Is it possible that as worldly knowledge increases, wisdom decreases? Humanity has accomplished much and has many clever sayings, such as “knowledge is power.” But it’s a spiritual paradox of sorts.

Let’s consider Scripture. Standing amidst an assortment of pagan altars, Paul stood up at Mars Hill and said: “Men of Athens, I see how very religious you are in every way” (Acts 17:22). Paul spoke to them at their spiritual level. He didn’t look down his nose and walk away. He didn’t say, “Your idols are outrageous and need to be destroyed.”

He may have screened his thoughts and practiced diplomacy. Paul found a way to tell them some good news about his merciful, all-powerful God, using a sliver of wisdom he found among these knowledgeable Athenians: “I found an altar where you worship with the words written on it, TO THE GOD WHO IS NOT KNOWN. You are worshiping Him without knowing Him. He is the One I will tell you about” (Acts 17:22-23).

Wisdom can be found anywhere God chooses, whether we hear it or not: “Wisdom cries out in the street; she utters her voice in the markets” (Proverbs 1:20). We may cry out in prayer for understanding and seek it as treasure, but Scripture cautions about misplacing our focus on knowledge: “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2).

God’s Word offers direction for the times we lose our way on the road of wisdom: “What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8). Communication and signs are navigation tools. Ask for wisdom and observe the fruit borne from that request. “Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly” (Proverbs 3:18).

Connecting the dots on this spiritual treasure-seeking quest will help us stay on target for the heavenly wisdom of James 3:17 and our true, living God.

I looked with sadness and tears at the photos of those murdered on Feb. 14 in Florida, which left in its wake a chorus of questions, most beginning with “why?” Tragically, media as far away as The Times of London reported that pre-event warning signs about the murder of 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School were plentiful, with the young teenage shooter—known to suffer from mental health issues—boasting openly on YouTube that he aspired to be “a professional school shooter.” The FBI admitted that it received cautionary reports about the suspect teenager but had failed to follow up.

Something is wrong—very wrong—with our unraveling American society. Since the tragic Sandy Hook school shootings in 2014, more than 400 people have been shot in some 239 violent school shootings, with 138 of these students, teachers and others outright killed.

What about you? A return to spiritual health and societal sanity begins with each person.

What’s the answer? Columnist Peggy Noonan squarely confronted the underlying cause. Framing it up in the Feb. 17 Wall Street Journal, she asked: “What has happened the past 40 years or so to produce a society so ill at ease with itself, so prone to violence?”

Here is her answer: “We know. We all say it privately, but it’s so obvious it’s hardly worth saying. We have been swept by social, technological and cultural revolution” (emphasis added). Why is that a problem? According to Noonan, this godless revolution over the past 40 years annihilated the once-stable family structure. Destabilized fatherless sons and daughters now turn to a tidal wave of online porn, violent video games, illegal drugs and more to self-medicate their anxiety. Torn asunder, too many youths lead empty lives that they increasingly perceive as utterly meaningless.

What do we learn from this? A relentless four-decade-long onslaught on moral absolutes has produced a violent, increasingly insane society severed from the restorative and stabilizing truth found in the Bible.

To be fair, Noonan carefully notes that the blinding speed of change compressed in the past four decades has not been all bad, as “some good things, even miraculous ones” have come about. But here’s a critical point: The dark side of this revolutionary assault has produced “what appears to be a mental-health crisis, especially among the young.”

How did this happen? The roots of all this can be traced back to an ironic event. Nearly a century ago, the legendary physicist Albert Einstein turned the world upside down with his discovery and publication of his General Theory of Relativity. Contrasting what appeared to be the once-absolute truth of Newtonian physics, Einstein demonstrated a whole new perspective. While his theory was scientifically illuminating, relativity was quickly clutched by social leaders and incorrectly applied to societal and religious concepts. The result was nothing short of a catastrophe. As Einstein biographer Walter Isaacson pointed out, “relativity became associated with a new relativism in morality and art and politics.” The New York Times of the day correctly pointed out that the “foundations of all human thought have been undermined.” Ironically, as Isaacson recalls, Einstein actually held “simple and absolute moral convictions.” Einstein himself emphatically stated that his theory of relativity “has nothing to do with religion.”

But the treacherous damage was done and crumbling societal decay quickly set in. Its disastrous outcome rings down to today, spawning fresh ruin wherever it is embraced. This dangerously false moral relativism actually “formed a knife to help cut society adrift from its traditional moorings,” as British historian Paul Johnson affirmed in his book Modern Times.

Now, fast forward to the 21st century and read the words of Dr. Norman Doidge, a psychiatrist and neuroscience expert. Moral relativity, he writes, today afflicts new victims laid waste by “a form of serious intellectual and moral neglect.” The result? “It turns out that many people cannot tolerate the vacuum—the chaos—which is inherent in life, but made worse by this moral relativism; they cannot live without a moral compass, without an ideal at which to aim in their lives.”

Moral relativism fuels the society-shattering false belief that there is no such thing as absolute truth, particularly when it comes to the Bible. Humanists—those who reject the Bible (or any other religious authority for that matter) and believe humans should choose morality for themselves—tragically dismiss the ancient words that could heal American and any other society.

Here’s my point: Tragic events like what happened in Florida represent the direct outcome of abandoning critical spiritual truths that guide individuals and societies to peaceful and prosperous lives. Whether people want to believe it or not, these spiritual laws are bound with relentless power. Breaking them eventually produces devastating consequences. When people foolishly try to neglect or abandon them—a futile approach—society is painfully rent with ruin.

About 2,000 years ago, Paul summed it up: “For since the creation of the world, His [God’s] invisible attributes are clearly seen . . . so that they [the humanists of any age] are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). What happens when an intellectual or any other person rejects this obvious proof of God’s existence? They become “futile in their thoughts . . . Professing to be wise they became fools” (Romans 1:21-22).

The Bible teaches that there exist two basic ways of life. God offers humanity the choice between them. He leaves no one with any excuse. God sums up basic but critical guidelines in what is known as the Ten Commandments. Keep and uphold them and you get a strong, resilient and caring society. Reject and break them, and you get Parkland, Florida, and a host of other grievous ills.

It’s that simple.

What about you? A return to spiritual health and societal sanity begins with each person. The challenge that God set before the ancient Israelites is today set before us: “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19, New International Version, emphasis added).

What’s your choice? These are critical times. To lay the foundation for the answer to tragedies like Parkland, I strongly invite you to request (or immediately download) and review two crucial Bible study aids: Life’s Ultimate Question: Does God Exist? and The Ten Commandments.

Deep compassion and grief fills us for the families and community members in Parkland, indeed, for all who have been afflicted by mindless violence. But we also grieve for a society that has gone mad. It is not God’s will that violent life should prevail. 

Find the answer to societal insanity. Make the right choice. Seek God while He may be found!

As we read the accounts of King David, one thing that stands out about him was that he was “a man after God’s own Heart.” In fact God Himself gave him this description. Paul summarized the story this way: "And when He had removed him [Saul], He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will'" (Acts 13:22).

What does it mean to be a person after God’s own heart? What can we do so that we can be described in the same way? We all want to strive to be like God, but what made David so special that he would earn that compliment from God?

David knew who the Creator was

Because David was a shepherd of sheep, he spent many hours in God’s creation. He knew that the beauty he saw around him was created by someone bigger than He was. David wrote, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” (Psalms 8:3-4). Get to know God through His creation!

David trusted God

When he was fleeing from King Saul, David trusted God to deliver him. And when David had the opportunity to kill King Saul, he did not, because David knew and trusted God! God was in charge, not Saul. "Trust in the LORD . . . feed on His faithfulness . . . Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him" (Psalm 37:3-5). David himself trusted in the LORD. Always trust God in every circumstance, because He cares deeply for you!

David loved God’s law!

David absolutely loved God’s law. David repeatedly mentioned how much he loved God’s perfect law! “For I delight in your commands because I love them. I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees” (Psalm 119:47–48). David “meditated” on God’s statutes. God granted David understanding and wisdom through daily meditation.

We should all read God’s Word, of course, but we should also think about it throughout the day, for God loves us to think about Him. “Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways” (Psalm 119:2–3).

David was humbled

David knew he was a king, but even more importantly he recognized that he was a “king” who served a King! That kept him humble and helped him keep his life in a proper perspective! “Then David the king went in and sat before the LORD, and he said, 'Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?" (2 Samuel 7:18). David always referred to himself as God’s servant. Yes, David was humble because he knew who made him and who was guiding and protecting him.

David was repentant

"A Psalm of David after Nathan the prophet went to David to reveal David’s sin, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

"David prayed; 'Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge" (Psalm 51).

David was a king who humbled himself before his King, God our Father. David did not play the blame game, but instead humbled himself. He was humbled because even in his greatness as king he never forgot who the real King was. He cast himself wholly on the mercy of our Creator. We can always go to God for forgiveness! Moreover, nothing is too great that God will not forgive.

