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The Bible View #821 — Aging

In This Issue:
Your Race Is Not Finished!
Old Age Did Not Stop Him
The Right Side Is the Brighter Side
Eternal Springtime!

Volume: 821    August 2, 2021
Theme: Aging

D aily Devotions, Bible Studies, Sunday School lessons and printable versions of The Bible View (including church bulletin insert and large print versions) are available at https://openthoumineeyes.com/ and http://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/.

A free, printable pamphlet entitled “What Does God Say about Drinking Alcohol” is available at https://openthoumineeyes.com/lessons/Drinking_Pamplet.pdf.   It would be appreciated to hear who plans to use it, so I can decide if I should offer more of these short pamphlets for ministry use.


Your Race Is Not Finished!
Bill Brinkworth

Preachers often have messages geared to encourage young people to live for and serve God.  They should.  They are our future.  However, little encouragement is directed to us older folks.

Because of health issues, physical limitations, changes in personal situations, or lack of opportunity, many no longer can do what they “used to do.”  Those doors of service have been closed, BUT God has not given us a free retirement pass. We do not have God’s okay to watch from the sidelines and let others do the work, in most cases.

We may have done much for the Lord when we were younger. Some may have taught Sunday school.  Others may have gone soul-winning, worked on church buses bringing children to church, interpreted for the deaf or those speaking in another language, brought folks to church in their car, cooked for those that were old or sick, and many other ministries.  We may no longer be able to do those things, however, the Lord is not done with us yet.  We can still do something for Him!

There is still much to do, and experienced believers are needed more now than ever!  There may be limitations on what they can do, but all can still serve the Lord in some capacity!

Pray and ask God to open your eyes to see what you can still do for His glory!  Perhaps you can:

  • Let all see and hear of what God is doing around them. Most are focused on their troubles and needs and cannot see God working around them.  A seasoned believer can open eyes to see that there is a God, and He is still working in the world.
    “Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.” Psalm 150:6
  • Be a friendly smile to all you encounter.  Most encounter doom and gloom most of their days.  An uplifting, caring person is a light in an ever-darkening world.  A Christian should have joy they can share.
  • Prayer ministry. Adopt a ministry or person to pray for consistently.  Engulf the throne room of God with petitions on their behalf.
  • Card ministry.  Perhaps you no longer have the mobile ability you once had.  However, you can “visit” those that need encouragement and show friendly concern by sending cards or letters.

    I once knew a young, disabled woman that had a burden to serve the Lord.  Prayerfully, she selected a “random” person from the phone book and wrote them a letter telling them about the Lord and how they could have God’s promise of Heaven.  She ministered without leaving her apartment.
  • Phone ministry.  An entire world can be reached with one’s phone.
  • Encourage all, especially ministry workers.  Remember how one’s inspiring words uplifted you to continue living for and serving the Lord?  Now it is your opportunity to motivate others in a godly direction.
    “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever.  Amen.” I Peter 4:11
  • Give to the younger folks.  Remember when you struggled financially and how a simple gift showed you the hand of God was meeting your needs?  Now you can be used by God to reveal His goodness in another’s life.
  • Ride the church bus and encourage the bus workers and befriend children.
  • Have a listening ministry! Although an experienced Christian has more wisdom that would benefit others, sometimes it can be more helpful to sit quietly and listen to others bare their burdens and hardships.
  • Minister to widows, single parents, and those that may have little support from others.  Everyone needs a caring friend!
  • Write letters-to-the-editor in your local newspaper.  The Christian side and thinking of current events needs to be heard.  Seldom does the world hear anything but the worldly side of a situation.  If a Christian does not share God’s view on events, who will?  Bible-based thinking is far different from what the ungodly have been taught.  They need to hear it from believers.

There is still much that all Christians can do.  While we have breath, there is something for which God can use us.  God’s way is always the best, and the unsaved and spiritually weak will not know of it unless they hear or see it from a believer. 
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” Hebrews 12:1

Christian, God is not done with you yet.  Do not mourn over what you no longer can do.  You can still be the spark that encourages others forward to serving and seeing God’s mighty hand.  Continue to serve Him while you still can!
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” I Corinthians 10:31

“That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.  3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;”  Titus 2:2-3



Old Age Did Not Stop Him
Watchman-Examiner

Though a man always of delicate constitution physically, George Muller began evangelistic tours at seventy.  For 17 years, he traveled around the world eight times. He continued many of his responsibilities at the large orphanages he founded.  Mr. Muller did all that beyond the age of ninety.

His frequent and severe illness and general disability had disqualified him from military duty as a young man. Many prophesied early death or hopelessly succumbing to a disease for him. Yet at 92, he said. “I have been able, every day and all the day, for the last 70 years to work. 

He ascribed his marvelous preservation and accomplishments to three causes:

  1. Exercising himself to have always a conscience void of offense, both toward God and toward men.
  2. For the love he felt for the scriptures and the constant recuperative power they exercised upon his whole being.
  3. The happiness he felt in serving God and His work relieved him of all anxiety and unnecessary wear and tear in his labors.

“Age doesn’t matter unless you are cheese.” — Burke


The Right Side Is the Brighter Side
Sunday School Times

A preacher was in the company of another traveler.  They talked together for some time. Finally, the stranger remarked to the minister, “Sir, I think you must be on the wrong side of fifty.”

“No, sir.  I am on the right side of fifty.”

“Surely,” the traveler remarked, “you must have turned fifty.”

“Yes, sir, but on the right side.  For every year I live, I am nearer my crown of glory.”

“The harvest of old age is the memory and rich store of blessings laid up earlier in life.” —  Cicero


Eternal Springtime!
Adam Clark

I have passed through the springtime of life,
I have endured the heat of its summer,
I have culled the fruits of its autumn,
I am now passing through the rigors of its winter.
At no distant day, I see the dawn of an Eternal Springtime,
It comes to meet me.  I run to embrace it.  All hail!
Eternal Springtime!  Hallelujah!

“What a tragedy it will be to live many years, but open one’s eyes in the next life and discover it Hell.  Now, while you still have breath, be saved by trusting Christ as your Saviour!”
“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

The Bible View #820 — Guilt

In This Issue:
A Different Person
Always Looking over His Shoulder
No More Guilt!
None Guilty?
The King’s Pardon

Volume: 820    July 26, 2021
Theme: Guilt

Free Daily Devotions, Bible Studies, Sunday School lessons and printable versions of The Bible View (including church bulletin insert and large print versions) are available at https://openthoumineeyes.com/ and http://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/.

A free, printable pamphlet entitled “What Does God Say about Drinking Alcohol” is available at https://openthoumineeyes.com/lessons/Drinking_Pamplet.pdf.   It would be appreciated to hear who plans to use it, so I can decide if I should offer more of these short pamphlets for ministry use.



A Different Person
Bill Brinkworth

King David never forgot his sinful past. However, he did not go around with guilt and not forgiving himself, as some do.  He encouraged himself by remembering, because of God’s help, that he did some things that were “righteous” in God’s eyes.

David recalled he had:

  • A godly testimony and character (“integrity”) — Psalm 26:1.
  • To the best of his ability, obeyed God’s commandments — Psalm 26:3.
  • Not associated himself with people of false self-worth — Psalm 26:4.
  • Done his best to not be in the company of those that portrayed themselves as they were not. Today, we would relate those to people that appear like Christians on Sunday but live the same as the ungodly the rest of the week — Psalm 26:4.
  • Not associated with those doing evil — Psalm 26:5.
  • Been grateful and had given God the glory for the great things He had done — Psalm 26:7.
  • Loved to be in the Temple and to be around the things of God — Psalm 26:8.

The closer to God we try to be, the clearer we see the defects and sins in our lives.  Sometimes, the hardest critic we have to deal with is ourselves.  If we have asked God to forgive us, He has. Unfortunately, sometimes our guilt remains, and many are not free from their past.

