The Preservative of Righteousness

June 6, 2022

In Genesis chapter 18, there is an interesting exchange between God and Abraham. The Lord appeared to Abraham to promise that Sarah would have a son, and He also told Abraham that He was about to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. We read, “Abraham came near and said, ‘Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it?’…So the LORD said, ‘If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place on their account.” (Genesis 18:23-24, 26 NASB). Abraham ventured to speak to God to find the answer to this question: how many righteous people will it take for God to spare the city? God revealed to Abraham that He would not destroy the city if just ten righteous people were living there.

Sodom was reduced to ashes. There were not even ten righteous people in the entire place.

But something that is very interesting to me is that God said if there were ten righteous people, He would not destroy the city on account of the ten righteous ones. What do we learn about the nature of God from that statement? We learn that God is merciful. We learn that He will punish, but that He does not long to punish. He will even look for seemingly small reasons to hold back His judgement. 

What do we learn about God’s people from this account? Astonishingly, we learn that righteous people are a preservative in this world! The presence of righteous people can avert the wrath of God from being executed, even in an exceedingly wicked culture like Sodom. I believe this is one of the lessons we can learn from Christ when He said, “You are the salt of the earth…” (Matthew 5:13a NASB) Righteous people have a preserving effect on society just as salt preserves meat. Have you thought of yourself in this way? God may delay His judgement because of the way we live our lives. God may allow more time for us to reach out to the lost with the saving message of Jesus.

The way we live has a direct impact on the world around us! May we all walk in His righteousness. Perhaps God will see and reserve His righteous wrath.

—Scott Colvin

2 Comments | Genesis 18, Matthew 5:13, righteous, salt, salt of the earth, Sodom | Permalink
Posted by Russell Holden

A Sincere Love of the Brethren

May 31, 2022

“Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart…” (1 Peter 1:22 NASB) When we obeyed the truth of the gospel, God purified our souls.  He washed us and cleansed us from our sins through the death of Jesus Christ.  This grand reality should have major effects in our lives!  One of the things that purification of our souls should produce in us is a sincere, fervent love of the brethren.

How do you feel about your brothers and sisters in the Lord?  If there is little love, little care, and little concern for them, it could be (considering the verse above) that there is little obedience to the truth and little striving for purity in your life.  Obedience to the truth and a purified soul naturally lead to a love of God’s people—a real, genuine, unfeigned love.  I think this is because as we walk with the Lord, we begin to realize in deeper ways how precious each member of the church is to Him.  We begin to realize in a greater way that we are in this together.  We begin to realize that we need one another, and fervent love begins to grow.

I want to encourage you today to take steps to build that fervent love for your brothers and sisters in Christ.  Make a renewed effort to reach out and build relationships with the members of your spiritual family.  Reach out today to someone who you may not have met yet, or who you may not know well.  Reach out not only to those who are in a similar stage of life as you, but also to those who may be much older than you, or much younger than you.  Reach out to our new members and show hospitality to them.  Reach out and introduce yourself to those who may be visiting our assembly.  If you sit in the front, try to meet someone who sits in the back, and vice-versa.  Don’t worry about not having anything in common.  We have everything that is important in common!  The love of God and Christ Jesus, and the love of His truth bind us together!  Getting to know one another is a great first step in expressing our brotherly love for one another.   

—Scott Colvin

Leave a Comment » | 1 Peter 1:22, brotherly love, love | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Scott Colvin

The Spirit of God in the Heart

May 24, 2022

Do you remember the day that you were baptized into Jesus?  That was the singular most important day of our lives.  Magnificent changes took place on that day.  All our sins were washed away by the blood of Jesus, we received a new life, and we were freed from the reign of sin over our lives.  And one of the most amazing things that happened is this: God Himself came to live in your heart on that day.

God Himself came to live within you!  Think of the enormity of that statement!  If that statement is true (and it is), then there must be enormous consequences that stem from this fact.  What changes are being brought about in your life because of the indwelling of the Spirit of God?  Is He making a difference in you?  Are you allowing Him to make a difference in you?

The Spirit who lives within us gives us the power to overcome sin and to put to death our sinful passions and desires!  As Paul writes, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” (Galatians 5:16-17, NASB)

The Spirit who lives within us changes us from the inside!  He causes wonderful things to be produced in our lives.  Paul continues, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” (Galatians 5:22-23, NASB).

What effect is the Holy Spirit having in your life?  Is He changing you?  Are you growing in holiness in your day-to-day life?  Shouldn’t God Himself dwelling within us make a great difference in our lives?  God wants to make a great difference in your life.  He wants to help you overcome sin.  He wants to cause us to produce fruit for Him.  But we must choose to walk by the Spirit.  If we will, God will work amazing things in our lives!  He will take us to a new plane!  He will abide with us!  May we all renew our commitment to walk by His Spirit today.

—Scott Colvin

Leave a Comment » | fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:16-17, Galatians 5:22-23, holiness, Holy Spirit, sanctification | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Scott Colvin

The Power of the Tongue

May 17, 2022

What is the most powerful part of the human body?  What would you say?  The brain?  Perhaps the arms or the legs?  Spiritually speaking, the most powerful part of the body is the tongue.  There is tremendous power for good or for evil in our speech.  As Solomon says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” (Proverbs 18:21a, NASB) We must all choose if we are going to use the power of our tongues for death or life, to tear down or to build up, to hurt or to heal. 

Let us carefully consider the following proverbs concerning the power of the tongue.

“There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, But the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (Proverbs 12:18, NASB)

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.  (Proverbs 15:1, NASB)

“A soothing tongue is a tree of life, But perversion in it crushes the spirit.” (Proverbs 15:4, NASB)

“The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.” (Proverbs 15:28, NASB)

“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” (Proverbs 16:24, NASB)

“A worthless man digs up evil, While his words are as a scorching fire.” (Proverbs 16:26, NASB)

Are your words a fountain of life?  Do they soothe, comfort, and heal?  Or do your words slash, scorch, and set ablaze?  Yes, there is great power for destruction in our tongues, but we must also understand that there is tremendous power for helping and blessing others.  Think of all the good you can accomplish with your tongue today!  Is there someone you can encourage today?  Is there someone to whom you can bring words of comfort?  Is there someone whose spirit you can help to heal?  Death and life are in the power of the tongue!  Let us choose our words carefully.

—Scott Colvin

Leave a Comment » | Proverbs 12:18, Proverbs 15:1, Proverbs 15:28, Proverbs 15:4, Proverbs 16:24, Proverbs 16:26, Proverbs 18:21, the tongue | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Scott Colvin

Making Moves Toward God

May 10, 2022

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…” (James 4:8, NASB) What a magnificent promise of God!  That the Creator of all things, our all-powerful God, would even notice us—much less that He would graciously come close to us—is astounding.  Do you want the Lord to move toward you?  If so, we must understand this principle:  the Lord moves toward those who first make a choice to move toward Him.

This is a principle that we see throughout the scriptures.  For example, in Old Testament times, Azariah the prophet brought this message from God to Asa, king of Judah: “The Lord is with you when you are with Him.  And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.” (1 Chronicles 15:2b, NASB) If we want the Lord to be with us, we must first choose to be with Him.  If we want Him to let us find Him, we must first choose to seek Him with all our heart and soul.

We see the principle again when God brings a message of hope to the nation of Judah who were exiled in Babylon.  The Lord says, “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:12-13, NASB) The Lord will listen to those who call upon Him!  The Lord will allow Himself to be found, but only when He sees His people first put their whole hearts into seeking Him! 

Do you feel far away from the Lord today?  Have you drifted away from Him because of sin in your life, or because of spiritual complacency?  Our God is waiting for you.  He is longing to forgive you.  He is longing to bless you.  He wants you to be near to Himself, but He is waiting for you to make a move toward Him.  If you will take steps to draw near to Him, He has promised to draw near to you!  If we will seek Him diligently, He has promised to let us find Him!  And finding God is the greatest treasure that could ever be.  Let us draw near to Him with all our heart today.

—Scott Colvin

Leave a Comment » | 1 Chronicles 15:2, Drawing Near to God, James 4:8, Jeremiah 29:12-13 | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Scott Colvin

A Difference of Perspective

May 2, 2022

The two men suppressed their laughter. He was joking—wasn’t he? Or was he just a paranoid old man, even if he was about to become their father-in-law.

He pleaded, but the young men had objected, “We live in a fertile area. It’s like a garden. The city is prosperous. Our lives are secure and pleasant. Why would anyone want to move, especially so suddenly? What could happen? Why should we expect tomorrow to be any different from any other day?”

He preached of the dangers of neglecting the poor, arrogance before God, and immorality. He warned of a Day of Judgment—a Day of the Lord!

The young men had countered, “Everybody sins. But aren’t most people good? Do you really think that God would condemn this whole city? Won’t most people be saved?”
He continued about the holiness of God. They needed to know God’s character and His message.

“We don’t like your holier-than-thou attitude!” one of them exclaimed. That ended the conversation, besides they were too busy for this. There was work to be done and deadlines to meet.

With the dawning of the next day, the older man made one more plea, but it fell on deaf ears.
As they watched him walk away, one of them quipped, “I guess this is what we have to put up with when marrying into that family.”

The other agreed, but noted, “Still, it looks like another beautiful day in Sodom!”
P.S. The above dialogue is fiction, but consider reading Genesis 19:1- 29, Ezekiel 16:49-50, 2 Peter 2:4-10.

Leave a Comment » | 2 Peter 2:4-10, Ezekiel 16:49-50, Genesis 19:1-29, judgment | Permalink
Posted by Russell Holden

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

Leave a Comment » | contentment, Hebrews 13:5-6 | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Scott Colvin

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

Leave a Comment » | 1 Corinthians 15:13-19, 1 Corinthians 15:20, 1 Corinthians 15:52-53, resurrection, resurrection of Christ, resurrection of Jesus, resurrection of Jesus Christ | Permalink
Posted by Scott Colvin

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

Leave a Comment » | 1 Peter 2:11, desires of the flesh, James 1:14-15, sin, temptaitons, temptation | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Scott Colvin

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

Leave a Comment » | Acts 2:41, Christianity, church, Ephesians 4:4-6, Jude 3, truth, unity | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Scott Colvin

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »