The Heaton File

Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. And the inscription of His accusation was written above: “The King of the Jews.” With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.” And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him. (Mark 15:25-32)

He Did Not Save Himself

The scene at Golgotha was very chaotic. Three men had been condemned to die for their crimes and the crowd was in a frenzy of curiosity.  This crucifixion was unlike any other as crowds of people swarmed below the three doomed men. Religious leaders taunted and ridiculed the criminal in the center of the controversy with jeers, derisions and pleas to confess his crimes. The two robbers who were crucified also hurled insults upon their fellow charge. Laughter ringed the crowd as nobles in religious garbs made sport of the popular teacher who now hung bleeding on a cross. The name of Jesus was blasphemed by those who walked by. Heads wagged in contempt for the failure of the man from Nazareth to do some miracle or show power by coming down from the cross. The palpable tension of voices elevated the scene to an incredible level of hysteria.

Through all the noise of the crowds, soldiers and followers of Jesus, the Son of God quietly began to die. He was blasphemed but He did not revile in return. They scorned Him to save Himself but He did nothing. The chief priest and scribes laughed at Him for saving others but not being able to save Himself. It was an admission of the power of Jesus in His miracles but now on a cross He had no power to save His own life. They taunted Him to come down from the cross and they would believe. Let Jesus save Himself and everyone would bow the knee.

The glory of the cross is found in the words of those who condemned Him, jeered Him and mocked Him. Little did they realize that what they were saying was the proof He was the Son of God. Jesus had earlier spoken about rebuilding the temple in three days but they assumed He spoke of the literal temple in Jerusalem. Their ears were closed to understand the truth of Jesus teaching and failed to see what would be raised in three days was the body they mocked on a cross. They cried out for Jesus to save Himself – not knowing that what He was doing was saving them. Jesus did not need to save Himself because He had destroyed the curse of the Law by living sinless. Those who mocked him were filled with sin. The one on the cross had no sin.

Jesus could not come down from the cross because the will of the Father demanded He die on the cross. The power of twelve legions of angels was at the disposal of the Son of God but He remained on the cross to save those who wagged their heads at Him. Jesus did save many people in His short ministry and it was true He could not save Himself but that was because if He came down from the cross all men would be eternally lost. Staying on the cross condemned Him to die but it brought eternal life to the world. They begged Him to come down from the cross and they would believe. Dying on a cross was not a miracle. Remaining on the cross would usher the advent of the greatest miracle on the first day of the week when Jesus rose from the dead. He had to stay on the cross so He could bring the hope of the resurrection to all men.

Jesus brought salvation by staying on the cross. His death sealed the horror of sin and destroyed the sting of death. Jesus did not come to save Himself. The Son of God came to save me and He came to save you. He died so that all men could live. He suffered to take away the sorrow of this world. His death gave hope to a hopeless world. Thankfully, He did not save Himself. He saved you and me.

The marks of the cross are simply the marks of our identification with our Lord, death to our own plans and purposes, death to our own right to our lives, that He might have His way with us and ours. (Vance Havner; 1901-1986)

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

He Is My Father. I Am A Christian.

Christian. Such a beautiful name. It bears the image of the Son of God. More importantly, it shows the love of the Father allowing us to wear the name of His Son. Taking the name of Christ is receiving the love of the Father who sent His only begotten Son to die on a cross so that we could share His name. Whenever I tell people that I am a Christian, I am proclaiming the love of my Father granted to me by His grace.

Christian. A name that gives comfort without end. Expressed in the beauty of this name is the presence of a Father who created the heavens and the earth. His power is unlimited. The majesty of His name is the reflection of the name given for disciples of Jesus Christ. As a Christian, I look beyond this world to an eternal home as His power lives in me. There is nothing I cannot do because God my Father loves me.

Christian. It shines brightly in a dark world of despair. The name infuses hope in a world given over to hopelessness. As a beacon of love, my name bears the spirit of hope in the incredible and amazing grace of a Father who loved me so exceedingly much He blessed me with the gift of His Son, whose name I wear. Life has a deeper meaning when I share with others that I am a Christian. It speaks of hope by His grace.

