Short, pithy statements like the one above are the typical fare of bumper stickers.  They are quickly read and usually make an impression on the reader.  They may or may not convey some useful or appropriate message, but they are generally remembered.  They also tend to evoke strong reactions from those who read them.  For example, some who read the title above will assume that the words to follow will be harsh and judgmental.  Having made this assessment, they will judge the message unworthy of their attention because they are certain it will be judgmental.

We live in a world that wants us to believe that intolerance is the greatest evil on the planet.  In the name of this philosophy, we are being pressured to accept all kinds of variant lifestyles and behaviors and to accord them equal status with the long-established norms of societal conduct.  Arguments in favor of tolerance are made on the premise of fairness or civil rights, as though any kind of intolerance is bigoted or oppressive.  Thus, if one dares to say, for example, that abortion or homosexuality is wrong, it has to be because he hates women and hates homosexuals.

Such arguments purposely ignore two very important facts.  The first is that the Bible is the one and only objective standard for our conduct in life.  Jesus said it will judge us at the end of time (Jn. 12:48).  The fact is that God’s word specifically condemns the shedding of innocent blood (Prov. 6:16-19), a category into which abortion certainly falls, and it specifically condemns homosexuality (Lev. 18:22; 20:13; 1 Cor. 6:9, 10; Rom. 1:24-27, 32).  Society is not at liberty to change this truth, no matter what its motives for doing so might be.

Second, these arguments ignore the real meaning of love.  Society wants us to believe that the only way to show love for another is to be tolerant of his beliefs and actions, no matter how outrageous they may be.  (It is interesting to note, however, that proponents of this philosophy are generally hatefully intolerant of Christian beliefs and practices.)  The truth about love is that it does what is best and right for all concerned in every circumstance of life.  In Rom. 13:10 Paul said that love does no wrong to a neighbor.  In 1 Cor. 13:6 he said that love rejoices with the truth.

When we take these facts into account, we must not fail to speak out in warning to those whose conduct is preparing them for condemnation.  In Rev. 21:8 the scripture says, “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolators and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”  All those who live in disobedience to God’s word are destined for eternal punishment.  Tolerating their behavior, without warning them of the danger that lies ahead, is not love; it is, in fact, the harshest form of hatred.

In Ezk. 33:11 God said, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live.  Turn back, turn back from your evil ways!  Why then will you die, O house of Israel?”  God Himself calls on the wicked to turn back or burn in the lake of fire, where the wicked will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Rev. 20:10).  God does not wish for any to go there, but His justice and righteousness demand that the wicked be punished.  If we truly love our neighbors we will continue to warn them of the dangers of sinful conduct.  We will continue to warn them to turn or burn.

We sometimes speak of a certain kind of person as not being able to see beyond the end of his nose.  Ordinarily, this statement refers to one who is self-centered and selfish in all his actions.  He appears to be incapable of, or at least unwilling, to consider anyone else’s needs or desires.  His only concerns are his own needs.  In the world in which we now live, however, this statement applies in a somewhat different, albeit far more important sense.

All around us are people whose lives indicate that their only focus is on the here and now.  They live paycheck to paycheck, with no concept of preparing for the future.  They seem to live day to day, with no plan, and simply react to what may happen each day.  They do not have any long-term goals; they have no idea how they will survive when they can no longer work, and they seem for the most part to be unconcerned about it.  They are like hamsters on a wheel, and may not even be aware of it, and even if they are aware, they have no idea what to do about it.

Such a viewpoint in the physical affairs of life is at the very least unwise, and may even be catastrophic in the long run.  This same view in spiritual matters is not only unwise it is assuredly catastrophic when one considers the reality of eternity.  All of us will reach eternity one day, whether we have a view toward it or not, and we must make plans for that eventuality, lest we suffer the consequences.

Paul the apostle was a man who had a view toward eternity.  Everything he did as a Christian and as an apostle of Jesus Christ was predicated upon the understanding that one day he would stand before the judge of mankind to give an account (cf. Rom. 14:12; 2 Cor. 5:10).  When he made his defense before the Roman governor, Felix, he said, “But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.  In view of this, I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men” (Acts 24:14-16).

