Topic(s): Faith

JUST SUPPOSE THAT when you were growing up you were hated by your brothers, sold into slavery, lied about, and cast into prison. Suppose you had to languish in that cell for months on end. Would you still have faith in God? Joseph did!

Just suppose that you were called by God to preach a very unpopular message… God’s wrath. Suppose the people got up in arms and vented their anger at you. What if they lied about you and tried to take away your life? Would you still have faith in God? Jeremiah did!

Just suppose you were called upon to stand before a king and rebuke him for his sin. And suppose that in obedience to the will of God you performed your task only to learn that your head would be chopped off. Would you still have faith in God? John did!

Just suppose that you lived a perfect life, loved all men, always did God’s will, sought to serve instead of being served, and then you were nailed to a cross to die. Would you still have faith in God? Jesus did!

THOUGHT: Just suppose the church isn’t friendly, the people don’t appreciate you, that nobody visits you, that you lose your health, and you go bankrupt. Would you still have faith in God...?

—John Gipson

“…For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith””—1 John 5:4

Where’s Your Helmet?

Topic(s): Salvation

HAVE YOU EVER had your “bell rung”...? Believe me, it is not something to aspire to. It’s totally disorienting. Even dangerous. That’s why head slaps are outlawed in the NFL. Can you imagine playing football in full uniform, except for your helmet? Ouch! Your bell would be run on the first play, and you’d be utterly useless for the rest of the game. The Roman helmet was made of thick leather, sometimes covered with metal plates, sometimes with a molded bronze or iron shell, sometimes with extended cheek plates. It was intended to protect the head and face, and even the eyes, in battle. THOUGHT: Nothing is more critical than having your wits about you regarding what is happening on life’s battlefield. The head is the centerpiece of perspective in a fight. The helmet of salvation is indispensable to the Christian soldier.

—Stu Weber, "Armor Up!," Spirit Warriors, 173-174
“Above all, take the helmet of salvation…” —Ephesians 6:17a

And the Year was 1904...

What a difference one hundred years makes! Here are some U.S. statistics for 1904:

• The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.
• Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub and only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
• A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
• There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only144 miles of paved roads. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
• Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California. With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.
• The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
• The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents an hour. The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year. A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
• More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at home.
• Ninety percent of all U.S. physicians had no college education. Instead, they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as “substandard.”
• Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
• Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
• The five leading causes of death in the U.S. were: Pneumonia/influenza; tuberculosis; diarrhea; heart disease; stroke.
• The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and
• Alaska hadn’t been admitted to the Union.
• The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was 30.
• There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
• Two of 10 U.S. adults couldn’t read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated high school.
• Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at corner drugstores. According to one pharmacist, “Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.”
• Eighteen percent of households in the U.S. had at least one full-time servant.
• There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire country.
  
  And in all this time the Word of God has not changed one whit!
  
  “For I am the LORD, I change not … the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” —Malachi 3:6; 1 Peter 1:23