He was a young boy taken captive by a foreign power. The nation of his birth was destroyed. That was the nation God had raised up to be a testimony to the world. Now it no longer existed. His parents were probably killed and it seems he had no close relatives.

This new environment had a goal of making captives conform to its religion and politics. He was castrated, then sent to school to learn the ways of this strange and godless nation. How much could a young person take?

You would think that with all that was against him, he would just conform or die. That was not the case. In spite of his situation, his faith in the one true God was unshakable.

Daniel 1:8

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself

The word “purpose” defined: to have as one’s intention or objective. Daniel’s purpose was clearly seen even into old age.

What’s your purpose?

Think about it.

Gary

Expressing anger and disappointment, an individual explained his disillusionment about our country and its leaders to me.  I don’t use a couch; I can examine this kind of individual in any place or position.  After careful consideration of the way in which he spent his time, I came up with a diagnosis. I call it “newsitis.” It occurs when a constant harangue about politics and changes in culture is consumed by an individual over a long period of time.  It causes an inflammation of the frontal cortex. The solution is to only observe the media on a very limited basis. At the same time, my patient should fill the void with what the Bible calls “doing good.”  It works almost every time but especially for believers.

Galatians 6:10

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Ephesians 2:10

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Are you talking unkindly about the president, complaining about CDC rules, crying about AOC, or being frightened by inflation? Take this pill.

Ephesians 4:29

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

In my years of practice in this field, I find the above-mentioned the only way back to a sane mind.

Think about it.

Gary

A woman once told me she would come to church, but gas was just too expensive. I told her we would give gas cards, but that was only to reveal to her the shallowness of her excuse. All those empty excuses will evaporate when an individual stands before God.

There was a man in the Bible that could have come up with all kinds of excuses not to serve: The odds are against me. The location is too dangerous. The weather is not cooperating. The enemy is better-equipped. Someone else could go.

2 Samuel 23:20-22

Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.  And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty warriors.

The Book gives us many examples of individuals who saw opportunities where others saw danger and produced excuses.

What’s your excuse?

Give it some thought.

Gary

Edgar A. Guest was a very popular poet for several decades during the twentieth century, and his poems appeared in a syndicated newspaper column. On March 3, 1921, he published the following work:

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and debts are high,
And you want to smile but have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won if he’d stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow.
You might succeed with another blow.

Often the struggler has given up,
When he might captured the victor’s cup.
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.

His name was Shammah and he found himself in a place he would defend to the death for his God and nation. Some would say it is just a field of beans, but Shammah believed every one of them belonged to God’s people.

2 Samuel 23:11-12

 When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them.  But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.

We all need something worth defending. Personally, I believe it’s the church Christ died for two thousand years ago and the apostles yielded their lives for.

Give it some thought.

Gary

A teenager decided to quit high school, saying he was just fed up with it all. His father was trying to convince him to stay with it. “Son,” he said, “you just can’t quit.  All the people who are remembered in history didn’t quit. Abe Lincoln didn’t quit. Thomas Edison didn’t quit. Douglas MacArthur didn’t quit. Elmo Cringle didn’t quit.”

“Who?” The son burst in. “Who is Elmo Cringle?”

“See,” the father replied. “You don’t remember him because he quit.”

The writer of Hebrews was encouraging these folks not to go back to Judaism but strengthen their faith in Christ.

Hebrews 10:35-39 

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

It is always too soon to quit.

Think about it.

Gary

She was a woman, a Gentile, a Canaanite, and the disciples were against her. It didn’t look like she stood much of a chance in that ancient world. This lady carried tremendous burdens. She mouthed one word that changed her whole discouraging situation and that word was “mercy.” She cried out to Jesus for mercy. She worshiped Him and the gospel records that she had great faith… not bad for a pagan. There weren’t many of Abraham’s descendants doing that. The account is found in Matthew 15.

Matthew 15

22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”

25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”

28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Sometimes the cruel things of life drive us to the feet of Jesus if we have faith.

Think about it.

Gary

The heroes of the faith mentioned in Hebrews eleven make for an interesting study.  I just can’t figure out why some of them are in there. You wouldn’t have them over for dinner or even desire their friendship if they were alive today.  However, God loved them, chose them, and did a work through them.

I’m positive many look at me that way. The factor that they don’t understand in the grand scheme of things is that God loves sinners. He makes Himself known to them through the gospel and washes them by the blood of His Son.

Romans 3:24-26

being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Yes, there are a lot of characters in the family of God which cause us to scratch our heads. You might be one of them.

Give it some thought and thank Him for inviting you in.

Think about it.

Gary