The Promises Of God Are Conditional

Posted on January 3, 2025 by heatonkent

Now He said to me, “It is your son Solomon who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his Father. Moreover I will establish his kingdom forever, if he is steadfast to observe My commandments and My judgments, as it is this day.” (1 Chronicles 28:6-7)

The Promises Of God Are Conditional

David was one of the great kings of history, ruling over Israel for forty years. He was a man after God’s own heart, serving the Lord with faithfulness and love. David was a man who battled the demons of temptation and sinned gravely in the story of Uriah and Bathsheba. While his sin was great, his humble heart exalted him to the grace of God to have the penalty of death removed and forgiveness bestowed by a merciful God. David wanted to build a place of worship for his God, but his hands had shed much blood. The task of building the house of the Lord would be given to his son, Solomon.

God promised David that Solomon would rule over a kingdom that would last forever. During the days of Solomon, Israel reached a zenith never seen before. Like his father, Solomon ruled for forty years. Like David, Solomon struggled with his desires and temptations. The kingdom would fracture after his death, leading to a divided nation for two hundred years before Assyria took ten tribes into captivity. One hundred thirty-six years later, the final two tribes would be taken to Babylon as captives for seventy years. Israel would remain under bondage to other nations for six hundred years before the final destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

The Lord promised David that Solomon would establish a kingdom that would last forever. His kingdom did not last forever. The Romans destroyed the final vestige of Israel. Israel has not been God’s nation for nearly two thousand years. When God told David He would establish the kingdom forever, it included the warnings that Solomon must be steadfast to observe the commandments and judgments of the Lord. Receiving the blessings of God demands obedience. All the blessings of God’s power would be given to Solomon but only conditioned on whether Solomon remained faithful. David’s son did not remain faithful.

Solomon became influenced by his many wives from Egypt, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. The King disregarded the Law of Moses, prohibiting marrying foreign women. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines. They turned his heart to worship pagan gods like Ashtoreth, Molech, and Chemosh. Instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as David had done, Solomon turned his heart away from the Lord. He refused to follow the word of God faithfully. The promise of God was conditional upon the obedience of the heart of Solomon to observe the commandments and judgments of the Lord.

The blessings of God have always been contingent. Adam and Eve lived in the literal paradise on earth, but there were conditions. They could not eat the forbidden fruit. When they disobeyed the command of God, they were expelled from the garden. Israel was destroyed when they refused to follow the word of God. Obedience to the Word is where the blessings come. Solomon failed to obey, and the Lord withdrew His blessings. That same principle is rooted in the law of Christ. To receive the blessings in Christ, one must do the will of the Father. There can be no blessings if the heart is unwilling to accept and follow the commandments and judgments of God. Forgiveness of sins comes from obeying the gospel. The blessings in Christ are only found in Christ. Eternal life will only be given to those who do the will of the Father.

The promises of God are conditioned upon the faithful heart hearing and doing what God expects and commands. There are no blessings to those who live in the world as the world; refusing to follow the teachings of the Lord. Solomon was King of Israel and the son of David, but that did not give him a special place in the eyes of God when he refused to follow the word of the Lord. Without obedience, the kingdom was taken away. The Jews are no longer the chosen people of God because they refused to obey His will, and they orchestrated the death of the Son of God. Eternal life is conditional upon those willing to obey God’s word. Salvation can only come by obedience through the grace of God.

