July 20, 2015

The Psalm of the Word (Part 1): Blessing

The Psalm of the Word

How blessed are those whose way is blameless,
Who walk in the law of the Lord.

How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,
Who seek Him with all their heart.

They also do no unrighteousness;
They walk in His ways.

You have ordained Your precepts,
That we should keep them diligently.

Oh that my ways may be established
To keep Your statutes!

Then I shall not be ashamed
When I look upon all Your commandments.

I shall give thanks to You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.

I shall keep Your statutes;
Do not forsake me utterly!

(Psalm 119:1-8)

David began this psalm by introducing the idea that God’s word is a blessing to us. Why should we recognize the word of God as a blessing, and what should we do as a result?
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June 9, 2015

Who Is Affected By Sin?

Pollution

Many people choose to ignore sin. Sadly, even some Christians do this. They ignore the sins of others because they see the sins as being between them and God and so they are of no concern. They often ignore their own sin believing that God’s grace will cover them. Yet sin cannot be ignored.

“The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant” (Isaiah 24:5).

In the verse above, sin is described as pollution. This analogy is used because sin affects more than just the one who committed the sin. So in this article, I want us to consider this question: Who is affected by sin?
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November 10, 2014

The Root of the Problem (Part 15): We’ve Made It a Habit

The Root of the Problem: Why We Sin & How We Can Overcome

A habit is “a recurrent, often unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired through frequent repetition” (The American Heritage Dictionary). Anything can become a habit, even those things which are good.

Sadly, many have developed a habit of sin. They have sinned so often that they now do it without even thinking. This is a very dangerous condition. We cannot repent of sin unless we first see the sin that is in our lives. The occasional sin is easier to see. It stands out to us – not just because it is out of character for us to engage in a certain behavior, but because we have to make the conscious decision to ignore what we know to be right in order to do what is wrong.

Habitual sins are able to hide because we do not think about them. Our decision to commit them is often unconscious. This does not excuse the action. Sin is sin, no matter how much thought we put into it. But when sin becomes a normal part of our routine, not only will our habitual sins continue, but the door will be wide open for other sins to enter into our life.
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May 23, 2013

“Raccoon” John Smith: A Conscience Not For Sale

The conscience, if properly trained and used, will help one to be faithful to the Lord. Once one knows the truth, his conscience helps motivate him to practice it. If he does not, his conscience strikes him with guilt, motivating him to repentance.

Unfortunately, there are many who know the truth, but choose not to practice it. They may feel guilty at first, but eventually they become “seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron” (1 Timothy 4:2). They have forfeited their good conscience and all the benefits of it. Many sacrifice their conscience for such things as riches, comfort, security, and the approval of others.

This was the test put against “Raccoon” John Smith when he left the Baptist church in order to practice and preach the simple gospel of Christ. Yet Smith made it clear that his conscience could not be bought with any earthly enticements.
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April 16, 2013

What We Profess With Our Dress

Woman Standing in a Field

“Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness” (1 Timothy 2:9-10).

Paul talked about women wearing clothing that is “proper for women making a claim to godliness.” The King James Version contains this phrase: “women professing godliness.” The point is that our clothing makes a statement. We should ask ourselves: Are we making the right statement with our clothing?

These verses are specifically directed toward women. There is a reason for this – women are much more likely to cause harm with their improper dress. It is not that men can dress however they want without any thought to “godliness.” The principles in this passage – as well as the others we will be considering in this article – apply to both men and women. In this article, we will notice some of the things that we should profess with our dress.
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January 22, 2013

Hedges to Help Protect Us from Sin

Hedges

When Satan came before the Lord, God praised Job for his righteousness: “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil” (Job 1:8). Satan, however, protested. In his mind, he believed that God was unfairly protecting Job from temptation: “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side?” (Job 1:10). This “hedge” of divine blessing made Job less susceptible to temptation.

Of course, when God granted permission for this “hedge” to be removed, Job remained faithful (Job 1:22; 2:10). But the fact that Job had to work harder to resist the temptation to forsake God cannot be denied. Temptation was more severe when the “hedge” protecting Job was taken away.

As we make application to our lives, we should understand that we can have certain hedges to help protect us from sin. God has promised a way of escape so that every temptation can be defeated (1 Corinthians 10:13). The more hedges we have in place, the better we will be able to overcome temptation.

The only infallible safeguard against temptation is the word of God. The wise man wrote, “Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him” (Proverbs 30:5). However, there are other hedges that we can put in place to help guard against temptation. We will consider a few of these in this article. We should understand that none of these safeguards are infallible, but they can greatly help if we use them properly.
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June 26, 2012

Making Sin a Trivial Thing (6/26)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 1 Kings 15:25-16:34; 2 Chronicles 17.

“Now Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. Ahab son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him.

“It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went to serve Baal and worshiped him. So he erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal which he built in Samaria. Ahab also made the Asherah. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (1 Kings 16:29-33).

Ahab is one of the more infamous kings in the Bible. The text says he provoked the Lord more than the kings who came before him (quite a feat in itself) and that sin had become trivial.
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