Rather than dealing with guilt, David moved forward.  He knew he had done all he could by asking God’s forgiveness of his sins. 

Not out of pride, but as an encouragement, the king reminded himself of the great changes God did in his life.  He recalled what he had become, not what he was.

We also need to have the same attitude about our past.  If we have been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, then His blood suffices to cover all our sins.  God has forgiven and forgotten them. 

We, as did David, must not dwell on our old life.  We must remember and brag on God for all the changes He has done in us. We are new creatures in Christ.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. — II Corinthians 5:17



Always Looking over His Shoulder
C. H. Spurgeon

A man was constantly in debt and continually being arrested for his failure to pay his bills.  Once, when going by some railings, he caught his sleeve on one of the handholds.  He instantly turned around and said, “I don t owe you anything, sir.”

He thought an arresting bailiff was tugging on his sleeve.  So, it often is with unforgiven sinners. Wherever they are, their guilt hauntingly follows them, and they are continuously cautious of being found out. They enjoy little.

When a man is forgiven, he can walk anywhere. There is no guilt. His conscience is at rest.

“And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.”   Isaiah 32:17


No More Guilt!
Bill Brinkworth

Before Paul’s salvation, he did all he could to serve God his way.  In so doing, he unknowingly became an enemy of God and Christians.  He was responsible for having many Christians killed and did much to slow the spreading of the Gospel.  When he was saved, Paul became one of the sincerest servants for Christ. 

No matter what he did after salvation, he still had a past.  There was no way to undo what he had done.  All he could do was go forward by doing the right things after being forgiven and do all he could for the cause of Christ.  He did that with all his heart.
“But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” I Corinthians 15:1

Many are plagued with a guilty conscience of their past, even after they are saved. Years ago, I remember listening to a Christian radio program where the host answered live scriptural questions.  One caller, choked with guilt, called and told the host, “I am saved, I know I am forgiven, and my sins are forgotten, but I just cannot forgive myself, and that is why I am going to take my life.”  Immediately, the program was changed over to music, while I imagine the radio preacher dealt with the man’s guilt and desire to take his own life. Sadly, many will not forgive themselves and still live a defeated life, even after salvation.

We all have pasts. No saved person should have any joy in the wrong he has done.  If we could do it over, most of us would choose never to have committed the sins we have, but we still had done them.  No remorse or guilt is going to change our past.  When we trust Christ for salvation, our sins are not only forgiven by God but they are forgotten (Psalm 103:12).  Our sins are under His blood.

Even though God knows all we did, He still offered us a way, by His grace, to His Heaven. Since He has forgiven and forgotten our past, we must also forgive and forgot what we have done.

“When people remind you of your past, remind them that Jesus dropped the charges.” — Author Unknown



None Guilty?
Sunday School Times

Paul Loizeaux once said, “Oh, how hard it is to find sinners! If only I could find one, I have a marvelous message for him.” Of course, he meant sinners who know themselves to be sinners.

To be a sinner is one thing. To know it is another. But, whether or not we realize it, God knows our sinnership and knows if we go on without His saving help, we will perish. To deliver us from perishing, He sent us His Son to prepay for our sins.  He offers us the great gift of salvation because of His great love for us and because He knows of man’s great need.

“… the righteous are bold as a lion.”:  If a man is not guilty, he can stand up and speak out.  If his own mind is free from guilt, he is not afraid of the thoughts and minds of other men.”  — J. Vernon McGee


The King’s Pardon
D. L. Moody

A man was once being tried for a crime, the punishment of which was death. The witnesses came in one by one and testified to his guilt, but there he stood, quite calm and unmoved.

The judge and the jury were surprised at his indifference. They could not understand how he could take such a serious matter so calmly.

When the jury retired, it did not take them long to decide on a verdict of “guilty.”  After the judge passed the sentence of death upon the criminal, he told him how surprised he was that the criminal could be so unmoved by the prospect of death. When the judge had finished, the man put his hand in his bosom, pulled out a document, and presented it to the judge. He then walked out of the courtroom a free man.

Ah, that was how he could be so calm. He had a free pardon from his king, which he had in his pocket all the time. The king had instructed him to allow the trial to proceed and produce the pardon only when he was condemned. No wonder then that he was indifferent to the result of the trial.

That is just what will make us joyful on the great Day of Judgment. We have a pardon from the Great King, and it is sealed with the blood of His Son. We that are saved will miss that White Throne Judgment!  We have the King’s pardon!

The Bible View #819 — Seek God’s Truths

In This Issue:
Convenient Christianity
Get It Yourself

Volume: 819    July 19, 2021
Theme: Seek God’s Truths

Free Daily Devotions, Bible Studies, Sunday School lessons and printable versions of The Bible View (including church bulletin insert and large print versions) are available at https://openthoumineeyes.com/ and http://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/.

A free, printable pamphlet entitled “What Does God Say about Drinking Alcohol” is available at https://openthoumineeyes.com/lessons/Drinking_Pamplet.pdf.   It would be appreciated to hear who plans to use it (brinworth@frontier.com), so I can decide if I should offer more of these short pamphlets for ministry use.


Convenient Christianity
Bill Brinkworth

For over ten years, I have been e-mailing 2,000+ people a daily devotion I have written.  About a year ago, I suddenly lost the ability to reach over 165+ countries with sound biblical doctrine because of a large technology company’s decision.

At first, I was furious that the company caused that part of my ministry to halt.  I, of course,  prayed.  Soon, I came to an understanding that perhaps it was not a bad thing.  I could have fought it and gone to another company, but I realized in these times, it could easily happen again.

I realized that seeking the truths from God’s Word should not always be “easy,” as perhaps my e-mails made it for some.  If one pursues what He has preserved for them, it would matter more to that person and build a stronger Christian if one made an effort to get spiritually fed himself. 

Christianity has been made readily available to many, but what caliber of Christian has it produced? When I e-mailed the devotion to people, how many read it, and how many lives did it change?

Because Christianity has been made “easy,” many no longer go to church because they can watch it on television. Others do not concentrate and read the Bible but listen to a Christian broadcast while doing something else.  What so many call a “devotion” is a reference to a Bible verse they are supposed to look up and a short, cute story.  That spiritual snack will do little in building a stronger Christian.

Very few feed themselves with the only things that will open their eyes and change their lives.  Those efforts should be to read and study God’s Word and talk to its Originator in prayer.

One gets out of what one puts into most things in life.  This applies to getting an education, career, and most areas.  Having a close walk with the Lord is also no different.  God is watching the efforts we make to hear His truths, to obey Him, and He reads our heart’s desires to know if we want to have a close relationship with Him.

Christianity today has, for many, been made too convenient and has produced fewer strong, faithful, obedient believers.  Many will not pay the cost to witness to their neighbors or those they encounter because it may cost them embarrassment.  Their lack of desiring to be what God wants them to be, not attempting to seek what God has for them, and not separating from what God warns them to avoid will never produce a strong Christian. The only way any Christian grows is if they pay the cost of seeking God’s truths and obeying them.  That price tag includes desire, effort, and sacrifice, no matter what it takes to be close to God and be used by Him.

In the past, I have heard of one man who walked through the African jungle over 1,000 miles through swamps, dangers, and treacherous jungles to listen to a man read from the Word of God. The journey took several months.  It was important to him, so he was willing to pay the price to know God and what He desired of the man.

In John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, one will read of those who sacrificed their possessions, relationships, and even their lives rather than deny Christ or stop reading His Word.  God’s truths were important to them. They did whatever it took to hear His Word and obey His commandments.

Today, many Christians in Islamic countries are being slaughtered and tortured, but the believers would not recant their faith.  They were willing to pay the price to be close to God with their life!  No matter what happened to them, they made an effort because it was of great value to them.

Instead of making reading God’s Word easy and convenient, if people want to learn what God has for them, I urge them to get into their car and drive to every church service they can.  If they want to know God’s will and way for them, they need to pay the cost of reading His Word for themselves and laboring over sincere prayers.