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They Knew Where The Messiah Was To Be Born

Posted on January 2, 2025 by heatonkent

And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” (Matthew 2:4-6)

They Knew Where The Messiah Was To Be Born

The birth of Jesus was a mystery to the Jewish leaders, but not the Messiah’s place of birth. When the wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, they inquired where the King of the Jews was born. They had seen His star in the east and desired to worship the young King. The Roman ruler, King Herod, called the chief priests and scribes of the people together, inquiring where this King was to be born. Without hesitation, the Jewish leaders told Herod the child would be born in Bethlehem of Judea. It was important to know which Bethlehem the prophets spoke because there was another Bethlehem.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. There was another Bethlehem, a town of Zebulun, six miles west of Nazareth. Micah the prophet, declared Bethlehem in the land of Judah to be the birthplace of the Ruler, who would shepherd the people of Israel. The question of where the Christ or Messiah would be born was established by prophecy seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus. The Jewish leaders were well acquainted with the prophecy describing the place of birth and the character of the Messiah. God had not hidden this knowledge from His people. Reading the prophet Micah revealed where Christ was to be born.

The wise men went to Bethlehem and saw the young child, Jesus, with his mother and Joseph. They were living in a house, and Jesus was about two years old. Warned by a divine dream not to return to Herod, the wise men departed for their own country another way. Herod sent his troops into the small village of Bethlehem and killed all the young boys two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Notably absent are the Jewish rulers who knew where the Christ was to be born. They never made a move to see who the child was the wise men were seeking.

Jesus’ birth was not what anyone expected. Joseph and Mary were poor Israelites without any notable pedigree to distinguish them. Carpenters were necessary, but they were a lower class of citizens. The town of Nazareth had no distinguishing significance. Joseph and Mary came to Bethlehem because their lineage was from David. When arriving for the census, no rooms were available, and Mary was due to give birth. Jesus came into the world with no place to lay His head but a manger filled with straw. There were no high officials to welcome the King of the Jews. The people of Bethlehem were unaware of who the baby was. That night, shepherds from the field visited the new mother and saw Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloths in the manger.

The Jewish leaders knew where the Messiah was to be born, but they did not know when. It had been seven hundred years since Micah made his prophecy. The visit of the wise men could have been a sign. God never intended for His Son to come into the world in the fashion that men are born to greatness, and that may have been what clouded their thoughts. Throughout the ministry of Jesus, when the Jewish leaders interrogated Jesus about His claim to be the promised Messiah, no one asked Him where He was born. The proof of the divinity of Jesus was known when the wise men came to Jerusalem. Christ was to be born in Bethlehem of Judea – and the Jewish leaders were correct.

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Weeping At What They Heard

Posted on January 1, 2025 by heatonkent

And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law. (Nehemiah 8:9)

Weeping At What They Heard

It had been ninety-two years since the first group of Jews from captivity returned to the holy city of Jerusalem. The Temple was rebuilt twenty years later. Now, seven decades had passed, and the city’s walls lay in ruin. Nehemiah, a cupbearer in the court of King Artaxerxes, came to Jerusalem and, under his leadership, rebuilt the city walls in fifty-two days in the month of Elul. One month later (Tishri), the people gathered as one man in the open square and told Ezra, the scribe, to bring the book of the Law of Moses and read it to them.

The reading of the Law to the people is one of the Old Testament’s most poignant and powerful stories. Ezra read the law to the people because they asked him to. Men and women came together to hear the reading. There was a deep spiritual desire to listen to what God said to the people. Reading the Law took from the early morning to midday. No one left. All the people listened closely to what Ezra said as he opened the word of God to the hearing of the people. Ezra read with clarity and understanding. The crowd listened intently to understand the meaning of the Law.

When Ezra opened the book of the Law in the sight of all the people, they stood up. They respected the word of God as holy. There had been a drought of the Law in the hearts of the people, and now they were experiencing the joy of hearing the word of God with understanding. It was an amazing time for the people of God. The people shouted,” Amen, Amen.” They bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces on the ground. As the Law was read, they stood in their place from early morning to midday. They were resolved to worship God with reverence and respect.

As the words of the Law were read, the hearts of the people were struck by the powerful message of God’s love and grace. They also realized the reading of the Law exposed their sin, and they were mournful and broken-hearted for how they failed God. The people wept when they heard the word of God. The leaders carefully read the law with a clear understanding of the text. As the Law was read, the people wept. Nehemiah and Ezra exhorted the people not to cry because it was a great day for the glory of God.

