The Sword of the LORD

“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the right­eous forsaken nor his seed begging bread.”  (Psalm 37:25). During my first year of Christianity, I felt inspired to write a small tract entitled  God Is No Pauper . It was a simple treatise on trusting the Lord for His provision of our daily needs and the needs of the ministry. It exposed the notion of having to appeal to man to supply one's needs rather than trusting in the promises of God. One section of that message is as follows: "If the earth and all the fullness thereof is the Lord’s, then surely He is capable of carrying out His work without His saints having to beg and yahoo for funds to support that work. Neither is it easy to imagine God’s holy apostles and prophets  “passing the plate”  to procure wages to support the work that God had given them to do. Why, therefore, should it be any different for any of His other ministers? "The apostle Paul worked with his hands as a tentmaker to support him­

“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps… ” (1 Peter 2:21).    The very first words that many of the disciples heard from Jesus’ lips were “Follow Me.” They are two simple words that convey so much more than just a momentary interruption of our lives.  They are the foundation of our Christian walk, and they require a lifetime of commitment on our part if we would be His disciples.  Jesus’ every word and action forms a straight and narrow path that leads us little by little to God.  His life is a pattern for those who would follow after Him and become heirs of eternal life.   The call of God on our lives requires more than a mere profession of faith, regular attendance at the church of our choice, or conformity to a certain dogma.  God has called each of us to something higher, and that is to follow the example of His Son Jesus Christ in every way, and learn to walk as He walked.  As the Apos

“But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” (Proverbs 4:18).     There is a path that we all must walk through this life.  It is the course that each of us must run from birth to death.  The Bible teaches that the path of the just (those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior) is a much different road than that of the wicked (those who have not accepted the Lord). Among the just, there is a lot of diversity in the way that people choose to walk their path with God.  Christians are at all levels of growth and spiritual maturity.  Some grow rapidly, moving from faith to faith as they learn to apply God’s Word to their lives, while others seem content to live as they always have and never seek to climb to a higher plain.  We must be careful not to judge or condemn those we feel don’t “measure up” to our standards or preferences, however.  Jesus told Nicodemus, “ For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but