"Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?
And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered."

                            -Malachi 3:14-15 

In this passage of Scripture, the Lord rebuked His people for their distorted outlook on the benefits of righteous living versus the benefits of wicked living. We see that they have a problem right away when they say, "...what profit is it that we have...walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?" (V. 14) The problem here is that, instead of being filled with the joy of the Lord, they focused on the sorrows they had faced along the way. Instead of remembering the countless miracles the Lord had worked in their midst, as well as the multitudes of victories He had given them over their enemies, they concentrated on the sorrows and heartaches they had experienced - all the while failing to remember the pain and suffering they had endured before they knew God.

Not only did they believe that serving God was futile; they also considered the wicked to be better off than they were. They didn't realize that they wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). They believed sinful living brought happiness as well as deliverance (V. 15), thus leading them away from the Lord.

I once heard a minister say that, given enough time and opportunities, our feet will eventually catch up with our heart. If our heart desires the things of the world, then it won't be long before we start pursuing the things of the world.

We've got to place our heart in God's hands; that way, following it will always lead us back to the cross!

"...for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul."

                            -Deuteronomy 13:3

"When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. 

Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole."

                            -John 5:6-8, 14-15 

We read here the story of a man who had evidently been seeking a healing for a long time. Without anybody to help him into the waters that the angel troubled, he sat helplessly on the sidelines, watching person after person receive their healing, wondering if the day would ever come in which he would receive his.

Then Jesus stepped in.

No, He didn't perform some advanced medical procedure. He didn't tell him to do physical therapy, or to see a doctor. He simply spoke 7 words, "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk." and he was healed on the spot.  Unable to give an answer to those that asked Who had healed him, when the man found out it was Jesus, John says he "...departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole." (v. 15)

Isn't that what we're supposed to do? The Lord has healed us of an incurable disease (sin), set us up on our feet, brought us back into fellowship with Him, and saved us from eternal hell-fire. If we are truly thankful for what God has done in our lives, then we will follow the example of the man in this story and tell people that it was Jesus who has made us whole!

"Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;"

                            -Psalm 107:2

Yesterday at church, after service was over, we were rehearsing a skit that we are going to be performing on Easter Sunday. Like most Easter Sunday programs, it is about the crucifixion/resurrection. Anyway, as we were going over our lines, my cousin read Matthew 27:28 where it says, "And they...put on him a scarlet robe." It's a verse that I'd never really payed close attention to, but then somebody asked, "Wait. I thought it was a purple robe?"

Something that I had never even given a second thought to began to eat at my mind throughout the rest of the day. I looked up the parallel accounts in the other Gospels, and sure enough, Mark says that it was purple (Mark 15:16-17), as does John in 19:1-2. I understand that the Bible is without contradiction, but surely there was an explanation for this seeming discrepancy, I thought to myself. While it didn't seem like a big deal to me, I knew that there are some people out there who would reject the whole Bible over something as frivolous as the color of Jesus' robe. So I did some research, and I came to the following conclusion:

I'm sure we could all agree that each person sees colors a little differently. There have been many instances in which I have considered somebody to have red hair, while someone else might call it strawberry-blonde. In fact, there's been a handful of times that I have made mention of pulling up to an intersection and slowing down because the light turned orange (to which I am always reminded that it is yellow). Surely nobody would call me a liar simply because I have a different opinion as to the color of a person's hair! Likewise, what Matthew considered to be scarlet, Mark and John considered purple. Nobody was lying; they just each saw Jesus' life from different angles (something we need to remember when comparing the Gospel accounts).

Also, it is rather difficult to imagine Pontius Pilate putting a new robe on Christ's bloodied body. It was likely worn and faded, making it even more difficult to distinguish its color. According to A.T. Robertson, there were even various shades of purple and scarlet in the first century and it was not easy to distinguish the colors or tints.

It is obvious that no discrepancy exists in the Gospel accounts concerning the color of Christ's robe. The Gospel writers simply used the terms scarlet and purple interchangeably.

"Now then we are ambassadors for Christ..."

