Tag: Christian Living

The BIBLE VIEW #925 — Getting Right with Others

In This Issue:
Get It Right — Immediately!
When Anger Is Sinful
You’re Only Fooling Yourself

Volume: 925     September 25, 2023
Theme: Getting Right with Others

Read the FREE typeset version of this newsletter at https://openthoumineeyes.com/views23/BibleView925.pdf.  Use it for your church bulletin inserts or as a ministry handout.

Get It Right — Immediately!
Bill Brinkworth

“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” Matt 5:23-24 

Although much of the Matthew  5:23-24 verses was about another time, the principle of getting right with fellow Christians still applies today.  Getting along with others,  even Christians,  will always be a challenge.

As a church deaf interpreter, I stood before the deaf congregation at the front of the church.  After hearing what the pastor said over my right shoulder, I relayed what God had laid on Pastor Fedena’s heart to the deaf congregation in sign language.

Part of the sermon was about not holding a grudge against another Christian.  Being angry at a brother or sister in Christ will hinder the Holy Spirit from working in one’s life and may keep one from being used by God.  The pastor detailed some examples of how that sin hurts individuals and the church. 

God began to deal with my heart about a grudge I was holding against a man in the church.  The man had offended me, and the smoldering embers of bitterness were rekindled every time I looked at him.

Trying to concentrate on delivering the message to the deaf and remembering my sin soon distracted me.  The pastor’s sermon became more personal and required a decision on my part.  “If God reminds you of a person you have something against, go to him and get it right,” the pastor emphasized.  

As the preacher continued, he made the invitation even more immediate.  “If that person is here, go, get it right now.  Don’t delay!  Go to them and deal with your sin.…”

“Gulp!” That was when the conviction became overwhelming.  I silently argued with the Lord while still interpreting.  “Lord, I can’t do it now.   I’m interpreting.  I’ll do it later….”

The conviction became stronger, and dealing with it immediately seemed inevitable.  It was as if the preacher knew about the sin I had harbored in my heart and was speaking to me personally.  He did not, but it certainly felt like it.  More urges like “… now  … don’t grieve the Holy Spirit … go to that person now … don’t wait another second …” pestered my thinking.

That was it.  I could not take another second of the Holy Spirit’s conviction.  I signed to another nearby interpreter to take over and interpret for me.  After he had taken my position, I looked for the man with whom I was harboring bitterness.  Wouldn’t you know it, he was sitting on the other side of the church and towards the back.

I crossed the front of the church and went down the aisle to the back of the church.  It seemed like all eyes were on me, but I had to get that sin right.  I went to the man and leaned over to speak to him.  Without getting into details and trying not to justify that my reasons were right, I apologized to him for getting angry at him and asked for his forgiveness.  He must have been embarrassed as much as I, but fortunately, he accepted my apology, and the matter was closed. 

I had previously apologized to the Lord, and now I had forgiven the man.  The conviction subsided.  I had done what the Lord told me to do.  Peace returned.

No matter what the other person did or said, it is essential for us not to sin.  If the offender sinned, it should not be a reason for us to do likewise.  However, if we sin, it may require humbling ourselves and getting it right with a family member, child, parent, friend, or acquaintance.  If their sin was greater, that is between them and the Lord.  Our concern should be to keep our slate clean from unconfessed sin.

Is there a person you may have something against?   Perhaps it is a matter that happened a long time ago, but it still gnaws at your memory.  Is that bitter feeling more important than grieving the Holy Spirit by harboring that sin?

If your conviction reminds you of an unsettled matter, now would be a good time to get that sin forgiven by God and right with that person.  You may not have to cross a whole church congregation, but you may have to pick up a phone, write a letter, or even visit that person personally — TODAY!

“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.  26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” Mark 11:25-26
“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

“If anger is not restrained, it is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.”   — Seneca


When Anger Is Sinful
J. Beaumont, 1871

Anger is a sin:

  • When we are angry with the providence of God.
  • When we are angry with the laws of God.
  • When we are angry at the doctrines taught in the Word of God.
  • When we are angry at the good we see in others.
  • When we are angry with those who differ from us in religious sentiments.
  • When we are angry at reproof.
  • When we wish evil upon our reprover. 

“The sun must not set upon anger; much less will I let the sun set upon the anger of God towards me.”   — Donne

You’re Only Fooling Yourself
Bill Brinkworth

In starting the first of his three letters, John the Apostle bluntly covers two areas many are not completely honest with themselves about.  Those areas are:

  • When people claim to be in fellowship with God but are not!
    “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:” I John 1:6

    Many times folks fool even themselves into believing that they can talk to God, He is listening to them, answering them, and they are in full fellowship even when they are in sin.  They are lying to themselves.  

    It is impossible for a believer to have close fellowship with God when there is sin in their life!  God hates sin, and although people do not lose their salvation when they fall for sin’s enticement, they certainly grieve Him (Ephesians 4:30).  

    That grieving will cost anyone a close relationship with God.  The only remedy for that broken relationship is to turn from sin (Acts 8:22) and again “… walk in the light …” (I John 7).  One should then live in the manner in which God requires.
  • When people claim to have no sin.
    “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” I John 1:8   Also: vs. 10.

    Some consider themselves sin-free.  My grandmother claimed never to have sinned.  She was a good person by man’s standards, but when I approached her with the Bible truth that “… all have sinned …” (Romans 3:23), she insisted that she was not a sinner. 

    I remember her even being insulted that I would even think such a thing about her.  No matter how much I loved my grandmom, she was like the rest of us — a sinner!  She was deceiving herself, and as far as I know, she was never saved because of that deception.

    The only cure for my grandmom, and any other person in that state of not recognizing their sin, is to acknowledge their iniquities and admit them.  Once we realize and confess it to Him, God is “… faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).  

    However, that first step is the tough part: recognizing oneself as a sinner.  Some know it at a young age, but other folks, such as my grandmom, can go 80 years and still not recognize their sinnership.  One of the most important steps for anyone’s salvation is to first realize they are a sinner.

The most valuable and important thing everyone has is their soul.  Making the decision to be close to God and to go to Heaven rests on their shoulders.  That decision can only be made when one is completely honest with Him, and is willing to do what the Bible commands.

“The wages of sin is death.  There is no minimum wage.”

The BIBLE VIEW #923 — Forgiveness

In This Issue:
Handled Properly
What Can be Learned
God Both Forgives and Justifies
“If I Had Known!”

Volume: 923     September 11, 2023
Theme: Forgiveness

Read and use the FREE typeset version of this newsletter at https://openthoumineeyes.com/views23/BibleView923.pdf.  Print as many copies as you can use for your church bulletin inserts, Sunday school paper, or as a ministry handout.


Handled Properly
Bill Brinkworth

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Mat.  5:44-45

It started innocently.  A “Hey, J.” was shouted to the passing neighbor.  However, the dog walking with its owner started barking at D. and got closer and closer.  The animal’s warning bark turned to a quick nip on D.’s leg.

“Owww!” was D.’s natural cry.  “Your dog bit me!”

“Oh no, he didn’t,” was J.’s defensive retort.  More harsh words ensued.

D. was angered as his words and pain were questioned.  The argument between the two neighbors escalated.  D. took the moment to point out some of J.’s other damages to his property.

Back and forth the argument went.  Both parties shouted hurtful accusations.  Finally, one of the men walked away in disgust, and the heated discussion stopped.

After rehashing it with himself and his wife, D. was even more convinced that he was right and that the neighbor was wrong.  He thought about it for hours and the next day.  D. was very troubled over the matter.  Thoughts about his Christian testimony to the neighbor and how he had reacted troubled D. He could not get any peace as he mulled over what had happened.  He knew he was right, but his reaction could have been better.

