The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psa. 14:1)

‘Tis the Season for Fools

Have you seen or heard of the billboard in New York and other places, put up by American Atheists? It has wise men traveling toward a star. It reads: “You KNOW it’s a MYTH. This season, celebrate reason.” The American Atheists have been “celebrating reason” since 1963. Apparently before that, they were fools too…?

Christmas and Easter are the seasons for the fools to come out of the proverbial wood-works.  Not the ones who are celebrating Christ’s birthday – although it’s safe to say that God’s not concerned that we celebrate the birth of Christ. If He was, He would have told us to celebrate it. We ought not to do God’s thinking for Him nor think that we can “out-spiritual” God by creating celebrations, for His sake, that He did not command.

Having said that, the incarnation is at the heart of Christianity. Contrary to the beliefs of certain religious groups like the Muslims and Jehovah’s Witnesses, if God did not become flesh, there could be no salvation. It’s only because of the incarnation that we have a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

No, the fools to which I refer are those who incessantly attack Christians for believing that this world didn’t happen by accident or for believing that – yes – Jesus was born without a physical/human father and yes – He did rise from the dead.

I’m referring to fools like Dr. Stephen J. Hawking – professor of physics at Cambridge University and best-selling author.  His most recent work, The Grand Design, purports to show that the universe could have come into existence by itself.  What?  That is a totally stupid idea.  How could anything produce itself? Where did the energy come from that produced the thing in the first place?

Perhaps you’ve heard about the billboard above – Celebrate reason this season.  Yes – please! It is reasonable to believe that either mind is eternal or matter is eternal.  Hawking does not believe the latter; why can’t he see the former?

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psa. 14:1).

Take Time To Be Holy

Bible Thought for the Week

1 Peter 1:15-16 “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

One of the best descriptions of life that I have come across is one that says, “Life is our dressing room for eternity”. We know that one day we are going to shed these earthly bonds, this weak, frail tabernacle will be dissolved (Heb. 9:27; 2 Cor. 5:1). We know that one day the heavens will pass away, this earth and all the works in it will melt with fervent hear (2 Pet. 3:10). We know that one day, in just a moment, a twinkling of the eye, we will be changed (1 Cor. 15:51-52). There is nothing permanent on this earth and it is not our permanent dwelling place (1 Pet.2:11). We know that one day we will stand at the judgment seat of God (2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:12). Since all of these things are absolute truth, they should influence us to  holy lives as we prepare to depart this world. Only by living lives of holiness will we be able to look with great anticipation and joy for that day to come Phil. 1:20-21, Phil. 3:13-14).

Now comes a most intriguing question: What would you say are the marks of a holy life? Allow me to suggest three things in response to that question. A holy life is one that is dedicated to God, one that is disciplined by God and one that is distinctive for God (Rom. 12:1; Heb. 12:5-13; 1 Pet. 2:9). Is this not a most appropriate description of all those heroes of faith spoken of in Hebrews 11? A life that is dedicated to God, disciplined by God and distinctive for God is truly priceless.

Some of the keys to a holy life are found in one of the beautiful hymns we often sing: “Take Time To Be Holy”, “Speak oft with thy Lord” (1 Thess. 5:17, Rom. 12:12)—“Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone” (Matt. 6:6)—“Forgetting in nothing his blessing to seek” (Matt. 7:7, Phil. 4:6-7, Heb. 4:16)—“And feed on his word” (2 Tim. 2:15, 1 Pet. 2:2)—“Let him be thy guide” (Jer. 10:23, 2 Tim. 3:16-17)—“In joy or in sorrow, still follow thy Lord” (Rom. 8:28)—“Each thought and each motive under his control” (Col. 3:1-2, 16)—“Help those who are weak” (Rom. 15:1, Gal. 6:1-2)—“Abide in him always” (John 8:31, 2 John 8-9)—“Thus led by his Spirit to fountains of love, thou soon shalt be fitted for service above” (2 Tim. 4:6-8, Rev 14:13).

There will be obstacles placed in our way in order to prevent us from being holy, the devil will see to that (1 Pet. 5:8) but with God on our side, we will overcome all obstacles and one day gain the greatest victory imaginable (Rom. 8:31, 1 Cor. 10:13, 1 Cor. 15:57).

Charles Hicks

Things to do in the new year

A Girl’s Lunch

    After surveying earthquake damage in Managua, Nicaragua, a humanitarian worker spoke to an elementary school assembly. The youngsters donated packaged food they had brought from home for the occasion.

    As he loaded the food into his station wagon, he noticed a brown paper sack. Inside were an apple, a peanut butter sandwich, and a cookie. On the outside, printed in a young girl’s handwriting: “Christi Room 104.”

    Christi had not brought any canned goods, but her heart had been touched and she wanted to help. So she gave her lunch.

    It does not matter how small our efforts are to help someone else. Even the smallest, coming from a big heart, can do a lot of good.

    “Whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones, even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you he shall not lose his reward” (Matt. 10:42).

    May each of us use our resources in the service of others during this new year.

--Paul Holland

The last day of the year

"Christianity is not a theory or speculation, but a life; not a philosophy of life, but a living presence."   --  Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Well, it’s the last Lord’s Day of the year and I suppose that our lesson today ought to reflect that thought in some way. I’ve given some thought as to how to go about that and I decided that I’d tell you a little story about some thoughts a retired state trooper had about his life, his career and life in general. His story centered around this holiday season of the year so I thought that I could tell it to you and then draw some spiritual thoughts from its telling. Here’s his story, as he told it, paraphrased by me for space restraints.

It was Christmas Eve and retired trooper Bob Welch was alone at home now as his kids had long since grown up and were gone from the house and his wife had passed away. The holiday season is good for bringing to mind old memories of past seasons and as he sat in his easy chair, he began reminiscing about some of those long past Christmas Eves.