The people had asked for the Law to be read to them. They stood for long hours to listen to the reading of God’s word. As the word was explained to them, they saw the majesty of God and their own sinfulness. Their hearts were broken. Yet the day was a time of rejoicing because the voice of God had touched the people’s hearts as they read through the scriptures. Afterward, the people confessed their sins before God. It was truly a glorious day in the kingdom of God.

God has provided His word in the reading of the Bible. Everything a man needs to know about the glory of God is contained within its pages. There is no other book that is from the mind of God. The majesty of God is declared, and His wrath is revealed. During the time of Nehemiah, the reading of the word of God came from the leaders because it was contained within the scrolls. Very few people had access to the word and relied upon the leaders to read to them. In the modern world, the Bible is in innumerable formats and designs. It is readily available to most people in the world with ease. Education has allowed a greater number of people to read and understand. The Bible is the most prolific book that is sold worldwide. And it is the least read.

Many homes have a Bible and probably multiple copies. Churches are filled with Bibles. Bibles can be found in hotel rooms. Sadly, the heart of the people in Nehemiah’s day is seldom found among the people of God today. No one would stand for hours listening to the word of God read. Few cry or experience an emotional experience reading the Bible. Fewer still bring their Bibles to church and open them when the word is preached. If a Bible class is conducted, a small minority have spent any time preparing lessons for a spiritual discussion. The people of God are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

The people of Nehemiah’s day should be a pattern for the hearts of God’s people today. There are deep lessons of devotion and love for truth found in the story. People sing loudly, “Take time to be holy,” and seldom take the time to take the time to be holy. Let us turn our hearts back to the people four hundred years before Christ and learn how to know God. Read. Weep. Rejoice.

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Finding Life And Peace

Posted on December 31, 2024 by heatonkent

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Romans 8:5-6)

Finding Life And Peace

Man has searched for the meaning of life since time began. His quest for answers to why he exists has driven him to seek every means possible for happiness. The basic nature of sin is the allurement of finding pleasure, offering an empty hope of defining what a man is and why he lives. There are only two ways to find happiness. The first man lives according to his fleshly desires, setting his mind on fulfilling everything carnal. Sin is attractive. There is no doubt it is fun, or so many people would not enjoy it so much. He only wants to taste every fruit of the flesh to its fullest enjoyment and pleasure.

The problem with fleshly desires is that while they experience euphoria for a moment, nothing will last long. A man enjoys drinking with his buddies, becoming intoxicated to the point of being wasted. He will experience many side effects like a drunken stupor, impairment, vomiting on some occasions, and a hangover. It is remarkable that he enjoys the experience and looks forward to when he can do it again. Bars and nightclubs are filled with people trying to find life and peace, and they never find it at the bottom of a drink.

Fleshly desires lead men and women to seek every sexual experience they can. Marriages are filled with immorality and unfaithfulness because the joy has gone. Same-sex relationships argue they want to find fulfillment and never do. Life is an empty cauldron of lies and failed promises. There is never joy and happiness that is lasting. The flesh is filled, but the need to fill it again drives the desire to engage in deeper pursuits of ungodliness. There is no purpose in life.

Every carnal pursuit ends with an empty promise. Everything Satan promises in the fleshly appetites is a lie. It’s a big lie. There is no life in the flesh. Peace is never found because it does not exist in the carnal mind. God created man to be a spiritual being formed in His image. When men try to find life and peace in the flesh, they fail miserably. What men call peace in the flesh is a vapor that quickly vanishes. The testimony of the aged men and women who wasted their lives pursuing the flesh declares that life is empty and waste. They have no friends, family, or hope. Carnality has drained their lives of its goodness.

