In this “Gimme Generation”, where so many preachers cater to the carnal desires of people to gain a following and pad their bank accounts, the sad fact is that many have fallen prey to the “What’s in for me” way of life. They are more concerned about what they get than they are about what they give. Perhaps these words from the pen of A. W. Tozer will help:

“I am convinced that anyone who brings up the question of consequences in the Christian life is only a mediocre and common Christian! I have known some who were interested in the deeper life, but began asking questions: “What will it cost me-in terms of time, in money, in effort, in the matter of my friendships?” Others ask of the Lord when He calls them to move forward: “Will it be safe?” This question comes out of our constant bleating about security and our everlasting desire for safety above all else. A third question that we want Him to answer is: “Will it be convenient?” What must our Lord think of us if His work and His witness depend upon the security and the safety and the convenience of His people? No element of sacrifice, no bother, no disturbance-so we are not getting anywhere with God! We have stopped and pitched our tent halfway between the swamp and the peak. We are mediocre Christians!”

“- – -There is nothing too hard for Thee” Jeremiah 32:17
Facing the challenges of his day, James Smith, predecessor to Charles Spurgeon, wrote these words to his congregation in 1864. In in effort to convince you that no challenge we face is beyond God’s ability, I can do no better than remind you of what he wrote. We must not allow the obstacles to blind us to the opportunity, lest we lose it. Doubt spells death! Only as we have faith to follow can we expect to be fruitful.

If I could add anything to this it would be this–“we have no might– – – neither know we what to do : but our eyes are upon thee.(2 Chron. 20:12)

You don’t have to dress like the world, talk like the world, act like the world, or act like you are from out of the world– from another planet, to get attention—the wrong kind of attention. Just act like Jesus. Conduct yourself like Christ. That will get you noticed for sure, in a good way. There is no place in the church for “showing-off”, boasting, etc. If your goal is impress others, win their admiration, gain their applause, and out-do somebody else, you have the wrong attitude. Whether you are singing, praying, preaching, giving, or participating in a business meeting your desire should be to glorify God, not gratify self.Think about it!

When a loved one dies we are overcome by grief and afflicted by how awful it is, and it is terribly difficult to deal with. However, there is something more awful than that. Imagine never loving anyone enough to weep over them when they are gone. To be so cold, calloused, indifferent, and detached that we can’t weep over their demise is a horrible thought.

What a miserable life it would be to never love anyone enough to weep when they cry and grieve when they die. As someone said, “Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all”. Love hurts– it’s that plain and simple. Pain is the price we pay for caring, but it is not so high as the price we pay for not loving at all. Pity the person who knows not the joy of loving and being loved.

So, rather than getting angry about the agony of losing a loved one, let us be thankful that we have had the privilege and pleasure of loving another. To be able to love others is a gift that God alone can give. We love Him because He first loved us and loving Him leads to loving others. Losing them is painful, but it is far better than never having loved them at all.

No you won’t get over their loss overnight— you’re not suppose to! God has given us the ability to remember for a reason. He could blot out your recollection of a person the moment they die— your memory of them could die with them, but God didn’t make us that way. He knows the pleasure of your memories out-weighs the pain of your misery, so He enables you to bask in the sunshine of your precious memories. They give you reason to rejoice.

Besides, in the case of a Christian, you haven’t really “lost” your loved one. Death is merely a temporary separation. God’s people never meet for the last time! There is a glorious reunion day coming when all of God’s children will be gathered home– never to part again. Until then let us be cheered by God’s “exceeding great and precious promises”( 2Pet. 1:4). The best is yet to come. Weep not because you grieve, rejoice because you can. Think about it!

Note: This article is dedicated to the memory of Samuel Keen, a man who loved his country and community enough to risk his life to serve both.– Bro. Stone

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Prov. 14:12

Due to their sin God sent fiery serpents into the camp of ancient Israel. Then He instructed Moses to make a brazen serpent, put it on a pole, and set it in the midst of the camp. Then He healed all who obeyed and looked upon it. There was no other cure.

Donald Grey Barnhouse, the late well-known pastor and radio preacher, illustrated how the human heart responds to “fiery serpents”:

In the religious fashion of our day, there would have been a rush to incorporate the “Society for the Extermination of the  Fiery Serpents.” There would have been badges for coat lapels, cards for district workers, secretaries for organization branches, pledge cards, and mass rallies. There would have been a publication office and a weekly journal to tell of the progress of the work. There would have been photographs of heaps of serpents that had been killed by the faithful workers, all of them feverishly trying, by human effort, to overcome the serpent’s bite of sin!

This Old Testament event, found in Numbers 21, is really a wonderful picture of what Christ would do thousands of years later on the cross. He would hang in our place as a sinner so that all who looked upon Him might be saved.

In John 14:6, Christ says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” There is no other way to God but to look upon the crucified Savior and believe.

People today are surrounded with all the trappings of religion: they join churches, sign pledge cards, go through Bible lessons and catechisms, give money, get baptized, and in the end, still die without the cure for sin. The truth is, we all have been bitten by sin and its poison is steadily and continually rushing through our veins—we are terminally infected with the venom of sin’s curse.

Our only hope is to look to that wooden cross upon which the Lamb of God was held up for all to see.  Look there! . . . God has provided your cure.- – –

Though you already may have  accepted Christ’s gift of salvation, it is very easy to take your eyes off Him. As Paul said, we must “fix our eyes on Jesus,” and that should be your prayer today. Don’t let yourself forget the awesome work Christ did for you at the cross; practice thanking Him for it . . . start today! (Wisdom for the Heart)