Paul understood that life on earth is merely preparatory for life in eternity.  This fact has been ordained by God the Father, who calls on all men everywhere to repent because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world by His Son (Acts 17:30, 31).  For this reason, Paul did nothing that would jeopardize his standing before God, or negatively affect his destiny when that time came.  It is a sound message that each of us needs to take to heart.

Living with a view toward eternity affects virtually every decision one makes, both in a positive sense and in a negative sense.  If one has a view toward eternity, he will devote himself to God’s word so he knows exactly what God requires of him in order to enter heaven.  With eternity in mind, one will choose to obey the gospel and live faithfully until death.  With thought for eternity, one will lead his family in a godly manner, directing them along the path he himself is walking.  With eternity in view, one will reject the siren’s call to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin (Heb. 11:25), in favor of godliness that is profitable both here on earth and also in eternity (1 Tim. 4:8).  While many “live for today,” let us be people who live with a view toward eternity.

In 1951, George Pal directed a low-budget science-fiction film entitled, “When Worlds Collide.”  This film was an adaptation of a 1933 novel that told the story of the earth being destroyed in a collision with a rogue planet that entered our solar system.  The bulk of the story revolves around a group of scientists who discover the impending collision and then undertake an ambitious plan to build rocket ships to take some of earth’s population to an earth-like planet that entered our solar system at the same time.  The film contains a number of scenes that draw analogies to the account of Noah’s ark and which express the hope for God’s blessings on their endeavor to save a remnant of mankind.  The biblical theme of the destruction of all life and the preservation of a few to begin again is openly stated.

From time to time scientists still warn of the possibility of a doomsday collision of our earth with some celestial body, but generally without much reaction from the public.  We simply do not seem to be too concerned with such a possibility, and rightfully so.  God’s word is very clear that the destruction of the world will take place only at His command (2 Pet. 3:7, 10).  Until that time, a time that no one knows except God the Father (Mt. 24:36), we may live in the certainty that no global doomsday event will occur by the actions of mankind or by some chance occurrence of nature.

The collision of worlds, while not likely in the physical realm, has, however, been an ongoing reality in the spiritual realm.  The word, “world,” may refer to the physical planet on which we live, but it also refers to differing ways of life.  In this sense, two worlds have collided since the Garden of Eden.  These worlds are the world of darkness, over which Satan reigns, and the world of light, whose king is our Lord Jesus Christ.

These worlds collide every day as the unrighteous of our age aggressively promote their ungodly lifestyle and dare Christians to stand up against it.  These worlds collide when institutions, elected leaders, the media and the entertainment world mock and attack godly ideals and those who uphold them.  These worlds collide when so-called voices of tolerance call on Christians to “live and let live.”  These worlds collide virtually every time a Christian turns on a television, logs onto a computer, goes to a movie, or any number of other mundane things that occupy our lives.

These worlds collide because they essentially have nothing in common.  This is the message of Paul in 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1, where he told Christians to not be unequally bound with unbelievers.  In 1 Jn. 2:15 John warned Christians, saying, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world.”  He went on to point out that the things of the world are not from God and they are going to pass away (vs. 16, 17).  James also wrote very strongly on this point in Jas. 4:4.  He said, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?  Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Our choice as Christians is clear.  When spiritual worlds collide, as they always will, we must choose to walk in the light, rather than in the darkness.  In 1 Jn. 1:7 John said, “But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.”  Those who obey God’s word walk in the light.  Only these are in the ark of safety, which is His church.  Only these will enter the new heavens and new earth.  Only these will live in eternity with God the Father, when worlds collide.

At one time a series of television commercials appeared for an ice cream novelty called a Klondike Bar.  In the commercials a person was offered a Klondike Bar if he or she would do something outrageous in front of the camera.  At the end of each ad the question was asked, “What would you do for a Klondike Bar?”  The impression, of course, was that a Klondike Bar was so delicious that people would do anything to have one.

This kind of question gets asked in a variety of contexts in our lives, so we’re accustomed to hearing it and responding to it.  A young man asks himself what he is willing to do in order to win the heart of some sweet young lady.  An athlete asks himself what he is willing to do in order to make the varsity team or to make it to the professional level in his sport.  An employee asks himself what he is willing to give to his job in order to receive a raise or a promotion from his employer and a young man asks himself what he is willing to give in order to serve his country in its armed forces.  We may not even think about it in such direct terms, but we all answer this kind of question at many times in our lives.