                            -II Corinthians 5:20 

Being an ambassador is pretty serious business. It means acting as a representative of another group, person, or country. Thus, if an ambassador messes up, he makes those that he or she is representing look bad as well. Being placed in such a position of responsibility requires always being on your best behavior, knowing that every move you make and every word you say will reflect on the one you are representing - either negatively or positively.

With that said, we should all realize what an honor and what a responsibility it is to be ambassadors for Christ. When we tell people we are a Christian, they immediately place a higher standard on us. If we claim to be children of God, how does it reflect on our Father when we lose our temper and slam things around the house, or treat those around us with partiality and prejudice? On earth, our opinion of an adult is greatly influenced by the way their children behave. As God's children, the same is true for us. People form their opinion of God on how we, as Christians, act.

We serve a God who is merciful, gracious, longsuffering, just, holy, and righteous. If we, as His ambassadors, are suppossed to convey this message to the world, what would be the most logical way to do that? Think about it, and leave your comments!

"For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,"

                            -II Timothy 3:2 

Personally, selfishness is something that I struggle with more than just about anything else. It's something that, because of our sinful nature, we don't have to try to do; it just comes naturally to us.  

Despite the fact that this verse doesn't necessarily use the word selfish, I believe Paul really hits the nail on the head, so to speak, at defining what selfishness really is: being a lover of our own self. Instead of doing as God calls us to do and putting other people first, selfishness causes us to put them last, believing our needs and desires are more important than theirs.

"But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.
For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.
For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's."

                            -Philippians 2:19-21 

We see here that, in the book of Philippians, Paul rebukes those who "seek their own." Seeking our own makes it nearly impossible for the Lord to use us in His service, for in order to lead other souls to Christ, we must be completely emptied of ourselves, willing to make any sacrifice necessary to win the lost. We must be selfless, not selfish.

What are your thoughts? Do you struggle with selfishness? And, if so, what are some ways that you have found helpful in combating it in your walk with the Lord?

"He must increase, but I must decrease."

Turn to the book of Genesis and read the story of man's fall, and you will find that the very first sin introduced in the Bible is lying (Gen. 3:4). Turn to the very last page of Revelation, and you will see that the very last sin condemned by our Lord is - you guessed it - lying (Rev. 22:15). What does this tell us about our God? It tells us that He hates lying, and that if there is any one sin that will keep you out of heaven, it is lying.

The dictionary defines a lie as, "Something meant to deceive or give a wrong impression." You can call it exaggeration, a white lie, or anything you want, but when we begin to stray from the truth, we begin to stray from God Himself. Did not our Lord say, "I am...the Truth." (John 14:6)? There is nothing more disgusting to our God than when those who claim to walk in the truth practice lying and deception.

I was recently given a book about a Chinese man who was persecuted by the government for believing in Jesus Christ. At first, the book seemed rather interesting; but then after a few chapters, he started sharing about lie after lie after lie he had told even after he was "saved", showing no sign of remorse or regret. I put the book away, and haven't opened it since.

I John 2:6 says, "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked." Our Lord never lied, stretched the truth, or tried to conceal the truth. If we claim to be His children, we should do no different.

"These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:"

                            -Zechariah 8:16

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

                            -Isaiah 55:8-9

I can't count the number of times that the Lord has reminded me of this verse when I go through difficult situations in my life. Whether I am dealing with the heartache of losing a loved one, the disappointment of being betrayed by a close friend, or the frustrations that life so often throws our way, God is constantly reminding me that His plans are much greater than my own.


The title of this blog is, "A Look at Life from a Deerstand". As I pointed out in a previous post, when you hunt from a deerstand you can see much more as opposed to sitting on the ground. It's the same with God. He is in the deerstand, and we're on the ground (if you'll excuse the hunter lingo). He can see much more than we can, and thus He knows what He's doing when He sends us through difficult situations.


Though it is hard sometimes, because we tend to think that God owes us an explanation for everything He does, we've got to learn to trust in Him. He sees the end before we even see the beginning, and we have to trust that His way is the right way.

"Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass."

                            -Psalm 37:5

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

                            -II Timothy 3:16-17 

It has been said that the Bible is our Basic Information Before Leaving Earth, and that couldn't be more true. It's more than just a book; It is the Book of all books. It is more than just words; It's God's words. The fact is, God has taken His infinite mind, unfathomable wisdom, and immeasurable understanding and condensed it into a 1,000 page book as best as could ever be done.

