What must I do to be saved?

A man was doing a survey for a research company and he knocked on a door. The resident came to the door. The man said, “I’m doing research. I would like to know what you think the worst problem in America is: ignorance or apathy.” The man said, “I don’t know and I don’t care.” And slammed the door.

Young people are notorious for answering the question “what are you doing?” with the response: “Nothing.” But this problem is certainly not limited to just young people or millennials. There are many, many people who do nothing and are very apathetic about their lives. From a financial standpoint, these tend to be the people who have no ambition and they live just above the “emergency” line, spending every dime they get with no savings and no emergency fund. Then when a crisis happens, they have no money and they get stressed. But their stress is caused by their apathy.

People do the same thing with their emotional and psychological health. They are the ones who suffer from “FOMO,” the fear of missing out. And they stay busy doing one thing after another, not realizing that they are draining themselves and their energy. Then, when a crisis happens, they snap. But the “snap” originates from the fact that they are not staying focused on one or a very few things and allowing themselves to rest and relax and rejuvenate mentally, psychologically, and spiritually.

We need, however, to make sure that we serve God enthusiastically and that we leave energy for God. How many Christians either wear themselves out on a Saturday or stay awake late Saturday night and then do not have the health to come to worship or even concentrate in worship on Sunday? Aren’t we robbing God while serving ourselves when we do that?

One of my dad’s favorite quotations was Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.”

The apostle Paul wrote something similar: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord” (Rom. 12:10-11).

Enthusiasm will motivate us to pursue goals and even to reach them. Enthusiasm can help us motivate others and make positive impressions on others. Enthusiasm can change our own attitude and the attitudes of those around us. Enthusiasm can give us confidence to meet the challenges ahead. Enthusiasm can help us deal with doubts and fears. Enthusiasm can strengthen our appreciation for life. Enthusiasm can help us get closer to God.

“Enjoy serving the Lord, and he will give you whatever you ask for” (Psalm 37:4).

Paul Holland

– In the beginning there was nothing. And suddenly for no reason nothing exploded and created everything. You expect me to believe that?

– At some point, by chance the right chemicals happened to float together at just the right moment to be struck by an electrical charge and become life. You expect me to believe that?

– Somewhere two non-human mothers each gave birth to a human child. They were born at the same time and in the same place, one was male and one was female. These two new “humans” gave birth to the human race. You expect me to believe that?

– One of the descendants of these first humans was born with a knowledge of right and wrong. No longer driven by instinct, this person suddenly was making decisions based on a morality for which there is no real explanation. You expect me to believe that?

I’m sorry. I don’t have that much blind faith. It’s all just too farfetched to be anything more than a fairy tale. I can’t believe intelligent people claim it is “science” (cf. I Timothy 6:20).

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1: 1). I can believe that without stretching my imagination into the realm of the impossible. The universe was created by an all-powerful, all-knowing God. That I can believe!

– by Phil Grear

The Bereans “received the word with all eagerness,” and did so on a daily basis (Acts 17:11). According to Luke, this made them “more noble than those in Thessalonica.” Of course, even as implied in this verse, it was no mere ritual.

Momentarily I will post a January Bible reading schedule. (Many free schedules can be found online.) The schedule I post will carry us through the Bible over the course of 2025. I’ll not seek to build a comprehensive case for it right now, but obviously, there is much virtue in reading through the Bible. Yet many seem to struggle with keeping up with daily reading. Here are a few simple suggestions that I hope will be helpful to you.

(1)  Determine in your mind that you will read your Bible every day, and don’t go to bed before you do so. If you really struggle with this habit, you might wish to start with the goal of reading just a small portion of the daily reading, maybe only a few verses, or, perhaps just doing the NT reading. Especially if you begin with the former, do this for a week or two, and then “graduate” to a longer reading. Do this successfully for a while, and then increase your reading again. After you do this a few times you will be forming a habit that will be like other daily pursuits. It is not ideal to only do a short daily reading, but your goal is to get to a better destination!

(2)  Choose a definite time and place to do your reading. I recommend the morning since the mind is generally fresh and the “cares of the day” do not distract as much. But you choose what works for you and your schedule. Of course, a quiet time and place is best.

