Truth Magazine

By S. Leonard Tyler

Life’s greatest challenge today is just as it was in the days which mark the epochs of the history of God’s people. The changing of situations, circumstances and social evaluations do not and cannot set aside or his challenge. It shall stand throughout the ages. Your decision to reject or accept it will mean more to you in this fife than any other determination you shall ever make and in the life to come, it determines your salvation, eternal life or eternal separation from God. This is not a question like, “Is Santa Claus real?” “Should one have a Christmas tree or give gifts?” “Should one eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day?” “Or should one hide and hunt eggs on Easter?” It is not like, what kind of a car should we own, or house we should live in, or manner of clothes we should purchase (so long as they are decent)? It is not determined by the things which we possess or places of recognitions we hold in society! It is not who knows us or who we know? This is a matter of life and death both in the physical and spiritual worlds. The greatest concern upon earth should be your life. It is not something which one might destroy and forget. It is eternal.

What is life all about anyway? Is it just getting up, looking around in every direction and jumping at the first glimpse of something entertaining, exciting or thrilling and seeking greater and more exotic and exploiting involvements? Surely, there is more to life than just “eat, drink and be merry.” Life is real and is of the greatest importance. So great is life, as Jesus evaluated it, that if a man should gain the whole world and lose his own soul, what should it profit him? Saying, “I just do not understand,” does not solve the problem. Explaining, “I just do not know who I am, where I am going or what I am here for does not dissolve the complications or minimize its importance. In fact, such complicates, rather than simplifying or solving, the mystery. Your life is what you think and how you live.

What is the challenge? The challenge is to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world (Tit. 2:11-12). This challenge was given by our blessed Lord to his beloved apostles with the commission to go into an the whole wide world proclaiming this challenge. Jesus not only gave the challenge but he gave the most comforting and desirable promise that one could ever ask for, “and lo I am with you always even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:19-20; 1 Cor. 15:58; 1 Pet. 1:3-9). Would you like to accept the challenge and receive the blessings?

He said, “If any one desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matt. 16:24, NKJB). The choice is yours and you must respond. If you refuse to accept Jesus’ invitation “to come unto me,” you reject him and every spiritual, blessing afforded in Christ. We frankly admit, this challenge requires, and always has, and always will, every fiber and molecule of strength, faith, conviction, determination, deepest love, purpose of heart and fondest hope which lies within our being. We are free moral agents and one should never forget it. However, the challenge is to our own intellect to consider the information regarding this proposition and wisely render and exercise rational judgment. Making the proper decision and choice after considering all the ideas and results of each choice: to reject or accept Jesus’ invitation, “come and follow me. ” Your decision, choice, must be made in this present world. You make choices each day that you live. Your life tells the story. You are responsible!

What Is Your Choice?

The choice is really yours. No one can make it for you. Your fife’s story is telling the world what choice you have made. “By their fruits ye shall know them.” One cannot justify his life by saying, “when times get better or after I settle down a little, when I have finished thus and so, I will obey my Lord.” Neither can one say, “This old world is so wicked, materialistic, feministic, atheistic, and troublesome (or however you choose to describe it) that I just cannot seem to make up my mind. It is different today from times past.” Whatever the response may be – you are the one that is doing it all. You are in control. You are making the choices. You are living your own life. You are responsible for it all. You must, inspite of peer pressure, material reality, lustful immoral desires and appealing temptation of our self-gratifying society, make up your own mind, “I am going to accept Jesus’ invitation and follow him today, in this present world,” or you will never be a Christian. “Today is the day of salvation.”

Your faith, conviction, and love for the Lord must determine the course of life you live. Paul said, “Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-15). Paul attributes his life in Christ to his faith in Christ. He said, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).

This is the determination which prepares the heart to meet the challenge of the day and live for the Lord. Being a child of God is not over simplified when one expresses it thusly, “Being a Christian is predetermining with a firm conviction to seek a true understanding of God’s word, believe it contents, faithfully live by its direction and confidently trust in God’s eternal promises, that all is well with my soul.” For, “If God be for you, who can be against you.”

We should be moved to recognize the brevity of life upon this earth and eternal, never-ending life in the world to come. Surely, as those of ages past said, “we are strangers and pilgrims on this earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. . . But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them” (Heb. 11: 13-14,16). Jesus told his apostles, “Let not your hearts be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn. 14:1-3). “Receiving the end of your faith the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet. 1:9).

