ustard eed

Vol.1 No. 1 January 2008

Just Pondering...
What Matters
Most:
WHAT IS Achievement
or

LIFE? Goodness
By Brian Knowles

Some have said in words and in song, "Life is just a

bowl of cherries." Others while in a more downcast In ultimate terms, no one can be
mood have said, "Life is the pits." classified as absolutely good. Even
Jesus, who was absolutely good, in
Is life as meaningless as a 'bowl of cherries'? Or is it his humility, said, “Why do you
to be lived to it's fullest because it means something? call me good? There is none good
but God” (Matthew 19:17). As the
writer of Ecclesiastes observed,

J
“There is not a righteous man on
earth who does what is right and
never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20).
ust what is life? Or perhaps it should be asked, "Why are we alive?" Is
We are not speaking in
there ANY purpose to life? Do we just live a few years and then die and that's ultimate terms here, but in relative
the end of it?
ones. It is possible to be relatively
good, as opposed to utterly evil.
Have you ever asked yourself any of these questions? Have you been puzzled,
especially during very difficult periods, as to why you were alive in the first Enter the Child
place? A baby is born morally neutral. It
is neither good nor evil. Evil is as
Hopefully, this article will help you to a better understanding of life and what is evil does. To be evil, one has to
it's real purpose. Perhaps you might even be edified and lifted up by it. Let's pray do evil. To be good, one has to
these statements are true.We are not here at this time to argue the "religion- do good. A newborn baby has
evolution" battle, but do want to try to explain what life is, or more precisely, done nothing. Yet at some point, a
what life is all about. Î (continued on page 3) child grows up and can
Next page…
1
What matters…
be described as “evil” or “good.”
Jesus himself used this terminology
when he said, “He [God] causes
his sun to rise on the evil and the
good, and sends rain on the
righteous and the unrighteous”
(Matthew 5:45b). There is a
parallelism here: good = righteous,
evil = unrighteous.
Somewhere between birth and
becoming good or evil, a person
makes decisions, based on acquired
values, which way he or she will
go. He or she then establishes a
track record of behaviors that
result in one becoming one or the
other.
Of course many people are
neither wholly good nor utterly
evil, but a mixture of both.
Ultimately, what a person
becomes in God’s estimation is
based upon the values adopted
throughout life. If we pull our
values from the prevailing culture,
we may end up valuing art more
than morality, accomplishment more
than goodness.
I once knew a woman who
valued intelligence more than
goodness. Her highest compliment
to a person was, “You’re so
smart!” Eventually she found a
smart, wealthy man whom she
seduced away from his wife, thus
alienating his children from two
previous marriages from him and
from her. She eventually moved in
with him, sharing in his wealth,
and basking in his “smartness.” In
her wake, she had left a trail of
tears and heartbreak. She had no
conscience problems with that,
because she had been true to her
value system: intelligence trumped
goodness.
The ancient Greeks valued
beauty more than goodness. If a
child was born deformed, ugly or
sick, they often abandoned it on a
hilltop to die. They wanted only
beautiful children.
Dennis Prager writes, “One
of the Holocaust’s most important
lessons is that the most cultured
nation in Europe produced the
death camps and the gas chambers.
People often ask how the nation
that produced Goethe, Schiller, and
Beethoven could produce
Auschwitz. But the question betrays
the questioner’s belief in art as a
generator of morality. A nation that
produces great artists is no less
likely to commit atrocities than one
that produces great athletes” (Think
a Second Time, p. 215).
Prager then describes the
fact that Auschwitz had a resident
orchestra and a commandant who
was an accomplished pianist “who
would spend his nights playing
Schubert after having supervised
the torture and gassing of
thousands of people during the
day” (ibid.).
Art is not character.
Intelligence and achievement are
not goodness. I would rather be
married to a good woman (I am),
than a woman of great
accomplishment. I value goodness
more than achievement. I know
that people who value beauty, art,
accomplishment and intelligence
above goodness can easily turn
their talent to evil, as did the
Greeks, as did the Germans. It
really does come down to values.
Dennis Prager also writes:
“The most fundamental teaching of
ethical monotheism is that any
value, no matter how meaningful
or beautiful, when divorced from
goodness and God, can easily lead
to evil. Put in theological terms,
any value that becomes an end in
2
itself can easily become a false
god” (Prager, p. 214, emphasis
his).
Forming Values in the Next
Generations
If my wife and I had young
children today, we would raise
them to value values more than
achievement. We would teach them
that one good deed—a single act
of kindness—trumps winning a
baseball pennant, a soccer game, or
earning a trophy in a spelling B.
We would explain that a
man who sacrifices his life to save
the lives of others is a greater
man than one who wins a Nobel
or Pulitzer Prize, or an Oscar. A
Mother Theresa, who lived amidst
the heat, flies, sickness, poverty
and squalor of India to minister to
people whom to her were religious
“strangers,” is nobler than a person
whose highest value is merely
making money or accumulating
political power for their own sake.
We would tell our children
of a woman named Dorcas
(Tabitha) whom God raised from
the dead that she might continue
her good works—deeds of kindness
in which she provided clothing for
those who needed it (cf. Acts
9:36-42, Matthew 25:36 - 40).
Achievement with Goodness
If one’s highest value is goodness,
then all that one achieves will be
turned to good in the world. If
one’s highest values are smartness,
accomplishment, beauty, power,
wealth, honor and awards, then
goodness can be lost in the shuffle
and the door to evil thrown wide
open, as it was in Nazi Germany.
It is possible to be moved
to tears by great art, soaring
music, and wonderful acting. But
emotional gratification and uplift
through art can result in moral
desensitization. It can result in
detachment from the real world,
with its sufferings and needs. What
begins as a momentary escape can
grow into a consuming, diverting
obsession.
Once goodness ceases to be
a person’s most important concern,
the categories of good and evil are
downgraded into practical oblivion.
If goodness is maintained as one’s
primary value, then all one
achieves will colored by that
reality.
In the world of natural
man, many things are valued above
goodness: art for art’s sake,
intelligence, achievement, ideology,
politics, power, wealth, honor,
recognition, education etc. etc. But
as Dennis Prager writes, “It is one
of life’s ironies that once a person
dies, most of these
accomplishments mean little to
others. Every eulogy I have ever
heard emphasized, when possible,
the goodness of the deceased far
more than professional
achievements. It’s sad that it
usually takes death to clarify what
is most important in life” (Think a
Second Time, p. 231).

What is Life…? (From page 1)

Scripture says that "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Patient continuance in well doing? You
(Gen. 1:1) mean we have to do something other
At some time in the past, God created all things and did it by and through the than "just believe?" Yes. The scriptures
one who became Jesus. are rife with statements that point to
our having to do "well-doing".
"In the beginning (of material things) was The Word, and The Word was WITH
God and The Word WAS God." Now wait a minute! We didn't say one
"The same was in the beginning with God." could work his way into the Kingdom
"All things were made by Him (by The Word) and without Him was not anything of God! Read a few paragraphs up
made that was made." (John 1:1-3) beginning with "Those whom God
"He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him calls" and see what is required. After
not." this gift, we then MUST continue in
"He came to His own and His own received Him not." "well-doing". We must have an attitude
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave power to become the Sons of of obedience to God or He will not
God, even to them that believe on His Name." (John 1:10-12) give us His Holy Spirit.

