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Proverbs 14:12 Life - it’s what happens every day! Life forces choices upon us. Choices of all kinds from such things as jobs, careers, schools and marriage to these types of things: morality, purpose of life, faith and world view. Some of these choices we make with thoughtful effort, but others we just kind of grow into. We might say our environment chooses for us. That can be good, or it can be bad. The Bible speaks repeatedly of a way of life. Jesus spoke of the straight and narrow way which leads to life and a broad way leading to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). Our text has the same idea in mind where a way which seems right to a person leads to death (eternal death is in view). This being the case, how vital it is to examine the way we live for the warning is chilling - you may be on a path which looks good to you, but its end is destruction! What would make a way of life seem good to us when it really wasn’t good at all? First, we tend to like to go with the crowd. If others are living a certain way, and that way of living is being validated by certain people “in the know,” then we will often follow it. If others are living in such a way, it must be all right for me. Another way in which we choose the wrong path is that we often choose the one which requires the least effort. We don’t like hard work. We don’t like change. We don’t like to sacrifice. So unless we see really good reason to choose a way of living which requires any of these, we’ll balk at it and choose an easier road. Lastly, some ways just seem good to us as our text says. It fits with our current view of things. It “strokes my ego” and “inflates my pride.” Every thing about that way of life just lines up with my way of thinking and seeing life. So, if it seems good to me, what can be the harm in it? How crucial it is that each one of us evaluate (and regularly do so) the way of life which we are taking for death could well be its destination! Only the Word of God can keep us on the path of life.

Hebrews 11:23-29 Few people will argue that sin is not harmful to a person, a family, a church or a nation. Individuals destroy themselves through abuse of drugs and alcohol, greed, sexual lust, pride and a host of other evils. All of these affect the relationships of the person caught up in them. Marriages, friendships and fellowship in Christ are strained and often broken because of the sin of just one person. When an entire people is led astray from God and His way of righteousness, moral chaos soon follows. Added to all of these sufferings and heartaches is the final destruction of those who do not repent and turn to the Savior. Sin destroys in a multitude of ways. One of the most dangerous aspects of sin is that it usually comes wrapped in a lovely, pleasure-packed bundle...

James 5:19-20 Every once in a while we see on the news about a toddler who got out of the house undetected and was found wandering around in the nearby locale. Usually it comes to light that one of the parents was only distracted for a few minutes when the child wandered off. Sometimes the outcome in such situations is tragic, so we all breathe a sign of relief when the child is found unharmed. Those of us who have kids and grandkids truly appreciate such situations. James writes about church wanderers. These wanderers stray away from the truth. James does not indicate whether this is a departure from sound doctrine or a drifting away in obedience to the word. He could have both under consideration. Note carefully that these Christians stray from the truth. In so writing James is arguing that there is objective truth, and it is possible to wander from it. That truth is, of course, the word of God (John 17:17). There is no truth given to the human race other than the Holy Scriptures for teaching us God’s ways. These wanderers at one time embraced the truth but have now strayed from it. This is another argument against the erroneous doctrine of “once saved always saved.” This wandering is also fatal. Just as sometimes the toddler who wanders off comes to a terrible end, so the person who wanders from the truth faces death, but of a different kind. Observe that those who turn them back will save a “soul from death.” The consequences are eternal. Peter says their situation is worse than before they knew the Lord (2 Peter 2:20-22). However, we praise our God because these wanderers can be rescued by turning them from the error of their way and bringing them back to the truth of God. And note this: any Christian can do this! Certainly it is the responsibility of the shepherds of a congregation, but rescuing wanderers is for anyone who has the whole-hearted love of God for his/her wandering brother or sister. Are you aware of someone who has wandered from the truth?