The Bible is not something to pick up and flip through every once in a while; we need to read it every day of our lives. Job went as far as to say, "I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food." (Job 23:12). God's Word should take top priority among our material possessions. It's the one thing God doesn't mind if we hold close to our hearts, for it is a sin not to (Deuteronomy 17:18-19).

"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily..." 

                            -Acts 17:11

When is the last time you read your Bible? If it's been more than 24 hours, then I challenge you to get up from your computer right now and go read it.

"Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts."

                            -Jeremiah 15:16

"This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?"

                            -Galatians 3:2-3 

We often talk about God's saving grace. We speak of it's power to rescue us from sin's grasp, and reconcile us to God, bringing us back into fellowship with Him. But I'm afraid that sometimes we limit God's grace, thinking that all it does is save us. The Galatians did this, and we can see by the tone of Paul's writing that he was not happy about it. I think a suiting paraphrase of these two verses would be, "Answer me one thing: Were you saved by works, or by faith? Are you so foolish to think that, having begun in the Spirit by faith, you could now be sustained by works?"

Let's look at it this way: Suppose I wanted to fly. I tried everything I could think of to get airborne: jumping off the roof, gluing feathers all over my body and flapping my arms, but nothing worked. Then one day I asked a pilot friend to give me a ride in his plane - then I could finally know what it's like to fly! He took me up in his airplane, and after we were riding the clouds 1,000 feet above the ground I said, "Thanks for getting me up this high. I think I can fly by myself now..." and I jumped out, frantically flapping my arms all the way to the ground. It would be pretty foolish of me, wouldn't it?

Do you see what Paul is getting at? The same grace that saved us is the same grace that is sustaining us, and we can't go a single day without it.

"For ever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in heaven."

                            -Psalm 119:89

In today's day and age, many people have forsaken the Word of God, claiming it is nothing more than a set of dusty old laws that are of no value in the year of 2010. The saddest part of all is that some of these people are so-called Christians! They believe that the Lord is interested in a "new revelation" for today's saints. I find it strange though that these same people are more than willing to accept the validity of verses like Hebrews 13:5: "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.", or Jeremiah 31:3: "I have loved thee with an everlasting love..." It's usually verses like, " ...that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;" (I Timothy 2:9), or maybe, "...whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." (Matthew 5:28) that people want nothing to do with. In other words, the verses such people claim no longer apply are usually the ones that inconvenience them in some way. But the fact is, the Bible never changes, nor does God's standard.

"For I am the LORD, I change not;..."

            -Malachi 3:6

 In the words of Isaiah, "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the Word of our God shall stand for ever." (40:8) Times may change, people may change, but God and the Bible will never change!

"Howbeit for this cause I [Paul] obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting."

                            -I Timothy 1:16 

Throughout the years, the devil has deceived countless people into believing that they are too sinful to be saved. They limit God's grace, thinking that it can only reach those who "aren't as bad as they are." However, Paul says in the 15'th verse of this same chapter that he was the chief of sinners. In other words, he was as bad as they come. Yet he then goes on to say that the Lord Jesus Christ saved him, displaying the height of longsuffering, for a pattern/example to others. Basically, part of the reason Christ even saved him was to show others that they are not too far gone to be saved either. After all, if God forgave somebody who played a part in Stephen's martyrdom, as well as many others, then surely He would be willing to forgive us too.

"I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

                             -Luke 5:32

To those who think they are out of the reach of God's grace, remember that if you were holy, you would have no need of salvation anyway. You may think you are the worst of sinners, and maybe you are, but the blood of Christ can cover your sins too!

"But if any man love God, the same is known of him."

                            -I Corinthians 8:3 

A lot of times in our reading of the Word of God,  there are certain verses that we have to really study out in order to fully understand. We've got to drag out our commentaries, dictionaries, concordances, study Bibles and everything else, and even then sometimes it takes a great deal of prayer before we actually "see the light." But every once in a while, we come across a verse that is so plain and so clear, that it usually doesn't take more than a simple reading to understand it. This is one of those verses.

