The Heaton File

Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri. He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother advised him to do wickedly. Therefore he did evil in the sight of the Lord, like the house of Ahab; for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction. (2 Chronicles 22:2-4)

Wrong Parental Advice

Every child born into the world comes with a fresh innocence of newborn purity. Jezebel was one of the most wicked women in the Bible, and yet there was a time when her heart was as pure as the driven snow. Like her husband, Jezebel made a name for herself as the antithesis of righteousness, goodness, and holy character. Her reputation came through the influence of the world around her and parental guidance leading her down a path of destruction. She did not lose time to mold her daughter in the ways of Baal and idol worship. Athaliah was born to Ahab and Jezebel and, as a young baby, had a pure heart. Taught by her wicked parents, Athaliah would rise to power one day that would set her on the road to infamy as one of the cruelest women who lived.

In a marriage of political expediency, Athaliah was given to Jehoram, eldest son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. After Jehoram became king, he murdered his six siblings, probably at the behest of his wife. Eight years later, Jehoram dies from an incurable disease of the intestines which he suffered two years until his intestines came out. He died in severe pain. His death was to no one’s sorrow. After the death of Jehoram, his son Ahaziah became king, with his mother serving alongside him. He walked in the ways of his grandparents (Ahab and Jezebel), led by the strong influence of his mother, Athaliah. The reign of Ahaziah would last only one year before he was killed by Jehu, son of Nimshi, whom the Lord appointed to cut off the house of Ahab. After the death of Ahaziah, his mother murdered her grandchildren, taking the throne of Judah for herself. But Jehoshabeath, the king’s daughter, took Joash and hid him from the wrath of Athaliah.

The family of Ahab and Jezebel were a blight to the nation of Israel. Ahab married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. “In Jezebel, his Phoenician wife, Ahab found a champion of the foreign culture, who was as imperious and able as she was vindictive and unscrupulous. She was the patron of the prophets of Baal and of the devotees of Asherah” (ISBE). Jezebel taught her daughter, Athaliah, well in the art of evil and manipulating others. Jezebel and Athaliah were very capable of killing their own children and grandchildren for their personal cause. Influenced by these parents, Jehoram and Ahaziah ruled with the same wickedness.

Every child is born in innocence without any corrupt or evil seed. Ahab and Jezebel were without sin when they were babies, but it changed quickly. They had children that were born in purity, but they changed their hearts. The teaching of their parents primarily influenced the corruption and ungodliness that charactered their lives. Joash would be one of the great reforming kings of Judah, and it largely had to do with his grandmother, Athaliah, not influencing him. It can be assumed his aunt Jehoshabeath (Jehosheba), the wife of Jehoiada, the priest, instilled in the young boy love for God. The power of parental influence is overpowering to determine a child’s destiny.

The Bible is filled with the godly influences of parents who sought to instill in their children a love of God. Abraham and Lot are examples of how one man guided his home with God, and the other allowed the wicked influence of Sodom and Gomorrah to destroy his home. Manoah and his wife sought the Lord’s counsel to establish the rule of life and work of their son, Samson. Hannah was a powerful influence upon her son, Samuel. Daniel’s parents taught him from an early age to pray three times to the Lord, and he never forgot those lessons. Joseph and Mary were the parental influence of the Son of God. Parenting is fraught with danger and is not for the weak-hearted. The only goal a parent should have is to make sure their children are safely in the ark when it begins to rain. Nothing else matters. Life only gives one opportunity, and those days quickly pass. Which parent are you? Teach your children to fall in love with God by your example.

For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread. (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12)

Now Hiring

It is not hard to find a business that does not have a notice looking for help. “Now Hiring” is more common as the economic outcome of COVID-19 and government assistance have driven many to stay home collecting unemployment checks. The government has been so generous, many of the basic level jobs pay less than what can be received from collecting federal and state assistance. Some companies are paying prospective employees to interview. Free money is a great temptation that does not make a community great but begins to destroy the fabric of what made America a strong nation: its workforce.

The Second World War was tragic for the cause and effect of the carnage inflicted worldwide. One of the strengths that came from the early 1900s is establishing an incredible labor force that changed the face of the world. It was not a throwaway, plastic society but a world of quality work done by hard-working people. There was a national pride in the country following the war that helped put men on the moon, create an industry of technological wonders through computers, wireless devices, cellphones, and science far beyond the imagination of men. Opportunities abounded with endless possibilities. Those days are gone.

