Month: November 2025

The BIBLE VIEW #1027 — False Beliefs

In This Issue:
Filling the Empty Spot
Believe and Ask
Whosoever!
Look It Up!

Volume: 1027     December 1, 2025
Theme: False Beliefs

Filling the Empty Spot
Bill Brinkworth

Paul found himself in the world’s cultural center, Athens, Greece.  As well educated and developed in the arts as the Athenians were, Paul saw something the people were doing that deeply troubled him. 

The man of God saw throughout the city idols and other signs that it was immersed in idolatry.  On approaching a hill where many judicial duties were performed, Mars Hill, he saw something that concerned him even more about the people there.

There on the hill, he saw an altar dedicated to “The Unknown God.”  Here were people who had much of what the world desired: money, education, and pleasures.  In all this, they were not satisfied.  There was something spiritually missing in their lives. 

They tried to fill that void with worship of their own design.  Still, worshiping their created deities did not fulfill their spiritual needs.  “What happens if we leave out a god that we don’t know about?” must have been their concern.   They then created an altar to a “god” they did not even know about.

The Athenians of Paul’s time are no different from many today.  People are still not satisfied with who they are or what they have.  Most have an innate need that they do not know they have.  Throughout their lives, they unconsciously try to satisfy that need. 

Pleasure with all its laughs and imaginations does not fill the “empty spot,” nor do the degrees that come with their education.  Money never fills an insatiable pit.  It always seems, no matter how much is collected, that there is just not enough.  The searching continues.  They try this religion or that religion.  All kinds of ways to please a God they do not really know are attempted.  They remain “empty.”

The “empty spot” everyone has can be filled only through a relationship and fellowship with the real Creator.  When it is accomplished the way He requires, not our ways, He will be a part of our lives. 

God will be the direction our lives yearn for.  He will be the comfort our troubled souls desire.  He will be the supplier of all our needs.  God is the filler of everyone’s “empty spot” when He becomes the Known God to us.

“No God; no peace.  Know God; know peace.”

Believe and Ask
Bill Brinkworth

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9

Next to John 3:16, Romans 10:9 is one of the most memorized and recited verses in the Bible.  Within those 29 words is the message that has changed the lives of billions and saved countless souls from an eternal Hell.  It contains God’s directions for being saved from punishment for our sins — an eternity in Hell.

The most important step in salvation is confessing.  “Confess” is to “own, avow, or acknowledge.  To declare a belief in and adherence to” (Webster, 1828).  We are to acknowledge that Jesus, God’s only son, is alive. 

Jesus is not dead; He has risen from the dead.  Because God’s son did the “impossible” by overcoming death, He could also make it possible for His death, burial, and resurrection to be the payment for all our sins.

Unlike other religious leaders, whose remains are still on this Earth somewhere, Jesus did what no other man could do.  He died for our sins and was buried.  On the third day, He rose from the dead by the power of God.  There were no remains of His body left on this Earth. 

If the truth of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection is believed in one’s heart, that person is saved.  He can then be assured of a home in Heaven upon death.  

Believing that Jesus paid for all our sins is admitting that there is nothing we can do to earn our way to Glory.  It was something another did for us.  Jesus paid for our sins with His blood and got the victory over death, Hell, and the grave.

Saying we believe in Jesus and still hoping our good works outnumber our bad deeds is not trusting in Jesus Christ’s work alone for our salvation.  It is adding something to what He did.  The devil believes in Jesus because he has talked to Him, so just believing Jesus exists is not enough. 

What is “enough” is believing that Jesus got the victory over death, and that He is the payment for our sins.  It is trusting with all our hearts that Jesus is the only Way to Heaven.  He is our only hope.  That is total belief in what Jesus did for us.

With this belief, we can be saved from what is due us: the penalty for our sins (Romans 6:23).  Believe that Jesus died for your sins, confess Him and you can have God’s promise of eternity with Him in Heaven.

The world says, “Seeing is believing,” but Jesus says, “Believing is seeing.”
— Barbara Brinkworth

Whosoever!
C. H. Spurgeon

One time, Martin Luther saw, in one of the Roman Catholic churches, a picture of the Pope, cardinals, bishops, priests, monks, and friars all on board a ship.  They were all safe.  