God has a plan and a purpose for mankind. That plan and purpose has been Read Acts 5:32:
misunderstood by most for centuries. However, in this end time He has allowed
some to understand and teach about that plan. "And we are witnesses of these things;
and so is also The Holy Spirit, whom
Jesus came to earth bringing a message, good news (gospel) of The Kingdom of God HATH GIVEN TO THEM THAT
God. He taught who can enter that Kingdom and how they can enter that OBEY HIM."
Kingdom. Remember that a Kingdom has a king, a territory, laws, and subjects.
Yep....obedience is necessary before
WHO Can Enter God's Kingdom? God will give anyone His Holy Spirit!
Not MY words! HIS WORDS!
"No man can come to Me, except The Father who has sent me draw him: and I
will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:44) Do you believe Him? I hope so for the
sake of your eternal lives!!
Those whom God calls can come to Jesus, accept His sacrifice, repent of their
sins, be submerged into His death by baptism, and receive God's Holy Spirit Now what is this human life that God
(which is a token payment on eternal life). has given us? We're not talking about
how we are sustained. That is a subject
HOW Can They Enter That Kingdom? for another article. What we are
talking about is what we must do with
this life!
"To them who by patient continuance in well doing, seek for glory and honor
and immortality, eternal life." (Romans 2:7)
(We don't have immortality yet, do we?) "I call heaven and earth to record this
day against you, that I have set before

3
you LIFE and DEATH, blessing and cursing: therefore CHOOSE LIFE that both IF YOU BELIEVE GOD, YOU WILL
you and your seed may live;" WANT TO OBEY HIM. The
(Deut. 30:19) Scriptures are replete with commands
that God demands we obey. And by-
Yes! God has set before us a CHOICE! It is something we must choose and God the-way, the Ten Commandments were
wants us to choose life! However, IT IS OUR CHOICE when He calls us! We written in stone by the same one who
are to choose a DIFFERENT WAY OF LIFE than we have been living. That is became Jesus Christ our Savior!!
called REPENTANCE. We have to DO SOMETHING!
We have to TURN AWAY FROM OUR OLD LIFE and TURN TO A BELIEVE IT! OBEY HIM! Make the
DIFFERENT KIND OF LIFE. Where we had been living a life of SIN, we turn hard choices of walking in the way of
away from sin and begin to live a righteous life. It is something WE MUST DO! righteousness! Yes that's right. The
And God gives us His Holy Spirit to HELP us to lead that life. choice to walk God's way is the hard
and narrow path.
After we have made that choice to live a righteous life, God then begins to set
before us CHOICES that we must make. He also allows others to set before us "Because small is the gate, and
choices. We are torn and pulled by our wanting to live for the flesh, but we NARROW is the way, which leadeth to
MUST decide to live for the Spirit if we want to be IN GOD'S KINGDOM! life, and FEW THERE ARE THAT
FIND IT." (Mat. 7:14)
LIFE IS CHOICES! THAT'S WHAT LIFE IS!
And don't forget, Satan is like a roaring
This life is COMPOSED OF CHOICES that we must make to show our attitude lion seeking whom he may devour!
toward God and His Way of Life. Our choices build OUR CHARACTER, and This fight, these choices we make
God wants us to build the kind of character He has. And yet righteous character aren't against flesh and blood but
cannot be given by fiat, or Royal Decree, because character is LEARNING TO against spirit beings who want us to
MAKE RIGHT CHOICES. fail.
He wants us to have that MIND that was in Christ Jesus. That mind of righteous
thinking, of making right choices! Will you let Satan separate you from
the flock? Will you make the choice to
So what is RIGHTEOUSNESS? let him devour you? I truly and
sincerely hope not! /Ken Browder Seven
"My tongue shall speak of thy Word: FOR ALL THY COMMANDMENTS ARE Times Newsletter
RIGHTEOUSNESS." (Ps. 119:172)

An attitude of obedience to God's Laws and Commandments will create in us a

righteous attitude. One that causes us to think as God thinks, and this is
accomplished through the power of God's Holy Spirit!
Yes. God has set before us life and death. The choice before us is whether we
will believe Him and obey His Commandments, or believe some man who says
that God's commandments have been done away and there is nothing required of
us but "just believing." Obedience to God IS righteousness.

Material Needs
Sterling Hayden

What does a person need – really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to
lie down in – and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That's all – in
the material sense. And we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in
a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert
our attention from the sheer idiocy of the charade. The years thunder by. The dreams of youth grow dim
where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed. Where,
then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?

Source: "Wanderer" by Sterling Hayden.

4

Are you reaching your God-given
potential?
Everybody knows about fingerprints. Of all earth's
billions, no two people have the same pattern. Each of us
is unique. But did you know that no two hearts are alike?
Or stomachs, eyes, livers, nerves, blood vessels? Or
brains?
You are in fact? extraordinary! On physical examination it
is quite apparent that each of us in a very special way is
a unique person. Even the shape of the liver differs from
one person to another. So, too, its color, and how it
reacts inside its special environment. And its size. One
mature liver, for example, can weigh four times as much
as another. The same is true in principle for every organ.
This in part explains why medicine or surgery is a hit or
miss affair - an art form!
Our brains too. differ. The functions of this crowning and
vital organ can be mapped out in rough on the cortex.
Yet no neurosurgeon can have an accurate knowledge of
a particular brain without careful and detailed pre-
investigation using all manner of scans and
psychological tests.
As one research neurologist, K.S. Lashley, points out:
"...individuals start life with brains differing enormously in
structure." And, "its diversities within the species are of
the same general character as are the differences
between related species." As that successful and very
human psalmist, King David of ancient Israel, exclaimed.
"You made all the delicate inner parts of my body and
knit them together in my mother's womb. Thank you for
making me so wonderfully complex. It is amazing to think
about. Your workmanship is marvelous..." (Psalms
139:13-14).
But does such uniqueness have any practical
significance?
5
Indeed. it does. Did you ever wonder why your partner
feels pain or cold or heat more acutely (or less so) than
you do? It's because of the striking variation in the
sensitivity of our pain or other receptors. Some have little
or no pain sensation - a fact which might influence your
choice of occupation! Of ninety-seven fire fighters tested
in New York, all but ten had a low pain sensitivity! And
don't we wrapped-up office types marvel at those bare-
chested hirsute working happily in sub-zero cold?
Then there's color vision. "That curtain is green", you
say. But your wife's perception is "blue". Who's right?
Well - both. For we each see colors in a special way.
Knowing about such differences might lead to more
toleration within the family and on the job or golf course!
You are. indeed, extraordinary.
But - so what?
Power-up Your Brain
The bottom line is that each of us has a very distinctive
mind. We are each a unique "bundle of nerves" - in the
Bible it is described as the "spirit in man" - that's capable
of immense development whatever our age. The brain
consists of a billion inter-connecting neurons mostly
present from birth - the "most complicated machine in the
entire universe". But the numbers decrease with age, for
millions of cells die daily.
"No hope for me, then" you say? Not so, for your brain
can grow whether you are seven or seventy. Whether
we're young or old, neurologists now tell us that any
learning activity actually increases the size and weight of
the brain. And not from eating fish but from mental effort.
Said wise King Solomon, "An intelligent man is always
open to new ideas. In fact, he looks for them" (Proverbs
18:15). The successful human being is one who forever
questions his views and looks constantly to improve
himself or herself. Such are not stuck in a rut. Nor need
you be!
All of these factors imply that none of us need feel "a
write-off". Simply because during our schooldays we
were branded with a particular IQ we needn't feel inferior
- not even to our boss. For you are talented in ways that
are not inferior to his and are probably complementary.
This applies, too, within family relationships!
That old - but ever new - book, the Bible, is a rich vein of
practical business wisdom. So grasp firmly what Paul
said in his letter to the Roman Christians: "God has
given us the ability to do certain things well"
(Romans 12:6). Each of us - and that includes you -
has an incredible potential for personal
development. The mathematical genius, Albert Einstein,
once reckoned that we use only God only has immortality - not man (I Timothy 6:16). We don't have dwelling
.02% of our capacity! We each within us some kind of immortal soul freshly dished out at our birth. We are
have a storehouse of unused not, as human beings, god-like. But we can become - through Jesus Christ -
talent in a combination that is in God's image just as He originally planned!
unique to us. We each have, in
business terms, our "unique You - who were made to become in the image of the divine - have an
selling points". abundant array of undiscovered and unused talent. Use it in the service of
God and humanity - and of yourself! /James McBride
So, accept yourself for what you
are - a special blend of strengths
and weaknesses. Like the
employee who hid his talent
(Matthew 25:25), the only failures
are those who die without taking
Are we accidents with no enduring purpose? ...
Why Were You
advantage of their inborn
capabilities. and those who don't
recognize and offset their
weaknesses. Said Helen Keller, "I

Born?
thank God for my handicaps, for
through them I have found myself,
my work, and my God."

On the other hand - don't accept

yourself as you are! Our present
attainments are but a step along
the way. Much of what we have
learned is transient. Science is
temporary. with new discoveries
forever overthrowing old concepts.
What we "knew" as children is
probably no longer true. And what
we learned about God in Sunday
School or at mother's knee is just
as likely not to be true! Didn't
Jesus warn us about "tradition"
(Mark 7:6-9)?
Mankind the Pinnacle
When God created mankind - yes,
He did! - He noted that everything
He had created was "very good".
Indeed, mankind was the very
pinnacle of that creation. He said:
"Let us make man in our image
after our likeness" (Genesis 1:26).
(The speaker. by the way, is the
one who became Jesus Christ -
Colossians 1:15-17.) Even though
we are "of dust from the ground"
yet we have the potential -
through repentance and the
subsequent indwelling of the Holy
Spirit of God to become a part of
the divine Family. We can become
truly "children of God" (Romans
8:12-17).
We are born. We live. We die.
Is there a point to it all?
James McBride: O n the grand scale, life is little more than a brief spark. It
appears, glows to one degree or another, and disappears. In human terms it
can last from a few minutes to little beyond a century. And the shorter it is
the less likely our title question is asked. But in the excitement of youth or
when you reach middle age or a comfortable `three score years and ten'
then you might ask ‘Why on earth am I here’? Is there a point to it all? Is that
all there is to these years of sorrow and happiness?
Few philosophers can give a satisfying answer. After all, if you are simply the
end result of an entirely physical process then you may as well, as King
Solomon noted, enjoy - or endure - whatever health you have, whatever life
throws at you. If we crawled from some primordial swamp on flippers, the
result of some purely random process, then our seventy years are the sum
of our existence. (This scenario, however, will before long be pictured only in
the comics - as ridiculous and fictional as Superman or money for nothing or
little green men and women from Venus.) Eat, drink and be merry - for
tomorrow you die! And that's it. You live on only through your children.
Always Tomorrow
But most of us don't think that way, do we? There is, we feel in our bones,
always tomorrow - even after death. From the recorded beginnings of human
civilization man has prepared for the journey through the valley of death and
into the unknown vistas of the next world. All religions - except perhaps the
religion of professed humanism or atheism - are a process of explanation for
that world beyond the grave. If there's a `religious gene' then we all have it,
even though we may do our best to suppress it!

6
Varieties of Belief

The universality of religion is good evidence that we have
an eternal destiny. And if so, why, on earth, were you
born?
So, whatever your faith, why do you think you were
born? Most Christians would reply that they are to `follow
Jesus' and when they die go to Heaven. After that it gets
a bit fuzzy. You may enjoy painting or singing - but can
you imagine doing that for a year, a million years, for
ever? Certainly we can enjoy praising God for ever. But
is that all your dreams? Young Muslim men strap
explosives around their waists in the hope that the
explosion will send them to `Paradise'. Wine, women and
song - and water - for ever and ever. And atheists? Well,
that's sad.
Of all religions the `Holy Scriptures' - the Christian Bible -
explain the divine purpose as does no other religious
writing or tradition. That purpose is mind-blowing! Yet
most professing Christians are blind to the incredible
destiny in store for the people of God.
Human Destiny
Mankind is a direct - and purposeful - act of the great
ever-living Creator God. We are not just a divine whim
but designed as the `clay model' that can be transformed
as a vessel of worth and beauty.
Given the opportunity of living forever, our first parents
`blew it'. They chose the path of human reason to the
exclusion of divine guidance. The result - the awesome
mess that is today's world, marred by our wilful rejection
of the fundamental rules of success - sin. We have -
collectively and individually - lost sight of the purpose of
life.
God respects our choice. He permits mankind to pursue
his own path, intervening only to keep His global plan on
track. But He also works with individuals. Any who
respond to His open invitation are given every resource
to fulfil the divine purpose.
That purpose is that we become part of His divine Family
- truly children of God. Throughout this life, God actively
molds His children into His divine image through our
unique ups and downs, all carefully monitored by Him.
That image, that way of life, was exemplified for us in the
life of God's only-begotten Son, Jesus. Jesus himself,
through his life of perfect submission, qualified to
become `the heir of the universe'. Raised from the dead
he is lifted above the physical to a position of
unbelievable authority. No longer subject to death, he
wields all the power that sustains our universe.
You Can Share It
All who come to him, believe him, obey him - and who
stay with him till life's end - are destined to share with
him in his inheritance: to live forever as spirit-born sons
and daughters of our heavenly Father.
God's plan for His creation doesn't end with our physical
existence. It extends into an eternity of, to us,
inconceivable projects! No longer limited by our flesh, we
will endlessly enjoy the work of our hands.
Only those who will to step out on the narrow and difficult
path beaten by our Saviour will fulfill the awesome
purpose for which each of us was born.

corrupt the spirit until the soul (mind)

"Life Goes On"
During these turbulent times we must
remind ourselves repeatedly that life
goes on.
Birds still sing; the stars continue to
cast their gentle gleam over the
desolation of the battlefield, and the
heart is still inspired by the kind word
and gracious deed.
disintegrates.
Therefore the evil in the world around
us must not be allowed to move from
without to within.

