Senators Clinton and Obama have put a foot in their mouth because of recent statements. And to make matters worse, both of them are always ready to catch the other in questionable speech, rather than remain quiet because they both are guilty of the same. Now I’m not here to talk about politics, but rather remind you of a message from the Bible. “Let him that has no sin, throw the first stone” (John 8: 7). “Why look at the speck in another’s eye, when there is a plank in your own?” (Matthew 7:3-5). “You who say don’t steal, do you steal?” (Romans 3:21-22).
If you are doing the wrong thing, you have no time, place, or right, to be talking about the wrong doings of other people. The correct thing is to get yourself right first, then you can talk about the faults of others, and possibly help them. Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. Long ago, some people attempted to make a name for themselves by building a city with a tower that would stand majestic toward the heavens. However, they didn’t realize that the tower would never be completed because God was intending to stop it by scattering them across the face of the earth (Genesis 11:7).
So, these people went on with the construction process until the Lord sent confusion in the form of different languages upon them, and they couldn’t understand each other, thereby causing the construction to cease (Gen. 11:8-9). This story leaves us with several things to think about.
Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. Do you value your soul enough to give up something? (Mark 9:43-47). Jesus said unless we forsake all, we cannot be his disciples (Luke 14:33). There was a young rich man who came to Christ requesting to be one of His followers, but when Jesus told him to give his riches to the poor, the man refused (Mark 10:21-22). For some reason, the Lord saw that this man needed to do that, and that is why the man was told those words (Mark 10:23-25; 1 Timothy 6:17-19).
Now, don’t get Jesus wrong—He doesn’t expect you live a pauper’s life (Luke 12:22-30). But these examples are given so that we may understand that following the Lord requires more then lip service—it requires that a person separates himself from anything that would be in violation of God’s will (2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 2 Tim. 2:19; 1 Cor. 6:9-11, 18; Colossians 3:5-10; Ephesians 5:11-12). Men are sinful creatures and in need of direction, so if we want to make it to heaven, we have to do what God commands (Matthew 7:21). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. The Bible is the voice of God, speaking by the pen of men as they were directed by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:14-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21). One reason to study the Bible is to understand what it teaches, so you won’t be deceived (Acts 17:11; John 5:39; Matthew 15:13-14; Mark 7:7). For example, suppose a preacher said tithes must be paid to the church. Well, the Bible teaches that tithes were for the nation of Israel who lived under the Old Testament, and tithing was to be binding on them in their generations (Numbers 27:32-34).
Today, we aren’t under the Old Testament law and preachers cannot bind tithes because God removed that practice by the death of Christ (Colossians 2:14-17; 2 Corinthians 3:6-9; Matt. 26:28; Hebrews 8:6-13). The failure to understand what the Bible teaches about the demise of the Old Testament has caused much confusion in the religious world. If people are going to church, they need to know what the Bible teaches. If one is going to preach, he must know what the Bible teaches. If one is going to save the world for Christ, he must know what the Bible teaches. Let us study the Bible and not be ashamed of it (Mark 8:38). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. |