Does the Lord see my good days?

By Ron Thomas     Hosea 6:6 (ASV). For I desire goodness, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. When the Lord speaks of goodness, what does He mean? In Micah 6:8, the Scripture reads, He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth Jehovah require of thee, but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God? Thus, “goodness” is best understood to be in relation to kindness, humility, and living in accordance with God’s way (justly). The Lord did not minimize any of His commands of a sacrificial approach to Him, but if sacrifices offered had no substantive foundation under them, the offering came crashing down, so to speak. When one approaches the Lord, he (and she) must trust Him through and through (cf. Prov. 3:5), for without that, all one presents is form, and no substance.     Hosea 7:2 (ASV). And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now have their own doings beset them about; they are before my face. As we turn out the lights to our homes, as we engage in activity that no one can see, the Lord’s eyes shine brightly on our actions. “But I am not doing anything!” might be the reply. The Lord sees that also. In the dark crevices of one’s mind, there are thoughts, even as few as two, swirling around thinking about some pleasure or vengeance to be perpetrated; maybe there is no thought about anything, but suddenly something flashes across the mind and stops. “But I didn’t do anything, I only thought it!” one might reply. The Lord sees that also.     The Lord’s warnings are many in Scripture, but words of encouragement are also there. Jehovah is righteous in all his ways, And gracious in all his works. Jehovah is nigh unto all them that call upon him, To all that call upon him in truth (Psa. 145:17-18). There may be many bad days from which one tries to run, but to the Lord when we run to Him, the Lord sees that as a good day.

- Ron Thomas preaches for the Church of Christ at Rio Grande in Bidwell, OH. He may be contacted at etsop95@gmail.com. Visit the congregation’s website at: https://www.churchofchristatriogrande.com

The House of God

By Ron Thomas I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go unto the house of Jehovah (Psalm 122:1, ASV).     This speaks to the attitude of heart/mind. Those who love the Lord have a desire to do as He commanded, and there is a desire to be in the presence of the Lord. In the days of the Old Testament, it was appointed for the men-folk to make three trips to Jerusalem to worship the Lord according to His commands. There were those who went because they were commanded; Psalm 122:1 does not give attention to those who thought/think like this. It does give attention to those who went (and go) because they wanted to please the Lord and present themselves to Him that they might be received.     A New Testament application: do you love the Lord? If so, does your attendance reflect that? Except Jehovah build the house, They labor in vain that build it: Except Jehovah keep the city, The watchman waketh but in vain. (Psalm 127:1).     This verse does not need explanation, for the reading of the words makes it clear what is meant. That which man builds from the ground up will decay. It is just that way. That which the Lord built from the ground up will last until He no longer wants it to last. It can be no other way.     The basic unit of civilization is found in the individual; as each individual marries, the two become one, called a family. It was the Lord who instituted civilization with His creation of the family. Society, however, a liberal and progressive society, seeks to destroy what the Lord created. It won’t work, however, that is, it won’t work in the end. Try as it might to thwart all things associated with God, those who do so (and / or support) will meet the One who created it on Judgment Day. What will they do then?     If the foundations be destroyed, What can the righteous do? (Psalm 11:3). If the Lord builds a nation, that nation can’t fall! What about Israel, did not the Lord build that? He did! Did they not fall? They did! What gives? They fell through their rebellion. It was not long after the Lord brought them to the land of promise that Israel started wandering off the course the Lord set for them. Because they wandered off, the Lord in His mercy was slow to respond (purposely), and they continued to exist longer than they deserved. Still, they fell into sin and were carted up into physical captivity. They suffered much.     The Lord did not establish the United States of America, but we would not exist if He did not allow us to come into existence. Since the time of our existence, the moral underpinnings of our country are all but destroyed. “Lord, have mercy on our country!”     In the New Testament, the Lord built only one church; it is called the Lord’s church, the church that belongs to Christ (the church of Christ). With the Lord anchoring and building up His church, the church is able to get through any storm. Yet, in our confidence, if we allow our anchor to be removed by the force of strength that Satan hurls at us, we will be blown away by the wind. Satan will only have success if individual saints allow him to infiltrate the mind of corrupt one’s thinking. Writing about the church, Paul said, Know ye not that ye are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man destroyeth the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, and such are ye (1 Cor. 3:16-17, ASV).     Don’t allow yourself to be defiled and, therein, defile the Lord’s body, His temple, the church.