Christian. There is no name given among men that brings true comfort and establishes my life in faith than the name of Jesus Christ. Obedience to the good news of salvation gives my life direction, purpose and work. As a Christian, I manifest the love of the Father in every part of my life. The words that I speak bear the image of the Father. My work is measured by the meaning of that name – Christian. I am His and He is mine.

Christian. Not a label. Not a fad. Not a simple name. It means that Jesus Christ is Lord and God is my Father. He loves me, comforts me, gives me hope and directs my life. All of this because He is my Father. My word is His word. All my work is His work. The name He gives me as the mirror of His Son reflects His glory to the world. When they see me, they see the Father because I have His name. I am a Christian.

You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe–and tremble! (James 2:19)

You Believe? Big Deal.

If there is one notable being that believes in one God more than any man or woman it would be Satan. He is the adversary of the Lord God and his demons are minions of his destructive power. Throughout the ministry of Jesus, the demons were cast out of untold thousands of people. On a number of occasions, it was by the hand of Jesus the demons were sent to the abyss. They knew who Jesus was. He was not just a good man who did good things for people. They feared this One greatly because they knew He had the power to cast them out and punish them. The demons knew without any shadow of doubt Jesus was the Christ the Son of the Living God. Their knowledge was first-hand. Before the world was created they knew who He was.

The demons knowledge Jesus was God’s Son filled them with great terror. Every demon feared the Son of God. They were terrified when they heard His voice. His presence was doom for them. Not only did they know and believe He was the Lord they shuddered with the horror of what would come from His hand. And it did. No demon could resist the power of Jesus and they did the bidding of the Lord every time. Casting out demons was one of the proofs Jesus was the Son of God showing His power over the world of Satan. The work of Satan continues today in deceiving people that salvation in belief alone will save them.

It is a common theme in most churches salvation will happen when a person accepts Christ as their personal Savior. “Just believe and you will be saved” is the clarion call of the greatest deception Satan has brought upon man. Untold millions are listening to preachers who tell them the same lie Satan has been telling from the beginning. Believing in God alone does not save a person. Having a faith that believes there is only one God will not save. If a person can be saved by faith alone and accepting Christ as their personal Savior, then every demon cast to the pit of destruction will also be saved. And they tremble!

James is clear in the teaching that salvation does not come by belief alone. Contrasting the demons with modern faith shows the lie Satan has perpetrated on the religious belief of millions. Those who profess salvation by faith alone would deny the logic of this passage but it stands in stark contrast to what they teach. If salvation is belief only, nothing else can save. It did not save the demons and it will not save anyone today. The context of James establishes the necessity of salvation by faith and works. Demons believe and tremble but that will not save them. Obedience to the will of God is the only thing that can save. Now that is a great story.

Our quote today reflects the false doctrine of the religious world: “As the soul needs the word alone for life and justification, so it is justified by faith alone, and not by any works.” (Martin Luther, On Christian Liberty, 1520). If Martin Luther is correct – demons will be saved.

Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another by profaning the covenant of the fathers? (Malachi 2:10)

The Family Of God

When the Lord called Abram out of the land of Ur, He purposed to create the Abrahamic family as the chosen people that would receive His Law and bring forth the Seed that would be Christ. The Jews came from one father. They were brethren for thousands of generations and keeping up with their genealogy was vital to their identity. Each Jew could trace their lineage through the sons of Jacob back to their father, Abraham. The Bible is filled with genealogies establishing the ancestral dynasty of the nation of Israel ultimately proving that Jesus was the Christ, the promised son of Abraham. In God’s final message before the famine of revelation, Malachi reminds the people they share the lineage of one Father and one God.

