by Phil Sanders

You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you. (1 Pet. 5:5-7)

God is so great, that it behooves all of us to humble ourselves. Looking deep into our own lives and inadequacies will likely keep us humble. But the command is "be humbled," a passive imperative. Let God rule in our hearts and our lives.

Humbled people are not beat down by guilt. They are not consumed with making the self little. No, a humble man is one who doesn't consider himself at all. He is the one who puts God first in every thing (Col. 1:15-17).

It would do us all good to hide behind the cross the way Paul did. Paul was not consumed with making a reputation or even unnecessarily defending himself against his many critics. Paul was an evangelist. His driving force was: "For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2).

His boast: But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation (Gal. 6:14-15).

The radical, consuming love of the cross will humble the thoughtful onlooker. How can one look into His eyes, see His love, recognize His pain, or see the price He paid for our sins and not be humbled?

Be humbled under the mighty hand of God. The hand that created the world, that fashioned man, that led Israel out of Egypt to take the promised land, that parted the Red Sea and the Jordan River. The hand that protects you day in and out. Let him lead you and control your life.

Do you know about God's hand? Isaiah tells us: "Can a woman forget her nursing child, And have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands" (Isa. 49:15-16).

Be humbled therefore under the mighty and deeply loving hand of God, and He will exalt you at the proper time. He will act in His time, not yours. He will act rightly and lovingly. He will bless you greatly.

Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. And He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your judgment as the noonday (Psalm 37:3-6).

Today, listen and submit.

by Phil Sanders

Only a Minute?

By the time you finish reading this article, 245 babies will arrive and 106 people will die somewhere in the world. This happens every minute of every day somewhere in the world (World Vital Events, U.S. Census Bureau, September, 2003).

What can you do in a minute? You can pray to the Lord about a friend who is lost. You can read a few verses of Scripture. You can count your blessings. You can encourage a friend. You can write a short note. You can make a brief phone call. You can invite a friend to come to church. You can pray for your preacher and elders.

Once a minute has gone by, you cannot retrieve it, no matter how badly you want to. Think a minute before you say something you will regret. Count to 100 before you do a hurtful act. Calm down a minute when you get angry. Walk away from temptation for a minute.

What good is a minute? It can be worth a great deal if it is used to do good for another. It can make a memory that will last a lifetime. It can bring sunshine to the soul that will last all day. Use your minutes and make the most of them (Eph. 5:16).

Minutes make the day; and when the day is done, how you have used your minutes will reveal what you are doing with your life.

by Phil Sanders

Many people find it hard to forgive themselves for sins they have committed. The prodigal son felt that was no longer worthy to be called his father?s son (Luke 15:19). The publican could not lift his eyes in prayer but was beating his breast (Luke 18:13). The apostle Paul cried out, ?Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?? (Rom. 7:24). Sin makes a person feel small in his own eyes.

If, Christian friend, in your heart you have sincerely repented of sin, you can find peace. There is hope for you! You can go to heaven! Here are some suggestions for you:

1. Focus your attention, not on your past, but on what you have become in Christ. Paul was the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:12-14), but he determined to forget what lies behind and to reach forward to what lies ahead (Phil. 3:13-14). He did not feel fit to be called an apostle; but ?by the grace of God? Paul could say, ?I am what I am? (1 Cor. 15:9-10). God takes a man where He finds him and makes him into what He wants him to be.

One of my favorite sayings is: ?I?m not all I ought to be; I?m not all I want to be; I?m not all I?m going to be; but, thank God, I?m not what I used to be.?

As new creatures in Christ, we ought to believe that the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Cor. 5:17). A new birth is just that! The old man of sin was crucified with Him (Rom. 6:6-7), and we are raised to walk in newness of life?born again! (Rom. 6:4-5; John 3:3-7).

2. Trust the promises of God?s Word rather than your feelings. Feelings can deceive and do not determine the truth (Luke 5:4-9). God promises, ?I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more? (Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:12). When God forgives, He no longer counts our trespasses against us (2 Cor. 5:21). Since we are new creatures in Christ, let us also no longer count against ourselves those trespasses. The one who did those things died with Christ. We are truly born again.

by Phil Sanders

1. Worship is internal.

One can worship internally without doing anything externally, but one cannot worship externally without doing anything internally. Zechariah 7:5-6 shows that the Jews of Zechariah’s day feasted and fasted for themselves and not for God. They went through the motions but did not involve the heart. Our worship must be in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24).

2. Worship is intentional.

One cannot worship God accidentally; it must be an intended act. In 2 Kings 5:17-19 Naaman said he had to bow in the house of Rimmon to another god as a part of his duties. Naaman makes the point that he must bow, but worshiping is not his intention. We cannot go through the motions and call it worship –- we must intend to praise, adore or thank God for all He has done.

3. Worship is vertical.

We sing our praises to God (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; Heb. 13:15). While we may sing so as to edify or teach others, that is not the primary purpose or focus of worship. It is good to remind ourselves in church that we are not the audience. God is! He is here to observe us and to be praised by us. Our task is to “please Him.” This is why we can never change our worship by turning it into entertainment.

4. Worship is momentary.

It has a beginning and an ending. Paul and the church at Troas waited seven days; and on the first day of the week, when they gathered to "break bread," Paul began talking to them (Acts 20:6-7). Worship is an act of our human hearts praising God according to His word. Let’s worship our Father from our hearts!

by Phil Sanders

“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

The gospel message is one of love, grace, hope, forgiveness, and life. It reveals the great sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on a cruel cross for our sins. It offers us our only hope for eternal life in heaven by means of the blood of Jesus in the washing away of our sins. For this reason, the gospel is good news! In fact, it is the best news we will ever hear.

There are two phrases in 1 Cor. 15:1-4, however, that present the challenge of the gospel.

First, the Corinthians received and took a "stand" in the gospel. Receiving the gospel means that you will be at odds with others, who do not believe it or will not receive it. Pagans took offense at the idea of one God; they thought the word of the cross was foolish (1 Cor. 1:18-21).

When Jesus and His disciples preached the gospel of the kingdom, their first word was "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17; Mark 6:12). The world has little desire for repentance and hates those who ask for it (John 3:19-20). They prefer their freedom and want no Lord.

Second, they were to "hold fast" to the gospel, if they would be saved by it. In Christ there is no retirement, no quitting point. Jesus asks us to endure to the end (Matt. 10:22). The challenge, however, is never as great as the promises! Stay faithful to the end.