The wisdom of life transcends our
wisdom:
the purpose of life outlasts our
purposes.
It is as important as ever today, to
attend to the little graces that by the
dignity of our lives are maintained and
sustained.
There is no need to fear evil. There is
every need to understand what it
does, how it operates in the world,
what it draws upon to sustain itself.
Over and over we must know that the
real target of evil is not the destruction
of the body or the reduction to rubble
of cities; the real target of evil is to
Drink in the beauty that is within
reach, clothe one's life with simple
kindness, keep alive a sensitivity to
the movement of the spirit of God in
the quietness of the human heart and
in the workings of the human mind.
/Howard Thurman

7
 "What kind of FAITH is Required for
SALVATION?"
N O SUBJECT pertaining to Christian salvation is
more generally misunderstood than that of saving FAITH!
Just "BELIEVE in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved;’ is the popular teaching today. And that statement
is absolutely true—if you understand what kind of
BELIEVING is required!
Unfortunately millions are being deceived—led to trust in
a faith that will never save one single soul by a very
popular and very false teaching.
It is customary to quote only a PART of the Scriptures on
this subject—reading a false meaning into them—and thus
by subtle half-truths popular teachings shackle most of
Christendom to spiritual blindness and
deceptions.
Do These Scriptures Contradict?
God does not usually reveal all the truth
respecting a particular subject in any one
passage alone. "Whom shall He teach
knowledge? and whom shall He make to
understand doctrine?. . . Precept must be
upon precept, precept upon precept; line
upon line, line upon line; here a little and
there a little." (Isa. 28:9-10). To
understand any general subject in the Bible, it is necessary
to view all the scriptural evidence touching that particular
subject. And we cannot read our inherited or desired
meaning into any particular passage; for "no prophecy of
the scripture is of any private interpretation," (II Pet.
1:20), but each passage is interpreted by, and in the light
of, other texts.
For example. It is quite popular to quote Romans 3:20:
"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be
justified in his sight," and from this passage alone assume
that salvation comes by faith in disobedience to God’s
law! Those who thus interpret this passage never tell you
that in Romans 2:13 the same Apostle Paul was inspired to
write: "Not the hearers of the law are just before God, but
the DOERS of the law shall be justified."
Is there contradiction here? If the one Scripture is intended
to reveal that we do not have to make an effort to obey
God’s Law to be justified and then saved—but that we are
saved by faith without obedience to God’s Law, then,
indeed, God contradicts Himself in His Word! And if you
8
wish to make Romans 3:20 say that, you must consistently
acknowledge there is contradiction in the Scriptures; and
if this be true, you have no basis for your faith!
Again, Ephesians 2:8-9: "By grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not
of works, lest any man should boast." But those who quote
this text so freely to teach the doctrine of "no works,"
never tell you that the same inspired Scriptures say also:
"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he
hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? . . .
Even so FAITH, if it hath not works, IS DEAD, being
alone... I will show thee my faith BY my works. Thou
BELIEVEST that there is one God; thou doest well: the
devils also believe, AND tremble. But wilt thou know, O
vain man, that faith without works IS
DEAD." (James 2:14-20)
There is no contradiction here!
Rather, by putting all the Scriptures on
the subject of "Saving Faith" together,
we learn that there are TWO KINDS of
faith. And the kind so blindly trusted in
by the majority of this day is nothing but
a DEAD faith—and a DEAD faith never
will save one soul! Notice! Jas. 2:20.
"Faith without works is DEAD"—just a
DEAD faith.
James continues: "Was not Abraham our father
JUSTIFIED by works, when he offered Isaac his son upon
the altar? Seest thou how FAITH wrought with his works,
and BY WORKS was faith made perfect? . . . You see
then how that BY WORKS A MAN IS JUSTIFIED, and
not by faith only?" (James 2:21-24). Then are we saved by
works instead of faith? No, NEVER! We are saved by
FAITH! But faith wrought with our works and BY
WORKS, our FAITH is MADE PERFECT! That is
LIVING FAITH!
Why do we even need salvation? Because we have
SINNED, and the penalty of sin is DEATH!
But how have we sinned? What IS sin, any how? "Sin is
the transgression of THE LAW," is God’s answer (I John
3:4).
"Yes," answers the victim of modern fables, "But we are
not under the law today, but UNDER GRACE!" Why
certainly! "What then?" asks the inspired Paul, "shall we
SIN"—(transgress the LAW) — ‘because we are not
under the law but under grace?" And Paul’s answer is,
"GOD FORBID!" (Rom. 6:15). And again, "Shall we
continue in SIN" —(transgressing the law) — "That grace
may abound? GOD FORBID! How shall we, that are dead
to sin, live any longer therein? (Romans 6:1-2)
The law has a penalty—DEATH. It claims the life of the
one who transgresses it. The law has power to take the life
of the transgressor. It therefore is more powerful than the
sinner—and is OVER the sinner, holding a claim on his
life. It is the SINNER who is UNDER the law. But when
the sinner REPENTS of his transgression, and accepts the
sacrifice of Christ as payment of the penalty of the law,
then he is PARDONED—UNDER GRACE—the law no
longer stands OVER him claiming his life. It is those who
are sinning that are UNDER the law! And those who, thru
repentance, obedience and FAITH have turned from
disobedience and are, thru faith, KEEPING the law, are
the only ones who are UNDER GRACE!
God’s Spiritual Mirror
Let us understand it! "By the deeds of the law there shall
no flesh be justified in His sight." No, certainly not! That
Scripture is 100% true, and there is no contradiction! You
cannot be justified BY the deeds of the law—not at all!
WHY? The last half of this same verse gives the answer—
why do most preachers never quote it? "For by the law is
the KNOWLEDGE of sin" (Rom 3:20). THAT’S WHY!
The purpose of the law is not to forgive, to justify, to wash
away, to cleanse. Only THE BLOOD OF CHRIST can do
that! Sin is the transgression of the law— that’s what sin
IS. The purpose of the law is to tell us what sin is—to
define it—to REVEAL it, so we can quit it.
All women ought to understand this. In every woman’s
handbag is a little mirror. She knows what it is for. Every
little while she takes out this mirror and steals a glance at
her face. Sometimes it reveals a speck of dirt. And we
might truthfully say, "by the use of these minors are no
dirty faces washed clean." You women understand what
we mean! But do you throw your minors away because by
them your faces are not washed? Of course not—what a
silly question it seems, when applied to a MATERIAL
case! And if we ask you WHY your faces are not washed
clean by your minors, you answer: "Because by the minor
comes the KNOWLEDGE OF THE DIRT."
God’s LAW is His spiritual minor. We look into it, and
see the dirt on our hearts! But by looking at the law, or
keeping it, no dirt is WASHED from our hearts — only
Christ’s BLOOD can do that. By the law comes the
KNOWLEDGE OF SIN!
Listen to James explain it! "But be ye DOERS OF the
word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is
like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for
he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway
forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh
into perfect LAW of liberty, and continueth therein, he
being not a forgetful hearer but a DOER of the work, this
man shall be blessed in his deed" (James 1:22-25).
9
Is It Possible to Keep the Law?
But argues the "no law" deceiver, "no man can keep the
Commandments, it is not humanly possible. Since FAITH
has come, we keep no law—faith has made it VOID."
Thus even "Satan himself is transferred into an angel of
LIGHT. Therefore it is no great thing if HIS MINISTERS
also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness—For
such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming
themselves into the apostles of CHRIST" (Ii Cor. 11:13-
15).
"Do we then make void the law through faith’?" comes the
question, in inspired Scripture—and the answer: "GOD
FORBID: yea, we ESTABLISH THE LAW!" (Rom. 3:3
1).
Yes, faith establishes the Law! By keeping it is faith made
PERFECT!
Yet, can we keep the Commandments? Is it possible?
Satan’s "No Law" deceivers say NO! What is the PLAIN
TRUTH?
A man came to Jesus and asked how to be saved. The
Saviour Himself replied, "If thou wilt enter into life,
KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS" (Mat. 19:17). "When
his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed,