My devotions are still available on www.DevotionsFromTheBible.com and www.OpenThouMineEyes.com to provide supplemental teaching of God’s Word.  However, I urge you to be willing to pay the cost (my material is always free financially) and make an consistant effort to delve in and study God’s Word yourself. 

“The best truths are gotten by digging deep for them.”   — D. L. Moody



Get It Yourself
Bill Brinkworth

Something has more value when you get it yourself. All can attest to feeling pride when hard, earned money is used to purchase something. “I got that myself because I worked for it” is the warm feeling one usually gets. The purchased object has much personal meaning and value because it was earned.

Pride and value are not usually gained as much when something is given to a person. Proof of this is often seen in government housing. Because of their economic situation, the people were allowed to live in accommodations provided for them at unusually low rates or free. Because it was given and not earned, it is usually not maintained. It is not uncommon that government housing areas are often the worst-looking areas in the community for that reason.

Cafeteria workers in public schools often attest to their disgust at the waste they see of uneaten, “free” food. Someone else’s tax money paid for the children to get those breakfasts or lunches. Because there was no pride in laboring for it or knowing mom and dad worked to pay for the meals, the children took a couple of bites, or none at all, and tossed it away.

When cheating on a test, a student may pass the exam, but the knowledge and self-respect of learning the material were not obtained. Study habits are not developed because the student found an easy way to pass without getting the knowledge for himself.

This “get-it-easily” attitude can also be applied to the things of God. When a person sits in the pew and absorbs what is preached from the pulpit, what is gained will not be as important to him as if he mined the Word of God himself. It may be why many Christians know so little about the Bible. Also, it may be why God has preserved II Timothy 2:15 which says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

When one becomes a “workman” and digs into the scriptures to get the truth for himself, much is gained. First, it shows himself and the Lord that knowing the truth is important enough to spend his time to obtain what God has said. There will be pride in the wisdom gained, and one will be closer to God.  The time spent will help etch scriptures into his mind, help memorize it, and allow him to see how other verses teach similar truths. What is learned will not be forgotten as easily as if they were told to him from the pulpit.

After delving into the scriptures, one would “rightly” divide the truth from fiction. They would learn what God said rather than rely on hearsay, someone else’s interpretation, opinion, or non-biblical traditions. Many might even see what their religion or cult teaches is blasphemous.  Certainly, they would learn from God’s Word what they must do to please Him.

Getting biblical knowledge requires too much effort for many.  They never read and study the Bible for themselves. Too many would rather trust a pastor to tell them what the Bible says. The attitude quite often is “He spent years in seminary studying it,” or “I cannot understand the Bible, so I need someone to tell me what it means.”

You would be very surprised at what some of the professional religionists believe or say about the Scripture. I have talked to many only to discover that those leaders have little understanding of the Bible or believe doctrines that are not taught in God’s Word. Those sitting in the pews will not know the difference because they never got the knowledge for themselves.

If the knowledge is not gotten for oneself the hard way by reading and studying, one’s spiritual life usually suffers.  One will not have the proper spiritual guidance and may go in a direction God would not have him go. Discerning right and sin will be skewed by not having the spiritual measuring tool, the Bible, to gauge decisions.

God is so good to allow us to have His Word (Isaiah 40:8). It is the only way one can know His true mind. Sadly, personal reading of the Holy Scriptures is lacking. Too many who profess to be children of God have never completely read the Word of God for themselves. 

Although my main ministry is writing devotions and Bible studies, they are intended to be additional study material or a jumping-off point for those seeking His truths. I encourage you to read your Bible and obtain its truth for yourself. It will mean more to you, and the rewards of knowing His truth will change your life.

“The Bible was not given so much for our information, but for our transformation.”  – Author Unknown

The Bible View #818 — Wait Patiently

In This Issue:
Handmade Socks
It Will be Here If It’s God’s Will
Bible Verses on Patience
Two Helpful Bears
Wait!

Volume: 818    July 12, 2021
Theme: Wait Patiently

Free Daily Devotions, Bible Studies, Sunday School lessons and printed versions of The Bible View (including church bulletin insert and large print versions) are available at https://openthoumineeyes.com/ and http://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/.

View A NEW Facebook Video: Heaven or Hell? at https://www.facebook.com/bill.brinkworth.966/videos/534362997696494 AND share! (Make sure the sound is turned on.) There are so many headed to Hell. You CAN help them not go there!



Handmade Socks
Bill Brinkworth

One Sunday morning, a teacher assistant mentioned that she made socks. I was very interested in her craft as my feet always seem cold.  The idea of a thick, handmade, wool sock intrigued me. Surely, a custom knitted foot covering would be most likely a warm solution for my frigid toes.

She offered to make me a pair of heavy warm socks, and I quickly accepted her kind offer.  It was not long until she presented me with the product of her labors.  After putting them on at home, they certainly were warm, but the fit was not snug, and after a little walking, they always had to be pulled up.  The idea of a custom-made sock sounded, felt, and appeared wonderful when hearing of them, but they did not fit right.  My store-bought foot coverings, which I usually wore, were snug and fit my feet perfectly. What I already had was just what I needed.

Most people’s choices in life, without God’s intervention, are often like those socks.  An idea of something different may sound enticing, but it may not be what is needed.

Often, without asking and waiting for God’s provision of what He deems to be the right spouse for us, our pick turns out to be the wrong one.  The wife may have looked beautiful or the husband handsome, but those qualities no longer mattered, as our choice was not the right fit.  If only God was asked to choose the right mate and His choice was patiently waited for, the perfect fit for a life partner might have been provided.

People jump at the possibility of a new career and job.  The different livelihood sounded great; the wage was far more than was currently earned. A job interview showed even more opportunities.  It certainly appeared like the dream job that was always wanted. 

Not long after starting the new position, it was quickly realized that the old job was much better.  Yes, there were many future possibilities at the new position, but the people at the new job were hard to get along with, and it was not a nice place to work.  If God was waited to open or close the doors of opportunity, the worker might have been in the perfect position for him.

Finding the right friends is so important.  Too many, however, pick the wrong companion.  It seems the new “bestie” is not who it was thought she was and that any confidence shared with her is soon spread around to others.  If only God were asked to supply the right friend and patiently waited for, one would not be in the bad relationship they now have found themselves.

All of our decisions are important.  The wrong choices can result in a large heap of regrets.  What we see, hear, or determine is not always the right fit for us.  Our picks are often blindly chosen as we do not always see the whole situation.

God, however, knows us better than we know ourselves.    He realizes what we need, not just what we want.  To make His help more necessary, He also knows everything about the other person, job, and situation just as well. When He is asked to choose, one can be assured that it will be the right pick for us. 

Ask God for direction in all things and wait PATIENTLY for His provision.  If you do not have His clear leadership, stay, and be content with what you currently have until His guidance is shown. His selection will be the right choice for you. 

“Opportunity is not always God’s will!”  — B. B.



It Will be Here, If It’s God’s Will
Bill Brinkworth

When buying a new car, a real “beauty” was discovered and was very enticing to buy.  The forceful salesman insisted that I purchase it immediately, as it was such a good deal “that it wouldn’t be on the lot long.”

Usually, I do not buy a big item without first praying.  I told the salesman, “I want the car, but I have to go home and pray about it first.”

Wanting the sale right away, the dealer warned, “You will probably lose this wonderful opportunity if you don’t get it now.”

“If it is God’s will for me to have this car, you won’t be able to sell it until I come back,” I confidently replied.

The salesman looked very confused.

“Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”  – Rousseau

Bible Verses on Patience
“… I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.” Psalm  40:1
“… Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.” Psa. 62:1 “Salvation” here is referring to deliverance from a bad situation.
“Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.” Psa. 25:5
“It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.” Lamentations 3:26
“Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.” Jeremiah 14:22
“The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.” Psa. 145:15  “Due season” is referring to God’s timing, not ours.
“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;” Romans 12:12“Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.” I Thessalonians 5:14
“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,” II Timothy 2:24

“There is no such thing as preaching patience into people unless the sermon is so long, they have to practice it while they hear.”  – Beecher



Two Helpful Bears
Christians Advocate

There lived an old couple who quarreled frequently.  The whole village knew about it, and when at last they ceased their fighting, questions were asked as to how it all came about.

