THOUGHTS ON THE BEGINNING OF A NEW YEAR

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth…And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day” (Genesis 1:1, 3-5).

On the fourth day of creation: “God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day” (Genesis 1:14-19).

On the sixth day of creation: “God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them…And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day” (Genesis 1:26-27, 31).

Approximately 2500 years later Moses wrote: “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day” (Exodus 20:11). Ever since “the beginning,” for ages upon ages of time, the world has known (and continues to know) seasons and days and years. Every day and night, for ages upon ages of time, God’s handywork has been (and continues to be) declared and shown to man. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork” (Psalm 19:1). Are you listening?

Every day and night, for ages upon ages of time, these “signs” in the heavens have spoken (and continue to speak) to mankind and have shown (and continue to show) us God’s infinite knowledge. “Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge” (Psalm 19:2). Are you listening?

In “the beginning”: “the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech” (Genesis 11:1) Then men “said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4) Then “the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth” (Genesis 11:6-9).

Ever since the confounding of the languages at the tower of Babel, every day and night, for ages upon ages of time, even though men have been scattered “abroad upon the face of all the earth” the speech and voice of the “signs” in the heavens has gone (and continues to go) throughout all the earth yea to the end of the world. “Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world” (Psalm 19:4) Are you listening?

One of these “signs” in the heavens is the sun. “In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun” (Psalm 19:4).  Every morning, for ages upon ages of time, the sun, like a bridegroom, has come out (and continues to come out) of his chamber and he rejoices, like a strong man, to run a daylong race. “Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race” (Psalm 19:5) Are you watching?

Every day, for ages upon ages of time, the sun has gone forth (and continues to go forth) from the east end of the heavens and his circuit continues to the west end of the heavens and no one is hid from him. “His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof” (Psalm 19:6) Are you watching?

On this new-year’s day, January 1, 2015, the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows us His handiwork. On this new-year’s day, January 1, 2015, the signs in the heavens utter speech to us and show knowledge to us of God’s creation. On this new-year’s day, January 1, 2015, there is no speech nor language where the voice of these signs in the heavens is not heard. On this new-year’s day, January 1, 2015, these signs in the heavens are going out through all the earth and the words of these signs in the heavens are going out to the end of the world. Are you listening and watching?

We cannot physically see God with our own unaided (by God) vision. But, “that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made.” Question: what can we understand by the things that are made? Answer: “even his eternal power and Godhead” Question: Does anyone have an excuse for not believing in God? Answer: “so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:19-20).

Thus, we are told: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6) Question: how does one come to God in faith? Answer: Hear God’s Son. At the transfiguration God spoke. “and behold [there was] a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him” (Matthew 17:5). Question: What does Christ say? Answer: First step: “Ye believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1). Second step: “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). Third step: “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew. 10:32). Fourth step: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16) Fifth step: “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelation. 2:10) Are you listening?

On this new-year’s day, January 1, 2015, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for you is that you might be saved. Are you listening?

David B. Watson

Mother's Day

Today is the day we mortals have agreed upon to honor the most wonderful human being in our lives—our sweet, precious mother. There can be no reasonable doubt but what God wants us to love, honor, and cherish our mothers (Ephesians 6:1-3). While every day should be Mother’s Day, we certainly are not opposed to setting aside one particular day just for her. As a matter of fact, we think it is a splendid idea. Let us make sure our mothers know how special they are and how much we love and appreciate them. Let us do something really special for them on their day. 

No one has had a greater influence in molding our lives than our mothers. Someone has determined that from the time we are born until we are twenty-one we are awake 105,000 hours. We spend approximately 10,000 hours in the school room and 2,100 hours in Bible classes, which leaves 93,000 hours under the direct supervision of our parents. Since the father is generally the bread winner and a survey some time ago revealed that the average American father spends only seven minutes per week alone with his teenage children, most of those 93,000 hours are spent under the supervision of our mothers. Indeed the hand which rocks the cradle rules the world. Abraham Lincoln said, “All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother. I remember her prayers, and they have followed me. They have clung to me all my life.” 

One of the great characters of the Bible is the evangelist Timothy. One of the prime ingredients which made him a dependable servant of God was the influence of his godly mother and grandmother. For as far back as he could remember, he was taught God’s Word by these two very special women (II Timothy 3:14-15; 1:5). When young mothers decide they want to do something about the preacher and elder shortage in the Lord’s church, they can and will. They have control of a child’s life during the first six years, which are the most formative years of his life. 

One of the tragedies of modern America is that so many mothers make up the working force. We certainly do not want to be critical of working mothers because some of them must work. However, if there is any possible way they could be with their children during those formative years, even if they had to do without some of the things they want, we would encourage them to do it. It is far better for mothers to be with their children during those years than it is for them to left in the care of a baby sitter or a nursery nursery attendant who only considers it a job.  

Author Unknown

A Perfect Day

Let us now think of a sweet perfect day
    And what it would take to make it that way
For me the issue’s not hard to explain
    Just a day filled with joy and free from pain
A day which affords me all that I need
    Time to spend with my loved ones, time to Read,
Time to tell others the grand old story
    And bid them accept the Lord of Glory
Time to reflect on how things used to be
    When I was a child, so pure and carefree
This day won’t cost money, not one red cent!
    And for it one never needs to repent,
Such days as this will help us on toward
    That perfect eternal day with the Lord!

H. L. Gradowith

That Time of Year Again

Undoubtedly, during this holiday season more people (in our culture, at least) will be thinking and talking about the birth of Jesus than at any other time of the year. We see the effect of this phenomenon in various marketing and advertising campaigns, music that is played on popular radio stations, greeting cards, and slogans such as, “Jesus is the reason for the season.”

The birth of Christ is certainly among the most important (supernatural) events in the overall history of the world. It was/is a cause for great joy—something which God saw fit to have recorded in His Word. It signaled the implementation and the culmination of His Scheme of Redemption, the gift of complete forgiveness, available to all mankind.

However, as important as the birth of the Son of God is, it pales in comparison to His death and resurrection. Christ’s birth was simply the means God chose to bring His Son into this world. His birth was not (as is true with us) the beginning of His existence (John 1:1–2, 14). But His death and resurrection are the events without which we would all be condemned to eternal torment.

The scriptures authorize and obligate us, in very specific language, to have a special, religious observance to commemorate the death of Jesus (every first day of the week—Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 11:26). The scriptures are completely silent, however, with regard to any special commemoration of His birth. We’re not even told when it occurred.

Lest the point of this article be misunderstood, there is nothing wrong with Christians participating in the secular traditions surrounding “Christmas” that have evolved in this country. It is no different, in principle, from observing various traditions that we associate with Independence Day (e.g., fireworks and cookouts). It is good for families and friends to come together, exchange gifts, and share a special meal; and no Scriptural principles are violated by these practices.

However, we need to be careful that we don’t give anyone the wrong impression about what we’re doing when we celebrate “Christmas.” False teaching is just as wrong on this subject as it is on any other.

To put it another way, it’s a mistake to do anything that leaves the impression that we attach any religious significance to this time of year. We simply have no Scriptural authority to do so (just as we have no authority for attaching any religious significance to the holiday known as “Easter”). Christmas is not a celebration of the birth of Christ, and we are not authorized to think or speak of it in such a way. Jesus is not “the reason for the season.” He is the reason for our joy and hope, every single day of the year.

Andy McClish