He said that his wife usually did most of the holiday things for the family as he was usually working. One of those memories was the Christmas Eve when he was dispatched to the scene of a terrible accident wherein a woman was killed. And then he was tasked with having to make the "next of kin" notification. (Trust me, this is one part of the job you do not relish having to do)

He drove to the family’s address and knocked on the door. A little girl about 4 years old answered it and said, "I’m Sue McKay." He asked if her daddy was home and after a pause, she said "my daddy ran away." She wanted to know if he was Santa Claus because her mother had told her if she stayed in bed, Santa Claus would come and bring her a doll.

That night, he went against the rules and did not call Child Protective Services. Instead, he took her home to his wife who cleaned her up, put her into bed and then wrapped up a doll for her to open the next morning. She was later adopted by a loving family and they moved away from the area. He said that he had never forgotten that Christmas Eve and little Sue McKay.

He recalled working another Christmas Eve in a severe blizzard and he happened upon a family who’s car had slid off the icy highway into a ditch and was stuck. He said that it was by "the grace of God" that he happened to come down that road and find them that night, very cold and very scared. He took them to a motel where they were able to spend the night safely.

Then he remembered one other rainy Christmas Eve when he found a homeless man standing by the highway trying to catch a ride. It seemed pretty apparent that he’d never get a ride on this night so he picked the man up and took him to a diner down the road and left him where he could get dry and warm and gave him $5 to get some food.

He said that it’s strange when later you’re all alone and you get to thinking about those past occasions and about all that you’ve done with your life. You think about God, and your wife, and your family. About the job and the career you had and you ask yourself, "Was it worth it all? Did I do good? If I could live my life over, would I do it the same way? "

Then he heard a knock on his front door. It’s late, who could possibly be at his house? He answered the door and had a sudden fright as he saw a uniformed State Trooper standing there with a solemn appearance. His immediate thought was, "Oh no, who has died tonight?" It briefly crossed his mind that maybe this was some sort of "pay back" for some of the wrongs he’d done in his life.

Then he noticed the trooper was a girl and she smiled and held out her hand and at the same time he saw a tear run down her cheek. She said, "I’m sure you don’t remember me, but God bless you. I’m Trooper Sue McKay."

I have to admit that I got emotional when I heard that story as all of us who spent a career in law enforcement can relate to a lot of tragedies, especially while working on holidays. But, the reason I chose to use this story is to use it as sort of a parable. To lay it alongside our lives, so to speak.


In all aspects of life as Christians, we strive to keep ourselves right with God and to influence those we live with and around to want to also be right with God. And we know that, at some point it all comes to an end, just like the ending of the year. It wasn’t all good and it wasn’t all bad, but we got through it with a lot of help from our brethren and friends. And, we look forward to the coming year, should the Lord be willing to grant it to us, and to still having our brethren and friends there to help us.

Then when our final "years end" comes and we’ve been "faithful unto death" (Rev. 2:10) we’ll look forward to the coming "life" where we’ll rejoin those departed loved ones again. And, we’ll meet those who we’ve influenced along our journey of life to also want to be on the "right hand" of God.

And, this is a life that has no ending, no accidents or bad things to deal with. No sickness, no danger and especially, no death notifications having to be made. That life will be in a place we simply call "heaven."


Ron Covey

What is wrong with Situation Ethics?

  "They said to you (the apostles), ‘In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.’ It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit." (Jude 18-19 ESV)

This may seem at the outset to be a "political" lesson but don’t be alarmed, it isn’t. It’s just that "politics" provides such an abundance of inspiring material for an editorial lesson that I sometimes just have to dip into its vast reservoir of examples to make points in my lessons. As an example, you may have seen the results of a recent poll that shows that 71% of Americans think our federal government is a major problem.

I’m surprised that it’s not higher because I think that more and more Americans are becoming more and more distrustful of their government leaders. I wonder why? It can’t be because of the behavior of many of them, can it? And not because of actions said and done, both in ignorance and intentional deceit, could it?

I cited verses 18-19 of Jude to you and I think that you’ll have to agree that (1) we’re living in the "last time" and (2) that we’re witnessing the behavior that Jude is referring to. And I realize that Jude is talking about everyone, not just government, but it’s our government leaders that standout, publicity-wise, therefor serve well as examples.

I also know that there must be some in government that are honest and truthful, but they are blocked from view by the large crowd of liars and other leaders "void of the Spirit." It has gotten to the point that one has trouble believing anything that is said by our government.

When I think about our governmental situation I recall a couple of skits performed by a great comedy act of the late ‘60's - the Smothers Brothers. In one of them, Dick is explaining to Tom that you can tell who’s running the country by the amount of clothes that they’re wearing. When Tom asks him how this works, he replies that the "ordinary people" are the "less-ons." Tom asks, "So who are the ones running the country?" and Dick replies, "The more-ons."

Perhaps that one is a comical example of those who operate in ignorance, but the next skit addresses the intentional actions. In this one, Tom and Dick are being interviewed and Dick is telling the interviewer that he flew them to the interview in a private airplane. He describes their flight and what they flew over in getting there and Tom interrupts and says to Dick, "That’s not true. You’re not even a pilot and none of what you just said happened."

Of course, if you’re old enough to remember them, Dick just stands there with a dumb look on his face and then Tom then asks him, "Why did you deliberately lie about all of that?" Dick replied, "Well (long pause)... it’s national policy."

The skits were funny, but the underlying implications aren’t. They’re sad. 1 Tim. 4:2 provides me with a phrase I see very fitting to what is transpiring today as regards people’s veracity and why this lying seems to be so prevalent. That phrase is: "...through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared..."

It just seems to me that it doesn’t bother a lot of people to intentionally lie to others in order to deliberately deceive people. That we have an over-abundance of conscience-seared people today with a lot of them serving in various government capacities. Just recently, a highly-placed government official admittedly lied to Congress but, absolved himself of any wrongdoing by claiming it was done for the sake of national security. It’s like he’s saying, yeah I lied, but it’s OK because of the circumstances - the situation.