“Two bears did it,” said the wife.

“Two bears?  questioned a neighbor.

“Ah!” said the husband, “but these are two new bears which we found in the Bible.  We have learned to love, “Bear ye one another’s burdens…” and “… forbearing one another in love.”



Wait!
The Believer’s Magazine

God’s delays are not denials;
He has heard your prayer;
He knows all about your trials,
Knows your every care.

God’s delays are not denials;
Help is on the way;
He is watching o’er life’s dials,
Bringing forth the day.

God’s delays are not denials;
You will find Him true,
Working through the hardest trials,
What is best for you!

“Wait in prayer.  Call on God and spread the case before Him.  Express your confidence in Him.  Wait in faith, for unfaithful, untrusting waiting is but an insult to the Lord.  Wait in quiet patience, not murmuring because you are under the affliction, but blessing God for it.”  — Spurgeon

The BIBLE VIEW #817 — Sin

In This Issue:
It Will Turn Up
No Matter What They Decide
How to be Forgiven

Volume: 817    July 5, 2021
Theme: Sin

Free Daily Devotions, Bible Studies, Sunday School lessons and printed versions of The Bible View (including church bulletin insert and large print versions) are available at https://openthoumineeyes.com/ and http://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/.

View A NEW Facebook Video: Heaven or Hell? at https://www.facebook.com/bill.brinkworth.966/videos/534362997696494 AND share! (Make sure the sound is turned on.) There are so many headed to Hell. You CAN help them not go there!



It Will Turn Up
Bill Brinkworth

Twenty years previously, Aaron Giles lost a small identity bracelet he was wearing. He was about five years old and was never sure where he lost it.  Aaron believes he lost it when he was playing at his grandfather’s farm in Fairmont, Minnesota.

A lot of time has gone by since, and his grandfather’s farm is no longer standing.  How surprised he was when the piece of jewelry was returned to him. It was found by a meat cutter, who found it when removing a chicken’s gizzard. The object was in good condition, and the name was still legible. It was believed the animal came from a farm near where the boy had lost it 20 years previously. It was there the fowl swallowed the shiny object.

Many times, deeds done a long time ago rear their reminding head.  If it was a good deed, and we are reminded of it, we smile and remember happily.  If, however, the deed was something we are now ashamed of ever having done, we cringe at the remembrance that we were the ones who did the shameful act.

Again and again, crimes that were done a long time ago come under re-investigation. Surprised are the villains when the law arrives at their door to arrest them for a crime that they may have even forgotten they had done. 

Adulterous acts have often been revealed to spouses many years after the sin was committed. Government officials running for office have had to resign from their race for office after it was discovered that they had cheated on a long-past college exam.  People have been rejected from getting jobs because of the discovery of their criminal activity many years before.

Like Mr. Gile’s bracelet recovery, the wages and the public exposure of sin can occur long after the act was done or performed.  There is a principle taught in the Bible about iniquity.  It is that no one gets away without paying a price tag for their transgressions. The act may have been done in secret, but it will not always be hidden. As Moses reminded His people, “… be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23).

Many suffer in this life from a payday of sin long after the deed was committed.  Adulterers often pay for their trespass by eventually losing their families. Thieves’ salaries for their sin are often paid by jail time.  Liars pay time and a half for their dishonesty by separation from friends that no longer trust them.  All, if unsaved and not receiving Jesus’ death as payment for their sin, will suffer in a dark, lonely, painful, eternal Hell.

God wants no one to suffer the after-shocks of sin.  That is why His desire is for us to keep far from the damaging grasps of iniquity.  No matter who you are, your sin may be revealed – somewhere, sometime.  Its embarrassing reminder can turn up.

“Sin may open bright as the morning, but it will end dark as night.”
 – Talmage


No Matter What They Decide
Bill Brinkworth

Before Joshua’s death, the leader gathered the people of Israel together. He reminded them of all the great and mighty things God had done for them and their fathers. Joshua rehearsed how God took, gave, sent, plagued, brought, put, destroyed, and delivered for them in over 17 instances (Joshua 24:3-13).

Joshua also rehearsed all the failures of His people. He reminded them how they continued to backslide from God and repeatedly had to be saved from the consequences of their poor choices. Many of God’s rescues were because the people had not learned their lesson and were still of two beliefs.

Sometimes they served God, and other times they served the losing side and its false gods.  Trying to live for God was a constant struggle for them.  Their minds were not completely made up, or they would not have had made the same mistakes repeatedly.

No matter what Israel’s loyalty to God was, it was not a hard decision for Joshua.  The leader’s mind was made up.   He had previously decided who His God was and that he would be faithful in obedience to Him. It was no longer a struggle for Joshua to know whom he would serve.

“Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.  And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:14-15

Israel’s leader used interesting terms in describing many of the people’s desire not to serve God.  He used: “… if it seem evil.”  This wording indicated that some people thought that serving their Creator and Protector was physically, socially, or morally bad for them. This thinking is not unlike the thoughts of many today.  Too many think serving God and obeying His commandments, as recorded in the Bible, is unprofitable to them because:

  • They think they will miss all the “fun” if they follow God’s commandments.  Sin is only “fun” for a short time, however.  It usually has regrettable consequences that come at a later time.  Iniquity never gives genuine joy, only temporary satisfaction.
    “Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;” Hebrews 11:25. 
  • They do not know that there is a price tag for sin. No one gets away with sin.
    “ He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Proverb 28:13
    “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23
  • His way is not the world’s way.  By following His way, they will appear different from others.  It is often more important to some to be like everyone else rather than pleasing God.

Yes, God’s way is different.  Yes, you will not fit in if you are obedient to God, but why do you want to be like the losing side, anyway?  God’s way is always better.  He has raised billions of children, and Father knows best.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9

  • They only see the now and forget the eternal.  There is life after death. There is an eternity in either Heaven or Hell.  What sense is there in missing an eternity in Heaven for temporary satisfaction for a relatively short time here on Earth?
    “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36

The world’s reasons for not serving God are not much different than those of Joshua’s day.  The excuses come from the same rebellious and disobedient heart. No matter the time, the answer to God can be the same as Joshua’s: “… but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15.  No matter what others think or do, we can always be different and do right!

“Sin and dandelions are a lot alike; they’re a lifetime battle to control that you never quite win.”  —White


How to be Forgiven

  • Know all have sinned — including you.
    “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23
  • Know that eventually there is a cost for your sin that has to be paid.
    “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23
  • Know that the price for your sin has already been paid — no matter what you have done.
    “ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
  • Know that you can apply Jesus’ payment to your sin account and have ALL your sins forgiven.  You can have God’s promise of Heaven!
    “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9
    “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      (“Confessing” is admitting your faults to God in prayer).

“God hates the sin, but He loves the sinner.”  — D. L. Moody

The Bible View #816 — Forgiven

In This Issue:
Purged
Remember, You Are Forgiven!
Forgiveness
Moody’s Mother’s Forgiveness

Volume: 816    June 28, 2021
Theme: Forgiven

Purged
Bill Brinkworth

“Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his [God’s] Son [Jesus], whom he hath appointed heir of all things, . . . when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;” Heb. 1:2-3

The Apostle Paul starts his letter to the Hebrews by bragging about Jesus.  Although much is pointed out about our Saviour, one little word is easily skipped. That word is “purged.” The term explains why anyone can go to Heaven and why they can have a peaceful life.

Noah Webster defines “purge” as “to cleanse or purify by separating and carrying off whatever is impure.” When one accepts Jesus’ death on the Cross as payment for all his sins, he is purified of the one dirty thing that keeps all out of Heaven. He is purified from all the iniquities he has committed and the ones he will do in the future. His sins were all carried off by Jesus when He died.