saying, ‘Who then can be saved?’ But Jesus beheld them
and said unto them, ‘With men this is impossible; but with
God, all things are possible’ (Verses 25-26)
There is Christ’s own answer! With men it IS
impossible,—utterly impossible to really KEEP His
Commandments. But—here’s the blessed truth— WITH
GOD, it is possible, even to keep His Commandments. Do
you begin to see it? IT TAKES FAITH! Faith in the power
of GOD! And, just as your own diligent effort coupled
with faith makes faith perfect, so faith coupled with your
effort makes PERFECT OBEDIENCE! The two go hand
in hand. And you cannot have the one, without the other!
A LIVING FAITH—the only kind that will SAVE—is an
active faith—one that TRUSTS GOD to make it possible
to OBEY HIM—to live the true Christian life—to KEEP
His blessed Commandments!
Think! Could a just God command men to do what it is
IMPOSSIBLE to do? Or can we conceive of Jesus as a
smart-aleck young man who knew more than His
FATHER, and who did away with His Father’s
COMMANDMENTS? How absurd! Yet this is the
popular conception today!
The Law is Eternal
God’s Law is not a horrible monster! Just and right laws
are a tenor only to the criminal—they are made to
PROTECT the good! God’s law is PERFECT (Psalm
19:7), it is a SPIRITUAL law, (Rom. 7:14), HOLY, and
just, and good (Rom. 7:12). ALL His commandments are
SURE, and stand fast FOREVER AND EVER (Psalm
111:7-8). Don’t you believe it, when men tell you
differently!
God’s Law is, simply, LOVE! It is the perfect way of life.
Every particle of human suffering, unhappiness, misery
and death has come solely from its transgression! It was
given to make man HAPPY, and is the only philosophy of
life that can do so! It came from a God of LOVE, and
LOVE is the fulfilling of the law!
But not YOUR own natural love! It requires "the love of
GOD, shed abroad in our hearts BY THE HOLY
GHOST" (Rom. 5:5). God has, and will give you the love
that will fulfill His law. And so, praise His blessed
Name!—it is possible, through FAITH, and the GIFT of
God’s Holy Spirit, for man to keep His Commandments!
And whoever claims differently, God calls a plain LIAR (I
John 2:4).
The true Commandment-keeper is forced to trust God to
make obedience possible. And thus faith does not void,
but establishes the Law! And to keep the law requires
FAITH!
A thrilling example of this eternal truth is recorded in the
Book of Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
erected a great golden image.
"Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, 0
people, nations, and languages," that at the time ye hear
the sound of the band, "ye fall down and worship the
golden image" (Dan. 3:4-5). "And whoso falleth not down
and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst
of a burning fiery furnace." (Verse 6).
Set over the affairs of the province of Babylon were
Daniel’s three young Jewish friends, Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego. One of the Commandments of God’s
eternal spiritual law forbids such worship of images.
Had you been in their place, what would YOU have done?
Would you not have said, "Well, I have to bow down to
this image—I have to do it or be killed!" And perhaps you
would have excused yourself by reasoning thus: "I don’t
think God would be fair if He punished me for this, when
He knows I am FORCED to do it. Anyway, He tells us to
be subject to the power of the state!" Yes, it is easy to use
reason to excuse disobedience to God. But God is not
looking for chances to punish us—but rather for
opportunities to SAVE us thru faith! To save us from the
folly of SIN and the sad consequence our own acts
impose! Whatever we sow we shall reap. God’s Law is
intended to protect us from suffering. It is not GOD who
punishes us when we do wrong, it is merely our own acts
rebounding like a boomerang!
But these three young Jews knew the truth—that we
should OBEY GOD. rather than men—that thru FAITH
God makes it possible. When they firmly REFUSED to
bow down to worship the king’s image, Nebuchadnezzar
in his rage and fury commanded them brought before him
(Verse 13).
Listen to the quiet, trusting, unafraid answer of these lads.
"0 Nebuchadnezzar,—our God whom we serve is able to
deliver us from the burning fiery furnace!" (Verses 16-18)
Sometimes God tries our faith. He tried theirs. You might
think He failed them, but He only permitted their faith to
be tested.
10
"Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the form of
his visage was changed; . . . therefore he spake, and
commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven
times more than it was wont to be heated—Then these
men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats,
and their other garments,"— surely the God whom they
trusted would have them released now? But no—there was
no physical evidence whatever that God so much as
heard!— "and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery
furnace!" (Verse 19-21)
The furnace was so hot the flames leaped out and "slew
those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego." And they fell down "bound into the midst of
the burning fiery furnace!"
God permitted them actually to be thrown in! Was He
unmindful of those who trusted in Him to make possible
the keeping of His Commandments? Not God!
The king looked into the furnace, and said "lo, I see four
men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have
no hurt: and the form of the fourth is like the Son of GOD!
(Verse 25). So Nebuchadnezzar came near the mouth of
the furnace and called to them.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego! ye servants of the
most high God, come forth, and come hither! Then
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came forth of the midst
of the fire. . . . these men, upon whose bodies the fire had
no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither
were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed
on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar spake and said, Blessed
be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who
hath sent His angel, and DELIVERED his servants that
TRUSTED IN HIM!" (Verses 26-18)
THERE was an example of living FAITH! A faith that
TRUSTED God to make it possible to live the way of His
law! Yes, WITH GOD, it is possible to keep all His
Commandments—and don’t let any man deceive you to
the contrary!
Can You Believe and Worship Christ in Vain?
When God’s Word says, "BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved," it does not mean the
DEAD faith now popularly taught! Tho common
teachings of this day distort this to mean a mere belief in
the FACTS of Christ’s existence, His sacrifice, and His
saving work. Just accept these FACTS, and accept HIM—
without any obedience to God’s Laws! But the devils
believe these things—and they TREMBLE!
Christ was the Messenger of the New Covenant—
Messenger sent from God. You cannot BELIEVE on such
a divine Messenger, unless you believe, and obey the
MESSAGE that He brought! "If thou wilt enter into
LIFE," was His teaching, "KEEP THE
COMMANDMENTS!"
"REPENT," said the inspired Peter, and then believe and
be baptised for the remission of sins, and "ye SHALL
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38). God gives
His Holy Spirit only to them that OBEY HIM (Acts 5:32).
and His Holy Spirit is the LOVE which God gives us to
fulfill and to keep His Commandments! And it all comes
BY FAITH!
Christ came to save us FROM, not in, our sins! To FREE
us from the enslavement of sin and the unhappiness and
wretchedness it brings—not to make us free to commit
sin!
Is it possible to BELIEVE in Christ—to worship Him—in
the customary manner of the day, and yet be lost? Christ
Himself says, "YES!"
"Not every one that saith unto me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that DOETH the
will of my Father which is in heaven," He said (Matt.
7:21).
Hear Him again!
"Howbeit IN VAIN do they worship me, teaching for
doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the
commandments of God, ye hold the tradition of men!"
(Mark 7:7-8).
There it is! From Jesus’ own lips! Such a dead faith—such
worship—is IN VAIN! Those who trust in it, and in the
men and denominations which teach it, ARE LOST! And
the quicker we come to realize it, the better!
God’s PURPOSE in salvation is to rescue men from SIN,
and its resulting unhappiness, misery, and death! To
REPENT of sin is the first step! Then the BLOOD OF
CHRIST, upon acceptance and faith, cleanses of all past
sins. And by FAITH we are kept from sin in the future.
Thus the resulting righteousness is of FAITH—the
righteousness imparted from God.
We are not justified BY THE LAW—we are justified by
the blood of Jesus Christ! But this justification will be
given only on Condition that we REPENT of our
transgressions of God’s Law—and so it is, after all, only
the DOERS of the law that shall be JUSTIFIED (Rom.
2:13).
How Plain, and how beautiful is God’s TRUTH!
[]