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 18, pp. 556-557
September 17, 1987

By Forrest D. Moyer

A daily walk with my God is one of the basic requirements of his word. “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Mic. 6:8) This but re-echos the charge given in Deuteronomy 10:12: “And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord they God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?” One of the sweetest compliments to any man is what is written of Enoch: “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Gen. 5:24). Nothing greater could be said of you than this.

But is all of this just so much rhetoric? Are we just saying pious words? No, for walking with God must be a positive reality in our lives. It involves our thinking, our acting, and our speaking. But before we can think, act and speak in the proper sense of this matter, there are some basic prerequisites. We want to look behind the scenes of the daily walk with God to see how and why it is done.

Faith

Beneath all of our daily actions there must be an indomitable faith in God. Unless we totally believe that there is a God and that he is the God revealed in the Word, there will be no incentive to “walk with him.” “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him” (Heb. 11:6). Paul based his whole life on the conviction that “I believe God” (Acts 27:25). So must we. It seems evident that the reason so many do not walk with God is because of their lack of faith. Church members sometimes evince little faith in God by the way they live. Faith in God is the basic foundation for our walking with him.

Faith In His Grace

Unless we are committed to the principle of his saving grace, we cannot really walk with him. Just as a newborn baby cannot walk on its own physical power, neither can we walk spiritually on our own power. We cannot provide the means of our salvation for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:23-24). There are no “works of righteousness” that I can perform that will merit for me a right-standing with my God (Tit. 3:5). But because God is “rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us,” and because of the “surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus,” he saved us and “made us alive together with Christ” (Eph. 2:4-7). Praise him for his amazing grace that saved a wretch like me! For me to walk with God, I must have faith in his saving grace. Too many Christians are struggling futilely with the weight of their daily sins hanging, like the dead albatross, about their necks.

You see, it is “by faith” that we have access “into this grace in which we stand” (Rom. 5:2). Knowing that we “stand” in his grace gives to us that powerful motivation to walk with him. John shows that as “we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 Jn. 1:7). Without that cleansing blood constantly there, I could never walk with my God. Our lives are too much controlled by fleshly impulses and too spiritually immature for us to make it on our own. We must have his grace which provides Jesus’ blood in order to walk with him. But please observe that the blood is available upon our meeting certain conditions. We originally apply that saving blood when our faith leads us through repentance into the waters of baptism where our sins are washed away by his blood (Acts 22:16; Rom. 6:3-6). As we continue to walk in the light, we will confess our sins to the Lord and that blood will continue to be applied in his cleansing us from all unrighteousness (I Jn. 1:9). The blood of his grace is not unconditionally applied to our lives.

When we have the solid conviction that there is a God of love and grace who provided his own Son so that we could be pardoned of every spiritual crime of the past and so that we can daily be forgiven of our faltering and stumbling ways, we have the renewed power to grasp his leading hand and take our every footstep under his control. Only in this way can our walk with him be a joyous one. If I live in the constant fear that “I may not have done enough to go to Heaven” or “I’m just not good enough,” my life will be miserable. I know too many church-members who have been whipped with the scourge of “perfect works” as the only way to please him. They are down-trodden by the weight of a “works” salvation. Oh, how we need to have full faith in the powerful grace of our God.

Walking In Good Works

Surely, we understand that our salvation by his grace does not mean a lack of effort or a lack of action on our part. Having shown that we are saved by grace through faith in Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul then said, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (v. 10). Notice, (1) We are “his” workmanship – not our own. (2) We are “created” in Christ Jesus for good works. (3) These “good works” have been prepared by God – not works of human invention. (4) We must “walk in them.” We do this by allowing God’s word to direct us in all our ways. When we turn loose of his word, our difficulties begin. This is why we need to live with the Word as a vital part of our daily lives. Coupled with our daily prayer, we can “walk in them” daily. No, good friend, being saved by his grace does not eliminate our walking in the way that God has ordained. Being saved by grace gives to us the motivation to walk with him in joyous anticipation of being with him eternally.

Are you walking with God? Are you enjoying your daily walk with him? If you are thinking only in terms of your human works of righteousness, you will think of praise of yourself rather than of God! Why not begin that happy walk with your God right now? What a joy it is to know that you are holding on to his unchanging hand!

