What must I do to be saved?

Rick Trojanowski placed the winning bid on an old toolbox back in 2017.  He was at a farm auction at the time and didn’t take time to look through his new acquisition for a couple of years.  Tucked away in a drawer of the toolbox was a love letter written 70 years earlier.

The letter had been written to a woman living in Grand Rapids, Michigan from a man who was in the Army.  He wrote about how he regretted their argument five months earlier, and how slowly time had moved during their period of silence.  After apologizing profusely for his role in the disagreement, he spoke of how he looked forward to coming home, and asked her to marry him upon his return, still seven months in the future at the time he wrote the letter.

Trojanowski doesn’t have any use for the old love letter, but he figures surviving family members might.  He has been scouring Facebook for clues about survivors of either the woman or the man but has so far had no success.  A Grand Rapids TV station has now joined in the hunt, asking anyone with information on either individual to get in touch with them.

Old love letters can be a treasure; I can speak from experience.  Our parents, newlyweds at the time, wrote many letters while my father was stationed in Germany in World War 2.  None of their children had yet been born, but it’s reassuring to us to see how they loved each other.

There is another letter that has been written to express deep and abiding love, and for many people it has become lost.  Yes, I’m referring to the Bible, God’s message to humanity.  It is a book of profound and too-good-to-be-true love.  For many, however, His love remains a secret.

John 15:13,14 is a great example of the love in this “letter”: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.  You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.”  The four biographies of Jesus (the Gospels) detail how Jesus laid down His life, and His willingness to do so despite the personal cost to Himself.

Romans 5:8 is another powerful statement of God’s love: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Where else have you ever heard of a more striking example of someone’s love for another?

But the Bible isn’t just a statement of God’s love for us; it’s a plea to restore our relationship with Him.  “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Though that toolbox was in Trojanowski’s possession for a couple of years, that love letter remained lost until he began searching through it.  God’s love is clearly communicated through Scripture, but if we’re not searching those Scriptures (see Acts 17:11), that love will remain lost to us.  Such life-changing love needs to be discovered!  Open your Bible now and search diligently.

Come to the light God offers!  Study His word, the Bible.  Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24).  Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.

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Copyright, 2024, Timothy D. Hall

In a recent enewsletter – “The Collapse of News is Nothing to Cheer” (February 02, 2024) – by National Review writer, Jim Geraghty, he quotes from another writer, Sebastian Junger. Junger’s article is entailed “When Journalism Dies.” Junger says this about journalism:

“…we can state that a journalist is a person who is willing to destroy his own opinions with facts. A journalist is a person who is willing to report the truth regardless of consequences to herself or others. A journalist is a person who is focused on reality rather than outcome.”

What a powerful definition of a gospel preacher, don’t you think? I am not discounting the absolute need that we have to “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15) and kindness, patience, and gentleness (2 Tim. 2:24-25). Those qualities are absolutely essential in preaching like Christ preached.

But we seem to have a generation of preachers now who set Ephesians 4:15 (at least the “love” part) against or in place of Acts 20:27 where Paul writes: “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.” When gospel preachers become afraid of losing members if they call them to repentance, it seems to me that preaching has died.

Not too long ago, I had a conversation with a preacher-friend of mine who spent nearly 45 minutes of our phone conversation telling me that the obvious meaning of a certain passage could not be the correct meaning. Eventually, I asked him how we should understand the passage properly; his response was: “I don’t know.” That’s not good enough. Preaching has died If even “gospel preachers” are willing to distort the truth of God’s word (or run from teaching specific, unpleasant passages) because they are afraid they can’t otherwise get people into the baptistry.

We, especially Gospel preachers but all Christians who love the truth (2 Thess. 2:10), need to “destroy our own opinions” with facts from God’s word. Let’s get back to letting the text speak for itself and teach those facts, in the words of the “old-time preachers” (of whom my dad was one) “without fear or favor!”

