You can understand more about God than you might think

by Barrett Vanlandingham

March 3, 2015

            I couldn’t help but laugh last week as the Tuesday paper came out while our brief but respectable snowfall covered the ground and even resulted in school cancellations. What timing! In the back of my mind, I felt there was a chance it would snow that day because of the forecast, especially if I wrote about the fact that predicting snowfall is easier than predicting Judgment Day. Bottom line, none of us knew for sure it would snow in our exact area. If I would have known, the tone of my article would have been much different. 

            I am pretty confident God really does enjoy playing with us sometimes just to give us something to smile about. I actually take comfort in that. I think God tries to communicate with us more than we give Him credit for. I just think most times we don’t listen or notice, because if we did listen and notice, I think we could make more sense out of those times when things either do or do not go our way, keeping in mind that free will also plays a big role in outcomes.

            All of the writers of the Bible were inspired by God in the stories and commands they put on paper (Galatians 1:11-12, 2 Peter 1:20-21, 2 Tim. 3:16). Even Jesus said the words He spoke were not His own but came from the Father (John 14:10).  And although the writings of the Bible have been complete for about two-thousand years (Jude 1:3), God does continue to let His will and presence be known. He doesn’t do this through revealing new ideas (Galatians 1:8) that run counter to the Bible as some have insisted.  But rather, God continues to operate in the same consistent way.  “Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).”

            I am always encouraged to read about archaeologists’ discoveries that confirm geographical locations, and names and titles mentioned in the Bible. I am always amazed when a new scientific discovery proves once again that God’s description of things in nature, space, and the creation story of Genesis are just as the Bible says, instead of being proven wrong by whatever the latest theory people seem to be chasing.

            It really is nice to take comfort and confidence in knowing that science of any kind never has and never will overturn the truths written in God’s word.  Even in 1947 when hundreds of handwritten copies of Old Testament books and other Jewish writings together known as the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in caves, nothing disputed the Bible.  The manuscripts date back to 200 years before the time of Christ.  That’s a thousand years older than the 800 A.D. copies of the Old Testament that were previously the oldest to be discovered.

            If we will pay attention to the written word as well as His creation, we can learn a lot about God, His will for us, and yes, even a little about His sense of humor.  By the way, before I could finish writing this Friday afternoon, it started snowing again!  Smile and have a blessed week!

Predicting the final day is harder than predicting the weather

by Barrett Vanlandingham

February 24, 2015

            As I look at my watch while writing this, I am wondering if the weather is going to hold out as I take a busload of teenagers to a weekend youth rally in Russellville, Arkansas in about three hours.  I’m thinking, “The forecast looks a little messy, but overall promising.” Bottom line? I just don’t know.

            I hear people talking a lot these days about whether we going to have any real accumulation of snow this winter?  We already know the groundhog saw its shadow, which means six more weeks of winter.  But where is it? A few flakes here and there, and just enough ice on the roads to cancel school for a day is all we can get.  Seems like all the signs are there, but nothing significant is happening, at least around here (at the time I am writing this).

            Spiritually speaking, people do the same thing. We don’t have Doppler radar to predict the coming of Judgment Day. But that doesn’t stop people from looking for signs that the end is near. Over the years, people have tried to predict dates and times of the end. They were wrong.  People have even mistakenly tried to make a connection between a description in a Bible verse and similar events that may be happening today, but to no avail.

            The apostle Paul told his much younger brother in the faith, Timothy, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days (2 Tim. 3:1).”  He went on to describe people in the “last days” in terms of being unholy, slanderous, without self-control, and so on. It may shock you to know he was not even describing people of the world, since non God followers have always been viewed in this way. Paul was actually describing Christians! 

            The term “last days” was one that was used by people in Old Testament times to describe the Messianic Age, the time after the coming of Christ into the world (Lipscomb/Shepherd Commentary, Gospel Advocate Co., 1983, p. 226). In other words, the last days have been taking place from the time of Jesus’ ministry, and will continue all the way up until Judgment Day. So, it is correct to say that we are living in the “last days,” and have been for about two-thousand years. Think about it. There have been “wars and rumors of wars (ref: Mark 13:5-8),” and “nation rising up against nation” for thousands of years, and Jesus says, “Do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come,” and “These are the beginning of birth pains.”   Since that’s the case, is there any way to know when the end will come? 

            Jesus says, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, not the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come (Mark 13:32-33).”

            On a practical level, we need to be prepared to meet Jesus face to face everyday. You see, whether we die before He returns, or are still alive when we hear the trumpet sound and see Him on the clouds, one thing is for sure: the end will come and we must be ready.  Have a blessed week!

God’s grace extends farther than you might think

by Barrett Vanlandingham

February 17, 2015

            Over the years, I have had people tell me they have done just too many bad things in their lifetime for God to save them.  Sometimes, this leads to a bad attitude, hopelessness, or sometimes it leads to embracing the idea that there is no such thing as God.  That way, there’s no accountability and no reason to even try to change for the better.  Either way is a sad existence, and not necessary.

            In Matthew 20 Jesus tells the parable of the workers in the vineyard.  In summary, the landowner paid each of the five groups of workers a full day’s wages, even though some of them began their shift early morning, some at 9am, some at noon, some at 3pm, and some at 5pm. But when the shift was over at 6pm and the landowner paid everyone the same amount, those who had been working since 9am “began to grumble against the landowner.”  His response, “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?”

            The outcome is encouraging, especially for those who feel too much time has gone by or too much water has gone under the bridge for them to be saved.  It is never too late for anyone to come to Christ.  Jesus wants all to come to Him, from little children to the elderly, and everyone in between.  

            There is nothing I’ve read in the Bible that indicates we will be required on Judgment Day to pull out our time sheet and prove how many hours, days, weeks, months, and years we have spent in service to the Master.  Of course, it is never a clever strategy to bank on a sincere deathbed confession since none of us really knows how or when we will cross over from this life to the afterlife.  But this parable makes it clear that those who have not put in even an hour’s work in service to God can be rewarded in the same way as those who have served the Lord their entire life.

            The Bible says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  This includes Christians and non-Christians alike.  The fact is we are all sinners, even those who have spent every day of their life trying to do what’s right. One thing is for sure, we all need a Savior.

            “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ (Galatians 3:26-27).”

            No, we will not be required to score high on a list of service points, but we do want to make sure we stand before the Master one day clothed in His Son. That is one requirement we do not want to be too late in fulfilling. Why not accept God’s grace by obeying His will for your life today?  Have a great week!

Don’t let the devil steal your spiritual growth

by Barrett Vanlandingham

February 10, 2015

            As I was reading the parable of the sower this week, the very first scenario Jesus spoke of really caught my attention.  “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up (Matthew 13:3-4).”

            In verse 19 Jesus explains it this way, “When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.”

            If we as Christians are doing our job, at least the people we have contact with should know about the story of Jesus and how we can have hope because of Him (John 3:16).  The problem comes when that person chooses to do nothing with the seed that was given to them, or when a person doesn’t understand how to apply what was given to them. If the seed is not allowed to take root, the devil will steal it at the first opportunity.

            When my son was a toddler, he often managed to say or do something in public that would be embarrassing to his parents if anyone was paying attention.  I am guessing most parents could tell a similar story.  I would sweat bullets while praying no one noticed what he just said or did. Some of my friends and family told me that was payback!

            This reminds me in some strange way about how the devil must feel when a Christian parent tries to teach their child an important lesson, or when a Christian neighbor tries to reach out to a guy down the street.  In both cases, satan is sweating bullets in hopes the good advice never sinks in, or even better, that the intended target was not paying attention, or didn’t understand how to apply what you were trying to tell them.  At that point, the evil one gets a second chance to sow a clever distraction in hopes the Christian neighbor will get discouraged or forget to follow-up on the good message originally sown into either a hard heart, or into a heart that just didn’t understand.

            Even for mature Christians, it is important to keep studying and making an effort to understand God’s word on a deeper level. Why?  Because even Bible teachers and other Christians can have bad experiences and disappointments that result in hardened hearts.  A once vibrant spiritual journey can look more like a coasting or even a stagnant existence.  A mature Christian may even continue to teach and have knowledge of God’s word, but they’ve allowed their life experiences to steal their joy and their passion for Christ and serving others.  That’s when the devil rushes in to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). That’s when the devil tries to get a foothold (Ephesians 4:27) on your heart.

            Without prayerful and regular Bible study, we may miss out on some of life’s richest blessings because of not understanding how to apply knowledge we’ve received.  May God bless you with the desire to know and understand more of God’s will, and the confidence to apply it in your life.  Have a great week!