David glorified God and was thankful

“Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel,
Who only does wondrous things!
And blessed be His glorious name forever!
And let the whole earth be filled with His glory" (Psalm 72:18-19).

This psalm of Solomon accurately depicts the type of attitude we have, which David excellently displayed. Never stop having a thankful heart to God! Never stop giving God the glory.

God is not a respecter of persons. He loves all of us just as much as He did King David. He loves and honors those who honor Him and follow Him! Why? For our good!

We all can be a woman or man after God’s own heart by asking God to put His heart in us. Acknowledging Him as our creator; stay humbled; having a repentant heart and always glorifying God as David did.

As one of God's prophets stated it: "For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is on Him" (2 Chronicles 16:9).

It’s almost like telling a fairy tale when we speak about fathers. “Once upon a time when dads were respected and responsible . . . ” Where did it go? It seems like society just does not find fathers valuable anymore, nor expect them to be responsible. The APA says that 40-50 percent of marriages end in divorce (a shocking statement!), and few of these divorces end with dad having full custody. Aside from that, many are not married at all. One out of every 15 males will father a child in their teens. Only 20 percent marry the mothers of those children, and most won’t interact with the children (source: Teen Dad Pregnancy Facts-Modern Mom). So where does that leave the kids?

Fathers need to be a part of their children’s lives. They need to show their children what a real dad looks like.

In Scripture, we see many examples of what a dad is supposed to be. Fathers such as Isaac were shown as loving and stable people who gave blessings to their children (Genesis 27). The father protected the family and was the provider. When a man had a child, he was committed to the child good or bad. We see this in the parable of the prodigal son. The father was so happy to once again see his wayward son that he threw a tremendous party and rejoiced (Luke 15:11-32). Noah too was a great example of a good father who worked hard and showed faithfulness. And then there was Abraham, who was the father to all of Israel.

Unfortunately, a lot has changed. Fathers for decades have been depicted on TV and in movies as bumbling fools. They are shown as lazy, self-centered, effeminate and just plain inept. Not only do they not have a clue, they are often shown as frightened by their children. Or the father is depicted as either a drunk, angry and uncaring, or not there at all. Others show divorced dads who do nothing but fight with their ex-spouse. These are the examples of dads our children view daily. It has become increasingly difficult to find a show with a loving, capable, and intelligent father in it. It is also regrettable that these characters end up being role models for our children.

As adults, men raised without dads don’t think they are capable and give up before they start. Male children raised without a father or with one who is emotionally absent have few examples to show them how it’s done. It is a “what’s in it for me” attitude in society today. It’s all about what makes the individual happy. But that never works when raising a family. This way of thinking also means some parents don’t think twice about doing drugs or drinking to excess while with their children. This leads to an uptick of mental and physical abuse. One might just watch the daily news to see that. The children are left feeling neglected and needy (Colossians 3:21).

When a man gets a woman pregnant today, they often feel no responsibility towards the child. And many just walk away when things get tough. Worse, the mother often feels there is no need for a man in the child’s life. I am by no means saying a woman’s incapable of raising a child alone, but there is a lot to be said for having the father around. Studies back up the problems that can arise when the father is absent.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2011 12 percent of children of married couples lived in poverty. That number quadrupled for homes without fathers. In fact, a 2012 study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states that in female-headed homes without a spouse present, 47.6 percent of families lived in poverty. Statistics in 2015 estimated that 20 million children live in a fatherless home. Many studies also state that children of single-parent homes are more than twice as likely to commit suicide. Married couples also have children with less external and internal behavioral problems (Fragile Families Study; Hofferth, S., Nat’l Board of Health & Welfare, AZ State University et al.).

We also need to be careful not to fall into the kind of thinking we see on the sitcoms. Making a mockery of what fatherhood is. We must respect those dads who are doing the best they can to parent in a world that does not show them any respect at all. It angers God when we disrespect our parents and scripture speaks to it (Proverbs 30:17). We must not let ourselves become one of these statistics. Scripture says, “'Honor your father and mother,' which is the first commandment with promise: 'that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth'” (Ephesians 6:2-3).

How can we honor a father who is not there? Fathers need to be a part of their children’s lives. They need to show their children what a real dad looks like. Paul wrote, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8). This is no small matter! Fathers too should be showing such honor to God the Father and teaching their children how to do so (Hebrews 12:9; Proverbs 6:20). The family is important, and we must not take the role of the father lightly.

When I was young, I enjoyed spending time at my great aunt’s farm during my summer breaks. My cousin and I would take turns sleeping in the big bed with her at night. On one occasion, my aunt turned out the light and quickly fell asleep. I, however, could not fall asleep so swiftly. As I lay in the dark I began to hear a strange whooshing noise. It took me a second, but then I thought I recognized it. It was a bat! I quickly pulled the covers over my head and cowered. At that action, my aunt awoke and asked what I was doing. I explained, so she got up and turned on the light. She looked around the room and said, “Nope, no bat.”

If we walk in God’s ways we will not be blinded by what Satan puts in front of us. We will see the clear path and not stumble.

I felt relieved and quickly calmed after seeing the room was clear, but soon the noise was back and I was under the covers once more. My aunt chastised me for being paranoid and plainly told me, “There is no bat!” I turned on my side and barely uncovered my face over the edge of the bed while keeping my head securely covered the rest of the night. In the morning, my aunt informed me that she had gotten up in the middle of the night and killed the bat, which had been hiding under the shade when she got up in the night.

Our adversary Satan works much in the same way: He is the ruler of darkness. We are told, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). His deceptions are hidden within the darkness just like the bat in my aunt’s room. When he thinks he is about to be caught in his deception, he hides behind something that seems innocuous to us. He disguises himself as good, and if we’re not careful he will lead us astray (2 Corinthians 11:14; 2 Corinthians 11:3).

What God wants us to do is plainly laid out in His Word. Why then do so many decide to do things their own way? They make their own laws and celebrate days that are not established Holy Days. When we create and follow our own ways, we are not worshipping God as He wants us to. Remember, Satan often wraps what is evil to look good. We must be careful not to do the same. “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isaiah 5:20).

This also happens in many churches. We cannot believe what we hear just because someone has the title of pastor, minister or reverend says it is so. We also cannot believe what we hear because someone sounds learned or we like the person. Just as my aunt thought she knew the truth when saying there was no bat, we must be careful not to blindly believe. We need to read our Bibles. If we do, we will learn the truth and know it when we hear it. It is not for any man to decide what is right and wrong on his own. Yes, we have choices. However, if we want to call ourselves Christians, we must do it God’s way, not ours (2 Timothy 3:13; Matthew 24:24, Matthew 7:15).

When we stand in darkness we cannot see the bats that fly about our heads, but if there is even a little light we can see them. If they conceal themselves and we are diligent, we will find their hiding place. It is the same in Christianity. If we walk in God’s ways we will not be blinded by what Satan puts in front of us. We will see the clear path and not stumble and we will discover how to easily see through his deceptions and hidden meanings (Psalms 18:28). If not, our eyes will be blinded. “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:23, emphasis added throughout).

We are told to expose the unfruitful works of darkness (Ephesians 5:11). What exposes darkness? Light! (John 1:5; Daniel 2:22). God wants us to want to be like Him and He is light. We cannot honestly say we are a part of God’s family if we do not walk in the light (1 John 1:5-6).

We are to be lights in a dark world. “You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:5). In fact, we are told that if we practice evil we hate the light and want no part of it. (John 3:19-20) If we hate the light than we are actually turning against God who is Himself light. People hide from the light because they don’t want their sinful doings exposed. Much like the bat who hid away from the light.

One Sabbath morning my wife and I were on the road to church services. We exited I-75 and began driving down a county highway. Shortly thereafter we apparently hit a small unseen object in the road, which caused the right front tire to go flat almost instantly.

I stopped the car on the road’s shoulder, took the jack, lug wrench and the compact spare tire (the so-called “doughnut”) out of the trunk, changed the tire and we resumed our journey. But in less than a quarter mile we again heard the thumping, flat tire sound. I pulled off the road onto the grassy, muddy shoulder and found that the same tire I had just mounted had actually pulled itself partially off the rim. So there we were, without a spare tire and with the right side of the car now sinking slowly into the mud.

We were grateful when a church member, who was on the way to Sabbath services, stopped and kindly offered us a ride. After services I called a wrecker to have the car towed out of the mud and taken to a service location. We soon learned that that problem with the spare tire occurred because it was under-inflated and therefore unable to support the car’s weight.

But the real problem was not with the spare tire, it was with me. I simply hadn’t bothered to check the tire’s air pressure earlier to make sure it was ready for service if needed.

Preparing for trouble on the road

That incident encouraged me to think more seriously about my divine calling. Am I ready for a spiritual emergency, or am I just assuming I’m prepared to handle major trouble on the route to God’s Kingdom?

How about you? Are you equipped to handle a “spiritual flat” on the road to eternal life? 