This brings to mind a book published in 1966 and written by a man named Joseph Fletcher entitled "Situation Ethics." He espoused a philosophy that, depending upon the situation, the violation of moral or ethical codes, especially the ones found in the Bible, are acceptable. Rest assured that he might have written the book, but his philosophy was preceded by the real originator of "Situation Ethics" - Satan.

In Genesis 3:4-6 we find the account of Eve being mislead by the "Serpent" using the philosophical strategy of Situation Ethics. He convinces her that she will be justified in willfully disobeying God’s command because when you eat the forbidden fruit, "you’ll be a god yourself." Because of her falling for Satan’s lie and her deliberate violation of God’s law, death came into the world (4:19).

One might ask, what is basically wrong with Situation Ethics? What’s wrong with the various behaviors that fall into the category of things "void of the Spirit?" The answer is easy and simple: it violates the two laws on which Christ said "hang all the law and the prophets." (Mt. 22:37-40) The first: the love for God, and second: the love for our fellow man. Those two are the lowest common-denominator of all the statutes and commandments of God.

In closing our thoughts here today, let me say as plainly as possible, convenient lies, ignorant or deliberate, or any other actions "void of the Spirit" are not acceptable behavior for Christians. I believe that any who do so will, in the words of the apostle Paul, "depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of devils." (1Tim. 4:1 ESV)

Our "faith" demands that we are to "provide things honest in the sight of all men." (Rom. 12:17) I further believe that the things "void of the Spirit" are precisely the things Paul warns us about in 1 Tim. 4:1, to wit: "deceitful spirits and teachings of devils." The words of Paul in Philippians 4:8 will be the final thought of this lesson and serve to tell us what the things "of the Spirit" are.

 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence; if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (ESV)

Respectfully submitted,

Ron Covey

On A Hill Far Away

What is it about the cross of Christ that draws men to Jesus? Surely it is not the fact that it was some instrument of death, for other means of execution remain to this day as symbols of only infamy and disgrace. Who has ever written a song about the electric chair, or what poet has ever glorified the gas chamber or the hangman's noose? But let men erect a cross in their yard, or display it upon a billboard, and immediately the attention of those who see that cross is drawn to one figure in history Who made that cruel instrument famous. Let someone display an electric chair in the front of their yard and the onlooker might wonder why such a display. But his attention would not be drawn to any particular figure in history. But let a man put a cross in his yard and immediately those who pass by think of Christ and Christianity. Even as I write these lines the ACLU in cooperation with liberal judges have succeeded in removing the cross from a Veterans cemetery in the state of California for no other reason than the fact that it is in the shape of a cross. From the fields of Arlington Memorial Cemetery in Washington, D.C., to the beaches of Normandy, and around the world, grave yards have been graced with small crosses at the head of each tomb declaring the hope that men have in a resurrection - a resurrection found only in Christ, and made possible because of His death upon the cross. Oh yes, "On a hill far away, Stood and old rugged cross, The emblem of suffering and shame..." For 2,000 years the cross of Christ has cast its beacon of hope across the tumultuous sea of human misery and sin, and the message of the gospel is so closely associated with that cross that to speak of the one is to bring to mind the other. It has been nine centuries since Abbot Rupert wrote the following tribute to the cross of Christ: "We venerate the cross as a safeguard of faith, as the strengthening of hope and the throne of love. It is the sign of mercy, the proof of forgiveness, the vehicle of grace and the banner of peace. We venerate the cross, because it has broken down our pride, shattered our envy, redeemed our sin and atoned for our punishment. The cross of Christ is the door to heaven, the key to paradise, the downfall of the devil, the uplifting of mankind, the consolation of our imprisonment, the prize for our freedom. The cross was the hope of the patriarchs, the promise of the prophets, the triumph of kings and the ministry of priests. Tyrants are convicted by the cross and the mighty ones defeated, it lifts up the miserable and honors the poor. The cross is the end of darkness, the spreading of light, the flight of death, the ship of life and the kingdom of salvation" (http://www.rc.net/wcc/throne1.htm). Dear friend, that cross, and all that it stands for demands some kind of response. Men can ignore it, ridicule it, mock it, and seek to eliminate its presence, but in so doing they stumble over the One Who Himself said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself" (John 12:32). It has been more than twenty years since Lois Cheney wrote the following lines:

I once saw a cross so big, it was as high as the church in front of which it stood. It was made of railroad steel, and it was very dramatic, and I was moved, and I was impressed, as I walked by and away from it.

I once saw a cross so lovely. It was a work of art, carved and polished. It was made to look both strong and delicate. And I was moved, and I was impressed, as I walked by and away from it.

There once was a cross not so high; not so lovely. It was not a work of art. Rough, full of splinters, uneven, unsymmetrical. Its simple mystery unfathomable. And I cannot walk by it, and I cannot walk away from it. 

by Tom Wacaster

Job 14:1 “Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.”

Without a doubt, we need to be acutely aware of how brief and uncertain life is.  Job goes on to describe life as a flower that comes forth and then is cut down. James tells us that life is like a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanisheth away (James 4:14). Job describes life as being swifter than a weaver’s shuttle (Job 7:6). David really brings into focus for us how uncertain life is when he says there is but a step between us and death (1 Sam. 20:3). Realizing how brief and uncertain life is, we need to conduct ourselves in such a way that we do not live as if we know what is going to happen to us in the next moment of time. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons David utters the prayer, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom”. Everyone of us can testify to the fact that even when life is full of happiness and all is well, sooner or later our world is going to come crashing down upon us in a cruel way so quickly and there is absolutely nothing we can do to prevent it from happening.  Even though we often must live with sadness in our life, thanks be to God, we do not have to live our life sadly (Isa. 12:2-3; 1 Pet.1:3-9).