As for the laity, poor wretches, they were struggling in the sea, and many of them were drowning.  Only those were saved to whom the good men in the ship were so kind as to hand out a rope or a plank.

Fortunately, that is not our Lord’s teaching.  His blood was shed “for many” (Mat. 26:28) and not for the few.  Jesus is not the Christ of a caste, religion, or a class, but the Christ for all people.
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13  



Look It Up!
Bill Brinkworth

In Romans 4, the doctrine of works versus faith is discussed.  Paul said (vs. 3) that no matter what biblical teaching is discussed or considered, there should be one concern that must have paramount importance.  That concern should be, “For what saith the scripture?…” (vs. 3).

Your opinion or mine has little importance in light of many topics, especially those concerning the things of God.  Unfortunately, many people’s beliefs about spiritual things are not based on God’s Word. 

Often, people discuss among themselves what they think God’s Word means.  Usually, it is just opinions.  Dr. Mickey Carter called that kind of belief “fireside religion.”  People share their opinions, and often those thoughts turn into lifelong beliefs about the subject, even though they may not be true.

There is one God, and one way to His Heaven.  It is not anyone else’s way, no matter how much education, money, or popularity one has.  Those things do not matter one iota to God when man’s philosophy does not line up with what He has said in His Word.

If this problem of different opinions were not a reality, there would not be different denominations and religions.  Shockingly, many Christian denominations do not even line up with what God has said. 

Because the majority of people do not read and study the Scriptures for themselves, the only biblical knowledge they have is what has been expounded from the pulpit.  They have assumed that the preacher went to college for biblical studies and must know what he is talking about.

Unfortunately, many who claim to know the Scriptures do not know them or even believe what they teach.  I remember being horrified when a pastor many years ago remarked, “Oh yeah, I read the Bible once when I was in college.”  Here was supposedly a spiritual leader to hundreds of people, and he had read the Bible once in his lifetime!  His lack of knowledge certainly must have hurt many lives and eternal souls.

A quick study and examination of most religions, and even denominations that are labeled “Christian,” may quickly reveal that:

  • Idolatry may be involved in their worship.  Many may deny that they are committing idolatry when they stand before a statue and pray or do some “religious” activity before it.  However, in God’s eyes, it is still idolatry.
  • According to their teachings, Jesus is not the only way to Heaven.  Unbiblical teachings often center on good deeds and works that do not please God.  Good works will not get anyone into Heaven.
  • There are other people of the past that they pray to to get answers to their prayers, help, etc., other than Jesus or God.  The Bible says there is only one person (“mediator”) we should pray to, and that is Jesus Christ (I Tim. 2:5).
  • Church teachings and writings have higher importance than the Word of God.
  • They often do not know where the Word of God is.  Leaders frequently use many different versions of the Bible, each teaching differently, and even use writings from other religions.

Many church doors would be closed shortly if attendees simply asked the same question Paul did about church doctrines.  A simple, “I heard what you just preached from the pulpit.  Show me in the King James Bible where what you just preached is written down, and I will gladly believe it.”  A biblically aligned church leader, or even one answering your query, should not be offended when you earnestly seek “What saith the Lord?”

“If you have truth decay, brush up on the Bible!” — Author Unknown

The BIBLE VIEW #1026 — Thanksgiving

In This Issue:
The First Thanksgiving Proclamation
1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation
2019 Thanksgiving Proclamation
2022 Thanksgiving Proclamation


Volume: 1026     November 24, 2023
Theme: Thanksgiving

The First Thanksgiving Proclamation
William Bradford, Governor of the First American Colony

Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.

Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.

William Bradford
Ye Governor of Ye Colony

“O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.” Psalm 117:1




1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation  

WHEREAS, It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor;

WHEREAS, Both the houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

George Washington – October 3, 1789




2019 Thanksgiving Proclamation 

On Thanksgiving Day, we remember with reverence and gratitude the bountiful blessings afforded to us by our Creator, and we recommit to sharing in a spirit of thanksgiving and generosity with our friends, neighbors, and families.

