Looking at what has been happening to most of us, we would have to confess to living in very difficult circumstances. Far beyond the news of distant troubles, we are all more than able to tell of things that affect us very, very personally.

Sicknesses that continue to linger; financial challenges that too often appear to be insurmountable; disagreements with family and friends; a growing sense of fear for the worsening events we read about in the news; personal doubt about whether or not we, individually, are really fulfilling God’s calling; wondering if our prayers are being heard and will be answered—the list is long, and not many items are being resolved, or so it might seem.

More than likely, you’ve heard this response before when you were suffering, “Well, just look on the bright side…”  That, in and of itself, is hard to do, but it is truly the very action we should be taking throughout our lives—both in good and in bad times!

King David certainly lived his life walking before God and is even called a man after God’s own heart; however, he stumbled in his conduct, and he sinned greatly. The consequences for his actions brought about very heavy penalties for himself and his family. For David to have found a bright side in all of this is quite remarkable.

How he handled things is summarized in Psalm 51. David repented deeply and completely for his grievous sins—which went beyond adultery to even include the murder of Uriah. David faced what he had done and yielded himself to God’s mercy.

But that isn’t all that he did! In this most remarkable account, we find that David picked up the pieces and returned to serving God—he did not quit or give up:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise”
(Psalm 51:10-15).

For us, as well as it was for David and other of God’s servants, the lesson is that we must never turn away from God—no matter what we have to face!

When life seems nearly unbearable, remember the truth that time-and-again resounds throughout the written Word of God—Paul puts it this way: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

Something to consider when we are looking for the bright side of things!

After reading about the events that occurred during the Boston Marathon bomb explosion in April, I was horrified like so many others. However, something I found very intriguing were the allegations that the bombing had been threatened ahead of time. The fact that people witnessed bomb sniffing dogs searching the grounds for explosives offers evidence that a bomb threat may have actually been called in. While the facts may remain a mystery, I could not help but reflect on the moral conundrum that the race officials would have been in, if in fact a bomb threat was received. In such an event a choice must be made to respond. Choosing to publicize the bomb threat may result in public panic, putting spectators in danger, potential humiliation if the threat was a fake, and a failed race event if cancelation was required. Choosing to keep the threat a secret, places the lives of spectators in danger, adds pressure to find the threatened explosives, and incriminates the race officials if the effort to find the explosives fails. One could make an argument that either choice is right, depending on the circumstances.

We may be fortunate enough not to be in the position to have to make life and death decisions right now, but we still have to make moral choices every day. When faced with a decision to make, especially when it involves a moral judgment, the clarity can blur between what is right and what is not. Fortunately, we have the Bible as our guide and rule book to help us judge righteously. Yet even then, the right decisions are not always obvious. In fact, we have proof that our moral judgment sometimes fails. As Solomon reminds us in Ecclesiastes 7:20, “For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin.” If our judgment and our actions based on such judgment were always righteous, we would not sin. While this is true, we cannot go through life refraining from making decisions just because it is difficult and we may fail. Moral paralysis is not an option for a Christian.

What we have to remember is the faith of Jesus Christ must guide our choices if we want to work towards becoming righteous. Any righteous decision that we may attempt on our own is doomed to failure without relying on God’s guidance. The carnal mind is enmity against God (Romans 8:7), and therefore cannot be relied upon to guide us down the path of moral righteousness. Paul understood this with clarity, teaching in Philippians 3:8-9, “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith…” The righteousness that we work to attain originates with God.

It is reassuring to know that we have the resources at our disposal to be right according to the standards of God. The difficult challenge that we must take to heart is to remove from the equation our own human and carnal assessment of what is right. Only God can inspire us to act righteously, through the faith of Jesus Christ working within us.

We almost missed the plane. After a three hour delay in San Diego, we arrived at the LAX airport, took a shuttle from the commuter terminal to the International Terminal, received assistance from an airport official who phoned the pilot and his crew to ask them to wait for two more passengers, presented our boarding passes to security (which Johanna had printed the previous evening), were given special and preferred treatment in the security line (even though a TSA employee had Johanna open her luggage for inspection), and ran to the departure gate (the most distant one of all the gates) to catch the plane to Germany. We had just about ten minutes to reach the gate after entering the International Terminal, and after boarding, the plane took off immediately.

