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The BIBLE VIEW #998 — Assorted

In This Issue:
A Failure?
Appearance of Evil
The Lament of a Backslider
Doing It on Their Own
A Good Example
A Burden for Others
Christ, Forever

Volume: 998    March 24, 2025
Theme:  Assorted

The  Daily View is a free, daily devotion.  Sign up (https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/a26cc9M), and you will be e-mailed a link to read or HEAR a KJV chapter and a short commentary (200-700 words) of something taught in the day’s reading.  The e-mail will also include a mini-sermon in pictures, a prayer list, Thought for The Day, a Biblestudy, and short articles reinforcing biblical principles.


Read what readers have said about the e-mailed devotion at
https://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/what-readers-say


A Failure?
Cameron

Many years ago a merchant’s business had failed.  He went home greatly upset.

“What is the matter?” asked his wife.

“I am ruined.  I will be a beggar.  I have lost it all!” he exclaimed, pressing his hands upon his forehead.

“All?” said his wife.  “No.  I am left.”

“Papa?” questioned his eldest boy.  “Here I am!”

“And I, too,” piped in his little girl, running up and putting her arms around his neck.

“I’m not lost, papa,” repeated Eddy.

“And you have your health left,” reminded his wife.

“And your hands to work with,” said the eldest, “and I can help you.”

“And your two feet, papa, to carry you about, and your two eyes to see with, papa,” chimed in Eddie.

“And you have God’s promises,” added grandmother.

“And a good God,” added his wife.

“And a Heaven to go to,” said his little girl.

“And Jesus who came to fetch us there,” said his eldest.

“God forgive me!” said the poor merchant, bursting into tears.  “I have not lost it all.  What I have lost is nothing compared to what I have,” and he took comfort and began the world afresh.

“He who knows no hardships will know no hardihood.  He who faces no calamity will need no courage.  Mysterious though it is, the characteristics in human nature which we love best grow in a soil with a strong mixture of trouble.”
— Harry Emerson Fosdick

Appearance of Evil
John Bate

A thing may have the appearance of wrong-doing and not be evil in itself, just as an apple may have the appearance of sweetness and soundness and yet be both sour and rotten.  Why, then, are we to abstain from the “appearance of evil”?

  1. Because most judge by the appearance and would therefore judge us wrongfully.
  2. Because in this judgment, our characters would be damaged and Christianity be defamed.
  3. Because by following the appearance of doing something wrong, we would promote and encourage evil.
  4. Because we are positively commanded to keep from even looking like we are doing something sinful.
  5. Because it is directly inconsistent with the good we profess we do.
  6. Because by abstaining from even looking like we are doing something wrong, we do not appear as hypocrites.

“If you want your neighbor to see what the Christ spirit will do for him, let him see what it has done for you.”  — H. Beecher



The Lament of a Backslider
Author Unknown

Where is the Saviour now,
Whose smiles I once possessed?
Till He return, I bow,
By heavy grief oppressed.
My days of happiness are gone,
And I am left to weep alone.

Where can the mourner go,
And tell his tale of grief?
Ah, who can soothe his woe,
Ah, who can give relief?
Earth cannot heal the wounded breast
Or give the troubled conscience rest.

Jesus, Thy smiles impart;
My gracious Lord, return,
Bind up my broken heart
And bid me cease to mourn;
Then shall this night of sorrow flee,
And peace from Heaven be found in Thee.


Doing It on Their Own
H. W. Beecher

Many say, “I can find God without the help of the Bible, church, or minister.”  Very well.  Do so if you can. 

The ferry company would feel no jealousy of a man who should prefer to swim to New York City rather than ride in their ferry.  Let him do so if he is able, and we will talk about it on the other shore, but probably trying to swim would be the thing that would bring him quickest to the boat.  So God would have no jealousy of a man’s going to Heaven without the aid of the Bible, church, or minister, but let him try to do so. It will be the surest way to return him to the three helpers for assistance.



A Good Example
Author Unknown

A chaplain told this story of a young soldier who consulted with a question of Christian duty.  “Last night,” said the young man, “in my barrack, before going into bed, I knelt and prayed in a low voice when suddenly my comrades threw their boots at me and laughed.”

“Well,” replied the chaplain, “suppose you defer your prayer until you get into bed and then silently lift your heart to God?”

A week or two afterwards, the young soldier called again.  “Well,” said the chaplain, “you took my advice, I suppose?  How has it gone?”

“Sir,” he answered, “I did  take your advice for one or two nights, but I began to think it looked rather like I was denying my Saviour. I once more knelt at my bedside and prayed in a low whisper as before.”

“And what happened?”

“Not one of them laughs now, sir. The whole fifteen kneel and pray, too.”

“I felt ashamed,” added the chaplain in narrating the story, “of the advice I had given him.  That young man was both wiser and bolder than I was.”

“A good example has twice the value of good advice.” — Author Unknown




A Burden for Others
K. Arvine

Ancient history records that a city was besieged and, at length, obliged to surrender.  In that city, there were two brothers who had, in some way, obliged the conquering general and, because of this, received permission to leave the city before it was destroyed, taking with them as much of their property as each could carry.  Accordingly, the two generous youths appeared at the city gates, one carrying their father, and the other their mother.

If we could all be as generous and burdened as those brothers after we get saved, we would be concerned to tell as many family members, friends, and neighbors as possible about the way to Heaven.  More would be Heaven bound from our efforts! 


Christ, Forever
S. Coley

When King Ptolemy built Pharos he wanted his name upon it.  Sostratus, the architect, did not think that the king, who only paid the money for its construction, should get all the credit while he had none.  Sostratus put the king’s name on the front of the structure in plaster, but underneath, in the eternal granite, the architect had his name chiseled deep into the stone.

The sea dashed against the plaster and chipped it off bit by bit.  It lasted out the time of Ptolemy, but by and by, the plaster was chipped away, and there stood the name “Sostratus”.

I am not sure that there are not “waves” that will chip off all human names from the true church that Christ built.  I am sure that the one name of Christ shall last forever after all others fade away.

The BIBLE VIEW #997 — Encouragement

In This Issue:
The Brake Is On!
Assurance
“I Have Nothing to Complain About!”
Christ, Our Banner
Prepare for the Daily Battle


Volume: 997    March 14, 2025
Theme:  Encouragement

The  Daily View is a free, daily devotion.  Sign up (https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/a26cc9M), and you will be e-mailed a link to read or HEAR a KJV chapter and a short commentary (200-700 words) of something taught in the day’s reading.  The e-mail will include a mini-sermon in pictures, a prayer list, Thought for The Day, and short articles reinforcing biblical principles.


Read what readers have said about the e-mailed devotion at
https://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/what-readers-say/


The Brake Is On!
Bill Brinkworth

“Yippee” was the feeling of glee the young driver felt.  It was the first time for her to drive after she got her license.  All those school classes on driver safety, reading and reciting that boring driver’s manual were finished, and now the moment of freedom was not far away.  She could go anywhere daddy’s car would take her.

“Well, what’s the first thing I should do? Check the driver’s mirror.  Check.  Check the rear-view mirror.  Oops, my lipstick needs a little more on the top lip.  Double-check.  Adjust seat.  Put on the seat belt.  Check.  Put the key in, and turn it on.”  A little burst of excitement made her smile as she was seconds from a world she had wanted to enter for way too long.  “Put it in drive, and away we go,” she giggled.  This was it.  “A little bit on the accelerator, and?”

The car would not move.  “Maybe a little more gas?”  The car inched forward, lurching and jerking.  It did not want to cooperate.  “Hmm.  What didn’t I do?”  The novice driver double-checked everything she had done so many times before.

