Seek

Jesus said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Luke 11:9, 10).

Repent

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

Believe

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Obey

Jesus said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that docth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).

Follow

Again Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:27, 28).

Find

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29, 30).

Probably the most important symbol of energy use, other than the gasoline pump, is the thermostat. We generally set our thermostats and forget them. We adjust them mechanically with little thought of the marvels of modern engineering.

In the physical world, we are used to thermostats and other regulators that keep our furnaces, air conditioners, clocks, cars, and appliances running smoothly. Are we as concerned about spiritual regulators? Are we well regulated spiritually?

The church at Laodicea named in Revelation 3:15, 16 needed spiritual regulation. The Lord communicated, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.” Unlike lukewarm earthly heating systems, the Lord expects Christians to be hot, to be on fire for Him.

The Christian serves God fervently. Fervent means “fiery or hot.” “Fervent in spirit; serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11).

The Christian loves others fervently. “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently” (1 Peter 1:22).

The Christian prays fervently. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16).

I found at least three spiritual thermostats that indicate spiritual warmth and indicate whether or not we are right with God.

PRAYER

Prayer is an act of devotion so easily explained but so poorly practiced. No, I don’t mean a hurried “Thank You, Lord, for this day, and for the food on the table,” nor do I mean, “Lord, help me to win friends and influence people.”

Prayer means talking to God as to a friend. We share with God our deepest needs and concerns. We share with Him how we feel about Him, praise for who He is and what He does. We ask Him to come into our lives and change us.

A weak or nonexistent prayer life is a sure indication of low spirituality or even no relationship with God. An active daily prayer life doesn’t mean we have arrived spiritually, but it does mean we are headed in the right direction.

BIBLE READING

Faithful Bible reading and study are far more than taking a Bible to church or even reading it on special occasions. Faithful Bible reading involves time and concentration. It makes us fervent in spirit. It is best done in the morning or at a time when we are wide awake and have enough time. Meaningful Bible reading is coupled with prayer, asking the Lord to show us truths to carry through the day and through life. Meaningful Bible reading is systematic, chapter by chapter and book by book.

The inspiration to spiritual dedication comes from the Bible as the Spirit of God shows us how to live out what we read.

OBEDIENCE

To be honest in prayer and Bible reading implies that we will hear what God will say to us. Obedience is a test of the genuineness of our profession of Christianity and all our religious activities.

“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him” (1 John 2:3, 5).

The Lord will show you through the Bible and through His Spirit how to know Jesus Christ and how to deal with life’s issues. Did you cheat on income taxes? He shows you, “Thou shall not steal.” You gave a false impression of the truth. The Lord showed you, “A faithful witness will not lie.” Perhaps you looked at a pornographic book or magazine. The Word of God came to you, “Flee also youthful lusts.” The Lord can also lead a person to a decision based on an application of a spiritual truth. Perhaps you see a command in the Bible that you are not obeying. God will show you what you need to do. Perhaps you see someone in need. You feel the urge to help. Perhaps you were planning a trip but something inside you keeps saying you should not go. Could that be the Lord warning you of some danger?

What is your spiritual temperature? Is your spiritual thermostat in operation? Are you a child of God, a disciple of Jesus Christ? Are you serving God obediently?

-by Roger L. Berry

Many people who are not familiar with the Bible may think it is an outdated book written by ancient people according to the limited understanding and superstitions of their times. However, for those who read and compare it to life and the real world, the Bible is the key to understanding the past, present, and future.

Biblical Relevance

Bible statements have been the inspiration for great discoveries. Matthew Maury read about “the paths of the seas” (Psalm 8:8) and spent many years in the navy charting ocean currents and winds. All U.S. government charts have been based on his studies. Maury was called “the pathfinder of the seas.”

Many would be surprised to find the Bible touches principles of science, communications, travel, and even contains insights into outer and inner space. The discovery and decoding of the genome of various plants and animals helps us understand Psalm 139:13-16. Here again the Bible was ahead of the scientists. Bits of information (my substance, verse 16) are the cause of every constructive detail in life. Features don’t just originate from the needs of environmental pressure. There is always an information cause. God wrote all the original genetic codes for life—perfectly!

In the field of earth sciences, geology (the sedimentary rock layers) and paleontology (fossils of plant and animal life), the Bible is relevant. Some imagine that the discovery of many strange reptile creatures, named dinosaurs, along with many other extinct creatures has made the Bible irrelevant. In fact, evolutionists use dinosaurs in a determined effort through movies and public education to saturate children with godless evolution.

Dinosaurs in Eden

Dinosaurs not only fit into God’s whole scheme of things but they are full of significance. Reptile creatures have been prominent players in the conflict between God and Satan for the souls of men.

God created everything in the beginning “very good”—perfect, fully formed, functioning, and at peace. The fossil record shows that reptiles evidently dominated this first warm world. This ideal climate continued until the cataclysm of Noah’s Flood.

However, God had left with men and angels the choice to submit to His all-wise jurisdiction. Lucifer, a chief archangel, soon rebelled and was cast out of Heaven (Isaiah 14:12-15). He then went about to corrupt God’s creation by turning men’s loyalties to himself. Lucifer’s creature of choice to entice Adam and Eve was a “serpent” (Genesis 3:1). This reptile was not the common snake we know today—it had legs!

A serpent with legs that did not drag its belly on the ground (Gen. 3:14) would have been similar to long-necked, long-tailed dinosaurs. It could have been a quadruped like an alligator but that was still on its stomach. Some of the smaller, bipedal types of dinosaurs had long thin necks and tails with an enlarged central body, strong legs, and small arms. According to one source, the Hebrew word nachash (translated “serpent” in Genesis 3:14) indicates a shining upright creature. He could look man in the eye. The troodon was such a dinosaur with a skull that had a larger brain cavity and large eye sockets suggesting more intelligence and sharper eyesight than many dinosaurs. A cunning reptile is indicated in Genesis 3:1, “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the lord God had made.”

Adam and Eve fell victim to Satan. However, they returned to God and repented when God called to them in the cool of the garden. He then made a way to be accepted through sacrifice. These sacrifices looked forward to that effective sacrifice—God’s own Son, Jesus Christ.

Down through history Satan has been using his serpent character to steal the loyalties of men. “I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).

Job, Behemoth, and Leviathan

Job is a classic example demonstrating the contest between God and Satan to prove God’s power to save a man and keep him. The case set up by God (Job 1:8)) was that God would remove His protection over Job but would spare Job’s life. Satan then went about to destroy Job’s wealth and health. In the throes of Job’s physical and spiritual agony, he cries out to find the God he knew, “In the days when God preserved me; when his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness” (Job 29:2, 3). God finally spoke and gives Job a clue to who was troubling him by describing two fearsome land and sea reptile creatures.

Only in the last 150 years have the fossil bones of dinosaurs been reconstructed to see how these extinct creatures best fit the description of Job 40 and 41. Behemoth, Job 40:15-24 who dwelled among the reeds and willows of the brooks, was a plant-eating creature with a tail like a cedar tree. This could describe the immense sauropods who definitely could be called “chief of the ways of God” (verse 19). Behemoth along with Leviathan was so strong and fearsome that man could not hope to slay, let alone control them. In this allusion to Satan’s power over men, God said, but “he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him.” In essence God was saying, “Job, trust me, I will bring Satan’s power to an end.”

Leviathan is described as a sea-dwelling, fire-breathing reptile that ancient stories also give credence to, “Out of his mouth go .. . sparks, fire, smoke, a flame . . . he maketh the deep to boil like a pot” (Job 41:18-34). God ended His description of the leviathan with a final clue. “Upon earth there is not his like …. He is king over all the children of pride.” Pride describes the chief fault of Satan and all his followers (Isaiah 14:12-13; Ezekiel 28:14-17).

Satan, Dragon of the Deep

Many legends through Europe and China speak about dragons of land and sea. Such accounts are based on some reality within the memory of man. Ancient pictures show creatures like the dinosaurs and plesiosaurs (sea reptiles) such as those reconstructed in museums today. Dragons of land and sea throughout the Bible evidently refer to these dinosaur-like creatures.