The God that delivered the people from Egyptian bondage was the same Father every Jew shared in the Law. As the family of God, each Israelite was a son or daughter of the heavenly Father. While sibling rivalry is a common trait in earthly families, the spiritual family of God should rise about the problems between one another. When members of the family of God abuse their fellow brethren, they cause anguish to the Father. In Malachi’s day, the actions of the people of Israel were bringing the displeasure of the heavenly Father. This lesson is still true for the family of God found in the church.

Jesus taught His disciples forgiveness from the Father can only come if we are willing to forgive one another. The apostle John wrote in his first epistle that love for God motivates love for one another. Hating a brother cannot abide in the love of the Father. Malachi’s question should always be at the forefront of the way we treat one another and deal with problems in the church. As Christians, we all share one Father. The one God, who is the Lord Almighty, formed us. It is incredulous that we would fight with a person we share a spiritual DNA and were baptized in the same blood. What is our Father going to think of this? We bite and devour one another bringing shame to the family of the Lord.

The people of God should be united under the same flag of obedience to the one Father. Abram reminded Lot, “We are brethren.” Fighting and fussing among the people of God should not be heard. Churches filled with infighting destroy the fabric of the spiritual family and bring great displeasure to the Father. The person we are envying is our brother. A sister who has jealousy does so at the same risk of wrath from the same Father. In the body of Christ, we all share one Father. If we would ever get that in our mind it would change the way we treat one another.

When we fight here below as brothers and sisters in the family of the Lord, what makes us think there will be any happiness in eternal life when we stand before the same Father? The judgment day will sort out all sibling rivalry among the people of God. If we do not correct our behavior now there may not be a life with the Father in the hereafter. Why would God want to let a bunch of squabbling, fusing, fighting and arguing brethren into His house? The answer is that He will not. Malachi’s burden should be a warning and a reminder. Remember we have one Father. Live in the knowledge we have one God. Your eternal reward may depend on it.

It is not by driving away our brother that we can be alone with God. (George Macdonald, Alec Forbes, Vol. 2, 1865)

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. (Romans 3:28-30)

He Is A God For Everyone

The descendants of Abraham were a special people set apart by God for the purpose of bringing Christ into the world. From the beginning of man’s rebellion in the Garden of Eden, the Lord promised a Seed would come that would bruise the head of Satan. God promised Abram He would make of him a great nation, give him a land of promise and through his seed bring the promise of hope to all men. At Mount Sinai, the Egyptian Hebrews became the nation of Israel and forty years later received the land of promise in Canaan. Many generations later, a little baby Jewish boy was born in Bethlehem Judea that would grow to become the fulfilled seed promise of Jesus Christ. The Bible tells the story of the Lord working through the nation of Israel to bring His Son to the world to save all men. Jesus did not come to save the Jews only but also to save the Gentiles.

Paul’s argument in Romans is to show that Christ died for all men because all men sin. The Jews were different from the Gentiles only because of the national separation God created through the seed of Abraham. The Law of Moses was given to the Jews alone. This did not suggest salvation came only by the Law of Moses because Abraham was justified by faith and he never lived under the Law. The work of Christ was to show salvation was only through His blood and was given for all men, Jew and Gentile. The Lord is not just a God for the Jews. He sent His Son to die for the Gentile as well. There is one God who will justify the Jew and that same God will justify the Gentile. All men will find justification before the throne of the one Lord God Almighty.

Before Christ, the Jews found justification in the Law of Moses. The Gentiles found justification in being a law to themselves. Neither the Jew nor the Gentile could find salvation by keeping the Law or seeking righteousness through his or her own works. Jesus sacrificed His life to show the Jews that keeping the Law was to no avail and the Gentiles would never find righteousness in their own works. Jesus brought all men – Jew and Gentile – together through His blood. This was essential because all men would stand before one God to be judged. There will not be a judgment for the Jew apart from the judgment of the Gentile. One God will declare righteous according to one law. The Jew cannot be saved apart from Jesus Christ. Paul’s language shows the circumcised (Jew) will be judged according to the same law of the uncircumcised (Gentile) because Christ died for all men (Jew & Gentile).

