Category: 2025

The BIBLE VIEW #1019 — Studying the Bible

In This Issue:
The Word of God — Forever!
Study!
Effect of Reading the Bible
Context!  Context!  Context!

Volume: 1019   September 22, 2025
Theme:  Studying the Word of God

The Word of God — Forever!
Bill Brinkworth

“For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass.  The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.  And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” I Peter 1:24-25

Kings and presidents come and go.  Celebrities also rise and fall.  People are here on Earth for a relatively short time, and then they are gone.  One thing that will never vanish, and one thing that will never be just a “fad,” is the Word of God.

One could knock on most doors in the area and not find many households that have a book that was written over 100 years ago.  Those houses would also hold even fewer copies of books that were over 500 years old.  However, the majority of those houses have the Bible, which has portions that are over 3,500 years old.  This fact validates the prophecy that God’s Word will always be with us.

Men, sometimes with Satan’s influence, have tried to make God’s promise of preserving His Word for us not true.  However, their attempts have failed.  It has been burned, ripped up, and hidden, but the Bible remains.  People have been killed for even reading it.  Men have tried changing its words with over 400 modern translations and diluting what God wants every man, woman, and child to know, but the truths from the Word of God are still available.

This year, the most accurate English translation of the Bible is celebrating its 414th birthday.  The King James Version is the translation from the preserved Hebrew and Greek manuscripts.  The Word of God is still with us!  God cannot lie, and He is keeping His promise.  His Word will endure forever!

“Read my Bible; pray every day, and I’ll grow, grow, grow.” —
From a Child’s Song

Study!
Bill Brinkworth

One of the most important responsibilities all Christians have is to study the Scriptures for themselves.  Church is important, and one can learn quite a lot from the man of God in the pulpit, but it is up to us to study and learn what the Word of God says.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” II Tim.  2:15

II Timothy 2:15 teaches us five things about studying the Word of God:

  1. We receive God’s approval when we deem it important enough to study what God has recorded for us in the Bible’s preserved words.
  2. Notice that the word God used is “study” and not “read.”  We are to delve into it like we want to pass life’s tests and know God’s mind.  It is the only source that will help us get through life’s difficulties and learn more about the Father.  Reading is a shallower, less urgent, and less purposeful approach to a subject.  Studying takes time, rereading, comparing Scripture with Scripture, and a lot of prayer.  It takes “work,” commitment, and a great desire to get all one can out of God’s Word.  That is how God expects every Christian to approach His Truth.  Be a “workman”!
  3. When we study the Bible, we will never be embarrassed by believing the wrong things.  There are so many who have never read the Word of God for themselves.  All they know about God’s Word is what others have taught them.  If the teachers are wrong, then the students may be also. 

    If more would delve into the Word of God with an anxious desire to find what God has in store for them, learn His teachings, and practice them, most liberal, unbiblical churches would be out of business in a month!  Unscriptural denominations would be history!  The most significant revival ever would sweep this planet!
  4. In studying the Word of God, one must separate, or “divide,” some teachings.  Some practices were for past dispensations.  The priesthood, sacrifices, and signs from God were practices of times past.  A proper study of God’s Word will expose those facts, and one will not include them in their beliefs for this church age.
  5. God’s Word is the “word of truth.”  It is not just a collection of factual statements; it is the only truth.  It is the only source of truth on Earth, and God has preserved it for all to read!

The reverse teaching of II Timothy 2:15 is that if one does not study God’s truth, he is not approved of God!  Gulp!  That is hard to swallow.  Looking at it that way should make learning what the Bible teaches a higher priority.

Is knowing what God says important to you?  Is it important enough for you to invest some of your time in understanding what God wants you to know?

“To know Him is to love Him.”  — Author Unknown



Effect of Reading the Bible
Oliver Green

A young believer was discouraged in his attempts to read the Bible.  He said, “It’s no use.  No matter how much I read, I always forget what I have just read.”

A wise pastor replied, “Take heart.  When you pour water over a sieve, no matter how much you pour, you don’t collect much.  But at least you end up with a clean sieve.”

Some seem to expect the Word of God to hit them like a jolt of adrenaline each time they read or study it.  Although the “jolt” may hit us periodically, the benefits of the Word of God act more like vitamins.  

People who regularly take vitamins do so because of their long-term benefits, not because every time they swallow one of the pills, they feel new strength surging through their bodies.  They have developed a habit of consistently taking supplements because they have been told that, in the long haul, vitamin supplements are going to have a beneficial effect on their physical health, resistance to disease, and general well-being.

The same is true of reading the Bible.  At times, it will have a sudden and intense impact on us.  However, the real value lies in the cumulative effects that long-term exposure to God’s Word will bring to our lives.

“The Word of God is an armory of heavenly weapons, a laboratory of infallible medicines, a mine of exhaustless wealth.  It is a guidebook for every road, a chart for every sea, a medicine for every malady, and a balm for every wound.”  — Guthrie

Context!  Context!  Context!
Oliver Green

There is a story of two lawyers on opposing sides of a case.  During the trial, one thought he would make a great impression on the jury by quoting from the Bible.  So he said, concerning his opponent’s client, “We have it on the highest authority that ‘… all that a man hath will he give for his life.’”

The other lawyer knew the Bible better.  He said, “I am not very much impressed by the fact that my distinguished colleague here regards as the highest authority the one who said, ‘All that a man has will he give for his life.’ You will find that this saying comes from the book of Job, and the one who utters it is the Devil.  And that is who my colleague regards as the highest authority!”

“The needle of a compass always points to the North Pole.  The Bible is a book that always points to Heaven.”   — Author Unknown

The BIBLE VIEW #1018 — Halloween

In This Issue:
Halloween

Volume: 1018   September 15, 2025
Theme:  Halloween

Sunday School Teachers & Preachers: There are hundreds of free lessons at http://www.openthoumineeyes.com/lessons.html and http://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/.  The commentaries for each New Testament chapter can also be used for lessons at http://www.openthoumineeyes.com/blog/.  You can be assured that all material uses only the KJV (most Sunday School material cannot claim that)!

Halloween
Bill Brinkworth

More than 2,000 years ago, the pagan Celts celebrated the end of the summer and the arrival of cold winter.  The day was celebrated on November 1, the beginning of their new year1. 

The celebration served as a poignant reminder to many that winter would claim numerous lives.  On the night before their New Year, October 31, the Celts believed that on that day, Samhain, the dead returned to the Earth.  It was believed that those spirits would create trouble and destruction.  Death was the theme of that day2.

It was also believed that the Druids, the Celtic priests, could make prophecies about the future on that day.  The priests built huge fires where people burnt crops and sacrificed animals to the Celtic “gods.”  People attending the festival wore costumes, often featuring animal heads and skins, and tried to tell others’ futures. 

Around A.D. 43, the Romans took control of the Celtic territories.  Over time, they combined the days commemorating the Roman Day of the Dead and their day honoring their false goddess of fruit and trees (Pomona, which was symbolized by apples) with the celebration of Samhain. 

On  60 A. D., Catholic Pope Boniface IV established the feast of All Martyrs Day, honoring Christian martyrs.  Later, Pope Gregory III included all saints and martyrs, and changed the day from May 13 to November 12. 

The influence of Catholic ”Christianity” spread to Celtic areas.  As Catholicism has done throughout history, it absorbed the pagan Celtic beliefs into the teachings of the Catholic church, most likely to make the religion more encompassing and more powerful. 

Later, November 1 became “All Souls Day,” “All Saints Day,” and  ”All Hallows Eve” to honor the dead.  Eventually, the day was changed to “Halloween” and was still celebrated as was done during the Celtic Samhain.  Bonfires, costumes, and parades were part of the celebration.  Some dressed up as saints and devils.  It was soon celebrated on October 312.

