On Dec. 16, 2009, I attended the visitation of a beautiful, young girl named Keely Mattingly. A tragic accident suddenly took the life of someone who was loved dearly. I stood and watched the family mourn the loss of such a special person. I watched as tears ran down like streams of waters. The sorrow was truly overwhelming. A place no one wants to be especially at this time of year.

No doubt, the family has asked and will continue to ask the question of why for some time. Why did this happen to this little girl? That is one of the most puzzling of all human problems. Maybe it is the hardest question of life. Why must people suffer? Why must there be heartache and disappointment? Why must there be disease and death? Why does tragedy invade the lives of those who sincerely try to serve God? How is it that a God who loves us so much would allow suffering to come into our homes? In times like these, we must turn to the scriptures for help in wrestling with the question of why bad things happen to good people.

Job was a good man, a man who feared God. He had been blessed with a great wife, ten children, wealth, excellent health, and the love and esteem of those around him. Yet, suddenly, a tragic series of events befell him that left him with only his wife. He had lost everything in the blink of an eye. His cry was almost instant, “Why?” “Why was I ever born?” (Job 3:11-19).

When times like these invade our world, we often jump to faulty conclusions or incomplete explanations for the presence of evil, pain, and suffering. Many times our understanding of these things are just plain wrong. The book of Job illustrates this in a real way. Job, his wife, and his friends all grappled with this question. Their answers sounded right, they sounded plausible; but they were wrong.

The first response to Job’s suffering was “…The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Job thought that bad things came directly from God. Even his wife’s admonition was “To curse God and die” (Job 2:9). We are quick today to make the same accusations of God. We say things like, “God took my loved one,” “It was God’s will” that my loved one died, and “Why did God do this to me?” We must remember that God did not cause Job’s sorrows and He does not cause ours. James 1:16-17 lets us know that God sends good gifts and not bad ones. God does not tempt us with evil and is not tempted to do such things (James 1:13). Satan, not God, inflicted Job’s sorrows on him.

The second response to Job’s suffering was “God is punishing you for your sins.” This was the response of Job’s three friends. They were not bad men, but were in fact trying to help him. It seems like the best thing they said was the whole not saying anything part of the seven days of silence (Job 2:13). Their advice was to admit he had sinned, that he was getting what he deserved and God would forgive him. The truth is that sometimes we do suffer because of sins. Paul told the Corinthians that many of them were sick and weak because they were abusing the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:30). David sinned and as a result an innocent child was taken (2 Sam. 12:13-14). Sometimes this does happen but we make a great mistake if we assume that all suffering is a result of our sins. In John 9, Jesus healed a man who was born blind and His disciples asked Him, “Master, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” To which Jesus replied it was neither but a greater purpose was at work. Sometimes innocent people suffer for no real reason.

The third response to Job’s suffering was from a young man named “Elihu.” He was frustrated with Job and his three friends for not seeing what he considered obvious. His answer to the great question was “God is trying to teach you something” (Job 33:19). Sometimes this is true. God taught Paul humility by refusing to remove his thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12:7-9). This is not always the answer, it was not the answer for Job and it often is not for us.

The question remains, “Why does God allow the innocent to suffer?” The Bible gives us some insights into this difficult question.

Sometimes suffering is just what happens. God made this world in a certain way and in a sense; suffering is woven into its very fabric. Death and suffering is a part of life. God in creating the world, set forth laws that maintain our world. These are powerful forces that when unleashed can cause great pain and sorrow. Hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, all cause us much trouble. The way God has created the universe allows for some suffering to happen.

Sometimes suffering is self-inflicted. God has both spiritual as well as natural laws. When those laws are violated, we suffer the consequences. God made man a creature with freedom of choice. We can choose evil or we can choose good. We can make mistakes, blunders, wrong choices and we suffer for it. We speak of breaking God’s laws; but actually, we do not break God’s laws; we disregard God’s laws (natural or spiritual) and they break us! We do not “break” the law of gravity by jumping from a huge skyscraper; we disregard it and suffer the consequences!

Sometimes suffering is the result of others. Sometimes our suffering is the result of choices, the actions of others. People can and often do misuse their freedom of will in such a way that it harms us! “We have met the enemy is he is us.” Not just men like Herod or Hitler plunge whole nations into suffering. Sometimes it just average people making serious mistakes. Drinking and driving is a good example of this. A drunk driver has an accident and kills a family heading home from church. These things happen because God did not make us senseless robots, but men and women capable of choosing good or evil. As long as have the freedom to choose, we will go on hurting others and being hurt by them.