There is only one place a man will find life and peace. Those who live according to the glory of God will discover what life means, why man walks on the earth, and what life holds for him after death. The flesh cannot answer these questions. When a man allows the Spirit of God to direct his life, he will find the true meaning of happiness. He will sleep in the peace of Christ, knowing he is loved and redeemed by the blood of God’s Son. The child of God understands the nature of life. Death does not have to be feared. The challenges of life make his spirit stronger. Life is meaningful. When one surrounds their heart with God’s love, they will find a peace that passes understanding.

There is only one place to find life and peace. God sent His Son to earth to show men where they can find life and peace. In Christ, there is hope eternal. God never suggested that the life of a Christian would be easy, but when the early saints faced persecution, they did so with peace. The spirit of the martyred saints changed the minds of many in the world because of their determined faith in believing in what they could not see. While the world lived for the flesh and carnality, the Christians lived for Jesus Christ and found life and peace. The only answer is found in Jesus Christ. Do you want life? Is it your desire to seek peace? There is only one place to find it.

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The Great Deceiver

Posted on December 26, 2024 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)

The Great Deceiver

“Satan is a gentleman, Bacon told us. A charming fellow with immense power, subtlety, and thousands of years of experience. His chief aim, of course, is to injure the God against whom he once rebelled. To accomplish this, Satan misrepresents the Creator to his creatures, always attempting to frustrate his good purposes for them and, hopefully, in the process, break the heart of God. Satan promises us the world, but as Milton said, ‘All is false and hollow; though his tongue drops manna and makes the worse appear a better person.'” (David Roper; Seeing Through, Sisters, Ore., Questar, 1995, p. 22)

The apostle Peter is very clear about Satan. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The devil is not some red-cloaked creature with a pitchfork and smoke coming out of his ears. He is a powerful and deceptive influence whose primary goal is to damn souls to Hell along with him. He has no regard for human life. He plans to disrupt anything God sets forth. The worse the world becomes in the decadence of immorality, the more pleased he becomes. Murder is his forte. Jesus said Satan is the father of all liars. The more death and destruction he can create, the more his plan succeeds.

There is no greater adversary or opponent of the human story than the devil. His greater tool is to convince men he does not exist. Everyone is a fan of God and Heaven, but the reality of the devil and Hell is mythological. As an adversary, the devil presents evil as good, good as evil, light as darkness, and darkness as the sun’s brightness. Everything the devil does is evil without exception. There is nothing good in him and can never be good in him. Jesus said that Hell is prepared for the devil and his angels. Satan knows that. He is not oblivious to where he is headed and does not care.

During the ministry of Jesus, the demons were cast out by the power of the Holy Spirit. Every demon Jesus encountered knew He was the Son of God and obeyed every word Jesus commanded them. The authority of Jesus over the devil was illustrated time and again as the Lord spoke and the demons fled. Through that same authority, the child of God can resist the wiles of the devil, not allowing the influence of evil to destroy the soul. Man has no power over Satan by himself, but through Jesus Christ, the roaring lion of Satan’s power is diminished to a whisper. Each individual has the power to resist the devil if he so desires. Sin comes about when the spirit is weak. The joy of grace is knowing that sins can be forgiven in the blood of Jesus. What this means is that Satan can be overcome.

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. The Son of God overcame Satan in the victory of the resurrection, bruising the head of the devil as promised in the Garden of Eden. Satan has no power when we embrace God. As powerful as the devil is, we can run from him and subdue him. Victory in Christ is a death knell to Satan. Every child of God walking faithfully into eternal life is a testimony of the love of God overcoming the influence of Satan. Through Christ, we can overcome the power of Satan. God has made every provision to defeat the devil’s wiles and learn how to resist him. Do not underestimate the power of Satan. Remember that God is greater, and God’s grace can overcome and defeat Satan. Live for Heaven. Resist the devil. Rejoice in Christ.