As immigration transported many who upheld the Catholic/Celtic tradition of Halloween to America, the practice spread.  It was not accepted in New England because the Bible’s influence was too profound, and they recognized it as an ungodly event.  However, it did thrive in Maryland (“Mary Land, named after Mary in the Bible, who Catholics venerated.”)

As Halloween spread across America, that day’s traditions evolved.  However, many of the early practices remain, including bobbing for apples, giving treats, scaring people, costumes, and concern for the dead in the afterlife.

Today, in many areas, Halloween is celebrated more than Christmas.  The day often glorifies things God is against, including the occult, and even has a theme of fear. 

Scary things, such as ghosts, devils, and unwholesome things, are emphasized on that day.  Professing witches commemorate Halloween more than their other festivals and days they remember.

Halloween is a day that remembers and celebrates traditional pagan beliefs.  It should have no business being observed by professing Christians.  It glorifies all things that a Christian should avoid.

Halloween:

  • Incites fear.  We are to respect and rely on God.  We are not to be afraid of what could happen in this world.  Fear breeds trust in oneself.  Our eyes and reliance should be on Him, not on the things of this world or those that God opposes.
    “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28
    “But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.” Luke 12:7
    “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32
    “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.” Psalm 37:7       Also: Proverbs 24:19.
  • Glorifies death and makes it appealing.  But, for many, death will be eternal agony in Hell and later in the everlasting Lake of Fire.  Halloween desensitizes many so that they will not fear death, which they should if they are not saved (John 3:3).
    “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.  This is the second death.” Revelation 20:14
    “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15  Also: Rev. 20:10.
  • Fills one’s mind with wicked, ungodly thoughts and actions.
    “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8
    “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Colossians 3:2
    “The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD: but the words of the pure are pleasant words.” Proverbs 15:26
  • Witchcraft.
    “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” Exodus 22:18   In the Old Testament, they were to put witches to death.  Today, many dress up as witches and even venerate them.  God hated the sin then and hates it today.
    “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.  Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” I Samuel 15:23.  Witchcraft is a sin, and we are to stay away from it.  We should certainly not venerate it or make it appealing, as is done on Halloween, in movies, and in other forms of entertainment.
  • Fortune tellers  and talking to spirits:
    “A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.” Leviticus 20:2
    “Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.” Leviticus 19:31
    “A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.” Leviticus 20:27 
    “And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers.” Micah 5:12      A soothsayer is one who makes futuristic predictions, often from supernatural sources.
    Also read: Deuteronomy 18:10-11, Leviticus 20:6.
  • Wizards:
    “And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.” Leviticus 20:6
    “And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.” Malachil 3:5    Also: Leviticus 19:31, I Samuel 28:3, 9.
  • God commands not to have any part with the occult.
    “There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer (sorcery, divination).” Deuterobomy 18:10-11
    “Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times.” Leviticus 19:26


Halloween has origins in ungodly behaviors and practices.  Christians should not elevate it by using it as entertainment or celebrating what God forbids.
“Abstain from all appearance of evil.” I Thessalonians 5:22  Also Philippians 4:8.

Many justify participating in the celebration of Halloween by claiming “It’s just harmless fun.  We are not encouraging people to be involved in those sins.”  Maybe so, but you are showing  people, especially the youth, that it is an acceptable activity. 

Many folks have their first exposure to the occult from the “innocent” participation of  glorifying things that God is against.  Halloween can put ideas in minds to consider one day.  If it is okay to do things God hates on one day of the year do not be surprised if that exposure to those things becomes more than a thought in someone’s mind.  Do not celebrate a day that glorifies activities God is against!

1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween
2 https://www.history.com/articles/history-of-halloween

“Christian, you are on the winning side.  Why are you doing what the losing side does?”  — Brinkworth
“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 Corinthians 6:17
“Abstain from all appearance of evil.” I Thessalonians 5:22

The BIBLE VIEW #1017 —The New Birth

In This Issue:
The New Birth
Sin Sick
What Should I Do?

Volume: 1017   September 8, 2025
Theme:  The New Birth



Read or HEAR the DAILY VIEW devotion, a KJV chapter, and more spiritual food for a hungry soul. The e-mailed devotion is a spiritual all-you-can-eat buffet that might have some biblical comfort or advice you may need for that day. Sign up for it at https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/a26cc9M



The New Birth
Bill Brinkworth

Throughout time and the world, many feel that there’s more to life than meets the eye.   They are right!

There is a God and a Heaven where He dwells.  That place can also be a home for anyone who enters His way.

That “way” is questioned and doubted by many.  What “way” is right many wonder? 

Without reading or following the only preserved roadmap (the Bible) God has given and preserved for mankind, many man-made avenues are created that many hope will get them to that eternal home.

Religions have cropped up all over the world, but their way to God’s Heaven is often not His way.  However, they usually have one thing in common.  That way is that mankind tries to please God by doing good works or religious tasks.  They believe that if their good works outweigh their bad deeds, the Lord will be obligated to let them enter His Heaven.

However, as sincere as those believers are, there is only one way to enter into God’s abode.  It is His way!

There is no good deed or any amount of good works that will get anyone higher than the coffin lid.  Nothing one can do (except being saved) can get them a heavenly passage, as Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross has paid for their sin-debt.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;” Titus 3:5

God’s only way to Heaven is by being born-again.
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3
“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.“John 3:7

Being “born again” is a spiritual birth.  We cannot birth ourselves, especially by good works.  One’s spiritual birth can only be done by God.
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” John 3:5
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” I Peter 1:23
“Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:13
“Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” James 1:18

If one is truly born again, there will be a new life!  One certainly will not be perfect,  as one still has the natural, sin-prone body given them at birth.  There will, however, be changes in one’s behavior and thinking.
“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
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.” Galatians 6:15

Have you been born again?

“One can’t do what is already done.  Jesus paid for your sins; you can’t.”
—Brinkworth



Sin Sick
Barbara Brinkworth

“But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.  13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Matthew 9:12-13

Sometimes, the sick do not even know that they need a physician. That was my condition for over 36 years. I was spiritually sin sick because of my iniquities.

I was religious, but lost, and did not even realize I was unsaved and not bound for Heaven. For many years, I had gone to church and knew about God.  I knew that Jesus Christ had come to Earth and died on the Cross for my sins.  But, I later learned that knowing is not enough.

Despite all I knew, I was not born again.  I was not saved.  I was not trusting the price Jesus paid for my “illness” but was relying on my good works.
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

It took a faithful preacher’s message on the Bible’s way of salvation to open my eyes to the truth.  The man’s message spoke to my heart when he said that salvation was in Jesus Christ alone, plus nothing and minus nothing.  That day, I trusted Jesus as my Saviour and was assured that Heaven would be my home one day.
“He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.  13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” I John 5:12-13

I am so glad that Jesus Christ came to call “… sinners to repentance.” He healed me from my sin sickness!
“When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Mark 2:17

“Real Christians are forgiven, but sin can still ruin one’s walk with Christ and make one’s life miserable.” — Brinkworth

What Should I Do?
Bill Brinkworth

A rich man came to Jesus unintentionally admitting that he had committed the same mistake that most of the religious and unreligious would not dare confess.  It is the same philosophy that sends most to Hell.  That terrible iniquity is where over 90% of churches and religions are wrong.  His confession was, “… what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18)

That ruler (Luke 18:18) was trying to work his way to Heaven by doing all he could to earn a place there.  Certainly, he and others in many unbiblical religions think it natural that if you do enough good things, the good will outweigh the bad, and God will let you into Heaven.  

Wrong!  Unbiblical!  That is what distinguishes all man-made religions from true Christianity!  Other religions teach that doing something, such as abiding by traditions, rules, catechisms, rites, sacraments, pillars of the faith, or their religion’s teachings, will get one to Heaven.

Real Christianity is the only “religion” that teaches one does not have to do anything to get to Heaven except trust Christ as one’s Saviour and ask to be saved from Hell.  One does not have to do anything for it because it has already been done for them by Jesus Christ.