The gospel of Christ is the only hope of salvation for every man and woman on earth. Regardless of race, nationality, gender, and age the Bible is the only truth whereby men can be saved. Contained with the pages of the Bible is revealed the plan of redemption for all men through the death of Jesus and His resurrection. No matter the nationality of man, God will judge all men according to the same message by one truth. There is one God, one judge, one hope and one book.

As there is no other avenue into the world of glory except through death, so there is no entrance into eternal life except through the narrow pass of judgment. (Emil Brunner, Eternal Hope, 1954)

The Mighty One, God the Lord, has spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun to its going down. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth. (Psalm 50:1-2; A Psalm of Asaph)

The Supreme Ruler Of The Earth

Every morning the sun rises on the eastern horizon and sinks beyond the western sky as the day ends. The radiant beams of the sun glow upon all humanity every day without ceasing. From the highest mountains to the lowest valleys, the frigid expanse of north and south and all the seas that cover the world, the sun blankets the earth with the glory of its light. Thousands of years have come and gone and the cycle of the sun continues. With each ray of sunshine filling the world with its glory is the knowledge there is a ruler who reigns over all the earth and the heavens above. His name is the Mighty One. He is God the Lord. There is none like Him. He rules over every molecule of man, every particle of dust and every star that fills the night sky. Creation was by His word and His word alone. He spoke and it came into existence. This same word holds the world together. The Mighty One is the supreme ruler of the earth.

The sun should humble the spirit of man when he considers how massive a star it is. It would take nearly one million earths to fill the mass of the sun. The sun is 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit on the surface and 27 million degrees Fahrenheit at the core. 92,955,807 miles separate the sun from the earth. It is an incredible visage of the creative hand of God. Man must learn God the Lord formed this planetary power source by speaking it into existence and every place the sunbeam of its power reaches earth the Mighty One rules. The absolute ruler of the earth is not man, never will be man and cannot be man – He is God who rules the earth from the rising of the sun to its going down.

Man’s habitation is confined to the world because God has determined his boundaries. The Mighty One has declared His name to all men of every generation. God has placed the breath of life within man creating an eternal being that needs the wisdom of his creator to guide him. When man realizes how powerful God the Lord is he will know the only truth he can follow is the word of God. The Mighty One is the only God and there is none like him. His word reflects the perfection of beauty. The Bible is the spiritual light of His glory explaining where man comes from, why he is here and where he is going. God shines upon all men over the face of the earth.

Rejecting the word of God is like denying the sun that shines above. Man did not create it, cannot control it and will never change it. The Bible is not the word of man because he did not create it. The righteous judge of all the earth leaves His testimony on all men through the Bible because the Bible is the only truth, the Bible is the Mighty word and the Bible is the word of God the Lord. The Creator has spoken and called the earth to awaken and see His power. Glory shines forth from the peaks of Zion declaring the might and power of the only true God and Lord through the written word. The Bible shows that God is the supreme ruler of all the earth and there is no God like Him.

Nature is incessantly chanting the praises of the Creator, and nothing can be more religious than the hymns chanted in concert with the winds by the oaks of the forest and the reeds of the desert. (Viscount de Chateaubriand, Genius of Christianity, 1856)

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5)

The Only Authority

Recognizing authority is paramount to the doctrine of man’s relationship with God. Satan first challenged authority when he suggested Eve question the word of God. His goal was to make the woman believe the commandment forbidding the eating of fruit from the tree of knowledge was unfair and she should reject God’s oppressive authority. Since the beginning of time, Satan has destroyed God’s creation by challenging the authority of the word of God. When men believe they can become their own gods, serving their own will, finding a better way than the knowledge of the Lord; Satan has won a new disciple. Religion has become multifaceted in man’s attempt to establish his own authority. Churches abound in different styles, faiths, beliefs and acceptance of what men believe because there is no authority to govern the pattern.