A spiritual flat results from ordeals or afflictions you encounter in your life (Job 5:7; 1 Peter 4:12). Some of these can have the effect of deflating your spiritual “air pressure.” And if you are not prepared, a spiritual flat can potentially prevent you from completing your journey to salvation.

So how should you prepare for a flat on the road to God’s Kingdom?

Are you hot or cold?

Jesus’ message to the Laodicean church in Revelation 3 helps us answer that question: “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write . . . ‘I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth’” (Revelation 3:14-16).

Verse 17 expresses this church member’s feeling of complacency and self-satisfaction. By him saying, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” tells us that he doesn’t think he really needs to do anything more than what he is already doing. He thinks he is just fine spiritually. But he certainly isn’t, and he just can’t see it (verse 18).

Not only does he figuratively have no “air in his spare,” but his other tires are bald and going flat. His engine is misfiring. His radiator is seeping fluid, and his windshield is so dirty he can hardly see through it. While he does what other Christians do physically, such as attending Sabbath services and paying tithes, it’s become simply an undemanding, comfortable routine. What’s the reality? His spiritual life has actually ground to a halt.

What is this laid-back Christian’s underlying problem? It’s his faulty priorities. Although he may be great at any number human endeavors, he is careless about placing first—and pursuing fervently—his divine calling (Matthew 6:33).

Indeed, he is not eager to talk to his Creator in prayer or to study the words leading to eternal life. He is not making sacrifices to serve other people, nor is he upholding enthusiastically God’s standards and principles. He is “blind” spiritually in that he is unknowing, unobservant and neglectful. He is spiritually “naked” because he is dominated and governed by his human interests and desires—rather than by God’s entreaties through His Holy Spirit. He is “wretched and miserable” because although he seems to have everything going for him physically, he is actually failing in the spiritual warfare he should be waging against his own carnal nature and Satan’s influence. He not only needs a complete overhaul and tune-up, he most certainly needs “air in his spare.”

Gratefully, and through God’s tremendous mercy, all this can be done. The situation is not hopeless if he chooses to make big and essential changes (2 Corinthians 13:5). The apostle Paul told brethren in his day that they needed to get busy on what was really important (Romans 13:11). This is true for today’s lethargic Christian. If he is willing to repent and renovate his spiritual condition he can thrive once again (Revelation 3:18-22; 2 Timothy 1:6).

So what about you? You will likely experience spiritual flat tires in your life resulting from troubles and afflictions you encounter. But if you have “air in your spare,” you can recover from those spiritual flats and get moving again swiftly along God’s divine highway. It’s all about having a healthy and robust relationship with your Creator while striving energetically with His help and power to live His ideal way of life. It’s also about being spiritually motivated and highly conscientious about pursuing your magnificent calling (Proverbs 31:27). So don’t leave anything to chance while journeying on the road to everlasting life. Make sure there is always “air in your spare.”

As Christians, we are taught to be lights to the world. Scripture reads, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). We hear the words, we know what they mean, but do we really consider how much of an impact they have? How we act—our example is very important to God. Why? Because we are examples of who God is, what His character is like.

It takes effort to change who we are and it is almost impossible when we refuse to separate ourselves from bad influences.

When we consider the examples Christ set for us, we should understand we are to emulate that behavior. We are to mirror His goodness, forgiveness and love towards all people. It is not always easy to do, but it is what God wants from us. We are God’s children and meant to stand apart from the world. Matthew 13:49 states that at the end of the age the angels will “separate the wicked from among the just.” The just will have lived as God commanded and have been a good example to those around them. “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20, English Standard Version).

Have you ever been around someone who professes to be a Christian, but then goes about doing things that do not appear Christian at all? Maybe they use God’s name in vain or use profane language. Maybe they are superstitious, spread malicious gossip or are mean and cruel to others. When someone professes their love for God and Christ and then acts foolishly, it reflects poorly on God and His people. How can we be lights to the people of the world when we are living this way? We cannot. "They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work" (Titus 1:16).

We are told to live differently. To be incorruptible, reverent, loving, temperate, etc. (Titus 2:1-8). It is also true that if we are living as good examples, but spend all our time with those who are corrupt, we will eventually fall into trouble (1 Corinthians 15:33). God understands that people tend to act and do as those around them, which is why He warns us to avoid such relationships. Think about it. That’s how traditions start, how languages develop and why we tend to use the same gestures and words our closest friends and family use. It comes upon us slowly and sometimes even surprises us when we do or say something out of character.

It takes effort to change who we are and it is almost impossible when we refuse to separate ourselves from bad influences. “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God” (3 John 1:11). Paul reminds us to not “let our good be spoken of as evil” (Romans 14:16). This can happen when we slip up in what we say and do. Others often look for bad in us. If we go along doing well in their eyes and then stumble by speaking evil of another, or swearing when they have never heard us do so, or do anything uncomely in front of them, they often erase all the good we have done and focus on that one bad thing. That is why it is so important to make changes that change who we are internally.

Knowing this, we must be even more aware of how we treat others who are not close to us or that do good towards us. Are we being a good example to all? (Luke 6:33). It needs to come naturally for us. We must internalize the behavior and be genuine in it (Psalms 37:27). If we don’t, people will see right through our deception. “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). It has to become part of our nature.

Of course, none of us are perfect. But we are to continually strive to be so (Matthew 5:48). It is a learning process. Psalm 18:32 tells us it is God who gives us the strength to get there. And Galatians 3:3 tells us we are being made perfect by the Holy Spirit. Without God’s help, we could never master it, but the intention to do so must begin with us. We must take the first steps to be all that God would have us to be if we want to be a part of the glorious future He has planned for us. Being a good example to others seems little to ask.

While I was listening to the radio, an advertisement came on, advertising softener and encouraging people to go to the website: “I hate my softener." I found the word hate being used with softener a little crazy but humorous. Nevertheless, I am not surprised when we live in such a hate-filled world. Because of so much hate in our world today, there is even a website for people to go to who hate their softener.

The advertisement may seem a bit humorous, but the reality is we are in dangerous times. Hate is coming from everywhere! People demanding their rights or they will destroy anything in their path. Jesus warned, "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). 

Hate is even on the news broadcast! News is no longer news anymore. The news is filled with so much hate—filled with accusers; it is so bad I have had to turn it off.

We see hate toward God and anyone who tries to live God’s way. It is hate toward leadership, which is the opposite of what God commands us to do: "I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence" (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Sadly, humankind has become lovers of themselves.

Paul warned Timothy: "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:1-4).

This spirit all comes from the deceiver, Satan! “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12). So what is Satan’s personality?

The Bible describes Satan in three ways:

1. The tempter (Matthew 4:3)
2. The accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10)
3. The father of lies (John 8:44) )

Satan’s forces are at work attempting to pollute our minds with lies and hatred to keep us from walking in the truth.

How do we escape that hate-filled attitude of Satan?

1. Stop watching and listening to hate-filled programs

As I stated earlier I have had to stop watching the news because I know that the spirit is one of hate for the most part. Ask yourself: Do they practice truthfulness by getting the facts first and going to that person in private first, as God commanded us to do? Does the program produce good fruit? Paul listed the fruit of God's Holy Spirit: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). Living this passage daily eliminates hatred!

2. Look for the best in others and treat others the way you would like to be treated

Look outwardly instead of inwardly. Giving to others takes away hate. It gives you a completely different spirit. Audrey Hepburn once said, “For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” This kind of attitude eliminates hatred.

3. Ask God for peace

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). Isaiah the prophet wrote: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you!” (Isaiah 26:3). We know that the world does not give us peace, but God will if we ask Him and keep our minds on Him. Peace eliminates hatred.

4. Guard your mind against negativity in your thinking

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things . . . and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9). Positive thinking eliminates hatred!

5. Be thankful

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21). “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe” (Philippians 2:14-15). Being thankful is actually good for your health. Being thankful eliminates hatred!

It is ok to dislike your softener. However, the word hate has become a favorite word used these days that defines the state of the world—a world filled with so much hate that it has become a dangerous place to live.

We know what Satan is like. We also know how we feel when we are caught up in Satan’s vile hatred. To fight this spirit of Satan, we must be close to God! Pray to God for His Spirit to be stirred up within us! Pray that God will give us a completely different heart—a spirit of peace, which is opposite of hate.

Always ask yourself, is this of God or of Satan?

It is that time of year again: When I have to let others know at work that I want to be left out of their Christmas celebrations. Most of my coworkers think it's a bit odd, but they humor me.

This year I had one person take offense that I do not my want my desk to be decorated or to be included in any of the celebrations. His desk was decorated for his birthday, and I congratulated him. He then raised his voice at me and asked if I had a problem with the decorations. I said not at all. He then said in a loud hostile voice, “Do you know who else has a birthday this month?” Bewildered by his attitude, I said no. He shouted “Jesus! Jesus has a birthday the 25th of this month!” He then continued to loudly restate this in different ways, several times.

I just let him rant and turned back to my own work, as nothing was to be gained by getting into an argument with him. I am sure he felt he was defending his beliefs against the “war on Christmas.”