Businesses are struggling to find people who are willing to work. Often, those who work have little desire to do a good job, barely getting by with minimal effort. Quality of product has lagged, customer service is almost non-existent, and going beyond the job requirements is refused. What is lacking is the spirit of Christ in the workplace. The gospel of Christ will save a soul from eternal judgment, but it will also make a world in this life that is noble, honest, just, and willing to work. Paul exhorts the church in Thessalonica to be examples of hard work and diligence. The apostle says that if a man refuses to work, he is walking disorderly. He rebukes those who live idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business. The church has an obligation (a command) to withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly, including those who refuse to work.

Paul taught a gospel of integrity. The Christian example is found in the workplace, and there is no better place for the grace of God to shine in a community than when the Christian goes to work. When God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in the garden with the command to tend the garden. Sin had not entered the world yet, but God expected His creation to work. Throughout the book of Proverbs, the Holy Spirit condemns a lazy spirit, a person who refuses to work, and those who expect to live off handouts from others. The government may pay people not to work, but the Christian must be diligent in living a quiet life and working with their hands to give glory to Jesus Christ. Paul said he preached this message to the Thessalonians. Refusing to work was sinful and brought shame to Christ.

It is hard to change the world and impact how others behave, but a Christian is a person who knows that God is their master before all men. Judgment day will not just be about whether a man has committed adultery or lied or stolen. His judgment will primarily be about something he will spend most of his life doing – working at a job. If a Christian is a lazy, slothful, and belligerent person refusing to work, he jeopardizes his soul. Churches led by courageous men will challenge those who refuse to work, citing scripture to condemn such attitudes. If a man refuses to work, note that man and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed.

“For his letters,” they say, “are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.” Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such we will also be in deed when we are present. (2 Corinthians 10:10-11)

The Same Word

It is hard to imagine the apostle Paul as anything but a powerful force to reckon with. When he was called Saul of Tarsus, he was exceedingly enraged against the church and persecuted the disciples of the Lord even to foreign cities. Luke describes after Paul’s conversion, the church was afraid of him when he tried to join the church family in Jerusalem. Paul began to take missionary journeys where he helped to establish numerous churches converting many people to Christ. Reading any of his epistles to the churches would leave the impression the apostle Paul was a formidable man in presence.

In his second letter to Corinth, Paul seeks to defend his authority as an apostle as some were trying to discredit him. One of the charges that Paul knew the brethren made against him was his physical presence. There are no descriptions of the apostle in Scripture, but Paul suggests of himself his bodily presence was not impressive and his oratory lacking. This was the opinion of his detractors, whether justified or not. Paul defends himself with the authority that his letters were weighty and powerful, and his words were the same when he was present with the brethren. He may not have been a man like Apollos, who was an eloquent man and mighty in the Scripture, but Paul was a man whose word was as straightforward and demonstrative when he spoke as it was when he wrote his letters. The preaching of Paul was not to impress others with his physical appearance. He was not in the kingdom of God to make a name for himself among men.

Paul was a preacher of the gospel with the same diligence to speak the truth whether in person or in letter. He reminds the Corinthians that what he is in word by letters is the same man he is when he is present with the brethren. He may not be much to look at but what he says has eternal consequences. The power of the word is what drove Paul. There was no need to change the word of God to impress people. Paul preached the truth regardless of the opinions of men. Some may reject him because of his physical presence, but they are rejecting the word of God. The only message that Paul preached was the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The word must be the same in every part of a man’s life. There cannot be two sides of a man who on one side is hard on the truth and then in the presence of others softens the impact. It is easier to rebuke through the written word because there is no personal confrontation. Courage comes from a heart that will speak the truth in love face to face. Paul warned his detractors that his message when he came to them was the same as when he wrote them a letter. His faith was consistent with his belief which was rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ. What we are in word by letters must the same when we are gathered with others.

Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.” So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer. (Ezra 8:21-23)

Committed To The Power Of Prayer

The dangers of caravan travel were very real for Ezra and the Hebrews who desired to return to Jerusalem. Bedouin Arabs thrived on plundering caravans caught in the web of their attacks. Considering the amount of gold, silver, articles, and offerings for the house of God Ezra was carrying, the fear of attack was genuine. It was common to ask the king for an escort of soldiers and horsemen to protect the convoy of souls, but Ezra had boasted to the king there would be no need for such protection as the Lord God would protect them. It seems the reality of his boasting had caused some trepidation in the heart of Ezra as the plans became real and the journey fraught with danger. Ezra had boldly proclaimed to the king his confidence in the power of God to see them through.

