No Man Cared

By: Larry Yarber 

"I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul" (Psalms 142:4). David made this statement when his life was at stake and he was being pursued by King Saul. No man wanted to join themselves to David and put their life in jeopardy too. How many times in our life have we, Like David, reached a point where we have felt that no other man cared for our soul? This probably wasn't completely true concerning David and it probably isn't true for you and me, but even if it were, may we, like David, realize our refuge is in God, not man. David went on to say, "I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living" (Psalms 142:5).

Paul penned, "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us " (Romans 8:31)? When we are on God's side we cannot fail. Paul again penned, "... for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me" (Hebrews 13:5-6). Peter said, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you " (1 Peter 5:6-7). And then our Lord said, "...Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than the meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they" (Matthew 6:25-26)? When others have given up on us and we have given up on ourselves, God still cares!

God is there to deliver us from temptation, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry" (1st Corinthians 10:13-14). Jesus said, " After this manner therefore pray ye: ... Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil ..." (Matthew 6:9-13). Perhaps we would find temptation easier to overcome if we would only learn to pray for deliverance and then, like Joseph, flee (Genesis 37:12).

God is there to succor us in time of trials and grief. The Hebrew writer penned, "Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted" (Hebrews 2:17-18). He Himself had to suffer the grief and pain of the cross. He experienced the loss of His own cousin, John, by Martyrdom (Matthew 14:10-13). Since His physical father is never mentioned again after the Passover feast when Jesus was only twelve years old, many scholars believe He lived to see the death of Joseph (Luke 2:41-52). No wonder the Hebrew writer penned, "For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; ..." : (Hebrews 4:15) and "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and fine grace to help in time of need" ( Hebrews 4:16). Having lived in the flesh, our Lord has experienced everything we encounter each day of our lives. Therefore, we can turn to Him with confidence, knowing He understands our grief and pain because He has been through the same trials and griefs.

He is there in our joy, "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, ... " (Luke 15:7). Paul by inspiration wrote, "Rejoice with them that do rejoice, ..." (Romans 12:15). God shares each day and every event of our life with us. He is always there. As Paul told the Athenians, "..., though he be not far from every one of us; For in him we live and move, and have our being:" (Acts 17:27-28). He is even there as we depart this life, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints" (Psalms 116:15).

When life gets us down and we think that no one cares, may we always be reminded, GOD CARES!!!

What Is Sin?

By: Tommy Tidwell

            Sin is a transgression of God’s law. (1 John 3:4). It is knowing to do good, and failing to do it (James 4:17). It is breaking God’s law, showing disdain for His commandments, and if persisted in, shows an adamant and total disregard for God and His law. It is rebellion.

            It is rebellion against the just and righteous attributes of God. Consider the fact that when God spoke, the world came into existence. The animals and all of creation do what God demands they do. Angels rush at His bidding to do what He commands. Only man has been in rebellion against God since the creation. Only man does that which is against God; which brings reproach upon himself; which does things to his own hurt. Sin, if engaged in continually, is self destructive. It prostitutes that which God has created for His glory and honor.

            It is rebellion against the goodness of God. God is not arbitrary; He is not unjust; He is not evil, nor is He out to get us. He shows that He loves us by giving His greatest gift – the gift of Jesus on the cross. Yet sin goes against the very nature of the goodness of God. It spurns His love, it despises His goodness.

            Sin is a rebellion against the just and righteous laws of God. Every one of the commands of God is established upon just and right principles – principles which even the atheist and heathen admit are right. God’s laws are not only harmonious and right, but they are designed for our good. God’s laws and commands are designed to keep us from harm, but, more importantly, they are designed to make us into His image. Could it be that many of us continue to engage in sin to our own detriment because we don’t want to be like God? And does this not say much about our selfishness and our desires rather than what God knows is best for us?

            I continue to be amazed how that, in my own life, I continue to sin, even when I know what it does to God and to my own life. I am amazed at how I give into the lusts of my flesh (James 1:15-17) and yield to temptation. I am every more appreciative of God’s greatest gift because of His love for me. IT MAKES ME THAT MUCH MORE DETERMINED NOT TO SIN! But I understand Paul’s statement in Romans 7:24-25, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”

            May we all hate sin and all it does to us!