"Whosoever committeth sin "What shall we say then? Shall we

IF YOU OBEY transgresseth also the law: FOR SIN
IS THE TRANSGRESSION OF THE
continue in sin, that grace may
abound?"

THE LAW." (1 John 3:4) "God forbid! How shall we, that are
dead to sin, live any longer therein?"
(Rom. 6:1-2)
This causes one to ask, "Which law?"
LAW........... "What shall we say then? Is the law We became dead to sin when we

ARE YOU sin? God forbid! Nay, I had not known

sin but by the law; for I had not known
repented, were submerged in that
watery grave of baptism, and
received God's Holy Spirit.
lust except the law had said, "Thou
‘UNDER THE shalt not covet." (Rom. 7:7)
"Know ye not, that so many of us as

LAW’? It is pretty plain here that the law

The majority of this
Christian professing
world believes, teaches
and preaches that "the
law" is "done away with
in Christ."
They quote the scripture that says:
"For SIN shall not have DOMINION
over you: for you are not under the
law, but under grace." (Rom. 6:14)
First let us ask, What IS sin? And the
answer is:
being talked about is the Ten
Commandments, one of which says
Thou shalt not covet.
One can only know what sin really is
by using God's commandments which
defines and describes what sin is. The
law itself isn't sin but it tells us what
sin is.
Disobeying the Ten Commandments
IS sin!
How then can we keep sin from
"having dominion over us?"
"That as sin hath reigned unto death,
(sin causes death) even so might
GRACE reign THROUGH
RIGHTEOUSNESS unto eternal life
by Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom.
5:21)
11
were baptised into Jesus Christ, were
baptised into HIS DEATH?"
"Therefore, we are buried with Him
by baptism into death: that like as
Christ was raised from the dead by
the glory (power) of the Father, even
so we also should walk in newness of
life." (Rom 6:3-4)
"Knowing this, that our old man is
crucified with Him, that the body of sin
might be destroyed, that henceforth
we should not serve sin."
"For he that is dead is freed from sin."
(Rom. 6:6-7)
"Let not sin therefore reign in your
mortal body, that ye should OBEY IT
in the lusts thereof." (Rom. 6:12)
How can this be simply put?
When a person is disobeying God's
commandments, that person is
allowing sin to have dominion over
them. When that person realizes they
are sinning by breaking God's law,
and repent of that, they begin to
OBEY the commandments. At this
point, through His Grace and
Mercy,God forgives that person of
their PAST TRANSGRESSIONS.
They are then baptised into Christ's
death and when they come up out of
that watery "grave", God FORGETS
their past sins. They are then
spiritually clean and God can bestow
His Holy Spirit into their MINDS to
help them continue to obey His
commandments, and to help them
resist the PULLS of the flesh (our
humanity) and to help against the
"fiery darts of Satan."
However, even though we have been
forgiven of our past sins, we are NOT
free to continue to commit sin (break
God's law) because of God's grace
and forgiveness, are we? Paul said,
"God forbid."
Ok, then. We see that we are
supposed to keep the law, but we
continue to sin because we are in
these fleshly bodies that crave and
desire wrong things most of the time.
There are emotions and desires that
pull and tug at us all the time and
when we give in to those we break
God's Ten Commandments and sin.
We then have placed ourselves back
under the penalty of the law.
What can we do then?
This is the core of the matter! Once
God has forgiven us of our sins
through His grace and mercy we
come under an umbrella that allows
us to come directly to the throne room
of God the Father and repent of those
sins as we recognize them. God won't
turn away His Face from us because
we are under a special umbrella or
covenant.
That COVENANT is the COVERING
BLOOD of Jesus Christ who shed it
for us! We are then allowed to go to
God the Father directly and ask Him
for forgiveness of each sin we commit
(each commandment we break). We
can do this because God is only
seeing that righteous covering of
Christ's Blood upon us(Psalms
119:172 -Jesus obeyed ALL of God's
commandments perfectly), and Jesus
is there at the right hand of God as
our High Priest and Advocate with the
Father. He is our help, our lawyer,
asking God to grant our wish for
forgiveness of sins.
Because we have ACCEPTED the
shed blood of Christ, repented of our
law-breaking, been buried with Christ
in baptism, and raised from that
watery grave to be led by God's Holy
Spirit, we are in a DIFFERENT
category than others who have not
done so.
Yes, we are under grace. However,
we are still able to, and DO sin from
time to time because of our fleshly
weaknesses, but we have been given
the right, the special privilege, to
come to the Father in a repentant
attitude and ask for forgiveness
because Christ shed His blood for us.
Those who haven't gone through this
process are still "under the law" (the
penalty of the law). Sin still has
dominion over them because they
haven't rejected it. They have "come
short of the glory of God."
In trying to keep this simple and to the
point we haven't talked about "the law
of Moses" and "the law of sacrifice."
Yes there ARE separate laws. Many
people are confused and try to lump
all three of these laws together when
they are NOT the same! /Ken Browder

Live a Life That Matters

Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the
things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will
shrivel to irrelevance. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear. So too your hopes,
ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won’t
matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived, at the end. It won’t matter whether you where beautiful
or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant. So what will matter? How will the value of your days be
measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built;
Not what you got, but how you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged
others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.
What will matter are not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, but by whom and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident. It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice. Choose to live a life
that matters. Author Unknown