Preachers need to be willing to teach the truth “regardless of consequences” to himself. First, a preacher should let a church know who is interviewing him for a job what his doctrinal convictions are on every major controversial issue. If he doesn’t, the elders or men who are interviewing him should make sure they ask those questions.

Jesus taught the truth and it led to His death. Jesus was the epitome of a gospel preacher who was focused on reality rather than outcome. The “reality” is that if you are faithful to God’s truth, the “outcome” is that you will be blessed immeasurably. If you are not faithful to God’s truth, it might be pleasant in this life, but it will not be pleasant in the next life. God struck Hananiah dead because He counseled rebellion against the Word of God (Jeremiah 28).

Paul Holland

Christians must live in the expectation of eternal salvation.

1. This is an age of fear and despair.
   1. The world has already in the 20th century been ravaged by two world wars and many lesser wars.
      1. There is the fear of hunger.
      2. Fear of war.
      3. Fear of disease.
      4. Fear of a number of things.
   2. The threat of nuclear destruction is ever present. Think of the nuclear problem in Russia a number of years ago.
2. The acute need of the Christian is hope.
   1. Hope anchors the soul: Heb. 6:19-20.
      1. Without this anchor one may drift away from the Lord. Heb. 2: 1, 3.
      2. Without this anchor the storms of life may sweep one away: 1 Thess. 2:14; 2 Thess. 1:4-7.
   2. Hope is the helmet to protect the Christian. 1 Thess. 5:8.
3. There are three things according to 1 Thess. 5:8-10 which give the Christian hope of eternal salvation.

SALVATION IS BY GOD’S APPOINTMENT – 1 Thess. 5:9.

1. Salvation is not an accidental, haphazard, “hit-or-miss” matter with God.
   1. God works in His people, through His word, so they will and do His good pleasure. Phil. 2:12-14.
   2. Saints are kept by God’s power. 1 Peter 1:5.
2. God has not appointed His people to wrath. 1 Thess. 1:9; 2 Peter 3:9.
   1. Christians have been “delivered from the wrath to come.” 1 Thess. 1:10.
   2. Those who reject the gospel shall experience God’s wrath. 1 Thess. 2:16; 2 Thess. 1:7-9.
3. God has appointed His people to eternal life. 1 Thess. 5:9.

CHRIST DIED FOR US – 1 Thess. 5:10.

1. The death of Christ did for us what we could not do for ourselves.
   1. Sin condemns, but we are justified by the blood of Christ. Rom. 5:9-10.
   2. Sin alienates, but we are reconciled to God by the death of His Son. Rom. 5:10.
2. The blood of Christ keeps on cleansing us from sin as we walk in the light of God’s truth. 1 John 1:7-9.

WE LIVE WITH CHRIST – 1 Thess. 5:10.

1. Christians live with Christ now. Rom. 6:8.
2. Christ is our High Priest. Heb. 4:14-16.
3. Christ is our advocate / attorney in heaven. 1 John 2:1-2.
   1. He knows the nature of temptation. Heb. 4:15-16.

CONCLUSION:

We are saved by hope. Rom. 8:24

Hope is based on faith. Heb. 11:1

Faith is based on and nourished by God’s word. Rom. 10:17.

the late Wayne E. Holland

a sermon preached at:

Hiawassee, GA (05/18/1986)

Henderson, NC (11/02/1997)

Ninon de Lenclos was a well-known prostitute in seventeenth century France. A man named Marquis de Sevigne went to her for advice on how to win the heart of a beautiful young countess. Ninon was 62 years old; the marquis was 22, handsome, warm, but inexperienced. Ninon decided to take the marquis under her wing and advise him on how to win the heart of the countess. She laid out a plan and every step needed to be executed with utmost attention to detail.

At first, the marquis should be distant, with an air of nonchalance. He would talk to the countess as a friend. At an upcoming festival, the marquis would show up with a different beautiful woman at his side, surrounded by a host of other pretty women. In this way, the countess would see the marquis as someone who was desired by others.