This man is a manager over many people (not myself), and I shudder to think how someone under him would be treated who had any beliefs different than his. Our company policy strictly prohibits this kind of behavior toward people of different religious backgrounds.

It's not that I had requested anyone else not celebrate Christmas in my presence, or that anybody refrain from decorating their own desk. I had merely asked that I not be included. I did not try to impose my thoughts about Christmas. I acknowledge that for many people it is seen as a time to worship Jesus and to spend meaningful time with family and friends.

Vanity in worship

Bible scholars place the birth of Jesus as most likely in September. A simple Internet search of "When was Jesus born?" will give ample answers to show Bible scholars pretty much agree on the time of year. God would have made sure we knew the exact date if it were to be a time to worship our Savior.

"Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened" (Romans 1:21).

Can you think of anything more futile than celebrating someone’s birthday on a day that they were not born? And on a day used by their worst enemy? If you would not do this to your best friend or spouse, why does it seem all right to do it to the Creator of the universe?

"But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:9).

You can worship Jesus and do it in vain? Jesus said you could!

When people ask me why I do not celebrate Christmas, I tell them I only celebrate what the New Testament Church celebrated, and that Christmas was added hundreds of years later.

You will not find any semblance of it in the New Testament Church as recorded in the Bible.

Christmas's troubling roots

An Internet search will show you there was a celebration similar to Christmas that took place at that time, called Saturnalia, which was held in worship of the god Saturn.

From History Today: “It was a public holiday celebrated around December 25th in the family home. A time for feasting, goodwill, generosity to the poor, the exchange of gifts and the decoration of trees. But it wasn’t Christmas. This was Saturnalia, the pagan Roman winter solstice festival. Saturnalia originated as a farmer’s festival to mark the end of the autumn planting season in honor of Saturn (satus means sowing). Numerous archaeological sites from the Roman coastal province of Constantine, now in Algeria, demonstrate that the cult of Saturn survived there until the early third century AD.”

Here are some of the quotes readily available with an Internet search of "Why is Christmas celebrated on Dec. 25?"

“The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (he was the first Christian Roman Emperor). A few years later, Pope Julius I officially declared that the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on the 25th December” (source: whychristmas.com).

It is questionable whether Constantine ever actually accepted Christianity, as he continued to worship the sun god throughout his life. However, it is undeniable that when Constantine imposed his will at the Council of Nicaea, he influenced many of the common beliefs of Christianity that come down to us to this day.

Here is another one:

“Christmas is on Dec. 25, but it wasn't always. Dec. 25 is not the date mentioned in the Bible as the day of Jesus's birth; the Bible is actually silent on the day or the time of year when Mary was said to have given birth to him in Bethlehem. The earliest Christians did not celebrate his birth" (source: Washington Post).

This one shows the common thought process today:

“Regardless of the pagan background of so many December traditions, and whether or not Jesus was born on December 25th, our goal is still to turn the eyes of all men upon the true Creator and Christ of Christmas. The light of the world has come. And the Christmas season and celebration presents the church with a wonderful opportunity to preach the good news--that men can be made righteous and have peace with God through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ” (source: Grace To You).

Don't be ensnared

How does celebrating a birthday on a day it did not occur, with entrapments of pagan celebrations and fables, turn people to God? Unfortunately, this celebration can be a major problem for people to give up in order to worship God in truth.

To His people Israel, God said: "Take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods" (Deuteronomy 12:30-31).

That is what God has to say about it!

And the apostle Peter wrote, "For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty" (2 Peter 1:16).

These traditions and the cunningly devised fables that surround Christmas actually mask who our Savior was! Some of these traditions can be traced all the way back to the ancient Babylonian mystery religion. In Revelation 18 God warns to come out of that Babylonian system so you will not have to receive the plagues that they will receive.

More and more fables are added year after year, and those of us on the outside looking at it can see it is getting more frenetic as time goes on.

People are trying to hold on to something that has been a focal point in their life, but it cannot fill the void. Christmas is a cherished family tradition, and many feel threatened by the references to the obvious syncretism with paganism.

There is a way to worship Christ and to fill that void, and that way is to worship on the days when Jesus Himself worshipped. Those special days have meaning about the hope for mankind, and are completely lacking in any ancient pagan practices.

If you are interested in knowing what many other people believe, observances that give meaning and hope to this chaotic world we live in, check out God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind.

On a recent warm spring day while my wife and I were driving on the interstate, a small turtle crouched by the road literally a few inches from traffic. His head raised high and his neck fully outstretched, he looked like he was contemplating crossing the freeway. Of course, we certainly knew the turtle could not really "think” about making such a decision. Motivated by instinct, he might have merely been trying to reach a mating or nesting area after leaving his winter quarters.

Did the turtle cross the freeway that day? We don’t know. But if he tried, the odds of him making it to the other side were clearly not in his favor.

How about you and me—when we face a major decision, do we carefully implement critical decision-making practices that will give us the best opportunity for success? Or are we figuratively crouched by the edge of a busy freeway, “sticking our neck out,” just hoping a hasty decision to dash across won’t result in us being run over? How can we make effective decisions? What is a wise, deliberate course of action we can employ when we must decide a major issue?

Making good decisions

Throughout our lives we encounter many decisions, both small and large. The small ones might include what clothes to wear or what to eat for lunch. These kinds of decisions generally do not take a lot of thought or effort. But the major decisions require much more concerted attention and action. These might cover such questions as: What should I do after losing my job? Should I change careers? Maybe go back to school? Should I get married? Should I move to a new city or state? Buy a house? Have a baby? When should I retire?

If we employ wisdom and place our lives in God’s hands by faithful obedience, we can have confidence that the decisions we make will work to our ultimate advantage.

Decisions like these can be challenging and demanding because they often involve complex factors including how family members will be affected, finances, climate, health issues, relationships and much more.

To illustrate, I’d like to use a personal example. A number of years ago I was managing a large convention property that had been up for sale for a long time. After it finally sold, I lost both my job and our housing since we lived on the property. My wife and I with our two children moved to a nearby apartment, and I began searching for new employment. One particular complication involved my allergies to mold, mildew and various printing inks, toners and fragrances. Finding employment where I would not be exposed regularly to these substances was a major challenge.

After months of job hunting, nothing suitable resulted. Ultimately it took about two years of searching before I finally obtained a new job and we settled in another state. Unlike the turtle on the edge of the freeway, the way to the other side was not a straight line, but a journey replete with hills, valleys and many detours. Very little of that experience was “black and white,” nor did it feel like a direct route to a good job and a settled life. It took hard work and the application of several important principles of decision making to reach our goal.

Stay positive and optimistic

Decision making during times of stress and uncertainty, such as after a job loss, can be very frustrating and difficult. Feelings of inadequacy and dejection can often accompany unemployment. This can be especially true if the situation has gone on for a long time. I know, because I had to fight that battle. As a result, I found that it was critical to do everything possible to stay positive and upbeat. Making sound decisions requires clear reasoning and an optimistic outlook. I learned that being encumbered by negative emotions short-circuited making objective judgments.

Dr. Hossein Arsham, a professor of business statistics and decision science at the University of Baltimore, wrote: “Do not make any serious decisions when you are angry, hurt, depressed, desperate or frightened. Do not make a decision when you are incapable of rational thought. Make decisions for the right reasons and when you are calm and thoughtful.”

Stress, despair and depression can have a harmful effect on effective decision making. The website wisedecisions.com explains: “When the brain is overloaded by stress or dimmed by depression the ability to think well and make wise decisions is reduced. Stress and depression, by clinical trials, have been clearly proven to reduce cognitive ability and affect memory, concentration and judgment. So what do you do? The best advice is to refrain from making major career or life decisions when you are in such a state. Give it time, rest, let go of the decision and come back to it a little later.”

The book of Proverbs confirms that depression and hopelessness can hinder a person physically, emotionally and spiritually so that he or she cannot function optimally. “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken” (Proverbs 15:13). The Bible also offers essential advice in combating negativity and pessimism when meeting difficult trials: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Avoid concentrating on past mistakes

Another lesson we learned when encountering major decisions was to avoid reliving past mistakes. Of course all of us can and should learn from our failures and errors, but it is unwise to repeatedly look into the rearview mirror, by wishing things were different. When I was searching for a job and not making progress, I occasionally found myself thinking, “If only I had acted sooner,” or had not previously made a particular mistake in judgment. It took time to realize that it was unhelpful to continue rehearsing former troubles and miscalculations. I learned that I needed to let the past be the past and put my energy into finding a new road ahead. The apostle Paul offers this simple yet profound counsel: “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; 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). 

Make every effort to get the facts

Wise decision making also requires the careful gathering and analysis of various options. This could simply be called “getting the facts.” My wife and I found that when we faced a key decision it was valuable to impartially write down as many pros and cons about the situation as possible. Doing so compelled us to take the time to examine the implications of a range of choices and not treat lightly any potential negative effects that could be faced.