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The Art Of Listening

Posted on December 24, 2024 by heatonkent

Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?” (John 21:21-23)

The Art Of Listening

The twelve apostles of Jesus were courageous men who dedicated their lives to the gospel of Jesus Christ, with eleven suffering a martyr’s death. Tradition describes how each of the eleven perished, with John, the only apostle who died of natural causes. There was a rumor going around in the early church that John would live a very long life. In fact, John would live so long that he would be alive when the Lord returned a second time. Considering Jesus has not returned in two thousand years, that would make John the oldest person who has ever lived. The only question is, where is John today?

After the resurrection of Jesus, the Lord spent forty days with His disciples, preparing them for the coming kingdom. On the night of His arrest, Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. That night, Peter denied Jesus three times. When Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection, He asked Peter three times if he loved Him. Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep and told Peter how he would die. His death would glorify God. As Jesus talked about how Peter would die, Peter looked around and saw John sitting nearby and asked the Lord how the beloved apostle would die.

Jesus could have told all the apostles how they would die. His answer to Peter was for Peter to mind his own business. Jesus replied that it was no concern for anyone and that if it was the Lord’s will for John to live until the second coming, that was God’s business. It was a simple answer. If it was the will of God that John lived until His return, it was of no concern to Peter. What Jesus wanted the disciples to focus on was following Him. From this answer by Jesus on the death of John, the early church spread rumors that John would not die. The saying of Jesus was turned around by the brethren, who believed that John had been given a passage of life much like Enoch and Elijah. Nothing was further from the truth.

The art of listening is the ability to listen. There was nothing ambiguous about what Jesus said. Peter learned how he would die and asked the Lord how John would die. The news of how Peter would die should have been the object of the discussion, but in the impulsive fashion of Peter’s scattered-brained approach to listening, a story went out among the brethren that John would not die. This false rumor had been spread in the church for almost fifty years when John wrote his gospel.

Listening is what is heard in the ear and what is accepted in the mind. Many religious people today read the Bible and deny what it says. Peter told the people at Pentecost to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. The apostle would later write that baptism saves. Many people deny baptism has any merit to salvation and that it does not save. The Bible clearly teaches that it does. Many in the world deny there is eternal punishment for the ungodly, and yet Jesus taught frequently on the subject. It is sad when the Bible clearly states a matter, and the heart denies what it hears.

A lie can be told long enough that it is accepted as truth. It will never be truth because lies will always lie. For many years, the brethren circulated the story that John would never die. John died after a long life of service to Jesus Christ. What was accepted as truth was false. Many teachings are accepted as truths not found in the Bible but believed to be true. The art of listening to the word of God is the responsibility to accept without question the word of the Lord as truth. Men will lie, but God cannot. Listen. Listen. And then listen again.

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Making Plans

Posted on December 23, 2024 by heatonkent

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. (James 4:13-14)

Making Plans

What is life? The Lord created life as a vapor. Adam lived to be 930 years old, but it was still a vapor. He died in the same manner that all men die. It must be clear that all men die without exception. There are only two men recorded in history that did not experience death. Enoch and Elijah did not enter glory through the grave, but they “died” from the world. They left behind friends and family. No matter how hard humanity tries to extend life, death comes to all men.

Every time a man dies, plans are interrupted. There is something to be accomplished for that day, the next day, and possibly the coming months or years, but they are forever set aside. Death is the enemy of all the desires of a man’s heart to climb the ladder a little higher or gain one more level of prestige, or to go to a far country. It is sudden and without warning. Those left behind pick up the shattered pieces. Life changes for everyone. Death has taken away the energy of the individual. A vacuum spreads through the heart. Plans are destroyed.

There has never been a guarantee of tomorrow. When Cain killed Abel, the lesson was taught that life is short and circumstances can change. Adam and Eve’s world was turned upside down. Abel had other plans for his life. Cain destroyed those plans. Life continued. Everyone killed in the days of Noah had thoughts of tomorrow. They were laughing and playing and thinking life would never end. Suddenly, a day came when the heavens broke forth with water, and the recesses of the deep surged over the earth. Those outside the ark ran to high ground, climbed the highest trees, and scaled the tallest mountains. Life for them came to an end as the flood destroyed them all. No one survived outside the ark.