There is a Person who never sinned.  His undeserved death on the Cross is the only payment God will accept to cover anyone’s sin.  It is Jesus alone, God’s only Son, who is worthy enough to pay for our sins.  

Trying to do good “works” to earn Heaven is rejecting Christ’s finished work on the Cross.  That rejection says that Christ’s payment was not enough.

Like the rich ruler, doing good things and living the way one thinks is right will earn no one an eternity with Jesus.  That man had done “right” his whole life, yet he was looking for one more thing to do to guarantee eternal life.  Good works never satisfy because they are never enough.

Trusting that God loves us so much that He gave His life so that we can live eternally is the only way God will accept us.  Are you 100% sure that if you were to die today, tomorrow, or a hundred years from now, you would go to Heaven?  You can be sure because the “ticket” has been paid for; all you have to do is accept it!

“Worry not who you are, but be concerned whose you are.” — Author Unknown

The BIBLE VIEW #1016 — Sin Free?

In This Issue:
One Can’t be Sinless
I Stil Mak Mistaks
Guilty

Volume: 1016   September 1, 2025
Theme:  Not Perfect

One Can’t Be Sinless
Bill Brinkworth

When I was younger, my mother once confined me to my room until supper time because of my bad behavior.  While there, I was very upset about getting into trouble.

The guilt of not doing right and being punished was humiliating.  Making my mother upset also lay heavily on my heart.   I never wanted to disappoint her and have her punish me.

After retrieving my Bible from the bookcase and reading random passages from it, I felt even worse.  Although I don’t remember which passage affected me, I was reminded that my actions were sinful.  Conviction made me feel worse.

Soon, I made up my mind that I would never sin again.  In a short time, I don’t remember what I did, but even though I was the only one in the room, I had sinned again.  All alone, with no one to lead me astray, and I still sinned.

At that point, I realized that it was not possible not to sin.  Now that I am saved, I understand that I was discovering my soul may not want to commit iniquity, but my weak flesh had a mind of its own if I let it. 

As a Christian, we may be forgiven and may not sin as much as we did before being saved, but we are and always will be sinners, as long as we are in this body!  We may not want to break God’s commandments, but we can and too often will.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
“If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” I John 1:10
“What then?  are we better than they?  No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin.” Romans 3:9

Admitting one’s sins is essential, but it is just a starting point for getting ALL one’s sins forgiven and forgotten by God.  The crucial next part to have ALL one’s iniquities pardoned is to realize there is nothing anyone can do or pay to have their sins canceled.  Good deeds and acts will not pay the great price the sinner owes God.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

There is only one payment that God will accept to cover our transgressions.  Believing that God sent Jesus, His only Son, to pay our sin debt on the Cross is the only way.  That personal realization and trusting what He has done for us will then free one from sin’s ultimate penalty.

“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  We can be saved from an eternity in a tormenting Hell.
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12

Although we may still need to confess and repent of our sins daily to remain in fellowship with God, it does not mean we have to be saved again.
“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30  “Sealed” indicates salvation is an official transaction that cannot be changed.
“Quench not the Spirit.” I Thessalonians 5:19

“My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” John 10:29  A saved sinner will not lose one’s salvation.

If one is not saved, they will experience an eternity of regret.  For those who are truly trusting Christ’s payment for their iniquities, you are forgiven.  However, get it right with God and purpose to do your best to flee temptation and sin with God’s help.

“When one is saved all their sins are forgiven, but refusal to clean out current iniquity can halt God from working in one’s life.” — Brinkworth

I Stil Mak Mistaks
Bill Brinkworth

I have been writing Christian material for over 40 years.  Thousands of articles have been produced.  However, despite my best efforts, I still make many mistakes.

All articles have been read and reread.  Each time I review the material, I find more errors and often discover a more effective way to express something.

My bookshelves have many grammar and writing books.  I have studied them and try to adhere to the rules, but still, not one article I have written in all those years has been without error. 

During and after writing, I carefully proofread what I have written.  Sometimes, I reread the article more than five times before I handed it to my wife for her to check.  Still, even with the two of us proofreading, there were still errors or improvements that could have been made.

Since she was unable to proofread my writing due to her illness, I use professional proofreading software to check the pieces I had written.  Those programs still find mistakes.  If I check the article with one program, another system will find errors that the other software did not detect.

Just before they are published, I reread them again.  Still, I find mistakes or more efficient ways to make a statement.

It is very discouraging to me that, despite the effort I put into the material, I still do not write “perfectly.”  The fact and truth of the matter is, no writer can proof their own work.  Other proofreaders may also still find more mistakes.

One printing company I am familiar with has put each of its publications through a rigorous 12+ point barrage of proofreaders.  Most have still found errors.

As hard as I try, I will always make mistakes in what I write.

Likewise, a person, saved or lost, will also make “mistakes,” however, their deeds are often sins.  Sin always has grievous side effects and usually regrets.  It must be avoided,

Try as the sinner may, iniquity will always be around the corner.  It is very difficult not to sin, especially in this God-rejecting environment. 

None of us is “good.”  We may have better moments, but sin can hijack one’s thought life or behavior.
“But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” Galatians 3:22

Because of an inherited sin nature, no thanks to Adam and Eve’s disobedience,  we will always sin.  Those who claim they do not sin are either ignorant of what iniquity is, are dishonest, or should be checked for nail prints in their hands  (Jesus was the only person who never sinned and His hands were nailed to a Cross).
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Romans 5:12

Because one will always sin, that does not give anyone the license to continue transgressing God’s commandments, nor does one need to stop trying to halt iniquity.  “Why, I keep messing up, so why try?” some mutter in exasperation.

When a born-again child of God sins, one does not lose one’s salvation.  No one has earned their salvation; it is a free gift of God, and He does not take back what He has given.
“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,” II Timothy 1:9

Sin needs to be confessed to God, and with God’s help and one’s watchful attempts, it can be curtailed.  Draw closer to Him.  He will patiently help you get untangled from sin’s stranglehold.  You can succeed.
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.  And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” I John 2:1

We cannot be perfect because of our temporary, weak bodies.  However, one day we will not have to battle our sinful flesh and be discouraged by our sin.  God will one day give saved people a new body that will not sin.  Until that time, carry on doing his will and way.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23

“Real Christians are forgiven, but sin can still ruin one’s walk with Christ and make one’s life miserable.” — Brinkworth

Guilty?
“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.  24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:  25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.  Amen.  26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.  28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;  29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,  31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:  32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” Romans 1:22-32

The BIBLE VIEW #1015 — Creation

In This Issue:
God Created
Psalm 90 Touts Our Beginning
When You See God’s Handiwork
Who Was There in The Beginning
God Made It All
Who Tricked Adam and Eve to Sin?

Volume: 1014   August 18, 2025
Theme:  Creation

 God Created
Genesis 1:1-27, Condensed

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth…  3  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light… 6  And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters…8 And God called the firmament Heaven… 9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so… 11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so… 16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also… 21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good… 24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so… 26  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

 

Psalm 90 Touts Our Beginning
Bill Brinkworth

Many people, especially those in the field of education, have created their own “science” about the Earth’s origin. However, God allowed the Psalm 90 prayer of Moses to reveal how all on Earth was created.  Knowing the truth, our future and lives can be different and more fulfilled. 

Moses revealed:

  • We have a place to live on this planet because of God (Psalm 90:1). It was not the result of some “big bang” somewhere and sometime in outer space. We have a dwelling place because of God.
  • God was here before the Earth was formed (Psalm 90:2).
  • Man was created from the dust of the Earth, and his body will return to it the same way (Psalm 90:3). Also: Eccl. 12:7.
  • Time means so much to man, as it is limited and precious, but it does not to God, who has eternity (Psalm 90:4-6).
  • God sees all we do, and when we violate what He desires, His anger can be poured out upon us (Psalm 90:7-11).
  • We do not have to live under God’s wrath. If we live the way He demands, we can have a different life (Psalm 90:12-17). We do not have to mourn and wrestle against life. We can have a peaceful, meaningful life while following His will and way.
    “O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” Psalm 90:14

The unbelieving and ungodly do not teach what God wants us to know. Their ever-changing theories and explanations may make sense to those who take God out of the equation, but they are not factual.  Who do you believe?  Man or God?