Every day we have those momentary aches and pains along with burdens and cares but nothing devastating. Then one day, suddenly it happens, some horrific event comes crashing into our life. What will we do? How will we respond?  Sometimes our world will come crashing down upon us. The question is not will this ever happen but rather how will we respond when it does happen? I know what the response should be: “Tell it to Jesus, Tell it to Jesus, He is a friend that’s well known” (1 Pet. 5:7; 1 Thess. 5:17; Phil. 4:6-7; Heb. 4:16).

God’s love, mercy, presence, exceedingly precious promises, redemption, forgiveness, salvation are all reasons why the child of God should be happy (Ps. 146:5). No matter what dampens our spirit or causes our heart to be troubled with sadness, so long as we abide under his wings of love the troubled heart will only be momentary (John 14:1; 1 John 3:1).

We are frail, emotional human beings and sometimes we are going to be engulfed in sadness but our religion, that is, our faith in God should be such that it lifts us above the storm and allows us to “rejoice in the Lord always”(Phil. 4:4; Isa. 40:31,;Romans 8:28, 31; Psalms 90:14; 1 Thess. 5:16)

Charles Hicks

So now faith, hope and love abide, these three, but the greatest of these is love

 "So now faith, hope and love abide, these three, but the greatest of these is love." 1 Cor. 13:13 (ESV)

The gift-giving season is upon us, isn’t it? We’ve been reminded of it since before Thanksgiving was even over and it will intensify even more in the next few days. Now I’m not opposed to the giving of gifts or the benevolent spirit of this season, I just think that it should be in us all year around. But, the idea of a "gift" is the basis of my thoughts today and I appreciate your gift of spending a few moments of your precious time in the consideration of them.

One of our most often heard songs of the Christmas season came into being as a "gift of love." I’m going to tell you the story behind this particular song and then use it to lead us into some spiritual thoughts I have regarding a "gift of love." I know that most of us like hearing the songs of this season and perhaps this one is one of your favorites.

Actually, it’s more than just "one" of this season’s songs. With the exception of "White Christmas" it has sold more records than any other Christmas song. You may have heard how this song came into being, and if so, please forbear my repeating it. But, if you haven’t, I think that you’ll find it interesting.

Robert L. May is the writer of the story behind the song. In essence, it was the autobiography of his life put into the form of a fable. You see, Bob was small as a kid and wasn’t able to play sports like the other kids. Because of this he was bullied by the other boys and called names that were not very nice.

He managed to go to college and graduate and then marry his sweetheart. This was during the "great depression" and he was fortunate enough to get a job as a copywriter for the Montgomery Wards Co. in Chicago. But then tragedy struck - his wife died of cancer just before Christmas, 1938, leaving him with their young daughter, Barbara.

His wife’s illness had cost them all of their savings and after she died, he and Barbara had to live in a small two-room apartment in a slum area. It was Christmas and he had no money to buy his daughter a present so he decided to write a book and give it to her as a Christmas gift. So, he created an animal character and told his story, which really came from Bob’s memory of his younger life when he suffered as a misfit and was belittled by his childhood companions.

His "animal" was a little reindeer named Rudolph that had a big shiny nose. He finished the book just in time for it to be his gift of love to Barbara on Christmas Day. What happened then is the next step of the story. His boss, the general manager of Montgomery Ward heard about the little book and offered Bob a small fee to purchase the rights to print the book. The company printed "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and gave it to children visiting Santa at their stores.

It was so popular that by 1946 they had given away over 6 million copies and a major publishing firm approached them, wanting to buy the rights to the book. In a gesture that’s almost unprecedented today, the CEO of Wards gave the rights back to Bob and the book became a best-seller.

By then, Bob had remarried and had started another family. He became wealthy due to the publishing of the book. But then, something else happened. His brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, made a song adaptation to the story.

Much to their later chagrin I’m sure, Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore turned the song down, however the "Singing Cowboy," Gene Autry didn’t and it was released in 1949 and has been a phenomenal success ever since. All because of a gift of love that Bob May gave to his little daughter on that sad Christmas in 1938. I would say that his gift was returned many times over, wouldn’t you?

Let’s let the idea of a "gift of love" take us on into our spiritual lesson today. The phrase "gift of God" is found numerous times in the Bible and I’d like to start this portion of the lesson by asking a question: "What would you say the "gift of God" is? Personally, I think that there are several answers to that question, all based on scriptural references. My answer to this question would be the words found in Rom. 6:23 where we’re told that the "free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord."

Yes, "eternal life" would be an answer, but what I’m intending to do here in giving you my answer is to look at the lowest common denominator involved and we’ll do it this way. I think that God’s "love" is where we back up to in our equation. The famous verse of John 3:16 is a good place to start: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."

All of mankind was given God’s "gift of love" in the form of Jesus Christ. The apostle John probably explained it best with his words in 1John 4:9-10: "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

When you read the rest of 1John 4 you see that we show our appreciation of God’s "gift of love" by being obedient to the Gospel of Christ and also by emulating Him by our love. We love God and we love our brethren and we love the souls of our fellow man. When we do this, we try to do the best for everyone. And that "best" is to show them the way for them to receive "eternal life."

The operative word in the above paragraph is "do." 1John 3:18 tells us that "love" is not just talk. It’s not just lip-service. Well, let’s just read it together: "Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." That’s a powerful thought seen there. In today’s vernacular, "Love" is "walking the walk" and not just "talking the talk."

I can’t close these thoughts without a short look at the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians, also sometimes called the "love chapter." I cited the 13th verse at the onset of this lesson, but I’d like for you to read the whole chapter for yourself. When you do you’ll find that - it doesn’t matter what you accomplish. It doesn’t matter what you do. It doesn’t matter how much you do. In keeping with the "season," it doesn’t matter how many or how expensive the presents given are. If it’s done without "love" it’s worthless as far as God is concerned.

Perhaps in the future, when you hear the song "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer," you’ll recall that it was a "gift of love" from a father to his child. Then perhaps, you’ll be reminded that the greatest "gift of love" from The Father to his children is "eternal life" through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Respectfully submitted,

Ron Covey

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

In Memory

A.R. "Ross" Gallaher and his family viewed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial while visiting the United States Capitol a few years ago. As they observed the Memorial, he also took note of three groups of people that also viewed the Memorial.