As the caravan prepared to begin its long journey to Jerusalem, Ezra proclaimed a fast at the river of Ahava to entreat the Lord’s blessings. He understood the need for humility to take on such a monumental task of taking all those souls on a perilous journey without the king’s protection. Instead, he sought the Lord’s favor to humble the hearts of the people to seek from Him the right way and protect the little ones and all the possessions. Ezra boldly proclaimed his faith to the king, and now he must prove his faith to God. The people fasted. Entreaties were made to the Lord God. Faith lifted the prayers with fervent desire. Courage took hold of the hearts of the weak to be emboldened to seek the protection of the Lord. Trust flooded the souls to believe God would answer their prayers. And God answered their prayer.

The company of travelers left the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month for Jerusalem and arrived safely in the city with no attacks from marauding tribes. God’s mercy granted through the accompanying fasting and prayers proved the word of Ezra to the king that the Lord God was powerful and mighty to protect His people. The journey must have been filled with anticipation as each day, the Jews looked for the protection of God. They would have been mindful of the dangers lurking behind the mountains and the shadows of darkness. Their journey was an incredible show of faith when they left without an armed guard. Everyone would have ridiculed their refusal to accept the soldiers and horsemen from the king, but they set out with only the hand of God to protect them. Imagine the surprise to those who heard the caravan had made it safely to Jerusalem. Some would have said the people were lucky, and that was all. Others would have come to know the power of God because of the faith of Ezra.

Prayer is a powerful tool, but it requires the faith of the man to show belief in the power of prayer. Ezra could have asked for soldiers, but he had proclaimed to the king his undying faith in the power of God to deliver them. From a security view, going without soldiers was a risky and dangerous decision. It seemed to be an irresponsible and costly mistake. As the procession left, many people probably remarked how incredibly tragic the news of the caravan would be when they would be plundered and the people killed. When word came back the group arrived safely in Jerusalem, the stories were mixed as to how it happened. The king knew the God of Ezra was truly a great and powerful God.

The difficulty of prayer is to ask the favor of God and then let God take over. Often, prayer is given with a caveat in case the Lord cannot carry out the request. It is easy to tell God how to answer prayer. Ezra told the king the Lord would deliver them and asking for soldiers would deny his claim. Prayer must be made in bold language with the heart of faith willing to head out into the wilderness without soldiers and let God protect the caravan. It takes a committed heart to pray the prayer of faith. Ask God and then let Him do His work without telling Him how to do His work.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Spirit Fruit: Goodness

The character of goodness is a trait common in most people. Having a good spirit is a natural result of proper training, instruction, and practicing established manners. Being a good person can come naturally. Young people should be taught to be honest, courteous, and kind to others, making them a good person. There are those in a community that stand out as people of kind acts and pleasant dispositions that everyone would consider to be a good person. These are commendable for anyone to follow after, and the world needs more people filled with goodness.

Paul’s description of the fruit of the Holy Spirit includes the fruit of goodness. Good fruit comes from a good tree, and a good tree comes from good stock. It may not be as natural a process as one might think. The kind of goodness Paul writes about is not the goodness found in the world. Goodness as a fruit of the Holy Spirit is something that is above the good things people do in the world. There is a spiritual connection with this type of goodness. It serves a higher purpose, often at a higher cost. Foremost to the fruit of the spirit is the willingness to abstain from everything evil and seek good things. Jesus reminded His disciples that good men come from hearts filled with good treasures, and evil men are born from hearts filled with evil. The Holy Spirit is where the spiritual goodness comes from to refrain from sin, which is the transgression of the word of God. If a man is not a Christian, he may be a good man, but the counsel of the Divine does not govern him. He is a good man in the general sense. The man who is filled with the fruit of the Holy Spirit will be good regardless of the circumstance.