Genesis 3:1-7 Last Fall, we changed banks. One might think that banks are pretty much the same, and in many ways they are. But banks have some differences about check cashing, types of accounts, interest rates and such. We had a lot of questions to ask when we changed over. Even after we had set things up, we realized that we still had some questions to be answered. We needed more information. We just hadn’t asked all the right questions. Sometimes in our moral and spiritual dealings we have the same problem. We don’t ask all the right questions, or we ask the wrong questions. It was that way back in Eden, too. When the serpent came slithering into the garden, he knew what buttons to push to get Eve to ask the wrong questions. (He’s really good at that.) One of the subtleties of the devil’s temptation was to shift the focus of the situation from God to Eve. (He still does this today.) He began by asking about what God had said concerning eating the fruit of the trees of the garden., but then he brought the discussion around to Eve. He said that she would not die if she ate of the forbidden tree, but that she would become “like God, knowing good and evil.” You can almost hear the “wheels turning” in Eve’s head as you read v 6. She is looking at and considering the forbidden fruit. “Well, it looks good for food. And it is lovely to look at. And if it will make me wise...Hmmm?” In a very short time, Eve had gone from believing what Gad had said regarding the tree to what she thought about the tree. And then it was that she transgressed. Let’s learn from Eve. Consult the word of God and don’t simply rely on what we think or have heard somewhere. Often we ask the wrong questions because we’re already looking for a certain answer. The right questions center on God and His truth. The wrong ones almost always focus on our own desires, expectations and preconceived ideas. Learn to ask the right questions.

1 Chronicles 29:10-19 David is called by God “a man after My heart” (Acts 13:22). We wonder at times about this when we read of the egregious acts which David committed. However, our text today gives great insight into the heart of David, and helps to explain God’s assessment of him. It is an oft neglected piece of scripture which contains David’s prayer before assembled Israel as he commissions Solomon to build the temple. (Please read 1 Chronicles 28 and 29 for the full picture.) David’s prayer is not one in which he is asking the Lord of anything, but is a prayer with primarily two elements: acknowledging God as sovereign over all the earth and recognizing man’s dependence upon Him for all things. David has been deeply moved by the generous outpouring of gifts for the construction of the temple, but He knows that this has all happened because of the Lord. “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power...Yours is the dominion...” If only the world would see and accept this, so many things would be so much better. If only the church would see and accept this..! I know, we say we believe it, but do we live like we believe it? Hmmm? When some ruling by a court goes against our religious liberty, to whom do we look for relief? The courts? Lawyers? Politicians? Or to the Lord God? “Both riches and honor come from you...in Your hand is power and might...” Is it true or not? Yes, we say it’s true. The question is: Is it true for you? David continues “...it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone...For all things come from You...” He sees God as the source of all blessings and the One who is able to reverse the fortunes of any person. Perhaps this is one reason why so many struggle even with the basics in life - they really don’t believe that the Lord is able help them out. “For we are sojourners...tenants; ...all this abundance...to build You a house...is from Your hand...” A man after God’s own heart. No wonder David was so richly blessed by the Lord.

Proverbs 18:2 Opinions are “a dime a dozen.” That’s why everyone’s got one about everything. “Go to Big Mart so you can get the best prices.” “No, go to the specialty shops where there’s more selection and better quality.” “This President’s doing a good job.” “This President should resign.” “Ford makes the best trucks.” “Chevy trucks are superior.” “Dodge Ram offers more for the money.” There are two major problems with opinions. First, they are set on a narrow base of knowledge and are highly influenced by preferences. That narrow base is the opiner’s accumulated life experience, be it formal education, information from numerous sources, personal interactions, family history, etc. All of these influence the formation of an individual’s opinion on any matter. Naaman had an opinion about how the prophet should heal him (2 Kings 5:11). Nathanael thought Nazareth was totally corrupt (John 1:46). The church at Laodicea thought they were doing just fine (Revelation 3:17). None of them were right! The second problem with opinions is that, over time, a person tends to start seeing them as fact. They move from the “this is my opinion about that” column to the “indisputable fact” column. This makes it much more difficult to adjust one’s view of something or even change it altogether. For example, if brother Smith has made declarations and assertions about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit which he sees as “gospel truth,” how difficult is it for him when brother Jones presents an argument or scripture which brother Smith has never considered? This is where discussion ceases and arguments and other problems begin. How much better to say: “This is my position on this matter right now based upon what I know”? As our scripture reveals, too many people these days are not interested in real understanding or the whole truth, but just want to express their own mind. Opinions have their place, but wisdom and understanding are what we all need (Proverbs 3:13).

Mark 11:12-14, 20-24 It would be my opinion that every Christian living today has prayed to God for something and never received it. Yes? Has that happened to you? It has to me. With all of the “ask and you shall receive” teachings in scripture, what do you suppose is the reason for this? Why do you suppose more of our prayers are not granted by our heavenly Father? At times it seems that the door to the throne room is either closed, or the divine ear is listening to something else (perhaps the cries of the hungry or those in prison for their faith). Too often, I think, we “write off” our unanswered prayers as not being the will of God (1 John 5:14), and certainly that could be the case. However, our reading suggests to me one very strong reason why prayer is not answered by the Almighty. The fig tree incident is an “enacted” parable, an opportunity Jesus used to teach a lesson to the disciples. The leaves signaled the possibility of fruit, but there was not even an early fig. In context, the tree is Israel who had become fruitless although exhibiting many outward signs of being a fruitful vine. The leaders of Israel had failed. The tree is cursed. When Peter remarks about the withered tree the next day, Jesus’ succinct response is : “Have faith in God.” Israel had ceased having faith in God and had gone off after “other gods,” in particular Rome, to maintain their existence as a political entity. They trusted in themselves and as a result, they were fruitless. Jesus impresses upon His disciples that faith in God is paramount to accomplishing anything in the kingdom and asking God to bring it about is a must. But asking isn’t enough; one must ask and not doubt and believe that you’ve already received your request! Too many of us search for the “right words” to say in our prayers or simply repeat the same phrases. Prayer isn’t about right words but about faith in God, about believing that He will deliver! Doubt must be crushed with unwavering belief in God. Not just words, but faith. Pray believing. “Have faith in God.”

Job 37: 1-13 It snowed today. It’s winter, and we can expect that here where we live, but the reactions to the snow are always varied. Some see snow as a nuisance, even a curse. They have to shovel the walk, clean off the SUV and drive more slowly. Some are even petrified to drive in the snow. If the schools close, then there is a scramble to find someone to be with the kids: grandma, Aunt Trixie, who? Other folks love snow. They enjoy the beauty of it, its rather peaceful presence on the ground bringing a certain muffling of the sounds of both man and machine. For the kids, the more snow the better! Snow men, snow forts, snow ball battles, snow angels, football in the snow - no school! And what’s better than after an afternoon spent snowballing and being soaked to the skin than to curl up in a warm blanket with a cup of hot cocoa? Whether you’re a snow lover or someone who just sees it as another annoyance of life, we all tend to forget that snow comes from the hand of God. Yes, I’m well aware of the laws of meteorology and such things as high and low pressure systems, fronts, winds, humidity levels, the heating of the sun, etc. God has set these things in motion to function in certain ways in His creation, but I am not one to believe that God is “hands off” in what happens on His planet Earth. We can read through our text and nod at the figurative language in which God “thunders with His voice” and how “From the breath of God ice is made.” We don’t take such phrases literally, nor are we meant to. However, we need to pay careful attention to v 13. Here is conveyed the idea that God is very much involved with His creation and uses it to accomplish His purposes. It could be for correction (i.e. discipline) that He sends a storm or causes a drought. He might be showing His mercy in sending much needed rain. It could just be normal maintenance. In any case, God did it! It snowed today. I choose to believe that God sent a blessing. What do you think?

Luke 15:8-10 It was her future livelihood. She had been putting it aside for many years. Able to make clothes and mend, she had scratched out a living for herself since her husband had died. When the Lord had blessed her work, she had put some silver coins away for the time when she could no longer sew. Even now she was feeling the creep of time on her hands and back as she sat and worked. The needle did not run as swiftly now as it had even a couple of years ago. She had been blessed again, recently, and today had taken her copper pieces and exchanged them for another silver coin. She had retrieved the bag with her savings from its hiding place and now dumped the nine silver coins on the table. There was a certain reassurance in seeing and handling the money. This one more coin would make ten, a goodly number. Ten had a ring of completeness. She began counting the coins into the bag ...eight, nine... She must have miscounted. Dumping all the coins on the table, she counted again. Nine. Thinking she had dropped one she took a quick look on the floor around the table. No coin. She counted again. Still only nine. What to do? She had to find the coin. She had labored many hours, days for it. It was precious. Crucial for her future! She knew it must be in the house. She lit the lamp. Very methodically she begins. First in this corner. Then moving along the wall to the adjacent corner. Moving the little stand. Moving the pitchers. Around the room. Moving the table. Her two chairs. Sweeping, sweeping. Peering into corners, cracks, crevices. On her hands and knees. Then more sweeping. At last a glint in the earthen floor. Could it be?! On her hands and knees again. Scraping away the dirt. There it was! Found! What a relief! Praise the Lord! She hurries to the door. “Anna! Miriam! Come quickly! You’ll never guess what just happened! ...” A lost coin is found - a woman rejoices! A sinner repents - angels rejoice! So should we. So should we.