This approach can be advisable if, for example, you are considering a move to another city or state for new employment. You may want to reflect on questions like, What are the risks and benefits of moving? How will doing so affect your family? Will the income from the new job be sufficient to cover higher living costs in the new area? How about the climate? Will family members be able to adjust adequately? What will the schools in the new area be like for the children?

Placing these and other questions, choices and alternatives on paper can provide a beneficial long range view in order to more accurately determine what could lie ahead. Taking this step requires concerted effort to really dig out the facts. Doing so may bring to light important factors that had not previously been considered or discussed.

Moving ahead on a major decision without adequate information and deliberation could be like the slow-moving little turtle trying to cross the busy freeway. There may be little chance of success if a range of important alternatives are not first investigated carefully.

Seek wise, objective advice

Another critical key in formulating an appropriate decision is to seek wise counsel. In determining the facts, it is important to obtain as much objective advice as possible from people who possess information and data relative to the subject in question. As an example, if you had a problem with your car’s engine and were unfamiliar with how to diagnose or repair it, you would likely seek out someone with the proper mechanical knowledge. The same is true about other circumstances for which you may not be as familiar.

Seeking advice from several individuals who are highly regarded and trustworthy authorities on the matter associated with your decision is a valuable element in good decision making. “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14). Besides obtaining advice from wise people, gaining knowledge from God’s Word is also an essential key to making good decisions. The Bible is filled with examples of right and wrong decision making, both by the leaders and average citizens. Studying these biblical illustrations carefully can help you steer clear of possible blunders in the choices you encounter. “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Corinthians 10:11).

A truly wise and humble person realizes he is inadequate without God and His careful guidance. At the beginning of his reign King Solomon said to his Creator, “Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?” (2 Chronicles 1:10).

You could benefit by this example as you ask God for His direction in your choices. He understands your situation and sincerely desires to help you. Nevertheless, He sometimes waits for a person to ask for His assistance. This is where persistent prayer should also be a part of your decision making procedures. “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Luke 11:9). My wife and I learned that we also needed to appreciate that God, in His wisdom, will answer our prayers in the timing and methods of His choosing, not necessarily ours. Therefore, we found that another key to making judicious decisions was exercising patience.

As we gathered the facts, sought wise counsel, studied and obeyed God’s Word and prayed about our situation, we also found we needed to patiently analyze the information we have obtained. Just as the turtle cautiously stopped and waited on the side of the freeway, so should you carefully employ patience to help you do what is best and avoid getting into trouble. Although the time for action will come, the apostle James offers some excellent advice: “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:4). So “sleeping on it” before making a final decision is a favorable and wise strategy.

Implementing your decision

Once you've decided on a course of action, it is time to move forward positively and decisively. Vacillation must be rejected because it can be discouraging and debilitating. If you ask God for His guidance you should do your utmost to eliminate doubt. “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6-8).

After choosing wisely, the next thing is to work diligently to obtain the desired results. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.” But what if the outcome of the decision is not exactly to your liking or your goal has not yet been fully been achieved? If that occurs, it is important to demonstrate flexibility.

If events do not turn out precisely as planned, be willing to adjust and modify the path to your goal. I mentioned earlier that my road to new employment was not a direct one. Even after research, contemplation, consultation, discussion, prayer and study, it was a journey that included various detours and alternate routes. It required agility to adjust to changing circumstances.

Not every decision you make will immediately provide sparkling, ideal results. It is inevitable that you will occasionally run into unanticipated problems. Being prepared for that possibility can supply peace of mind and prevent you from becoming frustrated and discouraged.

The most important component

In thinking back about the turtle we saw on the side of the busy freeway that spring day, we certainly hope he made a better “decision” than to try to cross to the other side. Although we know he was operating only by natural instinct, you and I have the God-given capacity to formulate and then decide on the path forward. Making wise decisions requires the important principles and practices just described.

But there is an additional component that ought to be integral to every decision made. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).  

If you and I make the Kingdom of God our overall goal, we don’t have to be like the turtle on the side of the freeway, just “sticking our neck out,” hoping we will make an effective decision. Rather, if we employ wisdom and place our lives in God’s hands by faithful obedience, we can have confidence that the decisions we make will work to our ultimate advantage.

Who was Jesus, and did He really exist? As Christmas festivities engulf American society these twin questions generally spring to mind. This year is no different, as the National Geographic magazine once again wanders into the area of spirituality with this month’s cover article The Real Jesus. A quick look at this issue makes you wonder if this is an evangelistic bid, rather than the traditional offering about geography and subjects relating to the physical world we live in.

The questions about Jesus certainly endure as relevant and legitimate. As NatGeo author and former archeologist Kristin Romey points out, some two billion people alive today have staked some degree of belief in Jesus as simultaneously historical and personally influential. So, we ask: Was Jesus indeed the very Son of the all-powerful God of the Bible, and the Savior of all humanity? Or was He actually a first-century revolutionary advocate of local regime change, today the mashup of fact and fiction?

National Geographic maps out some physical evidence and scholarly opinion—pro and con—about the existence and claims of Jesus. Today we have astonishingly well-preserved ancient records—notably in the form of the four gospels and the New Testament book of Acts—as well as references about Jesus from Roman historians like Tacitus. But a never-ending savage assault on the divine origin, mission and purpose of Jesus has been underway for centuries. The assault never succeeds, but that doesn’t stop people from trying.

National Geographic cites the biased work of the so-called Jesus Seminar, a group (essentially disbanded since 2006) of revisionist scholars who once tried to deconstruct the ancient biblical accounts, ladling out their human opinion of what they thought might have happened in the gospels and what they labeled as far-fetched. NatGeo further cites what they call “a bombshell of a book,” the 1990 Historical Jesus, where one of the former Jesus Seminar participants serves up a warmed-over claim that Jesus was simply a first-century sarcastic wandering sage.

This revisionist nonsense about Jesus has appeared and reappeared off and on for centuries. Here’s an example: In the 17th century, the German Tubingen School inflamed Christian Europe with the then-highly controversial 1846 publication of Das Leben Jesu kritisch bearbeitet (The Life of Jesus). The author, David Friedrich Strauss, was a disciple of both biblical vivisectionist F.C. Baur and philosopher George Hegel, liberal theologians who sought to comingle biblical tenets with what they deemed as scientific principles. Echoing the later assertions of the future Jesus Seminar, the hotly debated 17th century Life of Jesus tried to dismiss the miracle narratives of the gospel, essentially claiming that the supernatural elements—miracles and works that only a powerful God could do—were simply myth or fiction. These claims didn’t ring true then, just as they fail to ring true now.

Peeling back tradition

Archeology can and does serve an excellent purpose in both confirming and illuminating the magnificent arc of the biblical account. As NatGeo author Romey correctly points out, from archeology’s point of view, “Absence of evidence isn’t evidence of absence.” In other words, just because something hasn’t been found yet (or may never be found) to confirm a given textual reference, that in itself is not “proof” that the textual narrative is less than accurate.

Back to the National Geographic cover story, Romey accurately cites an important point from one scholar: “Thanks to archaeology, there’s been a big change in thinking—from Jesus the cosmopolitan Hellenist to Jesus the observant Jew.” The fact that Jesus was born into the biblical tribe of Judah and lived and died as a practicing Jew may be a shock to some traditionalists. But that’s exactly what happened. Jesus’ practices of keeping the seventh-day Sabbath, upholding the law of God (Matthew 5:17-20) and putting God first—“You shall love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30, emphasis added), all stood out in stark contrast to the times, both then and now.

The real Jesus didn’t do things by accident. Consider this important point: a major part of Jesus’ early ministry was spent in northern Galilee near critical trade routes. As National Geographic acknowledges, archeology may have found the remains of the very synagogue where Jesus preached in Capernaum on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The gospels are careful to record that Jesus performed an astonishing degree of “mighty works”—supernatural acts inexplicable by human means—in that region where numerous trade routes existed (Matthew 11:20-24). Think about how stories and summaries of these “mighty works” might have been carried by commercial traders to all corners of the Roman empire, thus laying the foundation for the later spreading of the gospel.

The real Jesus in your life

So what about you? What can be understood and embraced about the real Jesus? With the above in mind, let’s consider how Paul illuminated this proof of the real Jesus to a most improbable group: ancient Greek philosophers. On one of his extensive journeys, the apostle Paul made his way down the Grecian peninsula, walking some 70 miles from northern Thessalonica to Athens in the south. A learned Jew himself, Paul immediately “reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks” (Acts 17:17, New International Version) about Jesus and the truth of the Gospel.

But he expanded his outreach in this legendary epicenter of human philosophical thought. He took the gospel to “the marketplace,” an area where public speaking and discourse on various topics was permitted and encouraged. Paul immediately attracted major attention, “because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection” (Acts 17:18).

Paul sought to satisfy the Greeks with proof and testimony about the real Jesus!