More gas, and still the car lurched forward.  “Something is wrong here,” she concluded.  “I had better check with Dad.”  As she put the car in park, turned off the ignition, and prepared to leave the vehicle, something caught her eye.  Someone had left the emergency brake on.  Again, she restarted the car, removed the emergency brake, put it in gear, applied the gas, and she was off.  The brake made it almost impossible for her to get anywhere!

In church, there also may be securely applied brakes that keep many from going forward for God.  The appliers of the brake often mean well, but sometimes, they unintentionally restrict others from moving smoothly forward in Christian service.

These “brakes” are often:

  • Unkind, unthought-out words such as, “We ain’t done it that way before,” “That’s not how we do it around here,” “When you’ve been saved as long as I have, you’ll know better,” and “I’d never do it that way.”  Although there should be proper ways to do things, since any ministry is representing the church, too often we can deflate one’s enthusiasm to move forward for God because of unedifying, self-purposing, wrong words.
  • Very few attend church-wide events such as church, prayer meetings, visitation, church dinners, or other church functions.  Lack of attendance instantly sends a message to those who attend that they are not like anyone else, and maybe they are “taking this “Christian” thing too seriously.”  Immediately, their zeal is quenched, and they soon could become one more Christian who is sitting and not serving.
  • The longstanding members and leaders do not attend church regularly.  New converts and visitors see their lack of support for the ministry and instantly halt their zeal in attending.  “Well, if they’re not coming, then maybe it is not important for me to attend all the time,” could be their thoughts.
  • Members are late.  Lateness gives a clear impression of the importance of attendance.  One would not think of being late for school or work because it is essential.  Church attendance is also important!
  • Complaining and murmuring among members magnifies to the on-looker that maybe this is not a happy church family.  It also does not help when someone in public prayer makes it clear that they are not satisfied with something that is going on in the church.  Under the guise of spirituality, it is sometimes prayed aloud, “Please pray for Brother So-and-so that he will get his heart right and stop lying,” or some other cutting remark about a situation.  Those cowardly attacks never do anything positive; they only increase discord and hurt feelings.  No one is usually fooled and realizes that the person is venting his opinion about how they think people or situations should be dealt with in the church. 

    The Holy Spirit should handle most situations and not us!  If we need to ensure the matter is handled, it should be dealt with first on a one-to-one basis (Matthew 18:15-17)!



There are enough obstacles in serving the Lord without discouraging others, intentionally or unintentionally.  The work is great, and so is the battle (Ephesians 6:12).

There is more said in the Bible about encouraging others and ourselves than there is in our being volunteer holy spirits, and our telling others how to serve God.  The real Holy Spirit can certainly do a better job in speaking to hearts and guiding one in the way He would like it done.  We need to be more like accelerators, and less often “brakes”!

“If you are busy rowing the boat, you won’t have time to rock it!”

Assurance
Author Unknown

Pelopidas, when informed that the number of the enemy was double that of his army, replied, “So much the better.  We shall conquer so many the more.” His intelligent self-assurance was more powerful than a thousand spears.

“It takes little intelligence, character, or spirituality to criticize.  However, it does take all three to encourage others!”  

“I Have Nothing to Complain About!”
Bill Brinkworth

One of our favorite blessings in the nursing home ministry is L.  We asked her the other day how she was, and she cheerfully replied, “Brother Bill, I’d like to complain about something, but I honestly cannot find anything to complain about.” 

Another time, when asked what she was thankful for, she quipped, “I am so thankful for my health.”   She meant this from her heart, as she sat in her wheelchair receiving oxygen much of the day and needing the care provided for her by the nursing home.

What a testimony she is to us who have so much more, but complain too often about our “little” afflictions.

“The men who are lifting the world upward and onward are those who encourage more than they criticize.”  — Elizabeth Harrison

Christ, Our Banner

C. H. Spurgeon

The army’s banner was a source of consolation to the wounded.  There he lies, the good knight.  Well has he fought without fear and without reproach.  A chance arrow pierced the joints of his harness, and his life is oozing out from the ghastly wound.  

No one is there to unbuckle his helmet or give him a draught of cooling water.  His frame is locked up in that hard case of steel, and though he feels the smart from the wound, he cannot gain the remedy.  He hears the cries, the mingled cries, the hoarse shouts of men that rush in fury against their fellows, and he opens his eyes as yet he has not fainted with his bleeding.  Where, think you, does he look?  He turns himself around.  What is he looking for?  For friend?  For comrade?  No.

Should they come to him, he would say, “Just lift me, and let me sit against that tree awhile and bleed here, but go you to the fight.”

Where is that restless eye searching, and what object is it looking for?  Yes, he has it, and the face of the dying man is brightened.  He sees the banner still waving, and with his last breath, he cries, “On!  On!  On!”  He falls asleep content because his troop’s banner is safe.  It has not been cast down.  Though he has lost, the flag is secure.

Even so, every true soldier of the Cross rejoices in its triumph.  We fall, but Christ does not.  We die, but the cause prospers.  When my heart was most sad, sad as it never was before nor since, that sweet text, “Him hath God the Father exalted, and given him a name that is above every name,” immensely cheered my soul and set me again in peace and comfort.  Our banner is still flying, and there is hope!

Prepare for the Daily Battle!

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” Ephesians 6:10-18

The BIBLE VIEW #996 — Complaining

In This Issue:
Sweet or Miserable?
It’s Temporary
Complaining?
Contentment
Discontentment

Volume: 996    March 10, 2025
Theme: Complaining

The  Daily View is a free, daily devotion.  Sign up (https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/a26cc9M), and you will be e-mailed a link to read or HEAR a KJV chapter and a short commentary (200-700 words) of something taught in the day’s reading.  The e-mail will include a mini-sermon in pictures, a prayer list, Thought for The Day, and short articles reinforcing biblical principles.


Read what readers have said about the e-mailed devotion at
https://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/what-readers-say/



Sweet or Miserable?
Bill Brinkworth

Every living person has or has had difficulties.  This certainly is not Heaven because of Eve’s and Adam’s sin.  This planet is cursed because of the original iniquity.  All will experience hardships.
“And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;” Genesis 3:17

Some may have a period of grace where life seems to be treating them well.  Others are not having that experience now.  Sooner or later, all will face trials and tribulations.

Many in the valley of challenges and hardships, even if it is a slight rumble or complaint, blame others and God.  When blessings pour out on them, they are not always satisfied, grateful, and still find something not to be happy about.  Often, they are just miserable.

Others, however,  have a sweet spirit, even though they seem to have much to complain about and be angry over.  They may be facing humbling health situations, financial fiascos, or social separations, but they usually seem to be smiling and have something positive to say through it all.  Why is there such a vast difference in attitudes between the two reactions?

Those with a closer walk with the Lord, trusting His leadership and having a more positive outlook has much to do with why some have a healthier attitude toward what they are experiencing.  Grumbling, ungrateful Christians usually do not have a closer, surrendered, trusting relationship with the Lord.

Why would an unsaved person want to have a life like the proclaiming Christian who cannot find anything good in their life?  What a poor testimony the grumbling believers are for the cause of Christ.  They are often a black-eye to Christianity. 

Their complaints may:

  • Convince others that God is not real or cannot help.
  • Convince some God cannot take care of His own.
  • Convince others that there is no difference between the lost and saved.  One’s discontentment may encourage unsaved people to shy away from Christianity.
  • Convince others that they are fine as they are because they have a better attitude than the complaining “Christian.”