The call of Christ to be His disciple requires nothing short of an all-out effort. Jesus lays before prospective followers His expectations: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” Following Jesus requires a denying of self. Let’s not misunderstand this. This is not about fasting or giving up the comforts of home to be a camp counselor for a week or to go on a short-term mission trip. This is about saying “No” to one’s self and enthroning Jesus as the King of your life. This is the discarding of your will and replacing it with His will. This is full submission. Only when a person denies himself the right to direct his own life and gives that authority to Jesus is he ready for the next step of discipleship which is the taking up of his cross. Many have mistakenly believed that the cross here is a reference to suffering the troubles of life, but such an interpretation ignores the context. Jesus is discussing discipleship. Not only must self be denied, but self must die! The cross was an instrument of torture, but its primary purpose was for execution! So, how can I die and still follow Jesus? If I’m dead, how can I possibly be of any use to the Lord? The apostle Paul explains this well for us (Galatians 2:19-20). Paul saw himself as being crucified with Christ. He died with Jesus on His cross, and now Christ lived in him. It was no longer his life that was being lived, but Christ was living through him. Paul had denied himself and submitted his life to the lordship of Jesus. How did this happen? Again, we look to Paul (Romans 6:3-11). After Paul came to have faith in Christ, he obeyed the gospel as directed. He was buried in baptismal waters with Christ into His death and raised out of those waters as a new creation with the Spirit of God living in him. He now belonged to Christ. He had died with Christ, yet he lived. He was a living dead man. He was dead to sin, law and the world, but alive in Christ. Amazing!

Romans 2:14-16 If there is a God, one would expect to find evidence for His existence infused into the world. His fingerprints would be everywhere on creation. This is precisely what we find. From the irreducible complexity of various micro-organisms, to the many finely tuned parameters which make Earth a habitable planet; from the orderly functioning of the natural world to the beauty and genius of the design of numerous human and animal systems - the hand of God is everywhere. Of course, those given to atheistic naturalism seek to explain such things by various theories associated with the pure chance mutations of natural selection as posited by Darwin. However, God has not simply left His mark on those aspects of the world which can be seen and measured, but also on things which we experience internally. Let’s consider morality. The evolutionist position is “survival of the fittest.” The biggest, strongest, most cunning gets the meat, the watering hole and the high ground. The weak lose out, suffer and ultimately die off. But such a view of things does not square with what we “know” internally. Whether atheist or believer, we all have some commonly held views on what is right and what is wrong. Consider: Is it ever right to kidnap children and press them into sexual slavery? Is it ever right to indiscriminately begin machine gunning people in a crowded mall? Is it ever right to beat a two-year-old to death for crying? Is it ever right to torture someone just to watch them suffer? Was it right for Hitler to try to exterminate the Jewish people? There are some things which we just “know” innately that are wrong. From where does this come? Paul writes of the Gentiles who did not have the law: “...they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness...” God’s hand is everywhere in His creation. God’s fingerprint is on you!

Ephesians 1:18-20, 3:20-21 In this age of technology we have all come to appreciate the power of batteries. One reason we are able to have the cool devices we have today is because of the development of batteries, in particular their capability of having more power and being able to hold a charge much longer. Cell phones, lap tops, tablets, remote controls for all sorts of things, high-tech flashlights, keyless entry to cars - even some cars themselves! Battery power is everywhere. Recently, we had a little episode with our TV remote. It quit functioning; wouldn’t do anything at all. So we changed the batteries - still nothing. Thought we’d have to get another one. Finally (with some help from our daughter), we tried some other batteries. It worked! Turns out that the first replacement batteries we put in had been used and didn’t have enough power left. Lesson learned. So how does this have anything to do with us as Christians? Well, we need “power” to live the life of faith, and that power must come from other than ourselves. Being weak through the flesh (Mark 14:38), we need something to empower us to have changed hearts and to live the righteous life. Otherwise we will fail miserably living lives of ritual service while still loving the things of the world. This power comes from God and is the same divine power whereby Christ was raised from the dead. If we stop to consider, the Christian life is filled with divine (supernatural) power. The cleansing of sins by Christ in baptism is an act of divine power. Prayer to God is an act of faith which has an element of the supernatural since we pray to a God who is spirit and whom we have never seen. The gift of the Holy Spirit is a divine event. His working in us to bear His fruit is a powerful act of God the Spirit. The power of God working in the Christian is everywhere. Knowing that it is God’s power working in us to accomplish His will should give us hope, courage and firm resolve to engage in this fight against the evil powers and carry the gospel to the lost.