One of the failings of many professed believers is that they depend completely upon their spiritual leaders for their awareness of what is right and wrong in the practice of their faith.  They do not personally know the details of scripture, and are unable on their own to state the biblical basis for the things they believe and practice.  This is commonly demonstrated when they are asked about some passage of scripture, or about some essential doctrine of faith, and their reply is, “I’ll have to ask my pastor.”  It is commendable that they are concerned enough to ask for guidance, but the expectation of scripture is that each Christian should know God’s word well enough to be able to tell the difference between what is acceptable to God and what is not.

This truth was expressed by the writer of Hebrews when he chastised his readers because they were still subsisting on the milk of the word.  In Heb. 5:11-14 he said, “Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.  For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.  For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.  But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.”

It is clear, of course, that spiritual leaders are required to proclaim the truth and nothing but the truth with regard to God’s word.  This is what Paul did when he preached in Ephesus (Acts 20:27), and it is what he required of his protege Timothy (2 Tim. 4:1-5).  However, spiritual leaders must also teach the flock to be able to discern truth from error on their own.  This began with the priests who served in the tabernacle and later in the temple (cf. Lev. 10:9-11; Ezk. 44:23), and it continues through the Christian age.  One of Paul’s final instructions to Timothy was to teach the word to faithful men, who would be able to teach others also (2 Tim. 2:2).  This certainly implies that each individual must be able to discern right from wrong based upon his personal understanding of scripture.

This is why the writer of Hebrews was so dissatisfied with the people to whom he wrote.  They had been taught the truth, and should have by that time grown and matured in the faith to the point that they were teaching others.  The fact that they were not able to do this tells us that they had not fulfilled their responsibility as individual believers.  In v. 14 the scripture says that it is by practice that one’s senses are trained to discern good and evil.  Obviously these Hebrew Christians had not been exercising themselves in the use of God’s word, and they were chastised because of this failure.

The best example of how to exercise one’s senses in the use of God’s word comes from people who were not yet Christians at the time.  In Acts 17:11 Luke tells us that the Bereans received the word with eagerness and examined the scriptures daily to see whether the things they were being taught were so.  This, then, is the model for us to follow.  We must exercise our minds in God’s word in order to become knowledgeable and capable in its use.  Part of this exercise is the systematic study of scripture, as Paul exhorted in 2 Tim. 2:15.  He said, “Be diligent to present yourself approved of God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”  When we do as Paul commanded, we will know God’s word, just as He intended us to know it, and we will train our senses to discern good and evil.  If our senses are so trained, we will not stumble or be led astray.

There is an old adage which says, “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”  Most of us have heard this all of our lives, and we understand that it reflects an attitude that is common among us.  To one degree or another nearly everyone is inclined to think that something someone else possesses is better or more desirable than the thing we have, no matter how equal the two things may be.

Even animals reflect this attitude in their behavior.  We have all seen horses and cows straining to push their heads through a fence line to get at grass on the other side, while standing in a pasture full of perfectly good grass!  A dog will drop its bone and go after the bone that another dog has, even though there is no appreciable difference between the two.  The grass is always greener, isn’t it?

It may seem a little comical to see a cow or horse exhibiting this kind of behavior.  It may seem absolutely nonsensical for a dog to drop one bone to go fight for another.  But they’re just dumb animals, aren’t they?  None of us would ever be so silly, would we?

The “grass is greener” attitude is the source of much of the discontent, and at least some of the evil, that characterizes our world.  The “grass is greener” attitude will lead a man with a good job to endlessly move from company to company, searching for that perfect position, but never finding it.  The “grass is greener” is why a man or woman may desire or pursue another person, even though they have a perfectly good wife or husband at home.  The “grass is greener” is why one steals from another, even though he is not personally in want.  The “grass is greener” is why some end up in financial ruin trying to fill their homes with all the gadgets and trinkets that others possess, just to “keep up with the Joneses.”  It is no wonder, then, that so many in the world are unhappy and dissatisfied.

The simple truth is that none of us will ever find true happiness until we realize where the green grass actually is.  Some time ago a Christian writer put the “grass is greener” philosophy into perfect perspective.  He said, “I think I’ve finally located the greener grass.  It is in Psalm 23:2!”  Psalm 23:2 says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.”  This imagery is powerful because nutritionists tell us that a pasture animal that is lying down is a truly content creature.

