God is Faithful

“There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass” (Josh. 21:45 KJV).

As the Book of Joshua draws to a close, we read a wonderful testimony of the goodness and faithfulness of God. After been delivered from Egypt, and surviving for forty years in the wilderness, Israel finally entered the Land of Promise. Everything that God had promised had come to pass. Not one thing had failed which God had promised. All of this is a great encouragement to us today. It especially encourages us in two way - to believe God’s Word and to behave God’s will.

Believe God’s Word - This verse tells us that we can trust what God says; we can trust His Word. If God said it, that should settle it. God speaks only the truth. His Word is true! We cannot always say that about people. Most politicians lie. They promise many things at election time, but fulfill very few of their promises. Many scientists today also do not speak the truth. They tell us that evolution is the way man came into being, but the evidence they claim for evolution is fraudulent. Further, the news media cannot be trusted to say the truth either. The liberal news media is so biased that it is often guilty of manufacturing the news rather than reporting it. Yet, we can trust God’s Word to always be true.

Behave God’s Will – Because what God says is always true, we should be careful to do what He tells us to do. God’s will is the right way to live. Truth be told, there are times when the will of God seems like a hard path through the wilderness. Yet, it will not lead us to a wasteful life that ends in ruin and despair. So, if the path seems rugged and hard, keep on it; it is the path to the Promised Land. Further, if times are discouraging, do not give up. Stay in God’s will. He can be trusted; He is faithful and will never leave nor forsake us. What God has promised will come to pass. You can count on that!

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“You can depend on the Lord, but can He depend on you?”

Anonymous

Word Study

Conduct

In 1 Peter 1:17 we read, “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth” (NASB).

Conduct is the Greek word anastrepho (αναστρεφω). It is made up of two words: “ana” which means again, back and “strepho” which means turn. Literally, the word means to turn down or back, to wheel about and hence, to move about in a place or to sojourn.

Anastrepho conveys the idea of turning back and forth in a place and so to spend time there. In secular Greek anastrepho meant turning back and forth in a place and lingering. Figuratively, anastrepho describes one’s whole manner of life, behavior, conduct or deportment. Thus it describes the general ordering of one’s conduct in relation to others. In the Biblical use of the word, the moral and spiritual aspect of one’s manner of life is in view.

Bible Facts

Zipporah had the distinction of being the first woman in the Bible to circumcise her child. She was given in marriage to Moses by her father Jethro, a Midian priest, after Moses rescued her and six of her sisters from shepherds harassing them while they attempted to water their sheep at a desert well (Exodus 4:24-26).

Bible Trivia

In the New Testament, Simon of Cyrene is the first person identified as being from Africa. Who was the second person in the New Testament identified as being from Africa?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: What sin did Isaac commit that was similar to that of his father Abraham? Lying that his wife was his sister (Gen. 26:6).

That’s in the Bible

“Make a name for yourself”

“Then they said, come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4 ESV).

This expression from the Book of Genesis is about trying to get recognition and prestige for yourself. The builders of the ill-fated Tower of Babel tried to “make a name for themselves,” and God showed them how He felt about this by destroying the tower and making all humankind speak different languages. The existence of languages like Chinese, Russian, German and others with all their vast differences and complete lack of connection to each other goes to show that this judgment at Babel not only could have happened, but actually did happen.

Did You Know – Christian History

Charles Elmer Cowman was born on March 13, 1868, in Toulon, Illinois. He was an American missionary evangelist in Japan. He was also one of the cofounders of the Oriental Missionary Society (now One Mission Society). Cowman grew up in the Methodist Episcopal Church. Charles’ wife, Lettie Cowman authored the devotional classic, Streams in the Desert.

A Little Humor

A drunken man who smelled like beer sat down on a subway seat next to a priest. The man’s tie was stained, his face plastered with red lipstick, and a half empty bottle of gin was sticking out of his torn coat pocket. He opened his newspaper and started reading. After a few minutes, the man turned to the priest and said, ‘father, what causes arthritis?’ To which the priest replied, ‘my son, it is caused by loose living, being with wicked women, too much alcohol, and contempt for your fellowman.’ ‘Well, my goodness,’ exclaimed the drunk as he returned to reading his paper. The priest, thinking about what the man said, nudged him and apologized. ‘I am very sorry. I did not mean to come on so strong. How long have you had arthritis?’ ‘I do not have arthritis, father. I was just reading here that the Pope does.’

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“We are saved by God’s mercy, not by our merit - by Christ’s dying, not by our doing!”