Treasure Digest

• Are You Ready for False Doctrine?
• Revisiting Why Were You Born?
• You Can Mentor the Next Generation!
• Staying Spiritually Hydrated
• The Hope Scriptures
• The Chambered Nautilus
• Turning the Hearts . . . Caring for Your Elderly Parents, Part 2
• Children's Corner...Feast Days of God Word Search (View PDF, page 10)
• Quiz: Places, Past and Present
• Share Your Treasures!

Are You Ready for False Doctrine?

Would you know a counterfeit bill if you saw one? Unless it was the proverbial $3 bill, I know I wouldn't! Because counterfeiters are very sophisticated these days and though there are always mistakes—wrong color, texture, paper type, watermarks, symbols, etc.—if you had to obtain and study each variant, it would be a nearly impossible and never-ending task.

But if you were trained by the FBI, you wouldn't often be fooled. They use a method that makes most counterfeits stand out like that $3 bill, no matter what the differences may be.

And what is the basis of this clever scheme? To simply study the real thing! A great deal of their schooling is spent memorizing every square millimeter; every nuance of color and texture; every mark and symbol on actual bills. Then, even if they don't spot the actual mistake right away, because they've spent so much time with the genuine article, something that's fishy will look and feel—well, fishy!

There's a lesson here for Christians. The Bible tells us that Satan himself can appear as an "angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14) and deceives many. And we are to beware of the "'commandments of men" (Mark 7:7), "false teachers" (Matthew 7:15) and "heresies" (1 Corinthians 11:19, King James Version). But how? By searching out and studying every false doctrine and heresy out there? Like the search for counterfeiter's mistakes, that would be a nearly impossible and never-ending task.

Instead, we should take a leaf out of the pages of the FBI and study the real thing—the Bible, the very Word of God. In Acts 17:11 the Bereans were commended for they "…searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." We're told to "be diligent [study, King James Version] to present yourself approved to God" (2 Timothy 2:15); and to "prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

I don't know about you, but I simply don't have time to read all kinds of treatises on other people's beliefs to see if they're true. The Bible says that in the end times many shall be deceived (Matthew 24:5, 11). Knowing the truth—studying the genuine article—is the only way to be prepared for counterfeits!

Keep your nose in the Bible—know it, love it, be sure of the truth of it—then when you encounter falsehoods in any guise, you will recognize the fake.

—Carol Taylor
Los Angeles, California, congregation

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Revisiting Why Were You Born?

Herbert W. Armstrong would ask in his sermons, "Why were you born?" He also wrote a booklet with that title, stimulating thoughtful questions about the purpose of life. For thousands of years, people have been trying to answer that question. Books galore have delved into the subject. The great minds of the ages have searched for an explanation, and taken their guesses and speculations about the subject.

What does God say? "'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:26-27).

God had a specific reason for creating us—to form us into His image-bearers. The Father's intention from the beginning was to form people in His likeness. Adam and Eve's choices, however, continue to affect us today.

Since mankind is a slave of sin, none of us can be 100 percent like God. God knew His human creation would make wrong choices—that was the risk, the choice, of giving us free will. So, even before He laid the world's foundation, He had a plan with all of this in His mind and purpose.

We often hear it referred to simply, but powerfully, as "redemption." When our Father, through His Son, draws a person who wants to be right with the Father, he or she is made blameless through genuine repentance and the sacrifice of the Son, Jesus Christ. Wonderfully and powerfully, He makes us a new man or woman who can start life anew.

God desires for us to live as Jesus would, to follow those timeless footprints called His example. So, He molds our spirit and character if we submit humbly. That process doesn't end until we receive our new eternal bodies and become a true reflection of our Lord and Master. While still in the flesh, we model our Lord to those around us as lights.

Like a Father, God is pleased to see His children maturing to look more like Him. He delights in seeing us be "chips off the old block." We honor Him when we consistently model this conduct or way of life to others, and it can be sincerely encouraging when we see it in ourselves.

Even when we have other successes and achievements in this human life, He will not allow us to be content unless we are undergoing His work of transformation. The "peace of God which surpasses all understanding" and His joy will elude us until we submit to His plan for us—because bearing His image is our very purpose in life, and if we do, we know that the future in His Kingdom will bring some awesome rewards and opportunities. His plan for us is to make us in His image, forever!

