The apostles had a unique advantage in that for 3 ½ years, they were able to observe and learn from the interactions Christ had with those who were trying to trip Him up and how He always responded in a manner that left them no comeback. They also observed His love and mercy toward young children and how He picked them up and blessed them while His disciples wanted to shoo them away (compare Matthew 19:13-14).  They also experienced how He had compassion for the sick and was ready to heal people (compare Matthew 7:16-17), and even raised the dead as He did for His friend Lazarus (compare John 11:38-44). Some of what they experienced is recorded for us even though we were not there to witness it at the time. But we can read about His life, His experiences and even His death for mankind. We are admonished to walk in His footsteps as mentioned in Psalms 85:13: “Righteousness will go before Him, And shall make His footsteps our pathway. “ We are further admonished in Philippians 2:5 to be like minded: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…” One of our goals is […]

The story of Cain and Abel in the book of Genesis is well known to many people in the world.  The huge majority if asked, religious or not, have at one point or another heard or read about this story; however, most would probably not recognize the meaning and symbolism it holds for us today. To begin, let us look at the kind of work differentiated between both Cain and Abel.  Abel’s line of work was very symbolic since he was a keeper of sheep and we know how David was a shepherd and how Jesus many times was referred to as a keeper of sheep. This showed how He cares for the Church and His people by looking after them, watching over them, loving them, and feeding them. He is using today the ministry in God’s church for this task as well, showing compassion and love for others, a giving attitude and even the willingness to give one’s life for the flock if the circumstance arises. Cain’s line of work was quite different.  It was very labor-intensive by raising fruits and vegetables.  His type was predicted already by God in Genesis 3:17-19 and how there was much work involved to provide food. In […]

A leaked initial and not-binding draft of US Supreme Court Judge Samuel Alito, stating that the majority opinion from the court would overturn the judgment known as Roe v. Wade, which legalized the right to abortion across the country, has been met with outrage and condemnation. The leak has been described as an “original sin for judicial ethics,” and “one of the greatest breaches of security in the history of the Court.” If Roe v. Wade were overturned, then each state would be allowed to decide whether to permit, restrict or ban abortions within its own borders. It is estimated that 26 states would be certain or likely to restrict abortion procedures.  On the other hand, pro-abortion states have been taking aggressive action to expand abortions, including, in particular, California, Colorado, Oregon and Illinois. Practicing Catholic politicians like Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi or Chuck Schumer strongly opposed the proposed decision, saying that the woman’s right to choose must be upheld and that the decision would be “one of the worst and most damaging decisions in modern history,” even though the Catholic Church prohibits most cases of abortion, focusing thereby on the killing of an innocent unborn child. But Joe Biden […]

The war in Ukraine, along with so many other conflicts, is revealing horrible and inhumane things. News reports are prefaced with a warning that “what we are about to see may be disturbing!” How easily, it seems, people are driven to invade and mercilessly kill those from another nation. Human compassion appears to have been lost. However, incredible kindness has surfaced even in the mindless destruction occurring in Ukraine, and that is in the way other nations, notably, Poland—along with Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia and Germany—have taken in Ukrainian refugees numbering into multiple millions of displaced persons! The practice of kindness appears to be the exception, though. Watching the daily news in the so-called democratic nations has become nearly unbearable, because what we see displayed are oftentimes terrible examples of vicious brutality. Only occasionally do we see a story in which tenderness, compassion or love of our fellow man is featured. All of this should bring us to a bit of self-examination. Are we, as Christians, shining “as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15)? One way in which we can do that is to practice kindness when it falls to us to do so. Kindness within our families (including our […]

In this era of fake and filtered news, little that we hear is genuine. Previously established facts such as the existence of only two genders now seem to be challenged. Evil is considered an attribute in the twisted manner of thinking, common with many political and business leaders. Few things we’ve known to be true or authentic are considered as such by this world–sincerity is in short supply. Most of us have written the word “sincerely” at the end of a letter. Yet we may not have a good understanding of the meaning of the word and the sentiment that should underlie it. The dictionary states: “From the bottom of one’s heart, truthfully, genuinely.” This is straightforward, but like many things in our human existence, what we say may not always match our actions. I write about such matters not from a position of superiority, but of regret. I know, I have not always lived up to this word and God’s requirements for me. Fortunately, God has provided a way to correct and improve. The word “sincerely” has an interesting foundation. The Latin root is “sine,” which means, “without,” and “cera,” which means, “wax”— so sincerely means, “without wax.” Disreputable sculptors in […]

