Sin affects men in various ways, but it attacks them in every facet of life. It hinders their walk with God and hurts their ability to reach others for Christ.
Sin is not something man does by accident. It is something man does or allows based upon an unwillingness to stop an act before it becomes sin.
One day, all who know the Lord as Saviour will cease from their labours. It will be a time of eternal rest experienced only by those who are born again.
Every man requires rest from his labour. Failure to take time away from life's pressures eventually take time away from the sum total of a man's years.
Death is the departure of the soul and spirit from the body, but where does each part of man end up after a man dies? The Bible answers this question and more.
Although no person is excluded from troubles, saints have historically understood that God extends mercy as He divvies out life’s trials.
The world is driven by self-preservation and self-promotion. Individually, the natural man is guided by self-serving motives. This should not be true of saints.
Man’s conscience has proven to be one of the most undervalued possessions held by man. The Bible shows that the apostle Paul understood the value of his conscience. He exercised himself to ensure that his conscience was void of offence toward both God and other men. When Paul testified before the council, he could proclaim that he had “lived in all good conscience before God” to that day (Acts 23:1). This did not just happen by chance because Paul described his efforts as exercise (work). It took constant effort. It required willingly denying himself and considering the will of the Lord. The apostle Paul is with the Lord, but the same principles hold true for anyone else who desires the testimony of a good conscience void of offence.
Peter knew that the Gentiles were no longer to be considered unclean (Acts 10:9-16), and he demonstrated this by eating with them. However, when some prominent Jews arrived, Peter “withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.” He knew better but allowed fear to cause him to rebel against the clear teachings of the Lord. As such, Peter “was to be blamed” (Galatians 2:11), and Paul had to rebuke him. It is one thing for a man to sin against the Lord through ignorance, but Peter knowingly, purposely, and openly violated God’s word. In like manner, believers today must bear the blame and the shame when they sin against the clear teachings of scripture.
The Lord warned His followers about the wickedness of those who have an inordinate desire to be in authority over others. “The princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them” (Matthew 20:25). The people of God should not be controlled by such men (or women). Those who know and love the Lord should sincerely desire to serve others rather than to be in authority over them. The chief example is the Lord Jesus Christ who “came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). John gave a similar warning when he spoke of “Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence” (3 John 1:9).