Death changed the world of Noah and his family. When they left the ark, there were only eight people on the face of the earth. The world is filled again with humanity, and the pursuit of tomorrow has regained its place in the hearts of men who believe they will live forever. They act as if they will never die. And they do. Making plans for tomorrow is vanity. Death is the great robber of time and energy. No one can stand in its way. Jesus did not come to take away death. He conquered the fear of death so that men could see that life is short, but upon that brief time, their eternal soul depends.

The Lord did not suggest that anyone should not make plans for tomorrow. He wants men to know that making plans for this world is vanity, but making plans for the world to come is necessary. This life will end. The life that is to come is without end: eternal. All men die, and after that, the judgment. God created man in His image as an eternal creature that will never cease to exist. When someone dies, they are happy or filled with horror. Most people are screaming in terror because they did not prepare for eternity. The saved are those who prepared themselves for death. Jesus took the fear of death away from them to live for the eternal tomorrow. The child of God knows that all things in this world are temporary. His tomorrow is in the presence of God. It is that thought that plans are made and prayers offered. Come, Lord, Jesus. Come.

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Faith Leads Us To Jesus

Posted on December 22, 2024 by heatonkent

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Faith Leads Us To Jesus

Faith is the evidence of things that cannot be seen and has always been the core principle of man’s relationship with God. No man has seen God at any time, and yet the invisible attributes of God are clearly seen. Faith gives an assurance of something that is not tangible but becomes a belief that brings hope and peace. The faithful people of God have always believed in the promises of God without visible proof because they look far beyond the moment to a time yet to come with greater blessings.

Man was not created until the sixth day and could not witness the creation of the world. Faith drives the human spirit to believe how the worlds were framed by the word of God. Abel did not have to understand the will of God to offer sacrifices, but unlike his brother Cain, Abel obeyed from the heart. Enoch lived with the hope of eternity to please God in everything. Noah could not imagine a flood that would destroy the world. What is an ark with animals going to do to save humanity? Noah obeyed because he believed in the promises of God. Abraham is the father of faith to leave his homeland for a place he did not know. When God told him he would have a son, could he have imagined it would be twenty-five years later when he was one hundred? He saw afar off the promises of God and embraced them. Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses all exemplified those who called to mind a greater country in the divine with greater promises.

Faith is measured by looking beyond the world to a better place in God’s abode. The knowledge that is not about the here and now but the life that is to come. Everything dies here and remains. The eternal spirit never dies. Faith creates a desire to receive a heavenly place where God is. The Lord has made ready a place, a city, a habitation, and a promise that all who are faithful will receive. There is a blessed assurance that while life is a pilgrimage, a greater day comes when the eternal homeland is found. Faith is a desire. It is a longing to be apart from the trappings of the world. Dying in faith is living in hope.

The Bible is filled with the stories of those who are the faithful, who trusted in God, and who lived with the full expectation of eternal glory. As a great cloud of witnesses, their lives lead all men to Jesus Christ. From time eternal, Jesus is the author and finisher of faith. Abraham shows the way to Jesus. Moses leads the people of God to understand the eternal promise land made possible through the blood of Jesus Christ. Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets all testify to the story of God’s only begotten Son.

Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who sits at the right hand of the throne of God. Faith is assured because Jesus is conqueror. There is no fear in love. Faith is confirmed by the sacrificial love of Jesus to die for all men, taking away the dread of death and the sting of sin. The victory in faith is found in looking for an eternal home. By faith men understand the will of God, embrace the heavenly hope, and live with a view toward a city prepared for them. Live for Jesus.

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Worry

Posted on December 19, 2024 by heatonkent

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? (Matthew 6:24-25)

Worry

When we worry, we literally divide our minds. The word worry comes from a combination of two words: divide and mind. John E. Haggai writes, “Worry divides the feelings; therefore, emotions lack stability. Worry divides the understanding; therefore, convictions are shallow and changeable. Worry divides the faculty of perception; therefore, observations are faulty and even false. Worry divides the faculty of judgment; therefore, attitudes and decisions are often unjust and lead to damage and grief. Worry divides the determinative faculty; therefore, plans and purposes, if not scrapped altogether, are not filled with persistence.”