Goodness from the Spirit is found in the desire of the heart to walk in the ways of God. The psalmist said the Lord orders the steps of a good man as he delights in the way of God. This type of goodness is a higher spiritual manifestation than being a good neighbor. Good people who serve the Lord find favor in the spiritual world as they serve the Lord Jesus Christ. It takes a good heart to pray for an enemy and to bless those who curse them. Without the fruit of the Holy Spirit, this will not be possible. To be a son of the Father, goodness must come from an abiding presence of the Holy Spirit so the fruit of righteousness will shine forth in the life of the Christian.

The fruits of the Spirit come from the Holy Spirit. Barnabas was called a good man, and he was full of the Holy Spirit and faith. Good men and good women led by the counsel of the Lord will show their faith in their goodness. What separates the good man in the world and the good man in the Lord is the Lord. One is motivated by common grounds of decency. The man who is a good man in the Lord is moved by the goodness of God to show forgiveness, mercy, kindness, love, and compassion. God’s goodness sent His only begotten Son to die for the world. The goodness and severity of God are proclaimed loudly throughout scripture.

When a child of God is filled with the fruit of the Spirit, they abide in the Father’s character with goodness. Their spirit is guided by the righteousness of God, showing the world His grace. It is easy to think that goodness is a natural process, but the fruit of the Spirit comes through faith and dependency on the word of God. This type of goodness is the highest form of benevolence and only comes from the Holy Spirit. Being good is great. Showing the fruit of goodness obtained from the Holy Spirit is divine.

Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last. (Luke 23:44-46)

Three Hours Of Darkness

The Palestinian sun brilliantly shone down on the tragic events taking place outside Jerusalem. Three men were nailed to crosses with the proficiency of the Roman Army. A crowd gathers around the scene, jeering, mocking, screaming, and hurling insults. Two of the men were known criminals charged with robbery and murder. The man in the middle was charged as a criminal but was innocent of all sin. It was a noisy place and smelled of death. Golgotha was a place of death used by the Romans to carry out capital executions of the government. No one escaped the cross. It was the most horrific means to kill a man perfected over the years to prolong suffering as long as possible. A merciful act that heightened the severity of the execution was breaking the legs of the criminals. Jesus was the man in the middle who endured the suffering of the crucifixion along with the other two men. His legs were never broken as He died around three in the afternoon.

Three hours after Jesus is nailed to the cross, the sun becomes obliterated from sight, and darkness falls over the land. It is not an eclipse of the sun or some natural phenomena explained by an erupting volcano, or a flock of birds, or dark storm clouds. This darkness permeated everything as the darkness veiled Egypt when the Hebrews were in bondage. It was a darkness that could be felt. The darkness of Egypt lasted for three days, but the darkness at the cross of Jesus lasted three hours. It was the middle of the Palestinian day when the sun was the highest and brightest. Suddenly, darkness covered the land with no explanation. It lasted for three long, troubling hours as the life of Jesus slowly slipped away.

God gave humanity a powerful sign in bringing the darkness. Jesus was bearing the darkness of sin for all humanity, and the earth responded in kind. It was as if nature itself was yielding itself to the reality of the death of God. Jesus was not coming down from the cross alive. He would endure the terrible pain of the cross for nearly six long, agonizing, and incredibly painful hours. There was no wine mingled with myrrh to dull the pain. Jesus refused it. The penalty of sin would be paid in full, and darkness was part of the price. Jesus hung on the cross for three hours, engulfed with darkness. There was no sun to offer hope. He could not look out in the crowd to see His mother. His first words when the darkness fell were pleading with His heavenly Father why He had forsaken Him. He cried for thirst as the darkness heightened His suffering. The darkness reminded Jesus why He came, and He declared His work finished. Finally, in the midst of the darkness, Jesus died. It was the sixth hour of the day when the sun would fill the sky with brilliant rays of sunshine, but not today. An unnatural darkness covered the land when Jesus died.

Man is not made for the darkness. He is not a nocturnal creature. His place is in the sunlight of the day. When God created man, he was made in the image of the Father for the glory of the Father. He was not created to be a spiritual nocturnal being. Sin brought darkness to the heart of man. Adam and Eve hid in the shadows of the trees seeking to flee the presence of God. Jesus died in darkness to bring light to the world. To die in the cover of darkness made the suffering even more. Jesus bore the physical suffering of the cross, but He did not die on a bright sunny day. He gave up His spirit as darkness covered the land.