However, a joyful, grateful, trusting believer will have a different attitude and affect on those they are in contact with.  People may see that a believer:

  • Truly believes there is a God, relies on Him, trusts what the Bible says, and has peace that most do not have amidst trials and tribulations.\
    “For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.” Hebrews 10:34
    “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” Philippians 4:12
  • Reacts differently when confronted with bad news, hard times, and a scary future.
    “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” Matthew 5:12
  • Has hope, peace, and joy even when experiencing difficulties.  Those are rare reactions that unbelievers seldom see.  The better attitude becomes a positive advertisement for Christianity to those desiring the same comforting trust while facing problems.
    “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations” James 1:2 
  • Does not throw up one’s hands in frustration, wanting to quit, but is calm and knows that there will be a positive outcome eventually.


    Most people want joy, peace, and hope.  They gravitate to those that seem to hold the treasure they seek.

Count your current blessings, not your past difficulties.  If you do count your trials, you certainly will be depressed and unappreciative.  Besides,  enduring difficulties can strengthen one’s faith.  No strong Christian got that way without facing hardships and coming out on the other side of their situation with more faith and trust.

Rehearsing the “good times” will remind you that there is hope.  God fixed the situations in the past, and He WILL do it again.  If you are saved, you are on the winning side.  Have a good attitude and be happy.

“A complaining Christian may unwittingly be giving free advertisement for the devil.”   — Bill Brinkworth

It’s Temporary
Burroughs, 1599-1646

Though we experience trials, it should not be grievous to us.  This is not our permanent, eternal home.  No matter what the trouble is, it will not exist forever.

The scripture tells us that we must behave as pilgrims and travelers.  Our life here is only temporary.  We are just passing through.

Abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul.  Consider your temporary condition here.  Do not think to satisfy yourselves forever. 

A person coming into an inn, if there is not a full stock of food there to last a while, is not troubled because it is not his own.  He is going away soon and will not be there long. 

So let us not be upset when we see other people with great estates when we have not or at those who seem to have everything we wish for.  Why?  Because we are going away into another “country.” 

You are not  “lodging” on Earth here, but only for a relatively short time  If you should live a hundred years, in comparison with eternity, it is not much more than a temporary “night.”  Again, you are only a pilgrim just passing through this life.

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
I Corinthians 10:13

Complaining?
Watson, 1696

Are you complaining about your troubles? The trial may not be the biggest problem, but your discontent attitude may be the underlying issue.

It is not the water outside the ship that is the trouble but the water that gets through a hole in the hull, which can sink the vessel.  Likewise, it is not usually outward affliction that can make the life of a Christian intolerable but one’s spiritual flaw.

A contented mind would sail above troubled waters. Still, when there is a leak of discontentment available, trouble may get into one’s heart. Then, one will be disquieted and “sink.”

Apply the principles mariners follow.  Pump the water of discontentment out and stop the spiritual leak of your soul, and no trouble will harm you.

Contentment
Trough, 1599-1646

One who has been in the school of afflictions for a long time is not very bright in Christ’s school of life if nothing has been learned about contentment.  Those that God exercises much with afflictions should have learned how to be content.
“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Philippians 4:11

One newly coming into the care of Christ, perhaps, has complained about their situation and seemingly cannot bear the affliction.  Lord willing, their faith and trust will improve as they allow God to work in their lives. Yet older, supposedly more mature Christians still wilt murmur and whine when facing challenges. Oh, it is a shame for any that have been a long time in the school of Jesus Christ to murmur and allow discontented spirits to ruin their walk with Christ.

“Count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” — A reminder from Johnson Oatman’s hymn, “Count Your Blessings”

Discontentment
Charnock,1628-1680

Discontentment is a secret boasting of some excellency in ourselves as if God does not govern well and we could manage better.

Shall an inexperienced ship passenger, who does not understand the use of the compass, be angry that the skillful pilot will not steer the vessel according to the way the traveler thinks best? Must we give our orders to God, as if His infinite wisdom is not as trustworthy as what we believe and want?

The BIBLE VIEW #995 — Hell

In This Issue:
“Uh-oh”
What the Bible Says about Hell
Hell

Volume: 995    February 24, 2025
Theme: Hell

The  Daily View is a free, daily devotion.  Sign up (https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/a26cc9M), and you will be e-mailed a link to read or HEAR a KJV chapter and a short commentary (200-700 words) of something taught in the day’s reading.  The e-mail will include a mini-sermon in pictures, a prayer list, Thought for The Day, and short articles reinforcing biblical principles.


Read what readers have said about the e-mailed devotion at:
https://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/what-readers-say/



“Uh-oh”
Bill Brinkworth

“Consciousness came and went in short spurts.  For a brief second, bright surgical lights came into sight, and then sleep over came me. 

“Again, for a glimpse, I saw doctors and nurses scurrying about me.  Some were adjusting electrodes on my chest.  Another nurse was quickly putting a needle into my arm, then sleep cameupon me.  I do not know how long it was, but I was vaguely aware of my mother talking to me.  She was crying.  There was urgency in her sobbing voice. 

“Again, doctors were shouting orders to those nearby.  The beeping of a monitor increased.  Some were running for more equipment, and then silence.

“Darkness surrounded me, but I was quite conscious.  No longer were there bright lights; no doctors’ voices; no mother’s sobs.  It wasn’t like the previous in’s and out’s of consciousness.  I was aware with all my senses.  There was a sense of my moving, but not one of my body parts was at all involved.  It was as if I were drifting somewhere.  I could feel it getting warmer and warmer, and it wasn’t long until the heat was unbearable.  Where was I?  What was happening to me?  I knew my eyes were wide open, but all around me was darkness.  Was this, was this, was this Hell?  Oh no, that must be where I was.  I’ve died!  Fear like I never experienced before forced screams out of my mouth.  Hell!  Oh, no.  What have I done?

“Then, through all the fear, the intense heat, and now an increasing pain in what seemed every pore of my body, I remembered some things from my past.  I remembered Mrs. Corner’s Sunday school lesson and the parts of the verses she read about Hell.  I remembered my snide remarks mocking what she said.

“Distant shrieks in the tormenting darkness told me I was not alone in my imprisonment.

“Memories continued to flood my mind.  I recalled the times my friend Gary and I mocked Hell and proudly boasted that we would be together in Hell and would have a party together.  This was no party.  Perhaps one of the screams in the distance was his, but we certainly were not together.

“A horrible series of blood-curdling shouts told another was not able to bear the torture they were experiencing, but there was no way out.  There was no escape for anyone!  Another cry hollered, ‘Not forever.’  All hope was gone from that voice.  His ‘Oh-nooooo’ seemed to be a whisper as he realized the hopelessness of his situation.

“A brief memory of my brother’s coming back from church one day reminded me how I reacted when he told me he had just gotten saved and had God’s promise of going to Heaven when he died.  I thought I was so smart when I retorted, ‘No one can know for sure that they’re going to Heaven.  How can you believe that Bible?  It’s just an ol’ book that some men wrote.’

“I was so wrong.  If I had only listened to him!  If I only had taken him up on his invitations to go to church, I may have gotten what he had.  I may not have been in the place I am now.  How wrong I was.  How foolish my opinions were.  If my memory of what I heard in church serves me well, it is going to get worse; a judgment before God; the Lake of Fire — forever.  Uh-oh, what have I done?”

This story, of course, is a fictitious account of what may be happening to billions of unsaved souls right this very second.  It is based on many Scriptures and may be very close to reality.  If you have never trusted Christ as your payment for your sin, it may very well describe what you may experience one day.  Do not be foolish.  While God has allowed you the opportunity, decide to be saved from Hell today before it is eternally too late!
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13

“Everyone who finds himself in Heaven will have to thank God for it, and everyone who finds himself in Hell will have to thank himself.”   — C. H. MacKinosh

What the Bible Says about Hell
Bill Brinkworth

One of the most feared doctrines of the Bible is about the place called “Hell.”  Many go to great lengths to belittle and scoff at it.  Many deny it.  However, it is mentioned 54 times in the Bible and referred to in many other places.

