The Sword of the LORD

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1Timothy 6:6).    There are many who have embraced a godly lifestyle and maintain a good relationship with God, but they have not learned the secret of being content.  In the sixth chapter of his first letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul makes a strong argument for contentment.  He tells Timothy, “…we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” (1 Timothy 6:7, 8).  There are those today who preach a prosperity doctrine which suggests that if we serve God faithfully, He will reward us with riches in this life.  Nothing could be further from the apostolic teaching that Paul presents in his letters.  Paul is very plain spoken on the subject when he writes, “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition....

“And it came to pass on a certain day, as He [Jesus] was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.  And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before Him.  And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.  And when He saw their faith, He said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. (Luke 5:17-20).   As I read the story told in Luke 5 of the man sick with the palsy whom Jesus healed, I am intrigued, not just by the miracle itself, but by what happened before the miracle.    This man was paralyzed.  We don’t know to what extent, but we can assume that since he was...

In St. Matthew 14 we find an account of Jesus constraining His disciples to get into a ship to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.   They had just witnessed a notable miracle where Jesus multiplied a few fish and loaves of bread to feed over 5,000 people.   The disciples must have felt on top of the world after such an experience, but they soon became less confident as they found themselves in the middle of a storm out in deep water and Jesus not with them.     This has always reminded me of the highs and lows that we go through as Christians.   One moment we may feel blessed and strong in the Lord, and the next moment be frightened by circumstances that we don’t seem to have any control over.   The mountains and valleys of life are something that we all experience; but through them all, Christ is teaching us that He is the Master of all things.   When it began to grow late, Jesus came to them walking on the sea.   At first, they w...

A story is recorded in three of the Gospels in which a man came to Jesus and asked Him, “What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16).   To this man, the question was all about doing good things to obtain salvation.  He was obviously very proficient at doing good things already because, when Jesus told Him to keep the commandments, and spelled them out for him, this man said that he had kept them all since he was a child.  For all his good works, however, he still was in doubt about the condition of his soul.   Many folks today have placed their hopes for Eternity in the quality and quantity of “good things” that they have done in their lives.   Sadly, many who confess Christianity fall into the same trap.   They have been churched all their lives, and tried to keep the commandments, and perhaps been quite successful, and yet they feel an emptiness in their soul.   They know in their hearts that there is something mor...

"O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together." (Psalms 34:3).   I remember being very curious as a boy - I guess most boys are.   There was no end to my exploring, examining, and dismantling anything and everything.   One of my best memories, though, was when my parents bought me a microscope one Christmas.   There was very little that escaped being placed on a slide and smashed under a cover slip so that I could peer at it.   It opened a brand-new world to me.   Things that were commonplace and familiar became exotic and alien when zoomed in at high magnification.   The intelligent design, and intricate construction, of even a blade of grass, or a human skin cell, turned the mundane into the divine.   Years later, when I was introduced to the verse above, it made perfect sense to me.   As we go through our life, there are many things that confront us that seem very large to us.   Even the simplest of difficul...

We read in the fifth chapter of St. Luke about Jesus preaching the Word of God by Lake Gennesaret.   Because of the press of people, He entered into a fishing boat and taught the multitude from there.   As He finished speaking, He told Simon Peter, the fisherman who owned the ship, to launch out into the deep part of the lake and let down his nets.   Right away Simon Peter began to protest, but gave in to the request saying, “Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at Thy word I will let down the net.”                Just like these fishermen, it sometimes seems like our best efforts to do the will of God and to win souls to Christ just seem to come up empty.   Many churches put together evangelistic campaigns, and special revival services, and even door-to-door initiatives; but for all their labor, very few souls are touched.   The key element that is of...

"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.   If asked, however, they would still tell you that they wish to please Him.     Scripture tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith.   We are then presented with two truths which faith must embrace.   First, we must believe that God is - that He exists.   Secondly, we must believe that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.   Let's examine these two beliefs so that we can better understand what is necessary to ple...

"Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her." (Matthew 26:13).   Two days before the Jewish Passover, Jesus and His disciples came to Bethany where Lazarus and his two sisters lived.   It was Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead.   Jesus was invited to dine at the house of a man named Simon, who was a leper.   While there, a woman entered the room carrying an alabaster box that was filled with a very expensive ointment.   The box itself was very beautiful.   Alabaster was similar to onyx in appearance and must have been fashioned into a very attractive container to house such a precious ointment.   The cost of the ointment was equivalent to about $50.00 in today’s currency.   This would be an expensive possession today, but at that time it was a very valuable treasure.   It was certainly this woman’s greatest p...

In the tenth chapter of St. Mark, we read about Jesus leading His disciples to Jerusalem where He would face His final passion.   Starting at the 32 nd verse, we read, “And they [Jesus, along with His twelve Apostles] were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid.  And He took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto Him…” (Mark 10:32).   Scripture tells us that Jesus’ Apostles were both “amazed” and “afraid” .   Why was this?   To begin with, we need to understand that the political climate had turned ugly against Jesus and against the things that He taught.   The Pharisees and the Sadducees, the two main religious factions of His time, along with the High Priest and the doctors of the Law, were clearly plotting to kill Jesus.   Jesus’ followers knew this very well.   They also knew that the seat of their power was at Jerusalem....