I was reading through an article the other day which made me start thinking about just where my priorities really are.

The Bible is full of “last days prophecies”, some of which have come to pass, and some which have not. I’d like to share a few of these with you and see if you come to the same conclusion that I did.

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. II Peter 2:1-2 Nowadays, you often run into folks who reject some parts of the Bible (or misinterpret it) because of what they heard a false teacher say.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14 Today, portions or all of the Bible have been translated into over 2,400 languages and dialects covering over 90% of the world’s population. TV and the internet is available to almost anyone who has electricity. Travel is fast. You can be on the other side of the world in a matter of hours. Missionaries cover most of the globe.

While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. I Thessalonians 5:3 The global cry for peace is becoming stronger as each year passes.

There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. Luke 21:11 Famines are common. According the United Nations, an estimated 854 million people went hungry in 2006.

An oracle concerning Damascus: “See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins. Isaiah 17:1 The saber rattling between Syria and Israel has been building for years now, its just a matter of time before something happens.

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. Matthew 24:6-7 The Bible tells us not to be alarmed or afraid here. That these are warnings and the end of the world is still to come.

So what are we to do then?

When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. Luke 21:28

Even as turmoil goes on all around us, we are to stand and look up knowing our Savior and the start of eternity with Him is close at hand. The “day of the Lord” is meaningful in two ways; for sinners it will be a day of condemnation to eternal torment. For believers, deliverance through the blood and sacrifice of Jesus.

Knowing then, that our life here on earth “is but a mist”, and our eternity in heaven is sealed, shouldn’t we be focused on living godly, Christ centered lives?

Quoted from the article:

“The day of the Lord should be a truth that radically changes the Christian’s lifestyle. Knowing that the material world will vanish, we should not place too much value on material things. Knowing that the Word of God will never pass away, we should find it of infinite, eternal, value. And knowing that undue indulgence of earthly pleasures will dull our sensitivity to the time of His return should motivate us to live a disciplined life, a life marked by self-control, not self-indulgence. Neither should we worry or be anxious about the things of this life, knowing that this concern will also hinder our prayers and watchfulness.

Let us live our lives in the light of this reality—that Jesus Christ is to return to the earth to judge the wicked, and to bring deliverance to His saints. Let us live as though the material world is a vapor, and the unseen world (including the Word of God) is our only certainty.”

Bob Deffinbaugh, The Gospel of the Gentiles—article 67 Copyright ©1996-2006 Biblical Studies Press, reprinted with permission from www.bible.org.

Our time on earth is getting shorter. We should then, be about spreading the gospel to a lost and condemned world, not only in other countries, but in our own back yard.

Vertical focus—not horizontal!

Total Commitment. To accept marriage as a sacred covenant means first of all to be willing to make a total commitment of ourselves to our marriage partners. This is why Paul in Ephesians compares marriage to the relationship of Christ with His church (Eph 5:25-26).

Christ’s commitment to us, the church, is so total that He loved us while we were yet unfaithful (Rom 5:8) and gave up His life that we may live (Eph 5:25). Christ’s total commitment to us, to be with us in life and death, shows us the kind of total commitment upon which Christian marriage is to be founded. It is a commitment based on unrelenting love. It is a love which is “patient and kind; . . . not jealous or boastful; . . . not arrogant or rude; . . . it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. [It is a love that] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor 13: 4-7). It is this loving commitment which makes Christian marriage a sacred and permanent covenant. A Christian married couple is called to enter intimately into the kind of total commitment existing between Christ and His church. Such a commitment makes possible the blending of two lives into an interrelationship where they grow together in loving unity and fidelity.

When Christian couples enter into a marriage covenant, they are committing themselves to maintaining their marital union, no matter what! This total commitment is set forth in the marriage vows: “for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health.”