(3)  Make your reading habit as conducive as possible. For instance, if you are going to do your reading the first thing in the morning, be prepared the night before. You may wish to have your Bible (and perhaps a pen and notepad) set out at the kitchen table or wherever you are going to do your reading. If you wake up in the morning and have to hunt for your Bible, or walk out to the car in the cold to get it, at minimum, you may cut your time too short for reading. Also, take care of any other chores ahead of time that may get in the way.

(4)  Another helpful tip is to be accountable to a friend. Make an agreement with a family member or a brother or sister in Christ to keep each other accountable. Pursuing this route may encourage someone else to be a daily reader too!

(5)  Remember also to be prayerful about the good habit of drinking daily from God’s Word!

Jesus said: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Mt. 4:4).

Daren Schroeder

Neil Skallan of the United Kingdom has set the record again.  His first Guinness World Record was set in 2016; in 2017 he broke that record, and again in 2018.  The record he holds is for owning the most Monopoly sets.  It’s official; staff members of GWR came to his home and personally counted the number of sets he owns, most of which are still wrapped in plastic.

I would be surprised if anyone reading this is not familiar with the board game called Monopoly.  I have played it many times beginning in childhood.  It’s not my favorite game, but I have many memories associated with it.  I have also noted through the years various editions of the game that are based on places, colleges, video games, and television series.  What I would never have dreamed is how many sets there are.  Skallan has 4,379 sets, and there are more he has not yet obtained!

Does this man qualify as a fanatic?  Clearly, he does.  But has his hobby become an obsession?  Here are his words in the United Press International story: “Is that the be all and end all? Yes, it is.”  I interpret that to mean that collecting Monopoly sets is his primary mission in life.  Everything else must take a back seat.

Neil Skallan’s story is interesting, but more than anything his story is sad.  I base that assessment on words spoken by Jesus Christ: “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”  (Matthew 16:26).  Making sure our soul is saved by Christ is absolutely “the be all and end all” according to Jesus.

A man with a different definition of “be all, end all” is described in Luke 12.  Jesus described this man’s obsession: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully” (Luke 12:16).  His wealth had reached the point that he could plan his retirement in which he would “eat, drink, and be merry” (Luke 12:19).  His success had reached the level of a Guinness World Record, he felt.

God had a different view of this man: “But God said to him, ‘Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’” (Luke 12:20).  A day is coming when something similar will be said to Neil Skallan: “… then whose will those Monopoly sets be which you have collected?”

Each of us has our own obsessions and collections.  As we begin another year, let us take careful inventory and make sure our “be all, end all” is not misplaced.  Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 is a good place to begin our inventory: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.  For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.”

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, 2025, Timothy D. Hall

For more than thirty years I have been trudging down to the gym several times a week to pump iron, bike, and swim laps. Don’t think I report that boastfully:  on the contrary, I’m not trying to bulk up or compete on American Ninja Warrior or anything like that.  It’s just that I have to battle an inherited disability:  you see, eating runs in my family.  I long ago made the unpleasant medical discovery that unless I regularly engage in some sort of activity that will elevate my heart rate and cause me to break a sweat, all those calories I consume will show up in places where I don’t want them.

Since I have been a regular gym rat for several decades, I know what to expect this month. Every January the gym is filled with the New Year’s crowd. You know, those folks who have awakened from their holiday sugar binge and made their New Year’s resolutions to become healthier. The sudden surge after January 1 often causes delays when I want to get on my favorite Nautilus machine, but I don’t become too upset. I have learned to simply wait a few weeks, and the crowd will thin out again. It happens every year.

My personal observation in the gym seems to be typical of human nature in general. Fewer than half of all New Year’s resolutions last six months, according to a study by psychology professor John Norcross of the University of Scranton.  I haven’t done any research myself, but I have developed a tentative hypothesis to explain his findings:  I believe people give up on their New Year’s resolutions for the same reason they desert the gym – they arrive at the unwelcome discovery that making beneficial improvements in our life is hard work.

