The Bible Is All Truth

Posted on February 2, 2025 by heatonkent

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The Bible Is All Truth

The Bible is the only source of truth given to the world. Written over a span of 1500 years by forty different men living in different times of history, the Bible is a complete record of the mind of God telling man what he must do to be saved. Many books are written that inspire men and explain the questions of life, but none are as sufficient as the sixty-six books that make up the Bible. God is the author of the book. The fall of man is the subject of the book. Jesus Christ and salvation is the message of the Bible. Everything a man needs to know about life is found on the pages of the Bible.

In a world starving for hope and answers, few souls will venture into the pages of the Bible. It is the most popular book published in the history of man and the least read. Many preachers never mention the Bible in their sermons. Instead, they soothe the guilty hearts by caressing and cajoling the people with great stories and positive messages with little or nothing to save their souls. Fresh from the seminary, a young man said, “Must I confine myself in my preaching to the Bible?” That is like a shrimp asking, “Must I confine my roaming to the Atlantic Ocean? Imagine a minnow saying, “Must I confine myself to the ocean?”

The Bible is the message of salvation given to the world to explain the questions of life and death. Reading it will not make one rich or bring better health, but it will enrich the soul with eternal truths, heal the broken spirit, and mend the troubled heart. Paul told Timothy the value of the scriptures is eternal when he writes, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Seeking the answers to life begins with the Bible. Learning your purpose in life begins with the Bible. Reading and meditating on the words of the Bible will bring hope, peace, and joy to life. The Bible is written to comfort the afflicted and it is written to afflict the comfortable. God also wants the world to know the dangers of disobedience and failure to follow His word. There are many stories of God’s love in the Bible and many more stories of God’s wrath. The Bible is written for our learning.

The Bible is the compass everyone should have to guide them in the way of truth. God’s word is the only truth. To reject the Bible is to turn away from the only ark of safety in the ocean of life. God did not give us a book we cannot understand. Read it to be wise. Neglect it to the danger of eternal condemnation. The Bible is the only revelation given to the world to know what a man must do to be saved. Jesus is the message of the book and, through His death, established the eternal scheme of God’s plan for salvation.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

He Can Be Resisted

Posted on January 31, 2025 by heatonkent

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. (1 Peter 5:8-9)

He Can Be Resisted

Satan is a potent enemy that must not be underestimated. His goal is to destroy every soul in Hell, along with himself and his angels. The principalities of wickedness, powers of evil, rulers of the darkness, and spiritual hosts of wickedness align themselves in the war of righteousness against unrighteousness. Satan is crafty. He presents himself as an angel of light. Through deception and manipulation, he tempts the soul to follow his pernicious ways. Like fiery darts, the devil places the lust of the eye, pride of life, and lust of the flesh in the path of the righteous to bring them under his control. Satan is powerful. And he has great success in his evil plans.

As powerful and seductive as the devil can be, the child of God can resist him. It is possible to withstand the allurements of his crafty ways. The child of God can stand up to Satan and refuse to allow his evil influence to harm them. God has given His children the means to oppose the work of the devil. Fighting emboldened with the armor of God, the Christian can stand against and quench all the impositions of the great adversary. The power to overcome Satan does not derive its source from the feeble hearts of men. This can only come through the power of God.

Satan cannot make anyone do anything they do not want to do. It is imperative to understand that God has limited the power of Satan, and he has always been incapable of forcing his will on anyone. If a man sins and disobeys the word of God, the sin lies in the heart of man. Satan is the ultimate reason for sin, as in the garden when he deceived Eve, but it was Adam and Eve who made the choice. God’s wrath will be poured out on Satan in judgment when he is cast into Hell (he knows this), but God will also cast all those who follow him into the lake of fire. The tragedy of sin is that it did not have to consume the heart of man. Satan can be resisted.

One of the foundational elements of sin is pride. As the seed of evil, pride leads the heart of man to follow after his own will and desires. Satan feeds this desire by tempting the heart with the broken promises that are lies. The first thing that must be done to resist the devil is to remove the proud and arrogant heart. Victory over the devil begins with humility before God. A proud heart cannot stand before God. There is nothing God can do with a man who exalts himself until he humbles himself before the mighty hand of his Creator. Man’s heart must empty itself of pride so that he can learn how to resist the devil.

Humility is the first step toward resisting the devil. When a man humbles himself before God, the Lord will lift that man up. Casting all the care and concern of life to the will of God will bring about the joy of resisting Satan. It takes great courage to stand against Satan. A sober mind fortified with vigilance will defeat the wiles of the devil. Peter describes Satan as a lion, but a lion can be tamed and caged. Satan may be called a roaring lion, but that is all he can do – roar. A roar does not harm or destroy. When the weak hearts of proudful men allow the wiles of the devil to overcome their hearts, they will be devoured and destroyed by Satan. If they had stood against his roar and stood with faith in God, it would have only been a noisy event.

The most amazing part of resisting the devil is that James tells us the devil will flee from our faith. Imagine the puny creation of God on earth having so much power that he can cause the serpent of old to flee in fear. Drawing near to God with a humble heart will drive Satan away. It is possible (and needful) to live in such a way the devil is always running away from our faith. If you are looking for a goal in life, live in such a way you keep the devil on the run. The closer you are to God, the more the devil runs. Keep him running. The end of the road for Satan is Hell. Let him run at a furious pace into the abyss. Resist him. You can do it.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Good And Evil

Posted on January 30, 2025 by heatonkent

Seek good and not evil, that you may live; so the Lord God of hosts will be with you, as you have spoken. Hate evil, love good; establish justice in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. (Amos 5:14-15)

Good And Evil

God has always given humanity a choice. Man was created as a free moral agent able to decide for himself. Adam and Eve were given a choice, and they chose to follow the path of evil. In the days of Noah, the world had become so corrupted with evil that the Lord destroyed all life. Only Noah and his family were saved. Moses warned the nation of Israel to obey the word of the Lord, or they would face His wrath. The Israelites chose to follow the path of unrighteousness and were destroyed. Jesus came to bring salvation to all men, imploring them to follow the goodness of God. They killed Jesus and persecuted the early church. Evil reigned over the hearts of men.

Evil is a choice. During the tumultuous days of the divided kingdom of Israel, the prophet Amos sternly warned God’s people to repent and change their ways. As a prophet, he knew what God would do to the people if they did not change. Repentance is making a change and choosing good over evil. Israel did not repent, and they were destroyed. Goodness must be sought after. Life comes from seeking the righteousness of God. To seek goodness, one must hate evil. It is impossible to love good and evil at the same time. Jesus explained that God and mammon are not compatible. A choice must be made. The point is that a choice can be made.

Amos told the people of God to seek good and hate evil. Israel was being destroyed because the people were seeking evil and hating goodness. They loved evil. There was no justice in the land as the poor were being mistreated, immorality was rampant, and God had been forgotten. Evil was promoted as the pleasures of life took over the hearts of the people. They were no longer seeking after the good things of God but rather the carnal desires of the flesh and mind. These were the people of God following in the same ways as the nations around them. Little has changed in the years since Amos warned the people. The world remains under the sway of the devil, and evil is promoted everywhere.

God desires to be with His people, and this can only be done when men seek goodness and hate evil. The heart must seek those things that are true and righteous and, at the same time, have an aversion to anything evil. Goodness does not come on its own. Jesus taught His disciples to seek first the rule of God in their life. Those who would seek are those who will find. Finding goodness will only come to those who are seeking goodness. There must be a hatred for unrighteousness, evil, and sin. Job was a man who hated evil, and he reflected such. The corruption of a good heart comes when evil is tolerated.