What one is willing to give in order to reach some goal is an important spiritual question also.  The Lord Himself asked it, albeit in somewhat different terms, in Mt. 16:26.  He was talking about the cost of discipleship, and He said, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”  When the Lord spoke these words, He was emphasizing two important truths.  The first is that it costs something to be His disciple.  In vs. 24 & 25 He spoke of self-denial, cross bearing, and losing one’s life in order to save it.  Those who would become His disciples would have to pay something in their physical lives in order to do so.

The second truth that the Lord emphasized here is that everyone will exchange his or her soul for something.  There is no middle ground on this subject.  Two great forces are at war for the souls of mankind.  The Lord is the good side and Satan is the evil side.  All of us will give in to one side or the other as we make our life decisions, and the Lord wanted us to understand that it matters what choice we make.

The manner in which the Lord spoke in v. 26 reveals His view on the subject.  The first question clearly suggests that there is no profit for a man to exchange his soul for even all the world’s wealth.  This is the point the Lord wanted His audience to understand.  The second question brings the point even closer to home.  What will a man give in exchange for his soul?  This question is the crux of the matter.  Does one value his soul enough to give up rebellion against God’s will and to humbly walk in obedience to Him?  Or does he put so little value on his soul that he is willing to give it to Satan in order to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin?  The scriptures teach us that Moses chose to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, rather than to indulge himself in the sins of Egyptian life (Heb. 11:25).  This should tell us something about the value of our souls.

God thought our souls so valuable that He sent His only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.  He gave up the best He had in order to win our souls.  Nothing we may sacrifice in life in order to be a disciple can compare to what He gave for us.  With that truth in mind, we need to seriously ask ourselves what we will give in order to be saved.  Jesus told the people to seek the food that endures to eternal life (Jn. 6:26, 27).  It costs something to do so, but what will you give in exchange for your soul?

It has been said, “Any man can father a child, but it takes someone special to be a dad.”  The point of this sentiment is that what a man does with his offspring is more important than the mere ability to produce them.  It is a message that rings especially true in our modern world, where the problems associated with single mothers and their children severely challenge society.  There are many underlying issues related to these problems, but a major factor in them is men who fail to fulfill their God-given responsibilities toward their children.

God’s word has always required fathers to care for the physical and spiritual needs of their families.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus illustrated the benefit of praying to God by speaking of the way in which fathers care for the physical needs of their children.  In Mt. 7:9, 10 He said, “Or what man is there among you, who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?”  The obvious answer to these rhetorical questions is, no, a father would not do such a thing, because a father wants only what is best for his children.  God our Father never neglects our needs, and He is the perfect example of how earthly fathers should provide for their families.

It is a shame when a father neglects his children’s physical needs, but it is even worse when he neglects their spiritual needs.  When a father fails to provide for the spiritual needs of his children, he puts their souls in jeopardy by doing so.  Paul commanded fathers to bring their children up “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4).  This requires a commitment on the part of the father that is just as demanding as going to work each day to put food on the table.  A father who is dedicated to raising his children as Paul commanded must be a student of scripture himself, knowing God’s word and able to communicate its precepts to his children.  He must be one who demonstrates his faith in his words and deeds, so his children may see how a godly man lives and how God’s word molds one’s life.  If a man makes this commitment, he will give his children the best gift they will ever receive.  He will give them the opportunity for eternal life.

If a man fails to make this commitment, or if he is inconsistent in this commitment, he sets the stage for a spiritual tragedy in his children’s lives.  One of the greatest tragedies that may occur in a family is for a man to forsake Christ as an adult, after having been obedient in his youth.  Such a man is, as the scriptures declare, worse off than if he had never known the truth (2 Pet. 2:20, 21).  However, when he chooses to forsake his salvation, he robs his children of the opportunity to even know salvation in the first place.  The same is true if one forsakes the church in order to join a denomination.  He knows the truth and forsakes it, but his children will never know the truth.  Fathers who take this road will bear a heavy burden in judgment.