You see, few New Year’s resolutions involve eating more candy bars or taking more naps or running up a higher debt on our credit cards – those things are easy.  We set personal goals because we want changes in our life that are positive, and the positive changes we desire are, by

We set personal goals because we want changes in our life that are positive

definition, difficult, or we would already be doing them.

My hypothesis is probably too obvious to win any research grants, but it does help to explain why Jesus candidly cautioned would-be disciples that following him is not easy (Luke 9:57-62). Since the Lord wants everyone to be saved and will never turn away a sincere seeker (John 6:37), I must conclude that Jesus issued such warnings to prevent disillusionment. Our Master knew full well that the “time of testing” would come for each one of us, and consequently some would fall away (Luke 8:13);  that is why he wants us to be prepared for difficulties and stresses that success comes by “persevering” (Luke 8:15). And, of course, on the Cross Jesus set the ultimate example of perseverance, so that by considering his example we would “not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:1-3).

So, have you been tempted to give up on your faith, to “quit church,” to withdraw into spiritual isolation? Have you hit a rough patch in the road and now you are questioning your faith?  I wish I could give you some easy answers, but the Bible says nothing about easy discipleship. Following Jesus, like any other positive change is our life, is hard work. Please don’t ever think it is easy – just remember, it’s worth it.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up” – Galatians 6:9.

–Dan Williams

Have a Happy NEW Year! Let us all make it a really NEW…NOT just another
year…not the same-ole same- ole…but a really joyous and happy NEW (different,
better) Year. Let us get rid of all the old baggage and junk holding us back and
begin to truly run the Christian race with patience, Heb. 12:1-3.

How can this happen? We need to make new priorities and new habits to
produce and different results. “If you do what you always do you will get what
you always got.” Sad.

So let us change and put Jesus and His church first, see Matthew 6:33. Let us
love the Lord our God with ALL our heart, soul and mind. Let us go to the Lord’s
church where the Gospel is preached every Sunday, to Bible studies and even
Wednesday nights!

Jesus Christ the Lord God, Titus 2:13, offers you a new and living way. Jesus
makes all things new, II Cor. 5:21. When we are converted we rise out of a burial
in baptism to walk in NEWNESS of life, see Romans 6:3-7. We have spiritually
been born again!

Life as a true Christian is exciting, joy filled and peaceful (meaning full of
peace). We bless and CURSE NOT! See Romans 12:14 and Ephesians 4:22-32. Real
Christians speak words of truth, kindness and love! Jesus said “by their fruits ye
shall know them,” Matthew 7:20. When we walk in love and goodness then God’s
mercies are new every day and every morning, Lamentations 3:22-23.

Starting with new habits we are looking forward to a great NEW year in 2025!
We will take time to be holy and time for God and church and others. Jesus said,
“If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them,” John 13:17.

by Ivy Conner

Hebrews 13:7-9

While we were living in Romania, our family and one of the families on our mission team took a vacation to the Black Sea coast. We rented a van and I was driving. We were driving through the countryside, getting pretty close to the Black Sea coast and I saw a police officer standing by the side of the road waving a piece of wood that was about 18” long, painted with red and white stripes. I knew he was waving me over, so I pulled over.

In Romania, at least at that time, you could rent and drive a car with an American drivers license and your passport. So, when I pulled over, I got my license and passport ready and I handed them to the officer. He obviously knew immediately that I was a foreigner. He asked me if I knew why he had pulled me over. I said I did not know. I try to drive the speed limit if not a little above the speed limit all the time.

He told me that I was driving outside of the county where the van was registered without having the headlights on. Under Romanian law – which I had not paid attention to – you have to have your headlights on if you are driving outside the county, even in broad daylight. I thanked the officer for the information and he let me go without giving me a ticket. Which he obviously could have done.

The kingdom of God is different than the kingdoms of men. The kingdom of God has a different culture than the kingdoms of men. So when we become Christians, we might have to make some drastic changes. We have the expression, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” We learned the reality of that when we lived in Romania. When it comes to the spiritual kingdom, the statement is, “When in Christianity, do as the Christ does.”

