by Tim Hall

"Take away the stone," said Jesus as He stood before the tomb. His friend Lazarus had been buried in that tomb four days earlier. It's understandable that Martha, Lazarus' sister, objected to Jesus' request. "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days" (John 11:39, New King James Version).

Have you ever wondered why Jesus asked for help in moving the stone? If Jesus could raise the dead (something He would shortly accomplish), why could He not also levitate the stone out of the way? How impressive would that be? Instead, He called on others to assist Him with this chore.

My friend Jim Bob, a farmer, had the best answer I've heard to that question: "He wanted them to smell death," Jim Bob suggested. And I believe he's exactly right. Jesus wanted all those present to know that Lazarus had indeed been dead for four days. No one would be able to argue later that the man had simply been in a coma. The smell would be convincing. Yet out of this state of undeniable death, the Son of God called for life to return. And the work of Jesus Christ would be all the more glorious now that all had smelled the repulsive smell of death.

Could this be the reason why Jesus calls upon us to "move the stone"? Sisyphus was a legendary figure in Greek mythology who had been condemned to repeatedly roll a large stone to the top of a hill. Every time the job was almost finished, his grip would slip and the stone would roll all the way down again. Some find in that image a picture of their lot in life. "Why would God consign us to such a hard life?" they wonder. Could He not simply create us as angels, and immediately place us in heaven?

I suspect that's the advantage we will have over the angels. They've never had to roll the stone up the hill, nor have they had the smell of death linger in their nostrils. And for such reasons, they cannot appreciate as we will the glorious power of God through Jesus Christ.

Paul used roughly the same imagery in 2 Corinthians 2. In describing a scene of a victorious army returning to their homeland, he wrote, "For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death to death, and to the other the aroma of life to life. And who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Cor. 2:15,16).

Some will not believe in Jesus as the Son of God. To them, Christianity is merely a stench of death. "Give up my pleasures? Deny myself and take up my cross? You've got to be kidding me!" But those who see the wisdom of God revealed through His Son smell more than the smell of death; they can already sense a more wonderful aroma -- life!

"Take away the stone." All of our lives that will be our task. It is often unpleasant as we are confronted with the smell of death. But that smell will not remain. The Son of God who called forth Lazarus out of the tomb will bring life to our mortal frames. We just have to be patient until that day.

by Tim Hall

Why is it that age so often brings bitterness? I've not come across any scientific studies on the subject, but it's a phenomenon frequently observed. Long before the movie was released, "grumpy old men" was a familiar phrase. It's something none of us want to become, but so many do. What happens?

The writer of Ecclesiastes offers one prescription for keeping bitterness at bay as the years advance: "Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, 'I have no pleasure in them'" (Ecclesiastes 12:1, New King James Version). Without God, old age becomes an experience of growing frustration. We helplessly watch as strength and vitality wane. We become unable to pursue those things that once brought pleasure. "September Song" is not a song godless people enjoy singing.

But there must be more to it than this. There are older Christians who seem to have little joy in their later years. Without question, they have remembered their Creator since the days of their youth, but they seem to have little more happiness in life than those who have taken a pass on religion.

Perhaps there is an answer that we have forgotten. It's another bit of advice, this time found in Psalm 100. The unnamed psalmist wrote, "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations" (Psalm 100:4,5).

How we approach God is as important a consideration as the fact that we approach Him in the first place. Entering God's presence should be done with an attitude of thanksgiving and praise. Doing so is an acknowledgment of His goodness and His awesome nature. Those who stand before God without these qualities show that they are more concerned with the externals of religion rather than the focus of our religion -- the Lord Himself.

I'm convinced this is an area in which too many have been negligent (if I may generalize). Striving for precision in our worship and practice of Christianity is absolutely necessary ("in truth", John 4:24). But approaching God with the fundamental attitudes of thankfulness and praise is also necessary ("in spirit", John 4:24). Psalm 100 was preserved for us by the same inspiration of God that also reveals the pattern for Christ's church. We should study it carefully and meditate on its meaning.

Christians who regularly practice thanksgiving and praise will not likely become grumpy old men or women. Their lives will grow more beautiful with each passing year. The wrinkles that will be etched on their faces will be from smiles that arise from deep wells of joy.

What a wonderful God we serve! Blessed be His name forevermore!!

by Tim Hall

"You just go through that door down the hallway . . ." "Excuse me for interrupting, but which door exactly do you mean? I want to make sure I go to the right place." It's an exchange we've all had at one time or another. In getting directions on how to get to our desired destination, someone tells us which door we should enter. What happens if we go through a different door? Sometimes, we find ourselves in a place we didn't want to be.

Peter used the word "through" a couple of times in his second letter, and his thought is vitally important for those wishing to get to heaven. For example, in 2 Peter 1:3, he wrote "As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue" (New King James Version). Is it our goal to obtain life and godliness? Certainly. Then in order to obtain those precious gifts, we must go "through" the right door, a door Peter specified as "knowledge". The knowledge of Jesus Christ, to be more specific.

The same concept appears in 2 Peter 2:20: "For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ . . ." Here again is a desired destination for Christians: to escape the pollutions of the world. Sin defiles us and separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1,2), and those who remain in sin have no hope of spending eternity with God. Then how can we "escape the pollutions of the world"? Through that same door of knowledge, Peter affirmed.