Paul affirms what has always been true. There is only one God and there is no other. Through the grace of the Lord God, there is only one mediator and that is Christ Jesus. The authority of God is final. There is no word beyond His word. What has been written since time beginning is the word of God affirmed by the only authority that has a right to govern the affairs of man. The Creator demands the creation follow His word. As the potter, He has the right to mold the clay as He decides. Someone has suggested two important lessons to learn: (1) There is a God; (2) I am not Him. His word is the only word and His word is the only truth. Modern religious division decries the authority of God by rejecting His will for the whims of man’s wisdom. There is one God and that is final.

Salvation can only come through the one advocate given by God. Jesus told His disciples there was only one way to the Father because the only truth that would save man is found in the only life given to save man. Jesus Christ is the only mediator. Man has a direct link to the Father through Jesus and Jesus alone. It is an abomination for any man to take on the role of mediator. No Pope, priest, preacher or person should dare put on the mantle of authority that was given only to Jesus Christ and Him alone. There is one God and there is one Savior. One man died on a cross that was sinless. Only one came from Heaven to save man. Jesus is the only begotten Son of the Father. One God. One Son. One way.

Religious division comes from the rejection of authority. Few in the churches of men understand the value of authority. It matters not what the Bible says for those who are ‘religious’ because a man tells them what to do. So much of what men teach and practice is not found in the Bible yet they deceive the masses to believe they have the authority of God. If every devout follower of the Lord would ask for Biblical authority for what is said and done, no religious division would exist. Churches of men would crumble under the weight of Biblical authority. We are shocked men would worship idols falling down to multiple gods and yet we practice the same lie in preaching salvation through the wisdom of man. Eternal life comes from one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. The Bible is the only book that reveals the mind of God to man. That excludes every other book written by men as a lie. One God. One Lord. One Word. One.

Authority permeates, guides, shapes our lives. The acceptance of authority is the acceptance of what is given by those who have more than we. (Paul Tillich, The New Being, 1955)

Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” But after that no one dared question Him. (Mark 12:28-34)

There Is No Other But He

It is the nature of people to want to simplify things. Instead of complex and drawn out arguments proving a position, a clear demonstrative statement best serves the resolution of an issue. Studying the Bible can be seen as difficult and confusing but the truth lays in the fact God has always presented Himself in simple nuggets of wisdom. A man comes to Jesus and asked a simple question. He wanted to know what the first command of all is. With about seventy words, the Lord summed up the relationship of man with God and man with man. Responding to the answer, the scribe recognized that everything about life is founded on the truth there is one God and there is no one and no thing comparable to Him. Period.

The simplicity of the idea is astounding and powerful. Man must first come to the realization that God is one and nothing else matters. Moses begins the dissertation of God’s glory by showing in the beginning the Lord God created everything. This makes the Creator master of everything He creates. Light was established by the word of God, the world in all its glory formed by the word of God and man and woman created through the awesome design of an incredible Maker. The efforts of man to recreate the Lord God as a totem to worship are futile. Denying there is one God does not destroy the fact of one God. Isaiah’s argument against idols was to compare what a wooden carving can do against the hand of the Lord. There is no other but the Lord God.

For the Christian, the imperative of belief must rest upon the knowledge of one God and there is no other but the one Father. Accepting Jesus as the Son of God demands recognition of the authority of God alone. Jesus Himself humbled His will to the will of the Father because there is only one Father. The word of God is first, foremost and final. There is no appellate court. His word is the only word and His will is the only will. The Bible is the word of God and is the only book that man has been given to find salvation. No other book will bring eternal life but the message of God contained between Genesis and the Revelation.

Jesus commended the scribe for understanding the truth there is one God. Belief comes from the acceptance of the only authority in life will come from the throne of the one who created heaven and earth and created man. All men are the creation of one God. His will must be our will. The truth of one God is the only truth we have. When the judgment comes upon all men, one single thought will be foremost in our minds: there really is one God. The one question is this: do you believe there is one God and there is no other but He?