Perhaps, if they convince themselves and others that Hell does not exist, the scoffers think they will alleviate the guilt of their sins and will cover up the fear they have of spending eternity there.  One’s personal opinion does not negate facts.  There is a place called Hell.  Here are some facts about Hell according to the King James Bible:

  • Hell is down:
    Luke 16:23 “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.”  Also: Ez. 31:16,17, Ez. 32:21, Is. 14:9, 15.
  • Hell is for the wicked:
    Psalms 9:17 “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” Also: Mat. 5:22, 23:33.  All are wicked, but Hell will be the destination for those who did not allow Christ’s payment for sin to cover their iniquities.
  • Hell is a place of sorrows:
    Psalm 18:5 “The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.” Also: Psalm 116:3.
  • Hell is a place of pain:
    Luke 16:24-25 “And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. … thou art tormented.” Also: Luke 16:28.
    Mark 9:44 “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” Also: Mark 9:46, 48, Isaiah. 66:24.
  • Hell is a place where the dead without Christ go:
    Proverbs 9:18 “But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.” — Life is not over when our flesh stops breathing in this world.
  • Hell has levels:
    Deuteronomy 32:22 “For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.” Also: Psalm 86:13.
  • Hell is growing:
    Proverb 27:20 “Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.” Also: Isaiah 5:14.
  • Hell was different before Christ died on the cross and rose again:
    Luke 16:26 “And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.” — Hell was down and was divided into two parts.  Abraham’s bosom was where the godly went.  There was no tormenting there. The lower terrible region is where the ungodly went.  It was separated by a “great gulf” no one could cross.
  • Jesus went to Hell (It was “Abraham’s bosom” and, again, it was not a place of torment!):
    Acts 2:31 “He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.”
  • Jesus led the godly out of “Hell” when He died:
    Ephesians 4:8 “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” Also: Psalm 68:18.  Rev. 1:18.  — Before Christ ascended back to Heaven, he led the godly Old Testament saints out of the upper region of Hell (Abraham’s Bosom).
  • Hell is not for those who trust Christ as their Saviour.
    John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
  • Hell is a temporary place, and then things get worse:
    Rev. 20:13 “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.” — All those that are in Hell, will be released, judged, and put in eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire.  Also: Rev. 20:14.

Hell certainly is a horrible place.  No one should want to go there.  The only way to avoid an eternity in that horrible place is to be saved!
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

** This is a condensed  version of a study of Hell.  A more complete version can be found at: http://www.openthoumineeyes.com/lessons/hell.html.

“Don’t let scoffers laugh you into Hell; they cannot laugh you out of it.”
— D. L. Moody


Hell
John Milton

A dungeon horrible, on all sides round,
As one great furnace, flam’d, yet from those flames
No light, but rather darkness visible
Serv’d only to discover sights of woe,
Regions of sorrow, doleful shades, where peace
And rest can never dwell, hope never,
That comes to all; but torture without end
Still urges, and a fiery deluge fed
With burning sulphur unconsum’d.
Such place eternal justice had prepared
For those rebellious; here their prison ordained
In utter dakness, and their portion set
As far remov’d from God and light of Heaven
As from the center thrice to th’ utmost pole.

“When some editors have proofread my work, they often made notes that ‘Hell’ and ‘Heaven,’ should not be capitalized because the Bible does not capitalize them.  The rules of capitalization have changed since the KJV Bible was finalized. Heaven and Hell ARE real places and I will continue to capitalize the proper nouns!  — B. Brinkworth

The BIBLE VIEW #994 — God’s Provision

In This Issue:
Just Enough
Little Is Much When God Is in It
God Provided 
Matthew 6:25-34
God’s Ravens

Volume: 994    February 17, 2025
Theme: God’s Provision

The  Daily View is a free, daily devotion.  Sign up (https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/a26cc9M), and you will be e-mailed a link to read or HEAR a KJV chapter and a short commentary (200-700 words) of something taught in the day’s reading.  The e-mail will include a mini-sermon in pictures, a prayer list, Thought for The Day, and short articles reinforcing biblical principles.

Just Enough
Bill Brinkworth

After two months of being led out of bondage in Egypt, the people of Israel complained (Exodus 16:2) about not having the food they liked.  They ignored the fact of being mistreated in slavery, God had delivered them from their bondage, and they daily saw God’s leadership and provision as they traveled through the wilderness.  God heard their complaints but still met their needs.

God rained “bread” from Heaven every morning for the people.  The sweet, small bread was also called “the corn of Heaven” and angel’s food (Psalms 78:24-25).  

Six days a week, the manna rained down.  There was just enough for every man, woman, and child to eat.  Each family gathered what they could eat, about one omer (3.6 liters).  After the sun burned hot, there was no manna left.  The manna melted.  They had just enough for that day!

If the people did not trust that God would provide the “bread” the next day and tried to hoard it, it would stink and turn to worms.  They had no choice but to trust God would provide their daily needs.  To compound God’s miracle of provision, on the day before the Sabbath, when they were not to work, God rained down a two-day supply of manna.  The bread gathered that day would last two days.  God gave them just enough food every day for 40 years until they ate corn in the land (Joshua 5:12) that God had led them to.

Throughout the Bible there are examples of God’s meeting the needs of His own.  Jacob had a son, Joseph, in the right position to provide his family with food during a drought.  God provided just enough food to meet all of Israel’s needs when they were in the wilderness.  The widow’s miraculously refilling barrel of meal and the cruse of oil were just enough to meet Elijah’s and the widow’s needs.  Jesus told the disciples to reach the world with the Gospel and not carry anything extra.  In all cases, God provided just enough.  They were not to have extra because they were to trust God and see what He would do for them daily.

Man’s distrusting nature relies too often on his provision.  There needs to be a correct balance between saving for a “rainy day” and amassing as much as possible because he thinks only he can provide.  We are to be wise and good stewards of what we have, but not dependent only on what we do.  It is often forgotten that God wants us to trust him for everything, including our daily needs. 

Most people have long forgotten, or never given any thought or trust, that God is the one that ultimately provides all we have.  It is not the government’s food stamps or its welfare that we should rely on.  It is not our big barns of storage, as the “fool” in Luke 12:16-21 trusted in.  It would not take much for a government to collapse, especially these days, or “barns” of investments or savings accounts to fail, and then where would those people who were relying on themselves be?

My wife and I have learned long ago that God will meet our daily needs.  We saved what we could, sometimes only ten dollars a week, and have been frugal with our purchases, but still tithed (gave to the Lord through the local church). 

We soon learned that God honored His promises and did provide our “daily bread” (Mat. 6:11).  We have always had enough to pay our bills.

When we desperately needed housing, God gave us just enough money from an insurance claim to fix up an old house.  When our house desperately needed paint, the paint I found was just enough to cover the job and just “happened” to be the right color.

Without planning, I purchased seeds for the garden, which were just enough to cover the available space.  Repair jobs around the house are often met by having just enough materials lying around the house.

Food prepared is just enough to meet the needs of all the unexpected guests who drop in for dinner.  The clothes given to us just happened to fit exactly our sizes.

On and on, I could go of 40+ years of God’s precise provision.  Sometimes, we had a little extra, only to find, in a couple of days, that it would be just enough to replace a damaged tire or meet the needs of another emergency.  After thousands of examples of just having enough, we quickly learned it was not a coincidence but God’s provision. 