As conviction troubled him, D. thought about how to remedy his situation.  The neighbor was definitely in the wrong, but D.’s reaction certainly was not Christ-like. Soon, he found himself composing a letter apologizing for his actions.

“Dear J.,
“I want to apologize for my actions the other day.  It was wrong of me to lose my temper and say the things I said.  I am a Christian, and that behavior is unacceptable…”

“Sincerely,
“D.”
Included with the letter was a gift certificate for two at a local restaurant.

Five weeks later, a letter appeared in D.’s mailbox.  It was from J., and it read,

“Dear D.
“… I have returned your gift certificate.  I cannot accept it, as I had wronged you also.  I hope we can continue to be good neighbors and put this behind us….”

The matter was smoothed over because one man humbled himself and made it as right as possible.  No one on this side of Glory knows how D.’s handling affected that man, his girlfriend, others with whom he may have shared the situation, and others who scoffed at how D. handled it.  A good Christian testimony had been etched in others’ minds.

Although many Christians argue with others, few get it right, as did this neighbor.  I never heard all the details about how J. reacted.  All that does not matter anyway.  The important thing is that a man saw his error in a situation and attempted to get it right. 

If more would value their Christian testimony, obey the convicting “voice of the Holy Spirit,” and handle their actions more Christ-like, Christianity would be a better example than it is to so many today.  Thank you, D. for your example!

Read a related article at http://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/ephesians/lets-go-out-to-the-tree/

“Doing an injury puts you below your enemy.  Revenging one makes you even with him.  Forgiving him sets you above him.” — Benjamin Franklin


What Can be Learned
Philips, 1871

“What can Jesus Christ do for you now?” said an inhumane slave master, applying a lacerating whip to an already half-murdered slave.

“Him teach me to forgive you,  Massa,”  was his reply.

“The best way to get even is to forgive and forget.”

God Both Forgives and Justifies
Dr. H. A. Ironside

When God forgives through the risen, glorified Jesus, He not only forgives, but He justifies us.  An earthly judge can’t forgive and justify a man.  If a man is justified, he does not need to be forgiven.

Imagine a man charged with a crime going to court, and after the evidence is all in, he is pronounced not guilty, and the judge sets him free.  Someone says as he leaves the building, “I want to congratulate you.  It was very kind of the judge to forgive you.”

“Forgive?  He did not forgive me; my actions were justified.  There is nothing to forgive.”

You cannot justify a man if he does a wicked thing, but you can forgive.  God not only forgives, but He justifies the ungodly because He links the believer with Christ, and we are made “accepted in the Beloved.”

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also
forgive you.” Mat.  6:14


“If I Had Known!”
D. L. Moody, 1877

When I was East a few years ago, Mr. George H. Stewart told me of an instance in a Pennsylvania prison when Governor Pollock, a Christian man, was Governor of the State.  A man was tried for murder, and the judge had pronounced sentence upon him.  His friends had tried every means in their power to procure his pardon.  They had sent deputation after deputation to the Governor, but he had told them that the law must take its course.

When they began to give up hope, the Governor went down to the prison and asked the sheriff to take him to the condemned man’s cell.  The Governor was conducted into the presence of the criminal, and he sat down by the side of his bed and began to talk kindly to the prisoner.  

He spoke to the man of Christ and Heaven and showed him that although he was condemned to die on the morrow by earthly judges, he would receive eternal life from the Divine Judge if he would accept salvation.  He explained the plan of salvation, and when he left him, he committed him to God.

When he was gone, the sheriff was called to the cell by the condemned man.  “Who was that man?” asked the criminal, “who was in here and talked so kindly to me?”

“Why,” said the sheriff, “that was Governor Pollock.”

“Was that Governor Pollock?  O Sheriff, why didn’t you tell me who it was?  If I had known that was him, I wouldn’t have let him go out until he gave me a pardon.  The Governor has been here, in my cell, and I didn’t know it,” and the man wrung his hands and wept bitterly.

My friends, there is one greater than a governor with you today.  He sent His Son to redeem you and to bring you out of the prison house of sin.  He is waiting to forgive all your sins.

“The discoverer of the role of forgiveness in the realm of human affairs was Jesus of Nazareth.” — Hannah Arendt

The BIBLE VIEW #911 — Thoughtlife

In This Issue:
A Tale of Two Minds
Our Thoughts
As We Think
A Recipe for Health

Volume: 911   June 19, 2023
Theme: Thoughtlife

Start your day with some good news from the Bible!  Sign-up at https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/a26cc9M to receive the DAILY VIEW devotion.  The daily e-mail includes a KJV chapter, a brief commentary on the chapter’s teachings, and more spiritual food for the hungry soul. 

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A Tale of Two Minds
Bill Brinkworth 

“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

After one is saved, it is often argued that a child of God is “brainwashed. After having a lifetime of being filled with godless, worldly philosophies and unhealthy ideas, most brains need to be washed of unscriptural influences.

When one is saved, he becomes a new creature (II Cor. 5:17) with a new mind.  Examine some of what the Bible says about the new, godly mind:

A godly mind should have desires and thinking similar to Christ’s.  As the acronym WWJD suggests: What would Jesus Do?  What would He do if He were in the situation in which you find yourself?  We should have thinking patterns similar to those of the Son of God.
“For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him?  But we have the mind of Christ.” I Corinthians 2:16

A godly mind wants to please God. 
It shares the desires that God has instilled in it.  An unsaved person cannot experience this.  This is why they do not understand the different thinking of a Christian.
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:” Hebrews 8:10   Also: I Peter 1:13, 3:8.

A godly mind should be an eager, willing one desiring to serve God and follow His leadership.

When Nehemiah took on the task of rebuilding the place to worship God, he was successful because there were people helping him with a mind to work.  Work for God will not grow if people do not desire to work to accomplish the desires He has put in their hearts.
“So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.” Nehemiah 4:6

David had a deep desire to build a place of worship.  Because his background involved much bloodshed, God would not allow him to build the temple.  Solomon, David’s son, could build it, according to God.  David put his energies into getting the materials to build it, so the place of worship could be built.  His godly mindset was to build a place to worship God even if he was not allowed to build it.  The leader was determined to help another construct it.  We need to have similar thinking in accomplishing something for the Lord.

“And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God:” I Chronicles 22:7  

A godly mind should be a remembering mind.  This mind remembers the spiritual lessons it was taught.  It is a mind that can hear and understand the words and urgings of God.  It is a spiritually sensitive mindset.

An example is Peter.  Peter was not standing up for Jesus as he should have, but he remembered what he was told.
“And the second time the cock crew.  And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.  And when he thought thereon, he wept.” Mark 14:72    A “remembering” mind can be convicted of God’s will and way.

A godly mind is a “right” mind.  When Jesus healed the demoniac, he put the man in his “right mind.”  This implies there is such a thing as a “wrong mind.”
“And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.” Mark 5:15


Here is how God defines a wrong, ungodly mind:
An ungodly mind is a forgetful mind.  No, I am not referring to the aged mind that forgets what it did yesterday.  I am referring to a mind that chooses not to remember the things of God that it has already learned.  That mindset does not want to hear the convicting voice of God.
“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;” Romans 1:28

An ungodly mind is a prideful mind.  King Nebuchadnezzar had such a mind, and God taught him a painful lesson.  The King learned the hard way who was responsible for his success.
“But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:” Daniel 5:20   Also: Romans 12:16

An ungodly mind is a reprobate mind.  Its thoughts and desires are abandoned to sin.  The commission of sin does not bother one’s conscience.
“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;”  Romans 1:28

The world has often influenced an ungodly mind, or it has never had any godly precepts put into it.  It prioritizes the temporary glitter the world offers more than it does living for the Lord and pleasing Him.
“Because the carnal mind is enmity [opposite of friendship] against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Romans 8:7  


Are you a child of God?  If so, there is no guarantee that our minds will have the proper thinking.  We have to guard our thought-life and fill it with godly influences.  As is often said to explain computer data errors, “Garbage in, garbage out!”

