Treasure Digest

• Stand on the Rock!
• When Things Look Desperate
• Pillars of Wisdom: The Fear of God
• Turning the Hearts...Do You Still Love Me?
• Be Ready to Give an Answer: What Does the Bible Say About Fossils of Prehistoric Men?
• Share Your Treasures!

Stand on the Rock!

It was a glorious morning in Maui. Sunrise was breathtaking. Pink clouds were airbrushed like cotton candy against dawn's pale blue sky. Gray-green waves laced with foam crashed onto the beach made up of jet-black rocks.

And standing just out of reach of the surf on spindly legs was a lone white heron, seemingly oblivious to the tide that kept surging in, nearly overtaking it. Suddenly, the bird hopped up onto a rock. It then stood there staring, impassive, impervious to the incoming waves.

Life's waves are real. But so is our Rock.

In Mark 4:35-39 the disciples were journeying with Christ in a boat. A storm arose that threatened them. Christ was asleep, so they woke Him and He rescued them. From this, we can learn three lessons.

1. Waves are a normal part of life. Some are calming. Others are deadly, like the Indian Ocean tsunami. God will not keep us from the waves, because He wants to glorify Himself in us through the waves, good or bad.

Some trials come in waves, rolling in one after the other, crashing into us, threatening to swamp us. Whether it be in our health, family, job, church or relationship with God, waves can rock our boat, leaving us exhausted. We can become fearful, not faithful.

2. Christ was right there. When the waves arose, the disciples panicked. Yes, Christ was asleep, but He was not far away, as Acts 17:27 reminds us. If God seems far away, then we are to blame; for as Psalm 121:4 says, the God of Israel never slumbers or sleeps.

3. We need to talk to Him. If God seems far away, we need to rise and pray, as Jesus instructed His disciples the night before His death. Diligent Bible study, fervent prayer and occasional fasting allow us to move closer to God. He becomes real to us, even during the waves. And in His time, He moves to bring peace and calm the storm.

So let's remember that lone heron, standing on its rock. And let's internalize these three lessons from Mark 4. God and Jesus Christ can help us enjoy the calm waves and calm life's big waves. Life's waves are real—but so is our Rock. Jesus Christ will lead us, His modern disciples, to the completion of our spiritual journey, if we allow Him to.

John Fox
Salt Lake City, Utah, congregation

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When Things Look Desperate

My great-grandson, Chris, and I, mighty explorers that we are, took a trek through the woods next door. He is all of 4 years old, and I am—well, I guess you don't need to know everything.

The property next door was sold recently and the previous week the surveyors were marking the property boundaries. I wanted to see where the line was. Chris saw me over in the woods, and he wanted to come along.

Chris is about two and a half feet taller than a grasshopper and I—well, I'm just a few feet taller, and I could see my house over the blackberry brambles.

We trudged through blackberry vines, vine maple, blackberry vines, alder, twigs and more blackberry vines. It was harder to walk through than I thought it would be, but we kept going.

Poor Chris—all he could see was the around, and he thought we were hopelessly lost.

"We'll never get out of here!" "I'll never get home!" "I'll never see my mommy again!"

I comforted him the best I could and told him, yes, we would make it home, and he would see his mommy.

I started thinking about the times I had faced problems that seemed insurmountable, thinking the problem would never end and that there was no way out.

But I need to remember God sees the big picture, and He is in control. He can see over and around the problems to see the solutions.

When I think of this, a few scriptures come to mind:

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all" (Psalm 34:19).

We must have walked about 150 feet down the line through lots of stuff. We both fell and, of course, when I fell Chris laughed.

I could see our property about 12 feet to my left, so we started off that way. Chris couldn't see it until we were about two feet away. Then he said, "Oh you brought me to my property!" He was happy (I was too).

"But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you" (1 Peter 5:10).

Ethel Johnson
Sedro-Woolley, Washington, congregation

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Pillars of Wisdom: The Fear of God

King Solomon spent much of his life pursuing happiness in every form. In the end, he concluded that the most important aspect of a man's life was to "fear God, and keep His commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

What does it mean to fear God? Does it mean that God wants us to cower in terror when we come before Him in prayer? Does it mean that we are to live in constant anxiety that God is waiting for us to slip up so that He can punish us?

Points to Build On

As human beings, we naturally fear anything that is physically or emotionally threatening. We also tend to fear anything that is greater than we are or different from ourselves.

Human beings can develop irrational fears. Fears can grow until they control our lives with irrational thoughts and emotions. Psychologists call these fears phobias. Some common phobias are: acrophobia, fear of high places; claustrophobia, fear of closed places; and xenophobia, fear of strangers.

There are literally hundreds of phobias people suffer from, including "school phobia," fear of water, fear of the dark, etc. These aren't emotions based on normal respect for danger, but overwhelming emotions of anxiety and irrational fear.

People have become so overwhelmed by fear of everyday life that they lock themselves in their homes and refuse to leave. Some have a phobic fear of God. They feel that God is vengeful, just waiting for them to sin so He can punish them. Although the proper fear of God is predicated on His great majesty and power, it isn't a phobia.