“The probability of life originating by accident is comparable to the
probability of the unabridged dictionary originating from an explosion
 in a print shop.” — Edwin Conklin

When You See God’s Handiwork
Beechcr

I have a sheet of paper on which there is a faint, pale, and not particularly skilful representation of a Hyacinth.  It is not half as beautiful as many other pictures I have, but I regard it as the most cherished.  My mother painted it, and I never see it without thinking that her hand rested on it, and that her thought was concerned in its creation.

Now, suppose you had such a thought of God that you never saw a flower, tree, cloud, or any natural object, that you did not instantly think, “My Father made it.”  How more beautiful would the Earth seem to you,  You would find that nature was a revelation of God, speaking as plainly as His written Word!


Who Was There in The Beginning
Bill Brinkworth

John 1 is an important chapter that establishes that God and Jesus are one. Although many squirm and scratch their heads at that truth, the Bible asserts the two are the same.

The chapter starts by reminding the reader of the teaching in Genesis 1:1. That verse declares the truth that in the beginning, God created Heaven and the Earth. 

John 1:1 further reveals that God’s Word that spoke all that we see and know into existence is God.  (Notice that “Word” in John 1:1 is capitalized, indicating it is a proper noun referring to a person.) As hard as it is for our minds to grasp, God’s spoken Word is a person.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

Further in this chapter, John 1:5-9, a man used by God, John the Baptist, is mentioned. One of that preacher’s missions was to reveal a “mysterious” person.  Four times (John 1:7-9), this Person was described as a “Light.” Again, it refers to a person as it is in capital letters.

Well, who is the person who is recognized as the “Word” and “Light”?  John 1:10-14 quickly answers the query. It is Jesus. He is the Word because He was there at the beginning of Creation. It is Jesus who:

  • Was in the world John 1:10).
  • Made the world (John 1:10).
  • Many did not recognize him as God in the flesh (John 1:10-11).
  • Gives those who “received” Him as Saviour the opportunity to be born into
    the family of God (“sons of God” — John 1:12-13).
  • Who “was made flesh.” Jesus was God in the flesh (John 1:14).
  • Lived among and was seen by man (John 1:14).

“He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.  11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.  12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:10-14

Many struggle with what the Bible teaches about Jesus being the Son of God and God in the flesh. It is only Jesus who meets the qualifications mentioned above.  However hard it is to  grasp, even by Christians, it is what the Bible teaches. Jesus and God are one.

“Jesus is not humanity deified. He is not Godhead humanized.  He is God. He is a man. He is all that God is, and all that man is as God created him.”
— Spurgeon

God Made It All
Bill Brinkworth

Psalm 104 is a Hebrew hymn restating the Genesis account of Creation.  It reminds the Psalm’s singer of what God created in this universe and on Earth in six days.  Here, the God of creation is credited for His wonderful works in those days.

God’s creation of light (Genesis 1:2) is mentioned, as are all the other five days of what He did. The God-deniers and God-haters, of course, deny God’s account and resort to their theories of “accidental” developments of all the amazing wonders we have on this Earth and in the skies.

All the evolutionary “accidents” modern “science” claims to be the result of all on this Earth have never been proven, and those theories are constantly changing. Still, those ideas are widely accepted. 

In recent decades, a new scare tactic has been forced down the throats of a gullible public. It attempts to convince people that this planet will soon be uninhabitable or destroyed. This chapter refutes two of those accusations that are causing unproven fears.

The first biblical principle taught here (Psalm 104:4) crushes current political propaganda that the Earth will not be around or inhabitable forever. Our planet will experience geological upheavals and changes during the final days of sinful man, but it will be made new (Revelation 21:1).  However, the Earth is here to stay and is not going anywhere, thus saith the Lord!
“Who [God] laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.” Psalm 104:5

As for rising oceans that politicians have attempted to make citizens fearful of, God also says that there are boundaries that waters cannot cross.  Although panic is growing that polar ice will melt and cities and other lands will be flooded, it contradicts what God promises in His Word.  The waters will not invade any further than God has planned them to go.
“Thou hast set a bound that they [water] may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.” Psalm 104:9

Although government scare tactics repeatedly warn of Earth catastrophes man thinks he can control, the Creator of this planet decides what will become of what He has made. God says it will be here forever! 

Who do you believe, man, who has a political or financial agenda, or God who loves His creation and all He has made?
“The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.” Psalm 104:31

Who Tricked Adam and Eve to Sin?
Bill Brinkworth

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.  And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”  Genesis 3:1

The serpent in the Garden of Eden was Satan:

  • The serpent was identified as Satan.
    “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelations 12:9
    “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,” Revelation 20:2
  • Satan can transform himself into other things.
    “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”
     II Corinthians 11:14
    “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ…” II Corinthians 11:3  (Satan can appear differently)
  • The serpent exhibited characteristics that the Bible later identifies with Satan, like deceiving, lying, and encouraging sin and rebellion against God.

The BIBLE VIEW #1014 — Baptism

In This Issue:
Down and Under
A Symbol
A Desert Baptism
Jesus’ Baptism

Volume: 1014   August 18, 2025
Theme:  Baptism


Down and Under
Bill Brinkworth

The Scriptures have much to say about baptism.  In Mark 1, one can glean some important facts about that step of obedience to God’s commandment.  Some of what is seen there would dispel what many think incorrectly about baptism.

In Mark 1:9, we read that even Jesus was baptized.  This should prick the hearts of those who are saved but never humbled themselves to be scripturally baptized.  If Jesus was baptized, certainly we should.

The fact that Jesus was baptized shows that those who believe baptism “washes away sin” are  wrong, as Jesus had no sin to wash away.  Baptism is simply a commandment that should be obeyed by those who have trusted Christ as Saviour.

When Jesus was baptized, God immediately spoke to Him, expressing that He was well pleased with what His Son had done (Mark 1:11).  When we follow Christ’s example by being scripturally baptized, the Father is also well pleased with one of our first steps of obedience.  Unfortunately, too many do not obey God in this area, and never grow spiritually because they have grieved the Spirit of God by their disobedience.  The rest of their lives may be affected by their never having taken that first step of doing what God had required of them.

Right after Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit directed Him to do something else (Mark 1:12-13).  If Jesus was not baptized, His ministry may not have gone any further.  Right after we show God that we will do whatever He tells us by obeying His first command, He will use us further.   God desires our obedience.

This instance also teaches that baptism is by immersion, not sprinkling christening water over a baby’s head.  We read in Mark 1:10 that Christ came “out of the water,” so He was physically in the water.  Christening does not picture the death, burial, and resurrection that immersion does in the baptismal waters.

When christening is performed today, it is done on babies.  In the Bible, all instances of baptism involve believers.  How can a baby know who Jesus is, let alone that what he is doing is picturing what the Saviour did for us?  Christening is not scriptural baptism and is a relatively modern denominational practice.

If you have been saved, have you obeyed God by being baptized?  God will be pleased if you obey Him in this area.  Your future spiritual growth may depend on it.

A Symbol
Oliver Green

Baptism is like a wedding ring; they both symbolize that a transaction has occurred.  A wedding ring symbolizes marriage, just as baptism symbolizes salvation.  Wearing a wedding ring does not make you married, any more than being baptized makes you saved.

To extend the parallel, if a person does not wear a wedding ring, you can usually assume that the person is not married.  So, it was in New Testament times that if a person was not baptized, they were likely not a believer.

On this, we must be clear, baptism is a symbol of salvation and only a symbol.  Like a wedding ring, it is such an effective symbol that it should never be taken for granted or taken lightly.