The Bible forecasts Satan’s end in the typology of serpent and dragon. “In that day the lord with his . . . strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent. . . that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea” (Isaiah 27:1). The great red dragon of Revelation 12 describes Satan’s efforts to frustrate God’s redemption by destroying the “man child” (Jesus, verse 13), and the woman (Israel [John 4:22]). This culminates with war in heaven when Satan is defeated. “The great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil and Satan” (Revelation 12:9).

Dinosaur Mania

It is no accident that these large reptile creatures have come to the fore in the current effort to rid the world of belief in the Creator God. Movies, museums, and public schools keep up a constant bombardment of evolutionary propaganda. Evolutionists proclaim as “fact” that birds changed over from dinosaurs. But that would have required millions of bits of ordered information to be added to the genome. Also, the dinosaur, which looked like an ostrich (struthiomimus) had lizard hipbones instead of bird hips!

Movies such as “Jurassic Park,” “The Lost World,” and “Mutant Turtles” produced to entertain children saturate with a godless mindset. Statements deliberately declare that there is no God who made all these things. We can observe the results in a purposeless, destructive life-style among youth.

“Choose You This Day Whom Ye Will Serve”

Satan’s figurative reptile description is true to his end. “An angel. . . laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan and bound him a thousand years.” Afterwards he will be “cast into the lake of fire and brimstone” (Revelation 20:1, 2, 10)

The transcending truth of God’s Word in the natural and spiritual realms is evidence of its divine origin. There is no other book like the Bible. To understand the issues of life, we must become acquainted with its author.

The final evidence that this “worldview” is correct is that it explains man’s main problem (sin), and his deliverance or salvation. Salvation is found in returning to God and the noble fruitful life that can be experienced in His will. It works!

Resources: Defenders Study Bible — Henry Morris
World Book Encyclopedia —Dinosaur

-by Elvin Stauffer

The desire for knowledge and adventure spills over into many areas of human experience, not the least of which is sex.

Today’s youth call dating a game. For thousands it is a game of seeing how far one can go with a member of the opposite sex. Many young people start out with good intentions but get caught up in a web of increasing familiarity that leads to petting and many times to going “all the way.”

How do we draw the lines? Where do you stop, or, for that matter, where do you begin?

There are at least three laws basic to courtship that will point us in the right direction when God is in control.

LAW OF PROGRESSION.

One thing leads to another in courtship. Whenever a boy and a girl “get together” it takes concentrated effort to keep the courtship on other than a physical basis. One intimacy indulged can easily lead to another and each intimacy has a tolerance point. Holding hands for the sake of holding hands has a tolerance point. A couple will reach the point where hand holding does not satisfy. Kissing and embracing may follow and each has its own tolerance point and asks for something more.

The problem comes when a couple base their courtship, even partially, on the physical. In the steps to a godly marriage the physical is the last relationship to be formed. Social, emotional, and spiritual relationships are formed in courtship and engagement.

Keeping the law of progression in mind, holding hands for the thrills or to be doing something is exceedingly dangerous.

LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURNS.

Closely related to progression is the fact that, with repetition, the effects of physical intimacy tend to decrease. It takes more and more stimulation to provide the same “thrill.” A couple cannot go far before they become so physically involved that their emotions demand increasing intimacy.

Once engaged in petting (passionate kissing, caressing and fondling), a couple finds it virtually impossible to say, “We won’t go any farther next time.” Even with holding hands and “light” kissing the couple cannot stop these activities without emotional and perhaps physical struggles.

THE LAW OF DESIGN.

With progression and diminishing returns in mind, a young couple need to approach their courtship with design. Dating needs to be planned.

As with all other aspects of life, a young person needs to surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ to find genuine satisfaction in courtship. The Christian will seek God’s will in what standards God would want him to set. What activities would honor God and reflect obedience to Him? The Lord will lead you to what would be the best for your future whether or not you are led to marriage.

As dating is designed, the couple will set standards and abide by them. Such standards should be high enough to include the convictions of both daters and to glorify God. Young couples who disobey God’s Word in dating are setting the stage for regret.