Are godly influences going into your mind?  Are you letting that mindset lead you?  Christian, is your mind the mind of Christ He intends it to be?
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” Philippians 2:5

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” — Proverbs 23:7  


Our Thoughts
War Cry

 Our thoughts make us.  They are the silent builders of the temple of character we are rearing.  They give color and form to the entire building.

If we think properly, we are rearing a fabric whiter than Parian marble.  If our thoughts are evil, the fabric rising within us is blemished.

The inner and the outer life will always correspond in the end. An evil heart will work through to the surface.

If a man’s life is righteous, you know his thoughts are just.  Unjust thoughts will never yield righteousness in conduct.

Thoughts seem mere nothings.  They are like flecks of cloud flying through the air and like flocks of birds flittering by and are gone.  However, they are the most natural things about our life.

Our thoughts fly out like birds and take their place in the world.  Our heart is still their home-nest, where they may return to dwell.

“The mind grows by what it feeds on.” — Holland


As We Think
Daniel Robbins, War Cry

The mind is like a crowded street
Where phantom thoughts like people meet;
Some hard at work, some idle are,
Some stay at home, some wander far.
Some thoughts wield power that ever lives
A power that inspiration gives,
While others dwell with us awhile,
Then pass, as transient as a smile.
Thus, come and go these thoughts of ours,
Some perfume-laden as the flowers,
While others sear our lives with blight
And bring no pleasure or delight.
Our thinking lifts us to the stars,
Or seals our hearts with prison bars
Confers on us both joy and strife,
For as we think we fashion life.

“He that never thinks, never can be wise.”   — Johnson


A Recipe for Health
Gospel Herald

“We do not advance upward unless we yearn upward,” it has been said.  Our thoughts shape our lives.  We grow little or big by the ideals we cherish and the thoughts upon which we dwell.

“Avoid worry, anger, fear, hate, and all abnormal and depressing mental states,” said an eminent authority on health.  This victory over harmful thoughts cannot be achieved by suppressing these feelings but by supplanting them with proper thinking, which is becoming the followers of Jesus Christ and the outgrowth of a close walk with the Lord.

“Thinkers think, and doers do.  But, until the thinkers do and the doers think, progress will be just another word in the already overburdened vocabulary of the talkers who talk.” — Author Unknown

The BIBLE VIEW #890 — Christian Example

In This Issue:
It Could Have Been Me
A Child of God Should Be…
I Am A Soldier

Volume: 890     January 1, 20239
Theme: Christian Example

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It Could Have Been Me
Bill Brinkworth

Thank you, Lord.  I am grateful for your mercy, love, and all the “second, third… hundredth…” chances you have given me.

  • I was saved.  So many had the opportunity, did not trust Christ as their Saviour, and sooner than they expected, they died.  As far as anyone knows, they are in Hell!  It could be me that died lost!
  • I did many terrible things, and many horrible events happened to me, but I did not die.  It could have been me that perished because of my foolishness!  God protected me so that I could get saved and serve Him.  So many did fewer dumb things than I did and perished.
  • I am glad after I got saved that I took my salvation seriously.  I studied the Bible, attended church, did my best to obey what God showed me to do, and served Him with all my heart.  So many also got saved, did nothing for the Lord, died, and now they must surely be regretting their mistakes.
  • I am overwhelmed that God gave me opportunities and used me to do His will.  There are many more intelligent, talented people that could have done so much for Him but did not.  They wasted much of their life when they could have done great things for the Lord and society.  It could have been me that was useless to the cause of Christ.
  • I am so appreciative that I learned proper biblical doctrines.  God allowed me to have excellent Bible preachers, teachers, and friends.  So many, brighter than I, believed unbiblical teachings, followed the wrong doctrines and did not please the Lord.   Because of their ignorance of His truths, they were, often unknowingly, disobedient to His Word.  It could have been me that followed the wrong Spirit and false teachings.

My realizations are not meant as boastings.  I recall that God even used a donkey to do His bidding by talking to a man of God (Number 22:28).  So, if He can use a donkey, He can certainly use me.  We both were willing, and you?

“He that turneth from the road to rescue another, turneth toward his goal; he shall arrive by the footpath of mercy; God will be his guide.” — Henry VanDyke


A Child of God Should Be…
Bill Brinkworth

Christians are often the only source the unsaved see that glorifies our God, His will, and His way.  Godly men and women should represent Him by living differently than those not born again.

Here, in this study on the “man of God,” men, and in most cases women, can see how their lifestyle should be.  A saved person should be:

A Christ-like example.
“But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.  12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”  I Timothy 6:11
“That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” II Timothy 3:17

A blessing to others, as was Moses.
“And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.” Deuteronomy 33:1

A praying person and a leader, as was Moses.
“A Prayer of Moses the man of God.  Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.”  Psalm 90:1
“Pray without ceasing.” I Thessalonians 5:17

Honorable, knows the mind of God, is known from afar, and someone to go to when there’s a problem, as was Samuel.
“And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go.” I Samuel 9:6

Able to “hear” and be obedient to God, as was a man of God during Jeroboam’s day.
“And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.” I King 13:1
“The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.” I King 13:5

Speaks and knows the truth, as did Elijah.
“And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.” I Kings 17:24

Speaks for God.
“And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.” I Kings 20:28

Trusts God, as did Elijah.
“And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty.  And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty… 14 Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight….” II Kings 1:10-14

Obeys God’s commandments (“law”), as did Solomon.
“And he appointed, according to the order of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their charges, to praise and minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required: the porters also by their courses at every gate: for so had David the man of God commanded.” II Chronicles 8:14

Able to discern what to do in many situations.
“But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the LORD is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim.” II Chronicles 25:7

Chastised by the Lord when necessary.
“And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him.” I Kings 13:26

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


I Am A Soldier
Author Unknown

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” II Timothy 2:3

I am a soldier in the army of my God.  The Lord Jesus Christ is my commanding officer.  The Holy Bible is my code of conduct.  Faith, prayer, and God’s Word are my weapons of warfare.  I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience, tried by adversity, and tested by fire.

I am a volunteer in His army, and I have enlisted for eternity.  I will either retire at the rapture or die in His army, but I will not get out, sell out, be talked out, or be pushed out.  I am faithful, reliable, capable, and dependable.  If my God needs me, I am there.  If He needs me in the Sunday school to teach the children or work with the youth, if He needs me to work with the adults, He can use me because I am there.

I am a soldier!  I am not a baby.  I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up, pumped up, picked up, or pepped up.  I am a soldier!

No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me.  I am a soldier!  I’m not a wimp.  I am in place, saluting my King, obeying His orders, praising His name, and building His kingdom.  No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy, or give me handouts.  I do not need to be cuddled, coddled, cradled, cared for, or be catered to.  I am committed.  I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around, and I cannot be discouraged enough to cause me to quit.

When Jesus called me into this army, I had nothing.  If I end up with nothing, I will still come out ahead.  If I win, my God is the reason, and He will continue to supply all my needs.

I am more than a conqueror.  I will always triumph.   I can do all things through Christ.  The devil cannot defeat me.  People cannot disillusion me.  Weather cannot weary me.  Sickness cannot stop me.  Battles cannot beat me.  Money cannot buy me.  Governments cannot silence me, and Hell cannot handle me.  I am a soldier!  Even death cannot destroy me.

When my commander calls me from His battlefield, He will promote me to captain and then allow me to rule with Him.  I am a soldier in His army, and I am marching and claiming the victory.  I will not give up.  I will not turn around.  I am a soldier marching Heaven bound.  Here I stand!  Will you stand with me?