A Desert Baptism
Edited from a “Water Baptism” pamphlet by M. R. DeHaan

“Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.  And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?   And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.  And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.   And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.  And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.” Acts 8:35-39

The evangelist Philip was commanded by God to go into the desert.  There he had the opportunity to preach about Jesus to an Ethiopian eunuch.  The eunuch had been to Jerusalem to worship, but had come back from that religious center of ceremonialism and religion without anyone having told him how to be saved from a tormenting Hell.  

When Philip met the man, the eunuch was reading the Scriptures.  He was interested, but spiritually lost.  Philip preached to him the only way of salvation — by trusting Jesus’ sacrifice as payment for his sins. 

The man believed and then requested that Philip baptize him in a pool of water along the way.  Philip told him that it was his privilege to be baptized, upon one condition, that he believe and confess that Jesus was the Son of God.  After making that confession, Philip and the eunuch dismounted from the carriage, stepped into the water, and the eunuch was baptized by immersion. 

Notice the eunuch was an adult.  He was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ as the result of Philip’s teaching and preaching.  The man requested to be baptized.  Philip did not command him to be baptized, but said, “… If thou believeth thou mayest …”.  Baptism here was a privilege and a testimony, not a requirement for salvation.  It was voluntary on the part of the applicant, and it was by immersion.

After the eunuch’s salvation and baptism, Philip was supernaturally taken away, and the man went on his way rejoicing.

Jesus’ Baptism
H. A. Ironside

John’s baptism was unto repentance.  He announced the near approach of the kingdom of God and called upon the people of Israel to get right with God, that they might be ready to receive and enter into it.  Those who turned to  God, confessed their sins, and were baptized (Luke 7:28-29).
“For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.   And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.” Luke 7:28-29

Jesus had no sins to confess.  He had nothing of which to repent, yet He came to John for baptism, much to the desert preacher’s surprise (Mat. 3:13-14).  Jesus reassured John that he should baptize Him. 
“Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.  But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?  And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.  Then he suffered him.” Mat.  3:13-15

God’s son submitted to baptism as the divinely appointed way of declaring His interest in and identification with the godly remnant in Israel, who were waiting for His coming.  His baptism was a pledge to fulfil every righteous demand of the throne of God on behalf of those who owned their guilt and took the place of repentance before Him.  They were like debtors giving their notes to a creditor — acknowledging a debt they could not pay.  He, by His baptism, endorsed all their notes and made Himself responsible to pay all they owed.  On the cross, He settled for all when He endured the baptism of judgment in our place.

“Why should our Lord, who was without sin, have come to a baptism of repentance?  Because He was made sin for us.  For the same reason He suffered the curse of the law.   It became Him, being in the likeness of sinful flesh, to go through those ‘rites’ and purifications which belonged to that flesh.  There is no more strangeness in His having been baptized by John than in His keeping the Passovers.  The one ‘rite’, as the other, belonged to sinners, and among the transgressors He was numbered.”  — Alford

The BIBLE VIEW #1013 — Sacrifice

In This Issue:
Why Jesus?
He Gave All He Had
Sacrifice for the Furtherance of the Gospel
Much Was Sacrificed

Volume: 1013   August 11, 2025
Theme:  Sacrifice

Why Jesus?
Bill Brinkworth

While many ascertain “Jesus is the Saviour, “He is God’s son,” or ”He died for our sins,” many do not know why Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross was so essential.   Although having the correct answers about God’s only begotten Son is important, that knowledge alone will not get anyone a place in Heaven.  However, understanding why only Jesus’ death was necessary and trusting His sacrifice can save a sinner from an eternity in Hell.

The first glimpse of why God’s Son would have to die a terrible death on the cruel Cross was shown in the account of mankind’s first sin committed by Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:6).  After judging the two and Satan for diobedience, God had to kill an animal so the people’s nakedness would be covered with the animals’s skin.
“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” Ge 3:21”

The death of an innocent animal was the first sacrifice to cover sins.  Its death did not take away Adam and Eve’s sin; it only covered it.  It was temporary, and from then on, other animals were killed to cover the nakedness that followed afterwards.  Blood had to be shed to keep people’s inherited and committed sins covered.

After the flood, Noah built an altar.  He sacrificed innocent animals as an offering to the Lord, who spared them from the ravaging flood.  Blood had to be shed to please the Lord and show their gratitude.
“And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.  21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.”  Genesis 8:20-21

Later, Moses, the leader of Israel, was instructed to build the first place of worship.  It was a mobile tent that would be erected wherever God’s people traveled.  As lavish as the tabernacle was, worship of God was not complete unless animal sacrifices were performed.  Again, only the life-giving fluid of innocent animals was given to please God and cover mankind’s iniquities..

In time, the tent was replaced with a permanent Temple in Jerusalem.  The shedding of blood was still needed to please God, as a temporary appeasement for man’s sin.  God would and will not accept anything else to cover man’s iniquities.

The temporary blood sacrifices were performed during much of the Old Testament times.  However, at one point they were missed and at times not performed at all.  There was no “covering” of sins.

Finally, and a need realized from the beginning, God changed the offering of the temporary sin-coverings to one that would be sufficient for the rest of mankind’s time on Earth.  The one-time offering was the blood of God’s only sin-innocent Son, Jesus.

Jesus’ blood sacrifice was for all man’s sins.  The blood of animals was not sufficient to cover one’s sins from God’s memory.  Early animal sacrifices were only to prepare people for the perfect permanent sacrifice for iniquities that God allowed to be sacrificed.
“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 8:12
“And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 10:17

God allowed one sacrifice that would blot out all of one’s sins to be offered.  It, again, included a blood offering from an innocent.  God gave his only born Son, Jesus, to be that sin offering.
“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:” I Peter 3:18
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Romans 5:6

For those admitting their sins and trusting Jesus’ death was payment for their sin, His sacrifice is enough to be payment for anyone who believes and asks.  One can be saved from eternal torment.
“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
“And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.” Hebrews 9:15

Good deeds, religious acts, self-denial, and being a nice person are unacceptable offerings that will not pay for the penalty of one’s sins, which is Hell.  According to God’s Word, the only means to have anyone’s sins forgiven is to have innocent blood as payment for one’s transgressions.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,” II Timothy 1:9

Jesus was not just a man who died a cruel death.  He was the only sacrificial offering God will accept as payment for anyone’s iniquities.  Have you admitted you are a sinner deserving of an eternal Hell, and then are convinced that the only way to Heaven is by trusting Jesus’ sacrifice is enough?  Is Jesus your Saviour?

“The sacrifice of Jesus is the true reason for our salvation.” — Spurgeon



He Gave All He Had
Edited from the “Young People’s Weekly”

An account is told of a hero of the Chinese rice fields during an earthquake.  From his hilltop farm, a farmer felt the quake and saw the distant ocean swifly withdrawing from the shoreline like some animal crouching back for a leap.  He knew that the leap would soon be a tidal wave.

In the valleys below, he saw his neighbors working in the low fields that soon would be flooded and where many would perish.  “They must all come up here on the hill to survive,” he thought.

He had an idea that would get the endangered farmers quickly to safety.  His rice barns were dry as tinder.  With a torch, he set them on fire and rang the fire gong.

Soon, his neighbors saw the smoke and rushed to help.  From their safe perch on the hill, they saw the waters cover the fields where they had just left.

They quickly realized that their salvation was due to the quick sacrifice of their considerate neighbor.  He gave his all so that others would be spared.

A monument was erected in memory of his deed.  On the stone  was the motto, “He gave us all he had, and gave it gladly.”  All Christians should also have a similar concern for the souls of  perishing neighbors.

“It is what we give up, not what we lay up, that adds to our lasting store.”
 — Ballon

Sacrifice for the Furtherance of the Gospel
Heart and Life Bulletin

George Atley, a young Englishman with the heart of a hero, was engaged in the Central African Mission.  A party of natives attacked him.