Nearly four centuries ago, determined individuals with a hopeful vision of a more prosperous life and an abundance of opportunities made a pilgrimage to a distant land.  These Pilgrims embarked on their journey across the Atlantic at great personal risk, facing unforeseen trials and tribulations, and unforetold hardships during their passage.  After their arrival in the New World, a harsh and deadly winter took the lives of nearly half their population.  Those who survived remained unwavering in their faith and foresight of a future rich with liberty and freedom, enduring every impediment as they established one of our Nation’s first settlements.  Through God’s divine providence, a meaningful relationship was forged with the Wampanoag Tribe, and through their unwavering resolve and resilience, the Pilgrims enjoyed a bountiful harvest the following year.  The celebration of this harvest lasted 3 days and saw Pilgrims and Wampanoag seated together at the table of friendship and unity.  That first Thanksgiving provided an enduring symbol of gratitude that is uniquely sewn into the fabric of our American spirit.

More than 150 years later, it was in this same spirit of unity that President George Washington declared a National Day of Thanksgiving following the Revolutionary War and the ratification of our Constitution.  Less than a century later, that hard-won unity came under duress as the United States was engaged in a civil war that threatened the very existence of our Republic.  Following the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, in an effort to unite the country and acknowledge “the gracious gifts of the Most High God,” President Abraham Lincoln asked the American people to come together and “set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”  Today, this tradition continues with millions of Americans gathering each year to give their thanks for the same blessings of liberty for which so many brave patriots have laid down their lives to defend during the Revolutionary War and in the years since.

Since the first settlers to call our country home landed on American shores, we have always been defined by our resilience and propensity to show gratitude even in the face of great adversity, always remembering the blessings we have been given in spite of the hardships we endure.  This Thanksgiving, we pause and acknowledge those who will have empty seats at their table.  We ask God to watch over our service members, especially those whose selfless commitment to serving our country and defending our sacred liberty has called them to duty overseas during the holiday season.  We also pray for our law enforcement officials and first responders as they carry out their duties to protect and serve our communities.  As a Nation, we owe a debt of gratitude to both those who take an oath to safeguard us and our way of life as well as to their families, and we salute them for their immeasurable sacrifices.

As we gather today with those we hold dear, let us give thanks to Almighty God for the many blessings we enjoy.  United together as one people, in gratitude for the freedoms and prosperity that thrive across our land, we acknowledge God as the source of all good gifts.  We ask Him for protection and wisdom and for opportunities this Thanksgiving to share with others some measure of what we have so providentially received.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 28, 2019, as a National Day of Thanksgiving.  I encourage all Americans to gather, in homes and places of worship, to offer a prayer of thanks to God for our many blessings.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-seventh day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fourth.

DONALD J. TRUMP, First Term

“Christians should have an attitude of gratitude and servitude.”
— Author Unknown




2022 Thanksgiving Proclamation 

This Thanksgiving, as homes across America fill with laughter, favorite family foods, and the joy of friends and relatives reuniting, we give thanks for everything that is good in our lives and reflect on the many blessings of our Nation.

This American spirit of gratitude dates back to our earliest days, when the Pilgrims celebrated a successful first harvest, thanks to the generosity and support of the Wampanoag people.  It inspired George Washington to give his troops a day of prayer and thanks amid fierce fighting for American independence.  It also moved Abraham Lincoln to proclaim Thanksgiving a national holiday, honoring America’s bounty and asking God to bring us together to care for one another and heal our Nation.

Today, Jill and I share that same gratitude for America’s promise and for the millions of heroes across our country whose selflessness and care for their communities represent the best of who we are. 

We are grateful for our family and friends and for all of our fellow Americans, even those whom we may never meet but rely upon nonetheless.  We are thankful for the scientists, researchers, doctors, and nurses who have kept us safe through a pandemic, and for the frontline workers who have kept essential services going by growing and providing food for our tables.  We are grateful to faith leaders for their counsel, comfort, and support.  We thank our brave service members and veterans who sacrifice so much for our freedom, and the first responders who put so much on the line to keep us all safe. 