The first group casually viewed the Memorial. They seemed amazed at the vast number of names (58,272 names as of May 2011), but they did not take the time to take a closer look.

The second group took a closer look. They read through some of the list of names on at least one of the black granite walls, each wall measuring 247.75 feet in length. They looked to see if they recognized any of the names.

The third group comprised those who looked most intently at the Memorial. These were those who had lost loved ones in the conflict, either confirmed to be KIA (Killed in Action) or classified as MIA (Missing in Action). They not only found the name of their loved one, they touched - even caressed - those names engraved in the stone in a deliberate, thoughtful, and loving way. Some lit a candle or presented a flower at the base of the Memorial in memory of their loved one.

Although the original does not exist, many memorial replicas have been made of a CROSS.. that stood between two other crosses at a place called Golgotha outside Jerusalem in the 1st Century.

Those who consider that cross may be grouped similarly to those whom Gallaher viewed at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Some casually "view" the cross without considering its extreme and eternal relevance.

Others "take a closer look" and recognize it as a religious symbol that is often hung on a wall or worn as a necklace by those who profess to follow the One who died on the cross.

Some recognize the cross for what it truly was: an instrument of execution that in one particular case also portrayed the incredible love of God.

It was "wicked men" who cried out for the crucifixion of Jesus, the sinless Son of God. Yet Peter said that Jesus' death on the cross was also according to the "determined purpose and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23).

As Jesus hung on the cross - not for His sins but for OURS - God "made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). He died FOR US so that we might have salvation from sin and receive the gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23).

God will save those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38). The atoning blood that Jesus shed in His death will continue to cleanse those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7).

Don't ignore it or give it a passing thought. Consider the cross of Christ. Recognize it for what it is: God's judgment against sin and His provision for our salvation.

Won't YOU look to the cross and accept the salvation that it made available by submitting your life to the Savior on His terms?

David Sargent

Pablo Solorio in Salt Lake City, Utah

Aid and Comfort to the Enemy


    Back on November 14th, a man broke into the home of Pablo Solorio in Salt Lake City, Utah. But when he broke through the glass window, he cut himself quite severely. Rather than attack the intruder, Solorio called in paramedics to provide first aid treatment. He will eventually be tried for burglary.


    This illustrates the well-known words of our Lord and Master: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:43-45).


    In a much closer way, when we get into an argument with our spouse or someone at work, we should seriously consider giving in to their request or need. Loving our enemies (even if they sometimes come in the form of someone close to us) means doing what is best for them, regardless of what impact it has on us.


    Rather than always wanting to win the argument or have our way, we should consider giving aid and comfort to the enemy. That’s the best way to make them our friend.

--Paul Holland

Ephesians 5:18 - And be not drunk with wine wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit

Ephesians 5:18-19 “ And be not drunk with wine wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”

As I think about this passage, the words of one of our great songs come to mind, “Sing and Be Happy”. The chorus rings out such a beautiful message: Sing and be happy, Press on to the goal, Trust Him who leads you, He will keep your soul, Let all be faithful, Look to Him and pray, Lift up your voice and praise Him in song, Sing and be happy today”.

Using our ability to sing is an avenue through which we express vocally our thankfulness for the many blessings God bestows upon us, both temporal and spiritual. We should praise God and through singing our hearts rejoice and declare praise to him for all of his marvelous blessings, temporal as well as spiritual (Ps. 9:1-2). God is our source of strength, our shield and defender, our comforter, our refuge and salvation (Ps. 28:7; Ps 46:1; Isa. 12:2; Heb. 6:18). Our hearts should be overflowing with joy, joy that will result  in singing praises to him (Ps. 57:7). With our affections fixed firmly and steadfastly on God we will count it a great privilege to engage in singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord.

 Singing with spirit and understanding (1 Cor. 14:15) will impart to us strength and courage that will lift us up to greater heights of love and devotion to God. When we sing with grace in our hearts we are employing one of the great ways to teach and admonish each other (Col. 3:16). “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go—I rest my soul in thee” (Rom. 8:35-39). “My Jesus Knows Just What I Need—My Jesus knows when I am burdened, He knows just how much my heart can bear” (1 Cor. 10:13; Ps. 94:17; Heb. 4:13-16; 1 Pet 5:7; Ps. 121:1-8). “Each Step I Take—Each step I take my Saviour goes before me, And with His loving hand He leads the way” (Ps.23:1-3; John 10:27; 1 Pet. 21; Heb; 13:5).

Psalms 104:33—“I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.” I love this passage because it expresses exactly how I feel as it regards singing. As I sing, the words that come forth are not always on key, they may not have that perfect pitch and I am sure that sometimes those around me will shake their heads and wonder but I don’t sing to please man.  I sing to please and praise my God and when I do so with a heart of understanding and sincerity, I know that I am making a joyful noise unto God (Ps. 95:1). I only pray that it is the same with each of you.

Charles Hicks

Elizabeth Clephane THE NINETY AND NINE

Some very astute person once said, "We never know the love of the parent until we become parents ourselves." I thought that I’d give you that statement as a lead-in to my editorial today. In last week’s editorial I told you about certain things that I particularly like to use as bases for my scriptural lessons and I’m going to use two of them again today. Those two things will be a parable spoken by Jesus which provides us with a beautiful hymn.

Like all the parables of Jesus, they have an earthly story which everyone can understand and then He would lay a heavenly lesson alongside the parable story. Our parable is found in Matt. 18:11-14 and Luke 15:3-7. I’m going to cite to you Luke’s version of this parable simply because I like the phraseology seen in that account of Christ’s story.

"And He spake the parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."

