by A. A. Neale

I've done some piercing in my day. I've stapled my fingers a few times with a staple gun. A needle has pricked my thumb when I had to sew buttons on my shirt. A know-it-all doctor pierced my skin once with a scalpel, but I wasn't awake to feel that one.

Piercing in this day and age, in the way it's practiced now, was, and I suppose still is, another rebellious shake of the fist at authority. After all, you can only vary hair length by so much, and that gets old. So the up-and-coming generation has to think up something new to thumb its nose at parents and authority figures.

One type of piercing, though, isn't as much rebellion as it is the unhappy result of a lack of trust in the invisible God and confidence in the power of numbers. Spoken by a true politician full of his own power and arrogance, these words came from Jerusalem's aqueduct over its walls, beyond which the Assyrian army awaited battle:

"Now look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him" (2 Kings 18:21, NKJV).

The description sought to shake Israel's confidence in Egypt as a power equal or superior to Assyria. Israel might make a treaty with Egypt, hoping to strike a political and military balance in the region. The Assyrian official hoped to prevent that and prompt the king to give it up.

To King Hezekiah's credit, he takes a letter written by the Rabshakeh, the same official from Assyria, into the temple to lay it before the Lord.

At that moment, Hezekiah avoided the piercing of Egypt.

Not all the kings were so trusting in God, however. And certainly not many of the people of Israel. They suffered multiple piercings because of their trust in false powers and impotent protection. These piercings were the results - not the signs - of Israel's rebellion against God, of their refusal to believe in the invisible Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies, to deliver them.

Maybe you like piercing your body as a statement. More pierce their souls when they depend upon material things to hold them up. I want to be careful to avoid such a piercing.

by J. Randal Matheny

A teacher explained the parable of the prodigal son to a group of children. Afterwards, he asked them to write a summary of the story. Here's what one child wrote:

"A man had two sons. The youngest wasn't happy at home, so one day he went far away, taking with him all the money he had. When this money was gone, the boy decided to return home, because he didn't even have anything to eat. When he was close to home, his father saw him and, very happy, grabbed a beautiful staff and ran to him. On the way he found the other son, the good son, who asked him where he was going in such a hurry with that staff. The father answered, 'That terrible brother of yours has returned. After everything he's done, he deserves a nice beating!' The son offered, 'You want me to help you, father?' The father answered, "Yes, I do!' So the two beat him up. At the end, the father called his servant and told him to kill the fattest calf to make a big feast, because finally they managed to fulfill their wish to punish that brainless and ungrateful son!"/1

Maybe the student was inattentive. Maybe his little mind was a bit twisted. Or maybe he just couldn't believe how good the story of the prodigal son really is. (You can read the story in Luke, chapter 15.)

Many of us can't believe it either. It sounds too good to be true.

We can identify with the student's revised version. But we have nothing in our experience with which to compare the original. Because God as Father has no equal.

A full pardon awaits the wayward son or daughter. An anxious Father watches day and night hoping to be able to extend complete forgiveness.

All we need to do is jump out of the pigpen and walk home.

Forget the prepared speech. The Father has been preparing his for a long time:

"All is forgiven!"

Can you believe that?

1/ A. Cencini, Viver Reconciliados: Aspectos Psicológicos (Paulinas, 1987), p. 89. My translation. The author wrote that it happened to a colleague of his.

by Bill Nicks

The cross of Christ has always been a stumbling block, an offense, to many (1 Pet. 2:8; 1 Cor. 1:23). The Jews reasoned, "How could one who was accursed to hang on a tree be the Messiah?" (Deut. 21:23; Gal. 3:13). The Gentiles reasoned, "How could anyone worship a god who was condemned by the Romans to crucifixion?" So, He was rejected by both.

But Paul affirmed, "God made Him [Christ] who knew no sin to be sin for us; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Cor. 5:21).

Because of Jesus, no word is more widely known than the "cross". It symbolizes the depths of man's ignorance and sin. Had the rulers and princes known who He was, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (Acts 3:17; 1 Cor. 2:8). Though willful ignorance was signified in His crucifixion, it also symbolized the mercy and love of God (Rom. 5:8).

The cross is paradoxical.

1. It was the most tragic event in history, yet it was the most wonderful.

2. It was the saddest spectacle ever beheld, yet it produced the greatest joy.

3. It was Satan's greatest victory, yet Christ's most stunning defeat.

4. It was Satan's greatest defeat, yet Christ's most glorious victory. Christ won by losing and conquered by surrendering.

5. God's justice condemned sin in His flesh, but in His mercy He forgave sin.

6. From a human standpoint, it was foolishness, yet it was a revelation of the highest wisdom of God (Gal. 6:14, 2:20).

"Blood is not dignified," said a modernist preacher, so they deleted the word from all their songs. They did not believe there was atoning power in the blood. One who heard it said, "I'm not ashamed of blood. My mother pushed me and my brother off a railroad track to save us, while her blood was spread for yards up and down the track. She gave her precious blood to save us."

"Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Pet. 1:18). There is power in the blood of Christ. I know, because my Bible tells me so! No fact is more plainly revealed (Matt. 26:28; 20:28; Acts 2:38; Heb. 2:9). Animal blood cannot now atone (Heb. 9:26; 10:1-4). Even the vilest human may be saved by the "wonder working power of the blood" (Col. 1:20-22; Eph. 2:3-6).

Our Lord's death was not accidental, it was foreknown, typified by the Passover lamb (Exo. 12; John 1:29; Isa. 53:7-12; Matt. 8:17; Acts 8:32).

The following things were accomplished by His death:

1. He purchased the kingdom, the church (Acts 20:28).
2. He reconciled Jew and Gentile (Eph. 2:16).
3. He effected atonement for sin (1 John 2:1; 4:10).
4. He repealed the old covenant to establish the new (Heb. 9:15-17; Matt. 26:28; Heb. 13:20).
5. He destroyed Satan's power (Heb. 2:14; 1 John 3:8).
6. He delivered all who were in bondage to fear of death (Heb. 2:15).

Salvation has been made available to all, yet not all will be saved because some reject, and others neglect, the great salvation (Heb. 2:3). Like Naaman of old, many have preconceived notions (2 Kings 5:1-14). God wants all to be saved (2 Pet. 3:9), but they must enter at the "strait gate" and travel "the narrow way" (Matt. 7:13).

If we are to please God, all we do must be centered around the cross; whether conditions of pardon, worship, or our daily walk of life. We cannot choose our own path, we cannot direct our own steps. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). And the way of Christ was the cross.

Thanks to The Voice of Truth International, Vol. 28, pgs 10-11.

By Michael E. Brooks

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these" (Matthew 6:28,29).

A few years ago Bangladesh was listed as the poorest country in the world. Famines and wars have struck in other places since then, and that ranking may have changed, but prosperity is still a long ways off for the people in this Asian nation. A recent Sunday visit to several fishing villages in the tidal region just north of the Bay of Bengal reminded me of just how harsh and difficult life can be here.

As we walked into one village, however, we passed a home that presented a neat, bright appearance. There were the same dirt, stick and thatch huts seen everywhere. The slack tide revealed long expanses of mud and the "yards" were mere squares of swept dirt. But this house had a neat twig fence around it, pathways of raised, packed dirt, and a bright display of marigolds and Hibiscus in full flower. Someone had taken time to create a pocket of beauty in spite of poverty and hardship.

Several points suggested themselves to me as we passed. First, no matter our circumstances, we can contribute to our own enjoyment and that of others. I am reminded of Jesus' compliment for the woman who washed his feet in perfume, "She has done what she could" (Mark 14:8). This family, whoever they were, could bemoan their poverty and the bleakness of their environment. But they do not. They improve it, even by a little, and the difference really has to be seen to be appreciated. Don't sit and moan and complain. Plant a flower. Pick up some litter. Show love for beauty and appreciation for the world God has made for us.

Secondly, I could not help but think that this oasis of beauty reflected a woman's touch. Call me a male chauvinist or a "sexist pig" if you will, but I don't know many men who have the same instinct or desire to "pretty up" a house in quite that way. Paul commanded Titus to see that young Christian wives are taught to be "home-makers" (Titus 2:5). The positive influence of such a woman is a tremendous blessing, on her husband, her children, and her neighbors. A Christian wife may work in many different ways to help her family and her church, but keeping her home clean and neat and her family fed and clothed is certainly basic.

Finally, I thought of Acts 14:17. "Nevertheless he did not leave himself without witness, in that he did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness." This world, its beauty, and its blessings, is our gift from a good and loving God. He is the creator, who "has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness" (2 Pet 1:3). Whether it be the bright colors of a flower, the aroma of fresh bread, or the laughter of a happy child, the little pleasures of daily life remind us that we live in a beautiful and good world. God is good! He loves us! And we praise him!

by Greg Tidwell

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you" (John 15:13-15 ESV).

Do you have a real friend? Don't answer too quickly, for I am not talking about a social acquaintance. Do you have someone with whom you can be yourself, someone you know will always be there for you? Outside of our immediate family, someone like this is very rare. You are blessed if you have one or two real friends.

All Christians, however, have the blessing of the greatest friend imaginable. Jesus, the Son of God, has called us to be His friends. This friendship is not empty talk; Jesus has proven Himself to be our friend when He took our place in His death on the cross.

One of the attributes of a true friend is a willingness to tell us what we need to hear, not just what we want to hear. Jesus wants us to be blessed. He wants our lives to be rich and full and complete. For this reason, Jesus calls us to obey the will of God. It is in this relationship of trusting obedience that we are friends to Jesus. On our side, as well, friendship must be more than empty talk; it must prove itself in practice.

It is in obedience to the will of God, in penitent faith, that we come into a relationship with the Lord. This friendship means, come what may, we always have Someone who knows us, loves us, and will always be there for us. Jesus is our friend.