The next step was for the marquis not to show up at events where the countess was expecting him. Then he would show up at places the countess would not expect him. In that way, the countess would not be able to predict his moves. This series of actions, Ninon expected, would put the countess in a state of emotional confusion. It took a few months, but Ninon could see that the countess was falling under the marquis’ spell.

Then the marquis showed up at the countess’s home, acting differently than before, and took her hand. He confessed his love for her. She was confused, which the marquis did not expect. She excused herself and whenever the marquis tried to approach her in the future, she gave him the cold shoulder. The spell was broken.

Satan does not know what he is doing, from one perspective. He is not omniscient. The only power he has over us is the power that we give him. But, he is quite seductive. He, like the marquis, tries to keep us off balance. Trust in those around us rather than in God’s word. Paul warns that Satan operates through men speaking “smooth and flattering speech” (Rom. 16:18). In that way, he deceives the hearts of the unsuspecting. He words it in a slightly different way in 2 Corinthians 11:14, where he states that Satan disguises himself as an “angel of light.”

But God has given us His word – 66 books to illustrate Satan’s schemes – so that we will not be ignorant of his seductive power (Eph. 6:11). The less we read the Bible, the more vulnerable we are to the power of his seduction. On the other hand, the more we read the Bible, the more aware we are of his power, influence, and schemes. We don’t have to be tossed back and forth by every wind of doctrine if our minds and hearts are deeply immersed in the Truth of God (Eph. 4:14).

Paul Holland

1. PURITY OF HEART. The single most important factor for Bible study is purity of heart. By that, I mean: What are you trying to find when you study the Scripture? It is extremely easy to approach the Bible with a mindset of proving what I want to. Instead, it is imperative that we approach the Bible humbly and prayerfully seeking to understand God’s will. Any sort of “spin” or biased interpretation we apply (knowingly or unknowingly) to the Scripture changes nothing of it’s real meaning. The Scripture is of no such “private interpretation” (1 Pt. 1:20-21). When we open the pages of the book divine, may we truly desire “the pure spiritual milk of the word” (1 Pt. 2:1-2).

BIBLE READING. The perfect foundation for good Bible study is Bible reading. You simply cannot have good Bible study without Bible reading… and the more the better. The text of the Bible is the product of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 16:13). Bible reading prepares us for deeper and responsible study, so that we are ready to “test the spirits” (1 Jn. 4:1) when we hear (or read) what man says. Seven times in the Gospel accounts Jesus is quoted saying, “Have you not read” (see, for example: Mt. 12:3; 19:4). The Bible is also the best commentary on itself. The more we read, the more we will understand.

A GOOD METHOD/SYSTEM. Bible reading and study needs a solid method to facilitate learning and understanding. Most would never consider randomly opening any other book they study. The Bible was written in the form of individual books or letters. Studying it one book at a time is a great procedure. There is nothing wrong with studying themes of the Bible, but even that will be benefited from the foundation of reading book by book.

SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND THE ORIGINAL PURPOSE. As simple as it seems, it is crucial to keep in mind that the first goal of responsible Bible study is discerning the original meaning in its original setting. Skipping immediately to application frequently leads to misunderstandings and misapplications. This is one of the reasons that many today believe that individuals can perform miracles. After all, Jesus says in Matthew 17:20, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Of course, this was stated to the apostles who ought to have been able to heal the demon possessed boy. This, and other statements, hardly imply that people today can perform miracles. After we have ascertained the original meaning, we are in a perfect place to make responsible applications.

CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT. There is actually a lot overlap here with the former point, but it is probably worth additional emphasis. Remember that it is not just about what a word means or what we think a memorable verse means. Our goal is to ascertain what the inspired Bible writer intended. Many times this can only be known through giving attention to the context. Words and verses have meaning in context. Many people would be quite surprised if they really studied the context of John 3:16 (see verses 3, 5, and 35 of that chapter). Others would be shocked that when Jesus promised to be in the midst of those where two or three are gathered together (Matt. 18:19-20), it is not written for consoling a small crowd of Christians at worship! Knowing and memorizing verses is good, but knowing the meaning is even better.

