The Sword of the LORD

"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1:4) Not many months ago, I ran across a list of unclaimed funds in our local newspaper. Being motivated by nothing but a desire for wealth, I began reading through the names that were listed of people to whom money was due. After failing to find my name( very disappointing), I searched for my wife's, and then my children's names. I was delighted to find a son's name on the list. Of course, I promptly called him and told him who to contact and how. The money that he received was fairly substantial. Just this week, my daughter's name showed up on a similar list, and I contacted her as well. It struck me how much God's promises are like these unclaimed funds. The folks who are on these lists are unaware that there is money owed to them. Usually, this is be

"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:5, 6) It should be evident that the goal of every Christian is to please God, although many live as though it were God's sole task to please them. They would still tell you, however, that they wish to please Him. Scripture tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith, and we are then given the two things that our faith must embrace. First, we must believe that God is - that He exists. Secondly, we must believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Let's examine these two beliefs so that we can better understand what is necessary to please our heavenly Father. Believing that God ex