By taking the marriage vows, Christian mates promise to each other what is well expressed by Elizabeth Achtemeier: “I will be with you, no matter what happens to us and between us. If you should become blind tomorrow, I will be there. If you achieve no success and attain no status in our society, I will be there. When we argue and are angry, as we inevitably will, I will work to bring us together. When we seem totally at odds and neither of us is having needs fulfilled, I will persist in trying to understand and in trying to restore our relationship. When our marriage seems utterly sterile and going nowhere at all, I will believe that it can work and I will want it to work and I will do my part to make it work. And when all is wonderful and we are happy, I will rejoice over our life together, and continue to strive to keep our relationship growing and strong.”4

Such a total commitment is possible only by divine grace. It is God who gives us power to hold fast to our commitment. This is the unseen factor often ignored in marriage manuals. What is true for salvation is also true for a committed marriage: there is both a divine initiative and a human response. As Paul puts it, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil 2:12-13). We must work to achieve total and permanent commitment in our marriages and yet recognize that it is God who is at work in and through us to make this goal possible.

A wonderful thing about a totally committed marriage is the fact that it is solely a relationship of grace, a relationship in which I do not have to earn my wife’s love constantly because she gives it to me as a gift. Love is seldom deserved because most of the time we are not lovable. Yet it is given to me, and this gives me acceptance, security, and freedom to act. This manifestation of unconditional love challenges us to respond by being more loving and lovable.

Next part….An Exclusive Commitment.

by Don Callander

In reality, however, is it even possible to cut back on Christmas? Sure it is possible to reduce the gift giving and some of the other trappings of the holidays. But is it possible to cut back on what Christmas is all about? If we give NO gifts, and eat NO candy, and exchange NO cards, and visit NO family, will it still be any less Christmas? Does any of that impact the incarnation of God? Will Jesus Christ be any less the Savior of the world? Of course not! Christmas is about Jesus becoming a man for the purpose of saving mankind! We celebrate the wonderful concept that the unique God-Man arrived in the form of a baby.

Of this fact, it is impossible to “cut back.” Our country, and even most of the world, is experiencing stressful times. In the midst of these financial difficulties, I hope that our attention and affinity will be driven to the Savior even more so than in our past. In light of the need to cut back on the trappings of the holidays, it is my prayer, that we will all be driven to hewn our gaze upon Jesus Christ, the God-Man who humbled Himself to become a man, even an infant! Perhaps these lean times are indeed, an actual blessing from God to refocus our interests and passions after Him and not on the peripheral things.

What a great opportunity is right in our laps THIS year to develop new traditions and plans that focus on Him. Our families can reinvent worship of the Christ child with new or even revamped activities. Some suggestions:

• celebrate the anticipation of the incarnation with an advent wreath in our homes
• use a series of Scriptural readings at the nightly dinner table to focus us on the Christ
• pool a portion of our money designated for gift giving to advancing an organization who is doing a great job of spreading the message of the Gospel particularly at the Christmas season
• engage in old fashioned carol singing in our Homes and with friends
• engage in seasonal journal writing along the theme of how Christmas REALLY affects me
• and many more fabulous ideas from YOU!

In these lean financial times, I would suggest that we should not be cutting back at all! In fact, in full light of the lean times, we should be doing just the opposite - we should be ramping up our celebrations and realizing that the hard times are a divinely orchestrated opportunity to celebrate Christmas in a more rich and full manner than perhaps we ever have before.

Cut back for Christmas? I don’t think so!

Are we willing to make a lifelong commitment to “I Do”?
Are we willing to put in the time needed?
Are we willing to accept each other as we are and yet work hard on our short comings?
Are we willing to process and resolve bad feeling frequently and quickly?

Most people have the intention of being committed to their marriage and spouse, and many also realize that this implies translating commitment into actions. Yet they fail to do it. We must develop an honesty within ourselves that counters our own thinking and self-deception that our minds are capable of. There is a human tendency to develop a private logic, or set of beliefs, that we are comfortable with. We avoid seeking the real truth, which can be uncomfortable. For example, we feel better if we can believe that the larger share of the blame for a problem lies outside ourselves. We may want to believe we can enjoy the independence of single life as well as the unity of married life. We want the satisfaction of being right, and in control. Incompatible or faulty beliefs need to be recognized and dealt with honestly, as individuals and as a couple.