God promises to be with those who are righteous, seeking truth, and hating evil. The grace of the Lord comes upon those who direct their lives in the pursuit of those things that are true and holy. It takes effort and prayer to have a heart of righteousness. Those who do evil and seek after every evil thing will not be blessed by God. He will turn them away. Without repenting, they will face God’s wrath. Seeking eternal life is running away from those things that are unholy and unrighteous. Stop doing wrong things and start following the right things. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, but His face is against those who seek evil.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Corruption

Posted on January 29, 2025 by heatonkent

For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; but He whom God raised up saw no corruption. (Acts 13:36-37)

Corruption

The death of Jesus was not a chance happening. Before time began, God planned for His Son to die for the sins of the world. The coming of Jesus to the earth was in the fullness of time. There was no other time in history that would complete the work and mission of Jesus than the time of the Roman Empire. Jesus began His ministry at the age of thirty and would be killed nearly three years later. During His ministry, Jesus often spoke of His “hour” and when that time would come. There was a prescribed time for Jesus to die and the Lord worked everything according to the time plan.

Old Testament prophecies spoke about the death of Jesus. The story of Jonah became a metaphorical foretelling of the death of Jesus. During His ministry, Jesus referred to His death as the time Jonah was swallowed by a great fish. The sign of the prophet Jonah became the story of Jesus. Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, and Jesus would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. There was a divine plan (and promise) that Jesus would not remain in the tomb longer than three days.

The prophecy about the death of Jesus established that when Jesus was buried, He would not see corruption. This refers to the corruption of the body. According to Jewish culture, when someone died, they were buried the same day. After the burial, the family would spend three days with the deceased, mourning and grieving. Before the close of the third day, the tomb would be sealed because, near the fourth day, the body began to show visible signs of decay. There was great concern when Jesus decided to raise Lazarus from the dead on the fourth day. Martha, the sister of Lazarus, warned Jesus about the stench of anyone who had been dead for four days. The power of the miracle was not only that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead but that when Lazarus came forth, he was whole again without the decay of death.

When Paul arrived in Antioch in Pisidia, he and his party went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. After reading the Law and the Prophets, Paul was allowed to speak. He told the story of Jesus of Nazareth based on the events of the Old Testament. Paul tells the audience how the Jews killed Jesus in fulfillment of the word of God. But God raised Him from the dead and was seen by many people after He rose. The apostle then compares David and Jesus as an illustration of the plan of God. David died and was buried, and his body decayed and corrupted until it was nothing but dust. Jesus died and was buried, but His body did not experience the decay of death. Before the decay of death (sin) took hold of the body of Jesus, God raised Him.

The resurrection of Jesus is powerful because of the resurrection, but the third-day resurrection confirmed the power of God over death. Jesus did not suffer corruption, paving the way for His followers to believe in the final resurrection when all corruption will be removed. God will take away all pain, suffering, and tears. There is no corruption for the child of God. Death is certain, but without the corruption of sin to face the wrath of God. There is joy in knowing Jesus did not suffer corruption so that I can look forward to death with no corruption – eternal glory.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Satan, The Serpent Of Old

Posted on January 28, 2025 by heatonkent

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:9)

Satan, The Serpent Of Old

The great nemesis of all things righteous is the adversary, the Devil. He first appears in scripture as the serpent who deceived Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. It is not until the end of the Bible that he is positively identified as the “serpent of old” and that he deceives the whole world. The Bible is the story of Jesus Christ and the scheme of salvation. Everything in the revelation of God points to the need to save man from the wrath of God. There is much that is omitted from the pages of holy writ because it does not pertain to the plan and revelation of God.

Everything known about Satan is found in the Bible. What is known about the Devil is limited because the Bible is not about his story. He is a central figure in the scheme of redemption because Jesus came to destroy his works. There are two things certain that can be known about Satan: his origin is unclear, and his future is certain. He is certainly real and a formidable force to reckon with. He is not to be underestimated. Through his influence, he brought the world to its knees, bringing about the nearly total destruction of humanity in the days of Noah. Only eight souls were saved.

Satan has limited power. He cannot force anyone to do anything. When he tempted Eve, he deceived her into believing a lie, but Eve was the one who took the fruit. She and Adam were punished because they made that decision. Sin is always a choice. Satan is an influence that tempts the heart of man, but he has no power to make someone do something they do not want to do. Jesus demonstrated His power over Satan when He cast out the demons possessing mortals during His ministry. No demon disobeyed the word of the Son of God. All were under the authority of the word of God.