Yes, I know that the parable story is using "sheep" and their relation to the shepherd and people, back then and today, easily relate to how a shepherd feels about his "sheep." But, I see this parable story also teaching us about parental love. The love that parents have for their children. Hopefully, by the end of this lesson, I will have successfully presented my thoughts well enough that you’ll see this connection too.

The Bible, many, many times, refers to God and His "Children." From the time of creation, those faithful to His Word have been depicted as being members of His family, so to speak. Here’s just a few verses that show the faithful and obedient as His Children: (Matt. 5:9, Luke 6:35, Luke 20:36, and probably the three best: Rom. 8:16-17, Gal. 3:26 and Eph 1:5). Of course the Bible also shows us who the father of the "children of disobedience" is in 1John 3:10.

Yes, the faithful, the "Church" are seen in the picture of the family of God with Him being presented as the ultimate parent. We see this picture portrayed to us in Luke 11:13, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children; how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him." I don’t think it’s very hard to see the love God has for us - His Children.

The parable told by Christ, presented in the form of the shepherd and his sheep, by comparison with the heavenly side, vividly shows us the "parental love" that God has for us. His concern for His "sheep" - His "children" - His "faithful followers" - His "family."

You know, after reading the parable of the lost sheep, it occurs to me that I don’t think that most men think that way today. People today seem to think "cost effectively." I mean, they’d probably reason the situation this way: Hey, I’ve got 99 sheep here, I’m not going to abandon them for the sake of one more. The one that wandered off and got lost. I’ve got to see the "big picture" here and hold on to what I’ve got.

But, thanks be to God, He doesn’t think like man. Let me try my hand at making a parable and see if I can put our lesson in a "parental way" that lets us see how God looks at this situation.

Lets say that a father and mother have 10 kids. One of them rebels, becomes disobedient and because of his ways, almost dies. You’re free to pick a scenario. The other 9 children are healthy and obedient and are still at home. But, one has gone away and might possibly be lost forever. But wait, now he’s found. He’s brought back to the family. He’s safe.

Now, we need to ask and answer some questions. First: do the parents love the other 9 children less than the 1 who was lost? Or, asked another way: do they love the 1 more than the others? The answer: No! Of course not!

Secondly: Do you think the other children resent the return of the lost one? No, they rejoice too. And thirdly: Do they expect some extra reward for having been faithful and obedient? For NOT getting lost and almost perishing? Again, No! Of course not!

And why is that? Because they are all of the same family and all of them rejoice when one of their own comes home. And this brings us to the hymn so beautifully and eloquently brings home this lesson about God not subscribing to "cost effectiveness." That He loves and cares for ALL His "children." That the price paid for them won’t allow Him to abandon even one of them if they can be rescued.

The hymn, of course, is THE NINETY AND NINE and it was originally written as a poem by Elizabeth Clephane who was inspired by the parable that we just discussed. Her poem was published in a local paper. How this poem became one of our most beloved hymns is a great story in of itself. I’ll try and give you as concise an account of this occurrence as I can and still get across the interesting circumstances involved.

If you look at this song in your books, you’ll see that the music was added by Ira D. Stankey, an American gospel singer back in the mid 1800's. He many times accompanied a famous preacher of that era, Dwight Moody, and sang at his revival meetings. They were in Scotland to hold some meetings and were in route by train to Edinburgh. Prior to boarding, Stankey bought a newspaper to read on the trip.

This happened to be the local paper having Elizabeth’s poem in it. Sankey was struck by the words of the poem and cut it out of the paper, putting it in his pocket. On the second day of the meeting, Moody preached a sermon on "The Good Shepherd." After closing the sermon, he asked Sankey if he had a closing song to sing.

Sankey remembered the poem in his pocket and he took it out and sang it as a song, putting music to the words as he sang it. At the conclusion of the poem/song, it’s reported that Moody was crying and asked where he had gotten the song. I imagine that he was as astonished at what had happened as anyone. An interesting addendum to this story is, that Elizabeth Clephane wrote her poem in 1868 and died a year later, never knowing the impact that her words have had on the world.

You’ve probably never thought of this song as being a lesson in "Parental Love" but, that is exactly what it is. And just like the old saying that we started with - until children become parents themselves, they can’t realize:

            "BUT NONE OF THE RANSOMED EVER KNEW,

             HOW DEEP WERE THE WATERS CROSSED.

             NOR HOW DARK WAS THE NIGHT THAT THE LORD PASSED THRU.

             ERE HE FOUND HIS SHEEP THAT WAS LOST."

Respectfully submitted,

Ron Covey

The Word Is Not Bound

Through the centuries skeptics have attempted to destroy or severely restrict the word of God. Jehoiakim took his penknife, cut the pages of God's word, and cast them into the fire. When Antiochus Epiphanes became ruler in Syria in 175 B.C. he destroyed the temple, sold the people of Israel into slavery, and went about doing all within his power to do away with the sacred writings of the Jews. Emperor Diocletian decreed death for any person who owned a copy of the Bible. After two years he boasted that he had "completely exterminated the Christian writings from the face of the earth." But when Constantine came to the throne and desired copies of the Bible be brought to him, within twenty-five hours fifty copies of God's word were offered to the Emperor. Voltaire, the notorious French infidel, boasted that within one hundred years the Bible would be no more. It would not be long before the very press that printed the blasphemous prediction was used to print Bibles and the house in which he lived was later used by the Geneva Bible Society to store and distribute Bibles. Robert Ingersoll, famed American atheist of the 1800's once held a Bible in his hand and boasted, "In fifteen years I will have this book in the morgue." Within fifteen years Ingersoll was in the morgue, but the word of God lives on! Even today the atheist community is predicting that before this century comes to a close the Bible will be eradicated from the world.

Paul wrote these words to Timothy: "Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, of the seed of David, according to my gospel: wherein I suffer hardship unto bonds, as a malefactor; but the word of God is not bound" (2 Tim. 2:8-9). Though men have for ages sought to bind the word of God, inspiration tells us that at the time of Paul the word was not bound, and history has attested to the eternal truth of those words. The simple fact is, men will never successfully bind the word of God. They may, from time to time succeed in keeping it out of the public's sight and/or sound. But it cannot be silenced! I suggest to you the following reasons.