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 18, pp. 552-553
September 17, 1987

By Mike Willis

One of the dangers of modem life is rearing children to be lazy. Living in the suburbs, there are no cows to milk, wood to chop, and gardens to hoe; dishes are done by a dishwasher, clothes are washed by a washer and dried by a drier. Consequently, many young people are reared without good work habits. They are taught to waste their time watching TV, listening to records, and going to recreational outings. Anytime some are told to do something, a howl of protest is registered.

Many who have been reared without good work habits have become adults with no ambition, willing to live on welfare. Others hold jobs but have an attitude of “the company owes me a living.” Corporate production is low and the cost of goods increases. Some national woes could be cured by good work habits.

Laziness Is A Sin

God condemns laziness as a sin (cf. Matt. 25:25). The book of Proverbs uses approximately thirty-three verses to condemn laziness. Apparently, God saw laziness as a danger facing young people.

Things Which Keep People From Working

There are many reasons people will not work. The book of Proverbs calls our attention to these:

1. Too much sleep. “How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man” (Prov. 6:9-11). “As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed” (Prov. 26:14; cf. 19:15; 20:13). Some young people are allowed to sleep late in the morning, drag themselves to the TV, and lay around all day long. When night comes, they are ready to party.

2. Too much talking. The wise man called attention to the tendency of wasting one’s time talking when he wrote, “In all labor there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury” (Prov. 14:23). When some are left with a job to do, they do not get the job done because they have wasted their time talking, whether on the phone or person to person.

3. No motivation. Some have no motivation to work; they have no ambition (cf. Prov. 19:24; 26:15). Why should some be motivated? Their parents buy them any and everything they want. They have never learned to earn anything. Hence, they learn to wait for someone to hand it to them on a silver platter.

4. Procrastination. “Never do today what you can put off till tomorrow” is the motto of lazy people.

The Traits of A Lazy Person

1. He is full of excuses. “The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason” (Prov. 26:16). For every reason that you can give him to do a job, he can give you two for not doing it. He may say, “It is too cold (or hot) to work” (cf. Prov. 20:4), although everyone else is working in the same weather. He will decline working for fear of being hurt (cf. Prov. 22:13; 26:13), although the chances of him being injured are remote.

2. He wastes what he has. “The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious” (Prov. 12:27). The lazy man will not even take care of what he has. His laziness will allow even what he has to deteriorate. “I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down” (Prov. 24:30-31). “He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster” (Prov. 18:9).

The Natural Fruits Of Laziness

1. Laziness brings poverty (Prov. 6:11; 24:33-34). “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepth in harvest is a son that causeth shame” (Prov. 10:4-5). “The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing” (Prov. 13:4; cf. 19:15; 20:4; 23:21).

2. Laziness puts one under tribute. “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute” (Prov.12:24). Those who work hard prosper and move into positions of authority; those who are lazy become poor and move into positions of subordination.

3. Laziness leads to unfulfilled desires. “The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour. He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not” (Prov. 21:24-25). Just because a man is lazy and poor does not mean that he doesn’t want anything; it simply means that he cannot buy what he wants. Consequently, he is dissatisfied because of his unfulfilled desires. Uncle Remus said, “Lazy folks’ stummocks don’t git tired.”

The Consequences of Laziness

1. Shame. “He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame” (Prov. 10:5). Who can be proud of a lazy son?

2. Obnoxious to others. “As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him” (Prov. 10:26). A man who hires an employee who is lazy will find him to be obnoxious and soon will fire him.

3. Gossip. Those who have nothing to do tend to waste their time talking about things they shouldn’t (1 Tim. 5:13).

The Virtues Of Diligence

In contrast to being lazy, the wise man instructed men to be diligent in their work. Here are some of the things said about the diligent worker:

1. His is self-disciplined. “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer and gathereth her food in the harvest” (Prov. 6:6-8). The ant works without a boss watching his every move. So does a diligent man.

2. His desires motivate him. “He that laboureth laboureth for himself; for his mouth craveth it of him” (Prov. 16:26). He sees something that he wants, so he works in order to obtain it.

3. He comes to prosperity (Prov. 10:4). The natural fruit of hard work is prosperity. The worker who produces is generally paid more, given more raises, and advanced in position more often than the lazy worker.