If we had had a surplus, we may not have been reliant and appreciative of God’s provision.  If we had had everything we wanted, we may have been like the wealthy man I once visited.  After I told him the Bible’s plan of salvation, he looked me in the face and said, “Look around.  Do you see all I have?”  He did have a large mansion, cars, and other splendid things.  “Does it look like I need God?”  He needed to know that God had provided, not himself.  Without God’s help, he may not have the health or the intellect to earn that money.  People like that who have such self-trust often have to, and do, lose all they have to find out Who really is in control.

Today’s world has become more dependent on their own devices or government aid, including Christians!  Unfortunately, those provisions frequently let those who trust them down.  The ways of man are not trustworthy nor always reliable.  God, however, will never let his own down that trust in Him.  Rely on God to provide.  He may give you just enough, but it will be He that you will reliably trust on.  You will then see what the mighty hand of God will do in your life.
“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Mat.  21:22
“And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” I John 3:22

“When you’re down to nothing, God may be up to something.”

 

Little Is Much When God Is in It
Hymn by Kittie J. Suffield

 In the harvest field now ripened,
There’s a work for all to do.
Hark, the voice of God is calling,
To the harvest calling you.
CHORUS:
Little is much when God is in it.
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There’s a crown and you can win it,
If you go in Jesus’ name.

 Does the place you’re called to labor
Seem so small and little known?
It is great if God is in it,
And He’ll not forget His own.
CHORUS:

When the conflict here is ended
And our race on Earth is run,
He will say, if we are faithful,
“Welcome home, my child, well done.”
CHORUS:

“God strengthens shoulders to bear the burden.”

God Provided
Dr. J. Campbell

  • Abraham’s knife lifted up to kill his son; an angel appeared.
  • Lot was near destruction; angels intervened.
  • Hagar and her son were dying; an angel showed them water.
  • Moses was trapped from escaping his enemy by the sea: God parted the waters.
  • Rabshakeh insulted God; his army was destroyed in twelve hours.
  • Haman formed a plot to kill Jews; the king could not sleep and read what Mordecai had done for him.  Because of his discovery, Mordecai and, eventually, the Jewish people were spared.
  • Peter was in jail; angels released him.



Matthew 6:25-34

“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.  Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.  Are ye not much better than they? 27  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat?  or, What shall we drink?  or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.  Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

“Worry is irreverent — God will provide!”

God’s Ravens
F. B. Meyer

Having read the story of how God fed Elijah by the ravens with his mother, a little boy sat on a wintry night in a fireless room beside a bare table.  With a simple, child-like trust, he asked his widowed mother if he might set the door open for God’s ravens to come in.

“I feel sure they must be on their way,” he said.  The trustful mother granted the request.

The mayor of the German town, passing by, was curious by the sight of the open door and entered, inquiring why it was open.  When he learned the reason, he said, “I will be God’s raven!”  He met their needs then and long afterward.

“Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.  Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.  Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” Psalms 37:3-5

“What God ordains, He sustains!” — Author Unknown

The BIBLE VIEW #993 —Marriage

In This Issue:
A Biblical Marriage
The Differences Between Men and Women
The Marriage Institution
Marriage Is Not A Mission Field

Volume: 993    February 10, 2025
Theme: Marriage

The  Daily View is a free, daily devotion.  Sign up (https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/a26cc9M), and you will be e-mailed a link to read or HEAR a KJV chapter and a short commentary (200-700 words) of something taught in the day’s reading.  The e-mail will include a mini-sermon in pictures, a prayer list, Thought for The Day, and short articles reinforcing biblical principles.

Read what readers have said about the e-mailed devotion at
https://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/what-readers-say



A Biblical Marriage
Bill Brinkworth

Ephesians 5 discusses a subject that bristles the hair on the back of many necks.  It takes a position that has been hated and rebelled against for generations.  Unfortunately, the refusal to follow God’s commandments in this area has resulted in a current divorce rate higher than 50%.  

In Ephesians 5:21-33, Paul discusses submissiveness between a married man and a woman.  According to Noah Webster, “submitting” is yielding or surrendering to an authority.

The first surrendering to authority discussed here is for both husband and wife to surrender to each other (vs. 21) because they respect God’s commandments!  They are to submit to each other because God tells them to, and they should know God’s way works.  God ordained the union between man and woman, so He certainly knows how it will work.  No other way will be successful!

A wife must also submit to her husband (vs. 22).  When she humbles herself to do so, she is doing it “unto the Lord”.  What a step of faith it takes to be a wife and trust the Lord that way.  I’m sure most women shudder at this point, thinking about all kinds of situations: “What happens if I submit to him, and my husband mistreats me?”; “What happens if I let him be the authority and decision-maker, and he makes wrong decisions?”; “What happens if he doesn’t make any decisions?”; “What happens if I don’t get my say?”, and countless other scenarios.

If the husband does not hold up his commitments, those situations could come true.  That is why it is so important that a marriage be between believers (II Cor. 6:14).  However, there are no retractions for bad decisions in marriage partners in God’s Word.  No matter the spiritual status, one is still committed to upholding his part of the marriage as the Lord commands.

There are many marriage failures because couples do not adhere to God’s way but try to cohabit the way “everyone else is doing it”.  When a marriage fails, it is usually because someone is not holding up their end of God’s commandments for that person.

Submission in a marriage is not just between the wife and her husband.  The husband also has a part in making a marriage work.  His part is not just surrendering to his wife, but he is to love his wife as Christ loves His church (vs. 25) and as much as he loves his own body (vs. 28, 33).  One should not want to do wrong to one’s body; he must only want to do what is right and best for his wife.

As a husband and wife submit themselves to Christ, they should also submit themselves to each other.  God’s way works.

“If a child of God marries a child of the devil, the child of God will surely have trouble with his father-in-law.” — Author Unknown


The Differences between Men and Women
Author Unknown

In the current world, many are trying to make both sexes the same and even confuse their roles.  God has created men and women and has made them different, with strengths and weaknesses.  

When married, God can use a man’s strengths to complement a woman’s weaknesses and take the strengths of a wife to make up for the husband’s shortcomings.  The two different halves can produce a stronger whole.

This article from an unknown author (before 1871) points out some of the differences between men and women and shows the strengths they can bring to a marriage:

  • Man is strong; woman is beautiful.
  • Man is daring and confident; woman is diffident (“showing modest reserve”) and unassuming.
  • Man is great in action; woman is long-suffering.
  • Man shines abroad; woman excels at home.
  • Man talks to convince; woman to persuade.
  • Man has a rugged heart; woman, a soft and tender one.
  • Man prevents misery; woman relieves it.
  • Man has science; woman taste.
  • Man has judgment; woman sensibility.
  • Man is a being of justice; woman has mercy.

Each possesses peculiar gifts and a wide sphere of usefulness, and, by the wise use of these respective gifts, society is benefited, a marriage is strengthened, and God is honored.

“As a husband and wife grow closer to God, they also grow closer to each other!”


The Marriage Institution
Excerpts from Bible Reading for the Home, 1943

  • After creating man, what did God say?
    “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” Gen. 2:18
  • What did God say He would make?
    A help meet for him (Gen. 2:18).
  • Could such a help be found among the creatures God had already made?  No.
    “… but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.” Gen. 2:20
  • What did God do to remedy Adam’s need?  God made Adam a mate.
    “… And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.” Gen. 2:21-22
  • What did Adam say as he received his wife from God?
    “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.” Gen. 2:23
  • What great truth was then stated?
    “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Gen. 2:24
  • What did Jesus say about marriage?
    “Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh.  What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” Mat.  19:6

“Marriages may be made in Heaven, but man is responsible for the maintenance work.” — Changing Times

Marriage Is Not a Mission Field
Author Unknown

Mark Twain, the well-known American humorist, fell in love with Miss Olivia Langdon.  “Livy,” as he called her, grew up in a Christian home and held firm religious convictions.  Mark Twain made no profession of faith, although he appeared to have been touched by Livy’s life.

