The calculation of profit is an easy one. Simply subtract costs from total revenue to tabulate the margin of profit. When considering any kind of endeavor, counting the costs to evaluate whether it is worth the investment is essential. We don’t want to waste our resources on pursuits that will not bring us the kind of return that we seek. But the question is, what is the unit of measure that we use to calculate our profit?

Pharmaceutical companies are raking in record profits for the year — calculated in units of money. For example, prior to the Covid 19 pandemic, Moderna was a relatively small pharmaceutical company, typically making about $100 million in annual revenue. By way of contrast, their 2021 profits are projected to be $10 billion. This makes their profits one hundred times larger than their average revenue before the pandemic. Undoubtedly a financial success story, at least on the face of it. But this is only true if we consider the financial costs. When considering the collateral damage done to the percentage of people who have physically suffered or even died as a result of taking their vaccine, the costs are much more material. One wonders how God calculates the profits of pharmaceutical companies when considering the cost of unnecessary harm done to people desperately seeking safety. I doubt the numbers would be very impressive.

To some, an endeavor that appears to waste money or time might in fact produce value that is meaningful to us individually. Volunteering time or donating money are examples of giving away valuable resources that may not appear at first to bring in a profit by the same measure. The profit of those activities may be inherent in the joy of helping others. What appears to be a fruitless dedication of time and money can yield great returns when the unit of measure is not so material. As Christians, we ought to understand this clearly, as we are admonished to seek our treasure in heaven (compare Matthew 6:20). We also understand, of course, that giving to others with the right motivation will result in physical as well as spiritual blessings (Luke 6:38; Malachi 3:10; compare also Mark 10:29-30)

God wants us to profit, but only in the right way. “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea’” (Isaiah 48:17-18). Our methods and measures for achieving a profit must be guided by God. We are to make our investment with a spiritual return as our motivation, knowing that He will hold us accountable in our time of judgment. In whatever way we choose to invest the resources that God bestows upon us, the targeted product must not compromise with His commandments. He is the one who teaches us to profit through obedience, measured by the fruit of the Spirit that we are able to produce (compare the above with Galatians 5:22-25).

When we become baptized into the Family of God, we are given a measure of the Holy Spirit. It is not something that we can feel in any physical way, but it has the power to produce immense positive change in our lives. However, the power of God the Father and Jesus Christ will only work within us when we put it to use. If we choose to continue in our worldly ways, seeking a material profit by worldly measures, we will quite ironically become unprofitable (compare Matthew 25:30, Luke 17:10). Not only does God want us to be profitable with our lives, we have a responsibility and duty that we MUST be profitable. This, of course, according to our spiritual growth.

The measure of our profitability lies in the way that invests our resources spiritually. The proverbial “good life” is not identified by luxury. Rather, if we want to live the good life, we dedicate our resources to obedience, loving the way of life that God commands, with joy. Love for Him and our fellow man lead us into the kind of profits that are most valuable in the long run. If our costs are the sacrifices that we make to leave the desires of this world behind, and our revenue is spiritual fruit, then our profit is the reward promised by God to those who remain diligent in their commitment to the Work (compare Matthew 16:27).

Over the past year, powerful images of social bedlam and mayhem have often dominated the news. What is now being called an “insurrection” is the description of what took place in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, as crowds of people turned into a mob of anarchists.

People were injured and people died!

That sad episode hardly begins to represent the breakdown of civil order that is occurring all around us and all over the world. People are now being randomly assaulted, stabbed or even shot in circumstances where safety was taken for granted. Here is how God prophetically describes our time:

“‘By swearing and lying, Killing and stealing and committing adultery, They break all restraint, With bloodshed upon bloodshed’” (Hosea 4:2).

Jesus Christ never allowed Himself to become entangled in the chaos of this world, although He was constantly surrounded by it and even eventually became its victim. His overpowering self-restraint in all that He faced serves as our example—especially, as times grow even more dire.

Our challenge to practice self-restraint in all that we think, say or do, will not be easy. To live as Christians, we need help:

“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Our “help” is found in following the lead of Jesus, and it involves thinking as He thinks. The Apostle Paul puts it this way:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

Paul adds:

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Regarding what we should say:

“‘“These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace; Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; And do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate,” Says the LORD’” (Zechariah 8:16-17).

Jesus taught the kind of self-restraint we should practice regarding what we do:

“‘Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves’” (Matthew 10:16).