Nothing is known about the origin of Satan, and it is a fool’s errand to make any supposition about where he came from. The Bible is the only source of information about the deceiver, and if it is not in the Bible, it is not truth. God did not reveal the nature of the Devil, thereby shutting the door on any speculation. The story about Satan is not about his origins but his future. Jesus came to destroy Satan, and when the Son of God rose from the dead, He accomplished the divine will of the Father. Satan tried to destroy Jesus throughout His life and thought he had gained the upper hand when he saw the world kill God’s Son. What he did not realize is the death of Jesus would be nothing more than an injury to the heel of the foot; while the resurrection of Jesus would strike a blow to the head of Satan. God prophesied this in the Garden of Eden when he pronounced a sentence upon the woman.

Through the resurrection of Jesus, the future of the Devil is sealed. Jesus spoke a great deal about Hell in His ministry. He told the disciples that Hell was prepared for the Devil and his angels. God never intended to condemn men to an eternal fire. It was set to be the punishment of Satan and his angels. But rebellious men will join the Devil in eternal torment because of their obedience to the wiles of the Devil. Satan knows what is coming. He fully understands his existence is set to burn in the lake of fire and brimstone. His future is sealed by the hand of God. There is nothing that will change that pronouncement.

Where Satan comes from does not matter. What will happen to Satan does not matter. The only thing that should concern anyone is to answer the question: where will I be in eternity? Most people (according to Jesus) will be with Satan and his angels. The majority of people that have existed do exist, and will exist on the planet will go to an eternal place of horror, darkness, weeping, gnashing of teeth, and everlasting punishment. The few who serve God in righteousness will find the blessings of Abraham’s bosom and an eternal home with God in Heaven. The only person that matters is you. It is your decision to be saved or lost. If you are lost, you cannot blame Satan. You both will be spending eternity in Hell. You can choose to follow Jesus Christ. If you love Jesus, you will obey His word. The blessing of obedience is eternal life. Don’t let Satan take away eternal life. You will have to decide.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Seeking The Right Answers

Posted on January 27, 2025 by heatonkent

I applied my heart to know, to search and seek out wisdom and the reason of things, to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness. (Ecclesiastes 7:25)

Seeking The Right Answers

God created man to be inquisitive, asking questions, seeking what is beyond the horizon, and investigating the unknown. It is in the nature of man to know more about his world. He is driven to discover greater meanings in life and understand the whys of things in life. Only man has the ability to formulate knowledge that separates him from the animal world. A monkey can ride a bicycle, but only a human can build one. Animals do not have a moral conscience. All men have a moral conscience. What separates man from animals is the knowledge of right and wrong.

From the beginning of time, man has been a free moral agent. God gave Adam and Eve a choice in the Garden of Eden about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He commanded them not to eat its fruit, but they disobeyed His word. God removed them from the garden and gave them a law to live by to find righteousness. There has never been a time in the history of the world that man has known and recognized law. What has challenged the heart of man is whether he needed to seek the wisdom of God. From the earliest days, men began to call upon the name of the Lord. When the days of Noah came, men had stopped calling on the name of the Lord and filled their lives with foolishness and madness. God destroyed all life on earth, with the exception of Noah and his family (eight people).

The difference between a righteous man and a fool is what they seek in life. A wise man will seek the wisdom of what life is all about. Fools follow the senseless carnal pleasures that lead to destruction. Wise men commit themselves to understanding, learning, and searching for wisdom and truth from the Creator. That knowledge also affirms the foolishness of following the pleasures of life. Wisdom is a two-edged sword. It grants the knowledge of truth and the stupidity of an evil fool. True wisdom is not found in the human dogmas of men. God created man and gave him His word to guide, protect, and help him find eternal life. A fool rejects God and tries to find happiness in his own wisdom.