As scripture says:  “let us rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances.”  This is a special time in the greatest country on Earth, so let us be grateful.  America is a great Nation because we are a good people.  This holiday, we celebrate all that brings us together, grounded in history and our shared hopes for the future.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 24, 2022, as a National Day of Thanksgiving.  I encourage the people of the United States of America to join together and give thanks for the friends, neighbors, family members, and strangers who have supported each other over the past year in a reflection of goodwill and unity.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-seventh.

                               JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

*Notice the original purpose of the day of thankfullness to God is not emphasized in  President Biden’s address. Credit was given to people rather than God.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” Psalm 33:12

The BIBLE VIEW#1025 — Money

In This Issue:
Borrowing
The Delusion of Wealth
Never Enough
What Some Wealthy People Thought about Wealth

Volume: 1025   November 10, 2025
Theme:  Money

Read 19+ years of  free Bible Views, PLUS devotions, lessons, Bible studies,
and puzzles at:   www.OpenThouMineEyes.com

Borrowing and Lending
Bill Brinkworth

Many in the last three decades or more have developed a lifestyle of spending more than they can afford.  Yes, I know that the economy is geared to people living off their credit, and yes, I know “everyone is doing it.”

No, I do not think it is the bank’s fault for lending us money we cannot afford to repay.  We are responsible for our decision to obtain a loan.  We alone are accountable for our spending and paying back what we borrowed.

In many cases, it may be necessary to borrow money to purchase a “need.” However, there is such a thing as “responsible borrowing and lending.” Here are a few biblical principles that, if heeded, may keep many from the financial trouble that could easily happen to them if these principles are ignored:

  • The Bible does teach that it is acceptable to loan money and things.  The good lender should show mercy and kindness to those to whom he has lent.
    “A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.” Psalm 112:5
    “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.” Proverbs 19:17
    “Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.” Luke 6:30
    “Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.” Matthew 5:42  Also: Psalm 112:5, Proverbs 19:17
  • A godly person has a responsibility to pay back what he has borrowed.  It is a wicked person who does not repay a loan!
    “The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.” Psalm 37:21
  • When we give our word to repay money we have borrowed, we have an obligation to repay it.  Breaking our word is lying.  We are accountable for the promises we make!  It is our testimony, especially as Christians, to do what we say we will do.
    “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,” Proverbs 6:16-17
    Covenant breaking (promise breaking) is listed as a sin in Romans 1:31.
  • When times are tough and it does not seem possible to pay the bills, turn to God first —not the banks.  He can, if it is truly a need, help you!
    “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.  I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” Psalms 37:24-25
    “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalm 37:4
  • When a person does not repay what he borrows, he keeps what does not belong to him.  That is stealing!
  • When you do borrow, you can lose some freedom.
    “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” Proverbs 22:7
  • When you do borrow, do not get into a situation where your freedom is used as collateral for a debt.
    “Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts.” Proverbs 22:26 (“Surety” can be one that is legally bound to pay off a debt. In some cases, if the debt is not paid, a person may be bound to pay off the debt by his being in slavery, in one form or another.)
  • Some debt may be accumulated because of one’s coveting.  Coveting is a sin (Exodus 20:17).  It is wicked in God’s eyes because one may not be happy with what God has allowed him to have.  

    A person may lust for what another has.  That coveting may lead him to spend what he should not have spent.  He may end up with payments he cannot afford.  The financial hardship may be the consequence of one’s sin.  It may be a reaping of what was sown.
  • If we borrow something, and it is damaged or dies in our possession, it is the borrower’s responsibility to restore to the lender what was lent.  The borrower needs to fix what was damaged or loss.
    “And if a man borrow ought of his neighbour, and it be hurt, or die, the owner thereof being not with it, he shall surely make it good.” Exodus 22:14
  • If you are responsible for making a person poor, do not charge him interest!
    “If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.” Exodus 22:25
  • If you are trying to help a person who is having financial difficulties, do not profit from his hardship.
    “And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee.  Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee.  Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase.” Leviticus 25:35-37

Having a “little” may not be such a bad thing!
“A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.” Psalm 37:16
“Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.” Prov. 15:16 “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” I Timothy 6:6

The Delusion of Wealth
Author Unknown

There is a fable about a covetous man who claimed to find his way one moonlit night into a fairy’s palace.  There he saw bars, apparently of solid gold, strewed everywhere.  He was permitted to take away as many as he could carry.  He carried his treasure home with much difficulty.