Sometimes suffering represents the work of Satan. Satan afflicted Job! Paul calls his thorn in the flesh a “messenger of Satan.” (2 Cor. 12:7). The Bible speaks of Satan causing disease (Luke 13:16) and having the power of death (Hebrews 2.14). Let’s never lose sight of this. Satan hates those who seek to do right and will do all that is within his power to hinder and oppress them. Suffering and calamity may be an indication that you are on the right track and Satan is trying to derail you!

Sometimes suffering is educational (James 1.2-3; Romans 5.3-5). Suffering confers spiritual insight; it can teach us patience and can build character and strength. It can prepare us for greater service and it can knock a lot of nonsense out of us! Illness, for example, may lead us to see things in a clearer light than we ever did when we were going through life without a care! Troubles are the tools that God uses to fashion us for better things.

Sometimes suffering is therapeutic. It may help to make us better people; it may lead us to repentance; it may discipline us spiritually. “It is good for me that l have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes” the Psalmist said in Psalm 119:71. God may permit suffering for the sake of our spiritual health and well-being!

Suffering may arise from a variety of different causes–perhaps from a combination of causes or from causes, we cannot even understand. Remember Job was never really given an explanation for his suffering! We cannot easily look at any experience of suffering and put our finger on the “why” of it. Nevertheless, in a sense why is the wrong question! Suffering in a sense is beyond our comprehension. We need to consider another question that is far more important and that is “What will I do with it?”

We must remember that the important thing is not “why” suffering comes, but “how” we meet that suffering. Suffering can make us bitter or it can make us better. The truth is that it will do one of the two. What is up to us! The real question is not “what’s behind my suffering?” but “what’s in me?” You can use suffering as a tool for improving your life or as an excuse for getting mad at God! A missionary and his wife in Pakistan had a six-month-old baby who became ill with a mysterious fever and died in a single day. A wise man told them: “A tragedy like this is like being plunged into boiling water. If you are an egg, your affliction will make you hard boiled and unresponsive; if you are a potato, you will emerge soft and pliable, and useable.” We need to learn to pray when suffering comes, “Oh, Lord, let me be a potato.”

We must remember that suffering does not defeat or thwart the purposes of God. Hold on to the words of Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Tragedy, disaster, sorrow, and calamity do not frustrate God’s purposes. Our problem is that we look at things from the wrong side. My grandmother use to do many cross-stitch designs. It always amazed me that if you look at the work from the bottom it seems to be only a tangled mass of threads but on the top it was a beautiful, intricate pattern. God did not send Paul’s “thorn in the flesh,” Satan did; but God used it for Paul’s good! Paul was a better man because of it. No matter what happens, God can arrange matters so that it fits into His pattern!

We must remember to trust God and rely on Him whatever comes our way! We do not understand all that happens. We do not have all the facts. Our vision is limited; we see from an earthly vantage point instead of from eternity. Therefore, we must trust in the wisdom, power, and love of God! This is the message of the Book of Job! God did not tell Job “why”! He simply said, “Trust me!”

In this life we “do groan, being troubled…” (2 Cor. 5:4) but we believe that there is a better land, a land where suffering and sorrow are unknown. God has prepared a home for us there and to that home, He wishes us to come. Were it not for the heartaches, disappointments and sufferings of this world, we might forget the greater destiny that lies before us. Perhaps the sufferings of this world are designed, in part, to cause us not to be satisfied here, but to lift our eyes toward that world to come where “He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more.” (Rev. 21:4).

Often in life, we convince ourselves that things are worse than they really are. We are fond of talking ourselves out of doing things because it is just not possible. The greatest truth we can learn is that when we have a negative answer God always has a positive answer.

When we say, “It’s impossible, I cannot do it!” God says, “With Him, All things are possible” (Luke 18:27). When we say “I’m just too tired, I cannot do it” God says “Come to Me and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28-30). When we say, “It’s too hard, I cannot go on” God says, “My grace is sufficient” (2 Cor. 12:9). When we say, “Nobody loves me” God says, “I love you” (John 3:16). When we say, “We cannot understand” God says, “I will direct your steps” (Prov. 3:5-6). When we say, “I am not able” God says, “I am able” (2 Cor. 9:8). When we convince ourselves it is not worth it, God says, “It will be worth it in the end” (Rom. 8:28). When we struggle to forgive ourselves God says, “I forgive you” (1 John 1:9). When we are afraid, God says, “I have not given you the spirit of fear” (2 Tim. 1:7). When we are worried and afraid God says, “Cast all your cares upon Me” (1 Peter 5:7). When we feel lonely, God reminds us “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 12:5).

In each of these times, God strengthens us through His word and His presence in our lives. The only obstacle for us His children is do we really believe what He has said? I will leave you with one last thought…

Nahum 1:7 “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him” (KJV)

Hebrews 13:15 “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”

This verse has more meaning now than ever before. You see on Tuesday, November 24 at 5 am in the morning, Melinda and I were hurriedly packing our clothes for a sudden trip to Carolina Medical Center in Charlotte, NC. Melinda’s dad has been extremely sick with complications from liver disease and to top it all off he was fighting with a hernia that could not be fixed because of the many complications he was dealing with. Well to make a long story short the hernia had gotten to the point they were forced to do surgery and with his condition, the doctors were not sure if he would live through it. The good news is that the surgery went well and he is now home recovering.

However, the whole process made me reflect even more on thanksgiving. Most of the time we are more concerned about how much turkey we are going to eat and if we will get our afternoon nap. We are often concerned about who is winning in the ball games and other trivial things. When in reality we should be focusing more on the true blessings we have.

James 1:17 tells us that, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

Everything good and sometimes the bad things in our lives are truly blessings from God and we need to be thankful to Him for those blessings. With a renewed appreciation I can truly say, I am thankful for my family, for the church, for my Yeaman church family. I am thankful to be able to work with a great group of Christians who honestly try to live in the light of the word of God. Our work together is not always easy and it might not even be fun at times but we are blessed to have such a great group of Christians to do it with. I am truly thankful for Jesus Christ, who changed my life so drastically, without whom I am nothing. I am truly thankful for my Father in Heaven who loves me in spite of me and my flaws.

My question for you is, “What are you thankful for?” Life is great and God has blessed us all in many ways. Will you join with me this day in giving thanks to the Lord and to His glorious name?

 

The more I think about God’s plan of salvation the more I am impressed with its simplicity. The first step in God’s plan of salvation is to hear the word of God. However, what does it mean to hear the word of God? How does that translate into our everyday lives? I think there is a choice to be made in this. On the Mount of Transfiguration God spoke from heaven and said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him” (Matt. 17:5). The choice is clear; will we hear Jesus or will we hear what man has to say?

The wisdom of man has always attempted to refute the plain teachings of God in his word. It seems that we go about trying to build ourselves up, make ourselves sound smarter that we really are and in the process, we begin to listen to us more than God.

God says He created the heavens and the earth in six literal days (Genesis 1-2) but the wisdom of man says it happened by chance and natural causes. Will you hear God?

God says that there is only one-way into heaven (John 14:6), but the wisdom of man says that there are many ways into heaven and we all just following different paths. Will you hear God? God says that baptism is for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38, 22:16), and places us into the body of Christ (Galatians 3:27), but man says there is nothing special about the water; you do not have to do it if you do not want to. Will you hear God?

No matter what the teachings are, we must make a choice of whether we will hear God’s Word or man’s. Will we listen to what we think, what we feel, and what man has said or will we listen to God.

Jesus said in Matthew 13:13-15,

“Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”

I know it is not easy to set aside all that we have been taught, think and feel, but we must if we are going to truly hear the word of God and be saved.

When you ask most people today how they know they are saved and the answer is often, “I feel it in my heart.” I have even had people tell me that they would not trade how they feel in their heart for all the Bible’s I could fit into my truck. However, the question remains, are feelings a safe standard to determine our salvation?

We would not use this same standard in other areas of our lives. I have never known of anyone who said they were playing basketball right because they felt it in their heart. I have never known of anyone who said their bank statement was right because they just know it in their heart. Instead, they pull out that calculator and go over the numbers until they were certain their facts were straight. I worked many years as a construction worker and I never heard a carpenter say that a board was the right length until he first pulled out the standard (his tape measure) and checked it. Nevertheless, when it comes to matters far more important that money, work, or play, we begin to reason based on feelings. Make no doubts about it, your salvation is of much more importance than all these worldly things.