BETTER HANDLING OF THE SCRIPTURE. This point also goes back to understanding the original meaning, but I want to bring out an oft neglected point here. It is important that we go to the right place to answer Bible questions. For instance, we don’t turn to the book of Psalms to discern what God wants us to do to be saved. It may seem strange to some, but neither do we turn to Paul’s epistles to see what we must do to be saved. Why is that? Well, of course, because those books are written to individuals who have already been saved. Although Paul deals some with the conversion process in certain epistles, it is far better to look at the book of conversions, the book of Acts. Questions are actually asked and answered regarding what a person must do to be saved in Acts (see especially Acts 2:37-38; and Acts 16:30-34). Much more could be said about rightly handling the word (see 2 Tim. 2:15), but suffice it to say that understanding the purpose of various sections of the Bible, and each book, will help us engage in more responsible Bible study.

May God help us to have a pure desire to know Him, His will, and be able communicate it to the next generation and a lost world.

Daren Schroeder

I have heard it said that before you leave Türkiye you must see a carpet demonstration. So, after leaving the ruins of Ephesus we headed straight for a carpet factory.

Upon entering a room whose walls were covered in Turkish rugs, to our left was a vat of warm water with what appeared to be a basket of cotton balls. A lady stood behind the vat and the salesman began his presentation of the beauty and durability of silk. “Silk,” he said, “comes from a caterpillar that feeds upon mulberry leaves.” He was careful to note that pound for pound silk is stronger than steel. As the lady threw several dozen “cotton balls” or silk worm cocoons into the vat she began to stir them with what appeared to be a small twig from a tree. My question has always been when you are unraveling a cocoon, “How do you find the end of the thread?” The twig is the answer. As the cocoons are being stirred, the ends of the thread will latch on to the twig and the cocoons will begin to unravel. One single cocoon will yield 1,000 to 2,000 feet of silk; that’s three to six football fields long. We were told that to make the best, most luxurious rugs, one needed to discard the first and last several feet of silk since they are courser and only the middle portion is used.

We were then taken into a larger room adorned with beautiful carpets hanging on the walls and hundreds of smaller carpets rolled up in piles. There our group was treated to a meal of lamb, tomatoes, and stuffed peppers. While we ate, he showed us how carpets were made. A lady sat on a small bench and began to weave the fabric back and forth on the loom. He said that a single carpet could take several months to over a year depending on the size.

One interesting fact is that he said that a true silk rug will get better with age. Whereas my mom would always tell us to not walk on the carpet, he said that a true silk rug gets better the more one walks on it because the threads get tighter and tighter each time one steps on it. He also said that a true silk carpet can easily last 150 years and some much longer. A well-kept silk rug can last centuries and even increase in value.

The spiritual point I want to make from this is that the church ought to be like the threads of a silk rug. The more we face adversity the stronger we should get. The church consists of people or threads. As the threads go through times of struggle, challenges, and persecutions, the church ought to grow closer together. Paul said, “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26). In the church, we are all in the same boat, or in the same rug.

Paul in various places in His letter used the imagery of being knit together. In Ephesians 4:15-16, he said, “Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” Later in Colossians, Paul wrote, “that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God” (Colossians 2:2). He followed this idea up in verse 19 by saying, “from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.”

When hardships hit such as physical illness, tragic accident, or death, each member of the family of God ought to pull together and make the whole body stronger. We cannot allow selfishness and pride to tear us apart. We must set our eyes upon the unity of the body and the strength which comes from the adversities we face. So, walk on the rug if you want; it will only make us better and better.

Roy Knight

In an episode of the Bob Newhart show, Newhart plays a psychiatrist named Dr. Switzer. This woman comes to him with a problem – she has a fear of being buried alive in a box. She says it makes her anxious to think about it; it makes her life horrible. She can’t even go through tunnels or be in an elevator. She can’t even be in a box – anything “boxy.”

