DISCIPLE

 by William MacDonald,  from his book ONE DAY AT A TIME,  the daily reading for October 1st “For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” ( James 4:14 ) The insistent voice of the Holy Spirit reminds mortal man frequently in the Scriptures of the brevity of his life. By the repeated use of similes, the Spirit of the Lord impresses on us that our days are limited and passing swiftly. For instance, He likens life to a weaver’s shuttle ( Job 7:6 ), the device that darts back and forth in the loom almost faster than the eye can follow. Job speaks of life as wind ( Job 7:7 ), here one minute and gone the next, never to return. The psalmist echoes the sentiment, speaking of “a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again” ( Psa. 78:39 ). Bildad unnecessarily reminds Job that “our days on earth are a shadow” ( Job 8:9 ), a picture that is repeated in Psalm 102:11 , “My days are like a shadow that declineth.” ...

        These are three popular current concerns, even obsessions, and their impact (no pun intended) is far reaching. People everywhere wonder if they will die, or if all life on earth will be snuffed out by these things. The news media obsess and stir up great clouds of worry, even panic, which keeps people tuned in, but provides no solution. Instead of letting the media tell you what to be concerned about, consider what God, the Creator, has to say. Coronavirus      We indeed sympathize with all who are suffering from Coronavirus, pray for them, and encourage everyone to take prudent and timely precautions. It is a difficult time, that should remind all humanity of its fragility and the shortness of life.  Through the tireless efforts of science and medicine they cure one disease, and we applaud them, but then another pops up, more difficult to treat. There are two things you should know.     Fi...

The Old Cross and the New ALL UNANNOUNCED AND MOSTLY UNDETECTED there has come in modern times a new cross into popular evangelical circles. It is like the old cross, but different: the likenesses are superficial; the differences, fundamental.      From this new cross has sprung a new philosophy of the Christian life, and from that new philosophy has come a new evangelical technique - a new type of meeting and a new kind of preaching. This new evangelism employs the same language as the old, but its content is not the same and its emphasis not as before.      The old cross would have no truck with the world. For Adam's proud flesh it meant the end of the journey. It carried into effect the sentence imposed by the law of Sinai. The new cross is not opposed to the human race; rather, it is a friendly pal and, if understood aright, it is the source of oceans of good clean fun and innocent enjoyment. It lets Adam live without inter...