"Remove Not The Old Landmark”

(Proverbs 28:10)

By: Keith McNeely 

            God limits nature and man. The mighty oceans that have the potential to cause so much coastal damage during severe storms have been limited by the powerful hand of God.  The Lord, speaking to Job out of the whirlwind, asked him, “Who shut up the sea with doors?”. (Job 38:3)  God has given man dominion over all of nature; David said “thou has put all things under his feet” (Psalm 8:6; Genesis 1:28). We often think as humans we are beyond the need for God given rules. God has placed limits on all of His creation, even man. Solomon wrote “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12). 

            God’s rules, which are set by Him, are not to be removed. The Law of Moses set guidelines for property ownership. One such standard was marking the edges of their fields or farms. These were called “landmarks”.  Moses wrote “Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour’s landmark” (Deuteronomy 19:14). In fact, to remove these “landmarks” would be the equivalent to stealing land from him. With just a small amount of vision and thought on the matter one can easily realize the blessings that God’s laws bring to our lives. “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” (Proverbs 29:18, emphasis added kmc).

            God given rules are for our own good. In fact, Paul describes individuals that “did not like to retain God in their knowledge”, and he also describes these people as having “changed the truth of God into a lie” (Romans 1:28, 25). The point is, that when they left God given boundaries their lives began to literally fall apart. Moses told the people “the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.” (Deuteronomy 6:24).

That You May Grow Thereby

By: Bill Jackson (Deceased) 

            We probably have no clearer statement in Scripture on just how Christian growth comes than 1 Peter 2:2: “As newborn babes, desire thee sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.” There is set before us (1) The Word of God, (2) The purity of it, (3) The nutrition therein, (4) The appetite that we must have for it, and (5) The growth that thus comes. It could not be plainer, and yet many have expressed our day as being the “time for church growth emphasis.” By that is meant, meet and talk about growth, but doing very little of it! Why is so little accomplished in a time of workshops, seminars and “encounters” supposedly related to growth? One thing is certain: In such meetings, very little Bible is presented. A second thing is evident: Fun, games “Gymnastics for Christ,” “Jogging for Jesus,” “Kung-Fu For the King,” (and for the aged, “Dominoes for Deity”) etc, will entertain, but will not make for church growth. If a religious body drew from all over a metropolitan area, and had 10,000 people for every service, if drawn by the fun, the social, and the entertaining; growth, as God calls growth, is still not there!

            Application of the Word makes for growth. In what ways should one desire to grow? (1) From being a babe to being full-grown and mature; (2) From being non-spiritual to being spiritual; (3) From having no or very little knowledge to really possessing a fine Bible knowledge; and (4), From being one of little or no discernment to having great discerning skill. There is no way on earth to achieve this apart from a continual study of the Word of God!

Honor

By Bill McFarland 

A sense of honor is precious to a Christian. The New Testament teaches us to “give thought to what is honorable in the sight of all” (Romans 12:17). We are to keep our conduct among our neighbors honorable (1 Peter 2:12), and those things which are honorable are to keep the attention of our minds (Phil. 4:8).

            We are speaking here, not of glory which might be heaped upon one from without, or of the pride which might enjoy such, but of personal honor. This priceless inward quality has at least three ingredients.

            Honesty. In fact, at least two of the New Testament words for “honor” are sometimes translated “honest.” The idea is that honor concerns itself with what is fair and right and deserving of esteem. Pure motives, transparency of intention, and one-faced action are basic to honorable behavior.

            Goodness. Honor takes into account the impact its actions are likely to have on other people. There is something of the Golden Rule in it: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them…” (Matthew 7:12). For this reason, it produces actions which are admirable and becoming and lovely.

            Integrity. One of the terms Paul used for “honorable” it as been observed, “The word points to seriousness of purpose and to self-respect in conduct” (Moule). It means that a person acts consistently with his convictions; that he is true to his conscience. Honor involves a kind of moral courage which is noble.

            Here is where the Christian concept of honor becomes uniquely astonishing. For it to meet the New Testament standard of honorable thought and conduct, our behavior has to embody all three of these qualities at the same time! Integrity cannot be practiced without goodness, or goodness without honesty, and it still be honor.

            May the Lord give us a sense of honor – and the mercy it will take to live with ourselves and each other when it is present.