- Ron Thomas preaches for the Church of Christ at Rio Grande in Bidwell, OH. He may be contacted at etsop95@gmail.com. Visit the congregation’s website at: https://www.churchofchristatriogrande.com

Israel's Invitation

By Ron Thomas
    In the parable of the invitation, the king sent out his invitations to his subjects, bidding them to come to the wedding feast. Those special invitations were refused. The king took great exception to this slight. It is a matter of good judgment to accept the king’s invitation; when he is refused, the effect of this is mockery, saying he is not worthy of the invitee's time. The response of the king was wrath.    This parable refers in application to Israel. They received the Lord’s invitation (the King of kings), but they refused His offer of salvation. They knew not they were lost, though the King did. Instead, they were comfortable in their environment, and they wanted no upheaval in their lives or time, even for a few hours. The King deemed them unworthy; thus, He sent His invitations to people the originally invited guests disdained (cf. Acts 22:21-23).    Lesson: invitations from others are not to be summarily dismissed as unworthy of your time, for the one who invites will not forget. When an invitation comes from the King of kings, and this invitation is rejected, He who invited will not forget. It was Jesus who said, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30, ASV).    We are all tired, and the Lord offers rest. The King is inviting us to come to Him. Wisdom will take Him up on the offer.

- Ron Thomas preaches for the Church of Christ at Rio Grande in Bidwell, OH. He may be contacted at etsop95@gmail.com. Visit the congregation’s website at: https://www.churchofchristatriogrande.com

What Makes A Man

By Ron Thomas     He has to have a directional compass not of this world. A good many people live life not knowing where they are going. They graduate school, get into the workforce and plan for retirement. When they arrive, the years slipping by much quicker than they thought, they ask “What happened!?” The Lord said to Joshua, Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go; for ye have not passed this way heretofore (Joshua 3:4, ASV; cf. Isa. 48:17). Without the Lord, there is no chance a man knows where he is going. Though he thinks he does, he knows nothing at all.     Moral fortitude. The word fortitude conveys the idea of strength. Without the strength of a moral character, knowing what is right and wrong is fleetingly slick. Have you ever tried to grab oil? From where does one’s moral stand come from? There are only two sources of origin: God, not-God. That is, it. If the Lord is your moral fortitude, victory is assured. If not-God is your moral fortitude, then your morality is shaped by this world’s thinking. There is no victory in that!     Courage. To have courage, one does not have to have the strength of superman, but he must have a willingness to put himself in uncomfortable situations for that which is right and for those in need of help. Sometimes this means he stands alone. To stand alone means one must have a conviction of heart that makes his standing alone on a firm foundation. The best foundation upon which any can stand is Jesus. For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11).     Leadership. In any group, one stands out as a leader. In the family, that is the man/husband/father. That is the way the Lord designed it, and if he fails in his duty to be a leader, then someone takes his place, and the Lord is displeased. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, being himself the saviour of the body (Eph. 5:23). If a man is not the leader in his home, there is no chance he can be a leader in the church.     Humility. Are politicians humble? It appears some are not. God’s man must be. Without humility confidence turns into arrogance. Arrogance is a useless personal quality. The reward of humility and the fear of Jehovah Is riches, and honor, and life (Prov. 22:4).     A hearing ear. There is a difference between hearing and listening. I can hear, but if I am not listening, then what you are saying goes in one ear and out the other. If that is the way a man is, avoid him; he will not listen to the Lord, much less to any other. An exhortation from the Lord is continuous, if any man hath ears to hear, let him hear (Mk. 4:23).     Words that are few. A man does not need to hear himself speak, neither does he need to impress any with the height of his wisdom. If he speaks too much, it may be that he needs to convince himself he is wiser than he actually is. Words to the point accomplish their purpose. He that spareth his words hath knowledge; And he that is of a cool spirit is a man of understanding (Prov. 17:27).     A responsible work ethic. A man is one who takes responsibility and refuses to make excuses for failure to accomplish his tasks. He is aware of the occasional occurrences outside his control, but he works in such a way to minimize outside influences that adversely affects the product. He gets us early and gets after it. Where no oxen are, the crib is clean; But much increase is by the strength of the ox (Prov. 14:4).     A willingness to trust (31:11). A man is a man who willingly puts his trust in the Lord and lives according to that trust.

- Ron Thomas preaches for the Church of Christ at Rio Grande in Bidwell, OH. He may be contacted at etsop95@gmail.com. Visit the congregation’s website at: https://www.churchofchristatriogrande.com