Designed dating has the good of each other in mind. Some imagine they have done nothing harmful unless they cross that final barrier of sexual union. “Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Both petting and going “all the way” are named as sin in Ephesians 5:3: “But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints.”

The sin of adultery or fornication is committed before the final act. Personalities and emotions are torn and scarred before going “all the way.” The purity of your dating partner can be violated through petting. Memories of illegitimate sexual stimulation will haunt a person the rest of his life. They will create problems in a future marriage. Petting is sin and leads to hurt and regret and even broken marriages later.

How far is too far? Any physical intimacy which, when indulged, calls for something more is too far. You will find true satisfaction and peace with God in waiting for physical intimacy until marriage.

“Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord. Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. . . and ye are not your own . . . therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:13, 19, 20) – RLB

NO HUSBAND, NO PROBLEM. So claimed a headline in the January 16, 2007 St. Paul Pioneer Press. Fifty-one percent of women in America are now living without a husband. According to Professor Stephanie Coontz, “there is no going back to a world where we can assume that marriage is the main institution that organizes people’s lives.” The article offers nothing on what will organize people’s lives. Neither is there any clue on how the children (and the men) are faring. In fact, you wouldn’t guess from this article that women continue to have babies without husbands.

So let’s consider some much needed perspective.

Even the “No Husband, No Problem” ladies aren’t doing so grand. According to US News, March 12, 2007, one in four females ages fourteen to fifty-nine is infected with a sexually transmitted virus. Of these, 7.5 million are fourteen to twenty-four years of age. It is not reassuring to raise the risk of sterility and cervical cancer in this way.

Another recent news item equates high alcohol consumption with females who eschew long-term commitment in favor of “hooking up.” The alcohol eases the anxiety and the underlying aversion to being used as a sexual commodity.

So how is the rest of the population faring? USA Today, February 14, 2007, notes that overflowing prisons will cost states an additional 27.5 billion dollars in the near future. Present prison population in the nation is 1.53 million. We can expect an increase of 13% in the next five years. The additional $27.5 billion is to build facilities and to meet the expense of housing the additional prisoners.

Following are some things I have observed from years of volunteer jail ministry:

• Most of the men had not married or were not presently married even into their late 20s and their 30s.
• Many of these men are fathers, frequently having children from more than one woman.
• Female inmates are typically single mothers. To a high degree, their lives revolve around their children.
• Jail inmates rarely have any practical knowledge of what makes for a good marriage and family.

Wouldn’t we all love to curb the deception, the cheating, the stealing, and the violence that has invaded every community? Our justice system is overwhelmed. However valid our concerns about terrorism, the far greater damage to date has been self-inflicted. The people locked in prison cells are not the elderly and infirm, but those whose brain power and strength are at their peak. What a positive force for good they might have been! Yet we are so dysfunctional that we fail to convey even the minimum standards by which these people may live free.

Let’s define our society’s problem for what it really is. First, our most pressing social problems are moral and spiritual (problems between us and God). Second, the longer the time and the farther the retreat from God, the greater the damage.

And the third? Morals stand or fall together. The ancient commandments, “Thou shall not steal,” and “Thou shalt not kill,” are where we want to live. We want to fix the rotten floor of crime and domestic violence. But our efforts are vain, so long as we ignore the leak in the roof. We deal with this problem by heeding another of the Ten Commandments, “Thou shall not commit adultery.” (This includes every form of illicit sex).

Sexual sin is rampant. It is worldwide. Yet any thinking person should know that an intimacy as involved as sexual relationships is bound to have major repercussions. If this were not so, illicit sex wouldn’t need to be artificially repackaged for attempted pregnancy prevention and disease control (having accomplished neither). Violators would not live in fear of sexual partners.

Sex is not an evolutionary toy, destined for an adult Hollywood Playland. Far from it. Rather, it is a gift from God. It merits obedience to God’s instructions. It doesn’t carry an “adult only” rating, but a far sterner one, “for marriage only.” According to the Bible, marriage makes of two people “one flesh.” The man and woman who heed those instructions, do indeed effectively organize people’s lives. They train their children in integrity, loyalty, and duty. The result is order, security, and freedom.