First, the word cannot be bound because you cannot rob it of its power. Paul declared in Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." There is power in the word of God that cannot be eradicated, eliminated or expunged. The parable of the sower is recorded in Matthew 13:1-9 and Luke 8:4-8. In making application the Lord said that the "seed is the word of God" (Lk. 8:11). A seed may sit on a shelf or in a package for centuries, but once it is planted, it will produce life. It has been three decades since the Associated Press reported that some archaeologist discovered some remnants of fruits and nuts in their exploration of a Han Dynasty tomb, which dates back to the first century A.D. Seeds discovered in some of the pottery was taken and planted and it produced tomatoes. Such is the power of a seed; and such is the power of the Gospel.

Second, the word cannot be bound because you cannot restrict its preaching. In 1992 I had the opportunity to travel to the former Soviet Union. There were four Americans and one Ukrainian brother who labored for thirteen days in Barnaul. After completing that work we traveled overnight by train to Omsk. Our Ukrainian brother shared the compartment next to myself with a Russian soldier traveling to the same destination. When it came time to turn out the lights and bed down for the night's journey to Omsk, I could hear brother Kalashnikov preaching to that soldier; I knew he was preaching to him because I could recognize certain words that are similar in both English and Russian. The next morning I asked brother Kalashnikov if he was preaching to his room mate, and he said "yes." "Did he listen?" I asked. To which brother Kalashnikov replied, "What choice did he have?" Men may make it illegal to preach publically or at some open air meeting; but they cannot control what goes on the privacy of one's home or with an acquaintance with whom we might have casual conversation. The word of God went forth in the first century with great success in spite of every effort on the part of Rome to stop the preaching. So it was then; so it will be in every generation.

Finally, the word cannot be bound because you cannot retard its progress. Speaking through the prophet Isaiah our Father said long ago: "For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, and giveth seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" (Isa. 55:11). Some years ago I came across a very interesting story. A lady of a congregation in Arkansas had sent a copy of a World Bible School lesson to a student in Africa. It was found in the roadway by another person, who then searched for the church of Christ in his village. He was baptized two days later. What makes the story amazing is the fact that the lesson was mailed seven years before it was found. Time did not retard the progress of the word, and it eventually found its way into the presence and then into heart of the precious soul who was desirous of learning the truth. The same point was illustrated in the following true story which was related to me almost forty years ago. Someone was evidently handed a tract about the Lord's church; but he or she, for some unknown reason, threw the tract into the waste basket and it eventually ended up on the curb waiting for the garbage man to carry it away. When the garbage man picked up the container (that was in the days when such was still done manually) the tract fell out on the ground. The garbage man picked up the tract, put it in his pocket, later read it, and eventually contacted a church of Christ, leading to his obedience to the gospel. The reason I know the story was true is that it was told me by the garbage collector himself. Happenstance? Coincidence? I prefer to attribute it to divine providence. Such is the power of the progress of the Gospel.

When Paul wrote those beautiful words to Timothy he set forth an eternal truth that gives comfort and consolation to those seeking to carry the gospel to a lost and dying world. As you carry that word to others, rest assured that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 

 

--by Tom Wacaster

Save Me!

Harrison Odjegba Okene of Nigeria was working as a cook on the Tugboat Jascon when a heavy swell caused the vessel to capsize and his boat sank to the sea bed 100 feet below in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.  Okene's ordeal began around 4:30 a.m. on May 26.  He was in the bathroom when the tug, one of three towing an oil tanker off the coast of Nigeria, gave a sudden lurch and then keeled over.

"I was dazed and everywhere was dark as I was thrown from one end of the small cubicle to another," Okene told Nigeria's Nation newspaper.  He groped his way out of the bathroom and eventually entered a cabin of the sunken vessel that felt safe.  Then he began to wait and he prayed to be rescued.

He had no idea about the well-being of his fellow crew members - 10 Nigerians and the Ukrainian captain.  Sadly, these all died in the ordeal.  As Okene waited and the cold waters began to rise in the cabin, he thought about his wife, his extended family, and his friends.  He also recited the last psalm his wife had sent by text message, sometimes called the Prayer for Deliverance, which begins with the plea: " Save me, O God, by your name" (Psalm 54).

"Surely God is my help;
The Lord is the one who sustains me."
- Psalm 54:4

How to be saved by Jesus, John 3:16

John 3:16 “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 is, in all probability, the most loved and most often quoted verse in the Bible. I don’t know that I can explain why that is so except to say that maybe it is because it tells us of God’s profound love for us and holds forth the promise of eternal life. Truly, we should be impressed with God’s love for us (1 John 3:1-2; Rom. 5:8) and be thankful beyond measure for the eternal home he has made for us (John 14:1-3; 2 Cor. 5:1). The spectacular blessings of that home are revealed to us in Revelation 21:3-4.

In Revelation 7:13-17, John presents a beautiful word picture of what will one day happen to the faithful child of God. All of the cares and burdens that distress in this life will disappear completely. This physical frame will never be racked with pain that so often causes us to cry out in anguish. In this earthly tabernacle we do groan (2 Cor. 5:2, 4) but there will be no groaning when the redeemed go home to dwell with God. It just seems to me that there is nothing more comforting than the knowledge that in the resurrection day this corruptible will put on incorruption (1 Cor. 15:51-55) and be freed from all the ills and troubles of human existence. I love the way the second verse of “How Beautiful Heaven Must Be” begins: “In heaven no drooping, nor pining, No wishing for elsewhere to be”. The chorus of “Heaven Will Surely Be Worth It All” says it best: “Heaven will surely be worth it all. Worth all the sorrows that here befall; After this life with all its strife; Heaven will surely be worth it all”. What a joyous anticipation is ours today.