A wise man will decide to learn everything there is to know about what life has to offer from the view of God. In this process, the wisdom of folly is exposed for the senseless pursuits of worldly pleasures. Wisdom then guards the heart from those things that are vanity. God made man with a purpose and gave him the knowledge he needed to fulfill that purpose. Only when a man surrenders his will to the purpose of God will he find true worth and happiness. The answers to life can only be found in the word of God. Any other pursuit is vanity and foolishness.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Purpose Of Work

Posted on January 24, 2025 by heatonkent

He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread, but he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding. (Proverbs 12:11)

The Purpose Of Work

Living in the Garden of Eden was a life of paradise, but it still required work. God placed the man and woman in the garden and told them to tend and keep it. What tending and maintaining the garden entailed is not mentioned, but the Lord created man to be a productive and busy creation. After the fall of man, the provisions of paradise were removed, and man had to work by the sweat of his brow. Part of the penalty for disobedience was for Adam to labor over a cursed ground with thorns and thistles. To eat bread, Adam would have to work in the heat of the day and produce the good ground to grow crops and then harvest them. In the Garden of Eden, everything was provided. After the fall of man, the world would labor until the day of death to produce a bounty to live by.

Moses describes some of the early pioneers of the workforce. Jabal was the father of those who lived in tents and had livestock. Jubal, his brother, created musical instruments like the harp and flute. Tubal-Cain became an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. Learning to work in metallurgy was a dangerous profession showing the earliest men in history used iron for tools and other implements. Work has always been the plight of man to receive anything. The days of God providing everything were taken away when Adam and Eve rebelled against the word of God. A man left to himself who refuses to labor for his food will die.

The wisdom of labor is seen when a hard-working farmer has fields of harvest compared to a man who will daydream about the good things and do nothing. When a man works his land, he will have plenty of bread. The man who follows worthless pursuits and frivolity is, in the words of the Hebrew text, stupid or foolish. God created the human body as a machine to carry out the work required to care for the body’s needs. Two arms and two legs serve well to go into the field and work the land to grow crops and feed the family. A lazy man is an affront to the purpose God created man. Adam and Eve were told to tend and keep the garden because God wanted them to find worth in how they cared for it.

Laziness goes against the will of God. The slothful man is not pleasing to the will of the Father. There is much work to be done at any age. The human spirit’s character relies on working with the hands to provide for the family. Hard work teaches a character of godliness in such a manner to show dependence on God, thankfulness for the blessings of God, and the joy of sharing with others who are in need. The apostle Paul wrote that one of the reasons the Christian labors with his hands is to provide for the family and share with others in need. Sharing the bounty of labor is one of the gifts of the spiritual family of God. Later, James will show that faith without works is dead. He explained how those who have been blessed should share with those who are unfortunate. If a man refuses to help others, his faith is dead. Sharing comes from working.

The Christian stands out in the world as a diligent and faithful worker. In a sense, the child of God should get the employee of the year every year. They work not for the glory of men but for the glory of God. The example of a faithful employee or employer letting the light of Christ shine in their lives will go a long way to bring others to Christ. A man who works diligently to please God will show others the character of labor, faithfulness, and industry to do a job well done. Do not allow a lazy spirit to characterize the heart. Work for the night is coming when no man will work.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Growth Requires Planning

Posted on January 23, 2025 by heatonkent

And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire. (Nehemiah 2:13)

Growth Requires Planning

One of the most stunning achievements in Bible history is rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls in fifty-two days. The city had been in ruins for seventy years after Nebuchadnezzar burned the holy city to the ground. Nearly one hundred years had passed when the first remnants of God’s people returned to the promised land before the walls were restored. The inhabitants of the city made little attempt to construct the fortifications of the city before the arrival of Nehemiah. When Nehemiah heard of the ruined city, he implored the king to allow him to go to Jerusalem, a city he had never seen, to repair the walls and restore the gates.

In the service of the Persian king, Nehemiah was a cupbearer (scant qualifications for a leader to rebuild a city). Receiving the blessing of King Artaxerxes, Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem to a city laid waste and its gates burned with fire. He was a stranger to the inhabitants of the land. His qualifications did not announce his arrival. Receiving letters from the Persian king to the governors in the region, Nehemiah let them know King Artaxerxes officially sanctioned him. His arrival upset some of the leaders of the land that he had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel. This opposition would become fierce from men jealous of Nehemiah.