So, Paul set out on a unique course. Given the local laws about religion, Paul had to step carefully. He was invited to address a special group of philosophers and local officials on Mars Hill (the Areopagus). The parallels with today are amazing. Paul piqued their interest with a reference to a nearby monument inscribed “To the Unknown God.” Paul thus declared: “The One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you” (Acts 17:23).

Tapping into their professed quest for truth, Paul skillfully outlined the mighty attributes of God, the very Father of Jesus, even quoting their own poets to show the widespread recognition of these important truths. He concluded with the fact that this mighty God “has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has ordained” (Acts 17:31). This, of course, is a direct reference to Jesus.

Paul proved the historical and personal validity of Jesus before possibly the most difficult of all audiences. He authoritatively showed them the real Jesus.

What about you? As National Geographic confirms, there still exists powerful interest in Jesus for a reason. Do you want to fully and confidently know the real Jesus? I invite you to request (or instantly download) our Bible study guide, Jesus Christ: The Real Story. This free 109-page book thoroughly explains critical facts about Jesus, His life, His message, and His meaning for you today. Don’t wait, find the real Jesus now!

Motherhood has been a unique experience for me. I really try to do things to the best of my ability. For example, I make each and every one of my son's food pouches myself at home. It is usually with the freshest of ingredients. I cook him home-cooked meals every day. I buy organic milk and organic, grass-fed beef. I try to give him the best so that he can have the best start to life.

We need to have a healthy and balanced spiritual diet. God’s Word has to be the base of our food pyramid, the largest slice of the pie.

But he is picky.

I find it deeply frustrating to go through all this trouble to prepare wonderful food for the good of his body, and he seems more interested in eating the plastic plant in my living room or the dog food, while throwing his wholesome food on the ground for our dog, Bones.

Why on earth would he want to eat the garbage he finds on the floor and around him over the food prepared for him that’s good for him?

Have you ever thought about the food you put into your body? No, I’m not here to talk to you about the physical foods we put in our body, I’m talking about the spiritual food we need to sustain us.

God has prepared and designed spiritual words for us to consume on a daily basis—the Bible. It’s been prepared over centuries of time and is for our own good. You would think we would gladly eat and partake every day, but that isn’t always the case, is it?

The family structure God has set up in His plan is pretty fitting. He is our Father in heaven, and we are His children. And, yes, sometimes we are picky eaters. We reach for some of the garbage around us in the world before we reach for the real nourishment we need from God’s Scriptures.

While books, movies, music and the like can be thoroughly entertaining and fun, are we consuming more of what the world produces than what God has produced?

We need to have a healthy and balanced spiritual diet. God’s Word has to be the base of our food pyramid, the largest slice of the pie.

I can imagine the frustration God must have sometimes when He looks down on us and sees us neglecting our prayer and Bible study and thinking, “How can they be more interested in the junk food than the wholesome food I’ve made them?” Thankfully, our Heavenly Father is supremely merciful and understands our struggles (Ephesians 2:4-5). But we must mature and grow closer to Him, consuming more and more of the spiritual food He’s prepared and less of that worldly junk food. We can’t be filled solely with milk, either. We need the meat (Hebrews 5:12-14).

Just as I know my son will grow and mature and eventually eat the good food I set before him, we too can grow and mature and consume that which our Father God has prepared for us.

Our spiritual food is calorie-free, so there's no excuse for missing a meal or skipping out on dessert. Delve in and enjoy the rich delicacies of God's Word.

The world is full of ingrates, and ingratitude by anyone at any time is inexcusable. But there is a particular ingratitude which galls me, grates on me and angers me the most. And it surely must grieve and anger God.

With modern technology, photography, communication, computers, travel and the Internet, we are blessed to be able to see countless photos and videos about the marvels of “nature” all over the world. However, in most instances, there is an unspoken elephant in the room. It is the absence of any "thank you" to the source—the one who gave us nature! Not only is there no "thank you," there is absolutely no mention or acknowledgement of who gave us this luscious garden and zoo that we call planet earth! The silence is deafening!

In general, we know we should give credit where credit is due. If we see a movie, we see the credits—a very long list of the people who helped to make the film. But the One who deserves credit for the entire universe is seldom mentioned!

Or if a “cause” is mentioned, it is the irrational and ridiculous theory of evolution! That insults God even more than not mentioning God! That implies that everything physical must be far from perfect because it all is the result of a haphazard series of accidents! And yet any honest person can see that every creature is designed perfectly and functions perfectly.

Creation without a Creator?

We are expected to believe that creatures have no Creator, design has no Designer, art has no Artist, engineering has no Engineer, maintenance has no Maintainer, and administration has no Administrator! This is insane!

However, this doesn’t mean that practically all photographers and producers do not believe in God. But many believers are ashamed to publicly mention their belief. And those who do believe in a Creator are under pressure to be “politically correct,” which means they dare not mention God.

Everything in God’s creation is perfect. It is because the substances, laws, forces and processes are so utterly consistent and dependable that we can have the sciences of chemistry, biology (including botany and zoology), physics, mathematics, etc. Everyone relies on and benefits from this perfection, but most people don’t give God any gratitude for it.

Why no gratitude?

Why no gratitude? With many people, the problem is simply ignorance. Ignorance of the Bible, an absence of good parental teaching, ignorance of science and lack of logical thinking. With some, it is a desire to seem intellectual, modern and sophisticated. And laziness plays a part. Expressing gratitude takes some effort.

With many others, it is their carnal, stubborn, rebellious human nature. Since they don’t want to obey God, they don’t want to give Him any credit or acknowledge that He has any authority. They would rather not even think about God. 

That is summed up by Paul: "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be" (Romans 8:6-7).

Worshipping creatures rather than the Creator

Paul thoroughly describes this subject in his letter to the Romans (Romans 1:18-32). People “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18). Much about God can be “understood by the things that are made” (Romans 1:20). “They did not glorify [God] as God, nor were thankful” (Romans 1:21). “Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22). They “exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). “The lie” primarily is the religious devotion to the theory of evolution, the idea that creation did not need a Creator. And then the rest of the chapter describes the result of rejecting God—increasing mental and moral problems, a downward spiral into irrationality and evil.

Notice again: They “worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). Many people adore and even worship nature. They proudly fancy themselves as nature lovers, environmentalists, preservationists and ecologists. For example, the producers of nature videos are obviously greatly enamored with their subjects. Their gods are the creatures, and their overall god is Mother Nature. This is in spite of the fact that throughout the Bible, God repeatedly warns against having any false gods. Having any other god is highly insulting toward the true God. It is sacrilege and blasphemy. And it is irrational and ridiculous.  

I love seeing photos and videos of God’s creatures and creation! I love seeing the fascinating and often humorous relationships and interactions of animals, birds, sea creatures, etc. I love reading and learning about all of creation, including the universe.

Quite often I think: “Wow, God, thank you for that amazing creature! It is so perfectly designed, so beneficial, so pleasant to observe, so entertaining! Thank you for making it, and for making it exactly as You did!”

Then the omission in the video hits me and I’m angry. I feel like yelling at the video. “Hey, you didn’t mention who designed and made these creatures! You should be ashamed. If it were not for God, none of these creatures would even exist! Yet you are giving zero credit and glory to the One who deserves all the credit! Don’t you realize you are insulting God?”

Not giving God credit for His creation may be the most egregious ingratitude. What do you think?

Some people say the law is dead. They reason that Christ said so in Matthew when He said: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:37-40, King James Version).

It sounds very much as if Christ did replace the “old” laws with new ones, doesn’t it? However, Paul tells us his thoughts when he states: “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid! But I did not know sin, except through the law. I would not have known coveting if the law had not said, 'You shall not covet'” (Romans 7:7, Modern English Version).

We are also told that the law does not change (see Matthew 5:28, Luke 16:17). If the law has not changed, then why did Christ say what He did? How can we make sense of it? While I could continue to break it down with many scriptures and long histories, there are a couple of basic things that personally made it clearer for me.

First, we must understand that Jesus wasn’t saying anything new here. He was merely paraphrasing what was already written in the third and fifth books of the Old Testament: Leviticus and Deuteronomy. The “new” commandment was not new at all. Throughout Jesus' ministry, He used the Torah (or "law," that is, the books of Moses) as His base. He often says, “It is written” before He continues speaking in His teachings.

Secondly, throughout Scripture, we are told to love: Love God, love your neighbor, love your brother, family and even enemy. Keep that in mind as we continue. There is an old Roman saying written in a poem by Virgil that states, "Love conquers all." I believe that is the key to answering Christ’s statement. We cannot sin when we love enough! It condenses all the other commandments.

Consider the Ten Commandments

1. “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.”

Can you worship other gods if you love God the Father?

2. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

Can you create and bow down to idols if you love God?

3. “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

Can you dishonor the name of God if you love and honor Him?

4. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”

Can you ignore the holy day God created for you if you love God?

5. “Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

Can you disregard your parents if you love them?

6. “You shall not murder."

Can you kill someone you love?

7. “You shall not commit adultery.”