The solution of many of society’s problems is as simple as fathers being faithful to the commands of scripture.  If men were to be more godly in their conduct and more committed to knowing and obeying God’s will, there would be fewer homes without fathers to guide them.  There would be fewer children who are morally adrift and spiritually bereft.  There would be more complete families active in the service of the Lord, and there would be more souls on their way to heaven.

May God bless all men who faithfully fulfill their responsibilities as fathers, both physically and spiritually, and may He grant us more men who will do His will in this most sacred obligation.

Often, when observing or commenting upon a person who is in some dire circumstance, we may say something like, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”  The intent of this statement is to give God the glory for having rescued us from such a life or situation.  It is an acknowledgement that mankind, when left to its own devices, tends to wind up in the gutter.  Whether we overtly think of it or not, it is a reflection of the prophet’s statement, “I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps” (Jer. 10:23).

Those who have experienced God’s grace are understandably joyous about it, and cannot help but give thanks for it at every opportunity.  We understand from the scriptures that grace is God’s favor bestowed upon us when we did nothing to deserve it.  This favor is summarized by Paul in Rom. 5:8, where he said, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  This grace is also declared in Rom. 6:23, which says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Without God’s grace none of us would have the hope of salvation.

All who consider themselves to be Christians embrace grace as a fundamental concept in the Christian faith, but many, unconsciously perhaps, think of grace in a skewed manner.  While it is true that grace is that which we do not deserve, it is not granted arbitrarily to one, while another is excluded.  Neither is it given against one’s will.  Such ideas come from the doctrines of John Calvin, whose teaching is summarized in the acronym TULIP:  Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints.  We do not catch grace like we catch the flu.  It is offered freely to all, but it does nothing for us unless we respond in obedience to God’s will.

In 1 Cor. 15:9, 10 Paul said, “For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.  But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”  Before his conversion to Christ, Paul was a persecutor of the church and vehemently opposed to Jesus Christ.  By the grace of God, he says, he became an apostle of Christ.  That grace was offered and responded to when the Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus and told him to go into the city to be told what he must do (Acts 9:3-6).  When Ananias came to him, he was told, “Now why do you delay?  Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” (Acts 22:16).  Saul immediately obeyed this command, and thus, by the grace of God, became an implement in the Lord’s service instead of an enemy of Christ.

The same thing is true for each of us, beginning with our obedience to the gospel.  The grace of God is given by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, which paid the price for our sins.  Until we obey the gospel, that grace is useless to us and has no effect on us.  When we are baptized for the forgiveness of our sins, we then receive His grace and become a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17).  Our response to grace is what makes the difference in our lives.  We are rescued from the domain of darkness and are transferred into the kingdom of God’s dear son (Col. 1:13).  As we continue to obey God’s word from that day forward, His grace abounds toward us and we can say as Paul did, “But by the grace of God, I am what I am.”

One of the major improvements in modern life is in the area of meal preparation.  It was not that many years ago that a woman would have to rise before light to begin making breakfast for the family.  Then, after all were fed and off to work or school, she immediately began cooking the noon meal.  This same cycle was repeated for the evening meal as well.  This lifestyle was immortalized in the 60s song, “Ode to Billie Joe,” in which the mother said, “I’ve been cooking all morning and you haven’t touched a single bite.”

In the modern world in which we live, many food items, including entire meals, come in pre-cooked, individual portions that may be warmed in an oven or a microwave in mere minutes.  No one claims that all our frozen, freeze-dried, microwave-it-back-to-life food products are as tasty or as healthy as the things our grandmothers used to cook, but we all enjoy the convenience of having a meal in the relative blink of an eye.

Microwave technology has spoiled us.  Now we are not content to wait for anything in life.  We want instant gratification, whatever it is we’re seeking.  We are no longer willing to commit any more than mere moments in a given period of time to the pursuit of anything we desire.  For many aspects of life, this kind of mentality is simply frustrating to the one who is waiting, and annoying to the one trying to fulfill a request.  In spiritual matters, this kind of mentality can be crippling to one’s development.