Can you trust your feelings? Can you trust how you feel in your heart? The Bible tells us plainly No, we can not! Jeremiah 10:23 tells us, “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (KJV). Add to that what Solomon says in Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” and the case is even more airtight. We cannot trust how we feel. This is also true because how we feel is subjective and can change from minute to minute, from person to person. The apostle Paul thought he was right in persecuting the church of God but was he? Absolutely not. His feelings about it did not matter, what mattered was how God felt about it.

So how can we know that we are saved? We compare what we have done to be saved to a standard that never changes. God’s word is the only standard that we can be assured will never change. It is not subjective to our whims, our feelings, it does not change with society, it is eternal. God’s word is objective and we will be judged by it, not how we feel. John 12:48 tells us, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”

God’s word says we must first hear the Word of God to be saved (Rom. 10:17). Secondly, we must believe that Jesus is the Son of God (John 8:24). Third, we must repent of our sins (Acts 17:30). Fourth, we must confess our faith in Jesus (Acts 8:37). Fourth, we must be baptized for the remission of our sins (Acts 2:38, 22:16). Lastly, we must remain faithful until the day we die (Rev. 2:10). When you have done what the Bible says you can know you are saved. It is not based on how we feel or what we think is right but simply on the word of God.

Read Luke 13:1-17

Growing up in the mountains of North Carolina was indeed a great place to live. I can remember many things about my childhood and especially my grandpa, paw-paw as I called him.

One thing I remember very well was the apple trees he had growing throughout his whole farm. However, I remember one specific apple tree that grew behind the house we lived in. It was always big and beautiful, it was always pruned to ensure its growth but it never had any apples on it.

This reminds me of the parable that Jesus told about a fig tree that did not bear any fruit. He said, “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”(Luke 13:6-9).

Now Jesus does not tell us the meaning of this parable but its meaning is not hard to figure out. Jesus had been teaching about lives lost. So, He tells a parable about a tree that looked good but did not bear any fruit, a man who saw what the tree was, not what it looked like and a man who does everything he can to save the tree.

Jesus gave His life for us, he provided us with the opportunity to be saved. However, it is not enough to just look like a great apple tree. A tree that only looks good is indeed just a piece of wood. Our lives have to be fruitful they have to produce something. We are called to be more than just beautiful trees we are called to do good works (Eph. 2:10). We are called to produce much fruit (John 15:5), to bring honor and glory to God (1 Tim. 1:17), not just look good.

As a child, I was so frustrated at that apple tree because I was never able to get a single apple from it. I cannot imagine how God must fell when He looks down on us and sees no fruit. I do not know the fate of that apple tree after I moved away and we do not know the fate of the tree in Jesus’ parable, only the possible outcomes. Of course, this is not about trees it is about us.

If I were to ask you what the most difficult command of God’s to follow, what would you say? Would you say that is has something to do with, “Loving your enemies?” Or would be a liberal giver top your list? How about keeping your thoughts pure? Perhaps these are difficult however; the most difficult command is God’s command to repent.

Acts 17:30-31 tells us, “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commendeth all men everywhere to repent: because he hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance to all men, in that he raised him from the dead.”

Thayer’s Greek English Lexicon says this word means to change one’s mind for the better, to heartily amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins. He goes on to say that the word is used especially of those who are conscience of their sins with tokens of sorrow and are intent in obtaining God’s pardon (Thayer, pg. 405).

I think we can see a good definition of repentance in the example of the prodigal son in Luke 15. When the prodigal son got ready to leave home, he said “Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me” (Luke 15:12, KJV). When he was getting ready to return home he had decided to say to his father, “Father…make me as one of thy hired servants.” The difference between “give me” and “make me” is what we call repentance. When we lay aside our selfish desires and turn our lives over to the Lord to make us what he wants us to be, we have repented.

Being baptized for the remission of sins is not at all difficult for the one who has genuinely repented. Neither is loving one’s enemy, giving liberally, or keeping oneself pure. That is why we say repentance is the most difficult command; once one has truly repented, that is, made up his mind to do right; all of these things are much easier.

Paul having genuinely repented was able to say, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them all but dung, that I may win Christ” (Philippians 3:7-8).

Have you repented? Once you have, then serving the Lord becomes much easier.

Wednesday night in Bible class we finished up Psalm 118 and then began a interesting discussion on forgiveness that has been on my mind for some time. The reason this has been on my mind is because of the difficulty in defining the meaning of forgiveness. Therefore, I began an intensive study on the subject from our perspective. How are we to obey the words of Jesus and forgive those who hurt us or others and still exercise common sense? The words of Jesus ring out in my mind that we must learn to forgive if we want to be forgiven by God. A lot is depending on our ability to forgive but what is it.

