character and faith. The Scriptures reveal that he feared God and eschewed evil (Job 1:1). Fear does not mean he was afraid of God, but rather reverenced Him. Eschewed evil means he removed it from his life. Verse 1 also says he was perfect and upright. Perfect does not mean without sin, but rather he was complete. Upright means straight, as we would say Job was straight as an arrow. God said to Satan of Job in verse 8, “Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth?” However, Satan came along and questioned God’s appraisal of Job. Satan claimed that Job was faithful because of the abundant blessings God had given him. God would allow Job to be tested by Satan to prove his faith was true. The following will prove that Job passed the test. His Prosperity Job was a man of great wealth. The Bible says he had 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys and a great household of servants. Those items might not impress people today, but they demonstrated great wealth in Job’s time. Job was also blessed with a great family. He had seven sons and three daughters. So, how was Job’s prosperity a test? To answer this question we need not go further than today’s world. We have all been blessed with great material wealth in this country. Because of this, we realize how very difficult it

Heaven is a place of great mystery. We are told things about it, but yet, there are many things still unknown to us. Heaven is a word that conjures up positive emotions. Most everyone views heaven in a positive way, except atheists, who believe there is no such place. Almost every religious person believes he is going there, and for that matter, most non-religious people believe they are going there, too. However, the Bible says only the obedient will be going (Hebrews 5:8-9). I want to go to heaven more than anything in the world, and the following are some reasons why I want to go there. I want to go to heaven because of who will be there. God will be in heaven. I look forward to basking in His glory and majesty. What a privilege it will be to be in the presence of His power for all eternity. Our fellow brethren will also be in heaven. In fact, brethren from all the ages will be there. Family members that died as faithful Christians will be there. Great Gospel preachers and elders will be there. All the faithful Bible characters of all time will be there. Can you imagine meeting and talking with the apostle Paul? What about conversing with our Lord? How wonderful that will truly be. I want to go to heaven because of the things that will be there. Heaven will be a place of beauty. It is described in Revelation 21 as a city with walls

What do you think of when you hear the words preaching the Gospel? Most think of a man standing behind the pulpit on Sunday morning and delivering a sermon. Yet, the phrase “preach the Gospel” encompasses so much more than a Sunday morning sermon. The phrase means to bring, or declare good or glad tidings, and does not refer to only standing in a pulpit. It refers to the generic teaching of the Gospel to others. The early Christians were severely persecuted, yet the Bible says they went everywhere preaching the word (Acts 8:3-4). There are many reasons why we should do the same, but consider three reasons from Romans 1:14-16 that Paul preached the Gospel. Paul Preached Because He Was a Debtor The word debtor from v. 14 means one who owes anything, or is under obligation to another. Paul preached because he understood his debt to God, others and himself. He was obligated to God because God offered a plan to save him, even after he had persecuted and killed Christians. He also felt an obligation to others because he realized the difference the Gospel made in his life, and he wanted to share this with his fellowman. However, Paul also knew of his obligation to himself to preach. “Woe is unto me, if I preach not the Gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16). He realized he had a personal responsibility. Today, each Christian has a personal obligation to share the good news with others. We have an obligation to