Mark Twain and Olivia Langdon were married.  Early in their marriage, Mark regularly asked for a blessing at mealtime and joined in family worship, but this did not last.

One day, Twain announced, “Livy, I don’t believe in the Bible.”  Bit by bit, Mark Twain’s lack of faith worked like a cancer destroying his wife’s spiritual life.

Later, during a period of pressing sorrow, he tried to strengthen Livy by saying, “Livy, if it comforts you to lean on the Christian faith, do so.”

His wife sadly replied, “Mark, I can’t.  I haven’t it anymore!”

Marriage is not a mission field.  God never called one into marriage to convert one’s partner. 

Marriage strains under the burden of an unshared faith.  Not only will you harm the person with whom you join your life, but you will harm yourself if your partner is not a Christian.  Too much is at stake to ignore God’s commandment.
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?  and what communion hath light with darkness?” II Cor. 6:14

“If you never date an unsaved person, you will never marry one!”

The BIBLE VIEW #992 — Lying

In This Issue:
Lying Lips
Real Christians With A Trustworthy Testimony
The Boss Is Never Out!
You Can’t Fool God

Volume: 992    February 3, 2025
Theme: Lying

The  Daily View is a free, daily devotion. Sign up (https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/a26cc9M), and you will be e-mailed a link to read or HEAR a KJV chapter and a short commentary (200-700 words) of something taught in the day’s reading. The e-mail will include a mini-sermon in pictures, a prayer list, Thought for The Day, and short articles reinforcing biblical principles.


Read what readers have said about the e-mailed devotion at
https://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/what-readers-say

Lying Lips
Bill Brinkworth

From a young age, most know it is wrong to lie. Perhaps it is an innate guilt or a learned ”no-no”  from reprimands from parents, friends, or teachers. 

The unacceptance of untruths is universally frowned upon, and the bearer of falsehoods is often mistrusted and avoided. One should learn quickly that dishonesty is not an accepted behavior.

 A lie exposed has cost many future suspicions from friends, fellow workers, and casual and long-time acquaintances. Because of discovered untruths, relationships have been shattered, jobs have been lost, and even jail time has been the penalty for many who lied. 

Lying lips have cost many much more than ever realized.   God also does not tolerate falsehoods and demands people, especially Christians, be true to their word.

God’s Word, the Bible, has much to say and warn about untruths:

God and His Son, Jesus, are honest. Since believers should be like their Saviour, Christ-like, we should also be truthful.
“That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:” Hebrews 6:18
“In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; “ Titus 1:2

God hates untruths!
“Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.” Proverbs 12:22

God commands us not to lie!
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” Exodus 20:16
“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” I John 3:18

Lies are often told because of pride.
“For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.” Psalm 59:12
“The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.” Psalm 119:69

Liars twist and change God’s truths to enable them to do what they desire rather than what God commands.
“Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” Romans 1:25 

Although usually our weak flesh succumbs to dishonesty, often people may be encouraged to lie by Satan’s influence. Since an unsaved person does not typically heed God’s commandments it may be easier to follow the leading of God’s and humanity’s enemy.“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” John 8:44 

God knows who is honest.
“The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.” II Corinthians 11:31

A good witness of a situation should tell the truth of what was seen, heard, or experienced.
“A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies.” Proverb 14:5 Also: Exodus 23:1.
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” Exodus 20:16 “A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.” Proverbs 19:5
“A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth speaketh constantly.” Proverbs 21:28 

ALWAYS be honest.
“Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;” Colossians 3:9
“Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.” Psalm 31:18 
“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;” Ephesians 4:22-23
“Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.” Psalm 120:2

We can lie about anything, including about being right with God.
“If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:” I John 1:6
“I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.”  I John 2:21
“Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.” Revelation  3:9

Because of the rejection of God’s will and way, our world has become one of dishonesty, distrust, misdirection, and deceit. It is a tolerated sin among politicians, police, and most people. It should not be.

Dishonesty separates many and breeds mistrust. This must stop for a society to be healed and get along with each other. Start today, especially if you are a born-again child of God. Always tell the truth!

“Your words are the most valuable possessions you have. Do they have
 great value from those who know you, or are they remembered as possibly a distortion, deception, or a lie?” 

Real Christians With A Trustworthy Testimony
Sunday School Times

In her book, Floods on Dry Ground, Eva Stuart Watt described missionary work in the Belgian Congo, and said, “Even among the enemies of the Gospel there was growing secret admiration for those whose lives were out and out for God.

The term “Bakrustu ya kweli,” was often heard from heathen lips. It means “real Christians.”  Far and wide the believers were known as men of truth and men whose prayers were answered. 

One day the paramount chief had a big court case in which a Christian was charged with hiding a Mabuda prisoner. At the tribunal, the chief said to the accused, “Tell me, did you hide that man?”

“No, Chief. I didn’t.”

Then turning to his soldiers, he said, “You liars, the lot of you. This man is a ‘Bakrustu ya kweli!’  He couldn’t tell a lie!”

“A liar is not believed even when he tells the truth.” — Cicero

The Boss Is Never Out
Sunday School Times

A storekeeper went away for the day and left a clerk in charge. A customer came in and asked a favor of the clerk, which meant he would have to do something dishonest.

“You can do it, if you want,” argued the customer, “because your boss is out.”

The clerk looked the man in the face, and said, “You are mistaken. My Boss is Jesus Christ, and He is never out!”

“Aye, sir: to be honest as this world goes is to be one man picked out of a thousand.”— Shakespeare

 

You Can’t Fool God
Granville Kleiser

You can fool the hapless public,
You can be a subtle fraud,
You can hide your little meanness,
But you can’t fool God!

You can advertise your virtues,
You can self-achievement laud,
You can load yourself with riches,
But you can’t fool God!

You can criticize the Bible,
You can be a selfish clod,
You can lie, swear, drink, and gamble
But you can’t fool God!

You can magnify your talent,
You can hear the world applaud,
You can boast yourself somebody,
But you can’t fool God!

“Of more worth is one honest man to society and in the sight of God, than all the crowned ruffians that ever lived.” — Thomas Paine

The BIBLE VIEW #991 — Backsliding

In This Issue:
Neither Cold nor Hot
Definition of “Backsliding”
Reflections of a Backslider
Causes of Backsliding
Signs of Backsliding
Consequences of Backsliding
Remorse of Sin

Volume: 991    January 27, 2025
Theme: Backsliding

The  Daily View is a free, daily devotion.  Sign up (https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/a26cc9M), and you will be e-mailed a link to read or HEAR a KJV chapter and a short commentary (200-700 words) of something taught in the day’s reading.  The e-mail will include a mini-sermon in pictures, a prayer list, Thought for The Day, and short articles reinforcing biblical principles.


Read what readers have said about the e-mailed devotion at
https://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/what-readers-say



Neither Cold nor Hot
Bill Brinkworth

In Revelation 1 to 3, seven churches are mentioned.  They were not only churches that existed when John penned Revelation, but they were also prophetic of major characteristics of church ages, in general, throughout history.  

Many believe that six of the prophesied church ages have already passed.  However, many churches in the current church age are very similar to the church of Laodicea.

The church of Laodicea was the seventh church of which John wrote.  This was a “lukewarm”, complacent, and ineffective ministry (Rev. 3:16).  They had riches and many things the world had to offer.  Still, they were doing very little for the Lord. God saw them as “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17).  Their failure to do anything for the Lord disgusted the Father (Rev. 3:16).

Unfortunately, the Laodicean church pictures the church age we are currently in.  Like all church ages, not all churches were or are the same.  There has always been a remnant doing God’s will and way, but the majority of current churches are much like the church of Laodicea.  

