by Steve Preston

The book of Job makes for some very interesting reading. In Job we find a man who is righteous before God. So righteous, in fact, that God uses Job to prove to Satan that man can glorify God even while he is being afflicted. God allowed Satan to persecute Job to the point of losing almost, if not all, his family and possessions.

During the time of his afflictions, Job's friends continually try to convince him he has sinned, in some way causing the problems he is having. In the end, Job gripes about having to go through the problems, even though he has always done the will of God.

In chapters 38-40, God replies to Job. Verses 8 & 9 of chapter 40 sum up the whole reply to Job:

"Wilt thou even annul my judgment? Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be justified? Or hast thou an arm like God? And canst thou thunder with a voice like him?"

God is in control of everything. It is not right for us to question the things God does.

Do you want to be pleasing to God? Then have faith enough to know that God will always be in control, even when things seem out of control to us.

God has an eternal purpose for all that he does. Let God do his work and let us simply do what he tells us to do.

Steve publishes BibleTalk, from which this article was taken, with his permission.

by Kevin Cauley

In Matthew 16:19, Jesus stated to Peter, "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." A similar statement is made in Matthew 18:18 concerning all of the apostles. Catholics have long used this verse to justify the authority of church tradition. They state that it was always Jesus' intention for the apostles to determine doctrinal matters and that heaven would then "ratify" the apostles' decisions in that regard. Such could not be further from the truth, but upon initial inspection this appears to be what is being taught in these verses. Did Jesus really intend for the apostles and eventually the church to make doctrine? If not, then why is this worded this way?

This words under consideration in this passage, namely, "shall be bound" and "shall be loosed" are from a Greek participle that is in the Future Perfect tense. Rienecker and Rogers (pg. 49) state, "This construction is the fut. perf. pass. periphrastic trans. 'will have been bound,' 'will have been loosed.' It is the church on earth carrying out heaven's decisions, not heaven ratifying the church's decision." It is also interesting to note that such a use of the Future Perfect has been consistent in the Greek language since classical times.

Hence, this passage should not read as it does in the common translation, but rather should read, "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." The same is true for Matthew 18:18 as well. With this understanding of the verse, the Catholic dogmatist has no ground upon which to stand in claiming that "church tradition" is as equally authoritative as heaven's pronouncements themselves.

by Michael E. Brooks

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints" (Psalm 116:15).

Two major news stories in the United States during the last week of December, 2004, involved death. One, of course, was global in scope, involving the huge earthquake and tidal wave in the Indian Ocean, which killed more than one hundred thousand persons and caused almost unbelievable damage in many countries. The other was probably not noticed much in other countries. It was the sudden, unexpected death of Reggie White, a former NFL football great, known also for his faith and ministry. Both events were covered widely, and millions of people were followed the stories with great interest. Not just because of death, but because of how and to whom death came.

Death is a universal, everyday experience. "It is appointed for men to die once" (Hebrews 9:27). For this reason, the "ordinary" death of most individuals is not particularly newsworthy or remarkable. Only when death comes to many people together, or to a true celebrity, or through some unusual or horrifying circumstance, does the world take notice.

But to those directly affected (family and friends) every death is important. We sorrow and grieve because of the personal loss; the more personal the loss, the greater the sorrow. Our loved ones are special and their deaths touch us deeply.

The Psalmist observes that even God reacts in this same way to our deaths. When "his saints" die, he notices and he takes it personally. Nowhere is this more plainly demonstrated than in John 11:35, when Jesus wept at the death of his friend Lazarus. Faithful Christians are God's "family". He loves us, and he cares about everything that happens to us.

Does this mean that God grieves at our death? Probably not, but it is an event of importance. It makes a difference to the eternal, almighty Creator. That is truly remarkable. It indicates just how much we matter. Human life is the greatest single component of this created universe. Nothing is as important. Nothing matters so much.

Jesus taught, "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows" (Matthew 10:29-31).

The world may not really notice or care when we pass from this life. But God does. And that alone guarantees our worth.

by Tim Hall

New Year's Eve marks a sober vantage point for many of us. It is a summit from which we view the year that is almost past, and from which we faintly see the year before us. That new year comes with January, a month named for the mythical Roman god Janus. This legendary being was said to have two faces: one which looked back while the other looked ahead. That's what we try to do as we prepare to greet another year.

It's harder to look forward than it is to look back. After all, the past is familiar; we lived in it. The future, however, is unknown to all. We hope certain things will take place in the months ahead, but there's no way to be sure. In some ways, it's more comfortable to live in the past than it is to face the future.

We're more like the Israelites of old than we care to admit. In Numbers 11:4-6 they revealed their restless hearts: "Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: 'Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!'" (NKJV)

"We remember . . ." That's a refrain sung often by the Jews in the wilderness. It meant that they considered the things of the past better than what they were enduring on their journey. They actually urged Moses to take them back to Egypt! Janus was not among the majority of this group. They only had faces for the past.

Do we do better than these wanderers? Or do we often follow their example by yielding to craving for things which pull us away from God? Are we willing to set our faces to the future, believing the promises of God are better than anything this world can offer?

If we don't work to prevent it, our past will become our prison.

As we prepare to cross from one year to the next, let us recall the admonition of Paul in Colossians 3:1-3: "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."

The church is that number who have been called out of this world. We can't help but remember how things used to be. Some things from which we were called were things we enjoyed. But we must not look only to the past. We must determine to fix our focus on the future, the glorious future God has promised to all who love and follow his Son.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

by Mike Benson

Has it ever occurred to you that if we wanted to judge our Lord's success as a TEACHER, we probably wouldn't want to look at his disciples around the time of his crucifixion? Why not? Well, because one of his disciples betrayed him and then later committed suicide (Mark 14:10,11,18; Matthew 27:3-5). Another tried to start a fight, denied even knowing Jesus, and then cursed when someone suggested that he was a disciple (Matthew 26:51,52). In fact, the Bible says that eventually all of his disciples forsook him and fled (Mark 14:50).

Of course, it might be helpful for us to look on "down the line" and see these same men days, even years, after the crucifixion. Scripture says that all of the disciples, except Judas, were boldly preaching Christ as Lord (Acts 4:13,18-19,31; 9:29; 14:3; 19:8).

Teacher, when results aren't immediately forthcoming, when you wonder if you're making any impact, and when you're ready to throw in the towel because it seems like nobody is listening, it is then that you must not give up. Remember, it may take awhile before you ever see the fruits of your labor.

Think about it.