Here is the solution to the “grass is greener” problem.  There is only one place where the green grass is, and that is in God’s pasture.  The shepherd’s psalm so perfectly declares this truth for us.  It is utterly futile for us to spend our resources, and to spend our lives, in the pursuit of “something better” when the best is right before us in the care of our Father in heaven.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told the people to not be anxious about their daily needs (Mt. 6:25-34).  Food, drink, clothing, and the like, are not the end-all of life.  They are important, of course, but God has more than demonstrated His ability and His willingness to provide these things for us.  His care of the birds of the air, and of the flowers of the field, which are far less important than we, proves this.

If we do as Jesus said and, “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Mt. 6:33), God Himself will lead us to the green grass.  He will provide for all our needs here in life, and more importantly, He will give us a home in heaven at the end of time.  Where is the green grass? It is in God’s pasture.  Only there will we find true contentment, and the happiness that so often escapes us in life.  Only there will we find the pathway that leads to eternal life.

When a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem after the stoning of Stephen, the scriptures tell us that the brethren were scattered from the city.  Some of these brethren came to the city of Antioch in Syria where they began preaching to the Gentiles.  When the church in Jerusalem learned that the Gentiles in Antioch had obeyed the gospel, they sent Barnabas to verify this information.  In Acts 11:23 the scripture says, “Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord.”

When we consider this brief statement we find a fundamental truth that makes all the difference in our walk as Christians.  Barnabas encouraged the new Christians in Antioch to remain true to the Lord with a resolute heart.  In the Greek language in which Acts was originally written this phrase is literally, “purpose of heart.”  In either case, the meaning is clear.  The key to successful Christian living is to be resolute in the practice of our faith.  We must be purposeful in our Christian walk if we hope to reach the goal.

This truth is particularly timely as we begin a new year.  Many people are going through the exercise of making resolutions for the new year.  Most of us are well-aware that in the majority of cases this is a futile endeavor.  A few years ago a fitness expert was interviewed and asked about resolutions involving diet and exercise.  He said that in his experience most people keep these resolutions for only about twelve days before giving up.  The truth of his assessment cannot be discounted, because too many of us have been there and done that.

Whether we follow through on our resolutions to diet, or to exercise more, will certainly have an impact on our physical health, but this is nothing in the big picture of eternity.  When we decide to follow the Lord, our resolve must be unshakable if we hope to reach heaven.  The parable of the sower in Mt. 13 certainly bears this out.  The rocky and weedy soils are examples of people whose resolve faltered.  Both eagerly received the word and responded positively to it, but both failed to remain true to the Lord.  This is why they withered, and were choked out by the cares of the world.

A resolute heart is what enabled Paul to look back at the end of his life and to tell Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:7-8).  Paul finished his course because he remained true to the Lord.  He did so because he purposely acted in such a way so as to remain true to Him.  He didn’t meander along the pathway of life.  Instead, he resolutely took one step after another toward the goal and did not stop until he reached it.

As we begin a brand new year, let us each pledge that we will be true to the Lord with a resolute heart.  To do so, let us resolve to read God’s word each day of the year.  Let us resolve to be present every Lord’s Day for Bible study and worship, and to give an appropriate gift of love to the Lord each Lord’s Day.  Let us resolve to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness each day this year.  And, finally, let us resolve to seek God’s forgiveness every time we sin.  Unlike some diet and exercise resolutions, these are things we absolutely can do.  If we keep these resolutions, we’ll be much better disciples this year, and we’ll move ever closer to heaven.

At this time of year the world’s attention is turned to the story of the birth of the Christ-child.  It is a beautiful and inspiring story that evokes the very best expressions of human nature.  Even those who are not consistently religious throughout the year tend to focus more on spiritual things during this season.  Many of these same folks give similar attention to a second great celebration, the resurrection of the Lord, in the spring of each year.  As moving and sincere as these celebrations are, however, they focus on only two moments in the life of our Lord while He was on the earth.  If these are the only parts of the Lord’s life to which one gives attention, he is bound to have a skewed view of the Lord.  After all, these moments are only part of the story.

Seeing the Lord only in His birth and His resurrection is like reading the introduction to a great novel, then reading the next to last chapter of it, and assuming that one knows the novel.  We would never do this with a great work of literature, so why would we do so with the greatest story never told at Christmas?  It is, in fact, the rest of the story that gives true meaning to the parts that so many people so singly celebrate.

When we open the pages of the New Testament, particularly in the preaching and teaching of the apostles, we discover that the Lord’s birth and resurrection took place in order to accomplish God’s greatest purpose.  That purpose was the redemption of mankind from their sins.  When the Lord came to the house of Zaccheus, He said, “Today salvation has come to this house, because, He, too, is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk. 19:9-10).

Later, when Paul wrote his letter to the church in Ephesus, he proclaimed that redemption was indeed the focal point of the Lord’s coming to the earth.  In Eph. 1:8-10 he said, “In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.”  This declaration echoed Peter’s statement in Acts 4:12 that there is salvation in no other name than the name of Jesus.

This is the most important aspect of the Lord’s life on the earth.  He came to fulfill God’s eternal purpose, and He could only do this as the full-grown, mature, adult man who willingly gave His life on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.  As beautiful as the baby Jesus is, and how marvelous His virgin birth, He had to grow up into the obedient Son of God in order to accomplish our salvation.  Although we do not intend it, we dishonor our Lord by focusing upon Him as the baby in the manger.  Obviously He had to be born in order to accomplish God’s purpose, but He also had to live a sinless life as an adult man in order to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins.  But even this is not the whole story.  The Lord has been appointed by God to judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31).  He Himself said that His word will judge us at the last day (Jn. 12:48), and in 2 Th. 1:7-8 Paul said that when the Lord returns at the end of time, He will deal out retribution to those who do not know God, and to those who do not obey the gospel.

This, then, is the rest of the story, which began with the birth of a baby two thousand years ago.  To properly honor Jesus, we must let Him be what God sent Him to be; that is, our Lord and Savior, by means of our obedience to the gospel.  Jesus is both Lord and Christ, as Peter said in Acts 2:36.  Therefore, let us honor Him as such, in accordance with the rest of the story.

The holiday season is generally very busy for us.  We have special meals and travel to plan and execute, we have gifts to purchase, wrap, and in some cases, to mail, and we have special, year-end celebrations at work, at school, and in the community to prepare for, and to attend.  As we concentrate on these preparations, we may work harder at them than we do in our day-to-day activities.  Even so, we enjoy these times of celebration and we tend to feel a sense of refreshment as we participate in them.

The reason for this feeling is that while we are celebrating our end of the year holidays, we temporarily set aside the cares of daily life.  We still go to work and pay our bills and deal with the typical issues, but our focus on the celebrations of the season minimizes these concerns.  As a result, our spirits are refreshed, even if our bodies end up exhausted.

Everyone acknowledges the fact that we need times in which our spirits and our bodies may be refreshed.  This is one of the underlying principles behind taking yearly vacations from work and school. We simply need time away from the regular grind to relax and to renew ourselves.  If we do it right, we come back from these respites ready to give our best to the tasks at hand.

The idea of times of refreshing did not originate with vacations and our year-end holidays, however.  This is a principle that has its roots in God’s word.  After Peter and John had healed a lame man in the temple, they had an opportunity to preach Christ to the assembled crowd.  In Acts 3:19-21 Peter said, “Therefore, repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presences of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.”

As Peter spoke to this assembly, he, for the second time, convicted the Jews of having put to death the Savior whom God had sent into the world.  Although this was according to the eternal plan of God, the Jews bore the stain of sin because they had rejected God’s Son and had turned Him over to Pilate for crucifixion.  This is the context in which Peter spoke to them of “times of refreshing.”

Under the burden of our sins, we are not only separated from God, but we are beaten down physically and emotionally by this load.  Our lives are drudgery, and we are literally without hope and without God in the world (Eph. 2:12).  The only way in which we can recover, or be refreshed from this heavy load, is to repent of our sins and return to God.  This is what Peter called upon the Jews at the temple to do.  When the Jewish rulers released Peter and John, the people glorified God over the miracle that had happened, but we do not know how many of them, if any, obeyed Peter’s command to repent and return to God.

It is certain that the times of refreshing of which Peter spoke only came upon those who obeyed the gospel, whether on that day, or at some time thereafter.  The same is true still today.  As our spirits long for renewal and strength, we can only find that refreshing by obedience to God’s word.  If we choose to continue on carrying the burden of our sins, we will be exhausted in life, and lost in eternity.  If we repent and return to God, our burdens will be lifted and we will receive times of refreshing in His Son, both here, and forever more.