Mr. Webster further defined “purge” as clearing “from guilt or moral defilement.” When Jesus’ finished work at Calvary is accepted to cover one’s transgressions, he is relieved from any shame his sin can bring him.

Many have been saved and know God has forgiven and forgotten past sins, but they still hang on to guilty thoughts of what they have done.  Paul has told us there is no need to have any guilt.  Since God has forgiven us, we must forgive ourselves. 

A Christian is purged! All our sins are carried away.  We do not have to continue in them, and we certainly do not need to dwell on what God has forgiven.

“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12


Remember, You Are Forgiven!
Bill Brinkworth

When we are saved, our whole life should change. We are forgiven, and our sins are forgotten. Our old ways are dead and hidden (Colossians 3:3), as far as God is concerned. We are to bring our bodies under subjection (“mortify” – Col. 3:5). No longer are we to let sin control our lives (Col. 3:5-10). We should put our “old man,” what we used to do and be, far away from us.

We are new creatures in Christ (II Cor. 5:17) and have a fresh start.  We have a “new man” (Col. 3:10) that we should put on and strive, with God’s goodness and help, to “wear” well!  Our new attitudes and actions should try to be:

  • Holy and dear to God’s heart (Col. 3:12).
  • Merciful to others, as we have received much mercy from God (Col. 3:12).
  • Kind  (Col. 3:12).
  • Humble  (Col. 3:12).
  • Meek  (Col. 3:12).
  • Longsuffering (Col. 3:12).
  • Willing to put up with what others do to us repeatedly  (“forbearing” – Col. 3:13).
  • Forgive what others do to us and others.  God certainly has forgiven us thousands of times.  Why cannot we forgive those that have wronged or offended us (Col. 3:13)?
  • Loving and caring to all — unconditionally (Col. 3:14)!
  • Peaceful to one another (Col. 3:15).
  • Thankful (Col. 3:15, 17).
  • Ruled and guided by God’s Word (Col. 3:16).
  • Submissive to authorities, God says are over us (Col. 3:18-22).

It would be impossible to do all God has told us to do, as new creatures in Christ, and not be happy and content. However, it is when we allow the “old man” to be temporarily resurrected that we have our problems. When our old ways return, they rob us of the peace and joy that should be ours. Has the “old you” gained control in your life again?  Ask the Lord to forgive you and help you regain what is yours!

“Feed the ‘new man,’ the spiritual you, and he will grow stronger every day.  Do not feed the ‘new man,’ and he will suffer from spiritual malnutrition.”


Forgiveness
Edmonsan, 1871

When on the fragrant sandal tree
The woodman’s ax descends,
And she who bloomed so beauteously.
Beneath the weapon bends,
E’en on the edge that wrought her death,
Dying, she breathes her sweetest breath,
As if to token in her fall
Peace to her foes, and love to all.

How hardly man this lesson learns,
To smile, and bless the hand that spurns;
To see the blow, to feel the pain,
And render only love again!
One had it — be He came from Heaven,
Reviled, rejected, and betrayed;
No curse He breathed; no plaint He made,
But when in death’s dark pang, He sighed,
Prayed for His murderers and died.

“The habit of judging and condemning others is usually a great deal more serious blemish than are the things we so glibly point out as flaws or faults.” —Author Unknown


Moody’s Mother’s Forgiveness
D. L. Moody

Before I was fourteen years old, the first thing I remember was the death of my father. He had been unfortunate in business and failed. Soon after his death, the creditors came and took everything.

My mother was left with a large family of children. One calamity after another swept over the household. Twins were added to the family, and my mother was taken sick.

The eldest boy was fifteen years of age.  Mother looked to him as a stay in her calamity, but all at once, he became a wanderer. He had been reading some of the trashy novels, and the belief had seized him that he had only to go away to make a fortune.

Away he went. I can remember how eagerly mother used to look for tidings of that boy. She used to send us to the post office to see if there was a letter from him.  I recollect how we used to come back with the sad news, “No letter.”

I remember how in the evenings, we used to sit beside her in that New England home. We would talk about our father, but the moment the boy’s name was mentioned, she would hush us into silence. Some nights when the wind was strong, and the house would tremble at every gust, mother’s voice was raised in prayer for that wanderer who had treated her so unkindly. I used to think she loved him more than all the rest of us put together, and I believe she did.

On Thanksgiving Day, she used to set a chair for him, thinking he would return home. Her family grew up, and her other boys left home.

When I got so that I could write, I sent letters all over the country but could find no trace of him.  While in Boston, I remember how I used to look for him in every store.  I looked amongst people for anyone who had a mark on their face, as my brother had.  I never found him.

One day while my mother was sitting at the door, a stranger was seen coming toward the house, and when he came to the door, he stopped. My mother did not know her boy. He stood there with folded arms and a great beard flowing down to his breast.  His tears trickled down his face.

When my mother saw those tears, she cried, “Oh, it’s my lost son,” and implored him to come in. He stood still.

“No, mother,” he said, “I will not come in until I hear first you have forgiven me.”

Do you believe she was not willing to forgive him? Do you think she was likely to keep him standing there? Instead, she rushed to the threshold and threw her arms around him, and breathed forgiveness.

Ah, sinner, if you but ask God to be merciful to you, you can ask Him for forgiveness. Although your life may have been in sin, ask Him for mercy, and He will not keep you waiting long for an answer. He is looking and waiting for you!

“It is vain for you to expect, and it is imprudent for you to ask of God forgiveness on your behalf if you refuse to exercise this forgiving temper to others.” — Hoadley

The Bible View #815 — Faith

In This Issue:
Waivering Faith
A Dirty Telescope
Faith Training
Jumping into Father’s Arms
The Reflecting Waters
Dead Faith 
Christ, Our Guide

Volume: 815    June 21, 2021
Theme: Faith

Waivering Faith  
Bill Brinkworth

Like most of us, there was a time when Peter’s faith was stronger than at other times.  Peter found himself in a boat with vehement winds and threatening waves all around him. The craft was tossed helplessly by the powerful sea when he and the other disciples saw a most unusual, unbelievable sight.  They saw Jesus walk toward them, and He was walking on top of the waves!

After talking with Jesus, Peter was summoned to the Saviour’s side.  Without question, the disciple stepped out of the boat and joined Jesus, also walking on the water! However, Peter’s victory over all normal laws of nature did not last long.   When he looked around, he felt the hard-blowing winds and saw the boisterous waves.  He became afraid and sank.  His lack of faith changed what was happening in his life.

So many Christians start out their Christian walk similarly as did Peter when he jumped out of the boat. When they get saved and see the wondrous changes that the Lord has accomplished in their lives, their zeal is great.  They get involved in a ministry.  Faithfully, they attend church, read their Bible, and converse daily with God in prayer.  However, something happens to dull the excitement and fervor of their serving God. Perhaps it was an unkind word uttered by another or a question that they may be doing too much.  Maybe looking around they saw others were not going on church-wide visitation as they were, or they saw that many lived differently most of the week than they did on Sunday.  No matter what got them to question what they were doing for the Lord, they fell the same way Peter did; they looked around and their faith was weakened.

When anyone looks around and sees only what the natural man sees, he will be discouraged and have his faith challenged.  Looking toward a pastor or leader in a church may be a better example than most have, but that leader is made of the same flesh that you and I are made.  There may be a time that he may let you down. Following the example of another godly person may also be a bright light to follow but that person can make mistakes, and there may be a day that he will also disappoint you. 

The only one that is perfect and cannot let you down is Jesus.  Do what Peter did for a short time, keep your eye on God. Look and lean on Him.  Do not look around, compare, and criticize what others are doing. We may all let you down one day because we are no more perfect than you.  Look above.  The Lord will never leave nor forsake you, nor let you down.