Dr. Switzer (Bob Newhart) says, “So, what you’re saying is, you’re claustrophobic.” The woman agrees with his assessment. So Dr. Switzer says, “Let’s go Catharine. I’m going to say two words to you right now and I want you to listen to them very, very carefully. I want you to take them out of the office and incorporate them into your life.”

She asks if she needs to write them down. Dr. Switzer says, “If it makes you comfortable. Most people can remember them.” He asks if she’s ready. She says, “Yes.” He says, “Ok. Here we are: Stop it!”

The patient is taken aback because the “prescription” is so simple. Dr. Switzer says, “This is not Yiddish, Catharine. This is English. Stop it!”

Catherine says, “So I should just stop being afraid of being buried alive in a  box?” Dr. Switzer says, “You got it.”

Catharine has a few other problems she would like to address with Dr. Switzer:

She says, “We’ll, I’ve got self-destructive relationships with men.” Dr. Switzer says, “Stop it!”

She finally says, “I wash my hands a lot.” Dr. Switzer says, “That’s alright.”

She says she’s afraid to drive. Dr. Switzer says, “Well, stop it!”

When it comes to our sinful behaviors, Jesus tells us: “Stop it!” The biblical word for that is “repentance.” Now, we will see in our passage that “repentance” – while meaning to “change one’s mind” – is also going to result in us stopping our sinful behavior. Because changing the mind produces behavior that is worthy of repentance.

Let’s study the preaching of John the baptizer – Luke 3:2-17:

THE COMMANDS JOHN PREACHED – 3:2-3:

The “word of God” came to John. This expression is reminiscent of the OT prophets.

In order for the Jews to be prepared for the kingdom of the Messiah, they had to repent of their sins against Jehovah God and they had to be immersed in water, please observe the text, “for the forgiveness of sins.” Notice that the purpose of the baptism was “for the forgiveness of sins.”

JOHN’S PREACHING WAS PREDICTED BY ISAIAH – 3:4-6:

Isaiah 40:3-5 predicted that there would be one who would cry in the wilderness – cry for Israel to repent – and through that message this person would “make ready the way for the Lord.” The word “Lord” in the OT Hebrew is “Jehovah” (usually written as LORD). Clearly here in Luke, as well as in Matthew 3 and Mark 1, we know that John was preparing the way for Jesus. This shows decisively that Jesus is Jehovah in the flesh. We might say “Jehovah the Son.”

JOHN’S PREACHING ANTICIPATED A COMING WRATH – 3:7-9:

This verb “to come” is actually the verb “to about to happen” and it is in the present tense. In other words, John is warning that the wrath of God was in the process of being implemented very soon on that generation!

It’s like when my dad got angry at one of us kids… He kept a 2” wide brown belt hanging on the back of the dining room chair to use it when he needed it. And if he ever started reaching for that belt, you knew that wrath was “about to happen!”

REPENTANCE INVOLVES SPECIFIC ACTIONS FOR SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS – 3:10-14:

Notice beginning in verse 10 that the crowds knew that there was something they had to do and they had to do something to get right with God. “What shall we do?” John told each group of people what they needed to don in order to be fit for baptism to be prepared for the approaching kingdom.

JOHN’S PREACHING ANTICIPATED ONE COMING WHO WAS GREATER – 3:15-17:

The apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 4:5 that there was only one baptism, so the baptism in the Holy Spirit – which is distinct from baptism in water – is no longer available. It was a sign of the coming of the Messiah (Acts 2, 10).

Baptism in fire was also going to come on some of those who were in John’s audience. The imagery in verse 17 relates to that coming wrath of God, the baptism in fire.

I also want to briefly draw your attention to John’s message to King Herod in verses 19-20. King Herod had been married to the daughter of the king of Arabia. But he was on a trip and stayed with his brother Philip, who was married to Herod’s niece, Herodias. They fell in love so Herod divorced his first wife and married Herodias. John told him that he needed to repent of living in an unscriptural marriage.

