Bible Thoughts

June 6, 2004

The admonition of Peter still holds true today. Satan never sleeps! He is ready to entice any person who will listen. His temptations give an attractive appearance to most folks. The apostle makes it plain: the Devil walks about "as a roaring lion...seeking" any who would take the time to stop and listen to his deceptions. Only a continued vigilance can give one the strength to "just say no" to his temptations.

Satan is pictured as a "roaring lion." He is always looking to someone he can entice: saint or sinner. Many have been deceived into accepting what he offers: sin. The Devil knows that men are often weak and fail to see the enticements that our adversary uses. Only an alert person realizes what he offers. However attractive his means we can ward off his attacks on our faith. If Satan can weaken the Christian, he knows that he has made a step toward enticing the disciple to commit a sin(s). He is the adversary of every mortal, saint or sinner. He is constantly trying to invade the life of a disciple. He is constantly trying to keep the sinner who has been enticed. Alert to all that is around him, he never rests. The Devil seeks to rob every disciple of faith. The Devil seeks to keep those who are already enticed by him through temptations. Satan is the great deceiver!

The strength of any person is determined by one being aware of Satan's efforts to entice every person. Peter tells us how to deal with Satan: "Whom withstand in your faith"(I Peter 9). Each of us must ask: How strong is my faith?

Since not all men(most of them) will become Christians, it is necessary for certain steps be taken to have an orderly society. Peter is pointing out the responsibility of those who are in power. They are to oppose evil and honor the good. This is the intent of the above passage: those in power are to support what is good and right and punish what is evil(what is detrimental to the welfare of men). However, since humans are the ones who institute and carry out our laws, they make mistakes. While the idea(and need) of human laws and government exists, imperfect men often get in power and fail to follow the paths that promote a righteous state among mankind in general.

Not all men are Christians. They do not think nor act as do disciples of Christ. It is necessary that human law come into existence in order to have order. Due to the corruption of men and the influence of Satan, there is no perfect human government. All make mistakes: some more than others. Each of us must be grateful, however, with the laws of this country in which we are able to preach the gospel and urge men and women to follow the commands of Jesus Christ. We have no fear of someone coming to our homes and dragging us before the powers that be when we are Christians. Surely they know that those who follow Jesus Christ will be dedicated to his service and avoid that which tears down the spiritual part of man.

Since mortal men are those who lead and govern a nation, the results are not always perfect. We understand that we must have rules and laws in order to function as a decent society. On the other hand, the last few years has seen a move away from the principles of truth and righteousness. What has happened to decency? It has been eroded by the courts and those who make the rules for our nation. There is a weakness in morality that pervades too much of our society--even among those who would rule us. We must remember that a nation that allows iniquities to be a way of life for many, the danger of our nation being punished by the Lord is present. Immoralities that were frowned upon in the past have become the standard for those who have no respect for the commands of God.

Would you like to know of an example of what will happen to those who embrace the iniquities of immoralities? You know it don't you? Sodom is the case. How far away is our own country from destruction due to approving the iniquities of past civilizations? When will our citizenry wake up? Let Christians be aware of the problems of our nation(and community) and seek to walk always in the paths of righteousness. Man's laws permit what God does not!

"NASA astronomers are calling it the most vivid snapshot of the infant universe every taken."(Netscape News Editor; Cathryn Conroy).(Stated it was 13.7 billion years old.)

Do you wonder who operated the camera? What type of film was used? What kind of lens were used? Was it a still picture or a moving one? How different from the Word of God. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"(Genesis 1:1). Jehovah did not need eons of time to bring our universe into being. He spoke everything into existence. Only an Almighty God possessed the power to create. Always remember that fallible men may only speculate about our universe(they were not present). The very existence of our earth and the life that is on our planet proves they came from someplace! After all, nothing comes from nothing! The true answer: God made it!

Every disciple of the Lord must have courage. "Courage is defined as the state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution; bravery."(American Heritage Dictionary).

The Lord had the courage to come to this world and die for our sins. The apostles were willing to give their lives for the cause of Jesus Christ. That took courage. The apostle Paul was a courageous man who left the teachings of Moses and followed the teachings of Christ.

Stephen was a man of courage. In fact he was courageous enough to die for the Lord. Stephen was willing to sacrifice his own life in order for truth to be shared with others.

The Bible is filled with examples of those who were courageous. The Hebrew writer stated how the righteous were courageous: The great men and women of God "stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, waxed mighty in war, turned to flight armies of aliens...others were tortured...had trial of mockings...of bonds and imprisonment...they were stoned...slain with the sword"(Hebrews 11:33f). How is it with us?