Can you fool around on your spouse if you are showing him or her love?

8. “You shall not steal.”

Can you steal from someone you love?

9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

Can you lie about someone you love?

10. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Can you yearn for what is not yours if you are showing love to your neighbor? Remember what happened to King David when he coveted his neighbor’s wife?

True godly love is one that wishes no ill to others. Loving and following God means keeping His commandments, and as 1 John 5:3 states, they “are not burdensome.”

When my son was 16, we were letting him drive back from a sporting event late at night so he could get driving experience at a time when traffic would be low. As we entered a nearly desolate stretch of road between Russellville and Ft. Smith, Arkansas, on highway 40, he went around a slower vehicle. The truck he had passed suddenly accelerated and zoomed around us. No other cars were around at the time, on either side of the highway. The man driving the truck turned on a spotlight he had affixed to the driver’s side of his rear window and aimed right at the driver behind him! The light was blinding, and my son started swerving and correcting, swerving and correcting. We silently watched in horror as thankfully, miraculously, in what seemed like a lifetime, he regained control. He kept his eyes on the white lines painted on the side of the highway to avoid looking at the bright light, and soon the driver sped off at a rapid speed. Perhaps to find his next victim? This was at least five years before cell phones became commonplace, and we were at a loss about what we could do quickly to warn other drivers.

Seven lives were endangered in our minivan that night: five children ranging in age between 1 and 16, my husband and myself. We came close to being in an accident at a deadly speed. How did an inexperienced driver manage to not lose control and know what to do?

I started thinking about this incident and the admonition to let our light shine before men came to mind. Do we make our light a soft candle to help lead the way, or do we blind people and run them off course by overwhelming them with too much light?

It is hard, when God opens your mind to truth, to not want all your friends and loved ones to understand what now seems so clear to you.

We are supposed to answer, when asked, about the hope that lies within us, but we need to pray that we will never cause harm with what we share. Pray for loving kindness that does not seek to shove what we believe on someone else, and perhaps drive them away. A godly example is the best way to be a light to others—it is a soft soothing light shining in the darkness of a world that has lost its way.

God is the one who does the calling, and how we live our lives and treat others should lead them to seek what we have.

If they seek, they will find.

We put a lot of emphasis in Western society on the importance of going to college or attending an institute of higher education. Politicians argue over higher education being a fundamental human right for all people. In public school, kids are urged to plan for college from a young age. There is often a stigma attached to individuals who decide against attending these schools of higher education, because without a degree—without that piece of paper—how else can you obtain great success?

Higher education for all

It is true, higher education is required for success and all of humankind needs it, but attending a university or college is not the epitome of this success. In fact, the higher education we need to be seeking is from our Heavenly Father, the highest form of education we could ever pursue. And, many will be glad to know, this education is free for the entire world!

If we want to be successful, we need to look to the Word of God for instruction.

Consider Joshua 1:7-8: “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

There is so much we can glean from just these two verses about accomplishing great things and being successful.

I want to be clear: Getting a college degree can be useful for finding a good-paying job. It helped me land my first job as a journalist. But that degree alone can only do so much for me. My success is not determined by the job I have or the money in my bank account.

We have a higher purpose, a more righteous goal put before us than racking up loads of money for ourselves.

Service with a smile

If we are searching the Scriptures and meditating on them daily, we find that success isn’t measured in how much we can gain for ourselves; it’s in what we can do for others. God’s Word shows us that (James 1:17). How can we serve? What are we doing to help those who have less? Building up godly character, rather than our checking accounts, is a sure way to prosperity.

Our job today and even our job in the eventual Kingdom of God is one and the same: to serve. It’s a win-win situation if you think about it. We serve others out of love, we shun selfishness and cultivate an attitude of selflessness, and, in return, we find success and joy. God’s way is just so perfect, isn’t it?

If we want to be successful, we need to look to the Word of God for instruction (2 Timothy 3:16), for a way of living, and, most importantly, take that Word and apply it to how we live. This is clear. “Then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8).

What is the essence of thanksgiving? The United States allocates Thanksgiving Day as a federal holiday to celebrate and give thanks. Thanksgiving provides a joyful opportunity to reflect on what we normally take for granted and express gratitude for it.

This includes things like an abundance of food, loving family and friends and the relative peace and stability we experience. In truth, there's so much to be thankful for! You and I should feel humbled by these many blessings and give thanks for them.

Reflect on what you are truly thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Sadly, this isn't always the case.

The biblical core of thanksgiving is anchored to something much deeper and more enduring than a vast amount of physical blessings. The Bible contains numerous godly examples of people giving thanks, not when they had everything, but when they had nothing. When they were suffering. When they were being tormented and on the worst days of their lives. What kept them going? How could they continue giving thanks?

First, let's consider Jonah. Jonah failed to obey God and found himself trapped in the belly of a fish, deep in the middle of the ocean. He was tortured, filled with despair and near death. In his suffering, Jonah called out to God, and He heard him! (Jonah 2:1-2). "The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; the deep closed around me; weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the moorings of the mountains; the earth with its bars closed behind me forever" (Jonah 2:5-6).

But notice what Jonah did, even as close to his deathbed as he was: "I remembered the LORD; and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple . . . I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD" (Jonah 2:7-8). In spite of his misery and anguish, Jonah had humility and gave thanks to God in prayer. Afterwards, God delivered and saved Jonah: the fish "vomited Jonah onto dry land" (Jonah 2:10).

Thanks to God in spite of government oppression

Likewise, the prophet Daniel was in an environment hostile to God's way. The Persian government established a new law that criminalized Daniel's daily prayers. Death was the penalty for disobedience. With the threat against his life and the lives of his peers in mind, how did Daniel respond?

"In his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days" (Daniel 6:10, emphasis added). Daniel was still able to give thanks to God, even in the face of losing it all. And Daniel, like Jonah, was saved from danger.

Thanksgiving for no other purpose than God's grace alone 

Today, we might think Thanksgiving Day would be nothing without the abundance of food we enjoy. Consider this passage: "Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!" (Habakkuk 3:17-18; New Living Translation). Even when food or other physical things are lacking, we should still give thanks and rejoice.

Of course, we should be thankful for the physical things, opportunities and people we do have in our lives. However, when those things go away, our thankfulness should persist. Our thanksgiving should not depend on how much stuff we have or how good our life is. We must struggle to "be thankful in all circumstances" as part of God's will for us as Christians (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NLT).

You may have noticed a connection between joy and thanksgiving in the preceding passages. This connection is accentuated in Psalm 100. It opens by telling worshipers to "make a joyful shout" to God and serve Him with gladness, yet goes on to instruct them to enter His gates with thanksgiving and "be thankful to Him" (Psalm 100:1-4). Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, an integral component of God's character (Galatians 5:22). Just as Christians are called to be joyful in any situation, we must also learn to give thanks regardless of our condition (James 1:2).

Spiritual salvation

What, then, should we be thankful for? In the examples above, God was praised for His saving power or salvation from physical dangers. What about spiritual dangers? God desires to work with us in overcoming temptation and mercifully forgives us our faults when we fall short. God's mercy and work with us is a constant we can depend on when times are good and when times are bad. Upon humble repentance, God forgives our sins without wavering (1 John 1:9). "Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever" (Psalm 118:1).

In fact, all of God's attributes are unchanging. His loving, joyful, and patient character has existed since before the beginning and will last through eternity. God is dependable and trustworthy; we can rely on Him as an anchor when we are tested. This reliable nature of God is known as His faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23, Deuteronomy 7:9). Through God's Word His enduring character is revealed to us.

In the same way, God gives us a hope we can latch onto during the worst days. "This is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life" (1 John 2:25). God, who cannot lie, gives us the hope of living together with Him, as part of His family forever (Titus 1:2). By having this hope within us, we can endure tough times, looking ahead towards a bright future with God (Hebrews 11:25-27).

As humans, we are incapable of fully replicating God's perfect character. We cannot have true salvation apart from God (Ephesians 2:8-10). And without Him, it's impossible to step into the future He has for us. We should recognize our own frailty and be humbled. God wants humility to be part of our character (Micah 6:8).

Humbled must have been how Jonah, Daniel and Habakkuk felt as they cried out in their trials. And yet they expressed thanksgiving to God for everything He is, all He had done for them, and all He planned to do. They even found joy at that crossroads.

The biblical essence of thanksgiving is the union of joy and humility. It is realizing we cannot do it on our own, yet taking delight that God is there with us. God must be the anchor of our thanksgiving, as He is the anchor of our blessings, salvation and hope. This anchor does not drift as the tide of physical blessings rolls in and out but remains constant and immovable for us throughout all the ages.

Wherever you are and whatever you have this Thanksgiving Day, God's faithful character and hope of eternal life can help keep you going. Reflect on what you are truly thankful for this Thanksgiving. And with joy and humility, continue giving thanks.

