John 9:1 “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.”

1 John 3:3 “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”

There is a candy called Now and Later — a candy kids can enjoy now but lasts a long time and can be enjoyed until later. To have that philosophy in life would be great, but the fact is, most of our decisions are based on now OR later.

The more we insist on the Bible being our guide, the more trouble we get into with those who value public opinion and personal feelings above the teachings of the Bible.

Here are a few thoughts of comfort for those who are being beat up in this evil world.  

Sorrow and mourning are a part of this world. From the first sin, God said that in “pain” Eve would bring forth children; to Adam God said,


We certainly live in days of spiritual warfare. Our New Testament gives us phrases such as: “fight the good fight,” “we wrestle not against flesh and blood,” and, “no man wareth entangled himself with the affairs of this life.” Many such statements make it clear that the Christian life is a battle, and we have a very serious enemy.

Do you remember the days when your mom told you not to write on yourself? Not long ago, certain things were considered primitive, and certain things were considered civilized.

Finding my way into Jeremiah this morning, I was again moved by the warning of Jeremiah about carefully following the instruction of those who went before.

When faced with a difficult situation the Christian leader’s first response would wisely be prayer – seeking the direction of God for our response. Only God knows the heart of the person with whom we are dealing, and that could be a two-year-old, a twenty-year-old, or a spouse.

Socialism and communism have always been promoted by evil men.  The lie Satan tries to sell to mankind is that we would all enjoy equal prosperity if we all had the same material possession and opportunity.

What exciting days we live in! Anarchy (no matter what the media calls it) is everywhere. Over forty attacks on pro-life businesses without much comment, while Supreme court justices are threatened with little attention and moms at school board meetings are called terrorists. If that is not anarchy led by the top of government, we are missing something. Anarchy, or lawlessness, is being lived out by some powerful forces in our nation. They panic because the Supreme Court has made some very spectacular decisions lately, sending the powers of tyranny into panic mode; these demagogues hate the idea of freedom.

A few years ago, I sat and watched the graduates of Commonwealth Baptist College receive their diplomas. As each graduate walked across the platform, a brief summary was stated about their lives and ministry involvement.

I have had the privilege of preaching several times at Pacific Baptist Bible College in Long Beach, with Pastor Steve Myers and the Esposito family. I noticed how many of their young people are burdened for Southeast Asia.

A few places in the Bible address personal issues of a man or a woman, yet the subjects are dealt with very discretely. The Bible talks about a woman adorning herself in modest apparel. We often read the words discrete and discretion, as well as other similar terms in the Bible.

John 13:3 “Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;”

I received a letter from a dear friend. He is seventy-five years-old and has spent all of his life in the ministry. He had a wonderful church and served there for many decades. Due to tempestuous weather, his church flooded. His home had two feet of water inside, his church auditorium had four feet of water, and their gymnasium had five feet of water. Everything was a complete loss.

As we consider rearing our children and training our young adults, may we attempt to teach them not to make excuses and to avoid complaining. Some people are more prone to blaming others, blaming circumstances, or making excuses about some injustice; others do not do so as much. Making excuses and complaining are ungodly, and good parents should do their best to train this corrupt thinking out of their children.  

No matter what the world around us says, the first big trouble on earth came because someone looked at something.  

Psalm 96:3 “Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.”