“Wrinkled by life?  Look to God for a faith lift!”



A Dirty Telescope
John Bate

The astronomer is careful to have his telescope lenses clean and free from all dust. The smallest speck of dust might affect an object’s appearance. It will look different than it really is. 

So should a Christian be careful to have their faith wiped clean of all the dust of doubts and unbelief, lest they should behold the truths of God imperfectly and come to an incorrect judgment.  Without faith to guide and direct them, things will look different than they are or could be.

“If you have no joy, there has to be a leak in your faith somewhere.”  — H. Beecher



Faith Training
S. Coley

One day, Richard went into a room where his little girl was, bright-eyed and happy as she could be.  Somebody had just given her a box of exquisite wooden beads.

The little child ran to her papa immediately to show her gift. “They are very beautiful, my child,” he said, “but now, my dear, throw them into the fire.”  The little girl looked for a moment.  It was a great trial.  “Now, I shall not compel you to do it.  I leave it to you, but you never knew papa to ask you to do a thing that was not kind to you.  I cannot tell you why, but can you trust me to do so?”

It cost a great effort, but the little child began in her way to think, “Father has always been kind to me.  I suppose it is alright,” and she took the box and threw it into the fire. 

The father said no more for some time.  However, the next day, he presented her with something far more beautiful and which she had long desired. “Now,” said he, “my child, I did this to teach you to trust in the greater Father in Heaven.  Many a time in your life, He will require you to give up and to avoid what you cannot see or understand.  If you trust your Father in Heaven as you have trusted me, you will always find it best.”

“The beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.” — George Muller



Jumping into Father’s Arms
D. L. Moody

It was a beautiful evening, and just before the meeting, some neighbors and myself were sitting on the front piazza enjoying the evening. One of the neighbors put one of his children upon a ledge eight feet high, put out his hands, and told him to jump. Without the slightest hesitation, the child sprang into his father’s arms. Another child was lifted, and he, too, readily leaped into the arms of his father. He picked up another boy, larger than the others, and held out his arms, but he wouldn’t jump. He cried and screamed to be taken down. The man begged the boy to jump, but it was of no use. The lad couldn’t be induced to jump.

The incident made me curious, and I stepped up to him and asked, “How was it that those two little fellows jumped so readily into your arms, and the other boy wouldn’t?”

“Why,” said the man, “those two boys are my children, and the other boy isn’t. He doesn’t know me.”  This is why so many will not follow God’s commands; God is not their spiritual “Father.”

“Part-time faith, like part-time jobs, can’t support you!”  



 The Reflecting Waters
John Bate

When the water of a gently flowing river is unruffled and clear, it reflects the floating clouds above and any objects overhead — flying birds, swaying trees, and on-looking scenery.  When the water is stirred and agitated, it becomes opaque and loses its power of reflection.

The faith of Christians is often similar.  When all is going well, and there are no trials, how strong and beautiful are their reflections of the things of God.  When deadened by the world’s influence or corrupted by sin, the clearness and holiness of their example disappears.  Their lifestyle and testimony no longer reflect the spiritual things of God.



Dead Faith
T. H. Milner

The Word of God tells distinctly what sort of faith dead faith is:
“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” James 2:17
“But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” James 2:20
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James 2:26

That which is dead is inactive, inoperative, unproductive, and fruitless.  If your faith is not producing spiritual fruits, trusting Him for all, and regularly pointing others to God, your faith is dead or quickly heading that way.

“One does not believe one who does not live their belief!”



Christ, Our Guide
C. H. Spurgeon

When Mr. Andrew Fuller was going to preach before an association, he rode to the meeting on his horse. There had been a good deal of rain, and the rivers were very much swollen. He got to one river which he had to cross. He looked at it, and he was afraid of the strong current, as he did not know the water’s depth. A farmer, who was standing by, said, “It is okay, Mr. Fuller; you will get through it all right, sir.  The horse will keep its feet.”

Mr. Fuller went in, and the water got up to the girth and then up to the saddle, and he got uncomfortably wet. Mr. Fuller thought he had better turn round, and he was going to do so when the same farmer shouted, “Go on, Mr. Fuller. I know it is all right.”

Then Mr. Fuller said, “Then I will go on. I will go by faith.” He made it safely to the other side.

Now, sinner, it is very like that with you. You think that your sins are too deep, that Christ can never carry you over them, but I say to you, it is all right, sinner.  Trust Jesus, and he will take you through Hell itself if it were needful and possible. If you had all the sins of all the men who have ever lived, and they were all yours, if you could trust him, Jesus Christ would carry you through the current of all that sin. It is all right, man! Only trust Christ. The river may be deep, but Christ’s love is deeper. It is all right, man! Do not let the devil make you doubt my Lord and Master. Satan is a liar from the beginning and the father of lies, but my Master is faithful. Rest on him, and it is all right. You will make it safely to the other side.

“Would there be enough evidence to convince a jury that you are a Christian?”

The Bible View #814 — Service

In This Issue:
Which Part of the Wall Is Yours?
Marching Orders
Evangelizing Cannibals
Doing God’s Business

Free Daily Devotions, Bible Studies, Sunday School lessons and printed versions of The Bible View (including church bulletin insert and large print versions) are available at https://openthoumineeyes.com/ and http://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/.

Volume: 814    June 14, 2021
Theme: Service

Which Part of the Wall Is Yours?
Bill Brinkworth

Nehemiah heard what God would have him do.  When he did, he was never the same, nor were those around him.
“… and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.” Nehemiah 1:2-3  

Jerusalem was the center for worship for the one God in Heaven, and that main place of worship was forsaken. If the city was in disarray, it meant that His people were not performing worship of the true God.

In Nehemiah, we read how the burden of one man changed a nation:

  • Nehemiah’s heart was broken.  He wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed over the condition God’s people had allowed their place of worship to become.
    “… when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,” Neh. 1:4
  • He confessed and recognized Israel’s and his own sin.
    “… thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned.” Neh. 1:6
  • He claimed a promise (it may have come from Deut. 30:1-3) from the Word of God.
    “But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.” Neh. 1:9  
  • Then God started working. He used a king to send Nehemiah on his way (Neh. 2) to lead in the restoration of Jerusalem.
  • Nehemiah then shared his burden with Israel.  Even Nehemiah’s opposition saw that he had a concern for Israel. His burden was for the people of God to return to worshiping God.
    “When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.” Neh. 2:10
  • He did not want His people to be a bad testimony (reproach) for God!
    “Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.” Neh. 2:17 
  • He told Israel that God was in the endeavor to rebuild the main place of worship.
    “Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me…” Neh. 2:18a
  • They shared Nehemiah’s burden and went to work. From that point on, the rest of the book is dedicated to the work of Nehemiah and Israel. There is a time to get close to God and to get right with him.  Once we have heard from Him, it is time to get to the work He has for each of us — until He stops us!
    “… And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.” Neh. 2:18b

Eliashib (Neh. 3), the man of God, started rebuilding the wall, and soon others picked a spot next to him and started working.  Chapter 3 recalls who selected which area and what they did.  They all labored!

There is work that needs to be done!  Today, our country and our world have forgotten the God that has created them and given them this land. His worship has been neglected and is desperately in need of “repair.”

God’s people desperately need to have a burden similar to Nehemiah’s and help restore a nation to one that puts Him first and obeys His commandments. God’s people need to pick a spot on the “wall” closest to them and start building.   There will be opposition and conflicts as Nehemiah faced, but the work still needs to be started.

Our task is not manually rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, as it was in Nehemiah’s day.  Today’s main place of worship is in man’s heart.  Few have heard the truths from the Word of God that will change, save, and rebuild lives. The Word of God has to be placed in men’s hearts by God’s people telling them. If practiced, Its truths will change communities, cities, states, and countries. Those that are saved have heard and know those truths.  It is our responsibility to tell and share it with all that we meet.  Go to work! Go and tell!  

