Hebrews 6:10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
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Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Revelation 15:3-4 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
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Here is an article I wrote at the Home Maker’s Corner ten years ago. It is rather long, but this is a subject that is of pretty high importance as much now as it was before. This article was originally written in the wake of one of the Duggar debacles involving Josh Duggar.
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The recent Duggar catastrophe that exposed Josh Duggar for having an Ashley Madison account and his subsequent "confession" has caused a lot of discussion. Among other things, there has been speculation about whether Anna, his wife, would feel compelled to share in the blame. This compulsion could be caused by a number of things - the teachings of Gothard on sexual sin, her own misguided conscience, her in-laws, her church fellowship, etc.
I feel badly for Anna, but there is nothing that I personally can do for her except pray, so speculating on her state of mind and conscience is kind of pointless. However, it seems like it would be appropriate to stop and consider how we arrived at the point where women in Christendom are so often blamed either partially or mostly for their husbands' moral failures. How did this unjust balance in thinking come about? Here are some reasons that came to mind. There are probably more.
Psalm 83:18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.
Isaiah 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Isaiah 26:4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
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.
Revelation 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
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Jan. 15, 2006; edited July 2025
John 8:46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
Friday afternoon my parents and I went out to run some errands and shop. We also stopped at our favorite Chinese restaurant for dinner. While we were eating a mother and her two young children came in and sat at the next table. In the course of their conversation the mother made a statement and the little girl answered pointedly, "I don't believe you." This she said with all the profound wisdom of a five year old. Somehow this comment made its way into my dreams that night, and when I woke up I got to contemplating.
One of the most amazing things about truth is that it is not altered nor changed by lack of belief. If no one in the world believes it, it is still true. This is why truth is so powerful. (Which leads many people to claim or pretend that they have some "truth" only they can dispense.)
These things play themselves out in millions of ways in life. But, regardless of what people believe or don't believe, how they promote the truth or try to twist it, it is still recorded in the inerasable record of time and creation. It matters not to God that man has mis-recorded his record. God's alone is absolutely true. Speaking of the Jews who did not believe the gospel, Paul wrote through the Spirit, Romans 3:3-4 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
In total contrast it is only when lies are believed that they become truly powerful. What if no one had believed Darwin? What if Hitler had been branded a liar and run out of the country when he first started his loud lies? What if Marx and Lenin had been seen for what they were and cast aside? What if someone had burned the original "Protocols of Zion"? What if the monks at the monastery in the desert had told Tishcendorf that he could not have their discarded Greek manuscript of the New Testament because it had lies in it? The course of history would have been altered in significant ways. Even so, these lies have no power to actually change the truth, even though billions of people have believed them! The truth remains the same. Proverbs 12:19 The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
Man has the ridiculous habit of thinking that if he does not believe a thing, it is therefore not true. His "proofs" may convince himself, but at the same time they do not alter the truth nor affect it in the least. Of course, the father of lies is always pleased to supply plenty of his own alleged "proofs." John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
The fact that millions don't believe in creation has not changed the truth of it, nor has it changed the fact that the creation continues to show the mighty power of God. Just because some little brat stands up, looks God square in the face and says, "I don't believe you!" doesn't change what God did in the least. It doesn't impress Him either nor does it intimidate Him. And what's more, He has no need to "prove it" as some demand. He gave His record and man's belief or unbelief cannot alter it. (John 8:13-16)
So it is with a thousand different things. The age of the earth is not changed by the fact that man can't agree upon an exact date. The King James Bible is still the only pure scriptures in English, even if the scholars ridicule it and people doubt it. Jesus Christ is still the Son of God, even though men crucified Him and deny Him still. The catching away of the church will occur though many disregard it and mock it. Devils are still real and active though some think that is superstition and myth. A child of God is still saved even though he or she may cease to believe it, 1 John 3:20. (You might want to read that last one again.)
Our lack of faith and belief cannot break the truth. We may be deceived into thinking it has because of the effects our unbelief have upon our lives, but experience has no bearing on absolute truth. If experience and truth agree, the truth is right. If experience and truth do not agree, the truth is right. If the truth does not appear true, it is still true. How we feel about it makes no difference.
Think of it this way - if a person is charged, found guilty, sentenced and executed for a crime they did NOT commit, does that prove they did it? Certainly not! Thus, as with the little girl and her mother, when some man or woman turns to their Creator and says, "I don't believe you," they have accomplished nothing but to prove their own ignorance and foolishness. Basically, they just look silly.