It would not be until the morning of the third day that light would return to the soul of man. When Jesus died, the sun shone once again, and the world seemed to return to normal. What remained was the darkness of sin. On the first day of the week, Jesus rose in the early morning to bring the light of redemption to all men so they would never live in darkness again. The land was covered with darkness three hours when Jesus was dying, but the sun came back. Jesus died and rose to show men the darkness of their eternal spirit needs the light of His love. The sun may shine brightly in the sky, giving God the glory, but when the light of Jesus Christ shines bright in a heart darkened in sin, God is glorified, and Jesus praised.

The centurion got it right when the darkness ended, and he saw Jesus give his last breath. He said, “Truly, this Man was the Son of God.” It may have worried the centurion when three hours earlier, darkness filled the land. There was no explanation and no answer. Somewhere in the heart of the centurion, he realized the crucified man in the middle was different. Jesus died, and the darkness went away. The gospel changes hearts when Jesus dies in the soul of man and takes away the blackness of sin. Light comes in death. Let the light of Jesus take away your darkness.

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

The Unrighteous Will Not Be Saved

Peter said that some of Paul’s writings were hard to understand, and the untaught and unstable people will twist to their own destruction. That is not the case in the first letter to the saints at Corinth. There is clear and demonstrative language in Paul’s epistle to the Corinthians that cannot be missed. The world will muddy the word of God, bending truth to fit their pernicious ways, but that will not take away from the truth. Paul’s language is unambiguous, unmistakable, and unequivocal when he writes the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. There is no room for misunderstanding the message of the Holy Spirit. The reality of eternal damnation is not to be missed. Jesus taught that hell is real and the disobedient will be cast in the lake of fire and brimstone with no exceptions. Paul echoes the teaching of the Lord in showing that those who persist in sin will not find joy in death.

Eternal damnation is not a pleasant subject, and it is natural to recoil from its message. There is a healthy view of looking at hell as real because it is real. Denying it does not change its reality. It does not fit the human model of wisdom. God is full of love, but the wrath of God is the exercise of His divine righteousness. He has no desire to condemn anyone, but He must because of His character. Paul says the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. The unrighteous hearts of those who reject the grace of God cannot stand before a Holy God and find eternal life. Righteousness demands justification against unrighteousness. God created man; man did not create God. The law of God is what determines the destiny of humanity. Sadly, most people will never see eternal life. Jesus affirmed this in His teaching.

Paul asked a rhetorical question when he wrote to the Corinthians. They knew the unrighteous would not be saved. What the apostle did was to remind the saints of the damning influence of sin and that God did not show partiality of one sin to another. He suggests a list of sins as examples of what is commonly accepted in the world yet condemned by a Holy God. Fornication is sexual immorality accepted by a carnal world but will condemn a soul to hell. Sex before marriage is viewed as the passing rights of young people, but God calls it sin. Those who engage in sexual relationships outside of marriage will go to hell. Idolaters are not limited to those who fall before a stone image. Covetousness is idolatry. Adulterers will be condemned to hell. Men and women who defile their marriage vows by engaging in promiscuous relationships will not be saved. Infidelity is sin, and engaging in sex outside of the marriage bond condemns a soul to hell.

The world is becoming more desensitized to the immorality of homosexuality, but God’s view has never changed. Men and women who turn against the natural way to have sex and instead indulge in sex with each other will be damned. The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God, and this includes the sexually perverted. Among the list given by Paul are thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners. Stealing will damn a soul. Worshiping wealth damns a soul. Alcohol will send many to perdition, and those who live life as a wild party of indulgences and greed will find no joy in death. This list is not a final list but an example of God’s view of unrighteousness.

Paul’s language is offensive to the moral sensitivities of modern man. He was not writing to appeal to human wisdom but the reality of God’s judgment upon those who refuse to obey the word of the Lord. The Bible is filled with God’s wrath against unrighteousness. His righteousness demands justice. The only hope is found in leaving unrighteousness and seeking the paths of holiness, purity, and righteousness in the love of God. Among the Corinthians, some lived unrighteous lives, but when they came to the grace of God in obedience, they were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus. Their sins were all washed away in the waters of baptism. What joy the unrighteous became righteous. The message is clear. There is eternal damnation to those who live after the lusts of the world. Joy can only come in obedience.