Commitment requires us to accept the principle that once we are married, ending the marriage cannot be considered as a solution to the problems in our relationship. We would never consider leaving our children as a solution to our problems with them. If you seriously consider another job, your devotion and performance in your current job inevitably suffers. If your destination is not determined, you are prone to make changes in direction that appear to lead to more interesting or pleasant places. So it is with marriage. Our destination must be the best relationship possible, given each person’s human faults. Our job is to find the best way to do it.

If a marriage is to be lasting and satisfying, consistent with God’s design, we must periodically evaluate the nature of our commitment, as expressed through our actions and behavior patterns. True faith is demonstrated in action as well as belief. Has our commitment to marriage been translated from belief, to intention, to specific behaviors? If there are gaps, we need to work hard at them.

Christian marriages should reflect a covenant commitment of the partners to the marriage because we are committed to one another. It starts with a covenant commitment of each partner to the Lord and then to the other person. All of the responsibilities spelled out in Scripture are first to the Lord and then to the partner. The covenant relationship reflects Christ’s covenant commitment to us. He loves us and cares for us not because of what we are but in spite of what we are. This is what grace is all about. It is “unmerited” favor. This is the source from which forgiveness springs. We should be committed to marriage because we are committed to one another.

A marriage covenant is characterized by total, exclusive, continuing and growing commitment. Starting next month we shall take a brief look at each of these four basic characteristics.

by Don Callander

Exhorting one another - Exhort means “to aid, help, comfort, encourage, and beseech.” In the world we live in with all its temptations and distractions to divert and pull us from our calling (1 Thessalonians 4:7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. ) every one of us needs exhortation to strive harder to stand firm.

The bible has a lot to say about this command. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24,25 How much of our conversations with each other engage mutual spiritual encouragement.? And to pursue holiness so others will see Christ in us and be drawn to Him. Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14 Strong advise here on our relationships with non-believers around us.

He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 We are bound (through His death) to stir up, and to strengthen and encourage one another.

See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:12,13 Powerfull advise on our relationships with fellow believers around us. This verse indicates that our relationships should be such that we know each other intimately. This would take a lot of dedication, and work on both parties part, considering how often the majority of us so not see each other on a daily bases.

“Hang in there!” “Hold fast!” “Have you tried praying about that?” “Have you sought the advice or counsel of this person?” “Do you think it would help for you to do this or that thing?” “I had a problem like that one time.” By doing this, we begin to share our resources and experiences, and there is wisdom, God says, in a multitude of counselors. It cannot help but build people up, and our fellowship becomes stronger as we share one another’s failures, struggles, pains, hopes, and victories . The tongue has the power of life and death. Proverbs 18:21 Your words have an impact on others!

Finally, we are to encourage each other to look forward in a vertical manner to our final destination or journey’s end. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Lest we not forget who essentially brings us to our calling. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23,24

Praise God. Vertical focus-not horizontal!!

On the airplane from Miami, I spent some time chatting with a business man. For work he is an importer/exporter of engine parts for heavy duty trucks and heavy equipment. He inherited this business from his father. By Guyanese standards, he is quite wealthy. On top of this, he has begun to dabble in mining for gold in the rain forest interior and is apparently just beginning to see that “pay off for himself.” This man is quite proud of his accomplishments and fancies himself a tremendous success. His spiritual background is eclectic to say the least. His mother is a Muslim, his father is a Hindu, and his wife is a Christian. He is a “nothing,” he proudly proclaimed to me. As he sees it, if all his relatives are busy praying to a God by way of three separate religions, then He must be quite confused or not really that important. After all, I am successful without God, why do I need to both with him?

There is not a question in my mind, that even though the cultural differences in this man are significant from the typical American businessman, his spiritual condition is identical… LOST!! Whether we are sinners by way of religion, or by way of supposed atheism, or by way of wanton paganism, we ARE all sinners. There is no way around it!