12
 Vision
“Where [there
is] no vision, the
people perish...”
(Proverbs 29:18).
T he King James
“perish” is from the Hebrew word
word
para, which means “let loose” or
“go wild” or “go naked.” Where
there is no vision the people cast
off restraint. Where there is no
vision, there is no standard for
conduct. When there is no
standard for conduct, the natural
propensity is to “go wild,” or put off
restraints.
There was a blind man who
became, in a sense, a metaphor
for vision. There was an incident
in which Christ encountered a
man who had been blind from
birth (John 9). Christ said, “As
long as I am in the world, I am the
light of the world” (verse 5). Christ
drew an analogy between the
spiritual vision available through
him and the physical vision also
available through him by healing
the man (verses 6-7). What
happened to the man afterward is
a comedy to say the least. The
neighbors found it hard to believe
that the man blind from birth was
now seeing (verse 8). Some
doubted, thinking he might be a
different man who looks like him;
he had to announce to them: “I am
[he]” (verse 9). Then he came in
contact with the religious leaders
(the Pharisees). He told them
what happened. They too thought
he could not have been healed.
After all, they reasoned, Jesus
could not have healed him because Jesus is a sinner who broke the Sabbath by
healing the man on the Sabbath (verse 16). In their book of rules it was a sin to
heal someone on the Sabbath. However there is no such rule in the entirety of
the Bible.
Healing can take place any day of the week. The Sabbath is not profaned
by healing a man. These religious leaders had an anti-supernaturalistic bias, as
do many today. They didn’t believe miracles really happened. They called the
parents to confirm the story (verses 18-20).
The parents, knowing the religious leaders were spoiling for a fight, say of
their son, “...He is of age; ask him” (verse 23). So the religious leaders, not
wanting to believe him, began arguing with the man. How were your eyes
opened, hey asked? (verse 26). His reply is interesting: “...I have told you
already and you did not hear. Wherefore would you hear it again? Will you also
be his disciples?” (verse 27).
At the end of the argument, the religious leaders throw the man out (Verse
34). Jesus finds the man and gives him some spiritual sight and insight as well
(Verses 35-39). “...For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see
not might see; and that they which see might be made blind” (Verse 39). The
religious leaders heard him and asked, “...Are we blind also?” (Verse 40). Christ
replied: “...If you were blind, you should have no sin: but now you say, We see;
therefore your sin remains” (Verse 41).
The reason the man was blind was that the works of God should be made
manifest in him (John 9:3). Notice the sequence of events. The man is healed.
He is able to see for the first time in his life. Isn’t the same true of a person who
truly accepts Christ and begins to see (spiritually) for the first time?
By the same token, some will not even recognize the new person. They
think it must be someone else. New Christians are excited by the new vision
they have received. Ironically, it is the religious leaders who will try to throw a
wet blanket on the idea that the person has received sight, insight, or healing.
Their attitude is: “You didn’t get it from us. So it must be of no value.”
This is exactly what the Pharisees projected, although many of them knew
better. And like the religious leaders of that day, many of the religious leaders of
this day will gladly throw you out of their assembly if you appear to have
obtained vision.
“Where [there is] no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law,
happy [is] he” (Proverbs 29:18).
“The people, which sat in darkness saw great light...” (Matthew 4:16).
ÎBy Wily Elder
Don’t Look Back
Satchel Paige was a well-known pitcher in the Negro Baseball League for many
years. He later finished his career in the integrated American League at an
advanced age for baseball players. No one really knew how old he was, but the
guess was that he was in his mid-to-upper-fifties. He was noted for saying, "Don’t
look back, something may be gaining on you."
The Bible also speaks about not looking back. Luke 9:62 states: " . . . No man,
having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
Of course, this has a spiritual application in our lives. If we look back longingly to
our former lifestyle, and desire things that the old sinful man enjoyed, it has caused
us to sin. If this desire continues, we are in danger of being taken back to the old life
and its ways.
13
A farmer also knows that you can’t
plow a straight row if you are looking
backwards. Instead, he must look
forward and keep his eyes focused on
the end of the row. Looking back can
hinder your forward progress.
Looking back can be very depressing.
Looking back can cause us to "trip
and fall on our face." This can have a
literal, as well as spiritual, application.
We can also look back into our past
and pick up forgiven sins. I John 1:7-
9 lends some "light" on this subject.
God really does take our sins away.
Upon confession of our sins, He
promises forgiveness and cleansing
for all sins. We find assurance that "as
far as the east is from the west, so far
hath He removed our transgressions
from us," (Psalm 103:8-12). Perhaps
you may have accepted that this was
true for others, but wondered or had
difficulty accepting this for yourself.
God has put away our sins, even our
most serious ones.
We need not look back at failures of
the past. This has a tendency to bring
depression into your life. Everyone
has experienced some failure(s) in
their past. Only those who never
attempt anything are free from failure.
However, in reality, this is not the
truth of the matter, either, because
they have failed to try.
If we fall, God will lift us up again.
We are told in Psalm 37:23 that "the
steps of a good man are ordered by
the Lord: and he delighteth in His
way." The next verse adds, "Though
he fall, he shall not be utterly cast
down: for the Lord upholdeth him
with His hand." Don’t believe Satan's
lie that failing makes you a failure.
This is only true if you quit trying.
Food For Thought…
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Perhaps you have heard people
conversing about "the good old days."
Somehow, reminiscing about the past
causes us to see things from the past
in a better light than they really were.
Ecclesiastes 7:10 warns us to, "Say
not thou, what is the cause that the
former days were better than these?
for thou dost not inquire wisely
concerning this."
We can find examples of this in the
Scriptures, and perhaps we also have
experienced similar circumstances in
our own lives. When the going got
tough, Israel looked back longingly to
Egypt (Numbers 11:18-20). Perhaps
when the going gets tough, the tough
should get going.
Perhaps you have heard the old
adages: "Absence makes the heart
grow fonder." "Distance causes
enchantment." The truth is that
reminiscing produces incomplete
memories. Nostalgia is never quite
honest. Someone once said, "The
present is never as good as it used to
be."
It is wise to refrain from thinking back
about old conflicts. This can make us
bitter or angry all over again.
Rehashing old conflicts returns the old
hurts and opens old wounds.
Hopefully, forgiveness surrounding
these old matters has already taken
place, but they can become dangerous
territory if you keep going over them.
Forget the past and get on with your
Christian life.
There is one more area that could be a
pitfall for some, if they are not aware
of the danger. We should be careful
about looking back with pride at the
times which we consider to be our
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. ÎFrank Outlaw
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spiritual mountain tops. These may be
times when we were "flying high."
This attitude may cause us to feel that
at that time we "had arrived."
However, none of us has been as high
spiritually or as close to God as we
need to be. True, it is a growth
process. As we develop our spiritual
wings, the closeness will also develop.
Your present state should be better
than the former.
Our eyes must be focused on Jesus.
Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us to,
"Looking unto Jesus, the author and
finisher of our faith." We are again
reminded in Luke 21:28 to, " . . . look
up, and lift up your heads; for (Jesus)
your redemption draweth nigh."
