by A. A. Neale

Time to do some math: outside of meetings on Sundays and mid-week, and not counting your personal devotional time, how many hours do you spend a week in personal evangelism?

Count'em up. How many hours INVITING people to a Bible study -- public or personal; how much time discussing somebody's eternal destiny WITH THEM; how many hours in someone's living room or around their dining room table with an open Bible to bring them to a knowledge of salvation?

How many hours? Count'em up.

Now count how many hours you spent during the last week doing things like:

• watching TV or movies: ____
• playing sports or golf: ____
• playing computer or video games: ____
• surfing or chatting on the Internet: ____
• reading novels, romances, sci-fi or adventure books: ____
• other personal, recreational time: ____

How many hours? Count'em up.

Now compare the two numbers:

-> hours spent in evangelism: ____ -> hours spent in personal time: ____

What do the numbers tell you? Maybe that you need to repent. Maybe that your priorities are skewed. Maybe that some changes are in order.

Maybe not. Maybe your evangelism time is greater than your personal time. If so, congratulations. And know that you're an exception in this me-first world.

The tally tells. If you are a Christian, you have a single mission in life, that of glorifying God by preaching the gospel. Let us make sure we -- all of us, individually -- are fulfilling it. Woe to us if we don't!

If you're not a Christian, you may find in Christ a purpose to your life that will outlast time to stretch into eternity, a joy at knowing that your efforts will have permanent effects.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19, NKJV).

by J. Randal Matheny

Yesterday morning, at the Iuka, Miss., congregation, a church friend crowed about her intelligent grandson. He had asked, "Grandma, does the tooth fairy exist?"

Not wanting to give it away, she answered, "Well, he puts money under your pillow, doesn't he?"

"Yes," replied the five-year-old, "but the money smells like Daddy's billfold."

The world may try to deny it, hide it, or forget it, but the true Christians and churches will "smell" like their heavenly Father. They will bear the undeniable traces of his goodness, reveal the marks of his transformation, and reflect the pureness of his love.

Instead of cursing when they are cursed, Christians bless. "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing" (1 Peter 3:9, NIV).

Against the world's perverseness and immorality, Christians shine forth in holiness as obedient children. "... just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy'" (1 Peter 1:15).

And the follower of Christ has a love as broad as his Master. "Be perfect [in your love], therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).

People will know who are Jesus' disciples, if they love one another (John 13:35). This fraternal love is a principle identifying mark of the true Christian and the true church.

No matter what others may say, the Christian's life and a church's character will show through, because they are like God. The aroma of their attitudes and actions will be unmistakeable, just as their message will be clear and forceful.

No doubt about it. The saints have been indelibly marked by being in the Father's presence.

Be one of them.

By Emmett Smith

Two articles in this past week's media are worthy of our attention. In an interview with The Age, a Melbourne newspaper, Peter Singer stated his belief that President Bush is morally challenged. Mr. Singer, an Aussie, is professor of "Bioethics" at Princeton University. He criticized President Bush as being morally underdeveloped and seeing things "..very simply, in black and white, as good versus evil..".

Certainly President Bush disagrees with Mr. Singer's more highly developed "morality". Singer believes:

• There should be no "speciesism". That is, all animals are equivalent. Treating non-humans as lesser species is discrimination.
• Parents should be able to kill their children for up to 28 days after birth.

Singer's "ethics" leave much to be desired from a Biblical perspective don't they? I wonder if Singer disagrees with John Kerry's positions on these issues? Probably not, since one of Kerry's much-touted "advantages" over President Bush is his ability to discern the "nuances" of various moral issues.

Another article in the Key West Globe and Mail discussed a "straight" couple having been booted out of a "gay" hotel in Key West. Now I do believe the owner of a business should be able to serve, or not serve, whomever he desires. I'm not up in arms over this "discrimination". After all, it's important for Christians to discriminate very carefully. Don't you agree? Think about it.

But this should ring alarm bells in anyone's mind if they think the homosexual "rights" advocates are going to be satisfied with simply not being "discriminated against". No, if they achieve enough political power, they'll go much further than most of us imagine, and this story serves to illustrate that point.

May God grant us the wisdom to discriminate between good and evil during this election year.

"Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?" (1 Kings 3:9)..  

By Michael E. Brooks

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).

I continue to be surprised at the number of edible parts of plants and animals that people of undeveloped nations have discovered. I was in Bangladesh this last time during the season of gathering sap from various species of palm trees. Some kinds of sap were used in preparing main dishes, some in desserts and candies, some in a type of syrup. I have observed at other times that roots, leaves and fruits are regularly consumed that I never dreamed were at all edible, much less so tasty. Some portions of plants are eaten even though other portions of the same plant are poisonous. Amazing!

But it shouldn't be such a surprise. God who made the world is a loving and wise God, who "did good and gave [us] rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying [our] hearts with food and gladness" (Acts 14:17). He "has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3). Our God created this universe and us in it as a testimony to his wisdom, power and love. There is good everywhere, and in everything.

Now that does not mean that there is no evil, nor that everything is wholly good. Satan has invaded this world, and he has introduced evil. Just as some plants have poisonous parts, so there is the capacity to harm and destroy all around us. But evil is neither all powerful nor all present. Some would argue that the world is wholly an evil place. That the suffering and sin we see contaminates everything. But our own experiences refute any such claim. From the innocent smile on the face of an infant to the beautiful sunsets each evening, we see beauty and goodness all around us.

The key is to trust God and wait for him to show us his plan and purpose. Good can come from any situation, even from the direst of problems and the greatest of losses. God is that wise. He is that powerful. And he is that loving. But we must trust him. We must follow him. His greatest blessings are given to those who have answered his call, and who love him. To those good abounds.

by Tim Hall

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105, NKJV). It's one of the most fundamental truths in the Bible. Humans do not have within them the wisdom necessary for successful living (see Jeremiah 10:23 and Titus 2:11,12 as examples). If it is possible for us to find our own way without God's help, then why waste our time reading the Bible?

But sometimes even good people turn away from God's light as they give more emphasis to their own understanding and insight. And what is God's reaction to such? Surely He is tolerant as He judges our good intentions, right?

Job was an upright and blameless man (Job 1:1), yet he treaded on dangerous ground by speculating on matters about which God had said nothing. The first words of God's response surely caused Job to shudder as he realized what a mistake he had made: "Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?" (Job 38:2).

"Counsel" in this statement refers, of course, to God's counsel. God does not counsel us on every detail of life, but when he does speak, his pronouncements ought to be held with great respect. Instead, Job had "darkened" God's counsel. How had he done that? "By words without knowledge." By speaking where God had not spoken - attempting to explain issues God had not explained - Job had inadvertently thrown a drape over the shining words of truth. It's one of the greatest mistakes a person can make.

Those who are wicked try hard to snuff out the light God has given. Paul warned them against their attempts to "suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Romans 1:18). But Job was not a wicked man. He was well-intentioned. Nonetheless, he also drew the wrath of God for daring to speak where God had not spoken.

Isaiah faced a different situation. People in his day were turning from God to seek guidance from mediums and wizards. God's warning through His prophet is timeless: "To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20). How sad to turn away from light to non-light when illumination is what we desperately need!

Don't focus merely on the messenger. Yes, the tone of his voice and his reassuring smiles are comforting. But if the words he speaks are not based on God's revelation, there is no light in what he says. Those who follow such empty messengers are darkening the light God has given.