—Stuart Segall
Pastor, Crescent City and Eureka, California, congregations

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You Can Mentor the Next Generation!

Mentors are needed today in the Church. These trusted counselors, guides and encouragers are needed to help bond the family of God and to prepare to pass the baton to the next generation. The young people in our congregations need support just like a beautiful climbing rose bush needs a piece of latticework.

Let's look at a few action steps to get us started in the significant process of becoming mentors.

1. Pray about being a mentor. Ask God to give you a servant's heart and wisdom.

2. Pray about whom to mentor. Ask God to direct you to the individual who needs to be mentored by you, with whom you would be most compatible. Get to know the parent or parents and see what they think, and how they feel you could be most helpful. (Of course, parents should be completely involved in the decision to have a child mentored and should always provide proper supervision.) Perhaps you can start with an activity such as building models with the young person, sewing or practicing sports.

3. Develop a listening ear. Talk with the young person each week. Start off slowly and patiently; give the new relationship time to bloom. Ask him or her questions about his or her week and about specific interests.

4. Remember, the mentor is there to serve. The word "I" should rarely come up in the conversation. Asking questions and listening is the job of a mentor. A bond will grow over time, which is when you can step in with godly love. Pray that your words can be fitly spoken (Proverbs 25:11) to the young person.

5. Pray for the one you are mentoring. When you begin, the young person may have a hard heart. God can break down that wall. Devoting time to him or her in your prayers is critical to the bond that you are developing. Let the young person know that you are praying for him or her daily.

6. Contact the individual during the week. Send an e-mail or make or buy a small card. When you encourage the young person in the middle of the week, he or she knows for sure that you really did listen. Asking about the chemistry test or the tough professor goes a long way in mentoring.

No matter our age or our circumstance, we all remember the fact that growing up isn't easy. Instead of judging and condemning our youth, try being a positive mentor. A mentor is a prime example of the love described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.

—Tina Rupp
Youngstown, Ohio, congregation

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Staying Spiritually Hydrated

Having survived yet another Houston summer, each passing one seems more brutal than the last. Whether that's just my age showing or the ozone levels deteriorating, 90- to 100-degree weather is difficult to endure over a long period of time.

One of the greatest defenses a body has against this kind of heat is water, which makes sense, considering the human body is two thirds water. Without constant hydrating, the body eventually begins to suffer.

Dehydration can manifest itself in many different ways on both the inside and outside of our bodies. Once the body is severely dehydrated, it takes almost twice as long to hydrate and regain health and vigor. Obviously, the best method would be to stay well hydrated, so that you're in a proactive mode, and not in a constant state of recovery.

While walking the other day, I started thinking about what is required to stay physically and spiritually hydrated, and how they parallel one another. One obvious comparison would be that we cannot live without water, nor can we live without God. Just as we drink water to hydrate our bodies, we must drink in God's Word to hydrate our spirit. Sitting in a pool of water will not hydrate us; it must become a part of us, and restore us from the inside out. Whether we drink it in all at one time, or slowly and steadily throughout the day, it must be done to maintain proper hydration and health.

When we fail to hydrate ourselves, there are obvious symptoms such as drying or peeling skin, cramps, light-headedness, headache and overall lethargy. Our bodies and minds are less responsive. Likewise, if we are not hydrating ourselves spiritually, inward and outward manifestations will begin to take place. Drinking in God's Word on a daily basis and staying close to Him through prayer and meditation allows us to remain spiritually hydrated.

When the body dehydrates, that once-healthy sweat suddenly stops, and heatstroke becomes a very real possibility. When we become spiritually dehydrated, the fruits of the Spirit aren't receiving much-needed nutrients, and we risk the prospect of no longer bearing these fruits.

We also need to avoid things that will dehydrate us. For example, physical dehydrators include salt, caffeine and alcohol.

We need to stay away from spiritual dehydrators as well. Maybe it's a busy schedule that finds us just not having the "time" to hydrate, or maybe it's feelings that engulf us, such as bitterness, anger, discouragement and depression.