4. Has good mental health.

“Work brings its own relief;

He who most idle is

Has most of grief”

(Ironquill, Today, via Familiar Quotations, John Bartlett, editor, p. 791a).

“An idle mind is the Devil’s workshop.”

Conclusion

Rather than looking at work as if it were a curse from God, we need to understand that it was a part of God’s original plan and will for man (cf. Gen. 2:15 – man was to dress and keep the garden of Eden prior to the curse which sin brought). We are privileged to have a job, to be able to earn a living, and to do something productive.

One of the methods of punishing the criminal is to put him in a prison where he has nothing to do day after day. This is punishment, not a bed of ease. To be able to work is a blessing which God has given to us. We should consider ourselves fortunate that we are not physically or mentally disabled to the point that we cannot have a job.

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 18, pp. 546, 567
September 17, 1987

By Ronny Milliner

The Rivermont church of Christ recently decided to mail out an advertisement for our Bible correspondence course. Our aim was to encourage individuals to study their Bibles and hopefully render obedience to it. Some of the readers of this publication might be interested in some of the things we observed from this effort.

A Good Financial Deal

There were several ways we could have advertised the course, but I think we found a very good deal from a financial standpoint with the Val-Pak organization. They agreed to design, print, and mail the advertisement for four cents each. it would have been less if we had mailed out a larger number. To receive this low price we had to agree to a minimum of 10,000 mailing. Thus, our advertisement went into 10,000 homes for only $400.

Val-Pak is a national company and thus probably operates in your area. They mail a packet of coupons in one mailing for local companies, thus allowing those companies to share the cost of the postage. As one of our “heftier” members said, he always looks at those coupons to see what discount he can get at the local restaurants.

Designing The Coupon

Upon contacting the national headquarters the local representative informed us that the company had some guidelines for religious organizations. For example, we could not use the words “God,” “Jesus,” or “Christ” in the ad. This restriction ruled out our use of the name of the church in the ad. The reason they gave for this restriction was that any time they used these words they got “hate mail.” However, we felt we could live with these limits, and as you can see from the enclosed sample, it really did not take away from the ad.

We chose to add the coupon for the free cassette tape to encourage a prompt return of the coupon and to encourage further study after the course was completed.

Seeking The Lord’s Favor

Paul wrote in, Colossians 4:3, “meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains.” The church was encouraged to pray for, this effort that God would “open to us a door for the word.” I fear that we sometimes jump into things without ever seeking God’s help. How can we succeed if he is not working with us? After all, is such an effort not done except for his glory. We dare not leave the Lord out of our plans.

The Better Response

Our coverage was very broad, covering a wide make-up of people from a financial, social, and racial standpoint. I found it interesting that the responses from the poorer areas were three times greater than the mote affluent areas. Paul affirmed, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called” (1 Cor. 1:26). 1 wonder sometimes if we rule out as prospects the very class of people that really are more open to the gospel. Have we given up on the inner cities? Are the only worthy prospects of the gospel white, upper-middle class Americans? Shame on us if this is our attitude.

Pessimistic Brethren

In spite of the fact that we now have people studying with us now that were not before we sent out the ads, plus the requests that are continuing to come in, we have some brethren among us with some pessimistic attitudes. One said we “wasted our money.” Another said, “It didn’t do any good.” And the attitude of yet another was that we just did it “for the preacher.” If we did it just “for the preacher” a “waste of money.”

But I would hate to tell these people who are studying the Scriptures that it was a “waste of our money.” I would hate to tell the student who wrote several good questions in addition to the course that asking and receiving an answer to those questions “didn’t do any good.” I would hate to tell the working mother who called saying how hard it was for her to study the Bible and had a concern for the spiritual development of her children that this effort was done just to please the preacher.

No wonder the church fails to grow in many areas when such attitudes are prominent. Instead of such pessimism, we should be on our knees thanking God for the responses we have and asking His use of us to bring these individuals to a knowledge of the truth.

Conclusion

Brethren, let’s sound forth the word of the Lord (1 Thess. 1:8). Let’s pray to God for guidance, blessing, and wisdom in our efforts. Let’s plant and water the seed and let God give the increase (1 Cor. 3:6).

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 18, pp. 549, 568
September 17, 1987