____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER ____________________________________________________ "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ January 28, 2007 ____________________________________________________ Contents: 1) Patience (R.J. Evans) 2) Pray Without Ceasing (Joe R. Price) 3) He Made the Stars (Donald B. Young) ____________________________________________________ -1- Patience by R.J. Evans W.E. Vine defines "patience" as "an abiding under." Thus, patience can be thought of as "uncomplaining endurance." We are told by the inspired apostle Peter to "add...to temperance patience" (2 Pet. 1:6). This grace must be added to our lives if we are going to be successful in living the Christian life. But by so doing, much effort and diligence on our part is required. The so-called patience of some can best be illustrated by the one who prayed: "Lord, give me patience and give it to me right now!" Patience is needed in every phase and aspect of life. It is needed in youth where there is a tendency to be overly zealous and eager; it is needed in adulthood when it is so easy to lose control of the temper; and it is also essential during old age when periods of gloom can be so prevalent. The Bible has much to say about patience. But in this article we shall focus our attention primarily on situations wherein patience is needed. They are as follows: In Well Doing "To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life" (Rom. 2:7). This verse emphasizes the fact that we must continue on or persevere in good works if we are going to be saved in the end. The idea of being patient in well doing is also expressed in Galatians 6:9: "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Much opposition will be encountered when we do good, but we must "keep on keeping on!" In Tribulation All faithful Christians suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12). Hence, during these times of affliction, we must patiently endure it. Paul instructs us to be "patient in tribulation" (Rom. 12:12). Christ is our perfect example of one who exercised patience in tribulation (see 1 Pet. 2:21-23). The apostle Paul commended the Thessalonian brethren in this regard: "So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure" (2 Thess. 1:4). In Dealing With All Men "Now we exhort you brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men" (1 Thess. 5:14). We must be longsuffering or patient when dealing with perverse views, defects, and the sins of men. Being "patient toward all men" involves our not being easily offended. We must bear long with all: with the lost -- in hopes of seeing them led to obedience through our teaching efforts; with the lukewarm -- in meekness, considering ourselves (Gal. 6:1); and with the disorderly -- admonishing him as a brother (2 Thess. 3:15). In The Race That Is Set Before Us In the Scripture, the Christian life has been likened to a race. It is a continuous race that must be run to the end. Running this race involves hardships and difficulties which must be met. Therefore, patience is needed! "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us" (Heb. 12:1). In Waiting For Our Reward "But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it" (Rom. 8:25). The farmer best illustrates this point. "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain" (Jas. 5:7-8). Also, we must consider the fact that "the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). Conclusion We must heed God's counsel concerning patience. By so doing, we have a good influence on others; and most importantly, it prepares us for the eternal reward in the hereafter. "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise" (Heb. 10:36). -- Via Guardian of Truth XXXIII: 4, p. 101, February 16, 1989 ____________________________________________________ -2- Pray Without Ceasing by Joe R. Price I received the following Bible question recently: "How can we pray without ceasing and apply Mat 6:7, 'But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen [do]: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.' I mean, how can I stop myself from not repeating the same thing if I want to pray without giving up, eventually I am going to run out of words and will have to repeat! Help." The instruction to "pray without ceasing" does not conflict with the Lord's teaching to avoid vain repetitions in prayer, because acceptable prayer is not based on the number of words we use or the length of our prayer. Praying without ceasing complements Jesus' teaching "that men ought always to pray and not lose heart" (Lk. 18:1). Christians are prayerful people and must not become discouraged or give up on prayer. We must not view prayer as an occasion to display ourselves before others. Hence, the Lord's warning not to use "vain repetitions" ("to repeat the same things over and over, to use many and idle words, to babble," Thayer, 99). Jesus is not saying that we can never "repeat the same thing" when we pray. However, He is teaching us to be careful that our heart is fully engaged and involved in the words we speak to Almighty God in prayer. God does not listen for the amount of words we pray, but for the heart that is speaking the words. We cannot turn prayer into a mindless exercise of spilling out liturgical phrases and thoughtless expressions and expect God to accept our prayers. How can we be more effective in our prayers, wanting to both "pray without ceasing" and not use "vain repetitions"? Seek solitude. In contrast to the self-righteous motive of wanting to be seen by men when we pray, Jesus said to "go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly" (Matt. 6:6). The objective of prayer is communication with God, not with men. Make time to be alone with God in prayer, away from the distractions of life. This does not mean we cannot pray any time of the day. It means that whenever we pray, our attention must be given to God and not to the reactions of those around us. Solitude helps us focus on what we want to say to God. For example, Jesus found a solitary place to pray (Mk. 1:35). So should we. Be specific. There is a lot to be said for the song we sing: "count your many blessings, name them one by one...and it will surprise you what the Lord has done." Please note that just after saying we are to "pray without ceasing," the apostle wrote, "in everything giving thanks" (1 Thes. 5:17-18). Keep a list of people you know, of brethren and the specific things they are going through, of the spiritual blessings you have in Christ, of the opportunities in your life, and so forth. Thank God specifically for the blessings you have. Supplicate the Master's help for specific trials or problems (yours and other's). When you are specific in prayer you will be surprised what the Lord has done! And, you won't be vainly repeating yourself just to "have something to say." Be spontaneous. Nehemiah gives us a good example of spontaneity in prayer (Neh. 2:4). Situations where prayer is helpful present themselves to us every day. But, unless we have a mindset to be a prayerful person, we can begin to view prayer as drudgery rather than a blessing. When we have a prayerful attitude our habit will be to pray throughout the day, not just at "set times." This helps us overcome "vain repetition" while becoming more earnest and vigilant in our prayers (Col. 4:2). Prayer is an expression of our faith in God (Lk. 18:8). In other words, don't wait to pray! -- Via The Spirit's Sword, December 24, 2006 ____________________________________________________ -3- He Made the Stars by Donald B. Young "He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name" (Psalm 147:4). How many stars are known to exist? On clear, moonless nights about 3,000 stars are visible with the unaided eye. A small telescope will increase the number to around 100,000 stars. But this is just the beginning! The stars we can easily see are all in our corner of the Milky Way Galaxy. The entire galaxy may number about 100 billion stars. And beyond the Milky Way are other galaxies. An estimated figure might sound like: "ten billion trillion" stars. Actually, man cannot count them (Jer. 33:22); it is only something God can do (Ps. 147:4; Isa. 40:26). Does the Bible name some of the constellations? Yes. "Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs? Do you know the laws of the heavens?" (Job 38:31-32). Is every star different? Even though there are trillions of stars in the universe, each one is unique. No two stars have exactly the same properties. This may sound like guesswork, since we have analyzed very few stars in detail, but the conclusion is a certainty. A star has so many variables in its makeup that the probability of two identical stars is zero. These variables include the total number of atoms, exact chemical composition, size, temperature, and motion. Some stars show obvious color and brightness differences. Others require spectroscopic study to detect their particular identity or fingerprint. Similarly, it is also true that every snowflake, blade of grass, and grain of sand is unique. They may all look alike but they're not identical. On the microscopic level there is practically an infinite number of ways to arrange atoms. Even a single snowflake, for example, has about 1,020 atoms to arrange within itself! Every individual object in the universe, no matter how large or small, shows God's distinct creative glory and artistry. The same is also true, of course, for every person on Earth. -- Via Astronomy and the Bible ____________________________________________________ MYRTLE STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST 1022 Myrtle Street Denham Springs, LA 70726 (225) 664-8208 Sunday: 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM Wednesday: 7:00 PM evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go ____________________________________________________