He had with him a Winchester repeating rifle with ten loaded chambers.  The party was completely at his mercy.

Calmly and quickly, he summed up the situation.  He concluded that if he killed them, it would do the mission more harm than if he allowed them to take his life.  As a lamb to the slaughter, he allowed himself to be taken.  When his body was found in the stream, his rifle was also discovered with its ten chambers still loaded.

“One of our greatest concerns should be about the eternal residency  of our neighbors.” — Brinkworth

Much Was Sacrificed
Dr. R. W. Ketchum

Do not be indifferent to Christianity and take it lightly.  It was given to you by the blood of Christ and preserved for you by the blood of martyrs.

For almost the first three hundred years, Christianity was a forbidden religion.  Many of its adherents were publicly whipped and dragged by their heels through the streets until their brains ran out.  Some had their limbs torn off, ears and noses were cut off, and eyes were dug out with sharp sticks or burned out with hot irons.  To some, sharp knives were run under their fingernails.  Melted lead was poured on many.  Others were drowned, beheaded, crucified, ground between stones, torn by wild beasts, smothered in lime kilns, scraped to death by sharp shells, and killed by other horrendous means.

In 1651 in Massachusetts, Reverend Obadiah Holmes was ordered to be whipped by Governor Endicot for holding a prayer meeting in his home.  So severe was the whipping that for days he could lie only by resting  on the tips of his elbows and his knees, and yet when the last lash had fallen, he looked at his tormenters and, through bloodstained lips, cried, “Gentlemen, you have whipped me with roses!”

A redeeming Christ has given you a future filled with hope and joy.  Do not look lightly upon this thing called Christianity, which cost the Son of God His blood, and millions of His followers their lives.

“What is your offering for the cause of Christ.  If we don’t tell or show them,who will?” — Brinkworth

The BIBLE VIEW #1012 — What Are You Doing With God’s Word?

In This Issue:
Lessons Realized While Picking Blueberries
In One Ear and Out into the Fire
Forgotten Treasures

Volume: 1012   August 4, 2025
Theme:  What Are You Doing With God’s Word?


Lessons Realized While Picking Blueberries
Bill Brinkworth

We can see examples of biblical principles all around us.  We should expect to find these visual “parables” because the God who preserved His written Word for us is also the same One who created all in this universe.  He has not left you on your own.  He wants you to see and follow His way, and there are many ways to see it.

While picking blueberries from my sprawling bushes, I related many situations of that job to principles about our handling of God’s Word.  I was reminded that:

  • Although you think you picked all the juicy berries in front of you, when you look back at where you have already plucked, you find you missed some.  Often, they are hidden behind leaves or branches that shield them when picking from another direction.

    This brought to mind the many times I have read certain scriptures, but their principles were not understood at the time or were not relevant to me when I first read them.  However, when in need of specific godly advice, the same verse can be looked at from the angle of need, and it becomes a light or solution to a situation one is currently facing. 

    When the Bible is read, we may not always find something that applies to our lives at the time, but when it is needed, God allows us to understand His advice.
  • Sometimes good fruit has fallen off the bush and lies wasted at the base of the tree.  We often read the Bible with other things on our minds and miss God’s advice that could help us. 
  • Unharvested, ripe fruit laying at the base of bushes also pictures godly direction that one never bothered to glean from God’s preserved, Road-map for life.  Solutions to problems are close at hand, but the pages of the Bible are not opened to find them.
  • Sometimes berries have rotted or have been ruined by nibbling birds.  Too often, we read something in God’s Word and believe it means what we were previously told it meant.  We fail to study what other Scriptures say about the situation and believe in unusable, untrue doctrines.
  • Sometimes a strong wind came and blew much of the fruit off the tree.  Those wasting winds are like many false teachings that have been heard.  They invalidate the truth and value of God’s Word, causing people to pay no mind to the Bible’s advice.  Untrue statements like “A bunch of old men wrote the Book, and it is not what God said,” “There are errors in the Bible, and it cannot be trusted,” and “ Different versions say it better” convince too many to ignore the Bible’s truths.
  • Sometimes, intermingled among the branches, a wild, thorned blackberry bush manages to grow.  Among delicious blueberries, blackberries are tempting fruits, but they are not blueberries.  However, when picked, one gets scratched, and annoying chingers cause tremendous itching.  For the next few days, one regrets being tempted to pick those non-blueberries because of the painful scratches and the insect bites.

    Likewise, Christians who get sidetracked from doing God’s will and way by some unscriptural temptations many times regret straying from God’s direction for them.  Too often, wrong acquaintances, watered-down Bibles, unbiblical doctrines, and involvement in sin get one off-course from God’s direction, and it causes much regret.


Life certainly is not a bowl of blueberries.  There is not much easy-picking, and it requires much work and discernment.

Read and study God’s Word.  Pay attention to every Word because one day you will need His wisdom.  Do not be distracted by philosophies, opinions, or popular trends if they do not align with what is taught in the Bible.  God does not desire you to go through life without His help.  His Way is there for you to follow.  Read and apply His Truths.

In One Ear and Out into the Fire
Bill Brinkworth

God gave His Word to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 36).  It was shown in hopes that the people of Israel, when they heard how their sin would be judged and punished by God, would repent and stop their wickedness.  That is always the first desire of God.  He does not want any to perish.
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” II Peter 3:9

Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe, heard the Words from Jeremiah and recorded them on a scroll.  For an unspecified reason, the prophet was not allowed in the Temple.  Jeremiah commanded Baruch to read it, in his place, to an array of princes.  Fear struck the listeners, and they immediately wanted the king to hear God’s judgment by hearing the words of God.  “Surely, as they were touched and convicted, so will the king be,” they must have thought.

Jehudi was selected to read the prophetic words to the king.  Instead of being grieved and burdened as he heard a few pages read, the king cut them up with his penknife and threw them into the fire.  As more were read to him, he did likewise.  Soon, all the Words given to Jeremiah were destroyed.

Just ignoring the Words, however, did not lessen his responsibility to deal with the warnings.  As for the Word, it was simply rewritten, and today we have all the same Words that Jeremiah was given, plus some additional truths Jeremiah added.  God could preserve His Word then, and He is still doing it today in the preserved King James Bible for English-speaking people, despite all that man is trying to do to dilute His truths.

What is interesting is to see how these men handled what was heard.  The prophet heard, knew their source, and knew they were valuable to share with others so they could divert a terrible fate.  He knew how many would react, but he still made sure others had the opportunity to hear God’s Words as he had.  Today’s Christians should have a similar burden to want others to listen to the truths as taught in God’s Word.  If we do not tell others, who will?

The princes heard the same words and were afraid of what was prophesied to happen.  They too wanted another to hear it.  I am sure they were hoping their leader would help change the situation so God would not judge their nation.

The king reacted like so many do today.  He heard the words, was not convicted or disturbed, and burnt them up.  He did not do with the Truths as God intended.

Destroying or ignoring the truths from the Bible is certainly going on today.  God’s Word is ridiculed and demeaned.  We hear all the “arguments,” which include:

  • “Only the weak believe it.” However, are we not all “weak”?  Most do not recognize their weaknesses – yet!  I heard this defense from a man who was on his fifth marriage, and he is a young man.  He just does not see where he is failing, perhaps because he is comparing himself to other “weak” persons around him, and does not seem as “bad” as others.  If he and others would compare themselves to what the Bible says about their condition, actions, and sins, they might see a truly different picture of themselves.
  • “It is filled with errors.” People often say that, but most cannot give an example of an “error”.  The majority who have given the Bible open-minded study have concluded that there are no errors.