The saved children of God will never be reminded of their sins.  Bless God; they are all under the blood of Christ because of what He has done for us. That is not a reason to sit, soak, and not serve.  We are accountable for what we do for the cause of Christ.  Many that have gone before us have quit or refused to labor. His work needs to be rebuilt, and Christian, you and I are the only ones left to rebuild it.   It is our task to complete. If we do not tell them and be an example of how God wants His people to live, who will?

Will you tell others about Christ? Will you tell them about the One that can give them hope, save their souls, change their lives, and who is the only one that can change this world?  Do not have a moment’s delay because of worldly excuses.  Others have done that, and look what we have as a result.  There is work that needs to be done; time is short!  Pick your part of the wall and start today!

“Whatever God gives you to do, do it as well as you can.  This is the best possible preparation for what He may want you to do next.” — MacDonald



Marching Orders
Author Unknown

A preacher once confronted the Duke of Wellington. The pastor was unfriendly to foreign missions because of their expense, unproductiveness, and the work that needed to be done at home.

Fastening his eyes on the preacher, Wellington quoted the words of the Master, “… Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.” He added, “There, sir, are your marching orders!”’ The statesman and soldier had learned this lesson — that it was not the duty of a soldier to question the orders of his superior.  It should not be our business to argue the Lord’s demands but to receive orders and obey them. Go and tell, and do not question what you are told to do!

“To be glad instruments of God’s love in this imperfect world is the service to which man is called.”  — Schweitzer


Evangelizing Cannibals
Modern Missions: Their Trials and Triumphs, by Robert Young

In the 1840s, John Geddie left the pastorate of a church in Canada to take his wife and two small children to the South Sea Islands to begin a mission work. After a voyage of many miles, they arrived in the New Hebrides Islands at Aneityum. The island chain was filled with cannibals.  Over twenty crew members of a British ship had been killed and eaten just months before the Geddies arrived on the mission field.

They faced the difficulty of learning a language with no written form and the constant threat of being killed. Slowly at first, a few converts came, and then soon many more received the Gospel. Geddie continued his ministry faithfully, including translating the entire Bible into the native language and planting twenty-five churches.

Geddie labored with little help and little word from home for many of those years, but God was faithful to His servant. In the church’s pulpit Geddie pastored for so many years stands a plaque in his honor, which says, “When he landed in 1848, there were no Christians here, and when he left in 1872 there were no heathen.”

“God loves man’s lamplight better than His own great stars.”  — Tagore



Doing God’s Business
Author Unknown

As D. L. Moody walked down a Chicago street one day, he walked up to a man and asked him if he were a Christian. The fellow raised his fists and angrily exclaimed, “You mind your own business!”

“This is my business,” replied Moody.

“Well, then, you must be Moody,” the man responded.

We should all have the testimony of being burdened for the souls of others.  We should all be convinced that we have done our best to reach them with the truths from the Word of God.

The Bible View #813 — Worldliness

In This Issue:
It’s Not What It Used to Be
We Just Can’t Win
The Ice Palace Is Gone

Free Daily Devotions, Bible Studies, Sunday School lessons and printed versions of The Bible View (including church bulletin insert and large print versions) are available at https://openthoumineeyes.com/ and http://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/.

Volume: 813    June 7, 2021
Theme: Worldliness

It’s Not What It Used to Be
Bill Brinkworth

I was save over 40 years ago. God has wrought much change in my life because of the Holy Spirit’s work and godly influences from devoted preachers, teachers, other Christians, and my study. Although I can see how He has altered my life, I can also see the changes in Christianity around me.  Many strong believers and ministries still exist and are doing great things for the Lord; unfortunately, many are not.

Some changes I have noticed are:

  • There is little questioning of what Bible version is used.   In the past, the KJV was the only one used and believed.  Now, it is often pushed aside, and the “newer,”  inaccurate, unpreserved versions are accepted.  When the foundation of truth, God’s preserved King James Bible for English-speaking believers, is not read and obeyed, Christianity will crumble as is happening.
    “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” Isaiah 40:8  Also: I Peter 1:25.
  • Separation from worldly behavior, which the Bible condones, is often seen as “extreme.” Worldliness is not realized as a danger to spiritual growth and is not avoided. Observing many Christians in their daily activities shows they are not much different from the unsaved.
    “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” II Cor 6:17  Also: Isa. 52:11, II Cor. 7:1.
  • Sins, which ten years ago would have horrified faithful believers, now are accepted and even practiced by some Christians.  A biased media, liberal government education, and watered-down preaching have desensitized believers to sin and helped erase embarrassment and guilt from their iniquities. Many now do not even raise an eyebrow to sin around them.
    “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Isa. 5:20
  • Few have little concern about living a holy life.  Many neglect to keep their “temple” from sin and even its appearance (I Thes. 5:22).  Conviction of halting unclean habits, practices, or beliefs is not common.
    “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” I Peter 1:16
  • Living by faith is foreign to many.  Trusting God to supply has been replaced by spending credit or allowing the government to meet the need.  Giving sacrificially is also rarer than it was in the past.
    “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Heb, 11:6
  • Standing up for righteousness, no matter the personal cost, is uncommon. In the past, countless Christians lost their lives rather than tolerate or approve wrong-doing when they spoke against transgressions.
    “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;” Eph 6:14
  • Many Christians avoided movies, television programs, literature, alcohol, public activities, and other influences known to weaken beliefs and threaten holy living.  There is now less separation from ungodly behavior.
    “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” II Cor. 6:17
  • Many ministries and believers saw the danger of public education encouraging young people to do and think contrary to what the Bible commands.  To remedy that influence, Christians sacrificed to start and run Christian schools.  Salaries were often non-existent or lower than minimum wage, but the minds of young people were deemed more important. 

    As the government attempted to stop the ministries, many churches were fined and legally challenged.  Some pastors and principals suffered jail time.

    Today the sacrifices of earlier believers and their discernment not to pollute young minds with godless, social engineering, and eroding of Christian values are ignored.  Little concern is exhibited in insulating student’s minds from worldly propaganda.  The “I teach my child what is right” and “My child is strong and will not be swayed by what is taught in the government schools” seem to be the common defense.  Unfortunately, worldly philosophies are overpowering the minds of Christianity’s next generation.
    “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Prov. 22:6
  • Immoral leadership was never allowed.  Those inspiring for a position in government and business had their hopes shattered when it was discovered they were involved in dishonesty, adultery, foul language, financial impropriety, and other involvements showing they had low character and morals. 

    Today some officials and workers have been discovered to be morally corrupt yet are still allowed to continue their position.  Often this happens because the public is not made aware of their sin, or people are not concerned about the wrong-doing.
    “…   25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:  26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh…” Proverbs 1:24-27
  • Boycotting businesses and relationships that encourage or are for things God condones is rare.
    “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” I Thes.  5:22  

I am sure every previous generation of believers has also seen the erosion of Christian beliefs, morals, and biblical living during their lifetime.  Unfortunately, spiritual decay happens more often than knowing, believing, and living the way God commands. 

The spiritual decline will continue at break-neck speed if individual Christians do not stop the trend. We must make a stand to live how God commands. Personal revival and determination for a God-honoring and God-obeying life can change the downward spiritual trend. It must start with us Christians! The world is constantly changing, but God’s commandments do not. We do not have to believe or do what the unsaved world does



We Just Can’t Win
Author Unknown

Person: I want to do “X.”
Believer: You are free to do it.
Person: But, you think “X” is wrong.
Believer:  Yes.  The Bible says it’s sin.
Person. You just want to control me.
Believer: No, I do not. You are free to do what you want.
Person: But, you still think “X” is wrong.
Believer: Yes, but only because it may hurt you, and I want what is best for you.
Person: But, I still want to do “X.”
Believer:  I am not stopping you, and neither is God.
Person: But, I want you to say that “X” is good.
Believer:  I cannot say that.
Person:  Why do you hate me?”
Believer (with a very confused look on his face): Huh?