Thinking about all of this brought to mind a scripture in the account of Christ and the woman at the well: "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:13-14).

—Sharon VanSchuyver
Houston North, Texas, congregation

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The Hope Scriptures

When trials push us to our very limits, does God offer us encouragement to get through them? Absolutely. Of course we must do our part to be close to God through prayer, Bible study, fasting and meditation.

However, when the heat from fiery trials gets cranked up several notches (think Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego in the fiery furnace) and Satan's fiery darts seem to be firing at us constantly, is there a secret weapon that we can use? Yes. We can haul out our secret arsenal of big guns—our collection of hope scriptures.

There are many, many encouraging scriptures that are scattered throughout the Holy Bible. Our "secret arsenal" must include the most powerful, meaningful-to-us, hope-filled scriptures that we can find after scouring the pages of God's Word.

Use those scriptures to which you have a deep, meaningful connection—those that are directly relevant to you. For example, mothers who have lost a child may be in tears when they think about the meaningful scriptures on the second resurrection and the Last Great Day. However, those of us who have not gone through such a sad experience—although we may sympathize/empathize with the tragedy—may not have the same level of intensity about the topic.

The key is to find scriptures that are deeply meaningful to us personally and then, when the overwhelming trials hit, we can haul out those scriptures and watch as they neutralize Satan's darts. This idea is based on Romans 15:4, which states, "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" (New American Standard Bible throughout). It is helpful to remember that God is the God of hope (Romans 15:13) and the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3). Jesus Christ is in heaven constantly interceding for us. He is available for rescue operations 24 hours a day, every day of the week.

What scriptures should be included in our individual arsenals of hope? It will vary from person to person. However, the following scriptures are a good start.

Psalm 34:17: "The righteous cry and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles."

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

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

2 Corinthians 7:6: "But God, who comforts the depressed [KJV: "those that are cast down"; Moffatt: "dejected"], comforted us by the coming of Titus."

2 Corinthians 12:9: "And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you [New English Bible: "all you need"], for [My] power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me."

Hebrews 13:5: "For He Himself has said, 'I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.'"

The Holy Bible is chock-full of scriptures that are encouraging and give hope. Start your own personal stockpile of those powerful, meaningful scriptures of hope. Write them down. Keep them close at hand. And when the trials start coming fast and furious, haul them out and let God's Word of hope quench Satan's darts of discouragement.

—Joe Bellefeuille
Fargo, North Dakota, congregation

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The Chambered Nautilus

"Year after year beheld the silent toil
"That spread his lustrous coil;
"Still, as the spiral grew,
"He left the past year's dwelling for the new,
"Stole with soft step its shining archway through,
"Built up its idle door,
"Stretched in his last found home, and knew the old no more."

This quote from "The Chambered Nautilus" by Oliver Wendell Holmes speaks of how the nautilus, as it grows, enlarges its shell to accommodate its new size. As it forms a larger chamber, it seals off the one behind with a wall that prevents it from returning to its old home.

We, as Christians, are told to always press forward, not looking back, sealing off, as it were, the past. In Luke 9:62 Jesus says, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

The John Templeton Foundation, dedicated to continued work in scientific inquiry and innovation, chose the nautilus as its symbol.

The nautilus continually grows, always living in the outermost chamber of its house. Each new room is exactly 6.3 percent larger than the last and its shell grows in a mathematically perfect proportion. It grows in perfection as we also are to grow toward perfection.

Paul says of himself, "but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14).

Like Paul, we also need to wall off the past and create a "new room" in which to live.

"Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,
"As the swift seasons roll!
"Leave thy low-vaulted past!
"Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
"Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,
"Till thou at length art free,
"Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea!"
—"The Chambered Nautilus"

—Newton L. Baker
Fort Worth, Texas, congregation

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Turning the Hearts . . .
Caring for Your Elderly Parents, Part 2

Last month we looked at the biblical principles involved in caring for our elderly parents. In part 2 we'll look at how the aging parents might be feeling.

Carroll Kennedy gives some positive and negative views of aging in the book Human Development: The Adult Years and Aging. Along with the positive aspects of retirement and old age, the senior citizen begins to experience losses. Memory lapses may cause concern, as they vividly recall the past but have difficulty remembering yesterday.

