“Evil company corrupts good habits” #1703

33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” 34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. (1 Corinthians 15:33–34, NKJV)

Sin deceives, corrupts and destroys. The temptation to fulfill the lusts of the flesh immediately and repeatedly lures the naive to their own destruction, and captures those who are very familiar with the depths of Satan (Rev. 2:24). It is foolish to convince ourselves that evil companions have no impact on us. If light and salt influence the world for righteousness, then darkness and bitterness have their corrupting influence, too (Matt. 5:13-16). Being a Christian means having drastically different values and practices from those who do not follow Jesus. We do not live by the motto, “eat and drink, for tomorrow we die,” even though many around us do (1 Cor. 15:32). We must not define and measure righteousness by those who do not know God. The Lord does that for us in His word. Jesus commands us not to sin precisely because we know the truth (Jno. 8:31-32). We need to wake up and not sin. If we slumber and let the world influence us to sin, then we will die with the world (1 Thess. 5:5-10).

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Let Your Mother Rejoice #1699

22 Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old. 23 Buy the truth, and do not sell it, also wisdom and instruction and understanding. 24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise child will delight in him. 25 Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her who bore you rejoice. (Proverbs 23:22–25, NKJV)

As we honor our mothers this Mother’s Day for their loving devotion and tender care, it saddens us to know of mothers who do not love their children, and of children who disrespect (despise) their mothers. When we were young our mothers taught us good words of truth, wisdom, instruction and understanding. A mother’s wise words of truth do not dry up as she grows older. A godly mother is a vessel from whom blessings flow into the lives of her children (2 Tim. 1:5). Far from discounting, disregarding and despising your mother, show her respect and loving regard by listening to her and by seeking her advice. Yes, you are an adult who will make your own decisions, and you should always hold to God’s truth. That is as it should be. But, shouldn’t your bond with her get stronger with age? So, honor your mother today with cards, calls and gifts – she will love that. And, honor her every day with kind words and gratitude for her undying love for you. This will lift her heart and gladden her spirit more than you know. By doing so you will be a wise child who pleases the Lord.

Two Reactions to the Truth #1683

20 “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” 21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. 22 For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed. (Acts 4:20–22, NKJV)

The apostles Peter and John had been arrested for preaching “in Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (Acts 4:2). By the power of Christ they had healed a man who was over 40-years-old and lame from birth (Acts 3:1-10). This powerful miracle confirmed the genuineness of their message of salvation in Jesus. When pressured by the Jewish council “not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus,” the two apostles dramatically affirmed they would continue to speak what they had seen and heard (Acts 4:17-19). The people of Jerusalem glorified God over the man’s healing, and many became Christians (Acts 4:4). Their leaders knew a miracle had happened, yet they threatened the apostles in an attempt to silence them (Acts 4:14-18). These two opposing reactions show two contrasting conditions of heart toward the truth of the gospel. Do you want the truth, even when it means you will have to change to be right with God? Or, do you fight against the truth? (Do you really think you will win that fight? You won’t.) Now is the time to yield to God, believe His gospel, and obey His will (Matt. 7:21).

“There is death in the pot!” #1651

40 Then they served it to the men to eat. Now it happened, as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, “Man of God, there is death in the pot!” And they could not eat it. 41 So he said, “Then bring some flour.” And he put it into the pot, and said, “Serve it to the people, that they may eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot. (2 Kings 4:40–41, NKJV)

There was a famine in Israel and food was scarce. When Elisha the prophet told his servant to make a pot of stew, someone gathered unknown herbs, vines and gourds for it, “though they did not know what there were” (2 Kings 4:38-39). Elisha miraculously cleansed the poisonous stew, and they ate without harm. When we eat spiritual food we must know what it is. The doctrines and commands of men are “death in the pot” and destroy our souls by taking us away from God’s truth (Gal. 1:6-9; Col. 2:20-23; 2 Jno. 9). The wisdom of the world causes spiritual death (1 Cor. 1:21; 2:6-7; 3:19). Yes, the spiritual food we “eat” matters! Be sure you partake of the Bread of Life (Jesus) by hearing, believing and following His word (John 6:27, 35, 48-58). He has the words of eternal life (John 6:60-68).

“He Ran and Worshiped Him” #1630

When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. (Mark 5:6, NKJV)

Quite a number of people believe every part of their daily life constitutes worship. Today’s verse (it is not the only one) shows that is not so. Worship (“to pay homage to, to prostrate oneself in homage”) is a particular action by the worshiper given to the object of worship. Please notice the man was not worshiping Jesus when he saw him from a distance. The man was not worshiping Jesus when he ran to Jesus. It is when he arrived that he “worshiped Him.” Christians are instructed to worship God “in spirit and truth” – such are true worshipers (John 4:23-24). Worship involves particular actions directed toward God (prayer, singing praises, the Lord’s supper, giving, and preaching God’s word (Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 14:15-16; 11:23-26; 16:1-2). Therefore, worship is more than just going to the lake or mountains and communing with nature. God has revealed the worship He accepts. It is our obligation to offer it to Him without our subtractions or additions. Let us live holy, devoted lives every day, and let us worship God as Scripture directs, with right hearts (“spirit”) and God-approved actions (“truth”).

Christ is Preached #1620

15 Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: 16 The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; 17 but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice. (Philippians 1:15–18, NKJV)

Motives matter. While Paul does not endorse sinful motives for preaching the gospel, he does draw attention to the message that is preached. The spiritual condition of the preacher or teacher does not determine the truth of his gospel message. We must not accept or reject what a person is teaching based on their motives for teaching us. We must listen to their message. Does it agree with the Scriptures (Romans 4:3)? Truth is truth, and it continues to be true even when the person teaching it is prompted by sinful motivation. Paul rejoiced that Christ was preached even though some did so “from envy and strife” to “add affliction” to him while he was imprisoned (v. 15). When you hear the gospel and it convicts our heart, receive it as the word of God. Do not reject God’s truth because you see a character flaw (sin) in the messenger.

Giving Thanks for Our Brethren #1611

But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:13, NKJV)

Paul felt a moral obligation to always thank God for his brethren. His reasons for giving thanks for them gives us guidance for being thankful for one another. Paul was thankful for them because they were loved by the Lord. Let us be thankful for our brethren because they share in God’s love. Paul was thankful because his brethren were the recipients of God’s eternal purpose of salvation. God chose to save sinners in Christ before the world began (Ephesians 1:4). His plan of “sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth” is fulfilled in each person who believes and obeys the gospel (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 10:34-35). Because Christians share in salvation it fills our hearts with thankful prayers as we meditate on the rich blessings of God’s eternal love.