In the morning, when the sun rose, he found himself waking and still clutching his “treasure”,  which he saw was only a bundle of sticks.  All around him, invisible “people” laughed and scoffed at what he previously thought was valuable.

Such will be the confusion of many a person who died in this world and who is worth much.  Awaking in the next life, they will find that their “treasures” on Earth meant nothing in eternity.  They will find themselves “… wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17).

“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”  Rev. 3:17-18

Never Enough
Author Unknown

“When I was younger,” said a friend, “an older man tried to teach me some wisdom I should know about.  He once asked me when a man was rich enough?”  I replied, “When he has ten thousand dollars?”

“No,” was his answer.

“Twenty thousand?”

Again, “No.”

“A hundred thousand?”

“No.”

In an attempt to settle the discussion, I responded, “One million dollars?”

“No!” he again responded.  “When he has a little more than he has, and that is never!  If he acquires one thousand, he wishes to have two thousand, then five, then twenty, then fifty.  If he grasped all the money in the whole world, he would desire other world’s riches to possess.”

“Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.”
Proverb 27:20

What Some Wealthy People Thought about Money

“I have made many millions, but they have brought me no happiness.”  
— John W. Rockefeller 

“The care of $200,000,000 is enough to kill anyone.  There is no pleasure in it.”
— W. H. Vanderbilt

“I am the most miserable man on Earth.” — John Jacob Astor 

“I was happier when doing a mechanic’s job.” — Henry Ford

“Millionaires seldom smile.” — Andrew Carnegie

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which, while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” I Timothy  6:10

The BIBLE VIEW #1024- Sin

In This Issue:
Catching Monkeys
It Cannot be Tamed
A Wormhole
A Snow Story

Volume: 1024   October 27, 2025
Theme:  Sin

Catching Monkeys
Bill Brinkworth

Many hunters use their skills with bows and arrows, blowguns, and spears to kill monkeys.  Missionary Arnold Skelton told of an interesting way that natives capture the primates.

Some clever hunters have figured out a way that monkeys can trap themselves.  The hunter would scour the jungles looking for the right-sized, wild gourd.  It would have to be large and big around the middle.

After the gourd had dried for several weeks, he would cut a two-inch hole in the side and a smaller one in the top, through which a rope could be passed and the gourd hung from a tree.  He would then take the insides out of the gourd, leaving an empty, hard-shelled trap that he would use to catch a monkey dinner.

After finding the right place in the jungle where there were plenty of monkeys, he would hang his trap from a tree.  In the center of the gourd-trap, he would place several handfuls of peanuts and then leave his monkey-catcher.

In a short time, the curious creatures would scamper over to see what the man had left behind.  A glance and a long sniff would reveal to the monkeys that one of their favorite foods was conveniently close by — and easy to get!

One monkey would venture first.  He would look the gourd over well.  The gourd was a common sight to the creature and would not rouse many questions, and inside, he would discover wonderful, plump peanuts.  What more could a monkey ask for?

Into the gourd would venture one monkey’s hand, grasp one or two peanuts, and then slowly, he would ease out his hand.  Easy pickings!  He got a handful and they were so good!

Perhaps another monkey saw how easily it was done.  He, too, wanted his share.  In would go his little hand, and not wanting to miss out on this free deal (“Why, some of the other monkeys may go next and not leave any more for me!”), he would grab as many as he could get.  His hand was now too big to get back out of the hole.  When he tried to pull back his hand, it would not come out through the gourd’s hole.  His hand was stuck.

He would pull and pull, but to no avail.  The creature was caught.  There seemed to be no way out.  His own selfishness had bound him to the trap.  It would never dawn on him to let go of the peanuts.  There, he would be captured until the hunter returned and easily killed the monkey.