What do you think Herod would have to do to get out of that sinful relationship? Do you think it would be acceptable to God for Herod to say, “Ok. I won’t ever do it again.” Would that be “fruit worthy of repentance?” Do you think God would accept Herod saying, “Ok. The OT (Malachi 2:16) says that God hates divorce. I can’t divorce Herodias. So I just need to stay in this unscriptural marriage.” Wouldn’t that be setting one Scripture against another?

What do you honestly think God wanted Herod to do? Wouldn’t he have to get out of that marriage relationship? The “divorce” that God hated was the first divorce. Now Herod is in a relationship that God did not approve. To bear “fruit worthy of repentance,” Herod would have to end that relationship. Whether it was annulled or divorced, whatever he had to do to legally end that relationship, he needed to get right with God. Instead, Herod had the preacher killed because he didn’t like his message.

TO PREPARE FOR THE SECOND COMING OF THE MESSIAH:

So when it comes to us acting sinfully or living in sin, the message of the Messiah is: “Stop it!”

If you are practicing sexual immorality – stop it!

If you are living in impurity – stop it!

If you are living in sensuality – stop it!

If you are engaging in division behavior – stop it!

If you are guilty of being argumentative – stop it!

If you are living in adultery – stop it!

If you are guilty of outbursts of anger – stop it!

If you are envious of others – stop it!

If you are engaging in drinking intoxicating beverages – stop it!

Whatever sin you are currently doing – stop it! You can’t be saved in your sinful life.

Paul Holland

My earliest memory of honey appears in the form of a plastic bottle shaped like a bear, purchased from a chain grocery store. In Psalm 119, the unnamed psalmist presents an alphabet poem declaring His love and dedication to God’s Word. The longest psalm in the Bible, the twenty-one 8-verse stanzas begins with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in sequence. Psalm 119:103 says, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” In ancient times, many cultures used honey as their primary sweetener; honey has a relatively long natural shelf life compared to sugarcane juice, which spoils within a few days unless it is processed to produce either sugar crystals or molasses.

Honey was probably the sweetest commodity known to the psalmist – other than God’s Word! The metaphor, however, does not suggest limited intake. Rather, it simply points to the Word as the source of great joy for the one who partakes of it. The psalm alludes to this joy in nearly every stanza. From the psalm, let us note at least three reasons God’s Word is “Sweeter than Honey.”

God’s Word is sweeter than honey because it gives me life. The first two qualities here complement each other. The psalm opens by indicating that those who follow God’s Word follow the “blessed” or happy path. Elsewhere, the psalmist identifies the Word as the source of life (vv. 25; 40). God in His Word prescribes the positive actions we must take in order to live the best possible life. Food and drink taste best when we need them most, usually after a period of intense physical exertion. God’s Word is sweetest when we realize that we need it for life, spiritually and physically.

God’s Word is sweeter than honey because it guards me against sin. God’s Word not only prescribes positive actions, but it also proscribes or prohibits the actions we should not take. The Bible tells us the way we should go and the path we should avoid. People will bristle at being told “no” chiefly for this reason: They believe they know better than the person telling them no. If we do not recognize the dangers of sin, we will not appreciate God’s Word. When, however, we know the prohibitions in Scripture protect us from sin and its destruction, we will say God’s Word is sweeter than honey. Psalm 119:9 says, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.”

God’s Word is sweeter than honey because it assures me of God’s faithfulness. At several points in the psalm, the psalmist acknowledges the low points in his life. He speaks of the shame and reproach that comes from sinning (vv. 6; 31; 39). He also mentions enemies who scorn him (vv. 22–23; 83–85; and many other verses). Finally, he experiences sorrow without naming its cause (v. 28). Throughout the psalm, God’s Word, and particularly His promise, comforts the psalmist in his affliction. He says, “This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life” (v. 50). The more time we spend reading Scripture, the more we will see God’s faithfulness to His people. He always keeps His word. Whatever we may face, we can know God is faithful in the situation because He has made it known in His Word. God’s Word is sweeter than honey!

