We ought not to busy ourselves so exclusively with the matters that are temporal as to let pass by in neglect things which are eternal. “Acquaint now thyself with God, and be at peace with Him.” The Master taught “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Our Lord came into this world to save sinners, of whom Paul wrote, he was chief (1 Timothy 1:15). Yes even Paul had a past that he believed made him "unworthy to be called an apostle" (1 Corinthians 15:9). But by the grace of God I am what I am (1 Corinthians 15:10a), Paul wrote. When God forgives us, He remembers our sins no more (Hebrews 10:17).

The word, "birthday," is mentioned three times in the Bible (Genesis 40:20; Matthew 14:6; Mark 6:21), and in those occurrences, a celebration was made. It certainly should be a time of joy when a child is brought into the world (cf. John 16:21), and hopefully, we still find joy in our own birthdays. Webster's dictionary defines "birthday" as "the day of a person's birth; an anniversary of a birth.”

In Jesus' day, there were some who greatly desired to follow him, but for the wrong reason. Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him” (John 6:26,27 NKJV). They followed Jesus because they were hungry for another good meal. But Jesus points them to something higher that will truly satisfy the soul, which is Jesus himself. Sadly, many were not hungry for the bread of life (John 6:66).

This beautiful vision came to Jacob at Bethel. Not only was it an encouragement to the lonely pilgrim; but also, a forecast of far-reaching consequence. Near the beginning of his ministry, Jesus alludes to it. Unto Nathanael he said, “Verily, Verily, I say into you, Ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” (John 1:51).

“11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? 13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. 14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it”. [Psa. 34:11-14].

We cannot allow the riches of this world be more delightful to us than serving the Lord and doing His will. The question is, what makes us full? If it is the cares, riches, and pleasures of this world, then how are we different than those chief priests who bribed the guards to keep quiet about what they saw? Are we too comfortable living without Christ as the preeminent factor in our lives? If we leave this world in such a state, that error cannot be overcome.

Somehow, I have always entertained the suspicion that, of all the books of the canon, the Psalms are probably the least read. If anything, the Psalms are probably less read among our brotherhood than among other religious people. Our emphasis on the New Testament has, no doubt, contributed to our neglect of Psalms as well as the other Old Testament literature. But, as I said, the idea that we neglect the book of Psalms is just a suspicion to me, and, frankly, I have no real way of knowing whether it is so or not.

The Bible speaks of a "newness of life" (Romans 6:4). This phrase is used in the context of how one lives in a new way having died to sin by being baptized into Christ. For he who has died has been freed from sin (Romans 6:7 NKJV). When one is baptized, he still looks the same in appearance as he was before being baptized; however, his manner of life from that point forward is new. He no longer lives in his old sinful ways, but he lives for God in righteousness (Rom. 6:10,11). He has put away the old man of sin, and has put on Christ by the grace of God. There is a change that others can observe in the life of the one who was baptized.

In reading through the correspondence of George Washington, one of the things you may notice is that the "father of our country" was acquainted with Scripture. He seemed to have a favorite phrase from the Bible: But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; And none shall make them afraid: For the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it (Micah 4:4 KJV). 

But what Christians probably say is, or should say, “I have this trust in my Heavenly Father.” He holds the rope that secures me, therefore I will go and say, or do whatever he bids me.

By the power of his example, he taught us that we must live a life of usefulness; that, if we would follow him, we must not take ourselves out of the world, but to do our duty to the world – the world of people..

What should be the attitude of the disciple toward the evil he sees or think he sees in the world about him? In the passage before us we have the answer. The Teacher points out two dangers lying in opposite directions. 7 “Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Fear will make you rationalize your situation. Even though the truth may be that you're in a dangerous situation, out of fear to change, you might pretend like everything is okay. We must remember that fear is not something we get from God. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV). Rather, fear can lead us to disobey God. 

Even though we do not know what God looks like, nor have we seen the face of His Son, we do know what He is like. We know His character, and what He likes as well as what He hates. We know His will for man, and His desire for all to be with Him in heaven (cf. 2 Peter 3:9). We know He is just and righteous, but also merciful and kind. We know that He is absolutely holy and must punish those who sin (Habakkuk 1:13), but that He is also gracious. Not only can we read about these attributes of God in the Bible, we can picture them in our minds when we read of Immanuel, "God with us," when He walked this earth. 

Worldliness has always been and will always be our problem. We are in the world but not of the world. “¹⁴ But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb. 5:14). Our youth and new members have a problem in discernment. But that should not be the case with those who have been Christians for several years.

God has blessed the age in which we live with certain technology. This age has been deemed "the information age." At the click of a button, people have access to vast amounts of information that their grandparents could not fathom. Why not use this technology as another way to further the gospel?

If God wants a victory over immorality and ignorance, what are you doing as his child to assist in the fight? What type of action are you fulfilling that would lead men to the knowledge of the Lord? If God aspires that in this generation the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, what tangible, concrete action on your part is being currently initiated to bring “the golden dream” to pass?

But how much should a Christian save for himself and his family? What guidance does the Bible offer, and how should one balance how much he saves with how much he gives? First of all, saving money is never condemned in the Bible; rather, it is the love of money that is condemned (1 Timothy 6:10). As that verse continues, the love of money will cause one to stray from the faith and into sin which only leads to sorrow. So when a Christian ponders how much he should save, he must know that his first obligation is to the Lord's church. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you (Matthew 6:33 NKJV).

 Have you given thought to the fact that your life is in your hands? “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live” (Deut. 30:16). Think of the tremendous responsibility.. Your life can be a blessing or a curse. You can leave behind you a trail of happiness and joy or a trail of misery and woe. You can mend hearts or break hearts. You can be a somebody or a nobody. You can be a contribution or a liability. In a very real sense, by our choices we determine our eternal destiny.