Night Candle Meditations

Poor executive decisions continue to wreak havoc on the order and structure of society. The cause and effect may be tracked through the halls of public education to the words of tenured professors at our elite universities. Depression and anxiety chase many to the edge as they watch their futures dissolve in the shadowy mists of chaos. It is not surprising when a younger generation's search for peace of mind leads to self-medication from what is available on the streets. The media is awash with stories of family suffering from the results of a loved one's addictions. One story gives us a brief glimpse of a young man who was evidently a problem child but who later decided to seek help--not from tenured professors but from a dependable source. This young man "was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, 'Because I bore him in pain.' And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, 'Oh that You will bless me indeed, and enlarg...

"I cannot hold my peace, because you have heard...the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Destruction upon destruction is cried." These words from Jeremiah 4:19,20 may be appropriated for today without stretching the imagination. Our usual concepts of peace and safety have become prey for the demonic forces within renegade nation states. This terror is emulated within the urban sprawl across our own country as respect for law and order falls into oblivion. It is then that fear cringes in the shadows of impending doom. For Christians trusting in God's watchful care, there are numerous Scriptural promises we may cling to during times of stress. Since the Lord is our light and salvation we need not be afraid nor fear anyone, because He is our strength in times of need (Psalm 27:1). Fear cannot be present in the lives of those having sound minds and displaying God's love for others. This is only possible through the power of God invested within each of us (2 Timot...

During a recent Friday evening Bible study, questions were raised regarding the destiny of the Christian who dies unexpectedly before confessing a very recent sin. One person suggested the argument of "once saved, always saved" using out of context verses such as John 6:39, Philippians 1:6, and 1 John 2:5. Quoting Paul's words to the Romans for support, another person claimed that God wouldn't likely hold minor unconfessed sins against His professing Christian followers: "God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life" (Romans 2:6,7 NIV). Such words could suggest that a person's destiny will be determined by the balance of good versus bad in the lives of individuals. The context here is God's judgment which each of us must face as life in this present world ends. We should recognize that prior to above words, Paul pointed out the ne...