Clay Leonard

    Suggestion, for a better understanding, read I Kings 19. In chapter 18 Elijah had challenged the prophets of Baal to see if their god would bring down fire to burn their offering. Their god could not accomplish that task. Elijah prayed to God Almighty to do the same thing and He did accomplish that feat, even overcoming greater obstacles. Elijah then took the 450 prophets of Baal to the brook Kishon and killed them. “Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying ‘So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time,’” (19:2).

    “He was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba…and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die” (vs. 3-4). Interestingly, the man who wanted to die, never did. God took him to heaven without him having to pass through the valley of death (2 Kings 2).

Who Is This Man?

This man who was so afraid was none other than the outstanding prophet Elijah! He is the prophet of God, doing God’s work in the Northern Kingdom of Israel where Ahab and Jezebel ruled. To get their attention, God had him bring about a three-and a half year drought and famine (I Kings 17:1; James 5:17). He is the prophet who trusted God and has just won a great battle with those false prophets. But, in the next chapter, he is so afraid that he runs and wants to die. A great lesson for us: It doesn’t matter how strong a Christian we may be, whether a preacher, an elder, a deacon, or the “normal” faithful Christian, it is possible to become discouraged!

Why Did He Become Discouraged?

     He let the physical become more important than the spiritual. He had won the great battle in the previous chapter because he was focused on God and the spiritual condition of His people. Now, he became more concerned with his physical condition than his spiritual condition. What a great lesson for us. Although our life on earth depends on the physical, what really matters is the spiritual condition of our soul. It’s so easy to get caught up in making a living that we forget to make a life – a spiritual life.

    He took his eyes off God and focused on himself. Rather than leaving the situation in God’s hands, he tried to protect himself. Sometimes we get discouraged because we take our eyes off God. When we do that, our situation looms larger and larger and creates more and more fear. He let his fear overcome his faith. Faith and fear cannot exist at the same time in a person. One of the two will prevail! We are the one who determines which will dominate our lives.

    He operated on an assumption, rather fact. He said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away,” (19:14). God later answered that by saying, “Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him,” (19:18). Elijah was having a “pity party” because he felt all alone when in reality, there were 7,000 who were faithful! It is easy to get discouraged when we think we are the only one who is faithful. That is rarely the case! There are others who are striving to serve God just as we are.

How Did God Get Elijah Over

His Discouragement?

    First, He let him reach the point of exhaustion before He began to give him answers. No doubt the battle on Mt. Carmel was mentally and physically exhausting. Think of the effort it took to kill 450 prophets! After all that, Elijah then outran Ahab’s chariot to Jezreel. That was a distance of 20 miles. Elijah then ran to Beersheba which was another 100 miles. From there he went a day’s journey into the wilderness. That’s another 20-30 miles. He had run about 150 miles. It is no wonder he requested death and laid down under a juniper tree to sleep (19:3-5). It’s no wonder that he was discouraged! It is easy to get discouraged when one is physically exhausted. But, the flip side of exhaustion is that sometimes when we reach that point mentally and physically, it motivates us to say, “There’s got to be a better solution” and we turn to God.

It’s okay to take some time off. It’s okay to relax. Jesus approved that principle when He said to His disciples “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while,” (Mark 6:31). In the case of Elijah, he was being revived by his sleep and then God awakened him and gave him physical food which gave him strength to get over his discouragement, (19:5-7). Getting the proper amount of rest and the proper diet will go a long way in keeping us from getting discouraged!

    Second, God sent him to a holy place. Elijah went to Horeb which is the region where Mt. Sinai is located. That was a very special place for all Israelites. That was the place of their origin. That was the place where God made them his holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6). That was the place where God had come down on the mountain, spoken to Moses, and gave Israel their law. What a great place to remind Elijah of his history. If anything could get Elijah over his discouragement, it was this holy place.

