by A. A. Neale

After Ben Moore of Cincinnati had more than $30,000 worth of goods stolen from a building he owned, he'd had enough. He and his partner researched options and set up Citywatch.com, an e-surveillance monitoring system using cameras controlled by the Internet.

After installation, police made five arrests in one day.*

Various rights groups have questioned the use of cameras in public places, but many residents in high-crime areas welcome them. The jury still is out, but the perception is that these one-eyed watchmen deter crime and can provide evidence when a crime is committed.

The God of all the earth does a tad better than that. The Psalmist says "his eyes watch the nations," so the rebellious had better not think about rising up against him (Psa. 66:7, NKJV). Indeed, "the eyes of the LORD are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good" (Prov. 15:3).

There is no place, no one, no hour, that the Lord does not see. What a sobering thought!

To him who wants to do evil, such verses are a warning. That old idea of repressive religions that God is watching you and will get you the minute you step over the line isn't too far off -- when we're talking about the wicked. The Bible uses the symbol of the eyes of God watching the wicked to assure everyone, good and evil, that retribution will be quick and sure.

We may be sure that the very worst thing we can do is to "provoke the eyes of His glory" because of our tongue and doings (Isa. 3:8).

The eyes of the Lord also shoo us away from temptation. To the adulterous eyes, Solomon warns, in an extensive passage about the immoral woman, not to give in to lust, "For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He ponders all his paths" (Prov. 5:21).

The Good Book also speaks of the eyes of God on the righteous to say that he never forgets his people. Here, eyes mean care, as in Moses' declaration that the Lord would bless the promised land, "a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year" (Deut. 11:12).

"The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth." Psalm 34:15, 16

Peter quotes this verse in 1 Pet. 3:12 to remind us that we may suffer for the sake of righteousness and still preach the Good News of the Cross because the Lord is watching out for us.

Nothing gets by the Lord unnoticed. He sees the evil rampant in the world. And his eyes take in with tenderness and love the struggles and service of the righteous. This wonderful truth was well expressed by Civilla D. Martin:

Why should I feel discouraged, Why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, And long for Heav'n and home, When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He; His eye is on the sparrow And I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me.

That God's eye is upon those of us who do righteously is indeed a truth to encourage, sustain, and bless.

*Liza Porteus, "Cincinnati Residents Try High-Tech Crime Stopping," 15 July 2003, FoxNews.com.

by J. Randal Matheny

At Jericho, Achan's eyes were filled with the spoils of war. Instead of total destruction, this son of Judah hid a beautiful Shinar mantle with shekels of gold and silver in his tent. Because of his sin, the small city of Ai defeated Israel and brought death and mourning upon God's blessed people.

Once Achan was discovered, Israel took him and his family with the banned goods and all he owned to the Valley of Trouble (Achor). Joshua said to him, "Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day" (Josh. 7:25).

With that, they stoned Achan and, for good measure, burned them. They raised over him a great heap of stones as a memorial. By Israel's action, "the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the valley of Achor to this day" (v. 26).

Centuries later, Hosea delivers his messages of repentance to wayward Israel, as God passes the divine sentence upon her,

"'I will punish her for the days of the Baals When she used to offer sacrifices to them And adorn herself with her earrings and jewelry, And follow her lovers, so that she forgot Me,' declares the Lord." Hosea 2:13

This very punishment would be Israel's opportunity for restoration. Using the memory of the terrible experience with Achan, Hosea mentions the Valley of Achor as the place of punishment, but also as the place of a new beginning.

"Then I will give her ... the valley of Achor as a door of hope" (Hosea 2:15a, NASU).

Israel's Valley of Trouble would be exile at the hands of the Assyrians. In fact, the northern kingdom would cease to exist, except for a remnant which would join itself to Judah. By that experience, the spiritual adultery of idolatry would be purged from the people.

Hosea says God will reverse Israel's fortunes. He will turn his people around. It will be a painful, "troubling" process, but it will also be where the Lord's anger will be turned away. The Valley of Trouble becomes the Door of Opportunity.

Many of us have been to the Valley of Trouble.

God uncovers in our lives some banned goods, some unclean thing, some filthy pratice. And he brings us defeat because of it, as Israel experienced at Ai.

He will let us go no further until we have dealt with it. Until we have expelled it from our lives, stoned it, burned it.

But when we recognize the trouble it has brought us and rid ourselves of it, we will find his anger turned away, and his blessing returned.

Our Valley of Trouble becomes the Door of Opportunity.

And Achor becomes the metaphor by which we learn to respect the holiness of God, to enter into the sacred mission of his people, and to return to our first and only Love.

"And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt." Hosea 2:15b

by Emmett Smith

This just in! Some organization called the World Technology Network has issued to Peter Singer, professor of bioethics at Princeton University, the 2003 World Technology Award for Ethics. Now, I don’t know just what these folks consider ethical, but the guy they’ve honored with this award is infamous for his contention that newborn babies up to 28 days old should be put to death if their life is deemed substandard due to some diagnosed "disability."

It1s not too difficult to see where that philosophy is headed, is it? Don’t you know that "the one who has the power of death," as stated in Hebrews 2:14, is chortling? He's already got us putting, on average, 3,500 per month to death in the name of "choice." Now the prospect of untold thousands of additional innocents slaughtered must be highly pleasurable to the evil one. Of course, Singer, et. al., don't at all mean to stop with infants. If they have their way, any, of any age, who are judged "unfit" (read inconvenient), will be killed. Singer also has been very influential among the so-called animal rights activists, and believes animals should be valued as highly as humans. Of course, all these ideas are really only the logical outcome of belief in naturalistic humanism's denial of God.