In Matthew 25:14-30 Jesus gives the Parable of the Talents. He tells the story of a master who gives different responsibilities to three servants and then goes away for a period of time. When the master returns, he finds that two of the servants have done well but the third has hidden his talent because of fear and laziness. The master rewards the two profitable servants but punishes the unprofitable.

If fear of punishment is our only motivation for obedience, then we will fail to develop a healthy relationship with God as our Father.

The proper fear of God is based upon an overwhelming awe and reverence of His righteousness, holiness, creative genius, love, mercy, His eternity, His transcendent qualities to possess all power and all knowledge, and His ability to interact with His creation.

It is also a realization of the destructive results of sin, which is defined by God's law. Solomon sums up this understanding in Proverbs 8:13: "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil."

Application

The proper fear of God is almost nonexistent in today's society. Because of this lack of awe and respect for their Creator, people's lives are filled with all kinds of fears, anxieties and phobias. God desires us to experience a life of peace, not one filled with irrational fear.

Proverbs stresses the importance of the proper fear of God:

Proverbs 15:33: The fear of God is the foundation of wisdom.

Proverbs 22:4: By it come riches, honor and life.

Proverbs 1:7; 9:10: It is the beginning of knowledge.

Proverbs 10:27; 14:27: It prolongs life.

Proverbs 19:23: It makes life more abundant.

Proverbs 16:6: By it men depart from evil.

Proverbs 14:26: It is strong confidence.

Dedicate your life to learning to have a proper fear of God. Study His Word, explore His creation, meditate on His instructions, learn to hate evil and live a life founded on the reverence, awe and respect for this Great Being who created and sustains the universe.

Gary Petty
Pastor of Austin, San Antonio and Waco, Texas, congregations

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Turning the Hearts...Do You Still Love Me?

As I watched a portion of the movie Stepmom, the dad was explaining why he was divorced from the children's mom. He said they no longer were in love; they fell out of love. The response of the children was, "Can you fall out of love for your children?" The dad's response was that would never happen.

That section of the movie brought an issue to mind that is very important for marriages and families to thrive. The vital issue is expressing love on a regular basis in the family.

One person I counseled confided to me that her husband has not expressed affectionate love to her for years. She wondered if he still loved her. I wonder too!

I suppose we could say "I love you" to our spouses when we are first married and not say that phrase again for the rest of our lives. It may hold true through the years, but who doesn't appreciate hearing those words over and over again? Children also need to hear that they are loved by their parents.

In a survey conducted in the 1990s by a writer for Psychology Today, one of the eight basic expectations of both sexes was affection. And both sexes were more interested in "cognitive and emotional signs" than physical or sexual ones. The need for a loved one to feel loved is crucial for a relationship to be truly satisfying.

When we care, we show it by our manner of dealing with our loved ones. They will feel loved if they hear it and feel it coming from those who love them. The apostle John said in his general epistle that we need to love not only in word but in deed (1 John 3:18).

Remember the story about Isaac and Rebekah trying to hide the fact that they were husband and wife? But Abimelech, king of the Philistines, saw Isaac in a private moment "sporting" (King James Version) with his wife. The king knew they were husband and wife by the love gestures they exchanged.

Husbands are commanded to love their wives; and older women are to teach the younger ones to "love their husbands" (Ephesians 5:25; Titus 2:4). So we have scriptural endorsement to love and show it to our spouses and family. Love involves a giving, caring attitude directed toward those whom we love.

Notes of appreciation, calls just to say "I love you," occasional flowers or boxes of candy, unexpected gifts and affectionate gestures (like hugs) send powerful messages of thoughtfulness and love.

If our spouses or children would ask the question "Do you still love me?" I hope we would each answer with a resounding "YES!"

Gary E. Antion

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Be Ready to Give an Answer: What Does the Bible Say About Fossils of Prehistoric Men?

First, we should understand that projections of the age of fossils based upon archaeological findings often include speculation (archaeologists might say, "educated guesses") and that the common approach of overlaying them with the theory of evolution corrupts their value. We deal with these subjects in our booklet Creation or Evolution. Some fossils that are considered ancient may actually be more recent.

The Bible records the history of mankind from the creation of Adam and Eve. It does not deal with what we might call "manlike creatures" that lived on the earth before the creation of mankind, as we know it. Without divine revelation, there's no way of knowing what these creatures were or what purpose they served.

Twice, Adam is called "the first man" (1 Corinthians 15:45, 47). Clearly, Adam and Eve were the first human beings God made "in His own image" (Genesis 1:27). Their descendants have a spiritual component, called simply "the spirit" in Ecclesiastes 12:7 and "the spirit of the man" in 1 Corinthians 2:11. The joining of this spirit with the Holy Spirit of God is what makes conversion possible (Romans 8:16). Further, it sets humans made "in the image of God" off from prehistoric man.

For More Information, see Creation or Evolution: Does It Really Matter What You Believe?

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Share Your Treasures!

Do you have any short items of biblical wisdom, humor or practical information that you would like to share in this section? Or if you have any suggestions, please contact United News, P.O. Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027 or mike_bennett@ucg.org.

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