Once again the admonition is to lift up
our eyes; however, this time there is a
job given for us to do. John 4:35
states, "Say not ye, there are yet four
months, and then cometh harvest?
behold, I say unto you, lift up your
eyes, and look on the fields; for they
are white already to harvest." If you
must look back, think about all those
people out in the world who are in the
same state you were, just a few years
ago. Remember, "Except by God's
grace, there go I." Develop Godly
compassion and concern for those
outside the "ark of safety." Think
about their fate. Remember their
condition in your prayers. Pray that
God will give you wisdom and an
opportunity to change the effects of
their past. Without realizing it, you
will have changed your focus from
yourself to others and, in the process,
forgotten the past.
There is work for you to do now.
LOOK AHEAD! THE BEST IS YET
TO COME! By Earl Lewis Ω
ÎPursue LOVE
insist on its own rights or its own way,
M y oldest sister was planning for her wedding. She asked me if during the for it is not self-seeking," (Amplified).
Love doesn’t grab the Director’s chair.
ceremony I would read some passages from the "Love Chapter" of the Bible. I It lets God run the show.
would be honored! The language of my King James Bible was so dated that I
didn’t feel I had fully grasped what Paul was trying to say. It sounded fine,
Scene 6: Love "is not provoked,"
majestic, romantic, noble, dignified, stately, and regal. But I just didn’t know
verse 5. This isn’t really a fight scene,
exactly what it meant.
because "provoked" was translated
from paroxuno, "to exasperate." So
And, maybe no one at the ceremony would understand what these verses meant, love isn’t "easily angered," (NIV);
either. That bothered me. I decided I was going to find out what these well-worn "fretful or resentful," (Amplified);
passages really did mean, so that everyone at the wedding, including myself, "irritable or touchy," (Living Bible).
could understand what the characteristics of love really are. I looked up the Instead, love is self-possessed — in full
meanings of the Greek words that Paul used when he wrote the letter. I also possession of its feelings and actions.
looked at more modern translations of the Bible. Finally I realized that Paul had
given us a glimpse of love personified. He’d depicted love as a person, a living
Scene 7: Love "thinks no evil," verse
entity. And I saw that Paul had presented love in a series of little scenes. So if
5. How do we interpret this scene?
you want to know what love is really like — what it does, what it doesn’t do,
Well, "thinks" was translated from
how it thinks — here it is, all wrapped up in a nice little package, I Corinthians
logizomai, "to take an inventory; to
13:4-8, a series of love scenes. Action, camera!
estimate." Thus, love "keeps no record
of wrongs," (NIV). Love "takes no
Scene 1: Love "suffers long and is kind," verse 4. First, "suffers long" was account of the evil done to it — pays
translated from the Greek word makrothumeo: to be long-spirited, patient, no attention to a suffered wrong,"
forbearing (by the way, forbear means refrain from; avoid or cease doing or (Amplified). Love is bulletproof!
saying). Then "kind" was translated from chresteuomai: to show oneself useful;
act benevolently. J.B. Phillips puts the pieces together: "slow to lose patience —
Scene 8: Love "does not rejoice in
it looks for a way of being constructive." Love helps out.
iniquity, but rejoices in the truth,"
verse 6. Love roots for the good guy!
Scene 2: Love "does not envy," verse 4. In this scene, "envy" was translated Love doesn’t "gloat over the
from zeloo "to have warmth of feeling — for or against." Interestingly, zeloo wickedness of other people. On the
comes from zelos, which means "heat, zeal; (and, in an unfavorable sense) contrary, it shares the joy of those who
jealously, malice." Of course envy is a feeling of discontent or ill will because of live by the truth," (Phillips). Brethren,
another’s advantages or possessions; resentful dislike of another who has what would the future hold for us if we
something that one desires. The verdict: love never stews and burns with envy. spoke of the whole ekklesia — all of
our brothers and sisters in Christ,
Scene 3: Love "does not vaunt (parade) itself, is not puffed up," verse 4. regardless of which church
First "parade itself" was translated from perperenomai "to boast." Thus, "love organization they might belong to —
does not brag," (New American Standard). "Puffed up" was translated from with this scene in mind?
phusioo, "to inflate, make proud." Thus, love "is not conceited — arrogant and
inflated with pride," (Amplified Bible). Now, for a real show-stopper: love "is Scene 9: Love "bears all things,
neither anxious to impress nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own believes all things, hopes all things,
importance," (Phillips). Ouch! Obviously love is more the strong, silent type. endures all things," verse 7. See these
heroic scenes: Love "always protects,
Scene 4: Love "does not behave rudely," verse 5. In this scene, "rudely" was always trusts, always hopes, always
translated from aschemosune, "an indecency." Consequently, love "doth not perseveres," (NIV). "Love knows no
behave itself unseemly" (KJV). Nor does it "act unbecomingly," (New American limits to its endurance, no end to its
Standard). Phillips shows the positive side: "Love has good manners . . . ." Love trust, no fading of its hope; it can
is a lady, and a gentleman. outlast anything," (Phillips). "Love
bears up under anything and everything
Scene 5: Love "does not seek its own," verse 5. Love "does not pursue selfish that comes, is ever ready to believe the
advantage," (Phillips). And here’s a classic: "Love [God’s love in us] does not best of every person, its hopes are
fadeless under all circumstances and it
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endures everything [without weakening]," (Amplified). Epilogue: "Pursue love," I
Corinthians 14:1. Pursue means to try
Scene 10: Love "never fails," verse 8. Finally, "fails" was translated from to find, strive for, seek after. "Eagerly
ekpipto, "to drop away; be driven out of one’s course; lose; become inefficient." pursue and seek to acquire [this] love
Thus, love "never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end," — make it your aim, your great quest,"
(Amplified). Love "goes on forever," (Living Bible). Love wins out in the end! (Amplified)./Written by Lee H. Clark
(Giving & Sharing)

Something to Ponder:
Buzzards, Bats, Bumblebees and People

Buzzard
If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its
ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground
with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain
a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.
Bat
The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkably nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a
level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt,
painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes
off like flash.
Bumblebee
A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees
the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It
will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.
People
In many ways, there are many people like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. They struggle with all
their problems and frustrations, not ever realizing that the answer is right “above” them.

Who Are We?

The Mustard Seed Newsletter is distributed free of charge by The Mustard Seed Evangelistic Association –an affiliated
association committed to the publishing of the Gospel that Jesus Christ preached as recorded for us in the Holy Scriptures.
This goal is within the framework of the Commission mandated to His apostles and followers to "go and make disciples of all
nations ... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20. It is our thrust and hope that the
Mustard Seed and other future publications will become the shared-resource and vehicle for our readers to come to know
and understand the true meaning of life as proclaimed through the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. You are invited to join us
in this exciting and marvelous work!

"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown
it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."
Matthew 13:31-32

For your question and/or comment, email us at mseedwork@yahoo.com/ Raul de Asis Hipe/Editor

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