A core teaching of Jesus is that those who follow Him should not be consumed with the worries and anxieties of life. That is not an easy task for someone to embrace. The tendency to worry is natural, but excessive concern damages the soul. Jesus taught the Father took care of the birds of the air. When the birds were created, they were not given ‘worry lines’ because they knew who would care for them. People use their ‘worry lines’ too often because they are fearful of who will care for them.

While God promised to feed the birds, He did not promise to bring the food to them. God does not want His children to be consumed with worry. Jesus said not to worry about food and clothing. He was saying not to overwhelm the spirit with a consuming fear and anxiety to provide the necessities of life. The child of God is content with what he has, so he will not worry about those things that divide his spirit. The Lord will provide as needed when the heart is trusting in the care of the Father.

Worrying is not trusting in God. The problem with worry is that it loves God but does not trust He knows what He is doing. If God can create the world, how can he not care for the needs of His creation? Having concern is a motivation that can be used to make sure care is taken for life, but it should never be allowed to be the all-consuming nature of life. Jesus reminded His disciples that worrying will not get anything done, and it will not add one moment of life. If anything, worry robs the precious time allotted to man.

Seeking first the kingdom of God is the answer to worry. This means that when the heart is willing to let the rule of God be first place in life, worry will be dispelled. Jesus never worried because He knew the Father would care for Him. How could Jesus face the cross if He did not fully believe God would care for Him? Courage to trust in God will take away the feelings of worry. Don’t worry. Let God work His glory in your life to see more clearly His providence and care for you. The Bible has answers to the challenge of worry, fear, and doubt. Trust in the Lord with all your might.

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The Sanctity Of Marriage

Posted on December 18, 2024 by heatonkent

And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:21-24)

The Sanctity Of Marriage

Simone De Beauvoir rightly observed, “The curse which lies upon marriage is that too often the individuals are joined in their weakness rather than in their strength. Each asking from the other instead of finding pleasure in giving.” The only perfect marriage was when God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the garden. Moses describes paradise as a place where man walked with God in the cool of the day. They did not fear God. The Lord provided everything Adam and Eve needed and required. They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Everything changed in the paradise home of Adam and Eve when the tempter came. As the cunning serpent, Satan deceived the woman, convincing her to rebel against God’s simple command. Adam and Eve had, for all practical purposes, one command to obey. They were told not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Through the devil’s cunning words, Eve took the fruit and gave it to Adam. Then, the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked. In fear and shame, the man and woman attempted to cover themselves.

As Adam and Eve hurriedly made coverings, they heard the sound of God walking in the garden. For the first time in their life, they experienced great fear. Adam and his wife hid themselves from the Lord God’s presence among the garden’s trees. It was futile to hide from God because the Lord knew what they had done. Sin has consequences. Because of their rebellion, Adam and Eve lost their paradise home. The world changed. Their relationship changed. Everything changed because of sin.

Jesus came into the world to bring happiness and joy to the marriage relationship. The Lord had some things to say about the marriage relationship, but more specifically, He came to answer the consequences of sin in marriage. All problems arise when the man and woman fail to understand the will of God. He established marriage and has the answers to marital problems. Sin is at the root of the challenges faced in marriage. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life to happy marriages.

When a man and woman marry, two sinners marry. Walking in the footsteps of Jesus will show men and women how to forgive, be kind, bear with one another, show compassion, have humility, and sacrifice for one another. The solution to a troubled marriage is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Only from the Creator of marriage can the answers to marriage be known. Take the weakness of your life and fortify them with the strength of God’s word. When you serve God, you will learn to serve one another. Then you will have a happy marriage, and God will be praised.

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