Paul comes straight to the point when he says, in my own paraphrase, "If you truly love the Lord, people will be able to tell." In fact, I would go as far as to say that if people can't tell we Love the Lord, then chances are we don't really love Him at all.

"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."

                            -Matthew 10:32-33

According to Jesus, we are either confessing Him or denying Him. It's one or the other. Silence isn't listed as an option, because in reality, silence is the same thing as denying Him. If we aren't confessing Christ before the world, then we are denying Him before the world.

It's time for the church to stop trying find a middle ground between serving God and serving ourselves, because there isn't one.

"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth."

                                -Revelation 3:15-16

"There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt."

                            -I Kings 8:9 

"Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;" 

                            -Hebrews 9:4

In the first verse here, in I Kings, we are told that there was nothing in the Ark of the Covenant except for the two tables of stone, which were the Ten Commandments. However, if we turn over to the book of Hebrews, we read that Aaron's rod, the pot of manna, as well as the tables of stone were all in the ark together.

To some, this may look like a contradiction. Nonetheless, I believe that there is a very simple explanation for this: the Philistines stole Aaron's rod, as well as the pot of manna. Now don't ask me for Scriptures on this, because there aren't any. This is honestly just my own personal assumption and you can agree or disagree with me about it, but when you think about it, it really makes sense.

I Samuel 5:2-7 tells us the story of the Philistines stealing the Ark of the Covenant, taking it back to the temple of their god, Dagon, and placing the Ark next to him. When they returned to their temple the next day, they saw Dagon lying on the ground next to the Ark of God. Surprised, they picked him up, dusted him off, and set him back up again, only to find him the next morning lying on the ground again - this time with his head and hands broken off. Fearful, and probably a little bit angry, they sent the Ark back to the Israelites; but not without first taking Arron's rod that budded (which symbolized God's power), as well as the pot of manna (which symbolized His provision), while leaving the two tables of stone. In other words, they desired God's power and provision, but wanted nothing to do with His commandments. After all, keeping the very first commandment written on those tablets would have required them to get rid of Dagon, and apparently that was too much to ask.

My point behind all of this is that, as Christians, if we intend to experience God's power and provision in our lives, we've got to keep His commandments. We can't do as the Philistines did and pick and choose what we want, because even though they had the symbol of God's power, they didn't really have God's power. Even though they had they symbol of God's provision, they didn't really have His provision.

The Philistines missed their chance with God. Don't miss yours.

"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour;
Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein:
Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found,
Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering."

                            Leviticus 6:1-5 

Restitution is the act of making right sins committed against another individual, and it is something that we are required of God to do after we are saved. These verses in the book of Leviticus should eliminate any doubt in our minds as to whether or not restitution is necessary, for the Lord says that not only should things such as stealing be made right, but also "smaller" thing such as dishonesty ("...or hath deceived his neighbour..."). The seriousness of the sin in our eyes is not important, because in God's eyes all sin is serious.

Sadly though, many Christians today have forgotten the importance of making restitution. It's as if they are willing to confess their sins to God when nobody else is listening, but they don't dare let anybody else know they were wrong.

"...When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the LORD, and that person be guilty;
Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof..." 

                            -Numbers 5:6-7

Setting things right with people we have sinned against is important because by not making restitution, we are giving the impression that we don't think we were ever wrong in the first place. How can we honestly expect to be a witness to somebody we have lied to, cheated, and stole from, when we have never made amends with that person?

"Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."     

                            -Matthew 5:23-24 

"And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing."

                            -Revelation 5:11-12

Yesterday in church, my cousin sang a song called, "When He sees me." The words went like this: "When He sees me, He sees the blood of the Lamb - He sees me as worthy and not as I am - He views me in garments as white as the snow - For worthy is the Lamb and He washed me this I know." The Spirit of God began to move mightily as she sang, and tears streamed down my face as my mind went back to these verses in Revelation.

If it wasn't for the Lamb of God sacrificing Himself on the cross for our sins, where would we be today? We would be in the same sins the Lord pulled us out of when He saved our soul, with no hope whatsoever. But through His death, when the Lord looks on His children, He doesn't see us; He sees the Blood. When we really understand that thought, we will join in with the angels singing, "Worthy is the Lamb..." Praise God!