Indeed, we do live, as Paul writes, “…in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom [we] shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15).

As mentioned, the past year has been a time of unrestrained violence, and it will, as we have been warned by God, grow to become the very worst trouble ever experienced or that ever will be again. Against this backdrop, God’s Church will continue to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God—even as we remain separate from the destructive path of those who continue to choose violence and who continue to break all restraint.

I think we all have at one time or another sat down and pondered some of the choices we have made. Some were good and turned out well; others were not so good and brought us close to a disaster.

When opportunities arise, we have to use wisdom in our decision-making process; especially in regard to those opportunities where we can supposedly make a lot of money quickly. If something is too good to be true, it usually is. If we are being pressured to purchase something—for instance a vehicle which has been only driven allegedly by a little old lady from Pasadena— then we ought to be on guard. This is also true when buying shares in a company when we are told that it is guaranteed that we will double our investment in a short period of time. The higher the financial commitment, the more we should take time to decide on what to do, including perhaps walking away from a supposed deal. We would not buy a house, no matter how good the deal sounds, without seeing it, having it checked out by a professional inspector and ascertaining whether there were any liens against the title. God assures us that there is wisdom in seeking proper counsel.

God gave the nation of Israel a choice—receiving blessings through obedience or curses from not obeying. His laws were given to express their love for God, as summarized in the first four of the Ten Commandments, and their love for man, as explained in the last six commandments. They had to follow these rules, which are further expounded in many statutes and judgments, in order to obtain physical blessings and protection from God.

The motivation for keeping the commandments should be the demonstration of our love for God and man; knowing of course that our disobedience would bring about punishment and retribution for sinning. But fear of punishment should not be our primary motivation for obeying God; rather, it should be our love for God and man and for the Truth that convicts us to obey.The nation of Israel frustrated God by their disobedience, and how quickly they turned away from God! One of their problems was that they did not totally cleanse the territory they occupied of the existing inhabitants who in time corrupted their worship of God, and they turned to Baal worship and even went as far as sacrificing their children on the altar of pagan gods which surprised God who stated that such evil conduct had not even entered His mind.

In Jeremiah 32:35, He says: “And they built the high places of Baal which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.”

That’s a pretty astonishing statement that it did not even enter God’s mind that His people would engage in such abominable and detestable conduct.

God’s relationship with the nation of Israel was, figuratively speaking, one of husband and wife, but they broke their “marriage” covenant on a continual basis, and thus, God had to divorce them.

Jeremiah 31:32 explains that God made a covenant “‘with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them,’ says the LORD.”

Consequently, we read in Jeremiah 3:8: “Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also.”

Jesus Christ, the God of the Old Testament, will marry converted Israelites at the time of His return. He betrothed the New Testament church to Him which was established in 31 AD. It is described as the bride of Christ, consisting of all converted Church members who are obligated to follow the same rules of obedience, but they have been promised a much greater reward than physical Israel and Judah in Old Testament times had been offered.

Revelation 21:9 says: “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’”

Ephesians 5:24-27, 32 adds: “Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish… This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

The great mystery is that Christ is betrothed to His Church, figuratively speaking, whom He will marry as His bride at His return.

So, we are faced with a choice. Will we be obedient to God by keeping His laws and statutes, which are still in force today, and receive a much greater reward than what the nation of Israel was offered? Theirs was a physical reward while ours is eternal rulership in the Kingdom of God. While eternal life as God beings is a gift, our reward is based on our works and includes ruling with and under Christ in the Millennium and down through eternity. Or, will we fall short by rebelling and refusing to repent of our sins and thus disqualify ourselves from the great gift of eternal life as God beings and from the reward of eternal rulership Christ is anxious to give us?

Life is full of choices, but the most important one we face is either one of glory or one of shame.

Let’s bring joy to our Husband (Jesus Christ) by making the right choice. Either way, it’s for eternity.

Many of us will remember learning the 23^rd Psalm as a child or young adult. It consists of six verses so it is quite easy to remember and many articles, or even books, have been written about it. There are even a number of hymns written using its words, some are sung in many different churches, and we even have two versions in our own Hymnal.

The theme of the Psalm is obviously about how a shepherd looks after his sheep, and from that point of view, is most inspiring and encouraging, especially as it applies to us. But it also lists many of the attributes of God in just five of its verses. All of these attributes are mentioned in other Scriptures so we can see consistency in God’s Word.

