Month: July 2020

The worst enemy of man is Satan. His goals are wicked; his ways evil. In the Bible the devil is called “a roaring lion” (1 Peter 5:8), and “that old serpent” (Revelation 20:2). Do we know how he works? The Bible says he works by:

1. Telling lies (John 8:44). Satan told Adam and Eve, regarding the forbidden fruit, “Ye shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). An example of Satan’s lies today is, “He that believeth and is not baptized shall be saved. ” The Lord said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:15,16).

2. Perverting the scriptures. In Matthew 4 Satan took a passage out of context, thus twisting its meaning.

3. Organizing his churches. Not all religious groups are approved of God. Revelation 3:9 speaks condemningly of “the synagogue of Satan.”

4. Thwarting God’s purposes (1 Thessalonians 2:18).

5. Appearing as “an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). Good appearance can be deceiving. Religious cranks, denominationalists, cults and charlatans fool many with their errors.

Beware of the workings of Satan!

Via Bulletin Digest

“Make sure you see what you are looking at” This was a recommendation handed out to all drivers at Federal Express one morning. The new safety division had decided that this bit of advice would help us avoid an accident. The common thought among all the drivers, though, was that we were paying somebody a lot of money for coming up with silly slogans.

Yet I couldn’t get this thought out of my mind that day. And for the next few days, I realized how many times I didn’t see something that was right in front of my nose. How could I have missed it? I could have had an accident and would have wondered how it could have happened. It was becausel did not see what I was looking at.

I wonder how many times this happens with our relationships. Is it possible that most of our conflicts happen when we fail to “see” where the other person is coming from? Can problems be caused by our failure to “see” things from the other person’s point of view? Could it be that many times we refuse someone else’s interpretation of things?

A major ingredient in all healthy relationships is understanding. Being willing to “see” things from the other person’s point of view. Paul says it this way: “Therefore, as God ‘s chosen people…clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another” (Colossians 3:12-13).

Relationships are too important to our well-being to risk losing any of them. And the way to build and maintain them is to be willing to see the things you are looking at, maybe from another person’s point of view.

Just as understanding God will build your relationship with Him, understanding those around you will do the same for those relationships.

Via Bulletin Digest 

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. (1 Peter 2:16) A.J. Mason observed that no Christian “should mistake the nature of his Christian liberty so as to dream of an exemption from obedience either to God or man.”

Two sources of authority to which man must give an answer are God and governments ordained by God God, the ultimate source and power, deserves our complete and full surrender to His holy will. Man, as appointed by God, is deserving of our obedience so long as his law does not contradict the law of God.

B,C, Caffin noted that “The meaning of this verse is that Christian freedom must show itself, not in license, but in willing obedience to constituted authorities.”

Christianity has always been the friend and promoter of liberty….To spread the gospel in its purity everywhere would be to break every yoke of oppression and bondage, and to make people everywhere free. (Albert Barnes)

Some of these Jews to whom Peter directed this “used their liberty for a cloak of maliciousness – for a pretext of rebellion, and by it endeavored to vindicate their seditious and rebellious conduct.” (Adam Clarke). In doing so they were never really free. (cf. Romans 13:1-5)

The ones who were truly free were those “living as servants of God”. These were free from sin in the blood of Jesus, living obediently and faithfully to God and as such were being subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution whether it be to the emperor as supreme, “or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.” (1 Peter 2:13,14)

Freedom is not a license for doing evil. It is the responsibility to do what is right – to obey God, to live as a servant of God