We were initially told that if we had missed that flight, we could have taken a later flight that same night, but as it turned out, the Frankfurt airport closed down the next morning due to a snowstorm, so that we would not have been able to depart LAX or land in Frankfurt. We would have been stuck for at least a day, if not longer, and our prearranged meetings would have had to be cancelled. That would have not been a big deal, you might say, but these meetings included speaking to our German attorney about church registration, looking for a feast site and counseling with prospective church members. Obviously, someone did not want us to depart on time, and he would have been successful, if Johanna had not been inspired the previous night to print the boarding passes and if we had not received necessary help at the LAX airport.

We were almost not able to leave Colorado! The Church conference ended Tuesday morning, and we had planned to depart for California on Wednesday. However, an unexpected snowstorm was announced, so we decided to leave Tuesday afternoon with our two vans, using a southern instead of a western route to avoid a snow-covered pass.  After our departure, the snowstorm hit, and more and more snow fell for days in Denver and Fort Collins. Using the window of opportunity, we were able to leave Colorado and arrive in California unhindered. Well, almost.

Because on our trip, the Messiers’ van had a flat tire. Being stranded on the freeway, a crew-cab pickup truck stopped, and a friendly middle-aged man assisted us by replacing the tire with our temporary spare, while a young lady remained sitting in the truck. The man told us that we should use an exit in six miles and drive to a local town to get a new tire. He then took off. When entering the town, we could not find the repair shop. Suddenly, the truck showed up again, and the friendly man told us where to go and that he had already informed the owner not to close the shop as some customers would still arrive who needed help. The shop usually closed early and it was already 6:00 PM by the time we got there. As it turned out, the shop owner waited for us, but he could not repair the tire. He had no new tires of a size suitable for the van, but just one used tire which was exactly what we needed. There was no other repair shop around for at least 100 miles or so.

Delia Messier had asked the friendly man what his name and occupation were, when he changed the tire on the freeway, and he said his name was Douglas and he managed a ranch. After having arrived in California, I called the repair shop owner and asked him about the helpful individual, as we wanted to send him a thank-you note. He said he did not know who he was, where he lived or what his name was, but that he had been seen from time to time in town.

Obviously, someone wanted to make life difficult for us, and he would have been successful, if the friendly person had not shown up to help us and guide us to the only repair shop around for a hundred miles, which provided us with the only available used tire.

Before both trips, we prayed for God’s protection; that we would arrive safely at our places of destination; and that His angels would watch over us to help us in times of need. We are convinced that God heard and answered our prayers, and He will do the same for you if you place your trust and confidence in Him.

Many of us, no doubt, have been inspired by many people over the years. These may be people we know, people we have heard about as well as many inspiring biblical examples. It is always an uplifting experience to read, see or experience those whose conduct and behaviour sets them well above the ordinary run of the mill behaviour so prevalent in society today.
 
We have become accustomed to the phrase good “role-models” indicating that such people are worth following and imitating. Unfortunately, many whom we are told fall into this category are anything but good role models. Public figures in the political world, in sports and entertainment are often those whose behaviour is copied but, many times, is not imitating or copying the right sort of examples.
 
Sometimes, something can happen to us personally that can be an inspiration. This happened to me (and others) recently. Mr Ralph Sage, a member of the Church of the Eternal God congregation in San Diego falls into this category. On the Sabbath of 23rd March this year, Mr Sage attended services with his wife Gertrude. Just a few hours later, he rang me to say that his wife had died unexpectedly an hour or so before. Mr Sage himself has cancer and has been given just a few months to live by the medical profession. But in this short phone call, he said that he would be at Passover services the following evening. There were no ifs and buts about this even though his wife of over 61 years had just been found dead at their home.
 
The following evening, Mr Sage was at Passover services along with some others who, themselves, had serious health and other concerns. The service was inspirational because of those who were determined to attend in spite of their personal situations which might have deflected those less dedicated.

Since that time, Mr Sage has still attended most church services and has been an inspiration to all of those in his local congregation, and beyond. In an age where so many bad examples are a daily occurrence, Mr Sage’s approach was truly inspirational.

In the broad scope of biblical accounts, a very important challenge emerges for those who truly seek to please God, and that is the issue of offenses.

Consider what Jesus said in this regard:

“‘Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!’” (Matthew 18:7);

“‘But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea’” (Mark 9:42).

We cannot be pleasing God when we offend people through our wrong actions. Jesus, in these statements of His, characterizes the world and how people now live. However, He also is firmly warning His followers to separate themselves from behaving in ways that offend.

The apostle Paul addresses how we are to live our lives as followers of Jesus Christ when issues do arise, and he states, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18).

Solomon also wrote of the serious consequences of offenses:

“A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a castle” (Proverbs 18:19).

Our challenge is to diligently avoid offenses if at all possible. That means we must be the ones to do the right thing—with the hope that the godly way will triumph. This approach applies whether we might be the source or the object of offenses.

We know that Jesus Christ’s actions and teachings caused some people to take offense (compare Matthew 11:6; 13:57; 15:12). Even among those who initially followed Him, the majority ended up rejecting Him (compare John 6:60-71).

Over the many years, some members within the Church of God have come to a point where, for any number of reasons, they have also rejected Jesus Christ and God’s calling. That has remained true from the beginning, and it is a truth that we still do and will face. Jesus warned of this occurrence—especially culminating in these last days:

“‘And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another’” (Matthew 24:10).

By the time you read this, the Days of Unleavened Bread will have ended.  We are at the beginning of the year the way God keeps track of months and years, and we have another year ahead of us for proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God to the world.

Part of that message is that in the millennium wars will be brought to an end!  We read, as expressed in Isaiah 2:4: “He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.”

It’s hard to envision a time of peace, since so much of what we hear today is about war and violence–people blowing themselves up and killing others in the process, the innocent along with the combatants. War is especially hard on the children, and as a result there are countless orphans as families are destroyed by these merciless conflicts.

War is learned, as stated above, and peace will have to be learned, also. Man will have to learn the way to truly love God and his neighbour. This will be taught in God’s government.

Consider who is called blessed by Jesus Christ:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).

Are we peacemakers?  We should be!  All those in the first resurrection will not only be called children of God, they will be literal sons and daughters of God with the power to enforce peace for the good of mankind. These will teach man the way to peace.

At the current time this world is following the ways of the god of this world—Satan, the true author of wars and conflicts!

With the removal of Satan at the onset of the millennium, the world will truly be brought to the way of peace—for a thousand years! Mankind has only known Satan’s way since Adam and Eve rejected God almost six thousand years ago.

We are moving forward with this gospel of peace, which the world so desperately needs. Let’s ensure that we are faithfully doing our part as we look to the return of Christ– when the whole world will experience a long awaited hope—a true time of peace.

How has the world changed since the Passover last year?
 
We have new laws. Same-sex marriage, recreational drugs (Update 572) and the “Fiscal Cliff” are the laws of the land (Update 571).

We have new politicians. Eighteen members of a violent neo-Nazi party were elected to the Greek parliament (Update 540). China’s new leader demanded “…a return to traditional Leninist discipline” (Update 578). Japan’s new “arch-nationalist” Prime Minister supports a shrine where Class A war criminals are “worshipped as venerable divinities” (Update 572).
 
We have new threats. Iran is closer to having nuclear weapons (Update 554). North Korea threatened a nuclear attack on the United States (Update 581). There is a threat the government will use machines (drones) to attack U.S. citizens on U.S. soil (Update 580).
 
All this and much, much more since last year’s Passover.
 
These appear to be warning signs that the end of the age is coming soon (see Biblical Prophecy: From Now Until Forever). But for those in God’s church there is another, even more urgent warning than all of these combined. It is found in 1 Corinthians 11:27:
 
“…whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.”
 
On Sunday evening, March 24th, baptized members of God’s church will observe the Passover using the symbols described in 1 Corinthians. Will we observe it in a worthy manner? Come Sunday night, there can only be one, very personal answer for each of us–either we honor Christ’s death in a worthy manner, or we become “guilty” of it!
 
What must we do to truly keep the Passover in a worthy manner? Paul says we must do this:
 
“Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:7-8).
 