Today, there is more concern for the social interests of man than the spiritual.  Clubs, committees, eloquent speakers, church entertainment, paid musicians, church appearances, and not offending anyone have a higher priority than the needs of people’s souls.  Preaching “Thus saith the Lord” is rarely heard anymore, and if it were, there would be many offended and some would desert the church.  

Physical wealth does not cover up the fact that the majority of churches are not heeding the tugging of the Holy Spirit and, in God’s eyes, are “… poor, and blind, and naked.” The money these churches have may not be the “blessing of God” they proclaim it to be, but a curse voiding their usefulness to the cause of Christ.

Part of a Christian’s responsibility is to live the way God commands and to tell others what God’s Word says.  Watering down the message to “fit in” or “not to offend” undermines its purpose. 

The Word of God is supposed to offend and convict the sinner.  That conviction often stops the sinner from a downward slide and turns him around with a repentant heart.  

Where psychology, psychiatry, counseling, and drugs often fail and mask the real problem, the Word of God often exposes the root of a problem.  If allowed, the truths from the Bible will change one’s life. 

Drunkards have been converted, their addiction halted, and their lives restored.  Adulterers have been enabled to stop their iniquity, and they and their families have been reunited.  Murderers have also been saved, and their lives changed.  God’s Word has changed the lives of liars, cheaters, gossipers, unbelievers, and countless more.  

There is not one sin that God cannot help one stop, nor one life that God cannot change.  Why would anyone want to hide God’s message or water it down after it has done so much to countless lives?

No matter the climate of the majority of lukewarm, worldly churches, until the Lord comes there is still time for personal repentance and a return to God’s ways of righteousness.  The door of opportunity for personal revival is still open at this time!

There is no reason an individual or even a local church cannot have a spiritual revival, nor is there a reason to be lukewarm and displeasing to the Lord.  We can be as full of zeal and excitement as the church of Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-12) and others who purposed to obey and follow the Lord’s commandments.  Do not be cold, indifferent, and useless to the cause of Christ.  Be on fire and effective!

“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I [God] will spue thee out of my mouth.”  Revelation 3:15-16

Definition of “Backsliding”
Noah Webster, 1828

Backsliding: The act of apostatizing [to forsake principles or faith which one has professed] from faith or practice.

“If you are not as close to God or as “spiritual” as you once were, you are most likely backslidden.”

Reflections of a Backslider
J. Newton

Sweet was the time when first I felt
The Saviour’s pardoning blood
Applied to cleanse my soul from guilt,
And bring me home to God.

Soon as the morn, the light revealed,
His praises tuned my tongue;
And when the evening shades prevailed,
His love was all my song.

In prayer, my soul drew near the Lord,
And saw His glory shine;
And when I read His holy Word,
I called each promise mine.

But now, when evening shade prevails,
My soul in darkness mourns;
And when the morn the light reveals,
No light to me returns.

“Sin enough, and you will become dead and unbothered by it!”



Causes of Backsliding
W. M. Punshon

  • Was it the spirit of slothfulness that seized you?  Did you shrink from the effort of continued resistance to evil and of prayerful watchfulness against your insidious sin?
  • Was it self-complacency that took possession of your heart?
  • Was it anger that seized and shook you in its petulant grasp because you were not “appreciated” by your friends?
  • Was it because you envied pre-eminence that was denied you?
  • Was it the spirit of indifference that exhausted your recent energy?
  • Was it your rebellion against the godly advice you were given?
  • Were your convictions superficial things that only touched the surface of your nature but did not come from your heart?

From these and similar causes, many have rested in their ease or retreated until they have lost their joy and usefulness for God’s work and cause.

“Sin will always take you lower than you have ever expected to go and will cost you far more than you would ever have thought you would pay.”

Signs of Backsliding
C. Buck

  • Indifference to prayer and self-examination of one’s spiritual condition
  • Trifling or unprofitable conversation
  • Shunning the people of God
  • Associating with the world
  • Taking the commission of sin lightly
  • Neglecting one’s Bible-reading
  • Immorality

Consequences of Backsliding
C. Buck

  • Loss of character
  • Loss of comfort
  • Lose of usefulness
  • And as long as any remain in a backslidden state, a loss of well-grounded hope of future happiness.

“When God pardons, He consigns the offense to eternal forgetfulness.”



Remorse of Sin
John Bate

It is said that on the wall of one of the Egyptian pyramids is written, “The impious shall commit iniquity without recompense, but not without remorse.”  Does not this ancient inscription of heathenism receive its corroboration from the scriptures and the experience of every sinner in the present day?

“Deathbed repentance is burning the candle of life in the service of the devil and then blowing the smoke into the face of God.” — Billy Sunday

The BIBLE VIEW #990 — Love in Action

In This Issue:
A Father’s Love
Love Was the Difference
Real Love Too Busy to Love
A Father’s Heart
Jesus Cares  He Lets God Care

Volume: 990    January 20, 2025
Theme: Love in Action

The  Daily View is a free, daily devotion.  Sign up (https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/a26cc9M), and you will be e-mailed a link to read or HEAR a KJV chapter and a short commentary (200-700 words) of something taught in the day’s reading.  The e-mail will include a mini-sermon in pictures, a prayer list, Thought for The Day, and short articles reinforcing biblical principles.

Read what readers have said about the e-mailed devotion at
https://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/what-readers-say/

A Father’s Love
C. H. Spurgeon

In the French Revolution, there was a young man condemned to the guillotine and shut up in one of the prisons.  He was greatly loved by many, but there was one who loved him more than all put together.  It was his father.

The love the father had for his son was proved when the lists were called.  The father, whose name was the same as his son’s, answered to his boy’s name.   He then rode in the gloomy prison cart to the place of execution.  The father’s head rolled beneath the axe instead of his son’s. A mighty love was seen as the father died in the place of his son.

See here an example of the love of Christ forsinners.  Jesus died for the ungodly.  If they had not been ungodly, neither they nor He had needed to have died.  If they had not sinned, there would have been no need for a suffering Savior, but Jesus proved his boundless love: “… In that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8b)  

Your name was on the condemned list, my fellow sinner.  However, if you trust on Jesus’ work on the cross for your sins, you shall find that your name is there no longer.  Christ’s name is put in your stead, and you shall learn that He suffered for you; the just for the unjust, that he might bring you to God.  

Is not that the greatest wonder of divine love, that it should be set upon us as sinners?  I can understand God’s loving reformed and repenting sinners, but here is the glory of it, “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8) 

Love Was the Difference
D. L. Moody

Years ago, a little boy in our city attended one of our Sunday schools.  His father moved to another part of the city about five miles away.  Every Sunday that boy came past thirty or forty Sunday schools to the one he attended.

One Sunday, a lady, who was out collecting students for a Sunday school class, met him and asked why he went so far past so many schools.  “There are plenty of others,” said she, “just as good.”

He said, “They may be as good, but they are not so good for me.”

“Why not?” she asked.  “Because they love this fellow,” he answered, pointing to himself.  

Ah!  Love won him, “Because they love a fellow over there!”  How easy it is to reach people through love!  By loving them, Sunday school teachers and others could win more to the Lord.  That is how Christ has won most of us!

“A few words of love can make a world of difference.” — Author Unknown



Real Love

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.  Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.” I Corinthians 13:4-8

“Selfishness seeks to use God.  True love for Him seeks to please Him.”
—Author Unknown

Too Busy to Love
G. Campbell Morgan

A father and his young daughter were great friends and spent much time in each other’s company.  One time, the father noted a change in his daughter.  If he went for a walk, she excused herself from going.  He was grieved about it but could not understand. 

When his birthday came, she presented him with a pair of exquisitely made slippers, saying, “I have made them for you.”

