God Will Provide for His Widows

God Will Provide for His Widows

Widows are so important to God. He saw and met the needs of Ruth, the Moabite. He sent Elijah to care for the Gentile widow in Zarephath during the 42-month famine, even raising her son from the dead (1 Kings 17). God used wealthy Job to bring joy to widows who wept and caused their hearts to sing (Job 29:13).widow india

In the New Testament, Jesus honored and magnified the two mites of the widow who gave them to God (Mark 12; Luke 21). He raised the son of the destitute widow from the dead in Nain (Luke 12). God promptly provided for the neglected Grecian widows in Jerusalem by appointing deacons to care for them (Acts 6). Peter brought joy to those widows who wept, while gathered over the death of Dorcas, by raising her from the dead (Acts 9:39-41).

There is no doubt that God sees the needs of widows, the most vulnerable individuals in society, and cares for them. Read these following Old Testament verses that show the special place they have in His heart.

“You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child” (Ex. 22:22). “He administers justice for the fatherless and the widows” (Deut. 10:18). The Jewish tithe, given every third year, was given to support the Levites and widows (Duet. 14:29; 26:12-13). The great sharing of food during the annual Feast of Tabernacles and Feast of Pentecost specifically included widows (Deut. 6:11-14). “You shall not pervert justice due the stranger or the fatherless, nor take a widow’s garment as pledge” (Deut. 24:17).  Jews were strictly forbidden from harvesting all their olives, grapes and wheat, for it was left behind to provide for widows (Deut. 24:19-21). “Cursed is the one who perverts the justice due the stranger, the fatherless, and widows” (Deut. 27:19). God is the defender of widows and watches over widows (Psa. 94:6; 146:9). “Defend the fatherless, plead for the widow (Isa. 1:17). “Do no wrong…to widows” (Jer. 22:3). “Let your widows trust in Me” (Jer. 49:11). “Do not oppress the widow” (Zech. 7:10).

There is not enough space to discuss all the New Testament verses in detail, but take time to read them (Matt. 23:14; 1 Tim. 5:9-16). Do more than just read them, consider how they show His care for widows.

Perhaps no verse shows God’s concern for widows better than James 1:27. God describes pure religion not in terms of being doctrinally perfect nor in just externally keeping His commandments. “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” Let us never forget our God cares for widows and uses us to do it!

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Listen to Jesus, not Theologians

Listen to Jesus, not Theologians

Centuries ago, theologians decided that little children are sinners, and therefore they must be baptized so their sins can be forgiven. When one believes this false idea, the obvious conclusion is that an infant who dies in his infancy and has not been baptized (usually by having water sprinkled on him) cannot go to heaven. This is not what the Bible teaches but is what theologians convinced many Christians to believe. Are children who die in infancy doomed to go to an eternal hell?

To see that this doctrine is not found in the Bible, consider the Bible definition of sin which separates one from God (Isa. 59:1-2). How does the Bible define sin? Listen to the words of God. “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4, KJV). Using this definition, the obvious question to be asked is what sin had a newborn baby committed? Has he put some other God ahead of Jehovah God? Has he created a graven image to worship? Has he taken the name of the Lord in vain? Has he dishonored his parents? Is he guilty of being a thief? Has he committed adultery? Has that newborn told a lie or coveted anything? The answer is obvious. What law of God has a newborn broken?

The theologians realized that a helpless newborn could not actively violate God’s teaching, so as they developed their theology, they came to the conclusion that babies inherit the sins of Adam and Eve. They created a new concept—one not found in the Bible—that a baby’s sin is not an action but an inheritance.

What does the Bible say about this? God so clearly gives us the answer. The Jews in Ezekiel used a proverb about how a father ate sour grapes and his children had that bitter taste in their mouth. God rebuked them saying, “As I live you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel” (Ezek. 18:3). The father’s actions do not determine the destiny of the child. The theologians were wrong! “The soul who sins shall die…The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son” (Ezek. 18:4, 20). Ancient Jewish theologians were wrong as are more modern “Christian” theologians. The very basis of infant baptism is destroyed. Babies have no sin, and therefore do not need to be baptized for the remission of sins.

How does Jesus describe the spiritual nature of little children? “Of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:14). To enter the kingdom of heaven we must “…become as little children” (Matt. 18:3). The greatest in the kingdom is the one “…who humbles himself as this little child” (Matt. 18:4). Oh, how our world would be drastically changed if religious people quit listening to theologians, priests, bishops and pastors as they tell their thoughts and just listen to Jesus!