Three days after he arrived, Nehemiah arose at night and, taking a few men, went out to inspect the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates. He believed it was possible to repair the walls with the blessing of God, who would prosper their work. Nehemiah knew that before work could be done, planning had to be organized to decide how to do the work. This was not going to be an easy task. The ruins had been where they were for 162 years. It would be a daunting task. Nehemiah and the men carefully planned and calculated how to engage the work and implemented their plan.

After fifty-two days, the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul. The workers had overcome great obstacles in reestablishing the brick and mortar and the constant bickering of certain leaders who tried to stop the work and defeat Nehemiah’s purpose. God was glorified through the courage and faith of men like Nehemiah, Eliashib, Zaccur, Meremoth, Meshullam, and Zadok. A great list of courageous workers, men, women, and children, faced the task of building the walls and succeeded with great power. The glory of Jerusalem had returned.

Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem was a success because Nehemiah planned the work. When no plans are made to succeed, the work fails. Nehemiah understood the value of planning to succeed and put into place the work according to the needs of the day and carried out the plan to its completion. These principles of growth are found in church work and individual development. Many churches languish in apathy because they never plan for growth. It is easy to talk about and pray for growth, but until goals are established and plans are made, the church cannot and will not grow. Church leaders need to be men of vision. Without vision, there is no growth. Failing to plan for that vision will lead to the failure of the work.

Leaders like Nehemiah know the value of planning and will spend months, weeks, days, and hours developing a plan to “build the walls” of God’s church. By God’s grace, the church will grow. Nehemiah first inspected the walls and then made a plan. The church that will grow first examines itself in every aspect of the work to see where the walls have fallen and what gates need to be restored. After a careful inspection of the work of the church, then a plan can be made to build the walls and shore up the defenses. It will take more than fifty-two days, but a good start is a good plan.

Individual growth comes from planning. When a New Year begins, great resolutions are made that generally fail within a month. Stores that open in January as a fitness gym open as a donut shop in February. Human nature is fickle when it comes to commitment. If people want their faith to grow, they must inspect the walls and plan for growth. After finding ways to increase faith, the individual will put into place those things necessary to help them grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Growth requires and demands planning. If you are not growing in Christ, you are not planning to grow. Churches that are not growing are churches that are not planning to grow. It is hard work. Restoring the walls that have fallen will take a Herculean effort, but what a blessing it is that the church stands mighty as the city on the hill where the light of God shines forth. Jesus told his followers to be the light of the world. That takes planning.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

He Is A God Of Comfort

Posted on January 22, 2025 by heatonkent

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

He Is A God Of Comfort

Life is filled with pain and grief. There is no escaping the sorrow of the heart. Sin is the reason for suffering when Adam and Eve are removed from the Garden of Eden. The Tree of Life was taken away because first Eve, then Adam, took the fruit forbidden by God. Without access to the life-giving tree, death came upon all men. Disease began to destroy health, and sin brought about murder and persecution. Adam and Eve buried their son, Abel, not fully grasping what death meant. Methuselah lived nearly one thousand years, and he died. Everyone dies, and that is the end of the matter.

Jesus came in the flesh to experience the human frame. He suffered hunger, thirst, weariness, anger, joy, happiness, and sorrow. At the tomb of Lazarus the Holy Spirit reveals that Jesus wept. This was not the first time Jesus cried. It would not be His last. Like all men, Jesus died. His death was fashioned after the tortures of human invention, but on the cross, He breathed His last. He was buried in a sealed tomb guarded by Roman soldiers. Jesus rose from the dead on the third death and has never died since. He is the only man who has died, resurrected, and has not died again. Many enjoyed resurrections, but they all died again. Friends and family grieved the loss of their loved ones.

God is the God of all comfort. He knows and understands the grief men experience in life. Jesus did not suffer alone. The Father watched as His Son shared in the sorrows and griefs of the human form. God created the human frame to experience the emotions of sadness, suffering, and pain. He did not leave humanity without a message of hope when facing grief. God wants His creation to know that He is a God who can bring solace to the broken heart, joy to the grieving soul, and happiness to the downtrodden spirit. The Lord is full of mercy to soothe the broken heart. When life is filled with tribulation, affliction, and trouble; God is there to bring comfort. If God can hold the universe in His hand, He can understand and help in the grief and sorrow that men experience. Nothing is outside the realm of God’s mercy.