 "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;"

                            -1 Thessalonians 4:3-4

"But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:"

                            -2 Thessalonians 2:13

"And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."

                            -1 Corinthians 6:11

Sanctification, according to the dictionary, is "The act of making a thing pure and holy." This is something we cannot possibly do on our own, for Jesus said ”...without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:5) Thus, in order to be sanctified, we must earnestly pray for it, remembering the promise of the Lord in Matthew 7:7: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" We may not receive sanctification right away, but we must continue to pray for it until we receive.


Something else we must remember is that sanctification is not a one time thing. Yes, there may be a given moment in which we are sanctified, but it is something we must continue to work at throughout our entire life.

"I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die [i.e. to our sinful desires] daily."

                            -1 Corinthians 15:31

Sanctification is necessary because God desires us to be a peculiar people, set apart unto Him.

"Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

                            -Titus 2:14

The Lord cannot use an unholy person in His service, because sin separates us from Him (Isaiah 59:2). That is why we must be sanctified: so that we will have no sin in our life separating us from God, and therefore we can be more pleasing and useful unto Him.

"Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love."

                            -Revelation 2:1-4 

 Now I know that I recently touched on this issue with my post, "Love the Lord", a few days ago, but it's something that has really been on my heart lately.

Yesterday I was reading in the book of Revelation and these four verses really spoke to me. I read as Christ commended the church of Ephesus for their works, patience, and labor. In other words, they did all the right things. On the outside, everything was fine. However, Christ had "somewhat against them" because they had left their first love.

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."

                            -Mark 12:30

Jesus said that loving God is the first, or most important, commandment. It doesn't matter how much we do for the Lord, if we don't have a love for Him in our heart then it doesn't matter. Love for God produces works, but works doesn't necessarily indicate love. We've got to have both.

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."

                            -Psalm 1:1 

As I said yesterday, this is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. Not only do we find godly instruction telling us what to stay away from, but if we look closely we can see the slow fade of a man turning away from God. Let's take a look:

"It's a slow fade when you give yourself away,

It's a slow fade when black and white are turned to gray,

Thoughts invade, a choice is made, a price will be paid when you give yourself away.

People never crumble in a day..."

                                  -Slow  Fade, Casting Crowns

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."

                            - Psalm 1:1

This is probably one of my favorite verses in the Old Testament, and I quote it all the time. It tells us three important things that a child of God should not do. Paul gives us a similar command in II Corinthians 6:17,

"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing;"

David is basically telling us not to mix in with the ungodly, but to be separate, holy and sanctified unto the Lord. But it doesn't end there. Instead of stopping after Psalm 1:1, the psalmist goes on to say, "But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." (verse 2) In other words, it's not enough to simply refrain from walking in the counsel of the ungodly, standing in the way of sitters, sitting in the seat of the scornful, etc. Simply refraining from evil is not enough: we must pursue righteousness!

As Christians, we should have a reputation for doing that which is good and right, not just staying away from evil. We should be known for what we do, not for what we don't do!

"Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples."

                            -John 15:8 

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."

                            -Ephesians 4:29 

Yes it is. According to the dictionary, gossip is intentionally spreading intimate, private rumors or facts. It doesn't matter whether or not it's true. If it's something that we wouldn't say to the person's face, then 99% of the time we should keep our mouth shut.

Excuse #2: "They hurt me and I need to vent."

In this life we will have our feelings hurt many times over. That's just the way it works. We have misunderstandings, differences of opinion, etc. But, it has been my experience that "venting" usually just rekindles the fire, angering me even more that I already was (not to mention that now I've got somebody else involved, upsetting them as well).

"Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another:"

                            -Proverbs 25:9

If our feelings have been hurt so bad that we feel the need to tell everybody who will listen about what happened, then we would probably be wise to confront the person and work things out personally. If we don't feel that we are able to do that, then we should pour out our heart to the Lord instead of to everybody else.