Israel, Sacrifices and True Isreal

By Ron Thomas     In our Bible class discussion on Wednesday night, I gave attention to forgiveness and the Law of Moses. Let me elaborate on that a little more. Forgiveness is always a matter of God's declaration; it is His gift to those who obey Him. Since it has always been the case that one is justified by faith, then those justified by the Lord receive the forgiveness of sins.     But, in the context of the Levitical setting, there is something much different. The Lord brought a nation (Israel) from out of another nation (Egypt). The new nation formed by the Lord was to be to all people God’s kingdom of priests (Ex. 19:6). The Lord brought them from Egypt and placed them in Canaan (Palestine) to be His shining light in a dark world. Before He led them to the land of promise, He gave Israel His covenant law, the foundation being the Ten Words (Commandments). As a nation they lived according to that, and all other laws were built upon that foundation.     From Hebrews 10:4, we learn the blood of animals can’t remove sins, but in Leviticus we learn the men (males) offered blood sacrifices, a sweet aroma to the Lord. Women did not do this. In fact, regarding women, when they offered sacrifices, this was in relation to childbirth and their menstrual cycles. Were the men only ones forgiven? Not hardly! If that were so, then in what way was there atonement (Lev. 1:5), or forgiveness (the word “forgive” is only used 10 times in the book of Leviticus (ASV), and it is always in relation to sacrifices)?     Since the blood of animals could not remove sin, but one was forgiven with the blood of animals in specific sacrifices, what gives? The forgiveness granted was not a personal application, but one that was "corporate”, or, in other words, forgiveness was granted to the individual family through the head of the house. With this being the case, sacrifices in the national context perpetuated the nation of God's people, meeting the principle of Exodus 19:6.     When the nation was loyal to the Lord, they were effective in their mission work. When they were not loyal to the Lord, the Lord warned them His protective barrier was going to come down. They refused to listen, and they paid the price for their disobedience. Finally, the Lord brought Israel to an end (Mt. 23:37-39; Rom. 15:8) and established a new Israel, the church of Christ (Rom. 9:6).

- Ron Thomas preaches for the Church of Christ at Rio Grande in Bidwell, OH. He may be contacted at etsop95@gmail.com. Visit the congregation’s website at: https://www.churchofchristatriogrande.com

When God Speaks

By Jeff Arnette
    In these chapters, we see a profound shift in the narrative of Job. After the long discourse between Job and his friends, where they accuse him of hidden sin and suggest that his suffering is due to God’s judgment, God Himself finally speaks. The Lord’s response is both humbling and enlightening, not just for Job but for all readers of this ancient text.    The silence of Job’s friends highlights an important truth: human wisdom has its limits. For thirty-seven chapters, they argued from their limited perspective, convinced that they knew the mind of God. But when God begins to speak, their words and accusations fall silent. It reminds us that in times of suffering, even the well-intentioned words of friends can be misguided. There is a deeper wisdom and plan at work, one that only God understands.    When God speaks, He doesn’t give Job a direct answer to his suffering. Instead, He asks questions that point to the vastness of His creation and power. These questions reveal Job’s limitations as a man and the supreme authority and knowledge of God. God is not being harsh; rather, He is gently reminding Job that there are things beyond human understanding. Like a loving father teaching a child, God shows Job—and us—that His ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).    In our own lives, we often seek answers, especially in times of hardship. We demand explanations from God, just as Job did. But sometimes, instead of answers, we are reminded of God’s sovereignty (Haggai 2:20). It’s not that He is indifferent to our pain—on the contrary, He reveals Himself to us because He cares deeply for us. Yet, His wisdom far surpasses ours. We can trust that He knows all things and works them for good (Romans 8:28).    The final reminder of God’s love for us in 1 John 3:1 shows the heart of the matter. God, in His infinite wisdom and power, still chooses to call us His children. This relationship changes how we view His corrections and teachings. Even when life seems overwhelming, we can rest in the knowledge that our Father is guiding us, sometimes through questions, but always with love.

- Jeff Arnette preaches for the Central Haywood church of Christ, Clyde, NC.  He may be contacted through the congregation's website: https://centralhaywoodcoc.com/

Walking Wisely

By Jeff Arnette     The Bible is very clear that believers are not to turn to unbelievers for advice or form binding relationships with them, such as in personal or business partnerships. This principle is outlined in 2 Corinthians 6:14, which says, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” Psalm 1:1 reinforces this point: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.”     However, this does not mean that we are to completely avoid unbelievers. We are called to reach out to them and show love and compassion just as Jesus did. Matthew 9:10-13 shows us Jesus spending time with those who did not believe, setting a powerful example for us: “And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ But when he heard it, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’”     Unfortunately, many people use Psalm 1:1 and similar passages to argue that we should entirely avoid non-believers but doing so would contradict Jesus’ teachings. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus commands us: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'” Similarly, Mark 16:16 says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”     Psalm 1:1 and similar scriptures say is that we are not to seek advice from unbelievers, form close personal relationships, or marry them. Why would we seek guidance from someone who isn’t walking the same spiritual path? Unbelievers do not prioritize what God says, which can lead to conflicting values. Even in marriage, being with an unbeliever can lead to significant problems because the very foundation of love for Jesus is missing on their part. By adhering to the word of God, we can save ourselves from many heartaches and struggles.

- Jeff Arnette preaches for the Central Haywood church of Christ, Clyde, NC. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: https://centralhaywoodcoc.com/