So many people are in a similar trap.  It may not be a lust for peanuts that has them bound, but it may be bondage to cigarettes, drinking, drugs, lying, adultery, stealing, or some other sin that has them caught.

At first, the sin looked harmless to them.  “Everyone was doing it, and it seemed to be okay.” Finally, sin’s noose tightened, and there was no longer any fun or enjoyment in the iniquity.

It has them caught.  There seems to be no escape from the terrible wage (and there always is at least one) of the sin.  There is.  Let go, before it’s too late!

“Oh, it’s easy to say, but harder to do,” many claim the excuse.  There is only one way to escape the consequences of sin, and that is to leave it.  No person can do it for you.  No pill will take sin’s grip away.  No good work will erase it.  You have to break the bind.  The sin has to be stopped.  The longer it continues, the stronger its grip.

“Well, I can’t stop this sin.” Well, maybe YOU can’t.  There is, however, another way to get the victory.  This way is to call upon the Lord to help you.  He can help you get the win over this world, its traps, and snares.  You must trust in Him to show you the way out.

Here are some Bible verses about letting go and letting God help you get the victory over the devices of this world:
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13
“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:29-31
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10
“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” II Corinthians 12:10

The only way you will know His will and way is if you read His book.  His Word is exactly that, His words.  The Bible is a book with the preserved plans of God to help you through life.  You will never know His way if you do not read it and you will never get the victory unless you obey it.

Yes, little monkey, there is a way out of your predicament.  Let go and let your Heavenly Father help release you from sin’s bondage.

“In diving to the bottom for pleasures, we bring up more gravel than pearls.”
—Author Unknown

It Cannot be Tamed
C. H. Spurgeon

I have heard of a man who kept a tame leopard in his house.  It had been nursed from the time it was a cub, and it wandered about the house like a cat.

One day, while the master was asleep, the leopard licked his hand.  As it licked a place where the skin was thin and broken, blood began to flow.  Soon,s all the wild instincts of the beast flashed from its furious eyes.  

The man suddenly woke and saw the situation.  His end was near unless he should be quick and skillful enough to destroy the animal.  

Do you think he paused or hesitated?  No, a loaded pistol was within his reach, so he stretched out his hand quietly, grasped it firmly, aimed it steadily, fired it instantly, and the creature lay dead at his feet.  It had come to this: either he must kill it, or it would kill him.

Is it so with you?  Your sins may have begun to draw “blood” from you already.  Those stings of conscience, that empty purse, that lack of peace, those red eyes all are starting to tell what sin can do.  

Not yet do you know all sin’s horror.  Before the leopard of iniquity springs upon you and speedily tears you to pieces, God help you to give it up!

“Secret sin down here is open scandal in Heaven.”  — Dr. Chafer

A Wormhole
Author Unknown

You have seen an apple with a wormhole in it.  Do you know whether the worm began to bore the hole in the apple from the inside or from the outside?  Many would say from the outside, but a scientist will agree with the observer who declares that the worm began on the inside.  In fact, they tell us that the egg was laid in the blossom and that the worm was hatched in the heart of the apple, whence he bored his way out.

That is precisely the way the worm of sin starts work in the human life.  It begins in the heart and bores its way out.  We know it is true that out of the heart are the issues of life.  We must never forget that the heart must be sound, or the life will be mutilated.

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Prov. 4:23



A Snow Story
Author Unknown

It was wintertime, and the freshly fallen snow had clothed the whole face of the country in a beautiful white robe.  Crossing a field with her milk can in hand was a little girl.  She was on her way to the farmhouse to buy some milk.  In the middle of the field, she stopped and took three looks.

She looked around.  All was pure and white: the hedges, the trees, the ground, and the house.  All were covered with snow.

She looked within.  The little girl thought of her sins, of how many wrong words she had spoken, and of how many bad things she had done.  She felt she was dirty with her sins and not at all like the snow around her.

She looked up.  She turned to the Saviour of sinners, and from the field rose her cry, “Lord, wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

Would the Lord hear that cry?  Indeed, He would.  He answered it at once and gave that little girl knowledge and confidence that His precious blood cleansed her from all sin, and that she was whiter than snow in His sight.

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:7