    Years ago, one website offered thousands of dollars as a reward to anyone who could find errors in it.  They never gave one cent of reward because no one could find a mistake.  None of the big talk about contradictions and errors proved true when they were challenged.  I have found that many who claim this excuse have never even read it for themselves, or have formed an opinion before they even read some of it.
  • “It’s too hard to understand.” Actually, the majority of the King James Bible is at a fifth-grade level.  The difficulty in reading and understanding it depends on whether or not the Holy Spirit of God is in the reader’s heart.  God’s Spirit is the only One that can allow anyone to understand it.
  • “It’s not important.” This is the excuse many use for not even attempting to read it.  It is shocking to know how few have read it at all, and even fewer that have read it from cover to cover — even amongst Christians!
  • They do not want to hear it.  They have already purposed in their heart not to obey the highest Authority.  This was the case of the king in Jeremiah 36.  He, like so many others, had his plans as to how he wanted to live his life and did not want any authority telling him how to live it.  It is when people realize their way does not work that they turn to God’s way and allow Him to lead them in the direction He desires for them.

How are you handling the Word of God?  Is it so precious to you that you are burdened to share it with others, no matter what it costs you in popularity, friendships, and others’ opinions about you?

 Are you believing every Word and trusting its Author, even though you may not initially understand it all?  Are you asking and allowing the Spirit of God to help you know His Word?  Are the truths within the pages of God’s Word so important to you that you make the effort to read and obey them, or are you allowing it to go in one ear and out into the fire as the king did, and not letting God’s Word influence and direct your life?  Read God’s Word and let Him show you His truth.

“… For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” Luke 12:48



Forgotten Treasure
Dr. Edmond

A man once entered a home in Germany and found it very wretched — no fire, no furniture, no food.  Everything bore the appearance of utter poverty.  Glancing around, he saw, in a neglected corner, a copy of the Bible, and when he went away, he said to the poor tenants, “There is a treasure in this house that would make you all rich.”

After he had gone, the people began to search the house for what they thought must be a jewel or a pot of gold, and found nothing.  They dug up the floor in hopes of discovering the hidden store of wealth.  Their labors were all in vain.  One day, the mother lifted the old Bible, and found written on the flyleaf these words, “The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.” (Ps. 119:72)

“Ah!” she said, “can this be the treasure the stranger spoke of?”  So, she shared her thoughts with the rest of the family.  They began to read the Bible and were transformed in character, and the blessings of God came to stay with them. 

The stranger came back to find poverty gone, contentment and peace in its place, and a hearty Christian welcome.  With grateful joy, the family told him, “We found the treasure, and it has proved all that you said to us it would.”

“A man may read the numbers on a sundial, but he cannot tell the time of day unless the sun shines on the dial.  We may read the Bible over and over, but we cannot learn its purpose or words until the Spirit of God shines into our hearts.” — T. Watson 

The BIBLE VIEW #1011 — Love

In This Issue:
Real Love: Having Charity
Lust Never Satisfies
Undying Love 
The Right Motive

Volume: 1011   July 28, 2025
Theme:  Love

Real Love: Having Charity
Bill Brinkworth

Love is an emotion that we all need to be happy.  It is the strong affection a child has for his parents, the fondness parents have for their child, the bonding relationship between husband and wife, and the feeling a person has for another.  Although one of the most important emotions for mankind to be healthy, it is the one feeling that is most misunderstood and confusing to many.

Seekers of love seek it in the wrong places, and when they do experience it, they are often confused by the emotion.  People sometimes confuse lust with love, confuse selfishness with love, and sometimes even confuse responsibility with the emotion.  Real love is not what one can demand from another.  It is not bought; it is given.

Real love is often referred to as “charity” in the Bible.  Charity is described simply in I Corinthians 13:3-8:

  • I Cor. 13:3:  “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” Prior to this verse, many of the gifts God gave to members of the early church, before they had the written Word of God, were mentioned.  Many of those gifts would fade away.  One gift that would not be taken away was the gift of charity.
  • I Cor. 13:4: “Charity suffereth long,
    Love doesn’t quit.  It continues and endures.
  • and is kind;
    Love is not mean, but is kind!
  • charity envieth not;
    Love does not cause a person to get jealous of another.
  • charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,”
    Love does not make one brag about oneself, or make one think he is better than another!
  • I Cor. 13:5: “Doth not behave itself unseemly,
    Love doesn’t think bad thoughts (indecent) about another.
  • seeketh not her own,
    Love does not prompt one to care about another solely for what they can gain from them.
  • is not easily provoked,
    Love for another person does not easily allow one to get mad at them.
  • thinketh no evil;
    Love does not allow one to see the bad in another.
  • I Cor. 13:6: “Rejoiceth not in iniquity,
    Love does not allow one to be happy when another is sinning.
  • but rejoiceth in the truth;”
    Love is happy when the other tells the truth, and when friends are honest with each other.
  • I Cor. 13:7: “Beareth all things,
    Love puts up with a lot.
  • believeth all things,
    Love believes what the other person says, no matter what is suspected.
  • hopeth all things,
    Love wants the best for another.
  • endureth all things.”
    Love does not stop!
    I Cor. 13:8: “Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease;”

The love described in these verses is not the one portrayed in most movies.  It is not the temporary emotion that produces a “love” relationship several times a month.  It is an emotion, given to people by God, and it is characterized by tolerance, resilience, forgiveness, and unity.  It is real love!

“Love meets the needs of the loved object.”   — Gary Bane

Lust Never Satisfies
Bill Brinkworth

James 4 discusses a sin that has robbed many of an opportunity to be fully satisfied.  It has also robbed many of the joy they could have had.  At times, it has often left some feeling “emptier” than they were previously.  This rampant sin, as do all iniquities, gets man further away from God than they would ever imagine.  It is the sin of lusting that is examined in this chapter.

One’s longing desire for many of the world’s tempting offerings is often an attempt to meet spiritual needs in one’s life with worldly things.  One will never be truly fulfilled that way.  Always more will be needed as one’s carnal appetite increases.  

Lust for power and riches has caused the deaths of unfathomable numbers in war (James 4:2).  No matter the earthly treasure gained, still the insatiable hole in one’s soul remains unfilled (James 4:3).

Covetous actions are identified as sin in the Bible.  Attempts to ask God for things that involve them in things God does not want them to have in the first place will not be granted (James 4:2-3).  

The lust for what the world has is identified as spiritual adultery (James 4:4).  For the Christian, lusting for what the world offers is “cheating” and not being faithful to the one who created and saved one, and who knows what one should have in his life.

In attempting to acquire all that the world has to offer, the coveter is disregarding something more important.  They may have accumulated much of what this world offers in goods and social standings, but in so doing, they may have become an enemy of God.  An enemy of God will never have joy or peace.
“… whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James 4b

Perhaps, because of being in the world, we sometimes think too much like the unsaved.  That may be why most battle the sin of covetousness.  

Many have forgotten, or may never have learned, that God has an entirely different value system than the unsaved do.  Our creator knows what will help and what will hurt us.  We do need many of the things in the world to survive, but there often comes a point when one forgets the difference between a “need” and a “want.”

God will provide all our needs.  If we seek Him first, He will meet our needs and many of our wants (Mat. 6:33).  Resist the temptation to be like the unsaved (James 4:7).  We are on the winning side!  Why should we desire what the losing side has?

When we draw close to God, He will draw close to us (James 4:8).  When He is close to us, we will have a better relationship with Him and develop the mindset He wants us to have.  We will ask for what we need properly (James 4:3), and He will provide all that the Christian needs.  None of God’s children will ever be without what God deems necessary for them (Psalms 37:25).

“The best things in life are not things.” — Author Unknown

Undying Love
Dr. Southey, 1871

They sin who tell us love can die:
With life all other passions fly,
All others are but vanity.
In Heaven, ambition cannot dwell;
Nor avarice in the vaults of Hell;
Earthly these passions of the Earth,
They perish where they have their birth;
But love is indestructible.
Its holy flame forever burneth,
From HHeaven it came, to Heaven returneth;
Too oft on Earth a troubled guest,
At times deceived, at times opprest,
It here is tried and purified,
Then hath in Heaven its perfect rest.
It woeth here in toil and care,
But the harvest time of love is there.