I asked this man if he felt he had any need to have his sins forgiven. He said, “Why do I need my sins forgiven?” From his perspective, there are no consequences for sin. Sounds pretty “American” doesn’t it? That is, at least, what I thought.

Do the following Scriptures drive home the point?

Romans 3:10

as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;

Romans 3:23

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Jeremiah 17:9

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

IN NEED… DEEP NEED!!!! That is the only conclusion we can come to when contemplating mankind and his eternal destiny. You see, we don’t just die and turn into worm food. Our sin DOES have an impact on us… literally for all of eternity!

Our message is not intentionally doom and gloom and certainly NOT the whole of the message!!! It IS, however where the message begins for fallen man. We cannot be saved, if in our feeble sin impaired desperate little minds, we don’t need to be saved!!!!

58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?”

“I will go,” she said.

59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,

“Our sister, may you increase
to thousands upon thousands;
may your offspring possess
the gates of their enemies.”

I am sure you are asking; “How do you get commitment in marriage from those verses?” You know the account; Eliezer, Abraham’s servant is sent to find a wife for Isaac. When both Eliezer and Rebekah realize the earlier events had been orchestrated by God they both moved quickly. Now her response to being married to a man she has never even laid eyes on yet was: “I will go.” Now THAT is commitment! The modern day equivalent is standing at the altar and saying “I do”.

Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary describes commitment as: To give in trust, to put into the hands or power of another, to join or put together, a decision that cannot be recalled.

Look at that last one: A decision that cannot be recalled. Isn’t that powerful?

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24) This decision is presented as a once-and-for-all experience. Jesus said, “Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate.” (Matthew 19:6)

Married people have to spend a minimum amount of time together, occupying the same space, doing things together. The flow of communication should be such that they are seldom guessing what is going on inside the other. When the flow is blocked, commitment means recognizing this, deciding it is unacceptable, and taking action to dislodge the impediment.

Commitment to marriage implies that a person accept the problems brought into the marriage by their spouse as mutual problems. Just as your spouse’s physical problems become yours to share, so do their habits, quirks, and psychological faults. We usually find it less difficult to share dental bills and offer condolences when our spouse’s head aches, than to deal with chronic lateness or explosive anger. Commitment calls us to find our role in coping with every problem that arises in marriage, whether the problem is generated within our spouse or ourselves.

by Don Callander

The source of my learning is derived from God’s Word (Galatians 6:1-10) and from my humble observations.

1) I need to be looking to help others who feel trapped in their sin with the goal of restoring them. My radar must be on looking for need in others.

2) We reap what we sow. God has made this a certainty. To think otherwise is self deception. Unfortunately, in his last moments, Clay was full of self deception.

3) I AM my brother’s keeper. (Genesis 4:9)

4) This day was avoidable! Only because of my brother’s terribly selfish decision, are we gathered here. Let’s not ever gather together again under these circumstances.

5) What really matters are the things that really last. Physical and temporal things are significantly less important than relational and spiritual things.

6) I simply cannot continue to put off doing good for others - I need to do it now while I have the opportunity. Such examples are:

• on-time B-day cards
• apt words of encouragement
• timely phone calls
• simple gestures of thoughtfulness & kindness
• time investments to build relationships

With shame, I must admit, that Clay was far better at doing this than I have ever been.

7) Relationships with people matter. We all need close friends.

8) Keep going… God will give the strength to carry on. To be honest, I am not sure just what I am going to do without my brother. I don’t really know how I will carry on and what my life will be like - but I must keep living it!!

9) The VERY BEST gift that I can give others is to let them know by my word and by my life that I am ready for heaven, no matter what may happen to me. How about you, today? Are you ready for heaven? Do your loved ones know this for sure?

Excerpt from message delivered at memorial service for

Clay O. Selley on Sat, Sept 20, 2008 by Brad D. Selley,

Clay’s youngest brother.