The very fact that truth is unalterable proves there IS a holy God. The unholy gods of other religions, and even "Christian" cults, have no power to keep truth true. Their alleged "truth," if they claim any, changes over time and through circumstances. The Lord God Almighty ...keepeth truth for ever... (Ps. 146:6). It is not up for debate. It is not affected by unbelief.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
1John 2:21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
3John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
Psalm 117:2 For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 30:11-12 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
Psalm 104:33-34 I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.
Psalm 147:1 Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
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Today I'm sharing a post from my dad.
By Stephen Van Nattan
Edited by Mary E. Stephens
That is what we are. When a person hears the Gospel, understands it, and confesses faith in Jesus Christ, a process starts. No one ever was made perfect the instant they were born again.
1 John 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
"Perfected" in this text means COMPLETE. The cup is empty, and it is filled in time. The yarn is woven by grandma's hands, maybe for many days, and eventually the sweater is completed.
So, how do we keep the process going forward and not stop and live an unfinished life?
2 Timothy 3:16-17 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.
There is NO WAY you can arrive at Christian perfection in a moment of time. It takes a lifetime for most of us. We must stop this clever trick of using this fact to explain our slowness and sin as we move through the process. If you know you are not making progress toward perfection, you are backslidden. You need to repent and get back in the race with the rest of the saints on their way to perfection.
But, there is a caution here. I will illustrate.
Ed had been born again for years. He loved the Lord and participated in leadership in his local church., Ed also smoked. He was one of the few people who smoke in moderation and not in addiction, and smoking was a pleasure to him, not a burden.
Ed was walking downtown, and a lady from his church came along with her young son. Ed always removed his cigarette and held it to the side instead of smoking while talking to people. The lady and Ed chatted for a while, and as they parted, the young son told his mother, "Mommy, it must be OK to smoke, Uncle Ed smokes."
The boy considered Ed a godly man. When Ed heard the boy's words, he was smitten deeply. He decided on the spot to stop smoking if his choice would cause a boy to violate the teachings of his mother. Ed quit cold turkey never to smoke again.
That is how we are perfected. The key is that Ed was ready to be taught by the Holy Spirit. When the scene played out, which was clearly planned by God the Holy Spirit, Ed did the right thing and moved on to perfection.
Are you teachable? Can the Holy Spirit arrange for you to have a life experience, or read some text from the Bible, and you will at once see God talking to you and move on to perfection?
That is exactly what the Apostle Paul is talking about here:
Philippians 3:12-14 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Get this straight please...
1. The great Apostle clearly did not consider himself a completed (perfected) work. Stop parking in front of your failures.
2. Follow after. Grab ahold (Apprehend) of the life God offers you just up ahead.
3. Keep PRESSING toward the mark. This is Paul using the public games of Rome again. The prize is perfection, and it is a race to be run to win it.
Again, are you teachable? Are you still running the race? If you do this, you WILL reach the prize one day. We are not talking about sinless perfection, a doctrine of devils taught by some. We are talking about arriving where God wants you to be.
One last question we have to answer: How do I know when I am perfect the way the Bible teaches?
Jesus answers:
Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
As long as you have something you need to deal with in your life in order to be like God, you are still a work in progress.
So, you will never be as perfect as God in this life. What does this mean? It means you will never stop running in this race until you are in the presence of God.
Don't stop now, please.
Don't worry. Anything you do not get right now will be taken care of by Jesus:
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
2 Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
1 Peter 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Psalm 99:5 Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.
Psalm 145:17-19 The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
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Psalm 9:1-2 I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.
Psalm 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
Psalm 150:6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
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THANKSGIV'ING, ppr. Rendering thanks for good received.
THANKSGIV'ING, n. The act of rendering thanks or expressing gratitude for favors or mercies.
- Webster’s American Dictionary… 1828
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Thanksgiving n.s. [thanks and give.] Celebration of mercy.
{Example 3} We should acknowledge our obligations to God for the many favours we receive, by continual praises and thanksgivings.
Tillotson’s Sermons.
- Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language
Psalm 26:6-7 I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD: That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.
See, in the woodland, the leaves turning crimson;
Hark, how they rustle and fall to the ground.
Autumn, bright autumn is smiling and glowing,
Showing the treasures that now may be found.
Praise the Creator who giveth us richly
All His good bounty to use and enjoy;
Lift up your hearts and your voices in singing,
Joyful thanksgiving the days should employ.
Julia H. Johnston
Luke 18:27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
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