by A. A. Neale

I assume that Simon was sincere when he became a Christian. When Philip preached Christ, performed miracles, and expelled unclean spirits, the Great Sorcerer of Samaria knew this was for real. One greater than he was had arrived.

"But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, 'This man is the great power of God.' And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time" (Acts 8:9-11, NKJV).

Simon saw his followers abandon him. He, too, was baptized and "continued with Philip," which leaves us to believe he stuck to Philip. Perhaps he could appreciate better than the multitude what was being done.

But when he saw that Peter and John had the ability to impart miraculous gifts to others (v. 17), he couldn't contain himself. His old aspirations to greatness resurfaced, and he offered them some of his gains from sorcery for that power.

What is the attraction to sorcery and witchcraft? Twice our text affirms that Simon astonished the Samaritans with his sorcery. He used it to claim he was great, and as a result, he must have made a good deal of money (v. 18).

Fame, power, and money have always been prime motivators. As in Simon's case, sorcery is one tool to those ends. Magic made him important, powerful, and wealthy.

If he had not been repentant, Simon might have become one of the first false miracle workers as he swapped sorcery for miracles. But we trust, by his reaction to Peter's rebuke, that he learned to quell his ambition, reject sorcery completely, and humble himself before God.

All those who would, in some form, employ sorcery, witchcraft, and magic must do like Simon.

by A. A. Neale

There are many plans in a man's heart, Nevertheless the Lord's counsel -- that will stand.

Prov. 19:21 NKJV

Forming a purpose and making plans are human activities that reflect the divine image, with one obvious difference: The Lord always performs that which he purposes. The weeping prophet wrote of God's punishment of the cruel Babylonian empire, "For the Lord has both devised and done what he spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon" (Jer. 51:12).

Truly, only the Lord can say with all assurance,

    I have purposed it;     I will also do it.             Isa. 46:11c

You and I, frail humans that we are, must always preface our purposeful plans with a "If the Lord wills" (Jas. 4:15).

When God speaks, it's as good as done (Isa. 55:11). Man's pronouncements are contingent -- he may or may not do as he proposes.

Jesus' final cry at the cross was, "It is finished." That's why he is God's Yes. "... in Him was Yes. For all the promises of God in Him are Yes and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us" (2 Cor. 1:19,20).

So God is faithful, because he does what he sets out to do. His promises are sure, for he has never failed to fulfil a single one, nor will he ever fail.

Some have suggested that the Almighty just might invoke divine prerrogative to do things differently on the Last Day than what he has said he will do. These vain imaginings forget the infallible purpose of God!

• When God declares that he will save only the obedient who is immersed in order to receive forgiveness of sins, that will stand (Acts 2:38,39).
• The Lord in his purpose has provided strength to overcome temptation, and that will stand (1 Cor. 10:13).
• The Savior will use his church (and not human divisions and denominations) to proclaim the saving truth, and that will stand (Eph. 3:10,11).
• The called according to God's purpose will discover that all things, barring none, will work together for good in their lives, because the Lord is doing it, and that, too, will stand (Rom. 8:28-31).

He will do it.

by A. A. Neale

"The rich and the poor have this in common, The LORD is the maker of them all" (Prov. 22:2, NKJV).

We all belong in the same class. The blue bloods just don't exist. The rich and famous have nothing on anybody else.

Somebody once said that the great leveler is the truth that we all have to sit on the toilet. Somebody else thought it was that we all must die one day.

Solomon says it's because the Lord made us all. Add to that that Jesus Christ died for all, and you have a double blade to level the human playing field.

Peel back the hoopla, and find a human being. Wash off the makeup, and see plain folk. President and peon, we're all alike.

Since the Lord is maker of us all, we are creatures of need, dependent on his care. I cannot look at another human being without seeing my equal -- equally in need of God's presence and blessing.

That the Lord is maker of us all endows us with both dignity and humility. We understand our privileged place in the divine scheme of things, as well as our lowliness before the divine Magnificence.