A story is told about N.B. Hardeman, who was one of the most gifted preachers of the early 20th century.  As he visited a man’s farm, the farmer rattled off statistic after statistic about his enterprise.  Brother Hardemen remarked that if he (Hardeman) had that kind of memory, he would memorize the entire New Testament.  The farmer responded that he couldn’t remember the Bible because his memory failed him.  Brother Hardeman later lamented that such a statement was not the result of a failed memory, but of failing desire.  If that farmer had been as interested in the Bible as he was in farming, he would have known much more about God’s book.

This is the challenge for each of us today.  Preachers often receive compliments on the way in which they expound the scriptures or on their knowledge of biblical things, as though these attributes were a gift laid upon them through no effort of their own.  While it is true that some are more gifted at teaching and public speaking then others, the fact remains that one who becomes proficient in the scriptures acquired that proficiency only through long hours of study and practice.

Jesus took nearly three years to prepare the apostles to preach and teach the gospel.  Paul, after his conversion, went away for about three years (Gal. 1:15-18) before coming back to begin his ministry.  We presume he was learning from the Lord during this time, for he says that he received the gospel through a revelation of Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:11, 12).  He also spent two years teaching the brethren in the school of Tyrannus (Acts 19:9, 10).

The point of this discussion is that proficiency in the scriptures requires a time investment by each one of us.  This is why Paul exhorted us to be diligent with God’s word so we know how to properly handle it (2 Tim. 2:15).  It is why he told us to teach faithful men who will be able to teach others (2 Tim. 2:2).  It is why each of us must make the time to give attention to God’s word on a regular basis and in a systematic fashion.  Our faith will only grow to maturity in a crock-pot environment.  There is no such things as microwave faith.

Whenever a natural disaster strikes, some people cannot help but question God because of it.  They speak of the even as “an act of God,” which makes it appear that He was responsible for it happening.  Even if they do not overtly blame God for the disaster, they impugn His name by making such a reference to it.  To call a tornado or an earthquake an act of God places Him in the company of the Gods of mythology, who often toyed with mankind by means of such events.  Our Father in heaven does not do such things.

Some, of course, are more open about their feelings.  Skeptics use such events to question why a loving God would allow such things to happen.  They do this to purposely discredit God because they do not believe in Him.  Sometimes, even believers question God by asking where He was when their loved ones were being hurt or killed, or their possessions were being destroyed.  All such questions besmirch the good name of our Father in heaven and reveal an ignorance of God’s character and the nature of the world in which we live.

According to the scriptures, God made the world and everything in it to be the perfect place for mankind to live in preparation for eternity.  In Gen. 1:31 the scripture says, “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.”   There were no natural disasters in that world; no pain, suffering or death.  All of this changed, however, when Adam and Eve sinned.  As a result of their sin, God cursed the world and caused the ground to bring forth weeds of all kinds (Gen. 3:18, 19).  Work became toil, and death became every person’s destiny.  In the days of Noah, God further cursed the world by altering the climatic conditions that had prevailed since the beginning.  The description of the flood shows the upheaval that overtook the earth to cleanse it of the wickedness that then pervaded it.  After the flood, the world became subject to the extremes of weather to which we are now accustomed.  Wind, rain, snow, hail, heat, and drought became the norm (Gen. 8:22).

When natural disasters strike, they do so because this is the nature of the world in which we live.  When bad things happen to good people, these, too, are simply the nature of the world in which we live.  In Lk. 13:1-5 the Lord spoke of such events when He commented on some Galileans who were killed by Pilate and the eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them.  He did not blame His Father, nor did He question His Father’s character because of these events.  Instead, the Lord called on people to repent because life is fragile and may be taken from them at a moment’s notice.  The Lord wanted us to understand that our eternal destiny is far more important than what happens to us in life.

The great patriarch Job suffered more losses of the type that people use to question God than any other person in scripture.  He lost his possessions at the hands of wicked people who ruthlessly attacked his holdings, and he lost his loved ones in a natural disaster that could have been a tornado (Job 1:18, 19).  His response to this calamity was to mourn his losses and to worship God (Job 1:20).  He gave glory to God and the scripture says of him, “Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.”  We should be like Job in this respect.

We sing a song that says, “This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through.  My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue.”  While we mourn for those who suffer loss, and offer them help and comfort, let us also glorify God who sent His Son to afford us entrance to His unshakable kingdom where God will wipe every tear from our eyes.