Serving Jesus means we have to make a major life choice – we put Him first. We submit to His teachings and we trust Him to uphold His end of the deal – taking care of us. It’s not about reading the Bible more. It’s not about praying more. It’s not about having more faith. It’s not about more… It’s about turning your heart and your life over to Jesus and surrendering to Him completely. Think about this…

When God decided to make man in His image, He didn’t do it halfway…

When God chose to redeem mankind, He didn’t do it halfway…

When Jesus suffered for your sins, He didn’t do it halfway either…

When Jesus defends us on the day of judgment, we don’t want Him to do it halfway either!

So we need to choose Him all the way – full-time, 100%, all the way – heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Keep your faith alive and fresh by staying focused on the purity of Jesus Christ and His teachings.

Paul Holland

A Roman poet named Ovid wrote a poem called Metamorphoses, in 8 AD. Eight years after Jesus came to earth. The third book of the poem tells about a handsome young man who spurned the advances of a number of potential lovers. But he rejected the advances of one too many – a nymph named Echo. That nymph was cursed to only repeat (“echo”) the sounds that others made. So, the gods punished that man by making him fall in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. The man quickly learned that the object of his love in the “mirror” could not love him back so he eventually wilted away and died. That man’s name was Narcissus.

Do you know of anyone who is a narcissist?

The first time the English word “pride” is found in the Bible is in Leviticus 26:19 where God warns Israel, “I will also break down your pride of power; I will also make your sky like iron and your earth like bronze.” The word does not always mean pride in a negative sense because God is described using the same Hebrew word in the song of Exodus 15 (15:7). But this Hebrew word is found 49 times in the OT.

I would say that the essence of man’s relationship with God is one of humility. This word for pride is found in passages like Proverbs 11:2: “When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom.” And Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.”

Just like there is one book in the Bible about a healthy, proper, married sexual relationship in the Song of Solomon, so there is one book in the Bible about pride. It is the minor prophet Obadiah which also happens to be one of the few books in the OT that is specifically directed at non-Jews. Obadiah is specifically directed at the nation of Edom.

Psalm 137 was written after the Babylonian exile and the author (anonymous) asked God to “remember against the sons of Edom the day of Jerusalem, who said, “Raze it, raze it to its very foundation” (137:7). What has happened then is that when Babylon conquered Jerusalem, Edom was cheering on the Babylonians. Against God’s people!

This brings us to the “vision” of Obadiah which follows the prophecy of Amos…

OBADIAH’S MESSAGE OF JUDGMENT – 1-14:

Obadiah states that God has sent an envoy to go throughout the nations to compel  them to rise up against Edom. Why? Verses 2-3 tell us.

Edom lived on a stretch of mountainous terrain, in some places reaching 5,700’ in elevation. Its mountain range was called Seir. Rachel and I were on the highest point in New Hampshire in September 2022 – Mount Washington – which was 6,288’ in elevation. Edom was a territory roughly 100 miles by 20 miles. On its west side was the Palestinian rift through which the Jordan River passed and on its east side was desert. The topography clearly made Edom easy to defend.

Edom’s pride had led her to violence: verse 10. God will cover her with shame and cut her off forever. In fact, Edom as a nation no longer exists today. Edom “stood aloof” from her cousins (Israel) when they were being destroyed (ver. 11). God will punish her for her apathy. God tells Edom that they should not have gloated over his “brother’s” day of calamity and misfortune (ver. 12). “Do not boast,” He says, in Israel’s distress.

THE DAY OF THE LORD – 15-21:

The phrase “day of the Lord” is a popular expression among the prophets. It is found 28 times in the Bible, five are in the NT. It can refer to blessings of God or it can refer to judgments by God. Here, it refers to God’s judgment on Edom.

“As you have done, it will be done for you” (ver. 15). Do we need to point out that the Bible teaches from beginning to end that “whoever sows to the flesh shall reap from the flesh”? God will see to it that every person will reap what he or she has sown.

God expects us to be humble – toward each other and toward Him. God does not expect us to be apathetic when our brothers are hurting. God does not want us to rejoice when others suffer calamity. The kingdom of the Lord (the church of Christ) will out last every nation and kingdom created by man.

Paul Holland