You are my portion, O Lord; I have said that I would keep Your words. I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; be merciful to me according to Your word. I thought about my ways, and turned my feet to Your testimonies. I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments. The cords of the wicked have bound me, but I have not forgotten Your law. At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You because of Your righteous judgments. I am a companion of all who fear You and of those who keep Your precepts. The earth, O Lord, is full of Your mercy; teach me Your statutes. (Psalm 119:57-64)

I Will Keep Your Words

The affirmation of the psalmist to God is clear: You are mine. There is no hesitation and no wavering of thought. The spirit of the child of God is devoted to the affirmation and confirmation of the word of the Lord in his soul. Reading the psalms, one finds a wealth of devotion unparalleled in scripture. These are not timid hearts trying to decide whether they are committed to the Lord God or not but people that have fully put their trust in the word of God. They have made a promise they will keep the word of the Lord with their whole heart. Every fiber of their being longs to know the statutes, commandments, and instructions of the Divine. When the author begins this section of his lengthy declaration of God’s word, he confesses to God that He is his portion and inheritance.

Dedicated people are committed people. It is not easy to dissuade hearts wholly committed to the Lord because they have the word embedded deep in their souls. Life has many turns and ups and downs with challenges abounding. What makes the heart of the child of God secure is the knowledge they have of the word. This is not a good-feeling-religion of mediocrity. Pondering life brought the heart to follow the laws of God, His will, commandments, precepts, and testimonies. There is an urgency to keep the word of the Lord as he seeks the mercy of God. Sin is not something to be trifled with, and the immediacy of knowing the word protects the heart from temptation. The wiles of the devil are ever-present, but the man secured in the word of God is like an anchor fastened to a rock.

The psalmist declares to the Lord that he promises to keep His words. This commitment must come through tedious hours of study and examination of the word. The significant part of his declaring allegiance to the Lord is his willingness to know the word. It is impossible to keep the word of God if a man does not know the word. Keeping the commandments of God necessitates the knowledge of those commandments. He promises not to forget the law of God rising at midnight to thank the Lord for His word. Imagine waking in the middle of the night to tell the Lord, “Thank you.” That is how much the word meant to this man.

Because of the righteous judgments of the Lord found in the word and discovered in the life of the man, there is much to be thankful for and give praise to God. Evil abounds in the world, but the heart of the child of God safely trusts in the word of God. The association of fellow believers is fortified by their desire to obey the commands of God. Finding people of like precious faith enjoins the hearts of the faithful to one another. The loyal heart has committed itself to the word of the Lord and to be a companion to all those who fear the Lord God. His final desire is to know the statutes of the Lord and to understand the decrees of God.

The need of every Christian is to have the heart of the psalmist. There must be a dedicated spirit to know the word of God. It must be the most important part of life to understand God’s will for a man’s life. Life is filled with evil and the temptation of the devil. Without a firm knowledge of the word of God, the soul will lose the battle, and Satan will gain the victory. Knowledge is power because it gives the heart the ability to fight off the wiles of the devil. There must be a firm resolve to know all that can be known in a lifetime of the word of God. A thousand years will not exhaust the knowledge of God, but a life filled with the precepts of the Lord will find peace, safety, hope, and promise of eternal life. Keep the word of God.

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. (Ephesians 5:1)

Be Like God

To imitate something is to copy or use something as a model, form, or design. Within personal relationships, it is to act the same as or to impersonate and mimic. One of the keys of imitation is to present an accurate model of what is being copied. The result will be that what is imitated will be like the original. Authors have suggested imitation is the highest form of flattery, but it is more than trying to flatter someone else. Imitation is the foundation of man’s relationship with God. The Lord demands it and includes it in His canon of doctrine. Paul’s exhortation to the saints in Ephesus included the need to form one’s life to model God. As dear children, the Father’s offspring is to look like the Heavenly Father in every way.

Herman Melville wrote, “It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” Melville was not writing about the relationship between man and God in a spiritual sense. Still, his statement rings true with the struggle humanity has with obedience to the word of God. The days of Noah were characterized by individuality, where everyone did what they wanted to do. Only eight souls imitated the character of God, and only eight souls were saved in the ark. Throughout the period of early days of Israel, the land was governed by judges who the Lord would send to rescue the people out of bondage. This cycle continued for many years because there was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in their own eyes. They imitated what they wanted instead of seeking the divine blueprint. The failure of “originality” not only led to their failure but their destruction.