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We Need Faithful Fathers!

We Need Faithful Fathers!

The Bible teaches that families need fathers (Ephesians 6:1-4). Many in society today contradict the Bible’s teaching. They claim that fathers are not needed. The result is children who grow up without a father in their life, but children need both father and mother in order to develop well. Mothers nurture, comfort, and cherish. Father’s balance things out with discipline, order, and grit. God’s design to have both mother and father in the home reflects the complementary nature of the husband/wife relationship. We need faithful fathers!boys father

Abraham was a faithful father. God said of Abraham, “For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him” (Genesis 18:19). The father is the spiritual leader of the home. He is to impart spiritual truths to his children so that they may learn God’s ways. He is the chief implementer of justice and righteousness in the home. When children have no father, they will lack some understanding regarding righteousness and justice. We need faithful fathers!

Jesus had a faithful Father, and I’m not speaking about Joseph. His Father taught Him (John 8:28). The Father gave Jesus a good example (John 5:19). The Father gave the Son life (John 5:26). The Father loved the Son (John 5:20). The Father works (John 5:17), and the Father gave the Son work (John 5:36). All of the wonderful traits that we find in fathers were first found in the Father. Earthly fathers will fail. Their lives will come to an end someday, but our eternal Father in heaven will always be there for us (Ephesians 4:6). Thank God for faithful fathers!

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Clear Statements of the Final Judgment

Clear Statements of the Final Judgment

That there will be final appearance before God and a final judgment is obviously taught in the Bible. It is not that in some vague way, open to various interpretations, that somehow men might be brought into His presence. The Scriptures are filled with clear statements which leave no doubt about that final judgment.final judgment

Listen to the finality of these words from heaven. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Cor 5:10). “For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ” (Rom. 14:10). “He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness” (Acts 17:31).  It is an eternal truth that it will happen.

In view of how sick and spiritually depraved our world has become, why has He not already come? There were those in the first century who thought He should have come and concluded that the Lord had made a promise to return and failed to keep it. In Peter’s second epistle, he writes about this and then gives the reason why He had not come in their day. It is the same reason He has not returned in our day.

There were those who looked around them and concluded that “…since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were” (2 Pet. 3:4). Peter said that those who were saying this had forgotten what had happened in the past. They had done it on purpose (v. 5). It is so easy to fail to see the big picture of God’s dealings with man. The apostle pointed them to the flood in Noah’s day. God’s view of that ancient world was vastly different from those who heard Noah’s preaching. God kept His promise, and the flood came!

Why did He delay? Read God’s words about this question, and you will have a better understanding about the reason He has not come even in our day. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). Think of it in these terms. There was room on the ark for many more than Noah and his family, but not one single person wanted to “purchase the ticket.”

The implication of these truths? We live in a world where it is widely believed that the world has nothing to do with a Creator but is the result of an evolutionary process. God has made us, and we live, walk and have our very existence because of Him (Acts 17:28). Why does He delay of the final judgment? Because He is not willing that any should perish. He waits as we try to teach those around us. He has delayed His return because He is waiting for us to tell others about sin and salvation. He is counting on us. We must not fail to be part of saving just one more soul for Him.

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The Immune System – It’s Intelligently Complex!

The Immune System – It’s Intelligently Complex!

I have been reading a book lately called “Darwin’s Black Box” by Michael J. Behe. The book is about how Darwin himself set the conditions for how his theory of evolution could be proven false. In his own words Darwin said, “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.” In his book, Behe demonstrates with several examples at the molecular level how gradual evolutionary change fails because of the need for multiple things to evolve simultaneously, which is mathematically impossible.

Complex immune system

We have a complex immune system.

Part of his research involves studying the complexity of the immune system in the human body and how the body responds to foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses. It is an incredibly complexly designed system the details of which could not be explained in this short article. One interesting thing about the system is that each antibody has a unique protein “key” that matches the unique protein “lock” on the invading organisms. One would wonder how the antibodies could “match” up. There are so many of these different antibodies in our bodies that the diversity of “keys” is guaranteed to match up with the unique “locks.” Once the body finds the correct “key,” it then immediately begins to manufacture millions of these antibodies with the correct “key” to attack the invading organisms. The result is that the bacteria or virus is attacked and destroyed by the body’s defenses. (I apologize to our medical people for my crude description of this system. I know it is much more complicate than this!) This system demonstrates tremendous intelligence to anticipate the numerous invaders that could destroy the body. God’s design is truly amazing.

 

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