You Can Live Close To God

It is not uncommon at all for those of us in the church to seek to guide a potential or new convert to Christ by first directing them to a church or a Bible study group. While these are certainly good things, they are not the first thing.

The first thing — the compass — is the Word of God itself. Before we point anyone to a church, a pastor, a Bible study, or any other good thing, we must first point them to the Word of God. The Bible is the compass by which all else is measured.

When a new believer, or even a seeker, is grounded first in the Word of God, they have a foundation that will hold them through every storm of life and every challenge to their faith. They will be able to test all things against the Word and hold fast to that which is good.

The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

So let us be diligent to point those we seek to help — first and foremost — to the Word of God. Let the Bible be their compass. Let it guide their steps, correct their course, and illuminate their path. Everything else — the church, the fellowship, the teaching — will find its proper place when the Word is first.

God Bless, Bro. Frank

Have you ever been in a conversation where one person does all the talking and never gives the other person a chance to speak? We sometimes say of such a person that you "can't get a word in edgewise."

I wonder sometimes if that is how God feels about our prayer life. We come to Him with our long list of requests, our worries, our complaints, our petitions — and we talk and talk and talk. And then we say "Amen" and go about our day. We never gave God a chance to speak to us.

True prayer is a two-way conversation. Yes, we bring our needs and our hearts before God. But we must also be still and listen. We must open the Word of God and allow Him to speak to us through it. We must quiet our hearts and minds and wait upon the Lord.

The Psalmist wrote: "Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10) There is a knowing that only comes in the stillness. There is a word from God that we will never hear if we are always the one doing the talking.

Let us learn to balance our prayer life — bringing our hearts to God, yes, but also opening our ears and our hearts to hear from Him. Read the Word. Meditate on it. Be still before Him. Give God a chance to get a word in edgewise.

God Bless, Bro. Frank

What is the most abused word in the English language? I would suggest it is the word "love." We use it for everything — we love pizza, we love our car, we love a good movie, and we love our spouse. The same word covers all of it.

But the love that the Bible speaks of — the love that God calls us to — is something far deeper, far more costly, and far more beautiful than our casual everyday use of the word suggests.

The Apostle Paul gives us the most complete description of this love in 1 Corinthians 13. He tells us that love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy. Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up. Love does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil. Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

This is not the love of a pizza or a car. This is the love of a God who gave His only Son for us. This is the love that was demonstrated on the cross of Calvary. This is the love that we are called to show to one another.

When we truly understand what love is — as God defines it — it changes everything. It changes how we treat our spouse, our children, our neighbors, even our enemies. It is a love that is not based on feelings or circumstances, but on a choice — a commitment — to seek the highest good of another, regardless of the cost to ourselves.

May God grant us the grace to love one another with this kind of love. Not the cheap, casual love of our culture, but the deep, sacrificial, enduring love of God Himself.

God Bless, Bro. Frank

When we read in the Bible about the "fear of the Lord," many people are confused. Does God want us to be afraid of Him? Is our relationship with God supposed to be one of terror and dread?

The answer is both yes and no. There is a sense in which a right understanding of who God is — His holiness, His power, His justice — should produce in us a deep and reverent awe. He is not a buddy, not a pal, not someone to be treated casually or flippantly. He is the Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth, before whom every knee shall bow.

But the fear of the Lord is not the cowering terror of a slave before a cruel master. It is the deep reverence and awe of a child who loves and respects a good and holy Father. It is the recognition that He is God and we are not. It is the acknowledgment that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts.

The Bible tells us that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (Proverbs 9:10) It is the starting point of a right relationship with God. When we truly fear the Lord — when we hold Him in proper reverence and awe — we will be careful about how we live, how we speak, how we treat others. We will be quick to repent when we sin and eager to walk in His ways.

The fear of the Lord is not something to be avoided. It is something to be cultivated. It is the soil in which wisdom, holiness, and a close walk with God grow and flourish.

God Bless, Bro. Frank

Every person has a foundation upon which their thinking rests. For some, it is their own feelings and emotions. For others, it is the opinions of those around them, or the prevailing wisdom of their culture. For still others, it is their own reason and intellect.

But for the child of God, the foundation of all thinking must be the Word of God. Every decision, every opinion, every value judgment must ultimately be tested against the standard of Scripture.

This is not a popular idea in our day. We live in a culture that prizes individual autonomy and personal truth. The idea that there is an objective standard — a Word from God — by which all things must be measured is considered narrow-minded and intolerant.

But Jesus said: "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." (John 17:17) The Word of God is not merely one perspective among many. It is truth — absolute, unchanging, eternal truth. And it is the only sure foundation for our thinking.

When we build our thinking on the Word of God, we have a foundation that will not shift with the changing winds of culture or the fluctuating tides of emotion. We have a compass that will always point true north. We have a light for our path in even the darkest of times.

Let us commit ourselves to making the Word of God the foundation of our thinking — in our homes, in our relationships, in our work, in every area of life.

God Bless, Bro. Frank

One of the greatest responsibilities and privileges that God gives to parents is the raising of children. And one of the most important things we can give our children — more important than education, more important than financial security, more important than social connections — is good character.

Character is not something that can be purchased or inherited. It must be built, day by day, through consistent teaching, consistent example, and consistent discipline. It is the work of years, not days.

The Bible gives us clear guidance on how to raise children of good character. "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6) The word "train" here implies a consistent, intentional process of instruction and example.

We train our children in good character by teaching them the Word of God — not just as a set of rules, but as a way of life. We model for them what it looks like to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We show them what integrity, honesty, kindness, and perseverance look like in the everyday moments of life.

We also train them through consistent, loving discipline. The Bible is clear that discipline is an expression of love, not a denial of it. "He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly." (Proverbs 13:24) Discipline, applied consistently and lovingly, teaches children that their choices have consequences — a lesson that will serve them well throughout their lives.

The work of raising children of good character is not easy. It requires patience, consistency, and a deep dependence on God. But it is among the most important work we will ever do. And the fruit of that work — children who love God and walk in His ways — is among the greatest joys a parent can know.

God Bless, Bro. Frank

We live in a world that promises happiness through acquisition. Get the right job, the right house, the right car, the right relationship — and you will be happy. And so people spend their lives in pursuit of these things, only to find, when they have obtained them, that the happiness they promised has not arrived.

This is not a new problem. King Solomon, the wisest and wealthiest man of his day, pursued every pleasure and achievement that the world had to offer. And at the end of it all, he wrote: "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." (Ecclesiastes 1:2) He had it all — and he was not happy.

The reason is simple: we were made for God. Augustine expressed it perfectly when he wrote: "Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee." The deepest longing of the human heart is not for things or experiences or achievements. It is for God Himself.

Sin promised us freedom and happiness apart from God. But sin always delivers the opposite of what it promises. It promises freedom and delivers bondage. It promises happiness and delivers emptiness. It promises life and delivers death.

True happiness — the deep, abiding joy that the world cannot give and cannot take away — is found only in a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It is found in knowing Him, walking with Him, and living in the light of His love and grace.

If you have it all and are still not happy, perhaps it is time to look in a different direction. Not to more things, more experiences, more achievements — but to the One who made you and loves you and longs to give you the life that is truly life.

God Bless, Bro. Frank