Leaven in this verse symbolizes sin (Update 325). Paul says, purge it, remove it, drive it from of our lives. But notice the exact words Paul uses: “purge out the OLD leaven,” in other words, old sin. Of course, Paul is not excluding “new” sins either, but it is interesting that he emphasizes “old” transgressions–the kind of people that we were before being baptized.
 
Are there any old sins we need to remove from our lives?
 
Is there any old selfishness (1 John 3:17), old bitterness (Hebrews 12:15), old prejudice (James 2:9), old worldliness (1 John 2:15), hidden in the corners of our hearts?
 
Do we need to clean up any old offenses we’ve caused (Matthew 5:23-24) or offenses we have taken (Matthew 5:22)?

We can’t pack these away during the Passover and pull them out afterwards! Paul says, “PURGE THEM!”
 
What about “little” old sins? Do they really matter? Paul says, they REALLY do matter! Using leaven again to represent sin, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:6, “ …a little leaven leavens the whole lump…”

The point is, we must make a THOROUGH examination of ourselves before we take the Passover:
 
“But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup” (1 Corinthians 11:28).
 
Just as surely as we must remove old leaven from our homes, we must remove any old sins that have accumulated in our lives. And we CAN do it, with God’s help! God has given us the instructions (2 Timothy 3:16-17), the power (2 Timothy 1:7), and the opportunity THIS Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread to repent, to change, to live lives full of truth and sincerity (1 Corinthians 5:8).
 
Many new and unfortunate things may happen in the world between now and the next Passover. But by abandoning our old ways (Ephesians 4:22 , Colossians 3:8) and adopting Christ’s ways (Colossians 3:10), we CAN keep this Passover in a worthy manner, and we CAN live with and rule with Christ forever (Revelation 3:20-21) .
 
What an incredible future to look forward to!

I recently had an opportunity to take a test for a class that I’m enrolled in. Unlike many of the standard classroom tests that I’ve taken in previous years of schooling, this test was to be completed on my own time and from the comfort of my own home. Take home tests are nothing new, but this one was not a typical take home test either. Normally, a take home test allows the student to use reference material and return the completed test on a later date. This test, however, was timed and entirely submitted online. Another unique constraint about this test was that all outside reference material and assistance was explicitly banned. The notes, digital slides, search engines, and help from my wife or kids were absolutely disallowed while taking the test. The only material that I was allowed access to during the test, were the memories in my head.

Even though there were strict rules of conduct during the period of the test, there were no practical means of enforcing them. It would have been trivially easy and undetectable to cheat on the test. Anyone taking the test from a computer would have plenty of material at his or her fingertips with no marshal to monitor the malfeasance. Yes, I could have cheated and nobody would have known but me. Well, nobody but me and God.

While the honor and expectation of honesty was part of the test, I was mostly motivated to take the test in honesty because God would have known my wrongdoing. I knew that God would have indicted me had I given in to the temptation to use Google to answer my questions. Being right with God is by far more important than getting the answers right on the test. The sin of dishonesty, and everything else that breaks the law of God, is a sin against Him first and foremost. 

The book of Genesis relays a similar story when describing how Joseph fled from Potiphar’s wife, who attempted to entice him. At her willful request, Joseph responded by saying, “’ Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’” (Genesis 39:8-9). Joseph had a clear mind, acknowledging that giving in to wrongdoing would be a violation of the trust of his master, but even more, he knew that this carnal sin would be against God.

The loss of our own virtue is something that happens simply and subtly. It happens when we give in, even when we know better. It happens when we convince ourselves that we are justified in taking an action that’s wrong or when we can get away with something without notice. It should be obvious, but it is still important to be reminded that everything that we think is hidden in the dark will come to light (Luke 12:2-3). The secrets we may have, as harmless as they may seem, are marks against us because even the little things are sins against God.

The Passover now approaches, and during this time we must test ourselves to make sure that we are working as hard as we possibly can to live a life according to the pattern of Jesus Christ. All aspects of our own behavior that we tend to overlook need examination and all of the intentions of our heart require cleansing. We have the opportunity right now to judge ourselves before the time comes for our final judgment. Now is the time to study up and prepare to make sure that when our final exam comes, we pass the test.

Overwhelmed?