To some, a number—100 million people dead—represents only a high abstraction. But to others, the same sterile figure reflects a ghastly story of horror, brutal death, vicious torture and other inhuman acts. It's a factual number calculated of the deaths savaged on innocents across the globe since 1917—all the bloody outcome of a godless exercise. As a Wall Street Journal opinion piece put it, this godless enterprise would “inflict a near-fatal wound on Western civilization.”

The same WSJ opinion piece (100 Years of Communism—and 100 Million Dead), authored by Russian expert and former Moscow correspondent David Sutter, rightly declared the overall outcome of the Bolshevik Revolution to be the “greatest catastrophe in human history.” It’s difficult to contemplate. Ironically, one of the most evil men to ever draw breath summed up the world’s general reaction to date. Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (you know him today under his assumed name of Joseph Stalin—a Russian name for "steel"), stated as a young Soviet commissar of munitions: “If only one man dies of hunger, that is a tragedy. If millions die, that’s only statistics.”

My family personally felt the brunt of those cold, chilling words. As I wrote in the Beyond Today cover article “The Failed Revolution,” my Ukrainian parents, together with my aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews all suffered horribly in the 1933 “Holodomor,” the deadly artificial famine created by Stalin. More than 11 million died in that holocaust. To me, that’s no statistic. That’s horror writ indescribably large.

That era underscores the continuing savage travesty of the 1917 Russian Revolution. As Sutter writes, the “real goal was spiritual . . . For the first time, a state was created that was based explicitly on atheism and claimed infallibility.” The result? The godless uprising “hollowed out society’s moral code . . . In the West, communism inverted society’s understanding of the source of its values.”

"Cast adrift with only a sputtering beacon of broken semi-justice as a guide, much of global society sailed right into communism’s intellectual and spiritual trap. One of the enduring hurts from this spiritual rape was the collective searing of human conscience. If there is no fear of God, no spiritual guide, no biblical restraint, people can be convinced that any measure is permissive to achieve the goals of a godless socialist state. As Lenin’s Secret Police launched a full-scale class war in Russia, “Such convictions set the stage for decades of murder on an industrial scale,” writes Sutter.

An ancient source of truth, the Holy Bible, speaks of this condition. The apostle Paul warned his protégé Timothy that there would be people “speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:2). When people reach this terrible state, they no longer can perceive the horror that they espouse. Good becomes evil, and evil becomes good.

Thankfully, in direct contrast to the teachings of communism, a God does exist who is very much aware of what has transpired and what will transpire. Casting aside the foolhardy rubbish served up as knowledge in this world, this loving God will have His fill of human butchery masquerading as intellectual justice. This God will intervene and intervene mightily in the affairs of humanity.

This intervention will directly affect you. Unfortunately, the Bible clearly explains how humanity will foster yet another global catastrophe before God intervenes once and for all. To learn more about this serious development, I invite you to read two critical study guides that we offer free of charge: Does God Exist? and Are We Living in the Time of the End? You can download them instantly or request free printed copies.

Don’t fall into the continued trap of godless life. Find out today who and what God is, and what He has in store for you!

I sat in awe as I watched Kechi Okwuchi, 27, sing "Don't Worry About Me" on America’s Got Talent. She sang in tribute to her mother who has been there for her through all the difficulties she has suffered.

Kechi Okwuchi knows more than most of us about survival. In 2005 when she was 16, she was on a plane that crash-landed in her native Nigeria. Out of more than 100 people on the plane, she was one of two who survived. Her mother thought she was dead but discovered that her daughter survived! However, Kechi suffered burns on over 65 percent of her body. 

After many treatments, her family decided to move to Texas in 2007 for more treatments at Shriner's Hospital for Children in Galveston. She has undergone more than 100 surgeries. Kechi told the TV crowd she has been singing since she was a child in Nigeria and credits music as one of the things helping her pull through the tragedy.

"Lying in the hospital bed, bandaged head to foot, not being able to move or do anything else, music was my escape. That's why it means so much to me," she said.

"What happened to me was horrible. However, I refuse to let it define me. Instead, I draw strength from it."

In 2015, Okwuchi graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a degree in economics. She was also inducted into six academic honor societies and was voted the most outstanding student for her major in economics. She was also chosen to give the commencement address to the class of 2015 at her school. Now she is inspiring millions watching America's Got Talent, including me!

Before Kechi took to the stage to sing her final song, “Conqueror” by Estell, a video was played from a mother of two victims on that plane. The mother said: “I’m a mother of two victims of the plane crash on the 10th of December in 2005. There’s just no way anyone could’ve come out of that, but out of the fire emerged the beautiful Kechi.” She added, “I call you my living angel, a walking miracle.”

In an article published in 2012, Kechi gives credit to three things for her ongoing success, which she calls her support system.

1. Prayer

“There’s truly nothing like prayer. It reinforces faith, which gives you courage. It calms me when things get really hard to deal with. If there is one thing I learned through this experience, it is the value of faith.”

2. Family

“Then of course, there’s my dear family, who have been nothing but solid rocks on which I lean on."

3. Friends

“I know it sounds cliché, but it’s the absolute truth."

"Without these three elements, I may have made it this far regardless, but I would not be the same person I am right now, mentally."

Keshi said: “My friends and family keep me going. Their love, their presence, physical and emotional, their prayers and the prayers of all who support me. I am fully aware that the recovery period after any surgery is never easy or short, but I also know from experience that not only will God see me through the procedure; He’ll also see me through the recuperation."

Since then she has gone through 25 more surgeries before landing on America’s Got Talent in 2017, proceeding to the finals.

How many of us can be blown away with even the smallest trials that come our way? I ask myself that question. However, this young woman is an example for all of us because she is a fighter—but she is not without the help from her three life supports: God, her family and friends.

Although we can see the visible scars on her body that occurred from the major burns in 2005, she has proven that beauty is only skin-deep! She is an example of courage and fortitude while overcoming the greatest obstacles in life! She has turned her suffering around to inspire others. In addition, she is not shy to give God credit, which she did with her last performance.

There are so many stories of people with courage. Have you heard the expression “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”? How tough are we when the going gets tough?

Just like Keshi, who called on God for help, we have access to our great God to call on. God is there to reach down and hold our hands, and to help us get through the toughest times. He says, “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you” (Isaiah 41:13). And "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10).

God is our life support in this difficult life. He loved us so much that He gave His only Son for us so we could live! He is there for us when we fall, He is there to share our joys, He is there to help us through our fears! Just as Kechi’s mom was there for her through the pain and now witnessing her daughter’s highest accomplishment with joy on America’s Got Talent. God will always be with us. Even when no one else is, God is always with us.

Kechi truly is a survivor, and she did it with the right help, with God being the most important helper of all!

In the wake of the Las Vegas concert massacre, the New York sidewalk terrorist attack and now a shooting in a Texas Baptist church, I've been reflecting on my life. How should I respond to these horrible, horrific events?

The people in Las Vegas were just enjoying a concert. The people in New York City were just carrying on with their normal daily routines. The people in the Baptist church were worshiping God. When those people got up, dressed for the day and headed out the door, they had no clue it would be the last time they did so.

There are evil people in our world who have no regard for life. Lives are shattered. Parents are burying their children. Loved ones are forced to say goodbye.

People want to try and fix everything behind these terrorist attacks except the root cause: evil. Could part of the blame be how people fill their minds with violence in the form of movies and violent video games?

Hollywood lays blame on guns alone while continuing to make violent and demonic movies for people to indulge in. Could these things be part of the root cause? Could it be the heart? God rebuked wicked Israel, saying: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Our country has become self-indulgent. Our focus tends to be on "my rights" instead of having an outward focus that seeks to make life better for someone else.

The heart needs to change. Unless the heart is right with God, our world will continue a steady decline.

In the meantime, how can we best deal with it?

1. Be thankful.

Thank God for every day that is given to you, and use it to help, encourage and pray for others. Always have a grateful heart. Trials and suffering can actually deepen gratefulness. Never taking anything for granted—even each day of life given to you.

Remember that victims in these three cities didn't have one more day. In his letter to the Romans, Paul reminds us what can happen if we are not grateful: "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised” (Romans 1:21-25).

That describes much of humankind today, as many worship created things instead of God. Be grateful every day for life and all that has been given to you.

2. Do not live in fear.

It is so easy to do when we see all these horrible things happening around us. Fear can paralyze us.

God commanded Israel to have courage: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9). God will be with us wherever we go! And for us who are baptized today have an even greater help: “For God has not given us a Spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). David mused, “I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame” (Psalm 34:4-5).

3. Our hope is in God, not people.

Place your hope in God! “Serve only the LORD your God and fear him alone. Obey His commands, listen to his voice and cling to him” (Deuteronomy 13:4).

We may have to go through some tough times, but God will see us through it. Always be thankful, do not fear, and keep our hope on God. A better world is to come.

While we sigh and cry, we have an amazing hope that there will be a "new sheriff in town" one day. Christ will come and destroy all the evil and all that will not submit to His laws and commandments, which is the only way that can bring total happiness. In that day, “They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9).