The denial of God is practically always the result of shutting one eye. It may be for this reason that God have us two. (C. A. Coulson, Science and Christian Belief, 1955)

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4:4-6)

One God And One Father

One: a grammatical word indicating a single thing or unit, and not two or more. Used to distinguish something.

One God: a powerful statement indicating a single being and not two or more. Used to separate from any other god.

One Father: a familial relationship indicating a single gathering of people and not two or more. Used to separate from all other families.

One God and one Father is the affirmation that man cannot serve God in multiple ways by his own choosing and enjoy the blessings of the Father. There is only one way to Heaven and that is by His one Son who died on one cross to accomplish the one thing man needed most. The Bible is the one book that can help man find the one joy of eternal life. One God and one Father declares one truth and one truth alone.

Man has only one choice for eternal life. That choice is found in one God and one Father. Jesus is the one way, the one truth and the one life. There is one church, one hope and one faith. One door is open. Not two or more. One.

Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she put paint on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked through a window. Then, as Jehu entered at the gate, she said, “Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?” And he looked up at the window, and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” So two or three eunuchs looked out at him. Then he said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses; and he trampled her underfoot. And when he had gone in, he ate and drank. Then he said, “Go now, see to this accursed woman, and bury her, for she was a king’s daughter.” So they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. Therefore they came back and told him. And he said, “This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as refuse on the surface of the field, in the plot at Jezreel, so that they shall not say, “Here lies Jezebel.” ‘ ” (2 Kings 9:30-37)

Her Name And Her Life

The birth of a baby is a wondrous event. There is found in the creative hand of God the beauty of His perfect design. Newborn babies are free from the ugly scars of hatred, lust, murder and prejudice. All babies share in the common spirit of perfection. Naming a baby is also an important role in defining the life of the child. The name will become synonymous with everything remembered about the child that grows to adulthood. In the long ago world of the Old Testament period, a baby girl was born to the king of Sidon. The name given the little baby girl meant “chased, free from carnal connection.” Her name would belie the nature the woman would become. Her name was Jezebel.

It would seem incredulous to attach the name of chastity with a licentious, fanatical, and evil woman. Even those not familiar with scripture have heard of the wickedness of Jezebel. The name did not make her the evil woman that she was; her life defined her character. There are few women in the annuals of history that describe evil as much as Jezebel does. Her husband Ahab was a whimpering puppet Jezebel used to do anything she desired. Untold lives were destroyed by her hand, righteous men like Naboth. The land of Israel was filled with sensuality, debauchery, and every evil devised by Satan. What made this more tragic is this came upon the people of God. They were His chosen people, His own special nation. No king that reigned in Israel following Solomon was righteous. Jezebel took evil to a new height and the Lord God was not unaware of her deeds.

The downfall of Jezebel came ultimately with the murder of the righteous man, Naboth. He was framed and murdered by Jezebel because Ahab wanted his vineyard. The prophet Elijah warned her and Ahab what would happen and God’s word is true. Jehu became the agent that carried out the will of the Lord. Her death was the fulfillment of the righteous judgment of a vengeful God who repays the evil heart with the penalty of condemnation. The final moments of her life are indescribable. What she realized in eternity is far worse. She did not live for God while she was Queen but when she died, she saw the Lord God in all clarity. What she suffers now will never end. And what became of Naboth? He is resting in the bosom of Abraham.

Our names were given to us for many reasons. We had no choice about that name but what we do with that name is what makes our name good or evil. The Hitler family of early Germany was a respected name for a hard working family. Adolf, the son, changed all of that. Benedict Arnold was a hero in the early days of our nation’s history but one fatal event changed his legacy. Jezebel was an innocent child at one time but her life story became the legend of incarnate evil because she chose to leave a legacy of wickedness. Our life and our name define who we are. What we do with our life will determine largely what our name will be remembered. More importantly, eternity will depend on whether our name is in the Book of Life. Now that is a great story.

Sometimes the pinnacle of fame and the height of folly are twin peaks. (Anonymous)