“Loyalty that will do anything, that will endure anything, that will make the whole being consecrate to Him, is what Christ wants.  Anything else is not worthy of Him. — Burdett Hart

The BIBLE VIEW #888 — Faith

In This Issue:
Faith
Examples of Biblical Faith
Christ, Our Guide

Volume: 888     December 12, 2022
Theme: Faith

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Faith
Bill Brinkworth

What Is Faith?  Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language defines faith as ”…the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting on His authority ad veracity… the assent of the mind or understanding to the truth of what God has revealed.  Simple belief of the scriptures….”
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Hebrews 11:1

Have faith in God.  He is reliable and trustworthy!  Reliance on His help and commandments is essential in letting Him lead and guide one’s life.
“And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.” Mark 11:22
“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

Have faith in God’s son, Jesus.
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb. 12:2   Also: Rom. 3:22.

Faith in Christ can have one’s sins forgiven.
“And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.” Luke 5:20

Faith is essential for salvation!
“And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” I Cor. 15:14
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” Ephesians 2:8  Also: Romans 3:28, I Corinthians 15:17, I John 5:4.

Not having faith is a sin!
“And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Romans 14:23

Some have a replacement for living by faith.  They trust in themselves.  That “trust” is a “work,” and working one’s way to Heaven is an impossibility and is a sin!
“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” I Timothy  6:10

Since faith in Christ’s work on the cross saves us, not having faith we can have salvation, or we can lose the “gift” is sin!
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20  Also: I Timothy 4:1.

One proof of our salvation is our change in our faith and the spiritual fruit it produces!
“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   Also: Gal 2:20, 5:22.

We are to live by faith during this “church age.”  We are not to live by sight as in the Old Testament.  That is where the cults, relying on seeing miraculous proofs of their salvation, are wrong!
“(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)” II Corinthians 5:7
“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17
“Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” II Timothy 2:22:  Also: Gal 2:20, 3:11, Eph.  6:16, I Thessalonians 5:8, I Tim.  6:12, II Tim. 4:7, Hebrews 10:38.

Have faith that God will meet your needs.
“Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” Mat.  6:30

A blessing from living by faith is that God will give one an understanding of His plans and workings.  His will shall be revealed to those who trust Him.
“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17
“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Heb. 11:3

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


Examples of Biblical Faith
Bill Brinkworth

A centurion had faith that the words of Christ were sufficient to heal.
“When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” Mat.  8:10

Disease with an issue of blood.  A woman had faith that if she could touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, she would be healed.  She did touch it and was healed!
“But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.  And the woman was made whole from that hour.” Mat.  9:22

Equipped with only faith, a woman came to Jesus to remove a possessing devil from her daughter.  Because of her reliance and trust on Him, her daughter was made whole.
“Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.  And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.” Mat.  15:28

Disciples let fear control them and did not believe God would protect them from harm.  If they had faith, they  could have asked God to deliver them from their dilemma, as we can when we face “storms.”
“And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?  Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.” Mat.  8:26

The “faith chapter” in Hebrews 11 reminds readers of Old Testament saints that had faith:
Abel: Hebrews 11:4
Enoch: Heb. 11:5
Noah: Heb. 11:7
Abraham: Heb. 11:8-9, 17
Sarah: Heb. 11:11
Isaac: Heb. 11:20
Jacob: Heb. 11:21
Joseph: Heb. 11:22
Moses: Heb. 11:23-24, 27, 28
Israel: Heb. 11:29-30
Rahab: Heb. 11:31

Those  Old Testament saints and many more overcame challenges and impossibilities by faith in their great God.  They stepped out blindly trusting Him, and He did the “impossible.” Will you also step out by faith and trust God when you face tragedies, terrors, and temptations? 

“Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees
And looks to God alone,
Laughs at impossibilities
And cries, ‘It shall be done!’” — Charles Wesley


Christ, Our Guide
C. H. Spurgeon

When Mr. Andrew Fuller was going to preach one day, he rode to the meeting on his horse.  There had been a lot of rain, and the rivers were very swollen.  He got to one river, which he had to cross.  He looked at it and feared the strong current as he did not know its depth.

A farmer, who happened to be standing by, said, “It is all right, 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.  The preacher began to get uncomfortably wet.  Mr. Fuller thought he had better turn around, and he was going to do so when the same farmer shouted, “Go on, Mr. Fuller.  Go on.  I know it is all right.”

Mr. Fuller replied, “Then I will go on.  I will go by faith.”

Now, sinner, it is like that with you.  You think that your sins are too deep and that Christ will never be able to carry you over them.  However, I say to you, “It is all right, sinner.  Trust Jesus, and he will carry you through Hell itself if it were needful and possible.  If you had all the sins of all the men that have ever lived, and they were all yours, if you trusted him, Jesus Christ would carry you through the current of all that sin.  It is alright, man!  Only trust Christ.  The river may be deep, but Christ’s love is deeper still.  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 and true.  Rest on him, and it is alright.  Herein lies the supreme consolation of this earthly life.”

“When a train goes through a dark tunnel, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off.  You sit still and trust the engineer to get you through safely.  Trust God today, no matter how dark your situation.  God says, ‘You are coming out’!” — C. H. Spurgeon

The BIBLE VIEW #880 — Their Last Words

In This Issue:
The Last Words of Pastor James Gerven
The Death of Chloe
The Last Words of George Roberts
Thomas Paine’s Last Words
The Last Words of Richard Hooker
The Dying Words of Earl of Chesterfield
The Death of A Young Man

Volume: 880     October 17, 2022
Theme:  Last Words

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* The following accounts are edited from: Ingram Cobbin, Dying Sayings.  London, England,  Frederick Westley, 1828. *


The Last Words of Pastor James Gerven
Ingram Cobbin, Dying Sayings

James Gerven was a pious, ingenious minister, a popular writer, and was born in 1714… He died in 1758, being forty-four years old.

As death drew near, he said, “Here is the treasure of the Christian.  Death is reckoned in this inventory, and a noble treasure it is.  How thankful I am for death, as it is the passage through which I go to the Lord and Giver of eternal life!  These light afflictions are but for a moment, and then comes an eternal weight of glory.  Oh, I welcome death!  Thou mayest well be reckoned among the treasures of the Christian.  ‘For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.’” (Philippians 1:21)”

“What will be your last words?  Will they be of excitement and expectation or fear and trembling?” — Bill Brinkworth


The Death of Chloe
Ingram Cobbin, Dying Sayings

… Before us was the struggling, agonizing, dying Chloe, inwardly burning to death with the raging fires of inflammation.  Her mind was most anxious about the terrors of her approaching end.  She felt the horrible consciousness of being unprepared for the solemn exchange of worlds.

A minister had prayed with her, but no relief was found.  The mother prayed, but overflowing tears from distress and terror were all the help she could give the child, who was sinking in despair.

Attendants were weeping, but none of them could help the dying girl.  She did not pray for herself, while her cries for prayer to save her from Hell were incessant.

She was asked, “Chloe, will you now accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your only Saviour from sin and Hell and submit your soul into his hands for salvation?”

With a faltering voice, she answered, “No, I cannot!”

Astonished at the answer, she was asked, “Why are you not willing, and why can you not now, with your dying breath, accept Christ for salvation?”

With the clear appearance of being in full possession of her rational thinking, but with a feeble and tremulous articulation, she continued, “It is too late….”

Will any who read this account neglect preparation for eternity?  Are you ready when it is your time to leave this world?



The Last Words of George Roberts
Ingram Cobbin, Dying Sayings

Pastor George Roberts experienced God’s converting grace in early life and devoted himself to Christian service.  He came to New England in 1790, where, through much opposition and suffering, he labored with outstanding success.  Through excessive labor and toils, his health failed, and being unable to perform ministerial duties, he moved to Baltimore….