Do circumstances you face cast you into despair and even feelings of hopelessness?

We all experience our “moments” when the path ahead seems impossible to bear—times when there is no good resolve, and we think there is no way out!

Does it help you to know that others have gone through these kinds of times? It should! In truth, part of the reason we have the Word of God given to us is to learn from others who have faced tremendous trials and survived—and even more, they have conquered and succeeded.

Perhaps the shortest summary of these kinds of examples is found in Hebrews, chapter 11. We all need to take the time in our daily living to—on occasion—read this chapter. Simply drink in the inspirational stories of what has been recorded for our help—so vital when we need it the most!

It all gets back to this one underlying lesson, and that is the role that faith in God can have in our lives.

Jesus Christ knew from the start that He would have to die an agonizing death, and in His struggles to face what was about to happen to Him when the time came, He placed it all into His Father’s care—in total, unreserved faith! Here is what He prayed in His deep anguish:

“‘…O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from me unless I drink it, Your will be done’” (Matthew 26:42).

Keep in mind something as you do review the outstanding examples of faithful men and women from Hebrews 11, and that is the encouragement which follows in chapter 12—especially the first three verses:

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.”

Jesus Christ, our help in tough times—now and forever!

Truly converted members of the Church of God will soon observe the annual memorial of Passover. This year, they will assemble for this most solemn occasion on Sunday evening, March 24, 2013—following the example of Christ and His disciples.

Notice Christ’s words:

“With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15).

Notice Paul’s words:

“Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). And: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

These are indeed sobering concepts… suffering, sacrifice, death.

The first Old Testament Passover was observed during a time of great turmoil, anxiety and destruction—a time of suffering, sacrifice and death.

“Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill [the Passover lamb] at twilight [between sunset and dusk or nightfall]… you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover… For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt… and… I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:6, 11-13).

Protection from the plague was granted during the Passover time—but only, when the blood of the lamb was on the two doorposts and the lintel of their houses, covering, symbolically, the body—shoulders and legs—and the head of the person (Exodus 12:7). Today, Christ’s body and blood cover and protect us from physical and spiritual death,  but only, if we discern the Lord’s body (1 Corinthians 11:29). Otherwise, sickness, weakness and even death might still be facing us (verse 30).

Consider what this means: Discerning the Lord’s body! Understanding the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ! Appreciating His willingness to suffer and die for us! Believing it! Applying it to ourselves and embracing it! Making every effort to insure that we are behaving in a worthy manner! (verses 27-29).

The Old Testament Passover lamb was eaten by those who were to be freed from the physical slavery of Egypt—those who were about to depart and travel, with a belt on their waist, with sandals on their feet and a staff in their hand (Exodus 12:11). Christ came to free us from the spiritual slavery of sin. Are we making haste to depart from that slavery–to leave it behind quickly and to travel on the road towards the Kingdom of God?

After Judah’s return from the slavery of Babylon and the completion and dedication of the Second Temple, “the descendants of the captivity kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. For the priests and Levites had purified themselves; all of them were ritually clean… then the children of Israel who had returned from the captivity ate together with all who had separated themselves from the filth of the nations of the land in order to seek the LORD God of Israel” (Ezra 6:19-21).

Are we—spiritual priests, Levites and God’s temple (1 Peter 2:5, 9; 1 Corinthians 6:18-20)—purifying ourselves to become spiritually clean? Are we separating ourselves from the filth of the nations? Are we truly seeking God?

We should use the coming days and weeks before Passover as a time of meditation and self-analysis.  The Israelite had to take for himself a lamb on the tenth day and keep it until the fourteenth day (Exodus 12:3, 6), knowing that he would have to kill it at the prescribed time, to be protected from death. As the entire congregation of Israel had to kill the Passover lamb, so each and every one of us is responsible for and has therefore killed Jesus Christ. But have we not accepted His Sacrifice—have we not “sanctified” or set Him aside for ourselves (1 Peter 3:15) to be protected and freed from sickness and death?
 
Now is the time to reflect on Him and what He did for us, and to evaluate ourselves—is He REALLY living in us and directing our path (2 Corinthians 13:5)? Is He REALLY our example whose steps we follow (1 Peter 2:21)?