Highland Lakes church of Christ

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil” (Psalm 23:4).

We live in a fearful age: Covid-19, quarantines, economic uncertainty, riots, and Chinese communist belligerence. Many are incapacitated with uncertainty and fear.

But Paul declares: “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind!” (2 Timothy 1:7). The word for “fear” here basically means “cowardice.” The Amplified Bible has “craven, cringing, fawning fear.” Paul tells us why we should fear no evil:

Because God Has Given Us Power! The power of God is an awesome thing: It created the world; slew 185,000 warriors of Assyria in a single night; raised Christ from the dead; and one day, it will dissolve this world in fervent heat! What is there to fear linked to power like that?

Because God Has Given Us Love! We are secure in God’s love forever. “For He Himself has said, „l will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.”„ (Hebrews 13:5). ”But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).

Because God Has Given Us Sound Thinking! One translation has “a calm and well-balanced mind“ God teaches us to put things in proper perspective…to see clearly and think rationally…to rise above ignorance and superstition (John 8:32). “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea…God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:2,1).

Bobby Dockery Fayetteville, AR

Nations reap what they sow just as individuals do. “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psa. 9:17). This happens partly because rebellion against God is by nature self-destructive and partly because God providentially intervenes to chastise evil societies. In terms of the latter, one of the most common forms of divine punishment is war. The Lord unleashed the Assyrians on Israel, the Babylonians on Judah, and then the Medes on Babylon. But the chastening rod in God’s hand is not always a foreign army. Sometimes it is division and fighting within.

We call it “civil war.” For thousands of years nation after nation has experienced it. The book of Isaiah reveals that God has a hand in some of these conflicts. The prophet pictured a complete breakdown of law and order in Judah in chapter three. The result was anarchy. “The people shall be oppressed, everyone by another and every one by his neighbor; the child will be insolent toward the elder, and the base toward the honorable” (Isa. 3:5). In this lawless state of chaos every man was a law to himself and respect for others vanished.

The same thing happened in other countries in Isaiah, and the Lord in His justice was involved. Consider Egypt, a nation whose time had come to reap what they had sown. God said, “I will set Egyptians against Egyptians; everyone will fight against his brother, and everyone against his neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst” (Isa. 19:2-3). This powerful empire fell because they were so busy fighting with each other that they could not protect themselves from their enemies without.

In light of this pattern in history and in the Bible, why should we be surprised at riots and bloodshed in some of our major cities? We are a nation that has slaughtered over sixty million babies. The highest court in the land has made the perversion of same-sex marriage legal and now tyrannical governors and mayors have deemed attending church services a crime. Our land is full of greed, drunkenness, pornography and dishonesty. The infighting we are witnessing may be a just sentence from God.

The Cold War conditioned us to fear external threats to our peace and safety as a people. Perhaps it is time to recall that ancient Rome collapsed because it was rotten on the inside.

Kerry Duke, West End church of Christ Livingston, TN

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9).

I was reading this passage the other day, and a word struck me that I had rarely paid attention to before. Did you notice in the text that we are called into God’s marvelous light? Why didn’t it just say light? Couldn’t the point have been made just as profoundly without using the word marvelous? No, it couldn’t have! Marvelous is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as “causing wonder or astonishment.” God’s light does indeed bring astonishment, and we should continually marvel at that fact. Notice, for example:

This light is marvelous because it emanates from God Himself. And no wonder, for God Himself is light (1 John 1:5). He created light for the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:3). His Word is light (Psa. 119:105) and gives light (Psa. 119:130). He eternally lights up heaven with His glory (Rev. 22:5).

This light is marvelous because it saves all who enter it. Those obeying the lighted gospel call (2 Tim. 1:9- 10) when it shines in their hearts (2 Cor. 4:6), become children of light (1 Thess. 5:5), and partake of the inheritance that exists in the light (Col. 1:12).

This light is marvelous because of the wonderful things that take place when one walks in the light. By walking in the light and staying faithful in its path, the blood of Jesus continually cleanses us (1 John 1:7). Also, we are assured of life, blessings, and much spiritual fruit lighting our lives (Eph. 5:8-14).

Everyone outside of this light is in darkness. They sit in darkness (Psa. 107:10). They walk in darkness (Psa. 82:5). They will spend an eternity in darkness (Matt. 25:30). Why would anyone choose to spend his life here in spiritual darkness and his life after physical death in eternal darkness, in punishment, separated from God? God gave us Jesus as the true Light (John 1:9). Those who follow Him receive the benefits of His marvelous light (John 28:1). Are you in the light? Are you walking in the light?

“The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light” (Rom. 13:12).

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).

Edd Sterchi, Broadway church of Christ, Campbellsville, KY

Forgotten Truths to Help You Get Through Hard Times

(Life-truths, Coming from God’s Life-laws)

The wisest, most loving, and well-rounded people you have ever met are likely those who have known misery, known defeat, known the heartbreak of losing something or someone they loved, and have found their way out of the depths of their own despair. These people have experienced many ups and downs, and have gained an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, understanding and a deep loving wisdom. People like this aren’t born; they develop slowly over the course of time.

When you stop expecting things to be a certain way, you can appreciate them for what they are. Ultimately you will realize that life’s greatest gifts are rarely wrapped the way you expected.

Experience is what you get when your plans don’t go as planned, and experience is the most valuable commodity you own – it builds your strength.

You have the power to turn your wounds and worries into wisdom; you just have to do something about them. You have to accept what has happened and use what you’ve learned to step forward. Everything you’ve experienced has given you the upper hand for dealing with everything you have yet to experience. Realize this and set yourself free.

Sigmund Freud once said, ―Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility.‖

There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.

Life is better when you’re smiling. Being positive in a negative situation is not naive; it’s a sign of leadership and strength. You’re doing it right when you have so much to cry and complain about, but you prefer to smile and appreciate your life instead.

Great things take time.

Instant results are rarely the best results. With patience, you can greatly expand your potential. If your desires were always fulfilled immediately, you would have nothing to look forward to. You would miss out on the joys of anticipation and progress.

Remember, patience is not about waiting; it’s the ability to keep a good attitude while working hard for what you believe in. It’s the willingness to stay focused, confidently taking one small step at a time, knowing that the way you move a mountain is by moving one stone at a time. Every stone you move, no matter how small, is progress.

Bottom line: You deserve more than mere instant gratification. Value that arrives in an instant is often gone in an instant. Value that takes time and commitment to create often outlives its creator – YOU.  ~~ Marc Chernoff

That’s the phrase the family doctor used as he spoke recently with a busy and successful young man in his 40’s who had suffered a heart attack and was going home for recovery. “Take your meds and get a lot of rest, but the real secret in regaining your health and strength is exercise, and lots of it.”

Those were his words and, as we all get a bit older, we hear them often. That wonderful body created by God’s marvelous plan involves intricate engineering driven by details carefully designed by the Master, as Genesis 1:16 says, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.” The Psalmist declared it to be “fearfully and wonderfully made” Psalm 139:14. Because it is the house of God’s Holy Spirit, we are compelled and commanded to take good care of that body.

But there is another need for exercise, and that is in a spiritual realm. It is more important, because it affects our preparations for eternity. 1 Timothy 4:6ff tells us how to stay spiritually fit and “brought up in the truth of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.” It begins and ends in spiritual exercise, which Paul calls “godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” We can’t just talk about our faith; we’ve got to deliberately develop a plan for spiritual exercise. God calls us to:

Walk in the light. Our Lord is the light of this world, and we must learn to stay out of the dark and “walk in the light as He is in the light.” When we do so, we share a wonderful fellowship in and with Christ and find that forgiveness and peace in Him. See 1 John 1:7. In a busy world filled with “potholes” as well as blessings, we must hear Paul in Ephesians 5:15 “Be very careful, then, how you live.” Yes, we are called to “live by faith and not by sight” in 2 Corinthians 5:7, but that simple command assumes that our eyes are wide open and fixed on the source of faith, His holy Word!

Lift Up Your Eyes and See the opportunities and joy of Christian living. Psalm 123:1, “I lift up my eyes to You, to You Whose throne is in heaven.” To those disciples who were absorbed with earthly needs and endeavors, Jesus tells them in John 4:35, “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”

Arm Yourselves and Be Ready for the challenges and battles that lie ahead, for you and I know that they are coming. Peter explains in 1 Peter 4:1,2, “Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude.” It means putting on the “whole armor of God”, Ephesians 6:13. Only then are we prepared and ready.

Subject My Body Daily with the exercise that comes from personal discipline and purpose, 1 Corinthians 9:27. This is what we have to do with our spiritual bodies. Discipline and bring it into subjection to God’s laws. We do it by “desiring the sincere milk of the Word” 1 Peter 2:2 and then the “solid food/meat” in Hebrews 5:14 that is for the mature who, by constant use have trained themselves to distinguished good from evil. Weakness comes from a diet void of God’s Word, our spiritual nutrition. Finally, running is necessary for good spiritual health. The Hebrew writer calls us to “let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith”, 12:1b-2a. And as the way gets long and our years many, Isaiah 40:31 promises, “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

If we are going to maintain good healthy souls, we must be certain to get the right amount of spiritual exercise. Only then can we be ready to work and serve Him Who died for us. It is the only way to stay faithful and strong in times of storms and challenges, to be healthier and happier as long as our days last.

~~ Gary Montgomery, (adapted)