This can be a challenging question at times for us. But it is one that we have to learn the answer to! From the youngest among us to the oldest, this is something that we have to learn and continue to believe—continuing to come back to the answer time and again in our lives. There may be circumstances or moments in our lives where we feel that God is not there, or that He doesn’t care; that He is not answering our prayers, and, by extension, that He doesn’t love us. There are a lot of things that can cause us to feel this way. But are these feelings justified? In the book of Job, Job came to ask a lot of these same questions. And it was revealed that God was there all along. God didn’t stop loving or caring for Job. In the book of Hebrews 12, we are told that often, when we may feel like we are going through hard times, it is because God loves us (vs. 3-11). There is an order to the way God has things set up. When we obey God to the best of our ability, He rewards us. When we […]

In Matthew 23, we read that Jesus was withering about the attitude and approach of the scribes and Pharisees.   Some of what they taught was correct, but they were hypocrites. “Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe [insofar as it was in accordance with God’s Law], that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.  For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.  But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.  They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,  greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, “Rabbi, Rabbi”’” (Matthew 23:1-7) By having their phylacteries broad and the borders of their garments enlarged was a physical show that they considered themselves more spiritual than others.  They liked to be seen doing things.  They loved to be in the best seats at the top table, their religious titles, and being greeted by all and sundry.   It was showmanship, […]

Having something to look forward to in life gives us the motivation that it takes to get up in the morning and make the most of the day. At times we might have more to look forward to than at other times. The things we enjoy can be as simple as having a good cup of coffee, a conversation with a friend, or the sense of accomplishment after completing a challenging task. They might be big things too, like a long-awaited vacation or the birth of a child. Big or small, appreciating the wholesome things can motivate us to find the joy in life that helps us to appreciate the short time with which God has blessed us. I’m sure we can all think of something that we look forward to on a day-to-day basis. Though, the magnitude of problems that threaten to squelch our hope demand so much of our attention that it can be difficult to even bring those elements of hope to mind. It’s probably easier to think of things that fight to bring us down. Problems may begin with ourselves, affecting our health or otherwise. Outside ourselves, problems that affect us scale up at every level, […]

Have we been caught off guard?  Are we aware of the fact that in less than three weeks, baptized members of the Church of God will be partaking once again in the Passover service and immediately following, the Days of Unleavened Bread?  It is amazing how time flies by, especially when so much around us can interfere with the very things we would really like to focus on.  Life gets in the way.  Unexpected situations can occur at any time, and we try to find ways to adjust. Distractions can get the better of us if we’re not careful. They come in many forms and they may hinder us from focusing on what we really need to be focusing on, and if we are not careful, it could become a problem.  There are many things in the world that could divert our thinking by giving into things that the world has to offer, especially everything that goes against God’s teaching, and also being caught up and sidetracked with speculation and assumption.  We need to be aware of what is going on, what the Bible is prophesying, and we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be deceived by all the propaganda, politics and […]

We are described by the apostle Paul as good soldiers for Christ, stating in 2 Timothy 2:3: “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”  That means, we have a fight on our hands. This is not referring to fighting in a physical war, but rather to a spiritual fight against spiritual forces. Ephesians 6:12 tells us:  “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Paul uses the armory of a soldier at that time and compares it to what we need in order to overcome the spiritual battle we are in. No Roman or Greek soldier at the time of Paul would go to war without checking out his equipment to ensure it was not compromised in any manner. He would check his helmet for any deficiencies, knowing how important a helmet was. The breastplate which protected all his vital organs would be examined for any cracks or deficiencies and also his shoes to ensure the leather was supple and not cracked in any way. His belt would be inspected to […]