With one voice, then, we may praise his name; with one mind, we may seek his will; with one heart, we may live together in his Kingdom.

by A. A. Neale

There's a lot of difference between the young and the old. I came up with a few items that distinguish the two groups. You might even want to add to this list.

• The young are in a hurry to do it all. The old want it all to slow down.

• The young are fired up. The old are trying to keep the flame lit.

• The young want it now. The old are holding out for tomorrow.

• The young don't want to hear about the good old days. The old shake their heads at these wild and wacky times.

• The young want to make more money. The old are looking for a cheaper place to buy their prescription medicine.

• The young's hormones are off the charts. The old are taking hormone pills.

• The young are climbing the walls. The old are propping up the fat and flab.

For all those differences and more, the young and old are both human beings subject to the same principles that govern this old world. Sometimes the old, through lumps and dumps, have gotten a better sight of those principles than when they were younger.

What does an old man have to say to the young? Here's a few things, for starters.

• Be a saver; be a giver.

• Follow good examples; outstrip your examples' goodness.

• Save sex for marriage; make marriage the place for sex.

• The world doesn't owe you a thing; owe no one nothing, except love.

• Plan your life; today is all you've got.

• Say something significant; babble with the babies.

• Be what you claim; admit you're not what you should be.

• See the little guy, especially your kids; be the little guy.

• Down is easy and quick; up is the long, hard row.

• Don't take no for an answer; know when to say no.

All this in the spirit of Proverbs 1:8,9. "My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck."

by A. A. Neale

After Ben Moore of Cincinnati had more than $30,000 worth of goods stolen from a building he owned, he'd had enough. He and his partner researched options and set up Citywatch.com, an e-surveillance monitoring system using cameras controlled by the Internet.

After installation, police made five arrests in one day.*

Various rights groups have questioned the use of cameras in public places, but many residents in high-crime areas welcome them. The jury still is out, but the perception is that these one-eyed watchmen deter crime and can provide evidence when a crime is committed.

The God of all the earth does a tad better than that. The Psalmist says "his eyes watch the nations," so the rebellious had better not think about rising up against him (Psa. 66:7, NKJV). Indeed, "the eyes of the LORD are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good" (Prov. 15:3).

There is no place, no one, no hour, that the Lord does not see. What a sobering thought!

To him who wants to do evil, such verses are a warning. That old idea of repressive religions that God is watching you and will get you the minute you step over the line isn't too far off -- when we're talking about the wicked. The Bible uses the symbol of the eyes of God watching the wicked to assure everyone, good and evil, that retribution will be quick and sure.

We may be sure that the very worst thing we can do is to "provoke the eyes of His glory" because of our tongue and doings (Isa. 3:8).

The eyes of the Lord also shoo us away from temptation. To the adulterous eyes, Solomon warns, in an extensive passage about the immoral woman, not to give in to lust, "For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He ponders all his paths" (Prov. 5:21).

The Good Book also speaks of the eyes of God on the righteous to say that he never forgets his people. Here, eyes mean care, as in Moses' declaration that the Lord would bless the promised land, "a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year" (Deut. 11:12).

"The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth." Psalm 34:15, 16

Peter quotes this verse in 1 Pet. 3:12 to remind us that we may suffer for the sake of righteousness and still preach the Good News of the Cross because the Lord is watching out for us.

Nothing gets by the Lord unnoticed. He sees the evil rampant in the world. And his eyes take in with tenderness and love the struggles and service of the righteous. This wonderful truth was well expressed by Civilla D. Martin:

Why should I feel discouraged, Why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, And long for Heav'n and home, When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He; His eye is on the sparrow And I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me.

That God's eye is upon those of us who do righteously is indeed a truth to encourage, sustain, and bless.

*Liza Porteus, "Cincinnati Residents Try High-Tech Crime Stopping," 15 July 2003, FoxNews.com.