How ironic that our Lord defeated the evil one with his own weapon! Hebrews 2:14 (ESV) says, "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil." The evil one uses death as his primary tool. He knows that once he succeeds in getting us to embrace a culture of death, his company in hell will be increased proportionately.

Jesus, on the other hand, came "that they may have life and have it abundantly" according to John 10:10 (ESV). The contrast should be eye opening. A culture of death versus the abundant life. Hmmm ... I wonder which I should choose ...

by Michael E Brooks

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matt. 6:33).

Many of the sayings of Jesus have become so familiar and generally accepted to us that we often fail to grasp their true significance. "Seeking the kingdom first" means making sure there is room in our lives for church, a little prayer and Bible reading and maybe a few other "God" things, right? Maybe to a few really dedicated and mature Christians it also includes considering God’s will on a matter before making a decision. Is that enough? Is that really what Jesus is saying?

I had studied the Bible with a middle-aged Guyanese lady and concluded the session by asking her for a faith commitment to Jesus. Would she obey the Gospel? She looked at me earnestly and said, "I will become a Christian, but not now." When I asked why she would put off something so important, that she knew was right, and wanted to do, she gave me this story.

"My aged mother lives in this house with me and I take care of her. The house belongs to my brother who is of another religion. He pays all our bills, and provides us with food, clothing, and other necessities. If I change religions he will throw us out of the house and cut off all support. I just cannot do that to my mother."

Suddenly I looked at Matthew 6:33 in a whole new light. "Don’t worry about food! Don’t worry about clothing! Put Me first and I will take care of you!" That promise is not given just to Christians who are well off. It is not merely about making time in our schedules for "church" once or twice a week, at the cost of losing a little work or recreation time. It is God’s promise to those who may lose everything for His sake.

Trust in Him! He will provide! What faith that requires! Yet so many in the world must make that kind of decision. They face the threat of lost jobs, families forsaking them, even imprisonment or death, if they accept Christ. Yet they have no real choice, for if they save their lives, Jesus says, they will lose them, eternally (Matt. 16:25). Salvation comes through no other name (Acts 4:12). He is "the way, the truth and the life." No man comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).

Is God wise and powerful and rich enough to provide for our needs? Of course He is. He is the Almighty -- Omnipotent, Omniscient, Sovereign of all (Psa. 121). Does He care enough for us to give us what we need? Absolutely! "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…" (John 3:16).

Peter says, "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Pet 5:6-7).

The issue is not God’s power or compassion. It is our ability to trust Him, and our desire to please Him. Will we really put Him first? Will we really seek the things of His kingdom even when that threatens our possessions or physical well-being? Jesus assures us that we may do so, with confidence. But He also demands that we must do it, or risk the loss of everything.

"For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt. 16:26).

by Barry Newton

"The race is not to the swift nor the battle to the warriors, neither is the bread to the wise, nor wealth to the discerning, nor favor to men of ability for time and chance happen to them all" (Ecclesiastes 9:11).

Anyone who has been an innocent victim in an automobile accident, lost employment because of the economic downturn, inherited a debilitating disease, or suffered the effects of a malicious unfounded rumor knows full well that none of us is truly in control of his circumstances. Our situation can change dramatically in an instant without regard to whether we have done anything wrong.

While willful sin will sow those seeds which can later produce disaster, we cannot eliminate hardship by doing what is right. We are not in control of our situation.

• In one pounding wave after another, Job received the news how various disasters had decimated his household and possessions. And then his body broke out in boils.
• Joseph found himself in prison.
• David saw king Saul hurl a javelin from across the room toward his body.
• The Jews awoke one morning to learn that by Haman's edict they were to be destroyed on a particular day.

Managing our lives through the one true power we possess is nothing new. Several decades ago, the popularization of the power of positive thinking tapped into this fundamental resource. As people resolved to think positively regardless of their circumstances, they found that they would act accordingly. This then often led them to reap great benefits.

While there can be some temporary benefits to a secular philosophy of positive thinking, ultimately, it is shortsighted, since all people die. It can also be unreliable, since it can short-circuit our natural warning signals of genuine danger. On the other hand, to choose to consistently respond to life's situational roller coaster based upon God and the positive foundation of that victory procured through Christ is the most reasonable and healthiest way to live.

• We can choose to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:17,21).
• We can choose to demonstrate love where hatred has gushed forth (Matthew 5:43,44).
• We can choose to have faith in the midst of trials (James 1:2,3).
• We can choose to serve God and righteousness regardless of our circumstances (Romans 6:11-14,18,22; 1 Corinthians 10:12).

First, through Christ, all of humanity's true foes have been conquered. Death and condemnation lie strewn in the valley of the vanquished (Romans 6:23;8:1). God and the slain Lamb are worthy of our allegiance and worship (Revelation 5:12,13).

Second, receiving eternal life is contingent upon our remaining faithful in spite of whatever situation might arise. As Paul wrote, "he has now reconciled you in his physical body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach -- if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel" (Colossians 1:22,23).

To continue in the faith describes maintaining our allegiance and service to God. God in turn beckons us to live in a manner worthy of the calling we have received (Ephesians 4:1).

As God's servants we can choose to respond to life grounded upon to Whom we belong, instead of the roller coaster of how we feel about our situation. We are responsible for what we choose to do. It is the one aspect of life which we truly do have control over.