The Basis of Contentment

April 26, 2022

“Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have…” (Hebrews 13:5a, NASB) How many of us can say that we are truly content with what we have?  It seems to me that we live in a discontented world.  Most people in the world have a love of money.  They are always striving for more money and more possessions—a nicer home, a better car, better “toys.” These are the desires that drive many people, and sometimes these desires creep into the hearts of those who belong to Christ. Is it necessarily wrong to get a better paying job or to buy a nicer home or car?  No, it is not inherently wrong, but when money becomes what we love, it will lead to major spiritual problems.  This is why we are instructed to make sure that are character is free from the love of money.  Make sure!  There is great danger here!

Just as there is great danger in the love of money, there is great spiritual benefit in contentment.  Contentment allows us to stop the constant striving for more.  It allows us to stop worrying about what we don’t have.  It allows us to focus on spiritual things rather than the temporary things of this life.  What is the basis of Christian contentment?  The writer of Hebrews goes on to say, “for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,’ so that we may confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.  What will man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5b-6, NASB) We can have great contentment in the Lord because He has promised to never desert us!  He has promised to never forsake us!  God never breaks a promise.  His word to us is true and can always be relied upon completely.  We can have great contentment knowing that He knows our needs and will provide for us.  And so, we can do our work heartily for the Lord to support our families while resting in the fact that it is the Lord who supplies.  It’s not all on us.  We can go for that promotion if we would like to, not because we love money or because we are unsatisfied with life, but because the Lord has provided an opportunity to be a blessing to others.

May we all find the peace and spiritual stability that comes from being content with what we have.      

—Scott Colvin

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The Glorious Resurrection of Jesus

April 21, 2022

Our faith and our salvation are built upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The historical fact of His resurrection cannot be over emphasized.  There is no way in which we could speak of it too often, for it is a key and critical component to everything we believe.  As Paul writes to the church at Corinth (who were doubting the resurrection of the dead), “But if there is no resurrection from the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain… and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.  Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:13-14, 17-19, NASB) Without the resurrection of Christ, our faith is meaningless, we are still in our sins, and we have no hope for the future.

“But the fact is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20, NASB) This is the glorious fact!  Jesus was raised!  There are many powerful and convincing proofs of this fact.  There are many eyewitness accounts of this fact.  We can be assured that His resurrection is real, and our faith can solidly rest in this reality.  And because He is risen, we are no longer in our sins!  Because He is risen, we have hope of seeing our loved ones again!  Because He is risen, we too will be raised with a glorious new body!  Christ is the first fruits of those who have died.  He was the first to rise, never to die again, and we will follow after Him.

Because of the resurrection, there is a momentous day coming for us.  The Lord Jesus is going to return from heaven, and when He does, we will all be changed “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.”  (1 Corinthians 15:52-53, NASB)

Are you ready for that day to come?  Will you be found in Him on that day?  Those who are in Christ in this life will share in His glorious resurrection.  Let us praise God with all our hearts today because Jesus is risen!             

—Scott Colvin

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War on the Soul

April 12, 2022

War is a terrible thing.  Some of you have experienced the ravages of war firsthand.  All of us have witnessed the terror of war through our television screens lately.  But realize this; the death and destruction caused by war is not only something that happens between men, but also within man.

Listen to the inspired words of Peter.  “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.” (1 Peter 2:11, NASB) Fleshly lusts wage war on the soul!  They will wage an all-out assault on your inner being and destroy your soul just as surely as artillery shelling will destroy a city. 

What are fleshly lusts? They are sinful passions and desires that arise within us.  These lusts, if not dealt with, will lead us into sexual sin, greed, strife, sinful anger, and many other things like these.  When we indulge in fleshly lusts, they will do tremendous damage to our souls, and will eventually destroy us spiritually.  We need to understand this fact. 

Sometimes we entertain fleshly lusts.  We invite them into our living rooms, and then into our minds and hearts.  Sometimes we think that we can watch things, listen to things, and take part in things without being affected spiritually.  This is simply not true.  When we allow our lusts to be activated through what we see and hear, a terrible chain of events can begin.  As James writes, “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.  Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15, NASB) Note the pregnancy analogy in this passage.  Once lust is conceived, it will give birth to sin, and sin will bring forth spiritual death.  How is lust conceived?  I believe it is by dwelling on our sinful desires and entertaining them in our hearts.

So, the key for us is to prevent lust from being conceived.  How can we do this?  As the Spirit said through Peter, we must abstain from fleshly lusts.  Do not take part in them!  Run from them!  Get them out of your mind before conception takes place.  And certainly, let us not invite sinful things into our minds that will stir up our lusts!  Doing so is like inviting the enemy into your city in wartime.  Nothing but death and destruction will come of it.  May God help us to abstain from fleshly lusts.  As we do, we will find peace and prosperity—not death and destruction—within our souls.      

—Scott Colvin

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One Body, One Faith

April 5, 2022

Have you ever wondered why there are so many different religious beliefs and denominations in the world today?  One thing is certain, Jesus did not start many different religious denominations.  He started one church made up of people who have saving faith in Him.  God adds people to His one church when they respond in faith and are baptized into Christ.  This is what happened on the day Peter preached the first Gospel sermon.  The scriptures say, “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:41, NASB) Only God can add souls to the church he established.

Just as there is only one church, there is also only one faith.  Paul writes, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:4-6, NASB) The word faith in this passage is referring to the body of beliefs that the church holds in common.  As Jude writes to the church, “…Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.” (Jude 3, NASB). Notice that he does not speak of a faith, but the faith.  There is only one faith.  The one faith was once and for all handed down from God, and we need to be contending earnestly for it. Every belief, doctrine, and practice that we hold as a church should be rooted in God’s word and nowhere else. 

We need to be careful that we do not substitute the creeds, traditions, and doctrines of men for the truth of God’s word.  When we stray from the word of God, we end up with many various teachings that are not coming from God, but from man.  Of course, we may struggle in our attempts to correctly interpret the word of God, but this doesn’t change the fact that we should recognize that there is only one body and one faith.  I know that as we make sincere, prayerful attempts to honor the word and stay within the word, God will lead us into a better understanding and help us to properly apply His teachings.  There is one body.  There is one faith.  May God help us as we strive to hold to these precious truths. 

—Scott Colvin

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