He died in Baltimore in Christian triumph, being eminently sustained in his last conflict.  “His last hours,” said his son, “were triumphant, though eminently painful physically.  For twenty-four hours before his death, he had violent convulsions every ten minutes….”

… He was distinguished by the evenness and quiet of his temper and frame.  A night or two previous to his death, I urged him to quiet himself and offered, as a reason for it, the possibility of his disturbing the neighbors.

He immediately replied, “Be quiet, my son.  No, no!  If I had the voice of an angel, I would rouse the inhabitants of Baltimore to tell them the joys of redeeming love.  Victory, I have victory!  Victory, through the blood of the Lamb!  Victory through the blood of the Lamb,” were the last sentences trembled from his dying lips.

His death was a triumphant testimony!  Only the power of salvation can enable the soul to triumph when the body sinks into the tomb….

“This world is the land of the dying; the next, for the Christian, is the land of the living.”   — Author Unknown


Thomas Paine’s Last Words
Ingram Cobbin, Dying Sayings

Thomas Paine, a political writer and deist, was born in Norfolk, England, in 1737 and died in New York on June 8, 1809.  He was seventy-two years.  This unhappy unbeliever died in great misery from the consequence of his disgusting vices. 

He became an outcast from all respectable society.  He was said to have been irritable, vain, filthy, malignant, dishonest, and drunken.  Mr. Cunningham said, “Few men have been more bountifully favored with the gifts of nature and expansion of intellect than was Thomas Paine.  His essays on the political rights of man stand as a lasting monument of his genius and exhibit a mind girded with strength.  Yet even though he had outstanding success and acknowledged ability in effecting a political revolution, he revolted against God and common sense… He shut his eyes against rational evidence, denied the truth of Christianity, and became a skeptic.  This infatuated infidel was left to the fruits of his doings.  He degraded himself and died a fool….

Frequently, in his last distress, Mr. Paine called out, “Lord Jesus!  Help me.”

His doctor, Dr. Maiiley, asked him whether, from his calling so often upon the Saviour, if it was to be inferred that Thomas believed the Gospel.

He replied, “I have no wish to believe on that subject.” He expired in great agony.  Such are the fruits of infidelity.  How many, like Paine, were disloyal to God and were ruined?

“Some die without having really lived, while others continue to live, in spite of the fact that they have died.”  — Author Unknown 


The Last Words of Richard Hooker
Ingram Cobbin, Dying Sayings

Richard Hooker was born near Exeter, England, in 1553.  He possessed great learning, sound judgment, and distinguished himself by the book The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity. 

He was a meek, pious man and spent his days laboring to promote the glory of his Creator and the happiness of men.”

He died in the forty-seventh year of his age.  Before his departure, he said, “I have lived to see that this world is full of confusion and disorder.   I have been long preparing to leave it and gathering comfort for the awful hour of making up my account with God, which I now apprehend as nearby.  By his grace, I have loved Him from my youth, feared Him, and labored to have a conscience void of offense toward my God and all men.”

At another time, he said, “God hath heard my daily petition…  From this blessed assurance, I feel the inward joy the world can neither give nor take from me.  My conscience beareth me this witness, and this witness makes the thoughts of death joyful.  I could wish to live to do the church more service, but I cannot hope for it, for my days are past as a shadow and will not return.”  Shortly after uttering those words, he went home to be with God.”
“Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord….” (Rev.  14:13)  It shall be well with the righteous.


The Dying Words of Earl of Chesterfield
Ingram Cobbin, Dying Sayings

The Earl of Chesterfield was one of the most accomplished scholars of his time.  He sought all the world’s pleasures and informed us he enjoyed them.  However, he lived and died like a fool.

Though learned, polite, and witty, he was full of deceit and opposition to God.  He said, “My reason tells me I should wish for the end of life, but instinct makes me take all the proper methods to put it off.  This innate sentiment alone makes me bear life with patience!  I assure you, I have no hope, but, on the contrary, many fears from it.”

Poor man!  Is this all the comfort thou hast derived from all his accomplishments?  What a confession from a deathbed!  He added, “I can hardly persuade myself that all that frivolous hurry and bustle and all the pleasures of the world had any reality, but they seem to have been the dreams of restless nights.  Ah!  They can render no support to the dying soul.  They truly now appear like ‘dreams’ and were not important.”

The Death of A Young Man
Ingram Cobbin, Dying Sayings

In the summer of 1817, a camp meeting was held in East Hartford, Connecticut.  About eight thousand people were present, and about one hundred were saved.

The Rev. D. Dorchester, when recounting the meeting, said, “… A young man, about eighteen years of age, attended the meetings.  On Sunday evening, the Lord wrought powerfully among the people.

“Some of the young man’s associates sought and found the Saviour… Entreaties, expostulations, and tears urged the boy, but all in vain!  His reply to them was, ‘I will wait till I get home.’”

“He started for home with his mother.  At about five o’clock, he arrived within a few yards of his father’s house when suddenly he sprang from the wagon.  He exclaimed, “Mother, I am dying; I am dying.  I shall not live for one hour!  O, that I had sought salvation at the camp meeting!”

“A physician was called immediately, but his efforts were in vain.  Death had planted the arrow that no human hand could extract.  The boy’s skin soon assumed a purple hue.  His friends could only wait with anxiety and hear, with the most painful sensations, the regrets the boy uttered.  The next day, he breathed his last.”

Procrastination was the thief that stole the young man’s opportunity to be saved…. 
“(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)” II Cor. 6:2

THE BIBLE VIEW #879 — Grace

In This Issue:
Abounding Grace
What Is Grace?
Grace Is Sufficient
Grace  Day by Day
In the Nick of Time

Volume: 879     October 10, 2022
Theme:  Grace

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Please forward this Bible View to someone going through a difficult time.  It may encourage them and help draw them closer to God, who can be the giver of grace they may require for their trial.


Abounding Grace
Jay and Linda Aarseth, Missionaries in Thailand

Faith.  Trust.  Trusting not by what is seen, but by faith.

I thought I understood ‘Hope.  I have read many accounts of courageous men and women who have lived these simple words and made them embraceable.  We long to be able to follow their example of godliness and strength if we are ever called upon to do so.  One day, those words became our exam.

My husband, Jay, and I had been missionaries in Guam for five years.  We were in love with the church and the people and had never enjoyed the ministry more.  God had blessed us, and we were content, then a dreaded middle-of-the-night call came.

Our pastor reached us with news that our youngest daughter and her children had been in a house fire.  Our hearts pounded as we tried to secure our home in Guam and acquire tickets to the States, a task not easily done on such short notice.  We did not know the full extent of the injuries sustained until much later that day.

Three flights and 18 hours in the air separated us from the facts.  We thought the very worst.  Visions of burn victims flooded my mind’s eye and kept me nauseous and weak.  However, God gave me rest and quieted my soul in a way I had never known.

Our pastor met us in Atlanta with a car for us to drive to Augusta, where Lindsay, our daughter, and her two children had been flown via helicopter from Chattanooga, TN.  Our oldest daughter, Jessica, and her husband met us at the burn unit.  They tried to gently prepare us for what we would see.  We donned the sterile garb, scrubbed ourselves, and entered room #1.  As it turned out, Emma had been burned over 65% of her body, Lindsay 53%, and Ewan 45%.

Jay kept me from collapsing.  The three of them were swollen beyond recognition and their bodies were connected with tubes and staples. 

“God?  Faith?  Trust?  Hope?”  I had never known a time that I could not pray, but there were no words.  I didn’t need any.  God provided every ounce of emotional strength and physical ability I needed.  My heavenly Father was there!

My grandson, Ewan, was taken to Heaven three days after his arrival at the burn unit.  His little heart could not sustain his physical trauma.  Lindsay and little Emma, age 4, spent the next 62 days in ICU.  Both underwent miraculous skin grafts and rehabilitation.  Lindsay was in a drug-induced coma when Ewan died.  She had to be told of his death upon awakening. 

Day after day, I sat in the waiting room waiting for my 15 or 30-minute visit with each of my girls.  In the hours in between, I watched for others who were there because their loved one was also on the brink of death.  We sat with many family members who looked just like we did.  “Can anyone live through such a trauma?” I wondered.

The doctors said, “Yes.”  I did not see how any length of time could heal what I saw lying in those hospital beds.

I sought family members of other ICU patients and shared God’s grace and peace with them.  For 62 days, that waiting room was my mission field.  I cried and prayed with others as we shared a common pain.

I could write volumes about the love and compassion of those God sent our way.  My pastor and his wife were unbelievably supportive and compassionate.  They found a hospital in Chattanooga to hold our Ewan’s little body until Lindsay recovered enough to make arrangements for his burial. 

We did not know from day to day if Lindsay or Emma would survive.  God was there, though; I cannot say more.  He was everything we needed at every moment of every day.

Many more battles and trials followed.  I suppose there will always be pain and scars for my girls.  They are walking testimonies of the goodness of God, and they both allow their scars to speak of the Lord’s faithfulness.

I will never be the same.  My God had comforted me and helped me to grow.  He had given us a comfort wherewith we may comfort others.

Now we walk with a genuine sense of faith.  We have learned what it is to trust with no reservations and to believe in His goodness because He cared so tenderly for each of us during those awful days.

We can now embrace whatever He allows in our lives as having been filtered through His hands.  Such beauty has erupted from those ashes.  To God be the glory; great things He has done!

“’Grace’ means undeserved kindness.  It is the gift of God to man the moment man sees he is unworthy of God’s favor.” — D. L. Moody


What is Grace?
Noah Webster, 1828

Grace is:

  1. Favor; goodwill; kindness
  2. The free, unmerited love and favor of God
  3. Favorable influence of God
  4. The application of Christ’s righteousness to the sinner


Grace Is Sufficient
Author Unknown

“… My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” II Cor. 12:9
Booth-Tucker preached in Chicago one day.  Out from the crowd, a burdened toiler came and said to him, before all the audience, “You can talk like that about how Christ is dear to you and helps you, but if your wife was dead, as my wife is, and you had some babies crying for their mother who would never come back, you could not say what you are saying!”

A little later, Booth-Tucker lost his noble wife in a railway wreck.  The body was brought to Chicago and carried to the Salvation Army barracks for the funeral service. 

After others had conducted the funeral service, Booth-Tucker stood there by the casket, looked down into the face of the silent wife and his children’s mother, and said, “The other day, when I was here, a man said I could not say Christ was sufficient if my wife were dead, and my children were crying for their mother.  If that man is here, tell him that Christ is sufficient.  My heart is all broken; my heart is all crushed; my heart is all bleeding, but there is a song in my heart, and Christ put it there.  If that man is here, I tell you, though my wife is gone and my children are motherless, Christ comforts me today!”

That man was there, and down the aisle he went and fell beside the casket, saying, “Verily, if Christ can help us like that, I will surrender to Him.” 

“The Law detects.  Grace corrects.”   — Author Unknown


Grace
Author Unknown

He giveth more grace when burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added affliction, He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance;
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done;
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources;
Our Father’s full giving has only begun.

His love has no limit; His grace knows no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth and giveth and giveth again.

“Prayer is the practice of drawing on the grace of God.”  — Oswald Chambers 


Day by Day
D. L. Moody

A man can no more take a supply of grace for the future than he can eat enough today to last him for the next six months.  Nor can he take sufficient air into his lungs to sustain life for a week to come.  We must draw upon God’s boundless stores for grace from day to day, as we need it.

“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.  Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”  Matthew 6:34


In the “Nick of Time”
G. Campbell Morgan

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
I am never tired of pointing out that the Greek phrase translated, “… in the time of need,” is a colloquialism of which the “nick of time” is the exact equivalent: “… grace to help in ‘the nick of time.’”  God can give us grace just when and where we need it.

You may be attacked by temptation.  At the moment of assault, you look to Him, and grace is there to help in “the nick of time.”  No postponement of your petition until the evening hour of prayer, but there in the city street, with the flaming temptation in front of you, turn to Christ with a cry for help. The grace will be there in “the nick of time.”

“Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace.” 
— Martin Luther 

The BIBLE VIEW #877 — Money

In This Issue:
The Car in the Cellar
The Musings of a Dollar
Money
Affluency Now, Bankruptcy Later
Both Jewels and Life Lost
Applegate’s Cow

Volume: 877     September 26, 2022
Theme:  Money

Printable versions of The BIBLE VIEWs can be found at https://openthoumineeyes.com/newsletters.html. FREE versions include ones designed for church bulletin inserts/ handouts and a large print version!

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The Car in the Cellar
Bill Brinkworth

Years ago, a group of friends met in the basement of a city home.  During a friendly game of billiards, a crazy idea popped up in conversation.  “Wouldn’t it be funny,” one may have suggested, “if we could build a Model-T right here in the basement?”

Soon the group of mechanics was chuckling at the idea.  They all offered to pitch in.  Everyone volunteered to help bring the pieces of the automobile, one by one, through the upstairs doorway and down into the cellar.

The joke and dare became a project.  As promised, each man brought a piece of the car down the steps and into the cellar.  As more pieces arrived, the assembly progressed.  After an extended period, the car was completely assembled: fenders, tires, engine, interior, and every other part.  The professional mechanics even got it running.  What a neighborhood joke the car in the basement must have been.

Time passed.  One by one, the weekly meeting lost another member.  The original builders even forgot about their project.  

Soon, even the house was sold.  The new owners chuckled at what was downstairs, but the car’s novelty was quickly forgotten.

As I recall the story, the house was condemned many years later.  After the residence was destroyed, the old Ford was rolled away and sold.  The house and all the mechanics were gone, but the “treasure” remained.

What a similarity that Model-T is to what happens in many lives.  Little things that really have no importance become far too paramount in lives.

Many lives have been wasted, marriages destroyed, and families split up because priority was given to hobbies, friends, jobs, and “things.”  Once their life is over, the possessions may remain, but what was important was destroyed or never given the priority and time it deserved.

Vast numbers of people have died with quite an impressive number of “things,” but spiritually, they were destitute.  They had all this world offered them but died and went to Hell because their eternal destination never was a concern to them, but their possessions remained.
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36

“Things” are not that important.  They give temporary enjoyment, but that joy is not permanent.  Relationships with people are far more important.  Our children, family, and friends should be valued more than temporal things.  

What are we to profit if we have big cars and houses, but our children have had to raise themselves and have ruined their lives?  How are we rich when we have large bank accounts, but our family does not talk with us anymore?  What joy will that fancy car you sacrificed to have bring you when you have no one with which to share it?  

When our life is over, our “things” will remain, but will our influence on others be remembered?  Will our life have made a difference?

When the “house” of our world perishes is what remains that important?  On deathbeds, the shiny frills of this world are rarely mentioned.  

The assurance of Heaven and regrets for poor relationships are usually the primary concerns during our “end.”  Do not wait until death is imminent to get your priorities right!

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


The Musings of a Dollar
Author Unknown

If money could talk, it would make one of these three speeches:

  • It may say, “Hold me, and I will dry out the foundations of sympathy and benevolence in your soul and leave you barren and destitute.  Grasp me tightly, and I will change your sight.  You will care to look upon nothing that does not contain my image.  I will transform your hearing so that my soft metallic ring will sound louder than the cries of needy widows,  orphans, and the perishing multitudes.  Keep me, clutch me, and I will destroy your sympathy for others, your respect for what is right, and your love and reverence for God.”
  • Or it may say, “Spend me for self-indulgence, and I will make your soul fat and indifferent to all except your pleasure.  I will become your master, and you will think that I only am of importance and power.”
  • Or it may whisper, “Give me away for the benefit of others, and I will return in streams of spiritual revenue to your soul.  I will bless the one that received and the one that gave me away.  I will supply food for the hungry, raiment for the naked, medicine for the sick, and send the Gospel to the needy.  At the same time, I will secure joy and peace for the soul that uses me for others’ needs.” 


Money
Author Unknown

Dug from the mountainside
Or washed from the glen,
Servant am I or master of men.
Earn me, and I bless you;
Steal me, and I curse you;
Grasp me and hold me,
A fiend shall possess you.
Lie for me, die for me,
Covet me, take me —
Friend or foe,
I’m just what you make me.

“I finally figured out why people get nervous and upset when the love of money is preached.  The preacher is criticizing and devaluing their little ‘god,’ and they don’t like their religion belittled.” — B. B.

 
Affluence Now, Bankruptcy Hereafter
Author Unknown

A tribe in Africa elected a new king every seven years.  For seven years, the king enjoyed the high honor and was provided with every luxury known to the savage life. 

During those years, his authority was absolute.  He even had the power of life and death.  For seven years, he ruled, was honored, and surfeited with possessions, but he was killed at the end of the period. 

Every member of the tribe was aware of the king’s fate, for it was a long-standing custom.  However, there was never an applicant lacking for the post.  For seven years of luxury and power, men were willing to sacrifice the remainder of their life. 

They may have been pagans, yet in the proudest civilization of our day, men and women of intelligence and leadership are making the same choice between things now and spiritual bankruptcy in the hereafter.  Scores are willing to be bankrupt through eternity if they may only have wealth now.

Both Jewels and Life Lost
Walter Knight

Some wealthy persons of Pompeii, aware of the coming volcanic destruction, fled, leaving valuables behind as they deemed them worthless compared to their lives.

Among the discoveries in the city’s ruins were the remains of a woman in the act of gathering rings, bracelets, and other valuable articles of jewelry left behind.  The woman delayed the time of her flight and was overwhelmed by the holocaust!   Both her jewels and life were lost.

“Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them.  Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.  But ye said, Wherein shall we return?  Will a man rob God?  Yet ye have robbed me.  But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee?  In tithes and offerings.  Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.”
Malachi 3:7-9.


Applegate’s Cow
Author Unknown

A summer boarder at the Applegate’s farm asked, “How much milk does that cow give?”

“Wal,” replied farmer Applegate, “ef ya mean by voluntary contribooshun, she don’t give none.  But ef ye kin get her cornered so’s she can’t kick none to hurt, an able-bodied man kin take away about ‘leven quarts a day from her.” 

Unfortunately, that sounds like the way many give to the Lord.  Too many are like farmer Applegate’s cow when it comes to giving.

The Bible View #875 — Worry

In This Issue:
Look Only at Today’s Challenges!
Why Worry?
It’s Okay; The Master Is Nearby.
Not Trusting God

Volume: 875     September 12, 2022
Theme:  Worry

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Look Only at Today’s Challenges!
Bill Brinkworth

“And he [Jesus] said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.” Luke 12:22

We all have been vexed by what we have perceived as problems.  Worrying about life’s troubles consumes too much time for many.  Sometimes the anxieties are legitimate; sometimes, they are only imagined and never come to fruition.

God has much to say about the sin of worrying in His Word.  Matthew 6:34, along with Luke 12:22, compels us not to worry about our needs and to take life’s obstacles on a day-by-day basis.

We have a lot on our plate for today; do not worry about what may or may not happen tomorrow.  Besides, what situation has worrying ever improved?
“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.  Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:34

Looking at all the challenges that could happen on another day is very frustrating.  I remember the same feeling when told to weed a 40-foot garden when I was younger.

My mother gave me the chore to weed a backyard flower patch.  I worked a short time and then looked to where I was to finish.  It seemed so far away and impossible.

I worked a little more and then looked to the far end.  I felt I would never get finished and that it was almost a hopeless task that would never be completed.

Then I came up with a different strategy.  Instead of looking at the whole task, I looked no further than two feet in front of me.

Looking up, I saw my short goal and weeded hard to reach it.  When I achieved that mark, I looked up two feet further and made that my next mission.

Never did I look to the end again.  I kept making short commitments.

I remember at one point, which did not seem that long after starting, where I permitted myself to look back at where I had started.  The beginning point was far, far behind me.  I accomplished something.  I was realizing that the task was obtainable.

Again, I returned to my two-foot tasks.  Before long, my next look at the two-foot objective made me realize it was the end.

Small bites at the task and not fretting over the overall picture made the job seem faster to complete and less agonizing.  From that chore, I learned to set shorter goals and to keep plodding at them until the main goal was reached.

Life has many challenges that we will face.  God does not give us more than we can handle.  Be concerned with what God gives us to do today.  When tomorrow comes, he will also give us the grace to meet the challenges we face on that day.

“Worry is a kind of insult to the Lord.  It’s like throwing His promises and assurances back into His face and saying they’re no good and you don’t trust Him.”  –  Fletcher


Why Worry?
Walter Knight

A French soldier in World War I carried with him this little bit of common sense about worry.  It was, “Of two things, one is certain; either you are at the front, or you are behind the lines.  If you are at the front, of two things one is certain: either you are exposed to danger, or you are in a safe place.  If you are exposed to danger, of two things one is certain: either you are wounded, or you are not wounded.  If you are wounded, of two things one is certain: either you recover, or you die.  If you recover, there is no need to worry.  If you die, you can’t worry; so why worry?

“Blessed is the man who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy at night.”  —  Riney


It’s Okay; The Master Is Nearby.
Bill Brinkworth

“And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.  24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.  25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.  26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?  Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.” Matthew 8:23-26

The disciples had witnessed many of the healings and casting out of demons that Jesus had done. They realized that God could have only done such miracles.  Yet, with all they had seen and heard, they were still men and had weaknesses.

In Matthew 8:23-26, it is seen that Jesus’ disciples experienced a terrible storm at sea while the Son of God was on board. Still, they feared perishing from the overpowering weather, although the Master of the seas, Earth, and planets was close by. All their spiritual victories and observations of God’s power were washed overboard, along with the storm’s waters because of their lapse in faith.

We cannot blame them for their weakness, as we are as guilty as they are. We may have experienced spiritual victories or have seen mighty things in our lives that only God’s intervention could explain. Never will we forget God’s answering our prayers and the times we saw God’s hand change a hopeless situation into one with a perfect, peaceful ending. 

However, like the disciples, amidst all we have seen and been convinced of, we too can be shaken and fearful. Something unexpected and surprising can make us afraid as well.

Jesus was asleep in the Matthew 8 account. Nothing was disturbing Him. He was not pacing the deck and wringing His hands. Jesus was not fretting because He was the answer to their misery.  God’s son knew what would happen in the future, and there was nothing that would occur He could not handle.

When we are frightened for our safety, health, or well-being, remember what the Saviour did for His fellow ship passengers in this account.  Jesus instantly got involved when the disciples came to Him and changed the circumstances. He can also help us when He is allowed in our “boat.”

Jesus was there at the creation of all that is in this world (Genesis 1:26). He created the waters that were threatening the tiny vessel. The Son of God had total control of the threatening winds He had allowed to howl. Nothing took Him by surprise.  Not one thing startled Him then, and nothing is unknown to Him when it happens in our lives today. 

Jesus knows about the doctor’s verdict of an “incurable” disease. He knows we lost our job.  The possibility of losing the house we live in is not a surprise to Him, nor is the whereabouts and spiritual condition of a wayward child unknown to Him. 