“The carnal mind seeks to create its own God who loves everyone, puts up with all matter of evil and foolishness, and gives in to the will of evil men who cry inequality!” — Deane Edward Spencer



The Ice Palace Is Gone
Edited from an article by Newton, 1725-1807

When I was a boy, I read of an ice palace built one winter in Petersburg. The walls, roof, floors, and furniture were all of ice and were finished with taste.  All that was in the ice palace could be found in a royal palace. Before being frozen, the ice had been colored so that all seemed formed of proper materials. Still, all was cold, useless, and transient.

Had the cold continued until now, the palace might have been still standing, but with the returning spring, it melted away. There should have been a stone with an inscription reminding people of what once stood on the spot, as there was no sign of it after the spring thaw.

Men build and plan as if their works were to endure forever, but their creations are often gone in time. After all their preparations and labors, there is usually no reminder of what they spent their money, passions, work, and priorities on.  They put their life’s priorities in temporal things rather than those that would last for eternity.  Their labors were spent on the wrong temporary things.

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” I John 2:15

The Bible View #812 — Sharing God’s Word

In This Issue:
Why Don’t They Understand?
We Just Deliver It!
Marching Orders
If I Don’t, Who Will?

Free Daily Devotions, Bible Studies, Sunday School lessons and printed versions of The Bible View (including church bulletin insert and large print versions) are available at https://openthoumineeyes.com/ and http://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/.

Volume: 812    May 31, 2021
Theme: Sharing God’s Word


Why Don’t They Understand?
Bill Brinkworth

“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” II Cor. 4:4

After sharing the Gospel for over 40 years, I still wish there was something I could say or do that would instantly get everyone saved and on the way to Heaven. Unfortunately, there is no such way!

One can give the clearest Bible verses one knows to show another the way to Heaven, but the unsaved listener sometimes politely stares back at the soul-winner and does not appear to be stirred.  The best stories of how the Lord has changed the soul-winner’s life also often result in empty stares. Even sharing the Bible’s scariest verses about the eternal home for the lost in a tormenting Hell often does not raise an eyebrow. Scripture about standing before the final judgment for the lost at the Great White Throne Judgment does not even seem to concern them.  They just do not seem to understand.

Soul winners may have to deal with hardened hearts, not-ready-yet souls, and those ignorant of God’s truths.  Often, without knowing the reason, it seems the Holy Spirit is not involved, and He is the only one who wins a soul to Christ.

There is another very serious obstacle that keeps many from being saved.  That reason may be the root cause of previously mentioned excuses for one’s not getting saved.  It is that they are spiritually blinded.

Spiritual blindness has always been a stumbling block for one to get saved, and it is especially a barrier these days.  Perhaps a person has heard so much negativity about being saved that they have not sought it out honestly for themselves.  They heard that “salvation is forced down one’s throat” without experiencing someone aggressively showing them the way to Heaven.  Others may be turned off to being born-again as they fear they will not have a mind or will of their own and will have to do things they dislike or do not believe.  Some fear their freedoms will be stripped from them.  Many have been so entrenched and addicted to sin that they have no interest or concern for anything that would change their lifestyles.

Talking to so many spiritually blinded people can frustrate a soul-winner.  The Holy Spirit and we seem to do everything we can to alter their eternal destination from Hell with seemingly no results.  Then, when we least expect it, we have the honor to lead one “easily” to salvation.  What is the difference?

When somebody readily accepts Christ as Saviour, we do not know all the work, trials, and tribulations the Holy Spirit had done previously in their lives.  It is His work that prepares them for when a soul-winner can talk to them.  When their heart is ready, it is only the Holy Spirit that can remove their spiritual blinders.

With this in mind, we should see the importance of “sowing the seeds” of the Gospel.  One day, those thoughts, verses, and biblical principles Christians planted may grow.  On that day, the Holy Spirit may open the eyes of the sinner, and he will no longer be blind to the things of God.  It may be the day he gets saved.  It may be the beginning when He understands more of the things of God.  That is why we must keep on sowing God’s truth, because one day the “seeds” may sprout.

“Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.” Isa. 6:10
“Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, 40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.” John 12:39 



We Just Deliver It!
Bill Brinkworth

I do not know if there are newspaper delivery boys or girls anymore.  However, when I was younger, many my age would get bundles of the daily paper delivered to them, fold them, put them in their newspaper bag, and deliver them to their customers.

Every day, often first thing in the morning or after school, a bundle of local newspapers would be retrieved by the delivery person.  They would do their best, no matter the weather or time, to get the paper to people to read.

If the customer did not open and read it, his ignorance of what was happening in the world around him was not the delivery person’s fault.  The paper was made available to him by the diligence of the newspaper boy.

Likewise, it is usually not a preacher’s or person delivering God’s message fault people do not heed the biblical warnings given to them.  The spreader of the Good News obeyed what he was commanded to do from the Word of God.  He did his part.  They were the delivery “boys.”  Their efforts made sure God’s Word was put in the hands and ears of those needing to know His message.

If the listener did not heed God’s call to change his life, it is on him, not the one that pointed him to “thus saith the Lord.”  If one did not get saved after hearing God’s plan of salvation, it is on the person and is not the delivery ”boy’s” fault.  All the delivery person can do is get God’s Truths to others.  No one can make anyone saved or obedient to His commandments.

What are you doing with God’s message that was faithfully delivered to you? Did you listen intently?  Were you convicted about something that was said? Did you go to the Lord, beg for His mercy, forgiveness, and intend to do as the Holy Spirit’s heartfelt “whisper” urged you to do?  Or did the message go in one ear, and no obedience to the Holy Spirit’s calling ever followed?   If so, you have been delivered God’s good news.  What will you do with His message?

“If people shared the Gospel like they do gossip, we’d have a major revival throughout the world.”



Marching Orders
Author Unknown

The Duke of Wellington was once confronted by a preacher who was unfriendly to foreign missions because of their expense, unproductiveness, and the work that needed to be done at home.

Fastening his eyes on the preacher, Wellington quoted the words of the Master, “… Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.” He added, “There, sir, are your marching orders!”’ The statesman and soldier had learned the lesson that it was not the duty of a soldier to question the orders of his superior. 

It should not be our business to argue the Lord’s orders but simply to receive the orders and obey them. Go and tell others what the Bible teaches, and do not question what you are told to do!


If I Don’t, Who Will?
Bill Brinkworth

 “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;” Ephesians 6:14

  • I am a Christian. If I don’t tell the unsaved how to keep from spending an eternity in Hell, who will?
  • If I don’t tell them that sin is wicked and destroys our lives and those around us, who will?
  • If I don’t tell them what God says is sin, who will?
  • If I don’t tell them that abortion is against God’s commandments, who will?
  • If I don’t tell them that homosexuality is a chosen sin-style that angers God, who will?
  • If I don’t tell them that God’s way is right and all other ways are wrong, who will?
  • If I don’t tell them that God planned for man to have one wife and that both should be faithful to each other until death, who will?
  • If I don’t tell them that God has preserved His will and way in the King James Bible, so we will know exactly what He wants us to know, who will?
  • If I don’t tell them that everything that names itself “Christian” is not necessarily of God, who will?
  • If I don’t tell them that a real devil doesn’t want them to do what God wants them to, who will?
  • If I don’t tell them, it is the same devil that tempts, confuses, and deceives them so they won’t know God’s way or want to obey it, who will?
  • If I don’t show the world a proper, rewarding, God-desired lifestyle, who will?
  • If the unsaved world cannot see that I am different from them, who will show them a difference between those bound for Heaven and those bound for Hell?
  • If my life is not an example of how good God is and that He is alive and still working in His children’s lives, whose will?
  • If I don’t have the “guts” to stand up for what I believe and what God’s Word commands, who will?

As Christians, WE have many responsibilities. Instead of sitting around and not being the Christians WE should be, WE need to be a light in this sin-darkened world.  WE need to start showing and telling them — now!