When a lost man leaves this world, he finds himself in the midst of the inconceivable judgment of hell (Luke 16:19-31). Yet, when a saved person leaves this world, he finds himself in the glorious presence of the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8) and in the midst of inconceivable joys (Psalm 16:11). Most Christians have heard about the many mansions in the Father’s house (John 14:2), but the Bible also speaks of the absence of tears, death, sorrow, and pain because “the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Not only is eternal life going to be great for the believer because of the absence of these things, but even more so because of the presence of the One who died so that believers might have that life.
Man made himself the enemy of God when he chose sin (Romans 5:10), but God had no desire to remain man’s enemy so He provided the ultimate solution. Instead of returning man’s hatred, the Bible says that “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The Lord knew man could never justly find salvation through his own merits and works (Titus 3:5). God knew man could never be reconciled on his own. Rather than simply allow countless multitudes to go to hell without hope, the Lord determined to provide Himself as the sacrifice for man’s sin. Man would not be dependent upon his own faulty righteousness, but on the righteousness of the spotless Lamb of God (1 Peter 1:18-20).
God created man without sin. In his infancy, man had no knowledge of evil but knew only the joys of fellowship with God. The first man had a perfect environment, a perfect spouse, and an uncorrupted mind. He had little in the way of commandments as God only gave one “thou shalt not” (Genesis 2:16-17). Of all the things man could have done within the will of God, man chose to violate God’s one restriction by partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Immediately man’s eyes were opened to good and evil, and he died spiritually just as God had promised. In order to rescue man, God sacrificed an animal, providing coats of skin to cover man’s nakedness, and removed him from the garden.
A normal man naturally desires to protect what God has given to him. Jacob was not always the best example of godliness, but he had the right desire to protect his family from harm. The Bible reveals to us how he reacted when he could see his brother Esau approaching. Unsure of how this reunion might disintegrate into harm, Jacob divided his family with the most precious at the rear. As his family’s protector, Jacob led the caravan. If there was going to be trouble, he would have an opportunity to intervene offering his family an opportunity to flee for safety. According to Ephesians 5:25, a man’s protection should include a willingness to lay down his life for his wife. A godly man will always intercede between his home and the impending danger.
The Bible never directly addresses the Lord Jesus as “the Comforter,” yet the Lord alluded to this title. The Lord told His followers that the coming of the Holy Ghost would be God’s means of sending them “another Comforter” (John 14:16). Evidently, the Lord Jesus served as the Comforter and the Holy Ghost would function as another Comforter. During His earthly ministry, the Lord Jesus worked in the lives of those who followed Him. He was their Comforter. When He went to the Father, the Father sent “another Comforter” and He is the Holy Ghost. Each person who is born again by the grace of God has the Holy Ghost dwelling within (Romans 8:9). When troubles come, and they will, the believer has within himself a person of the Godhead that specializes in comforting those afflicted.
Prayer serves as the greatest remedy for worry and fears. In Philippians 4:6, God’s word tells us to “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” This truth is reaffirmed in 1 Peter 5:7 where the Bible says, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” A man can expend time and strength caring for the things of this world including the necessities of life, or he can make a conscious decision to obediently cast those same cares upon the Lord. This allows the Lord to show Himself strong toward the individual by caring for His child. According to Philippians 4:7, by choosing to pray, the cares and worries of man are replaced with “the peace of God.” The Bible describes this peace as one that keeps the believer’s heart and mind through Christ Jesus and even passes one’s ability to comprehend its depths and riches.
The book of Ecclesiastes contains documentation of Solomon’s life experiment apart from God. He examined the worth of subjects involving happiness, wealth, labour, and death. Ultimately, he concluded that life “under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:14) was vanity. The word vanity means empty or meaningless. Though Solomon wrote extensively concerning vanity, he was not the only person in the Bible to declare the vanity of life. In fact, Solomon’s father David declared that “every man at his best state is altogether vanity” (Psalm 39:5). King David added that if both men of high and low degree were laid in a balance together, they would be “lighter than vanity” (Psalm 62:9). Thus, regardless of worldly accomplishments and accolades, a life void of God remains meaningless.
Many people who fail to understand the Bible’s contents foolishly judge the Bible as a closed book except to those academically superior. The problem does not rest with God’s words but with man’s spiritual inabilities. This should be expected as the Bible says, “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Even the saved at times may have difficulty understanding certain Bible passages, but God has given His Spirit to those who are saved to teach them and guide them in their understanding of His words. This truth is confirmed in John 14:26 when the Bible says, “the Comforter . . . shall teach you all things.”
Many believers have made it a practice to end their prayers with the phrase “in Jesus’ name.” They do so because of the Saviour’s command to pray in His name. However, the command carries a far deeper relevance than simply a formula habitually added at the end of a prayer. This phrase added at the end of the prayer serves as a reminder that we are performing the action in the name of another. It is also taking place at the request of and under the authority of another person. By coming to the Father in the name of the Son, believers are approaching the Father under the Son’s authority and at His request. Because of Christ’s request and authority, believers can approach the throne with boldness (Hebrews 4:16). Without Christ’s request and authority, our boldness would be turned into presumptuousness.
In a day when the world uses the word love rather flippantly, the people of God need to revisit the concept of biblical love. The Bible says, “A friend loveth at all times.” This infers that the concept of falling in and out of love is unscriptural. Biblically defined love is not a fleeting emotion controlled by one’s feelings. It remains a choice based on the truths of scripture and falls outside the whims of one's emotional passions. The world declares its love for something and in the same breath declares its love lost for the latest passing fad. Just as God’s love for us remains permanent, so ought our love for others. Unfortunately, this fickleness has crept into the lives of the believers. We could learn much by considering the example of the Lord’s love for His enemies even after they had so cruelly nailed Him to the tree (Luke 23:34). Biblical love forgives and continues to unconditionally forgive regardless of any objectionable response to one’s love (Proverbs 10:12).