The man who fears God will be rewarded. He will be a faithful and consistent provider for his wife and children. He has a powerful incentive to maintain a good work ethic, to pay off the mortgage, and to keep a well-maintained home. He exercises a healthy reserve with women other than his spouse. He knows a precious intimacy with his wife, a treasure that he cannot afford to lose. Bar hopping and criminal activity would come at a price he cannot afford. He sets the example on which the next generation can build. In the culture, he is a giver, not a taker. He models the Biblical teaching, “He that loveth his wife loveth himself.” He is part of the righteousness that “exalteth a nation.”

In contrast, sexual immorality is a badly botched counterfeit. It bonds sexual partners shoddily and ends up straining and tearing at the very fabric of the relationship. Because there is no fear of God before their eyes (Romans 3:18), the sexually immoral can readily exercise the option of cheating in any other realm.

We see then, that there is no such thing as a stand-alone sexual revolution. It becomes a total cultural revolution. It has generated landfills of media garbage in the guise of entertainment. It has produced hordes of sexual addicts. It has left in its wake millions of ruined marriages, and millions more have dashed the potential of a good marriage. It has produced the gaping financial hole known as a welfare state. It has lined the pockets of pornographers, drug dealers, and pimps. It has made prisons a fast growth industry. It has desensitized people to murder, with the killing of over 40 million of the tiniest U.S. citizens. It is the loathsome nesting ground for the dark deeds of sexual predators. It issues free tickets for AIDS and STDs.

That is why locking the door on sexual gratification outside of marriage (Thou shalt not commit adultery), would be priceless. Would men be less happy and less fulfilled if they opened themselves to God’s command? Not likely. If men were compelled to choose celibacy over marriage, family, and responsibility, would they? Not for long. But in the present culture of no moral judgments, men opt to steal their gratification. (So long as groceries are free, why buy the store?)

What these men don’t understand is that a good marriage would save from the cycle of death. It is worth the “purchase price” many times over. The difference between having women versus having a wife is the difference between a cheap imitation in feigned relationships, and the real treasure of a mate exclusively your own. It is also the difference between freedom and bondage.

The natural tendency of women tends to be focused more toward serving others, especially their own offspring. As a result, single mothers may be able to instill the same attitude in their daughters. Did you ever wonder why mothers and grandmothers raise the children, rather than fathers and grandfathers? Even so, in the absence of the responsible husband/father figure, the young women are easy prey to vile and abusive men (as their mothers before them). The male children tend to run in packs. Unfortunately the young men are initiated into adulthood in the negative ways of their peers. They fall for the baited trap of “getting what I want for myself.” The sad result is confused, angry, and often violent men, at odds with an ordered society, severed from real life challenges and responsibilities. Their sons, in turn, grow up without their fathers, repeating the cycle.

Men appear (falsely), to pay the lesser price for what the Bible calls stolen waters. Possibly women could be more easily persuaded. There are compelling reasons why the groceries shouldn’t be free. If a girl could be taught that she is well worth the price of waiting for marriage:

1. She will be spared being handled as cheap merchandise, with its trail of tears, fears, and anxieties. She would not need to resort to alcohol and drugs.
2. Her focus on reaching adulthood could first be to serve her husband. She would then have a clear focus in mothering their children. This instead of the long, lonely, insecure road of “doing for her babies.”
3. Children would be supported by their fathers instead of by the state (or left to fend for themselves).
4. The girls could avoid the “house of straw” syndrome. The hungry uncommited wolf thinks little of using, abusing, and abandoning the easy prey, to move on to the next conquest. But someday, in a perverted sense of jealousy, he may double back for the kill, jealous that she might be with another wolf.
5. She would have to change her wardrobe. In today’s shameless moral climate, many females look way too available. If we would reverse course, ladies will need to be decently clothed.

Am I optimistic that the West will be saved from the deadly effects of the sexual revolution? Not unless we would also accept that ultimately we face accountability to divine law and divine judgment, a fear that not even the majority of churches seem inclined to acknowledge.

-by Lester Tryer