"The knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" - Isn't that just another way of saying "Read your Bible"? That's about the size of it. It's an old adage we've heard too many times to count. But how many of us have taken heed? Instead, the world distracts us with its glitter and buzz, and we lay down night after night without having opened the pages of God's word. Far too many Christians neglect their Bible study, and thus do not have the knowledge of which Peter speaks. (But how many of those same Christians neglect their television programs, daily newspapers or favorite hobbies?)

According to Peter, there is only one door through which to enter if we want the blessings of (1) life and godliness and (2) escape from the pollutions of the world. We dare not take a wrong turn on this journey! We must be careful to search God's word daily so we will have this knowledge that leads to so many desirable things.

Oh, did I mention that Peter spoke of the idea a third time in this same short letter? "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). As long as we live, we'll never get too much knowledge. It's time Christians took the admonitions of Peter seriously!

"Excuse me, Lord, but which way do I go to get to heaven?" "You just go through this door . . ."

by Tim Hall

Our local newspaper carried a story the other day on scams that seem to be on the increase. Tennessee's attorney general, Paul G. Summers, was quoted giving this warning to the state's citizens: "The promise of good money for little work is very intriguing to many, and we want to make sure Tennesseans know they could lose their money as a result of these empty promises." I'm glad public officials are concerned about the safety of the citizens' money, and that they are willing to give such warnings.

The scam in question is one with which I've been approached two or three dozen times in the last year. An e-mail appears in my in-box from some dignitary of a foreign country (often it's Nigeria). An enormous sum of money is resting in a bank account, and this person needs my help in transferring it to the United States. In exchange for my help, I'm promised several millions of dollars. What the sender of this e-mail actually has in mind, though, is getting me to send chunks of money in the futile hope that I'll be handsomely rewarded. Futile hope -- it just ain't going to happen. But how many have sent large sums of money hoping to strike it rich with little effort?!

Let me be perfectly candid, though. As I was reading the quote from the attorney general, I couldn't help but see great irony in his words. Less than a year ago, voters in our state approved the creation of a state lottery. Our state government is now in the gambling business, just like most other states in the U.S. Soon they will be paying for ads on television, enticing people to lay down chunks of money for "the promise of good money for little work" (a quote from Mr. Summers; see above). The odds may be a little better of winning the lottery than in receiving a reward from the Nigerian official; but not much better.

Some are already objecting to where this article is obviously headed. "The Bible doesn't condemn gambling!" they rush to insist. No, the Bible does not condemn gambling per se. But there are plenty of principles that are relevant to this issue.

Most would agree that Jesus' words in Luke 6:31 are to be foundational for Christians: "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise" (New King James Version). The Golden Rule teaches us to wish for others the same good things we wish for ourselves. But that's impossible when we gamble. The purchase of a lottery ticket implicitly says "I hope no one except me wins". For me to win, everyone else must lose. Is that a Christ-like attitude?

Here's another principle in question: "Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need" (Ephesians 4:28). One reason able-bodied people work is to have something to give to those who are in need. But gambling uses that "surplus income" (and often much more besides). How can I give to others when I'm throwing it to the wind in the long-shot hope of a windfall?

One other principle we'll mention is that found in 1 Timothy 6:6: "Now godliness with contentment is great gain." One who is content will see no need to put money in jeopardy -- money that might be used to help with needs elsewhere. One who is content doesn't have that constant craving for more. We already consider ourselves rich, in terms which God defines. (Be sure to read the rest of this chapter for other advice on money.)

Lotteries, casinos, Internet gambling, sports betting -- they're all growing problems in our society. Why aren't our state officials warning us about these money scams? God has.

by Tim Hall

For several years I have been impressed with some of the poetry of William Cullen Bryant. The America Bryant inhabited from 1794 to 1878 was very different from the one we know. But just beyond the city limits of our day lies a world that is just the same for us as it was for him -- if we take the time to visit it.

That Bryant often visited the forest seems evident from his poem, "A Forest Hymn". In this piece, he extols the virtues of taking time to meditate in the midst of God's great creation (something the Bible also encourages us to do). How we deprive ourselves by being confined within our air conditioned walls! Our understanding of God is poorer because of our urban habits.

Toward the end of "A Forest Hymn", Bryant reflects on powerful demonstrations of nature: lightning, thunder, strong winds, etc. Such displays, he wrote, force anyone to take note of the overwhelming power of God. But Bryant prayed for wisdom to look more deeply at God's creation. Consider these closing words from the poem:

Oh, from these sterner aspects of thy face
Spare me and mine, nor let us need the wrath
Of the mad unchained elements to teach
Who rules them.  Be it ours to meditate,
In these calm shades, thy milder majesty,
And to the beautiful order of thy works
Learn to conform the order of our lives.

Anyone will be temporarily humbled by tornadoes, floods and hurricanes -- how can we not be? But it takes a reflective person to step outside during more ordinary seasons, contemplating lessons that can be learned about God everyday. Wasn't this Jesus' point in Matthew 6:26,28, when He urged us to "Look at the birds of the air" and to "Consider the lilies of the field" (New King James Version)? Taking time to think about the "milder majesty" of God can teach us much!

God is truly so good! He "daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!" (Psalm 68:19) May it not take a wild natural catastrophe to get our minds off what's playing on television to think about the Almighty Creator. He can, and will, get our attention some day! But for now He urges us to think on His milder majesty.

"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" (Psalm 34:8)