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CHASTENING

“ For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God ?  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” (1 Peter 4:17,18).   In the above verses, St. Peter writes of a time of judgment that was to start with the house of God, and, ultimately, extend to the ungodly and sinners.  This begs the question: is judgment on the house of God still going on today, and, if so, what does it consist of?    Judgment seems like a harsh word to use in terms of those who know and love the Lord, but Paul sheds some light on the concept in I Corinthians 11:31, 32.  He tells us, “ If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged .  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world .”  So, this “judgment” that the apostles are describing is also referred to as ...
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THE KING WHO KNEW NOT JOSEPH

“Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.” (Moses in Exodus 1:8).   “Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph.” (St. Stephen in Acts 7:18).   The words of Moses that are cited above were quoted by St. Stephen as he defended himself against those who wished to silence his Christian witness.  Stephen became the first Christian martyr to die for standing up for the truth of the Gospel, following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ his Lord and Savior.  The more I consider these words, the more I am convinced of their relevance to the things we see happening around us in government and in society at large.    Society is breaking down and crumbling all around us, and it seems like no one has the power or the will to stop it.  Aggressors are labeled as the oppressed, and victims are identified as the aggressors.  Right is wrong, and wrong is said to be right.  It should be clear that we cannot fix what we se...
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THE BITTER AND THE SWEET

"So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.  And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah [bitterness].  And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?  And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there He made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He proved them." (Exodus 15:22-25).   God sent His servant Moses to lead Israel out of the bondage that they knew in Egypt, and to bring them into the land that He had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.   God worked a great miracle of deliverance when He divided the Red Sea, and caused Israel to pass over in safety while Pharaoh and his host were drowned as they pursued after the Israelites to destr...
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