As we grow older, the strength ebbs from our feeble bodies. We watch as those we love silently slip out into eternity and realize that we too, will ere long take that same step. I really believe that it is at this point that it really begins to sink in that life on this earth is indeed a brief experience (James 4:14; Job 9:26; Isa. 38:12; 2 Sam. 14:14; Psa. 90:10). Someone once said, “life is like sitting down to read a book, you become so engrossed in it, reading intently and then suddenly you are at the final page before you realize it”. Except for a very dire circumstance (suicide) we do not, yea cannot, control how long we live on this earth but we can control how we live on this earth (Heb. 5:8-9; 1 Pet. 2:11; Rom. 12:1-2; 1 John 2:15-17; Col. 3:1-2; Matt. 6:19-21; Matt. 6:33).

One day I want to sit at the feet of the Master teacher, I want to sing around the throne, I want to rest after this life of strife, suffering and sorrow, I want to view that majestic city from the inside. As a child of God, this is my destiny. I hope and pray it is your destiny also (2 Tim. 4:6-8).

Charles Hicks

Famous sayings by Ralph Nadar

Separation

By Tom Wacaster

Ralph Nadar is credited with saying, “I don’t think meals have any business being deductible. I’m for separation of calories and corporations.”  In a humorous way Mr. Nadar captured the essence of this word “separation.”  Unfortunately, were someone to declare, “I’m separated,” most folks, were the person married, would immediately think of being separated from one’s spouse.  It may be that our culture of easy marriage and divorce has contributed to this being the most common use of the word “separated.”   

The “on line Bing dictionary” defines “separated” as:  “(1) living apart while married: no longer living together as a couple but still legally married; (2) positioned apart: moved apart so as not to be touching or connected, not together, or not in the same place; (3) divided: split into component parts.”  It is the second of these definitions that best represents the subject matter of this week’s article.   The Bible enjoins upon every child of God the sacred responsibility to “come out from among them, and be ye separate” (2 Cor. 6:17a).   That obligation is expressed in a number of ways throughout the Bible, both Old and New Testaments alike.   “Put away,” “put to death,” “repent,” and “be converted” are but a few of the expressions used by inspired writers to communicate this sacred obligation.   In addition words such as “holy,” “saint,” “sanctified” all express the state or status of being separated.   Using 1 Peter 2 as a backdrop, let me suggest to you some truths relative to our being “separated” from the world.  

First, our separation from the world is one of sacred duty.  “Put away therefore all wickedness, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking” (2:1).  Peter does not set forth an exhaustive list of all that is involved in our separation from the world.  In much the same way Paul lists the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21.  Both of these passages are representative of those things from which we are to separate ourselves.   But in both cases, the responsibility lies with the individual.  Sin will not be eradicated by some divine infusion of strength and resistance to temptation, but by a self determination to do the will of God.  

Second, we enjoy a special status with God.  We are “newborn babes” and as such are expected to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.  Spiritual growth is the product of time, opportunity, and effort all combined to produce the desired result.  While Peter does not address the time aspect here, the writer to the Hebrews did:  “For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teacher” (Heb. 5:12).   Moses is a good example of groth and maturity over a long span of time.  When Moses fled Egypt and came to the land of Midian you recall he encountered some ruffians at the well where the daughters of the priest of Midian had come to draw water.  After Moses drove off this gang of shepherds and watered the flocks of the women, the young women told their father that Moses was an “Egyptian” (Ex. 2:19).  But forty years later, when Moses returned to Egypt to deliver God’s people he was no longer looked upon as an Egyptian, but a Hebrew.  

Third, we feed upon spiritual milk in order to grow thereby.  That spiritual milk is “without guile” and provides the means by which we “grow thereby unto salvation.”  Paul rebuked the Corinthians for needing to be fed with “milk” and not “meat” (1 Cor. 3:1-3). Were Paul and Peter contradicting one another?  There is no disagreement between the two apostles.  One of the key words throughout the epistles of Peter is that of growth.  In the passage before us he was evidently looking at the Christian journey of his audience from the standpoint of the beginning of that journey; as babes, rather than full grown men.   Whereas Paul was looking at the church at Corinth as those acting like babes when they should have been mature.  

Fourth,  we enjoy a solid foundation.  The church was built upon the Christ, not men; a rock, not a pebble (Matt. 16:16-18).  In verse 4-8 we see the stone described and the stone discarded.  The description of our Rock of Ages is set forth in words that exude strength and power.  Our Lord is a “living stone,” pointing no doubt to His resurrection and reign.  But He is also “precious.”  The word “precious” translates the Greek word ‘entimos’ which means “honored” or “prized.”  Peter sets forth a contrast between what men might do with Christ, and what God has done through Him.  God contradicted man’s verdict, declared Jesus as the Christ by raising Him from the dead and exalting Him.   We sometimes say, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.”  While the world may say there is “no beauty that we should desire him” (Isa. 53:2), our Father pronounced Him as “precious” and “chosen.”  The story is told that Michelangelo came across a discarded piece of marble. It had been ruined by some other sculptor and thrown into the scrap heap for some other use.  But Michelangelo looked it over, and saw in it his David.  He purchased it and turned it into one of his masterpieces. 

Fifth, we are a part of a spiritual house.  In fact, we are “living stones.”  Here Peter identifies the church as something other than the physical edifice which might appear on some street corner. The church is made up of the people.  As a house (2 Tim. 3:15), we are the dwelling place of God Himself, and Peter’s words suggest the wonderful fellowship we have with the Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

Sixth, we are described by special terms.  “An elect race,” “royal priesthood,” “holy nation,” and “a people for God’s own possession” all suggest distinction from the world.   In this wonderful description of God’s people we catch a glimpse of what we are (vs. 9), what we do (“show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”), and what we receive (“who in times past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy”).  

Separation!  We are separated from the world, separated  unto God, and we look forward to an eternal separation from the physical to the spiritual.  That, beloved, will be a wonderful day!