A wise man is strong and a man of knowledge increases strength. While the world focuses on physical strength, the greater strength is that which is spiritual.
The eyes of the LORD are in every place. His eyes are upon all men’s ways: they are not hid from His face, neither is their iniquity hid from His eyes.
The Bible does not always paint man in a positive light, yet it always paints him accurately. According to scripture, there is no man that sinneth not.
The Bible says, “Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous” (Proverbs 27:4). Yet, these two emotions generally adversely affect all who come into contact with them. The believer should not only abstain from ungodly anger within his own heart but also guard himself against making friends with those who are angry. This is why Solomon said, “Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.” Generally, believers take on the traits of those with whom they spend the majority of their time. This is why it is imperative that believers spend much time with the Lord and avoid ungodly, close friendships.
Anger is often viewed by others as a symbol of strength. From youth, men are taught that one’s strength and authority can be best conveyed through the use of anger. Yet, the Bible teaches that the manifestation of an ungodly anger exhibits a sign of weakness. Anger is a foolish practice (Proverbs 14:17) that resteth in the bosom of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:9). According to Proverbs 16:32, a man “that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” This is why the Bible admonishes believers to “be swift to hear, slow to speak,” and “slow to wrath” (James 1:19). This trait is so important that God included it as one of the requirements for those who would desire the office of a bishop (Titus 1:7).
Every believer will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ to give an account for his stewardship while living upon this earth. Perhaps no one understood this quite like the apostle Paul. He was the apostle of the Gentiles (Romans 11:13) and had a special calling as a steward “of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1). He spoke often about the fact that the gospel had been put in his trust (1 Thessalonians 2:4; 1 Timothy 1:11; Titus 1:3). The apostle Paul feared what would happen if he failed to fulfil his stewardship (1 Corinthians 9:16-17) because he knew a time of accounting faced all believers including himself. Though Paul’s calling was special, the fact that he would give an account was not unique to him only.
Many of those in the world perceive prayer as a crutch or a tool that shows weakness. Yet, the saint of God knows prayer to be one of the most powerful weapons during times of war. As the Lord Jesus prepared to face the mob that would soon arrest Him, He spent His remaining time in earnest prayer (Matthew 26:36-46). It was during this time that He taught the disciples saying, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). Prayer does not distract the believer from the battle at hand; rather, it strengthens him and aids him during even the fiercest parts of the battle. Prayer reminds the believer of who he is, who his enemy is, and it reminds him of the power of his God.
As is often the case, men’s opinions and those of God are at opposite ends of the spectrum. For instance, man emphasizes celebrating the day of one’s birth and mourns the day of one’s death. Scripture points out that the day of one’s death is far better than the day of one’s birth. Why? The day of one’s death comes with very few questions concerning the individual. The person has lived his life and left behind a reputation, good or bad. However, when a child enters into this world, he does so with numerous uncertainties. What kind of person will he be? Will he love and serve the Lord, or will he live wickedly? Only a life fully lived answers these questions. Each day’s work contributes to a man’s reputation so that death leaves few questions.
Rebellion is a willing conscious decision to refuse the instruction of another. The Lord describes this in Zechariah 7:11 when He said, “they refused to hearken and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.” This is a powerful illustration and picture! It almost seems like the Lord has a hand on the shoulder of the rebel but when faced with the Lord’s instruction, a rebel pulls away from the Lord’s gentle grasp. As he pulls away, the rebel turns his back and closes his ears to the Lord’s instruction. The Lord affirms this in Jeremiah 32:33 when He said, “they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction.”
Man is made up of three parts: spirit, soul, and body. Death takes place when the soul (Genesis 35:18) and the spirit (Genesis 25:8) leave the body. This event happens to everyone regardless of the individual’s spiritual state at death. Saved or lost, a person’s spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 3:21; Ecclesiastes 12:7). However, the soul’s destination is based upon whether or not a person has trusted Jesus Christ as Saviour during this life. There exists no midpoint between earth and heaven (or hell) to purge one’s sins, including places invented by religions to do so. For a saved person, the Bible declares that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). Unfortunately for the lost, this same outcome is not true. Following death, the Bible reveals that the lost man’s soul immediately goes to hell (Luke 16:23).