“And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.” Ephesians 5:2

The Right Motive
Walter Knight

Hudson Taylor was examining some young people who had volunteered for the mission field.  He wanted to ascertain their qualifications for the arduous life they were seeking.

“And why do you wish to go as a foreign missionary?” he asked one.

“I want to go because millions are perishing without Christ, not having even heard of the One name whereby the lost may be saved.” Others gave various answers.  Then Hudson Taylor said, “All of these motives, howsoever good, will fail you in times of testing, trials, tribulations, and possibly death.  There is but one motive which will sustain you in trial and testing, and that is “For the love of Christ constraineth us; …” II Cor 5:14. (“Constrain”: force, compel, confine)

The BIBLE VIEW #1010 — Prayer

In This Issue:
The Situation Was Impossible, BUT …
They Denied Giving God His Due Credit
Reasons Why Prayer May Not be Answered
Be Grateful! 

Volume: 1010   July 21, 2025
Theme:  Prayer

Sunday School Teachers & Preachers: There are hundreds of free lessons at http://www.openthoumineeyes.com/lessons.html and http://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/.  One commentary for each New Testament chapter can also be used for lessons at http://www.openthoumineeyes.com/blog/.  You can be assured that all material uses only the KJV (most other Sunday School material from other companies cannot claim that)!

The Situation Was Impossible, BUT …
Bill Brinkworth

Peter’s future did not look too promising as he lay in a dark, dank prison cell.  Acts 12 describes his unpleasant position further by detailing that he was chained to guards on either side of him, was unclothed, was locked in a prison with other security outside his chamber, and was facing a death sentence from Herod.  No one would ever have suspected he would leave that jail alive.  Then a hopeful word came into the story.  It is a word that usually indicates that things are going to change.  The word is “but” (Acts 12:5), and the situation did change.

Things changed in Peter’s gloomy situation because praying Christians got God involved.  The impossible was made possible.  Guards were not disturbed; however, shackles fell off the prisoner, an angel got involved, and prison doors flung open on their “own” accord.  Out walked Peter, a free man!

Just as the situation was changed for Peter when others started praying, things can change today when God’s people start praying.  People with illnesses have been cured by prayer.  Fearful and dangerous situations have been transformed into peaceful ones when petitions were sent to our heavenly Father.  Drunken, runaway parents have had their lives changed and salvaged by the prayers of their loved ones.  Continuous supplications have gotten God involved in putting marriages back together.  Prayer has prompted God to do miracles at jobs, to help financial situations, to mend relationships, to fix broken things, and countless other “hopeless” situations.

For Christians, calling on God in prayer can transform any situation.  It should be our first line of defense in battling the troubles we face in this life.  There is always hope when God is involved.  There is nothing God cannot do when a Christian calls on his Father for help!

“Children of God — please call home.  Your Father is waiting!”

They Denied Giving God His Due Credit
Bill Brinkworth

God had done an incredible miracle and healed a man who was crippled from birth in Acts 14.  Paul was the vessel through which God enabled the man to stand and walk by faith.

Then a shocking thing happened.  When the people saw what Paul had been used to do, they immediately gave credit to their false gods!  They attributed Paul to being Mercurius (Mercury), the Roman god of commerce.  They thought Barnabas was Jupiter, the Latin name for the false god, Zeus.  To make matters worse, the priest of Jupiter soon arrived, bringing them gifts, and wanted to make a sacrifice to the false gods (Acts 14:13).

Needless to say, when the two men of the true God heard how God’s work had been interpreted and credited to false gods, they were shocked.  Barnabas and Paul “rent their clothes”, which was how the Jewish culture at that time showed great distress and disappointment.  They immediately went among the crowd trying to explain to the people who the real God was.

Many times, we see God’s mighty hand at work in a situation.  We know it is answered prayer and are amazed at what He has done.  However, it is not long until we hear the ungodly crowd see it completely different.

I remember when Florida was faced with a hurricane that was headed directly for the southwest portion of the state.  All weather projections had it going straight through the state and doing much damage. 

The hurricane got closer and closer.  It was inevitable that the state would be clobbered.  Windows were boarded up.  People left the threatened area.  Dark clouds and winds arrived.  At the last minute, the hurricane turned 180 degrees and headed away from land and went out to sea.

Christians were elated.  They knew God had done the impossible — again.  Almost immediately, the weather broadcasts attributed it to some scientific weather anomaly.  They would not give credit where credit was due.  They failed to recognize God’s intervention.  Perhaps, it was for the same reason that the crowd who saw Paul’s and Barnabas’ experience was blinded.  It may have been because they were raised without the knowledge of God, and therefore, did not know Him or what He was capable of doing.

Unfortunately, I believe our world today is in a similar position as it was in Paul’s day.  Many people have been programmed and raised without any knowledge of God: His creation, His history with the people of the world, and His workings.  When something supernatural does occur, they explain it away with the only “religion” they do know: humanism, science, or other false religions they have been exposed to.

Man always has to have an answer for what happens.  If they are not trained properly or shown God’s truths, they will devise their own explanations.  That is why, as Christians, it is so important that we fill the void of understanding that an ungodly world has with the truths from the Word of God.

“A coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.”
— Author Unknown

Reasons Why Prayer May Not Be Answered
Bill Brinkworth

Many do not have what they need from God because they:

Do not ask Him.
“Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.” James 4:2

Ask improperly, often selfishly. 
“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” James 4:3

Are separated from God’s help because of sin.  
“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” Psalm 66:18
“Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.” Lam. 3:44  Also: I Kings 8:35, Jer. 11:14, Psalm 80:4, Isa. 45:20, Isa. 59:1-2, Lam. 3:8.

Ask the wrong “god”.  “Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save.” Isa. 45:20

Are praying for a situation in which God will not intervene.
“Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.” Jer. 7:16

Are hypocritical: “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.  Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.” Mat.  6:5

Are not sincerely seeking God: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.” Mat.  23:14

Without meaning they repeat the same prayer over and over.  “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” Mat.  6:7


Be Grateful!
Bill Brinkworth

After passing through Samaria and Galilee, Jesus healed ten lepers (Luke 17:11-17).  In the account, only one turned back and thanked Jesus, and gave God the credit. After being healed of a debilitating disease that severely disfigured their bodies and made them social outcasts, one would expect that all would be grateful.  Perhaps they were, but only one expressed his gratitude.

We dare not ridicule them, because many praying Christians have been ungrateful for what God has done for them. 

We pray.  We beg God to deliver us from the clutches of a disease or deliver us from a hopeless situation, and He does.  How many times did we forget to thank the Lord for His miracles and answers to prayer?

Sometimes, perhaps because we did not ask God specifically how to answer our prayer request, we fail to see that He has answered it.  Unless the answered prayer is gift-wrapped and dropped out of Heaven with a note “From God, with Love”, we often write the prayer fulfillment off as a “coincidence”.

Here are some suggestions as to how to be more grateful for answered petitions:

  • Thank the Lord for the answered prayer when you originally told Him your need.  By faith, assume He will answer it.  Sometimes the answer will be, “Not now, later”, or “No.”  Many times, it may not be the way you expected it to be answered, but there will always be an answer to a Christian’s request.
  • Write your prayer requests on a piece of paper.  Pray daily for them, and when they are answered or no longer needed, put a mark next to them.  Soon, a marked paper will clearly show you that God is working and answering your prayer requests.
  • Pray daily for the need.  Doing this will show God how urgent it is to you, and will make you aware that it is still a need you asked Him to help you with.  When you no longer have to pray for it, you will be reminded that it is He who has met your need.

God does answer the prayer requests of Christians who seek His help.  Have you thanked God for His answers to your prayers, or are you like the nine, unthankful lepers?

“When in doubt, give God the glory [credit].”