When we begin to get discouraged, we need to go to our “holy place!” It might be a hike over our favorite trail. It might be a special place that has special meaning! Maybe it is as simple as a favorite chair where we can think, meditate, and evaluate. We need to go where we can be reminded of our great experiences and the past victories we have enjoyed.

    Third, God asked him a penetrating question – “What are you doing here, Elijah, (19:9, 13)? This is probably God who had sent Elijah to Horeb, so God ass not asking for information He did not know. He was asking that question to help Elijah think about himself.

Sometimes, we must ask ourselves, “Why am I here” – “Why am I discouraged?” “Why am I thinking this way?” “Where should I be?” God didn’t need Elijah in Horeb; He needed him back in Israel doing the work He assigned him. God doesn’t need us in the pit of despair, but rather in the battlefield of faith. There are souls who need our influence!

    Fourth, God gave Him work to do, (19:15-16). He sent him to anoint some rulers. Sometimes, when we feel down or discouraged or a little depressed, we need to get our eyes off of self and go serve others. First, it gets the focus off ourselves and puts it on others which is our assignment in life. Second, often we will find that those who need our service are in a much worse condition than we. It will help put our situation into a better perspective.

Fifth, God gave him a friend, Elisha, (19:16). He went and recruited Elisha to work with him (19:19-21). They became the closest of friends to the point that Elisha was the only one who got to see Elijah ascend into heaven (2 Kings 1-2). No doubt, having that close friend kept Elijah from being discouraged again, at least not to the degree he had been before.

Everyone needs a friend! This friend should be a person with whom we can confess our troubles and sins. This is the person to whom we can explain why we are frustrated and discouraged. This friend should be one to whom we can question our thinking and listen to our doubts without the friend being judgmental. Solomon stated that principle so well when he wrote, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart” (Ecclesiastes 4:8-12).

Conclusion

When we get discouraged, and we will, let’s go back and read again, I Kings 19 and think about the lessons in this great chapter. What Elijah went through can help us when we go through similar situations. What God did to get him over his discouragement, will work to get us over our discouragement.

Wayne Burger

A few years ago, Shawn Green, then a star outfielder for the L.A. Dodgers, skipped a late September baseball game to observe Yom Kippur.

He had recently begun to seriously dedicate himself to Orthodox Judaism, after being a Jew “in name only” for most of his life.  Green was at the time a budding superstar and had been given the salary of one.  At fourteen million dollars per year, he was the highest paid player on the team.

Sports-radio pundits were irate at what they thought was poor prioritizing on Green’s part.  Lividly, they ranted about how putting religion first may be the right thing to do in “God’s world” (um… what is the one we are living in called?), but THIS is Major League baseball.  They posited the question, “What comes first, occupation or religion?”  In several different ways, these gurus of all things athletic explicitly contended for the answer-“occupation.”  To them, the thought of a person putting his religious convictions over his occupational obligations was ludicrous.

Shawn Green may be religiously wrong, but the move he made was a right one!  He was, at least, a proper role model for impressionable, young sports fans in a day when athletes litter the news with sordid tales of perversion, lawlessness, drunkenness, and sexual immorality and brutality.  Yet, it seems that the more telling story is the attitude shared by most people and expressed by these talk show hosts.

What should come first?  Sports?  Entertain-ment?  Politics?  Social life?  Occupation?  Or, Christ?  The Bible instructs the one who wants to go to heaven, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).  In another place, Jesus warns, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37).  In John’s gospel, He adds, “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man shall give to you, for on Him the Father, even God, has set His seal” (John. 6:27).  Here IS the bottom line.  Our top priority in this life is serving the Lord.  Our number one business is preparing for heaven and taking as many as possible with us there.  Our greatest concern must be letting nothing come before our commitment to God (cf. Exodus 20:3; Mark 12:29-30).  This world has gotten so topsy turvy and confused that we are calling evil good and good evil (cf. Isaiah 5:20).  Thank you, Shawn Green!  May your example cause our sin-sick nation to wake up and understand that God must be preeminent (Colossians 1:18)!

Neal Pollard