Other senses diminish as well. Their sense of taste becomes less acute, and food doesn't taste as good as it used to. They may be prone to want to add more seasoning, which may not be good for them. Hearing you may become more difficult, and sometimes the embarrassment of asking you to repeat yourself leaves them uncertain what was said. Their vision may be diminishing. They may ask for a sweater when you are "roasting" in summer clothes.

Changes in nervous system, muscle tone and reflex actions may cause the elderly to feel dizzy and unsteady. They may stumble and hurt themselves. The inability to identify the location of the pain may lead to irritability on their part. Your aging parents may also despair that it takes much longer to heal.

Close friends or relatives disappearing from the scene brings one's own eventual death into focus. The death of a mate brings extra pressures, and loneliness and discouragement set in. They may speak of suicide and some will try it. Some will succeed (12 percent of those who try).

"Parents' worst nightmares may not even be of death, but of a long-term illness that wipes out their financial resources, makes them totally dependent on others, condemns them to unending, excruciating pain, suspends them indefinitely between life and death" (Earl and Sharon Grollman, Caring for Your Aged Parents, 1978, page 66).

Worries about who will take care of them and will they be a burden to their children are often in their thoughts. They desire contact with their children yet feel burdensome. The family remains their one link to continuing physical life as they see their progeny growing. Some will prefer to live alone as long as their health and circumstances permit. The fear of being institutionalized in a nursing home looms in their minds.

Next time, let's turn to the children and their views of the situation.

—Gary E. Antion

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Quiz: Places, Past and Present

There are hundreds of place names in the Bible, but many have faded without a trace into obscurity. Some, however, have survived—as ruins, as monuments or as headlines in the news today. Match the biblical locations with the proper description. (Descriptions taken from The Lion Encyclopedia of the Bible, Pat Alexander, editor, 1987, pp. 253-278.)

___1. A city founded by Nimrod. It covered a huge area on both banks of the Euphrates. It was famous for its "hanging gardens." When King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, he sent Jews, including Ezekiel and Daniel, into exile here. It was eventually conquered by the Persian king Cyrus. Nothing remains of this city today except scattered mounds, located about 50 miles south of modern Baghdad.

___2. Once a Philistine stronghold, Joshua conquered and then lost this city. Samson was put in prison and died here. Philip met the Ethiopian official on his way here. Its locale has been prominent in the recent Middle East turmoil.

___3. Capital of Edom. Its name means "rock" or "cliff." It was a fortress city built on a rocky mountain plateau. Nabateans carved out the city of Petra in the rocky valley at the foot of the original settlement.

___4. A city in the Lycus Valley of western Turkey. In New Testament times it prospered in trade and banking. It was noted for clothing made of glossy black wool, and also medicinal eye powder. Epaphras helped Paul by ministering to the church here. John cautioned members to keep an eye on their temperatures. Nothing physically remains today but ruins. Its attitude, however, is another story.

___5. The birthplace of King David, five miles southwest of Jerusalem. Jacob's wife Rachel was buried near here. Ruth and Naomi settled here. Micah prophesied that the Messiah would be born here. Today this city is under the control of the Palestinian Authority.

___6. Located in a coastal mountain range in Israel, this is the site of the showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. In modern history, during World War I, this location played a strategic role in the Battle of Megiddo when General Allenby led the British to victory. Several small towns and the city of Haifa (which has recently been attacked by Hezbollah) are situated in its environs.

(a) Laodicea (Colossians 2:1; 4:12-13, 16; Revelation 1:11; 3:14-22)
(b) Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:19-46)
(c) Bethlehem (Genesis 35:19; Ruth; Micah 5:2)
(d) Sela (2 Kings 14:7; Isaiah 16:1; 42:11)
(e) Gaza (Joshua 10:41; Judges 16; Acts 8:26)
(f) Babylon (Genesis 10:10; 2 Kings 24:1; 25:7-13)

—Karen Meeker
St. Louis, Missouri, congregation

Answers: 1. f; 2. e; 3. d; 4. a; 5. c; 6. b

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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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