Then, he understood what had been the matter for the past months.  He said to her, “My darling, I like these slippers very much, but next time buy the slippers and let me have you all the days.  I would rather have my child than anything you can make for me.”

Some of us are so busy for the Lord and doing other things that He cannot get much of us.  To us, He would say, “I know your works, your labor, your patience, but I miss our time together.”

“Service is love in overalls!” — Author Unknown

A Father’s Heart
C. H. Spurgeon

When King Henry II was provoked to take up arms against his ungrateful and rebellious son, he besieged his child in a French town.  Being near death after being wounded, the son desired to see his father and confess his wrongdoing, but the stern old sire refused to look the rebel in the face.

The young man, being sorely troubled in his conscience, said to those about him, “I am dying. Take me from my bed, and let me lie in sackcloth and ashes, in token of my sorrow for my ingratitude to my father.”  Thus, he did and then died.

When the tidings came to the old man outside the walls that his boy had died in ashes, repentant for his rebellion, the father threw himself upon the earth and said, “Would God I had died for him.” The thought of his boy’s broken heart touched the father.  

If ye, being evil, are overcome by your children’s tears, how much more shall your Father who is in Heaven find your bemoanings and confessions an argument for the display of His pardoning love through Christ Jesus our Lord?

Jesus Cares
Author Unknown

When you’ve met some disappointment,
And you’re tempted to feel blue,
When your plans have all been side-tracked,
Or some friend has proved untrue;
When you’re toiling and you’re struggling
At the bottom of the stairs,
It will seem a bit like Heaven,
Just to know that Jesus cares!

Oh, this life is not all sunshine,
Some days darkest clouds disclose
There’s a cross for every joy-bell,
And a thorn for every rose,
But the cross is not so grievous,
Nor the thorn the rosebud wears,
And the clouds have silver linings
When we know that Jesus cares!



He Let God Care
Walter Knight

Once, when Martin Luther felt very despondent, he heard a bird singing its evening song.  Then he saw it tuck its head under its wing and go to sleep.  He remarked, “This little bird has had its supper and now is getting ready to go to sleep, quite content, never troubling itself as to what its food will be or where it will lodge on the morrow.  Like David, it abides under the shadow of the Almighty.  It sits on its little twig content and lets God care.”

The BIBLE VIEW #989— Assorted

In This Issue:
Believe His Truths
He Speaks the Truth
The Devil’s Tactics
Separate

Volume: 989    January 13, 2025
Theme: Assorted

The  Daily View is a free, daily devotion.  Sign up (https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/a26cc9M), and you will be e-mailed a link to read or HEAR a KJV chapter and a short commentary (200-700 words) of something taught in the day’s reading.  The e-mail will include a mini-sermon in pictures, a prayer list, Thought for The Day, and short articles reinforcing biblical principles.


Read what readers have said about the e-mailed devotion at
https://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/what-readers-say

Believe His Truths
D. L. Moody

Suppose I was dying from consumption that I inherited from my father or mother.  I did not get it by any fault of my own or by any neglect of my health.  I inherited it.

I went to my physician and other medical specialists, and they all gave me the same prognosis.  They say I am incurable and that I will die.  They also told me I had only thirty days to live.

A friend happens to come along and looks at me and says: “Moody, you have got the consumption.”

“I know it very well.  I don’t need anyone to tell me that.”

“But,” he says, “There is a remedy.  A remedy, I tell you.  Let me have your attention.”

“But, sir, I don’t believe it.  I have tried the leading physicians in this country and Europe, and they tell me there is no hope.”

“But, you know me, Moody.  You have known me for years.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you think I would tell you a falsehood?”

“No.”

“Well, ten years ago, I was far gone.  The physicians also gave me up to die, but I took this medicine, and it cured me.  I am perfectly well — look at me.”

“That is extraordinary!”

“Yes, it may be strange, but it is a fact.  That medicine cured me.  Take this medicine, and it will cure you.  Although it has cost me a great deal, it shall not cost you anything.”

“Well,” I say, “I would like to believe you, but this is contrary to what I have heard.”

Hearing this, my friend returned and brought another friend to me, who testified to the same thing.  He again went away when I would not believe it.  He brought back another, and another, and another, and they all testified to the same thing.  They said they were as bad as myself, but they took the same medicine that had been offered to me, and it cured them.  He then handed me the medicine.  I dashed it to the ground.  I did not believe in its saving power.  I died with the cure repeatedly offered to me.

This fictitious instance sounds ridiculous, yet similar versions have occurred thousands of times worldwide and in history.  People know of countless folks who have had their lives ruined by sin.  They clearly see it is harming their own lives.  

Most have heard enough Bible teaching and know there is an eternity after this life for all and an eternal wage for sins committed in this life if one is not saved.  They have learned they will not get away with their sin.

These same people have heard the Gospel many different ways, from preaching, articles, signs, and countless acquaintances.  Many testimonies have been heard about how the lives of folks, even more vile than themselves, have been transformed simply by being saved by Christ’s precious blood.  They have even seen the transformations for themselves.  

Still, they refuse to take the only cure to prevent eternal torment.  They reject the gift of salvation’s remedy.  It is against their reasoning to solve their “problem.” 

Sadly, there are many reading this who also may be “dashing” the only “medicine” that cures their sin-sick life and can give them eternal life.  They never trust Christ as their Saviour.

Do not throw away the only remedy that can cure one from the ravages of sin.  Jesus can save!

“Is life a puzzle?  Christianity has the missing peace!”  — Author Unknown

He Speaks the Truth
Moorehouse

Suppose you go to a street and meet a man whom you have known for the last ten years to be a beggar.  You notice a tremendous change in his appearance, and you say, “Hello, beggar, what’s happened to you?”

“I ain’t no beggar.  Don’t call me a beggar.”

“Why,” you say, “I saw you begging in the street the other day.”

“Ah, but a change has taken place since then,” he replies.

“Is that so?  How did it come about?” you inquire.

“Well,” he says, “I came out this morning and got down here intending to catch the businessmen and get money from them.  One person came up to me and said there was $10,000 deposited for me.”

“How do you know that was true?” you say.

“I went to the bank, and they put the money in my hand.”

“Are you sure of that?” you ask.

“I got the money, and that’s all the proof I needed.  Things are different now.”

After being saved by doing what the Bible says, some often question similarly.  “Did I really get born again?  Did I truly get saved?  Do I really have God’s  promise of eternity?”

They have only to accept His testimony, and they are saved.  John said, “He that hath received His testimony hath set his seal that God is true.” (John 3:33)  Is there a person reading this who will receive His testimony and gift for our salvation and trust God’s promise is true?  Proclaim that God speaks the truth.  Make God’s testimony true.  Take Him at His Word.  Anyone who believes and asks can be saved!

“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Acts 2:21

The Devil’s Tactics
J. Vernon McGee

When the Devil saw that persecution would not stop the church, he changed to a different tactic.  He joined the church.  He began to hurt the church from the inside. 

The enemy of God still does that today.  He attacks the validity of the Word of God, and he tries to discredit the Gospel.  If that doesn’t work, he tries to discredit the man who preaches the Gospel.  He has used these tactics on many Christians.

“The devil doesn’t come to you with a red face and horns.  He comes to you disguised as everything you’ve ever wanted.” — Author Unknown

Separate
Smith Wigglesworth

The reason the world is not seeing Jesus is that Christian people are not filled with Him.  They are satisfied attending weekly meetings, reading the Bible occasionally, and praying from time to time.  It is an awful thing to see people who profess to be Christians but are are not living His way, powerless, and in a place where their lives are so parallel to unbelievers’ lives that it is difficult to tell if they really are children of God.

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
 II Cor. 6:17-18