Learning to embrace the love of God and finding comfort in times of grief affords those comforted the opportunity to comfort others. Few understand grief until they have walked in the valley of grieving. For those who have found joy in the presence of the Lord, the task is to share that grief lesson with others. God will comfort the broken-hearted, and it is important for those who have lost loved ones to share their grief with others. This serves the purpose of helping those who grieve and have walked through the valley of suffering. Sharing a life of suffering helps those who grieve to bear the heavy burden.

Everyone needs others to help in times of grief. Few will travel the earth without the experience of pain that comes with disappointment, disease, and death. God has formed man to help others pass through the shadows of grieving. God comforts our hearts, and we are to comfort the hearts of others. Our task is to learn the mercy of God as we face grief and then to share our compassion with those who weep and mourn. We are blessed to have a God of comfort. Let our lives bless those who need to know the God of comfort. Shining our light is sharing our love.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

It’s All Vanity

Posted on January 21, 2025 by heatonkent

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 12:8)

It’s All Vanity

Three words sum up the condition of life. It is hard to imagine a more succinct and direct approach to the human factor than how the wise man Solomon viewed life. For some, this may be a negative view. The idea of vanity suggests there is no purpose to life and in life. Solomon was not saying there was nothing to live for. What the wise man did was balance the nature of life and all its trappings with the firm reality that everything a man works for in life to attain will be left behind when he dies. Further, age cannot be stopped. Every generation has desired the fountain of youth only to find a dried-up creek. The sum total of life is vanity of vanities.

Solomon had every advantage, more than most people have ever lived. He had the most wealth, owned more property, had more pleasures, and married a slew of women with concubines. There was nothing that Solomon could not have. God gave him wisdom above any man in history. These are the things that men seek in life and measure their success by. Money drives the engine of the heart to find ways to amass great amounts of wealth in billions of dollars. Owning houses, lands, cars, boats, toys, recreational devices, and clothing gives status to a select few. Having power and influence is where many find their happiness. The greater a person can be in history, the more that matters. It is the goal of many a poor soul to have one’s name in lights. History erases the memory, and the lights fade.

Pleasure is the opium of life. The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1919 was doomed to fail from the beginning. Trying to end the use of alcohol is historically impossible. Since the beginning of human history, the desire for the drink has been a part of society. Even a man of God like Noah found the pleasures of the pleasures of the vine. Drunkenness is one of the common sins. Immorality through the sexual desires of the flesh has filled the world with darkness and heartache. Generations rise, proclaiming freedom in sexuality, finding only misery in its aftermath. There is no lasting joy and pleasure. Sex brings a moment of reckless folly and then nothing. All is vanity.

Solomon wanted his readers to take a close look at life and put the whole existence of the human experience under the divine microscope. Life is vanity because nothing in life is lasting. Everything the human soul seeks and longs for wastes away in corruption. All is vanity when a man will not see the real purpose of his creation. God did not create man to live on the earth. He desires to have man dwell with Him in eternity. The joys of life are the conduits that allow a man to find God and long to dwell with Him. What is true and lasting in life is the eternal relationship in serving the Lord God. The heart’s desires will not find fulfillment in this life but in the life that is to come. Life is vanity, but eternal life is victory. Leaving all the earthly trappings allows the heart to accept the eternal rewards.

All is vanity and seeking after the wind. The only thing that really matters is knowing what brings happiness to the human heart, respecting the word of God, and obeying the Father’s commands. These commands are not burdensome but liberating. Life is preparing for what comes after death. There is life after death. Nothing in this world can be taken in death, but what is preserved in death is the obedient soul of the faithful. Life is so short and is vanity. Eternity is much longer than life on Earth. When the right choice is made with eternity, the pleasures of eternal joy will never end. They are everlasting. You will live a lot longer after death than before death. Choose carefully what you hang on to. If you gain all the world and lose your soul, you have lost it all. When you gain heaven, you lose the world, but you find happiness.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment