Growing in Grace – February 2025

February 2025

“And he (Pharaoh) said unto them, Go, serve the Lord your God: but who are they that shall go? And Moses said, We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go” (Exodus 10:8-9).

When Moses and Aaron began to speak to Pharaoh, telling him that he must let the people of Israel go, they told Pharaoh that they were going to sacrifice to the Lord in the wilderness. As we know, Pharaoh consistently refused to let the people go, in spite of the terrible plagues that the Lord brought upon the land of Egypt. Finally Pharaoh said that he would let the people go, but proposed various conditions to Moses and Aaron, as to who should go, and how far they should go, and whether their cattle should go, etc.

In our verse today, we see that Pharaoh asks the question as to who would go. Moses clearly said to him that they must all go — men, women, and children, as well as their cattle. If we were to read the following verses, we would find that Pharaoh wanted only the men to go, and leave their children in Egypt. This was a very bad suggestion, and Moses quite properly refused to consider it. Then the Lord allowed further plagues on the land of Egypt. Eventually Pharaoh did let the people go, but not until the firstborn of every family that was not protected by the blood on the door, had been killed on the night of the Passover.

We have seen before that Egypt is a type of the world around us, that does not know the Lord. This world may think it is all right for Christian parents and older ones to worship the Lord, and to be separate from this world, but the world wants to get you younger ones, if it can. You have energy and vigor, and the world wants you! Satan is now the god and prince of this world, and if he can attract young people, he is very pleased. He wants any of us, but he makes a special attempt to snare young people. Be thankful if your parents are like Moses, who will not allow you to be left in Egypt, so to speak. Be thankful if they insist that you go with them to worship and serve the Lord.

Thursday, February 27, 2025

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“Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? … I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed” (Luke 16:3).

In this chapter we have a story about a steward who had charge of his master’s goods. Evidently he had been misusing them, and in modern language, he was going to be fired. But rather than look at the actual story here, let us look at what the steward said. He recognized that he was not able to do manual work (digging), and he was ashamed to live from the charity of others (begging), so he made some other arrangements. We do not need to be concerned about those other arrangements for now, but only to notice that he knew what kind of work he could do, and what he could not do.

It is a good thing to recognize our natural abilities when we are young, for we each have skills of different kinds. Some are well equipped to work with their hands, and these people often become carpenters, tool and die makers, surgeons, etc. Others are bent toward using their minds to make a living, and these people may become internet technology people, or possibly get into business administration. It is sad that some young people today never seem to find out what they are good at doing; they end up going from one job to another, not liking any of them. I have known young people who spent most of their lives trying to figure out what to do. Others are not motivated to go out and earn their own living at all, and set up their own homes, but prefer to continue living with their parents even as adults. If we have trouble in this, we can ask the Lord to help us, for He loves to guide us in the right way. But we must remember that no job in this world is perfect; they all involve doing things that we may not like doing. This is good training; keep it up and do your best!

When it comes to our spiritual gifts, again, as we have seen, a time of training is often necessary in our lives. We would never think of undertaking a complicated job in natural things without having the proper training. The Lord knows how to put us through situations that train us for what He wants us to do. Often He will give us something to do that is quite simple, and then, as we progress, He leads us on to bigger things. The great thing to remember is that our service for the Lord is for His glory, and not for our own recognition. We must be content to look forward to reward in heaven, and not expect it down here.

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

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“He [God] said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob … Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people the children of Israel out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:6, 10).

Here we have the important message that God had for Moses; it was now time for him to go back to Egypt, to face the new Pharaoh, and to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. But if you read the chapter carefully, you will find that now Moses makes every possible excuse not to go. Forty years before he was ready to go in his own natural strength, but now, after forty years of looking after sheep, he does not want to go, even when the Lord Himself calls him.

First of all, he says, “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh?” (vs. 11). He did not feel like a very important person anymore. Then Moses wants to know what name he was to say, when the people might ask him who sent him. The Lord gave him a name suitable for God — “I AM THAT I AM” (vs. 14). Then Moses protested that the people would not believe that God had sent him. (Exodus 4:1). So the Lord graciously gave him two miraculous signs to show them. Then Moses said, “I am not eloquent” (Exodus 4:10), which means that he thought he could not speak well enough. Finally, Moses asked the Lord to send someone else — see Exodus 4:13.

All this is very sad, for when the Lord tells us to do something, He always gives us whatever we need to do it. He will give us the courage, the strength, the right words, the money, the help — whatever we need. But Moses once again was looking at himself, and not at the Lord. At last the Lord tells him that He will send his brother Aaron to speak for him, and Moses agrees to go.

In these incidents in the life of Moses, we see two main difficulties that we as Christians have in serving the Lord. Sometimes we are too eager to go out and do something in our own strength, and this usually happens when we are young. We saw that in Moses when he killed the Egyptian who was mistreating an Israelite. But now, when Moses is eighty years old, we find his doing the opposite — making all kinds of excuses why he should not go and deliver God’s people! It seems that he had become rather timid during his forty years of keeping sheep. Eventually he went, but the Lord became angry when he made so many excuses. It is important for us not to fall into either one of these ways of acting towards the Lord. Let us be ready to accept His training, but be ready to go when He calls us.

Tuesday, February 25, 2025

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“And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed … and God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses” (Exodus 3:2, 4).

This was a very strange sight that Moses saw, for here was a bush on fire, yet it did not burn up. Have you ever seen a fire burning, yet the material being burned did not burn up? No, I am sure you have not, and neither have I. Whenever we make a fire, we have to put wood on it, and after a while, the wood burns up, and we have to add more. But this bush did not burn up. Naturally Moses went over to take a closer look at this unusual sight. When he went over there, the Lord called to him out of the middle of the bush, and repeated his name twice.

This was a very important occasion in Moses’ life, for finally, after forty years, God was going to send him back to Egypt, to speak to Pharaoh, and to deliver His people. But first God had to get Moses’ attention, by having a bush burn, but without burning up. This bush was a picture of the people of Israel. They had been slaves in Egypt for many years, and the hard work they had to do, and the abuse they suffered, was like the fire in the bush. The bush should have burned up, and the people of Israel should not have survived in Egypt either, but God was with them, and He saw to it that they multiplied, in spite of the way the Egyptians treated them.

The people of God today are like that too. All through the history of Christianity, God’s people (those who are saved) have been persecuted, sometimes even killed. Yet the Lord has seen to it that His people were not wiped out; rather they have multiplied in times of persecution. Also, there will come a time when the Lord will come and take us home to be with Himself, and deliver us from this world, just as He delivered His people Israel.

When the Lord spoke to Moses, He reminded him to take off his shoes, for he was now in the Lord’s presence. Moses did so, and also covered his face, for he did not want to look at God. But now the Lord told him that He (God) had seen how difficult it was for His people in Egypt, and that He was going to deliver them.

There are seven people recorded in the Bible, to whom the Lord spoke by calling their names twice. When this happened, it meant that the Lord had something very important to say to them. See if you can find the other six! Here are some hints — three more are in the Old Testament, and three are in the New Testament. One was a young woman.

Monday, February 24, 2025

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“Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian” (Exodus 3:1).

At first glance, this might not sound like a very interesting verse for us to consider, for it merely tells us how Moses kept sheep in the land of Midian. But if we think about it, we realize that it must have been a very different life than what Moses had been used to in the court of Pharaoh. One day he was an important man, looked upon as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, and perhaps with some responsibilities in the government of Egypt. Then he has to run away to save his life, and finds himself in a desert place, keeping a flock of sheep. I grew up on a farm, but we did not raise sheep, and I never had to spend all day outside, looking after animals. I remember thinking that Moses’ job as a shepherd must have been quite boring! And it went on for a long time — forty years!

However, the Lord knew that Moses needed this time alone with Him, and the Lord used that time to teach Moses many things. First of all, Moses had to learn that he could not go out in human energy to deliver the people of Israel from Pharaoh. No, it must be in God’s strength, so that God received the glory. Also, he had to learn that for God to work, we must wait for God’s time. God has a right time for everything to happen, and He was going to wait until the king who wanted to kill Moses had died. Then another king took over, and it was with him that Moses had to deal.

More than this, Moses probably learned much simply from keeping the sheep. Sheep are interesting creatures, for on the positive side, they are rather hardy animals, and can put up with quite a bit of bad weather. They can survive in harsh climates, even where there is a lot of snow. But on the negative side, they are somewhat stupid, and get lost easily. Also, they tend to follow one another, so that if one sheep goes a certain way, all the others will often follow, even into danger. They do not do well on their own; they need a shepherd to look after them, to protect them, and to lead them to good pasture and water.

The people of God are often compared to sheep in the Bible, and they too need a shepherd. If Moses was going to lead the people of Israel, he would learn from keeping sheep what it would be like to be their leader. Forty years is a long time, but God knew that Moses needed that time away from a busy place.

It is sometimes the same in our lives. We too need to learn God’s ways, and sometimes He puts us in a place where we do not seem to be doing much of anything. But this may be God’s training ground for us, and we should not resent it. It might have seemed to Moses as if he were spending the best years of his life keeping sheep, but as we will see, the Lord gave him the strength to lead His people, even when he was older.

Sunday, February 23, 2025

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“And he [Moses] spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand” (Exodus 2:11-12).

When Moses was forty years old, and as we have seen, “mighty in words and deeds,” he knew that the Lord was going to use him to deliver his brethren, the Israelites, from the position of slaves in Egypt. As a strong young man, he was angry when he saw an Egyptian mistreating one of the Israelites. He recognized them as his brethren, and as we see in our verses today, he stepped in to protect the one who was being hurt by the Egyptian. When he did not see anyone else who was looking, he killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand.

Was this the right thing to do? The Egyptians had no right to make slaves of the Israelites, and to abuse them, for God had used an Israelite, Joseph, to save Egypt from famine some years before. Then the Israelites had moved down to Egypt at Pharaoh’s invitation and had not done anything to harm the Egyptians. But when they became too numerous, the Egyptians decided to make slaves of them. Moses had a right motive in trying to help his people, but in all these things, we must wait God’s time. Moses was trying to deliver the people in his own strength, and it did not work. If you read the chapter (Exodus 2), you will see that even his own people resented Moses’ interference, and asked, “Who made thee a prince and a judge over us?” (Exodus 2:14). More than this, Pharaoh found out about Moses’ killing the Egyptian, and wanted to kill Moses. Moses had to spend forty years way out in the lonely desert before he was ready to undertake the job of delivering his people.

Sometimes in our lives we really want to do something for the Lord, and perhaps it is a good thing to do. But the Lord often needs to train us first, just as He trained Moses. If we attempt to act too soon, God may not bless it, for we may be acting in our own strength. The Lord wants us, as He wanted Moses, to go in His strength. God’s training may take some time, but it is worth it, for then we act in the right way, and at the right time.

Saturday, February 22, 2025

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“By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter” (Hebrews 11:24).

Yesterday we saw how Moses was rescued from the waters of the Nile River in Egypt, and became (as everyone thought) the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. As a result, we read that he was “learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7:22). He was also “mighty in words and in deeds” (Acts 7:22), but in all of his upbringing in the court of Pharaoh, Moses had not forgotten that he was not really the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Somehow he had found out, perhaps from his own family, that he was an Israelite and not an Egyptian. Yet it is interesting that as a young man, he must have looked like an Egyptian, for when he went away to the land of Midian, the young women there told their father that an Egyptian had helped them water their flock.

But the time came when Moses had to make a decision. He could remain in Pharaoh’s court, and very possibly become the next Pharaoh of Egypt, or he could choose to “suffer affliction with the people of God” (Hebrews 11:25). We know that Moses chose to identify himself with his own people Israel, for they were the people of God. As a result he had to leave Egypt for a while, but then God eventually brought him back to deliver His people from the slavery to which the Egyptians had put them.

In each of our lives, there comes a point when we have to decide what direction to take in our life. If we know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, the world around us will try to get us to “enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season” (Hebrews 11:25). But these pleasures are only for this life, and as we have seen in another meditation, nothing in this world can satisfy our longing hearts. How much better it is to make the choice Moses made, even though it may sometimes be a difficult path! But Moses wanted to live for eternity, not merely for time, and he chose to identify with a nation of slaves instead of with those in a position of power. But it was worth it, for the Lord was with him, and it is recorded that the Lord spoke to Him “mouth to mouth … and the similitude (likeness) of the Lord shall he behold” (Numbers 12:8). Later on, in the New Testament, he appeared with Elijah and the Lord Jesus on the mount of transfiguration. Surely it was well worth it to give up some temporary pleasure, in order to honor the Lord! This is so important for us to remember as young Christians!

Friday, February 21, 2025

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“And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water” (Exodus 2:10).

I am sure that most of you, and perhaps all of you, know the story of Moses. But did you know that his name means “drawn out”? His name was actually given to him by Pharaoh’s daughter, because she had been the one to find him in the little ark of bulrushes in the river. His name was not given to him by his own parents. But it was a suitable name, and it is the name by which he was known all his life.

It took a great deal of faith on the part of Moses’ parents to keep their little son, for you will remember that Pharaoh had said that all the boy babies were to be thrown into the river. Of course they would drown, but Moses’ mother did put him into the river; only she made him a little ark of bulrushes to keep him from drowning. When Pharaoh’s daughter came down to the river to bathe, she and her attendants found Moses in the ark, and God put it into her heart to feel sorry for him. The Bible tells us that he was “a goodly child,” meaning that he was a beautiful baby. She was attracted to him and wanted to keep him. Surely the Lord arranged all this, for He had special plans for Moses.

All this has a lesson for us too. In the Bible, Egypt is a picture of the world around us, and is under the control of Satan. Satan does not want children from Christian homes to grow up and live for the Lord; rather, he wants them to be swallowed up by this world, and be spiritually dead. But Christian parents will want to protect their children from the influence of the world, and the ark of bulrushes is a picture of this protection. We have to live in this world, and sometimes mix with it, but we do not have to experience spiritual death from it.

The water also speaks of death, but someone else has already passed through those waters of death — the Lord Jesus Himself. Now children can be taken out of those waters, and Moses is given back to his real mother, to nurse him for Pharaoh’s daughter. Because of this, everyone assumed he was the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.

Thursday, February 20, 2025

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“Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little” (Luke 7:47).

The Lord Jesus said these words to a prominent Pharisee who had asked Him to come to his home for a meal. During the meal, a woman of the city came in, shed tears on the feet of the Lord Jesus, wiped them with her hair, kissed His feet, and then anointed His feet with ointment she had brought. The Pharisee knew this woman was a sinner and found fault with all this. But the Lord Jesus asked the Pharisee, “If two people each owed a debt, and one owed a large amount while the other owed a small amount, and the creditor forgave them both, which of them would love the creditor most?” The Pharisee answered correctly by saying that the one who owed the most would be the most grateful and love the creditor the most.

Then the Lord Jesus used this illustration to show the Pharisee that the woman, who had many sins, was more grateful than the Pharisee, who thought he was a good man. He also had not treated the Lord Jesus very well. In Jesus’ time on earth the roads were dusty, and since they wore sandals, their feet got very dirty. When you arrived at a home, there was no air conditioning, and no ice for your drink. When the Lord Jesus came to the Pharisee’s house, he did not offer to wash the Lord’s feet, or anoint his head with oil, or give him a welcoming kiss. All these courtesies were normal in the society of that day. But the woman had done all three to the Lord’s feet, because she knew her sins were forgiven.

The Pharisee was probably outwardly a good man, but what he did not realize was that his heart was just as bad as the heart of the woman who washed the Lord’s feet. Perhaps she was more open in the way she sinned, so that everyone knew about it, but the Pharisee’s heart was no better He too needed a Savior and should have realized that the One who could save him was sitting there in his house. Sad to say, he probably thought he was good enough for God’s presence without needing salvation, and there is no record that he ever got saved.

We must remember that all our hearts are the same, for “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The more we realize how much we have been forgiven, the more we will love the Lord Jesus for what He has done for us.

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

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“These things I command you, that ye love one another” (John 15:17).

One of the commandments that God has given us in the New Testament is to love one another. This commandment is so important that it is repeated twelve times over, and by different Bible writers too. The Lord Jesus Himself said it three times, the Apostle Paul said it twice, Peter says it once, and John says it six times. We really need to pay attention to this commandment!

When we extend our love to others, we expect them to love us in return. That way, we can have a happy relationship. But the word for love that is used in the Bible to tell us to love one another is a word in the Greek language that means a kind of love that does not need someone to love us in return for our love. It just keeps on loving, even if the person we love does not love us. That is hard to do, but it is what God did for us. He loved us when we were sinners, and did not want Him. His love gave His Son to die for us, and the Lord Jesus went to Calvary’s cross because He loved us.

Now, when we accept the Lord Jesus as our Savior, God gives you and me a new life in Christ. This new life has the ability to love as God loves, and this is a wonderful thing. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were told to love God; in fact, it was the first of the ten commandments. But the natural man could not do this; he did not have the capacity to love that way. John calls this an old commandment (1 John 2:7) because it was a commandment that man could not keep until he had new life in Christ. Now, when we are told to love one another, it is called a new commandment. This is because those who are saved now are able to love one another like this.

It is rather sad that God has to repeat this commandment so many times, but He knew how difficult it would be for Christians to love one another the way that they should. How easily we can get bothered about little things! The Lord Jesus said that this was the way people would recognize His followers, by seeing how much they loved one another. As we have already said, this is one of the most important commandments to remember!

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

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“If ye love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

When the Lord Jesus said this to His disciples, He was giving them His last instructions before He went to the cross to suffer and die for them. He told them many things, for He was getting them ready to live in this world without His being with them constantly. They felt very sad that He was going away from them, for they had become accustomed to being in His company for several years. They had trusted in Him, and depended on Him for everything. But now He was going to the cross, and then back to heaven.

Before He went away, He gave them some commandments. These commandments were not like the law in the Old Testament, with a long list of “do’s” and “don’ts.” Those Old Testament commandments were intended to show man how guilty he was before God, for no one could ever keep them properly. But the New Testament commandments are different; they are for those who already have new life in Christ. We do not keep these commandments in order to be saved; rather, we keep them because we are saved, and want to please the One who saved us.

I remember reading about a Christian couple who bought a home, and when they moved in, the wife said to her husband, “I do not like the color of the kitchen; would you paint it white for me?” Do you think her husband did that? Yes, he did, because he loved his wife, and wanted to please her. Then, after he had painted the kitchen white, his wife said, “Would you mind trimming it in yellow?” Her husband did that too, because he wanted to please her. As you may imagine, she was very happy working in her newly-painted kitchen. Best of all, she knew that her husband loved her enough to do it for her.

The New Testament commandments are like that. The Lord has told us what would please Him, and if we love Him, we will want to keep His commandments. Our love for the Lord Jesus is shown by our willingness to keep His commandments.

Monday, February 17, 2025

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“We love Him, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

When I was young, a brother used to remind us, “Never try to love the Lord any more than you do! Just think of how much He loves you!” This was good advice for us, for sometimes we feel guilty for not loving the Lord more than we do. The answer is to enjoy His love, and then our love will flow back to Him as a result.

Perhaps some of you have sung the hymn, “I am so glad that our Father in heaven, tells of His love in the book He has given,” etc. This hymn was written by a man named Philip Bliss, who lived back in the 1800’s. He was a gifted hymnwriter and wrote quite a few good hymns. He did not live to be an old man, for he and his wife were killed in a train wreck in Ashtabula, Ohio, U.S.A. when he was only thirty-eight years old. But it is interesting how he came to write this hymn about which we are speaking.

He was putting together a hymnbook and was using not only many of his own hymns, but also hymns written by other people. He wanted to use the hymn, “Oh, how I love Jesus, oh how I love Jesus, because He first loved me,” and reserved a place and a number for it in his hymnbook. But since the man who wrote that hymn was still alive, out of courtesy he contacted him, asking permission to use his hymn. To his shock and surprise, the author of that hymn flatly refused, saying that he was also making up a hymnbook, and did not want anyone to spoil the sales of his hymnbook by using his hymn in another hymnbook.

Mr. Bliss went away very sad, not only because he could not use the hymn, but mostly because the other man was using sacred things like hymns to make money. But now he had to find another hymn to fill the place in his hymnbook. As he walked home, he began to think of how the Bible does not speak mostly about our love to the Lord, but rather speaks about His love for us. God does not want us constantly to be thinking about our love for the Lord Jesus, but to enjoy His love for us. Then he sat down and wrote the hymn, “I am so glad that our Father in heaven, tells of His love in the book He has given.” That hymn took the place of the other one, and talks about God’s love for us. The chorus goes like this, “I am so glad that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me!” If we do not feel as much love for the Lord as we would like to have, once again the answer is to think about how much He loves us!

Sunday, February 16, 2025

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“For the love of Christ constraineth us … that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

The word “constrain” is a strong word, and means to force someone to do something, either by physical or moral strength. The Lord Jesus certainly does not force us by physical strength to do something for Him, but if we really understand how much it cost Him to save us, then His love has the force of a command. There is part of the 14th verse that I have left out, and it says, “If one died for all, then were all dead.” All of us, before we were saved, were “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Now we have life — new life in Christ, but it cost the Lord Jesus the awful suffering during the three hours of darkness on the cross. His love was strong enough to take Him through that suffering, but is it strong enough to constrain us? According to this verse, yes, it is strong enough. Then why do we not respond more to the Lord’s love?

Perhaps we can illustrate it this way. We have all seen a magnet, and we know that a magnet attracts iron. Yet, if we had a small magnet, and we placed some small iron filings about thirty feet (about nine meters) away from it, the iron would not be attracted to the magnet. Why not? If it is a good magnet, the iron should move toward it. Of course, you would immediately say, “The magnet is too far away! You will have to bring the iron closer to it.” You would be right, for those of you who have studied physics know that the strength of a magnetic field varies as the square of the distance from it. A magnet that is one inch (about 2 ½ centimeters) from some iron has a certain amount of pull. But if the magnet is two inches away, it has only ¼ of the pull. If it is three inches away, it has only 1/9 of the pull. You can see that a small magnet that is thirty feet away from the iron does not have much of a pull left in its magnetic field.

It is the same with some of us as Christians. The love of Christ does constrain us, but if we are too far away from the Lord in our lives, we do not feel the “pull” of that constraint. It is those who live in the sunshine of His love that feel the power of it in them, and then respond to the Lord’s call to serve Him.

Saturday, February 15, 2025

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“If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you” (1 Peter 4:14).

Many years ago, back in the 15th and 16th centuries, the gospel was not known widely as it is today. Rather, people were taught that they had to earn their salvation by doing good works, and were even told to pay money for their salvation.

But then God raised up men who looked into the Bible, and began to preach the truth of salvation by faith in the Lord Jesus. One of these early reformers, as they were called, was a Frenchman named Louis Berquin. He was born about 1490, and as a young man began to read his Bible, and to listen to those who spoke against the bad teaching that so many believed. As a young man he accepted the Lord Jesus as his Savior, and began to preach to others about Him. Because Louis Berquin was a nobleman, he was rich, and also an educated man. He was trained as a lawyer, and was well known to Francis I, the king of France at that time. Several times he was arrested and imprisoned for his faith, but was released through the influence of the king’s sister Marguerite. Finally the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church prevailed, and Louis Berquin was sentenced to be burned for his preaching and writing.

When he came to the place where he was to be executed, he came in his best clothes, rode down the street on his best horse, and in every way behaved as if he were going to visit the king. But it was not the king of France whom he was preparing to visit; he was going to be with the Lord Jesus. Many thought that he was throwing his life away, for he was not yet forty years old when he died in this way. But that is not the end of the story.

A young man, also born in France, had been sent by his father to study in Paris, and there he came under the influence of the reformers. He was present when Louis Berquin was burned for his faith, and was amazed at Berquin’s calmness and joy on such an occasion. He went away from that scene saying to himself, “That man has got something, and I want what he has!” The young man was John Calvin. A few years later he too accepted the Lord as His Savior, and went on to further the work of the Lord in Geneva, Switzerland. Louis Berquin did not die in vain, for indeed “the spirit of glory and of God” rested upon him, and John Calvin could see it.

Friday, February 14, 2025

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“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Timothy 4:16).

We seem to have coined a new word in the last thirty or forty years — the word “prioritize.” It is a word that I did not hear when I was young. The word may have existed back then, but we never used it. Why is it so common today? It is because the pace of life has rapidly quickened during the last few years, and everything has become more complicated. As a result, we have to decide what is important in our lives, and as the saying goes, “Put first things first.” Sometimes it is hard to decide what is most important, for even as young people, there are many demands made on our time. We live in a busy world, and have to be careful how we use our time.

Suppose you had some large rocks, some smaller rocks, some pebbles, and some sand, and were told to put them all in a large jar. Would you start with the sand and the pebbles? No, you would start with the largest rocks, then add the smaller rocks, then the pebbles, and finally the sand. That way, they would all fit in. It is the same in our Christian lives; we must start with the most important things first.

Here in our verse we find some things that need to be put in their proper order. First of all, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy to pay attention to himself, and to the doctrine or teaching. This is most important, for we cannot be a help to someone else unless we have made sure that our own state of soul is right. The Lord Jesus told people when He was on earth, “And why beholdest thou the mote (a small speck of something) that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam (as in a large beam of wood) that is in thine own eye? … Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:3-4). We must take care of our own Christian walk, and apply the teaching of the Word of God to ourselves, before we can help others with problems in their life.

Then we must “continue in them.” It is easy to get a rush of energy sometimes in spiritual things, but sometimes it is just human energy, not the energy of the Spirit of God. Human energy will never last, but if we really want to please the Lord, He will give us the strength and help to continue on without stopping. Godly consistency in our life is most important. James tells us that “a double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). This is talking about a person who wants to please the Lord sometimes, but then decides to indulge his old sinful nature a bit too. This kind of Christian goes back and forth between doing the Lord’s will and doing his own will. It is hard to have confidence in someone like that.

Finally, if we have prioritized these things properly, we will not only save ourselves, but also others whom we may influence. This does not mean to save ourselves in the sense of our salvation from the penalty of our sins, but rather being saved from the power of sin in our Christian lives. It means being saved from a wasted life, and from the temptations in this world. We all have an effect on others; let us be an influence for good on other Christians!

Thursday, February 13, 2025

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“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation (conduct), in charity (love), in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).

When I was young I really liked this verse, and sometimes felt that older people ought to read it more often! I felt that sometimes they did not pay much attention to what we young people said or did, except to correct us for something. Later on, as an adult, while waiting for a dentist appointment, I saw an article in a magazine entitled, “What do young people want most of all?” After doing a study with a large number of young people, they concluded that the answer was, “To be treated with respect.” Some months later, when I was speaking to a group of Christian young people, I asked them the same question — What do you want most of all from your parents and other adults? I was a bit surprised that they gave me the same answer — to be treated with respect. It seems that young people today are no different from my generation; they want respect from older people.

There is nothing wrong with this, and in our verse today, we see that the Apostle Paul told Timothy (who was a young man) not to allow anyone to despise him because he was young. He had a gift from the Lord, and could be a real help to others. Many Christian young people today want to please the Lord, and have real purpose and energy in their lives for Him.

However, we see that just as there are two sides to a coin, so there are two sides to this question of respect for young people. The other side of the coin is in the last part of the verse; as younger ones, we must behave in such a way as to deserve respect. We notice here that the Apostle Paul does not tell Timothy to demonstrate his knowledge by saying a lot, nor does he tell him to rebuke those who might want to despise him. Rather, he tells him to behave in a way that would honor the Lord. He was to be an example of the believers in various ways — in his talk, in his conduct, in his love, his spirit, his faith, and in purity. All of these things are most important and should be part of our character at any age. But it is most important to start these things when we are young, and to get in the habit of having our lives molded by the Word of God.

If we live the way a Christian ought to live, we will soon find that older ones will begin to respect us, as they realize that we are serious about wanting to honor the Lord in our lives. We will not have to demand respect, for they will respect us. Even people out in the world respect a godly Christian, although they may not like him or her.

There is one other point we should mention here. If we show respect to adults and those who are older, it makes it easier for them to respect us. Today in western countries many young people speak to older adults as if they were just like friends their own age. I have heard young people talk to those who were old enough to be their grandparents, the same way they would speak to their teenage buddies. This is regrettable, and while the older ones may not say anything about it, it lowers their opinion of that kind of young person. If we wish to be treated with respect, we need to remember to do our part too!

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

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“Israel [Jacob] stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn” (Genesis 48:14).

Here we find Israel (God had given Jacob another name, Israel, which means “a prince with God”), as an old man, again conferring a blessing, but this time on his two grandsons, the sons of Joseph. Their names were Manasseh and Ephraim, and Manasseh was the oldest. Normally the older one would have gotten the bigger blessing, and ought to have had Israel’s right hand on his head. But Jacob crossed his arms, and put his right hand on Ephraim’s head. At first Joseph was not happy about this, and we read that he tried to take his father’s right hand off Ephraim’s head and place it on Manasseh’s head (see verse 17). But his father refused, and kept his right hand on Ephraim’s head. We might wonder why Jacob would do this.

When Jacob and Esau were born, they were twins, but Esau was born first. Normally he should have gotten the larger blessing, but before they were born, God had clearly said that the younger one, Jacob, would be the more prominent of the two, and that “the elder shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23). If we go back another generation, we find that Ishmael was the eldest son of Abraham, yet Isaac got the larger blessing. Going back even further, we find that Japheth was Noah’s eldest son, yet God’s blessing was more pronounced in the family of Shem, who was the second son.

There is a special reason for all this. We read in 1 Corinthians 15:47 that “the first man is of the earth, earthy: the second Man is the Lord from heaven.” The first man (Adam) was a failure, for he and his wife Eve broke the one commandment that God gave them, and thus brought sin into the world. We are all naturally connected with the first man, Adam, and we all have sinful natures. But the second Man is the Lord Jesus, who succeeded where the first man failed. He perfectly did the will of God, and then at Calvary’s cross made a way for all who come to Him to be reconciled to God. That is why God often allowed the second son to be more important and more spiritual than the elder one.

If you look carefully, you can find other examples in the book of Genesis where the eldest son was not the most spiritual, but rather a younger son. It is not always the second son, and sometimes there is more than one younger brother in the same family who is more godly than the oldest brother. See if you can find some more!

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

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“And Jacob blessed Pharaoh” (Genesis 47:10).

“And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better” (Hebrews 7:7).

Jacob had not been a very good testimony for the Lord most of his life. He had cheated his brother Esau out of his blessing, and then engaged in scheming and planning to try and outwit his uncle Laban, for whom he worked for over twenty years. Then he had more than twenty years of great sorrow over what he thought was the loss of his beloved son Joseph. Now, at the end of his life, he is reunited to Joseph, and has the best years of all his life.

When he comes down to Egypt and is presented to Pharaoh by Joseph, Pharaoh asks him, “How old art thou?” (Genesis 47:8). Jacob’s answer shows that he could not look back on his life with much satisfaction, for he says, “Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been” (v. 9). No doubt Jacob was ashamed of the way he had acted, and how he had dishonored the Lord in so many ways during his pathway through this world. Also, his sons had learned how to lie and cheat from their father’s example, which must have made him very sad.

In spite of all this, we read that “Jacob blessed Pharaoh,” and in the New Testament it tells us that “the less is blessed of the better.” How could this be? Was a man like Jacob really better than Pharaoh, and thus able to bless him? Yes, Jacob was better, for in spite of all his bad behavior, he really cared for the things of the Lord, and badly wanted God’s blessing. It is true that he felt he had to get that blessing by scheming and cheating, instead of trusting the Lord to give it to him. But the Lord saw Jacob’s faith underneath all his wrong lifestyle, and because of his faith, God disciplined him, in order to bring him to repentance. The result was that Jacob had some happy years at the end of his life, for he learned from God’s dealings with him. At the end of his life he can bless the mighty king of Egypt. Pharaoh may have been a child of God, for he certainly had every chance to know the true God through Joseph. The Bible does not tell us one way or the other. But Jacob was specially chosen of God to be His testimony in this world, and he is the one who blesses Pharaoh.

Some of us are like Jacob too. Perhaps we have character traits that are not good, and then the Lord has to allow difficulties in our lives, to make us realize that those things are not pleasing to Him. We sometimes call this “discipline in God’s school.” But if we learn from what the Lord allows in our lives, we can deal with those bad tendencies in our hearts, and then shine more brightly for Him.

Monday, February 10, 2025

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“So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way” (Genesis 45:24).

We do not use the term “fall out” any more in normal conversation, but it simply means to quarrel. Joseph was warning his brothers not to quarrel on the way home from Egypt! Isn’t it sad that he felt that he had to say that to them?

More than twenty years before, those same brothers had sold Joseph into Egypt as a slave, thinking that would be the end of him. They hated him so much that they did not care if he died. But the Lord was with Joseph, and as we know, he ended up being the governor over all the land of Egypt. Because Joseph had carefully stored up wheat during the years in Egypt when the harvests were good, there was plenty of wheat there when the Lord allowed a famine to come upon the whole area. Eventually his brothers were compelled to go to Egypt and buy food. If you have maps in the back of your Bible, perhaps you can trace out this journey.

Then Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and at first they were afraid of him, thinking that he would take revenge on them for selling him as a slave. But he treated them well, and freely forgave them for what they had done to him. You would think that they would have gone home very happy, knowing that they were not going to get into trouble with Joseph. But Joseph knew them well. He knew how easily they could get to quarreling among themselves, perhaps each one blaming the other for what had happened many years before. But they were all guilty, in one way or another, except for their youngest brother Benjamin.

It is often the same with Christians. We were no better than those who hated the Lord Jesus, and who wanted to crucify Him. Had we been there at the time, we too would have wanted to get rid of Him, for our hearts are all the same naturally. But now He has freely forgiven us, washed away our sins, and given us a home in heaven. You would think that Christians would always be happy, and enjoying the love of God. Yet how easily we can find fault with one another, and get into quarrels over small things that are not that important. Of course, we must not pass over things that dishonor the Lord, but many of the difficulties among believers are really just little things that annoy us. They are not really connected with the Lord at all. What Joseph said to his brothers is a good lesson for all of us — not to quarrel on the way home to heaven! Rather, we should all be enjoying what the Lord has done for us, and having happy fellowship together.

Sunday, February 9, 2025

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“Eye hath seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

The ninth verse above is often referred to, as if God has prepared wonderful things for our enjoyment in heaven, but that we must wait until we get there in order to have them. This is partly true, for when we are up there, we will no longer have a sinful nature that keeps wanting to make us sin. Also, Satan will not be there to tempt us, nor will we have the bad influence of the world around us. We will enjoy the things of Christ more fully up there than we have ever enjoyed them down here.

However, our verses today show us that we do not have to wait until the Lord comes and takes us home, in order to enjoy those heavenly things. Rather, God has sent His Spirit down to indwell each true believer, and one of the things the Spirit of God does is to show us those wonderful things, so that we can enjoy them now. They cannot be seen with our eyes, nor heard with our ears, for they are not like natural things. They are things that only the Spirit of God can show us, but they bring real enjoyment to our hearts.

We see an illustration of this in the Old Testament, when Joseph sent his brothers back from Egypt, and told them to bring their father down to Egypt. In Genesis 45:23, we read, “To his father he (Joseph) sent after this manner; ten asses (donkeys) laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way.”

There were ten donkeys loaded up with food for their father on the long trip down to Egypt, and this would have been plenty for him. But Joseph also sent ten donkeys loaded with “the good things of Egypt.” Why did he send those? They were not needed for the trip, but were intended to give his father Jacob a sample of what he would enjoy in Egypt.

The Lord does the same for us. He gives us all we need for the journey home to heaven, but He also gives us a sample of what we will enjoy up there in heaven. The Spirit of God is able to help us to enjoy them now. Isn’t that wonderful! I hope you are enjoying the blessings of being a Christian!

Saturday, February 8, 2025

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“The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit” (2 Timothy 4:22).

Two days ago we saw that as human beings, we are composed of spirit, soul and body. We also saw that our spirit is the “God-conscious” part of us. It gives us the ability to know who God is, and to have a relationship with Him. But sometimes in the Bible the word “spirit” is used simply to mean the attitude we have, and the way that we do something. For example, in Matthew 5:3 we read of those who are “poor in spirit,” and in Luke 2:40 we read of the Lord Jesus, as He grew up, that He “waxed (became) strong in spirit.” It is important to do the right thing, but the way in which we do things is very important as well. We understand this idea in everyday life. We might say about someone, “He does his work with a good spirit.”

When the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy the second time, Paul was in prison in Rome, and he knew that he would not be released. While it does not tell us in the Bible, we know from history that he was executed shortly after writing this book, probably by being beheaded. Paul also knew that things were becoming more difficult in the church, and that some were giving up the precious truth which he had committed to them. Paul had to say, “All they which are in Asia be turned away from me” (2 Timothy 1:15). They were still Christians, but they did not want the truth of God that Paul had given to them. They wanted an easier path — a little more freedom to “drift along.”

In view of all this, Paul told Timothy to be faithful to the Lord, and not to give up what he had told him. But Paul also knew that when things started to get difficult, it would be easy for Timothy to become a little hardened, and perhaps not act with grace and love towards those who were unfaithful. For this reason Paul wanted the Lord Jesus Christ to be with Timothy’s spirit; he wanted Timothy not only to do the right thing, but to do it in the right spirit. In the same way Paul exhorted the Galatians and those in the household of Philemon — “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit” (Galatians 6:18, Philemon v. 25).

We need this reminder too, for although we may do what is right, if we do it in a wrong way or with a wrong attitude, it spoils what we are doing. We need to remember how the Lord Jesus walked while He was in this world, and seek to act as He did. The Lord Jesus sometimes had to speak very plainly to people, but He always spoke as the One who loved them, and cared about them.

Friday, February 7, 2025

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“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).

Yesterday we saw how that our soul is that part of us which controls our desires, and makes us unique as individuals. In our verse for today, we find that it is possible for a man to have everything in this world, and yet to lose his soul. We might ask, What does it mean to lose your soul?

There have been many wealthy people in the history of this world, and today there are some who are billionaires many times over. At the time I am writing this in 2021, the richest man in the world is Jeff Bezos, who founded the Amazon Company. Apparently he is worth $177 billion, and it is hard for some of us to imagine that amount of money. Even if you spent a million dollars every day, you could not spend that amount of money in one lifetime. Yet he cannot take it with him; he can use it only in this life.

Back in 2011 another wealthy man, Steve Jobs, the co-founder of the Apple computer company, died of pancreatic cancer when he was only fifty-six years old. He was apparently worth $7 billion at the time, and while he was on his deathbed, one of his friends commented to him that he had done pretty well for himself. Steve Jobs’ answer to him shows that what the Bible says is true, for he said, “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me.”

When He was here on earth, the Lord Jesus said, “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). To destroy something means to make it unusable for the purpose for which it was made. We were created for God’s pleasure (see Revelation 4:11), but if we refuse God’s offer of mercy through the Lord Jesus, we cannot give Him pleasure in our sins. Then God has no choice but to put us in hell for all eternity, and this is what it means to lose your soul. In hell neither your soul or body can give God pleasure; you are alive, but you have lost your soul.

This is an awful end for those who were created for God’s pleasure, and it does not have to be that way. If you are not saved, you can accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior today, and know that you will spend your eternity in heaven with the Lord.

Thursday, February 6, 2025

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“I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

You and I are complicated persons, for the Bible tells us that we are not composed only of a body. Rather, we have three parts to our being — spirit, soul and body. We all know what our bodies are, for we live and move in this world using our bodies. However, the Word of God tells us that our body is really only a house for our spirit and soul. The Apostle Paul tells us that “if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Corinthians 5:1). This verse is speaking of our bodies. If we die, and our bodies go back to dust, we know that God will raise those bodies when the Lord Jesus comes, and change them into new bodies.

Perhaps some of you have been to a funeral home and seen the body of someone you loved laid out there in a coffin. We can recognize the person, but there is no life in that body; it does not move or respond to us in any way. That is because the soul and spirit are gone, and we read in James 2:26, “The body without the spirit is dead.” The “house” (the body) is still there, but the soul and spirit that once lived inside it are gone.

But what is the difference between the soul and the spirit? The soul is that part of us that makes us unique as individuals. It is the part of us that determines our appetites for certain things, and our desires. Some of you may like nothing better than a game of soccer, while others would rather read a good book. Some young people love music; others may be far more interested in sports. Again, this is part of their soul, and makes them distinct from other people.

The spirit, however, is something that only man has; no animal has a spirit, for the spirit is the God-conscious part of us. It tells us in Genesis 1:26 that “God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” and then He gave man a spirit that could recognize who God is. Because of the spirit in him, mankind knows there is a God, and can have a relationship with God. This is a wonderful thing, and yet a serious thing too. If we know that there is a God, it is important to pay attention to His Word, and to know the true God. Sad to say, many people in this world are worshiping false gods, or idols. Their spirit tells them that they should believe in a god, but Satan has deceived them into believing in false gods, instead of the true God.

For us as Christians, the Apostle Paul expressed a wish that all three parts of us would be preserved blameless until the coming of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:23). The Lord will help us to do this, if we ask Him.

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

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“It is nothing to thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on Thee, and in Thy name we go” (2 Chronicles 14:11).

Yesterday we spoke about the failure in the latter part of Asa’s life, but it is nice to remember a time when he did rely on the Lord, and won a great victory. The Lord had given Asa and the land of Judah rest for ten years at the beginning of his reign, and Asa had used the time profitably. Instead of relaxing, he had built strong cities with walls, towers, gates, and bars, to fortify the land against those who might attack. Also, he had increased the strength of his army, and trained them in methods of fighting. All this was good, and as Christians, we too need to use a time of peace in our lives to read the Word of God, and to edify (or build up) ourselves in the things of the Lord. Asa knew that enemies might well attack, and he wanted to be ready for them.

He did not have to wait very long, and when Zerah the Ethiopian came against him, it was with an army of a million men — almost twice as many as Asa had in his army. There was no reason for the Ethiopians to attack; they were coming simply to take silver and gold and other wealth away from Judah. But Asa did not rely on his army or on his fortified cities; rather he relied on the Lord. Asa knew that no matter how large or how small his army was, it was the Lord alone who could give him the victory.

When the battle was fought, the Bible records that “the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled” (2 Chronicles 14:12). The victory was so complete that “none of them was left alive” (2 Chronicles 14:13 JND). It overwhelms us to think of one million men being killed like that, but it was God’s judgment on those who came to fight against His people. Asa trusted the Lord, and the Lord gave him the victory.

It is not right for Christians today to go out and kill their enemies, but we have spiritual battles instead. The Apostle Paul tells us that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but … against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). Satan is out there, seeking to overcome us and to take away the things we have enjoyed as Christians. We too need to fortify ourselves against him, and as we have already seen in an earlier meditation, we need to put on the whole armor of God. However, we cannot trust in our own strength; rather we must trust the Lord to win the battle for us.

Afterwards the prophet Azariah encouraged Asa, telling him to “be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded” (2 Chronicles 15:7). We live in difficult times, but the Lord encourages us too, and if we live for His glory in this world, our work too will be rewarded in a coming day.

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

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“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 16:25).

I once read a book, evidently written by a true Christian, that was telling believers how to make right choices in their lives. His main advice was that since God has given us brains, we are to use them, and figure out what to do. Then we should check with the Word of God, and if we cannot not find anything wrong with our plan, we should go ahead with it. But we read in Jeremiah 10:23 that “the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” Yes, God has given us brains, and does intend us to use them in natural things. Also, it is a good thing to read the Word of God, for God often guides us by His Word. But when it comes to directing our steps in a spiritual way, we need to ask the Lord what to do. We should not make up our own minds, and then look into the Word of God to see if there is anything wrong with what we wish to do. This is doing things backwards; rather, we should read the Word of God first, and pray about the matter, asking the Lord to make His mind clear to us.

Sometimes a plan may seem quite right for us, and appears to fit the circumstances in which we find ourselves. This was the case with a king of Judah named Asa. He was a godly king who wanted to please the Lord, but later in his life, when a king named Baasha came against him, he took silver and gold out of the house of the Lord, and paid the Syrian king Benhadad to go and fight with Baasha. It looked like a good plan, and it seemed to work, for when Benhadad fought with Baasha, Baasha stopped building a blockade against Asa. Then Asa was able to take all Baasha’s building materials and make some fortifications for himself. You can read the story of Asa in 2 Chronicles, chapters 14-16.

But the prophet Hanani came to Asa and told him, “Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars” (2 Chronicles 16:9). Instead of trusting the Lord, Asa had followed his own plan, and while it seemed to work, yet later it caused him more trouble. The king of Syria was not really his friend, and later ended up fighting with Judah.

Sad to say, Asa did not want to listen to the prophet, and instead put him in prison for daring to criticize his plan. Because of this, the Lord allowed Asa to get some kind of serious disease in his feet, and he died two years later. This was very sad, for Asa was a good king, but when he trusted his own plans instead of asking the Lord what to do, he ended up in trouble. Let us always go to the Lord when we need to make choices in our lives. He will always lead us in the right way!

Monday, February 3, 2025

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“We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

This verse is sometimes hard for us to appreciate, yet it is clearly found in the Word of God. It is not easy to believe that even the difficult things in our lives are working together for good, and that we will profit by them eventually. Sometimes we are called to go through very trying times in our lives, and perhaps we wonder why the Lord has allowed them.

I remember that when I was a boy, an elderly Christian couple was driving along a road in the United States. I did not know them, but my parents did. A big truck carrying new cars was coming the other way on the road. The new cars must not have been secured properly, for suddenly one of them came loose and fell off the truck, right on top of the car in which the older couple were driving. The impact killed both of them instantly. We might wonder why the Lord allowed this, and what good could come out of it. But the Lord tells us that “all things work together for good” in our lives as Christians. Do we really believe this?

I have known even dear believers who became bitter and angry because of difficult things that happened in their lives, and sometimes they never got over it for the rest of their time in this world. I knew a young man who encountered some hard circumstances in his life, and he was a true Christian. Yet in commenting on what had happened, he said, “The Lord let me down.” I shuddered when I heard that remark, for the Lord loves us too much to allow something in our lives that is not for our good. If He was willing to suffer all that agony on the cross for us, in order to redeem us, will He allow things in our lives that make us suffer for no reason? It is not a good sign when we begin to distrust the Lord, and to think that He is not treating us well. We must justify God in all things, and then remember that no matter what He allows in our lives, “All things work together for good.”

Sunday, February 2, 2025

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“Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another” (Mark 9:50).

As we have already seen, it is very important to have balance in our Christian life. If we go to extremes in any direction, we are usually wrong. Today’s verse teaches us once again to be balanced in spiritual things.

We have seen that salt in the Bible speaks of holy grace, and that just the right amount of it in our conversation can bring God’s claims before other people. Here in this verse we are told to have salt in ourselves. That means that we are always to keep before our hearts and minds the importance of God’s claims over us, and over others too. We should want to involve the Lord in all our dealings in this world, whether with believers or unbelievers.

Before the days of antibiotics, salt was often used to prevent infection, and was put on wounds for this reason. It worked well, for it tends to stop germs from multiplying and causing serious infection. But when salt is placed on a wound it really stings for a few minutes. This is how the Word of God affects people too; it sometimes stings them, for it speaks to their consciences. Many people do not like that, for it reminds them that they are responsible to God for their behavior. However, sometimes this use of salt is necessary, just as it was in natural things, to prevent infection.

But then, at the end of our verse, it tells us to have peace one with another. We should never forget to use salt, but we should do our best to live in peace with each other. This is the balance we need — never to use too much salt, or too little. In Jeremiah 6:14, the Lord had to say to some, “They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.” This means that they had overlooked serious sin in order to have peace, and we should never do this. God never makes peace with sin; rather, He wants us to confess it to Him, so that He can forgive us in the right way.

However, as much as possible, we are to “have peace one with another.” We can overlook things that may offend us personally, and things that do not involve the Lord’s honor and glory. Our Lord Jesus did the same when He was on earth. When the Jews said to Him, “Thou are a Samaritan, and hast a devil” (John 8:48), the Lord Jesus ignored the personal insult of calling Him a Samaritan. But He answered the accusation of His having a devil, for that was really saying that His miracles were being done by Satan’s power instead of by the power of God. How important it is to use spiritual salt wisely!

Saturday, February 1, 2025

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“Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:6).

A good cook knows how to use just the right amount of salt when cooking, in order make the food taste just right. Too little salt, and the food will taste bland and flavorless; too much salt, and the salt will overwhelm the food itself, so that it tastes terrible. Sometimes a good cook will put in a little salt, then taste the food, and perhaps add a little more. The best cooks have very sensitive taste buds, so that they can detect subtle differences in flavor.

Probably we have all had people play tricks on us from time to time, perhaps by putting too much salt in a drink that was served to us. Or perhaps in preparing a drink, someone has mistaken salt for sugar, and produced a very salty drink. When sick people retain too much water in their bodies, they often have to go on low salt diets, with little or no salt used in the preparation of their food. They are not allowed to add salt from a saltshaker at the table either. Those people usually hate that kind of food, for it is very flat and tasteless. They know it is for their good, but they dislike it just the same.

In the Bible, salt is a picture of holy grace. It is that which brings what is due to God into our conversation, but in a gracious way. It flavors what we say. In our interaction with people in this world, it is important to know just how much salt to use. I have heard some believers talk about the Lord’s things in a harsh and objectionable way with unbelievers. It offended those to whom they were speaking, and turned them against the things of the Lord. I have seen other believers who never said anything about the Lord, and were no testimony at all to the unsaved persons with whom they came in contact. Both of these attitudes are wrong.

But someone may ask, How do we know how much salt with which to season our conversation? We must be walking with the Lord, so that the Holy Spirit is free to lead and guide us in our talk. We must remember that “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17), and then seek to balance these in our talk. With some people, they may need more truth; the Lord Jesus did this with Nicodemus. But with others, they may need more grace; the Lord did this with the woman in John 4, at the well of Sychar. He will help us balance our talk, if we look to Him!