To answer our questions we need to go back to the Bible and look at the words used to convey the concept of forgiveness. One word means “to blot out,” in the sense that God erases the record of the sins we commit. Another common Hebrew word means “to lift and carry away,” speaking of the complete removal of our sins from us, as if a heavy load had been lifted from our shoulders. Still another word means “to release from debt,” indicating the punishment for sin has been canceled. And one Greek word means “to show grace to one who has sinned greatly,” speaking of the undeserved nature of forgiveness. It is truly a gift from God.

Perhaps it will help to remind ourselves what forgiveness does not mean. It is not denying the evil that was done, excusing sinful behavior, pretending it never happened, glossing over the pain you suffered, removing all consequences for wrong behavior, overlooking criminal behavior, condoning abuse, acting as if the sin never happened, letting others continually abuse you, pretending you weren’t hurt, and it’s not a magic trick that we use to force others to become our friend again. It’s not a tool to manipulate others into confessing what they did that hurt us so greatly.

What, then, is forgiveness? The most important thing I can say and perhaps the most important sentence in this article is that forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling. God never says, “Forgive them if you feel like it.” Forgiveness is not about your feelings. If you have been deeply hurt, you will probably never “feel” like forgiving someone. Forgiveness is a choice, a decision you make in your heart. It is a choice to release others from their sins against you. That’s why I Corinthians 13:5 tells us that love keeps no record of wrongs. Forgiveness means letting go of the anger and the desire for revenge. Seen in its true light, forgiveness is an act of mercy toward the offender in which we chose to not to hold that against them any longer or seek for revenge. In forgiveness we free our minds from the burden of pain, the hurt associated with that person’s bad choices.

How many of us have watched the home makeover shows. They go in to a house that is run down almost to the point of dilapidation and rebuild it into a big, beautiful home. I watched one show where they went and helped a couple who had 5 mentally handicapped children and were struggling to make it in such a horrid house. After they were done you could not tell it was the same house. It had changed from bad to really great. As the family saw their new home they were filled with joy and gratitude and their eyes filled with tears.

In I Cor. 6:9-11 we have one of the greatest examples of before and after that the world has ever known.

Notice that Paul says “And such were some of you.”

The saints in Corinth were once some of the worst people imaginable, fornicators, effeminate, abusers of themselves with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners. However, something changed all that bad into something worthy of praising God. They were not the same people anymore.

They were washed.

Now what does Paul mean by washed? They had through faith in Jesus Christ died to sin, had been buried with him in baptism, wherein they were also raised with him to walk in newness of life. They had washed away their sin exactly as Paul was commanded to do in Acts 22:16. Their seeking baptism was their own act, and they entered the water as voluntary agents just as Paul did, seeking the forgiveness promised in the gospel, fulfilling the divinely ordained condition, and they actually received the remission of their sins (Mark 16:15, 16; Acts 2:38). — Gospel Advocate Commentaries

They were sanctified.

Sanctification simply means that we are set apart for God’s holy purpose. Having obeyed the gospel in baptism they have now been set apart for something greater than sin, self or Satan. When we obey the gospel we are set apart to work for the Lord. Eph. 2:10 tells us that we are created for good works that God has ordained that we should walk in.

They were justified.

Someone once told me that justified meant, “Just as if I had not sinned” and I would have to say that is a very accurate definition of the word. The Corinthians had been justified because they had obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ.

How did all this happen? The Corinthians were changed from some of the worst society has to offer to children of God because they submitted to the gospel. There is no magic formula, no special prayer, just plain ole simple faith acting through obedience.

These things can be yours as well. If you are interested in having these blessing for yourself then I encourage you to contact us through the contact page and we will get in touch with you.

Yeaman Church of Christ would like to invite everyone to our first annual BBQ cook-off. It will be on Saturday, September 5 at 5pm at the church building. I want to encourage everyone to come and be a part of this. The evening will be marked by good food, good fellowship and some corn hole games. After the judging we will have a meal for everyone to eat and enjoy the BBQ that was made. We will be awarding a first and second place prize and a people’s champion for the person who was voted the best by everyone else.

This is open to public, invite your friends and come out and be a part of the fun.

The church is located at 17320 Owensboro Rd. That’s at the corner of Hwy. 54 and Hwy 736 heading toward Owensboro.