You Trust In Lying Words

By: Kevin Rutherford

            God’s people had turned against Him and had become caught up in theft, murder, adultery, swearing falsely, burning incense to Baal, and walking after other gods (Jeremiah 7:9). Strangely enough they did all of these wicked things while still believing in God. In fact, they fully believed God would condone, endorse, and excuse their sin simply because the temple of the Lord was in their city (Jeremiah 7:4). The only way these people were going to save themselves from punishment was to amend their ways (Jeremiah 7:5). The presence of the temple in their territory would not save them; in fact such a doctrine was considered “lying words.” (Jeremiah 7:8). These Jews were warned about trusting in these lying words.

            Some of God’s people today are like the Jews to whom Jeremiah preached. There are members of the churches of Christ throughout the world who are very much a part of the world in their behavior. Some have given in to all manner of sins that have become culturally acceptable. Perhaps they excuse themselves because they attend worship on Sunday mornings. Attending worship services is important but it will not save the individual who is unwilling to amend his ways. Those who believe they can live in sin as long as they acknowledge God on Sunday have deceived themselves, and just like the Jews of old, they trust in lying words that cannot profit (Jeremiah 7:8).

The Face In The Mirror

(James 1:23-24)

By: Keith McNeely

            How good are you at reading faces? Think back and picture your third grade teacher, or perhaps remember how your mother could simply look at you and tell when you had done something wrong - now these individuals could read faces! James gives us the challenge of looking at our own face in the mirror and seeing what “manner of man” we are. In fact, he tells of individuals that look at themselves in the mirror and forget how they look. We as Christians often hear the word of God realizing it calls for change in our lives and then go our way and forget about it. James, throughout the book, encourages us to look in the face of...

            The tempted when he says “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” (James 1:12). These blessings are to come after we have successfully endured the temptation. Further, James shows us the progression of sin (James 1:14-15), and finally, he encourages us by offering a bit of short salient advice by saying “Do not err, my beloved brethren.” (James 1:16).

            The prejudiced when he says “Are ye not partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?” (James 2:4). One of the more ugly faces that shows itself in our communities, even in the Lord’s congregations, is the face of prejudice. James paints this face as a stark and unsightly image. Remember that he wrote this practical advice to Christians. He reveals that some “have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing”, giving them the better seats in assembly while those that are “poor” and wear “vile raiment” do not even get a seat at all but are forced to stand.

            The one with the flaming tongue when he says “Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!” (James 3:5). He further illustrates the point by telling of horses that are led about with a small metal object in their mouths called a bit, and of huge ships at sea steered by a small rudder. Scripture compares wagging tongues to small amounts of fire that can quickly get out of control.

            The friend of the world who he calls “adulterers and adulteresses” because of their “friendship of the world”, he goes on to announce that such is “enmity with God.”  James is clear, when we are friends of the world we are spiritual adulterers and enemies of God (James 4:4).

            The patient farmer when he advises regarding the “husbandman”, or farmer, that waits “for the precious fruit of the earth” (James 5:7), such a farmer is compared to you and I waiting “for the coming of the Lord.” He reminds us that we have “seen the end of the Lord”. God is always “pitiful, and of tender mercy” to those that faithfully wait on Him.

            It is far more important for you and I to be able to read the face we see in the mirror everyday than it is to read the faces of others. Go now to the mirror of God’s word, the Bible, and see what your face looks like.

I Was Wrong

By: W. L. Totty (Deceased)

            Why should it be so difficult for a Christian to confess, “I was wrong”?

            Throughout the history of God’s dealings with His people, He has demanded that His children confess their iniquity in order to have His approbation. Of the children of Israel, God said, “If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; …if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.” (Leviticus 26:40-42)

            Through Moses, the Lord spoke unto the children of Israel, saying, “When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the Lord, and that person be guilty; then they shall confess their sin which they have done.” (Numbers 5:6, 7).

            David, the man after God’s own heart, was willing to repent of his sins and confess them. He said, “Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile…I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgression unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.” (Psalm 32:2, 5).

            In the New Testament we told, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.” (James 5:16).

            The apostle Paul freely admitted that he was chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15), even though he had persecuted the Christians in ignorance because of his former religious training. No, one cannot plead ignorance and be excused. Though Jesus prayed to the Father to forgive those Jews who were guilty of crucifying Him because “they know not what they do,” it is evident from the Scriptures that they were not forgiven until they acknowledged their guilt, repented of their sins, and were baptized at the preaching of Peter and the other apostles on the day of Pentecost following His crucifixion.

            Likewise, we as Christians, if we ever expect to get to heaven, are going to have to assume some responsibility for our actions. When we have sinned, we must confess it and pray for forgiveness. Sometimes it is not enough to merely acknowledge to God that we have sinned. There are many sins which involved our actions toward our fellow man that must be rectified between the two of us in a manner which God has commanded. (Matthew 18:15; James 5:16). We cannot be like children, when they are corrected by their parents, who sometimes say, “He made me do it.” We cannot place the blame on someone else and hide behind them.

            Confessing our sins may at times demand that we accept some type of punishment for them, even though we will be forgiven of them; yet if we are unwilling to humble ourselves to the point that we will endure the consequences of our sins, our character is not the type that God will accept. In order to be faithful and a true follower of Christ, we must be willing to say, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13), and get on with the business of confessing our wrongs and doing whatever is necessary to rectify them.