He is calm. Jesus is in control. Everything will be all right. The Master is on deck. It will just take a few words from His mighty tongue to dispel all we fear. As long as He is nearby, why should we worry?

“Courage is fear that has said its prayers!”


Not Trusting God
South, 1633-1716

While we fret and repine at God’s will, do we not think that it is better for us to have our way?  Our worrying is saying to God that we are wiser than Him and could contrive things much more to our advantage if we were in control of them.  Does not our complaining suggest that we should run our lives, the world, and not Him?

These indeed are things that man may not utter, but whosoever refuses to submit himself to the hand of God speaks them aloud by his behavior.  Our doubts and fears are a surer indication of man’s true mind and faith (or lack of it).

God, perhaps, is pleased to visit us with some heavy affliction.  Shall we now, out of a due reverence of His all-governing wisdom, patiently endure it, or out of a blind presumption of our own, endeavor by some sinister way or other to rid ourselves of it?

Passengers on a ship always submit to their pilot’s discretion, especially in a storm.  Shall we, whose passage lies through a greater and more dangerous deep, pay less deference to that great Pilot, who not only understands but also commands the seas?

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark.  However, the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” — Plato

The BIBLE VIEW #874 — Doers of His Word

In This Issue:
Spiritual Gluttony
Forgotten Treasure
God’s Commandments Are Not a Burden
The Hedge on the Way to the Mansion
The Natural Man

Volume: 874     September 5, 2022
Theme:  Doers of His Word

www.OpenThouMineEyes.com offers many Christian resources, including lessons for pastors and Sunday school teachers, Bible-related articles, puzzles, a daily devotion, and past Bible Views.

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Spiritual Gluttony
Bill Brinkworth

Many have heard scriptural teaching again and again.  From the pulpit, they have heard what God wants them to do.  From television, radio, and biblical-based articles, they have also heard what God’s will and way is.  Christian acquaintances and family members may also have voiced biblical principles.  All the biblical input has fattened their head-knowledge of spiritual and biblical things, but they have not reacted or moved on what they have learned.  They are hearers of God’s Word but are not doers of His commandments (James 1:22-25).

Through preaching, they have heard a clear message on what the Bible says one must do to be saved, yet they have not trusted Christ alone as their way to Heaven.  They have heard how God expects every child of God to tell others how to be saved.  Yet, many have not even tried to tell others how to be born again.

A sermon showed them how it is stealing from God not to tithe (Malachi 3:8-10).  They nodded in agreement with the preacher on that matter, yet they still have never faithfully given to the local church part of what they earned that week.

A radio message convicted them deeply of a sin they were involved in, and their guilt over the sin’s commission has bothered them.  However, they still have not made one attempt to curb their iniquity.  On and on the list could go of truths that have been heard from the Word of God.  

Admittedly, most know what God wants them to do and what He does not want them to do.  Yet, all that knowledge lies in their brain, unused and unapplied.

Many are appalled at those that have gained enormous amounts of weight.  They shake their head as television interviews reveal people that weigh 500 pounds or more.  They diagnose the eater’s problem quickly; the overweight person eats more calories than he is burning in exercise or daily living.  They see how dangerous it is for the heavy one to sit all day in front of the television consuming bags of chips and other junk foods.  Yet, they do not see the parallel between one who eats more than he uses and their spiritual fatness of absorbing the things of God and utilizing very little of what they have absorbed.

Spiritually, they have become obese, yet they do not see their unhealthy spiritual condition.  They hear preaching, read their Bible, go to church often, and even listen to Christian radio and television regularly.

I have heard many “obese” Christians wax eloquent.  They boasted of how many years they had attended church or how much Scripture they knew.  I have often felt dumb after hearing them demonstrate their head knowledge of the scriptures.  They are quite knowledgeable.  However, that feeling goes away when I hear their testimony of never having witnessed to one soul, never having done anything for the Lord but sit and soak, or never having shown any signs of spiritual growth in their lives.

What are you doing with the things of God you have heard?  God did not allow you to learn His ways to appear smart about the things of God or to inflate your pride.  He allowed you to hear His message so that you would do for Him what He desires.  Are you doing what God has shown you to do?  Are you burning spiritual calories?

Scriptures related to this subject: James 1:22-25, Matthew 7:21, Luke 6:46, Luke 11:28, Luke 12:48, Romans 2:13, I John 3:7.

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” James 1:22-25


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 a copy of the Bible in a neglected corner 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 searched the house for what they thought must be a jewel or a pot of gold but found nothing.  They dug up the floor, hoping to discover 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 told her thoughts to the rest of the family.  They began to read the Bible and were changed in character, and the blessings of God came to stay with them. 

The stranger returned 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 done all you said it would.”

God’s Commandments Are Not a Burden
T. Watson

Cicero questioned what can be called a burden if one carries it with delight and pleasure.  If a man takes a bag of money, it is heavy, but the joy in his treasure far outweighs any burden it may cause.

God gives inward joy that makes His commandments delightful.  That joy is like oil to wheels that makes a Christian run in the way of God’s commandments so that it is not burdensome.

“Obedience is the way to experience God’s greatest blessing.”


The Hedge on the Way to the Mansion
Dr. J. Hamilton

Reconciliation to God is like entering the gate onto a beautiful road, which takes one to a splendid mansion.  The avenue is long, and sometimes it skirts the edge of dangerous cliffs.  There is a fence of hedges to save the traveler from falling over their edges, where he would be dashed to pieces. 

That “hedge” in our lives is God’s commandments.  They were given so that we may do ourselves no harm.  Like a fence of briars, they protect the one traveling the road if he keeps to the route.  They only hurt him when he breaks through the hedge.

Temperance, justice, truthfulness, purity of speech and behavior, obedience to parents, mutual affection, and the worship of God are righteous requirements.  When keeping them, there is a great reward.  Life’s possible “thorns also do no damage.”  Happy is he who stays on the “road” and never feels the pricks of the hedges by breaking God’s commandments.

“A child on a rocking horse is much like many Christians.  They have plenty of motion, but no progress.”


The Natural Man
Bill Brinkworth

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” I Corinthians 2:14

Many people try to understand the things of God, but they never truly grasp their truths, nor do they seem real to them.  They may have studied the scriptures, memorized them, and appeared knowledgeable about biblical facts.  However, there still seems to be a missing connection that does not allow them to grasp the truths from the Word of God.

Preaching also may be entertaining and even interesting to them.  Still, the truths spoken to them from the pulpit never make it to their spiritual heart and change anything.  Many even feel church attendance is meaningless, which is why they seldom attend.

It is often not the preacher’s fault that they “get nothing from the service” or “do not feel convicted.”  I Corinthians 2:14 puts the finger on who some of them are and why a spiritual connection is missing in their lives.

The reason that they are not grasping biblical truths or are not Spirit-led is that they are “natural” men and women.  They are either not born-again and cannot have a relationship with the Lord until they are saved, or they may be so worldly minded that they could not hear the convicting Spirit of God if He blew an air horn in their ear.  A “natural” man is one that is just the way they were born, without any spiritual alterations, illuminations, and connections.

No one can understand the things of God unless the Holy Spirit shows them (I Corinthians 2:11).  A person can have head-knowledge of biblical and spiritual things.  However, unless the Holy Spirit is involved, there will never be a connection between what the brain knows and what the spiritual “heart” believes.

Well-educated preachers have often been in left field regarding understanding God’s desires because they were under their power of understanding and not the Holy Spirit’s.  Education alone does not make the “connection.”

Preaching and the things of God are not appreciated and are meaningless to a “natural” man.  However, preaching God’s Word is essential to a saved person.  The exhortation of God’s Word and its teaching are spiritual food to a believer.  It encourages, guides, and strengthens a child of God.  To that person, it is foolish not to be at church, where God’s Word is taught.