Multiplied Blessings

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. 2 Peter 1: 2, 3. 

In the first chapter of the second epistle of Peter you will find the promise that grace and peace will be multiplied unto you, if you will "add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity" (2 Peter 1: 5- 7). These virtues are wonderful treasures. . . . 

Shall we not strive to use to the very best of our ability the little time that is left in this life, adding grace to grace, power to power, making it manifest that we have a source of power in the heavens above? Christ says: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matt. 28: 18). What is this power given to Him for? For us. He desires us to realize that He has returned to heaven as our Elder Brother and that the measureless power given Him has been placed at our disposal. . . . 

We are to represent Christ in all that we say and do. We are to live His life. The principles by which He was guided are to shape our course of action toward those with whom we are associated. When we are securely anchored in Christ, we have a power that no human being can take from us. 

The unstudied, unconscious influence of a holy life is the most convincing sermon that can be given in favor of Christianity. Argument, even when unanswerable, may provoke only opposition; but a godly example has a power that it is impossible wholly to resist. 

Through His Son, God has revealed the excellency to which man is capable of attaining. And before the world God is developing us as living witnesses of what man may become through the grace of Christ. . . . 

What an honor He confers upon us, in urging us to be holy in our sphere, as the Father is holy in His sphere. And through His power we are able to do this; for He declares, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matt. 28: 18). This unlimited power it is your privilege and mine to claim.

Are You Wrong?

Scripture: “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.” (Matthew 5:23-24).

Has peer pressure ever gotten the best of you -- have you done something you know is wrong, just because you think your friends wanted you to do it? God's Word says that He loves when His people "listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight" (Exodus 15:26), rather than behaving in an unrighteous way. Part of behaving righteously is trying to be aware of when we hurt someone or treat them unjustly. Once we realize we have done something wrong, we need to repent and ask forgiveness.

Example of Wrong

We should follow God's command to "honor your father and mother" (Deuteronomy 5:16). He instructed His people "to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8). God's Word tells stories of His people: when they did what was right, God blessed them; when they did what was wrong, God corrected them.

Today, Christians can rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance; the Apostle Paul instructed, "let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves" (Galatians 5:16).

Repent and Ask Forgiveness

Since I was rude to my mother, I needed to apologize and seek forgiveness from her and from God. His Word reminds us that "if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness" (1 John 1:9).

When we have gained forgiveness, we should remember to ask God to help us so that we do not give in to the temptation to sin again. God's Word tell us, "Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away" (Acts 3:19).

Keep Praying!

Scripture: "“These were [the Lord's] instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields." (Luke 10:2 ).

Sometimes, it seems there is too much to pray for, and not enough people praying. As of this writing, tremendous upheaval and civil war are occurring in at least three countries the Middle East. Governments in the West are spying on each other and bullying their own people. Other people around the world are disagreeing over their differences, while those in power persecute those with minority views or looks. How can God work with all this? Does He care about you and the people you are praying for amidst all this turmoil?

God Does Care

Scripture tells us, "This is real love — not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins" (1 John 4:10). His love extends not just to His people, but to all people; "God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish" (John 3:16).

God Hates Evil

Scripture makes it clear that God despises when we humans hurt one another. "The Lord hates ... haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family" (Proverbs 6:16-19). Instead, He says, "I the Lord love justice" (Isaiah 61:8).

God Wants Us to Pray

Although it might feel like we're praying against an unending tide of evil, Jesus told His followers "that they should always pray and never give up" (Luke 18:1). The Apostle Paul reminded us to "pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere" (Ephesians 6:18). We can trust that God will rule over everything -- from great events around the world, to the hearts of the people you love: "we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).

Keep Showing God's Love!

Scripture: "I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally. I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ Himself. In Him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Colossians 2:1-3).

Do you know about The Ten Commandments? They were given to the Hebrew people by God. Their purpose was to teach people how to love and honor God, and how to live happily with one another. The Fifth Commandment instructs God's people to "Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12).

Love for Family

What is the best way to keep showing honor to your parents, and showing love and respect for your relatives? The greatest way is by sharing the love of God with them and others. This love includes being "patient and kind" (1 Corinthians 13:4) toward them, and sharing God's Good News of eternal life with Jesus Christ.

Honor for Parents

Sometimes, children can help their parents find the path to eternal life with Jesus. If your parents don’t know Jesus as their Savior, don't be discouraged if they don't turn to Him at first. Jesus knew that His message could "set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother" (Matthew 10:35). Even so, keep showing God's love with respect for your elders: "obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do" (Ephesians 6:1). And do not despair, for God promised "I will be your Father, and you will be My sons and daughters" (2 Corinthians 6:18).

Instruction for Children

What if you are a parent who wants to keep sharing the Gospel with your children? The Apostle Paul taught, "do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord" (Colossians 1:10). Showing God's love to them sometimes means parents should be selfless because "love does not demand it’s own way" (1 Corinthians 13:5). But God's Word lets us know that if we "train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).

Syria and WMD

The world is once again focused on the Middle East. And once again, it's Syria.

This time, the Syrian government is accused of using chemical weapons in an attack on the rebels. Reports indicate that hundreds, mostly civilians, were recently killed and injured in a WMD attack on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta.

It is undeniable that a chemical weapons attack occurred. It is undeniable that hundreds are dead and hundreds are injured. It is undeniable that this is a cruel atrocity worthy of international scorn and, many think, punishment.

However, do not believe that it is undeniable that the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad committed the atrocity. He is certainly capable of it and the Syrians have the resources to do it. What's lacking is the motive.

In the last few weeks, things have been going Assad's way. His government seems to be gaining ground against the rebel coalition. The world's attention has been diverted from Syria's civil war to Egypt's civil struggle.

Why, when he is at least holding his own, if not starting to win, would he choose now to perpetrate the one act -- the use of chemical or biological weapons against his own people -- that would return the world's attention to Syria and guarantee its wrath would be poured upon him? It just doesn't make sense.

And when you take into account the fact that the Syrian rebel opposition is now dominated by al-Qaeda -- an organization that also has absolutely no qualms about using chemical weapons to further its goals -- it's enough to give any rational person reason to pause. The nagging truth is that the rebels are the party in this conflict that stands to gain most from a chemical attack blamed on the Syrian government. That's because it will almost surely provoke some sort of Western intervention in the civil war that may tip the balance in favor of al-Qaeda and their opposition allies.

President Obama and British Prime Minister Cameron have been working to secure a United Nations-approved military intervention in the conflict. However, on Thursday the British parliament conducted a preliminary vote and decided to say, "No, thank you" to the UK's involvement in an armed response.

We're now waiting to see what the Obama administration will choose to do and if it will go it alone or seek Congressional approval. Suffice it to say there's plenty of skepticism to go around. U.S. law seems to require the President to consult the Congress before committing our military forces to a conflict that does not threaten us directly. However, he chose to participate in the Libyan intervention without Congressional approval and he's suffered no repercussions from that decision.

One thing, however, is that any sort of international military intervention in Syria will certainly put Israel -- who has intentionally stayed on the sidelines and kept its mouth shut -- at great risk. We all know that Assad has threatened to attack Israel if outside powers attempt to intervene in the civil war. Now, a leading military figure in Iran has threatened to destroy Israel if the West meddles in Syria.

So we need to earnestly pray for the peace and safety of Israel as well as pray for God to grant our leaders wisdom in dealing with this delicate situation. We agree that the world community cannot let gas attacks go unanswered, but we must be careful to get the facts right before we act. And we must be careful not to act in a way that strengthens the hand of al-Qaeda.