The very first thing we read in verse 1 is that “The LORD is my Shepherd.” This is not newly revealed in the Bible here but is first mentioned in Genesis 49:24. There we read, speaking of Joseph that “… the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel).” This attribute is continued through the Bible, and we read again of it in John 10:11: “I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”

Continuing on in Psalm 23:1, “I shall not want.” In other words, God will provide. This attribute is first mentioned in Genesis 22:14 after God had provided a ram as a sacrifice in place of Isaac. “And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, ‘In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.’”

Considering Psalm 23:2, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.” This is a very peaceful situation. In fact, that is another attribute of God. In Judges 6:23-24 we read, “Then the LORD said to him, ‘Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.’ So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.”

Following on in Psalm 23:3, it begins with, “He restores my soul…” This shows us that God is our healer. This is first mentioned in Exodus 15:26 where God said: “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”

The second part of Psalm 23:3 states, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” This is mentioned in Jeremiah 23:6 where we read, “In His days [the days of the Branch of righteousness] Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely. Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Going on to Psalm 23:4, we read, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” David acknowledged that the LORD was with him; that He was present. In Ezekiel 48:35, last part, we read: “…and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE.”

In Psalm 23:5, we find that, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” In Exodus 17:15, we read, “And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner.” This signifies that the LORD protects us from enemies—a banner being a symbol of authority and power, like a national flag.

In the second part of Psalm 23:5, we read: “You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.” In the last part of Exodus 31:13, we read that when you keep God’s Sabbath, “… you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” It was a practice for kings and others, e.g. Aaron or David, to be sanctified by anointing them with oil to show that they were appointed to their office.

But, of course, this is not the end of Psalm 23. It finishes up in verse 6 with, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.” The prophet Ezekiel echoes this in Ezekiel 37:25: “Then they [the children of Israel] shall dwell in the land I have given to Jacob My servant, where you fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever.”

When we read this very short Psalm, it shows us God’s loving attitude and concern, not just to David, but also toward us. It also shows us some of God’s attributes that we can rely upon. It finishes up with a promise of eternal life for David, and other Scriptures show that this promise also extends to us. So, this Psalm is very encouraging, well worth meditating on and singing praise to God.

The number of this week’s Update is 1,000, meaning that we, in the Church of the Eternal God, have published 1,000 weekly Updates since we began publication on or about August 25, 2001. These initial issues had a humble beginning with just one page or a few pages of Church announcements and of some news developments, but soon, beginning with Update #32, we added a regular Editorial and, commencing with Update #54, a regular Bible study which we named “Q&A”—with our Current Events (News) section having reached over the years a sizeable scope as well. Our weekly Updates have grown to in excess of 20 pages on average.

Is there any significance to the fact that we have now reached now the milestone of 1,000 editions of our weekly Updates? We believe there is.

In the Bible, the number 10 has great significance… even more so, of course, 10x10x10.

We explain in our free booklet, Hidden Secrets in the Bible, that the biblical number 10 stands for godly judgment. And so, God is judging us as to how well we have performed so far, realizing that there is of course always room for improvement in our search for excellence, but we believe that God is also judging those who were reached over the years with the Gospel message—and even those who could have been reached, but who refused to respond by closing their ears and shutting their eyes. Yes, God is judging and evaluating us as to how we have responded to the preaching of His Word and whether we have turned to or from God’s Way of Life.

We say in our above-mentioned booklet that God gave us the law of the Ten Commandments, which is still in force and effect today, and it is by that law that we will be and are being judged. God also asked us to pay Him His tithe—ten percent of our increase—and we will be judged as to how diligent we are in fulfilling His command.

God brought judgment upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians and their false religion (Exodus 12:12; Numbers 33:4), by striking them with ten plagues—the tenth plague being the death of every Egyptian firstborn. God told Abram that He would not destroy Sodom if ten righteous were to be found in it (Genesis 18:32), but Sodom was judged as lacking even ten righteous people. We also read that during God’s judgment, only ten out of one hundred people (that is, 10%) will be left in the cities of Israel (Amos 5:3).

There are ten generations from Adam to Noah (Genesis 5), and God judged the world at the time of Noah when He destroyed it in a Flood. At the time of Moses, the children of Israel rebelled ten times against God in the wilderness (Numbers 14:22), judging themselves as unworthy to enter the Promised Land (verse 23).

We read about ten virgins in the end time—five of them are judged as being foolish, and five as being wise. The five foolish ones are not too concerned with using the Holy Spirit that had been given to them, while the five wise virgins—even though they also fell asleep with the others—had still enough Holy Spirit within them to be able to prepare and make themselves ready for their Master’s return. The church in Smyrna was to be tested for ten days, but if they were judged to be faithful, they would inherit eternal life (Revelation 2:10).

All these examples, and there are many more, show that 10 (or a duplication of the number 10) signifies evaluation and judgment in many cases. We believe that God has given His Church the end-time responsibility of preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God to this dying world as a witness, which includes a warning message of doom and destruction, unless there is repentance, and God’s Church is also to feed the flock and to nourish them in the Word of God. Yes, God is judging all of us as to how well we are fulfilling this responsibility, collectively and individually, and He is evaluating and judging all of those who have responded to His Word and are changing their lives for the better, as well as those who returned to the world, or refused to listen even though they were given the opportunity to respond.

We do not know how much time we have left before the Great Tribulation begins, and how many more weekly Updates we can produce in combination with our other activities and services, with the hope of reaching as many people as possible, but as much as we have opportunity, we will continue to do the Work and “march onward” as “Christian soldiers,” knowing that time IS running out.

I read an excellent book some time ago entitled, “Affluenza – The All-Consuming Epidemic.”   It was an excellent presentation of the ills that beset so many today.

The book describes Affluenza as “a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.”

On page 109, with the chapter heading of “Dissatisfaction Guaranteed,” it quoted psychologist David Meyer who wrote: “More than ever, we have big houses and broken homes, high incomes and low morale, secured rights and diminished civility.   We excel at making a living but often fail at making a life.   We celebrate our prosperity but yearn for purpose.   We cherish our freedoms but long for connection.   In an age of plenty, we feel spiritual hunger.”

Psychologist Jeremy Seabrook was also quoted on the same page where he opined: “The only chance of satisfaction we can imagine is getting more of what we have now.   But what we have now makes everybody dissatisfied.   So what will more of it do – make us more satisfied, or more dissatisfied?”

Those quotes certainly apply to so many in society today, and the book gives the symptoms, the causes and the necessary treatment in its 236 pages plus chapter end notes, bibliography and sources.

It got me to thinking how much the pursuit of “stuff” and material things may have rubbed off on some church members?   Do we have to discard our laptop computer that works perfectly well in order to get the latest version which we actually do not need?   Do we have to change our car every year so that it is up-to-date with the latest add-ons and options which we likewise do not need and which will be quite expensive to acquire?   Do we constantly buy clothes and shoes when our wardrobe may already be full to overflowing?   Do we have to have the latest mobile (cell) phone which may be very little different to the phone we have had for the last six months and which works perfectly well, and do we have to have the very latest fashions, clothes and gadgetry that the marketing gurus thrust before our eyes with a compelling sales pitch that such stuff are a must have or because “you’re worth it?”

Even Church of God people are not immune to the accumulation of “stuff” as well as maxed-up credit cards and bank overdrafts to facilitate this emphasis and “necessity” to indulge as the world does.   After all, we are subject, in the main, to all of the advertising that bombards society on a daily basis, and from every quarter, but we should have much more resistance than others because of the precious knowledge that God has so marvellously revealed to us.

On page 111 of this book is a quote from Donella Meadows who wrote “Beyond the Limits,” as follows:  “People don’t need enormous cars, they need respect.   They don’t need closets full of clothes, they need to feel attractive and they need excitement and variety and beauty.   People don’t need electronic equipment; they need something worthwhile to do with their lives.   People need identity, community, challenge, acknowledgement, love and joy.   To try to fill these needs with material things is to set up an unquenchable appetite for false solutions to real and never-satisfied problems. The resulting psychological emptiness is one of the major forces behind the desire for material growth.”

I’m not talking, of course, about necessities, those things that we truly need.  We need clothes and shoes, and in this day and age, most, at least in the Western world, need mobile phones, cars, electronic equipment and computers.  I’m emphasising that even members of God’s Church can, if they’re not on their guard, be distracted from their true goal in life if the here and now, and all of its excesses and glitzy attractions, take a grip of how we behave and function.   It is a very easy trap to fall into and can become a way of life contrary to that which we have been called into.

On page 118 of the book, “Affluenza – The All-Consuming Epidemic,” we read “today by virtue of a media-happy free market, it may now be possible for a person to travel from one week to the next without thinking an original thought unshaped by manipulative messages!   Much of the territory between our ears has now been commercially ‘colonised’.   The question is, if we get evicted from our own minds, who are we?”

Of course, church members are too wise to be caught out in the acquisition of stuff, aren’t they?   Are they?   One television advertisement I saw sold the benefits of being able to use their facility for things we want and for those things we may not need as well.   No wonder so very many people seem to be up to their eyes in debt!   But it is not just the debt issue but having the wrong emphasis that is even more worrying.

Scripture tells us not to love the world and all of its attractions which certainly includes unnecessary purchases and debt.   In 1 John 2:15-17, we read the following: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.  And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

If we follow the way of this dying world by greatly accumulating “stuff” that is not necessary, and spend ourselves into unnecessary debt, we may well be falling for yet another Satanic trap.  Rather than being content with our lot, we can easily succumb to the way of this world which continues down the secular path towards destruction.   Developing holy righteous character is what we should be about, not accumulating that which will disappear.

Right at the end of the book, they conclude with these thoughts.   “The bottom line is this.   When your time comes and your whole life flashes before you, will it hold your interest?   How much of the story will be about moments of clarity and grace, kindness and caring?   Will the main character – you – appear as large and noble as life itself, or as tiny and absurd as a cartoon figure, darting frantically among mountains of stuff?   It’s up to you, and indeed, it’s up to all of us.”

As we approach the December festive season, there will be huge amounts of money spent on “stuff” with many maxing up their credit card(s) for materialistic goods that may have temporary pleasure but with long-lasting consequences of unnecessary debt and all that that can bring.

We can never have “Godly Overload,” but it is a direction that would be much more profitable to pursue than all of the material pursuits of this world!

It’s about priorities, and let none of us be found wanting in this respect!

Since this past Thursday was the day of Thanksgiving here in the United States, it seems kind of self-explanatory that this Editorial would in some way be about thankfulness.

I wonder how we embody thankfulness as Christians. This will be different for each of us as God works with us individually! I am curious though about the mindset that we are cultivating. What do we do on a continual basis in regards to being thankful? What do we have in place to make sure that we are giving thanks to God for everything? How often do we think about how important it is to God that we give Him thanks and praise?

Oftentimes, our thoughts are inward and self-pleasing. When this happens, we start to lean on ourselves or others around us, and we start to leave God out of our picture! This is the exact opposite to what God wants! God desires that we depend on Him for everything. When we are constantly looking to Him, we are going to be searching how we can please Him, how we can do things differently and better. Paul tells us in Colossians 3:17: “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” If we are not in this mindset, then we are in a different mindset.

In a world that is permeated by Satan’s mindset of hate, greed, lust and a general dissatisfaction with life, I wonder how we approach each day and the things that we face. From personal experience, it is very, very easy not to remember the immense number of blessings that God gives us and just focus on the negatives that are happening in our lives!

I have to say that at times, I tend to look at the negatives in my life and dwell on them more than I should or more than is good or necessary. When we have challenging things happening in our lives, we should stop and think about the things or trials that we are going through and start turning to God MORE, so He can show us how to get through whatever it is that we are facing. In this regard, I think often about the Apostle Paul and ALL the things that he went through in his life. I especially find encouragement in what he says in Philippians 4:11-13, quoting from the NIV: “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything [or “all things,” according to the New King James Bible] through him who gives me strength.” The “secret” to being able to deal with WHATEVER we are given in this life, is found, I believe, in giving thanks and finding thanksgiving in ALL situations that we go through. We need to have full confidence and faith in God, knowing with certainty that He knows everything about us and cares about us. The Bible is replete with these truths. Notice in Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Also, note this in Hebrews 13:5: “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

During tumultuous times, God asks us to focus on Him and His faithfulness to us, rather than being shaken in this conviction by our circumstances; to dwell on His promise to never leave or forsake us; and to trust Him to help us in every situation we face in life. If we can do this more and more, then we are going to grow as Christians. And this is truly what God wants and desires in us, as we read in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “… in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Finally, reading in Colossians 4:2, we find these timely words:  “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.”  I would say, at no other time in our current history should this be more apropos and useful to us than at this time. We are witnessing the world crumble around us, and we know that things will NOT get better, but drastically worse and worse. We must remain close to God asking for His protection, guidance and help in these times we are living; and we must do so with an attitude of thankfulness.

I would like to put forth a challenge for all of us. What would happen if we spent the first couple minutes when we wake up and the last minutes before we go to bed in giving thanks to God? What if instead of every time we went to complain, we stopped and thought about something we could give thanks to God for instead? Based on God’s Word, I would be willing to say that things would start to change for the better in our lives! When we find ways to be thankful, we bring our focus back to God which is where it should be!

When we hear and read about God’s children, can we actually put ourselves in that category?  Are we truly His children, and what does it mean?  After all, God did create everything, including all of mankind, and He loves His creation. He did say however at the time of Noah that He was sorry that He had created man, but that’s because He had a different plan in mind. He gave man a choice to obey Him, and man rejected God’s ways and, as a consequence, the whole world was corrupted (Genesis 6:6-12).

Therefore, He wanted to destroy everything on earth, and if it had not been for righteous Noah, mankind would not have been saved. And through Noah, mankind was spared, and God blessed him and his sons, and they were fruitful and multiplied on the earth (Genesis 9:1).

Now, that didn’t mean mankind was righteous from that point on, since the world has become corrupt again. We read in John 3:16 that God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us, but another step was significant, because He goes on to say that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  So, does that mean that all we have to do is believe in Christ, and we are all saved and are considered God’s children?

Obviously, more is involved as the Bible points out in numerous Scriptures.  What do we know, actually know? The law of the 10 commandments has not been done away as we are to keep it still, which Christ makes very clear, for He didn’t come to do away with the law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17-20).  We need to do more than just believe—we have to be doers and followers of the law as Christ says in 1John 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”

Many Christians consider themselves children of God because they believe they have been saved just based on the mere fact that they believe in Christ.  They claim that they are born again and that if you’re born again, you are considered a child of God.  But the Bible clearly states that a born-again person IS spirit and invisible to the human eye, and anyone who is still human cannot be born again (John 3:6, 8).

How we are to be children of God is expressed in 1 John 3:1-2, 6-8:  “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is… Whoever abides in Him does not [practice] sin. Whoever sins [practices sin] has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins [practices sin] is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”

Those who are not being saved cannot be children of God as we notice in 1 John 3:10: “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”

We have the opportunity right now, as begotten children of God, who have been chosen to come out of this world, to be a part of His Family.  And this step can only be done by receiving His Holy Spirit at the time of our baptism after we have truly repented from what we came out of, and after having believed in and obeyed the gospel of the Kingdom of God. And, we must continue to DO what God requires of us, as explained in Romans 8:13-17:

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of (sonship) by (which) we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The (Holy) Spirit (itself) bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

People don’t like to think. The reasons why are not surprising when we consider what it takes to actively engage the mind. Thinking takes work, time, energy, concentration, and can even cause a modest amount of discomfort. I believe that we can all relate to some degree that it is often easier to find reasons to do anything else but think when we are faced with the need to think. Thinking is simply hard to do.

Knowing that it is difficult for people to actively engage their minds in mental exertion, we can see why people would rather believe in something “simple” even though it is wrong, rather than do the work of asking questions and seeking out the answers. It is more comfortable to believe in a simple explanation because it doesn’t require thinking.

However, quite often simple explanations focus only on a limited point of view, and reject anything that challenges such an explanation. Oversimplified explanations often get in the way of understanding the whole truth of a matter. This oversimplification is reductionism. Reductionist explanations sound good, but can be very misleading to people when a deeper understanding is needed.

Reductionist explanations can do great damage when applied in situations when more completeness is necessary. For example, if we believe that all we need to do to maintain a car is to put fuel in the gas tank, it won’t be long before no amount of gas will make it go. It is true that a car requires gasoline, but relying on an overly simplified solution that “for cars to function, they need gas” doesn’t paint the whole picture. We often need to consider more information when looking to understand how things work.

When we look at secular so-called Christianity today, it is easy to recognize reductionist reasoning in effect. People will hang all of their beliefs on a handful of Scriptures and ignore the others that contradict their belief without even realizing it. People can read over Scriptures, passages, chapters, and books in the Bible without taking the time to think about what the words mean, because thinking is hard work. For example, it is common for nominal Christians to quote John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life,” and stop there. It is appealing to read one Scripture and build an entire body of doctrine around it. Taken alone, one would think that all a person has to do is believe in Jesus Christ to have everlasting life. Yet people don’t ask what it means to believe in Christ. As we know, there is a lot more to becoming a fully converted Christian than a mere belief in the existence of Jesus. But asking questions that challenge such an appealing and simple belief structure is inconvenient.

Of course, we cannot place all of the blame on people who don’t take the time to think about the teachings of the Bible. Not everyone is called in this age to understand the Truth. God calls whom He will today, which excludes the vast majority (compare John 6:44-45, John 6:65). However, the warning of falling into the trap of reductionist explanations applies even to converted members, and gravely so. If we choose to pass too quickly over the teachings of the Bible and the Church, through God’s ministry, without taking the time to make sure we understand why those teachings are true, we place ourselves in a slippery place. Developing our understanding of the Truth that will lead us to salvation requires searching the Scriptures for more collaborating evidence, not reducing explanations to less.

Developing our understanding of the Truth requires the entire Bible. You don’t need to take my word for it either! The Word of God expresses this instruction with great clarity. In Jesus Christ’s response to the temptation of Satan, He said, “… ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”’” (Matthew 4:4). We must take this to mean that all of the words of the Bible are there for us to use, and not ignore when the teachings are inconvenient to us, or when we might not yet understand what we learn. By using the entire Bible to help us build a complete understanding of the Truth, without corrupting it with the bias of our carnal nature, we will grow spiritually. But it takes some work to do it. “… For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little” (Isaiah 28:9-10).

Whether it is easy for us or not, it takes work to think and ask questions about what we learn if we want to develop our spiritual understanding. It is undoubtedly hard work to do. But we didn’t answer our calling from God because it would be an easy path for us. We answered our calling out of love for the Truth, knowing that this is the better way to live. We can be reassured that the work is worth the effort when we consider the instruction of Jesus Christ, “‘Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it’” (Matthew 7:13-14).

I was watching a science fiction movie where the two main actors were willing to sacrifice their lives in response to a technical threat to the entire planet. They did it without reservation for the good of mankind which had been greatly reduced by this advanced machine technology.

About two thousand years ago, a Man faced an angry crowd, inspired by Satan, demanding His crucifixion, even though He had done no wrong. He did not cry out to profess His innocence; He did not whine or complain, but He took it all in stride because He knew that His sufferings and death were preordained and necessary for the ultimate good of mankind. That Man was Jesus Christ. He was rejected, persecuted, mocked, scorned, spit upon, punched, scourged, crucified and eventually killed by a Roman soldier’s spear which pierced His side—knowing that all of this was prophesied long before His death.

Why would He do that, since He had done no wrong and was innocent of the charges laid against Him?

He did it for the good of mankind, even though the world then or today did not and does not understand the scope or grasp the significance of His sacrifice. He did it so that man could ultimately fulfill his destiny to become God beings—to offer salvation by His blood for mankind, which was and is totally unappreciated at this time.

He attained perfection as a man through the things He suffered—learning how He could stay obedient in the face of trials. Not that He was ever disobedient, but He had to experience what it is like to be a man and not to sin. As a spirit being and the second member of the God Family prior to becoming a man, He never had to go through these kinds of physical sufferings to “learn” obedience.

As a man, He set a perfect example for us and gave us an important lesson, in that we are perfected through trials and suffering.  If you look at a silver bar, you will see stamped into it 99.9999 %, which means, almost all the impurities have been removed from it. As silver ore, it is melted down and the dross comes to the surface, which are the impurities within it, and they are skimmed off. This process may be done several times to achieve the 99.9999 percentage state.

As Psalm 66:10 clearly states: “For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined.”

Our trials and our sufferings which we face are purifying us towards perfection, so that we can become immortal God beings in the God Family. Furthermore, we will receive a golden crown, gold being the most perfect metal in the physical existence. We will achieve the gold standard, and we will also be given a white robe, signifying righteousness or our righteous acts, because at that time we will be perfect and totally righteous before our God.

I know, trials are not easy, and some of us have gone through quite some serious ones since observing the Feast of Tabernacles, but if you look at them as being perfected towards becoming a God being, they are easier to bear.

Paul said the sufferings in this world were all worth it to attain salvation in the Kingdom of God, so let us not let trials affect us in any negative way, but let us look forward to being in the Kingdom because the current trials and sufferings are preparing us to become God beings.