The Bible tells us that the words of a talebearer are as wounds (Proverbs 18:8). Throughout my life, there has been many times that I've found out other people had said something bad about me and, honestly, there are few things more painful. I would imagine that we all know the feeling of finding out that someone we thought was our friend has been talking about us behind our back. If we have any decency whatsoever, we will do anything and everything possible to keep others from experiencing that same pain.

"... for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul."

                            -Deuteronomy 13:3 

Oftentimes it is easy for a child of God to get so used to going through the same spiritual routine every day that we forget about the importance of truly loving God. Jeremiah 3:9 speaks of the dangers of going through the motions, while being inwardly devoid of any love for the Lord:

"And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD."

In John 21:15-17, Jesus asked Simon Peter three times whether or not he loved Him. No, He didn't ask him if he had been faithful to obey His word, or if he prayed, fasted, etc. Surely we must be careful to do those things, for if we truly love the Lord obedience must follow (John 14:15); but just because the outside is right doesn't necessarily mean the inward is right as well.

"The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." 

                            -Jeremiah 31:3

This is the kind of love that the Lord has had toward us, and it is also the type of love that we should have for Him.    

"A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:"

                            -Proverbs 1:5 

Read the book of Proverbs, and you will find countless verses just like this one: verses that talk about the importance of listening to the advice of other people. Solomon says in this passage of Scripture that a man of understanding will receive wise counsel. Sadly, in today's society, people who think they are wise tend to use that as an excuse to reject advice of any kind, thinking they don't need it. However, Solomon addresses that kind of outlook in Proverbs 9:9,

"Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning."

Taking the advice of other people doesn't mean that we are dumb. It means that we are wise, and have a desire in our hearts to be "yet wiser." If we think that we are beyond needing instruction, that is not a sign of wisdom, but a sign of pride.

"When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom." 

                        -Proverbs 11:2

And while it is important to seek good advice, we must remember the words of David is Psalm 1:1,

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly..."

We should seek godly advice from godly people, knowing that "...out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." (Matthew 12:34) If a person lives an ungodly life, chances are their advice will also be ungodly.

"He loveth righteousness and judgment [i.e. justice]: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD."

                            -Psalm 33:5 

The culture in which we live tends to forget that our God is a just god. Yes, He is gracious, merciful, and kind; but in the end, He will always remain just. I John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Because the Lord is holy, sin must be punished. That is why Jesus died on the cross: to take that punishment. Thus, even in forgiving our sins, His justice is not compromised.

People often talk about how "their god would never send anybody to hell." However, we must remember that hell was not originally created for mankind; it was made for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). Since humanity took part in the devil's rebellion, it must also take part in his punishment. Those who don't believe their god would send anybody to hell are, in a way, guilty of idolatry, for such a god does not exist. He is a figment of their imagination. Instead of worshiping the one true God, they are worshiping a god they have created in their mind.

We must never stray from the Word's teaching on God's justice. If we ever find ourselves minimizing the consequences of sin ("Oh...it's not that bad."), then that is a good indication that we have done just that.

Imagine this: You enter a restaurant and the waiter takes you to the fanciest table in the building. After you are seated, he proceeds to set before you all of your favorite foods. Burgers, steaks, fries, tacos, chicken, - you name it, it's there. Your mouth is watering as you dive for your fork. You reach toward your favorite dish, but just as you are about to dig in, the waiter warns you, "Sir, I must inform you that all of this food has been seasoned with strychnine powder. If you eat it, you'll be dead within an hour from the poison, but you can still eat it if you wish. It's your choice."

Suddenly the food doesn't look quite so appetizing. Sure, it smells good, would probably taste good, and might even fill you up if you ate it, but the end result is death. Do you stay and enjoy the best meal of your life and die because of it, or settle with frozen pizzas from home and live. I think the choice is clear.

You might be wondering what my point behind all this is, but the fact is, sin is the same way. It's aroma is inviting, and you can't help but breathe it in. You're sure that it tastes 10 times as good, and are confident that it would fill you up, leaving you thoroughly satisfied. But, it's wages are death. It will cost you your soul. Is it still worth it? I don't think so.

What will you have for dinner?

"The soul that sinneth, it shall die..."
                            -Ezekiel 18:20

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

                            -Romans 6:23