The human spirit has a hard time wanting to imitate the Divine. Freedom of life-choices is the banner most live under, believing that life is about the here and now. They believe that imitation is one letter short of limitation. Trying to mold their character after God will limit their pleasures, wisdom, and purpose in life. Why do so many people refuse to obey the will of the Father? They do not want to imitate God. According to human reasoning, imitating the world is a lot more productive and much more fun. Sadly, when these souls stand before the Father in eternity, they realize that human imitation was the greatest limitation.

Imitating God is a powerful task, daunting at best and humbling to try. How can a man imitate God? The Father has not given an impossible task, but with His divine help, any man can model their lives after the character of God. Children of God become like God. Reading the Bible helps a man see that God is loving, kind, merciful, benevolent, forgiving, and slow to wrath. There are myriads of ways to describe God as found in God’s word for His charity. It must not be lost on the student of scripture that the Lord God is also just, fair, punishing when required, without partiality, and unwavering in His word. All of the characteristics of God (goodness and severity) must be imitated by His children.

Love and forgiveness are the spiritual DNA of the child of God because they belong to the Father. The follower of Christ cannot endure sin as the Father abhors sinful conduct. The Lord God is pure and holy, and His children must be pure and holy. God so loved the world, He gave His only Son to die for those who did not deserve grace. Children of God learn to forgive and remove the stain of prejudice against others. Imitating God shows kindness, being tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave His children. When the world looks at the life of a Christian, they see the Father. If the world sees the child of God walking like the world, talking like the world, and living like the carnal world, they will not see the imitation of God. Who do you look like?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Spirit Fruit: Kindness

The fruit of the Holy Spirit is an amazing contrast of the world and the child of God. There are few similarities as the light of God shines in a world darkened by the hatred, prejudice, and self-serving dictates of the human soul. The Christian is filled with the fruit that will show kindness to all men while the carnal heart looks out for self and no one else. A contrast of spirits shows the disposition of a disciple of Christ to be mild of temper, calm in spirit with an unruffled nature seeking the betterment of his neighbor. He is a kind and gentle person. This is not something a person naturally develops in life but comes from the Holy Spirit.

Kindness is a gentle word that is a moral platform of God’s grace. Joseph Joubert defined kindness as “Loving people more than they deserve.” Kindness began with God, and He expects His children to follow His example. The fruit of the Spirit shows kindness to be part of the growing process in the heart of the Christian. It also suggests that kindness is not a natural outgrowth of a disposition someone is born with. Kindness is an act that shows love toward enemies. It takes the hatred of self and follows the pattern of Jesus, who sacrificed Himself for others. The home is established on kindness as an integral part of the marital relationship of husband and wife. A happy marriage is when the husband shows kindness to his wife, and the wife expresses kindness to her husband. Parents teach their children to be kind to everyone. Respecting the elderly, helping those in need, and showing respect to those in authority is how young people learn kindness.

The proverb writer says that what is desired in a man is kindness, and the mouth of the virtuous woman is filled with wisdom and the law of kindness. It is interesting to see that kindness is a law. The fruit of the spirit is given for men to accept the will of the Father to be people who are kind, slow to anger, and merciful. Paul would tell Colosse saints to be the elect of God; they must put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, and forgiveness with love. The cousins of kindness are the true characteristics of a child of God. Christians are known for their kindness. This is one of the great dividing pictures of those who live according to the Spirit and those who live according to the flesh.

Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit that must be developed. It is not a natural outgrowth of a person’s disposition. Peter will include in the graces of a Christian the need to add to godliness brotherly kindness. It is a formula that must come from the heart of God, learned in the spirit of man, and shown through the active hands of a Christian. If there is any kindness in the world, it must come from God’s people first. Grouchy, angry, discontented, unhappy, and resentful people do not show the love of God and His kindness. It may be hard for some folk to be kind, but God expects it. Nay – He demands it.

The joy of kindness is the fruit it bears. Open a door for another. Smile – it becomes contagious. Let others know you care about them. Send a note to encourage. Help others. Help someone without being asked. Prepare a meal. Tell someone you care about them. Give a flower. Say thank you and please. Never fall victim to gossip but speak the truth in love. Forgive. Sing. Pray. Show the heavenly Father your kindness. The greatest kindness you can do for another is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and help them find eternal life. That is the kindness that will never end. Be kind.