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By: Gary L. Hutchens “These are trying times.” How often have you heard this statement? Have you ever wondered who first said this and to what times he was referring? Obviously, he was referring to the times in which he lived. When do you suppose that was, and what, specifically, prompted him to say it? Well, it’s a fairly subjective statement, so he could have been talking about any of a whole host of matters. I have no idea, but I suspect it has been repeated for centuries, perhaps for millennia.
By: Gary L. Hutchens Jesus admonished, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). Why do so many people have such difficulty staying faithful? The “crown of life” signifies eternal life in Heaven. Eternal life is a “gift” offered to us “in Christ” by God’s grace (Rom. 6:23). Our responsibility in receiving this gift is, first, obedience (Heb. 5:9), and then, having received this gift, to continue to “be faithful until death.” We’re not talking surface level faith; God expects us to live a lifestyle of faithfulness until the day we die, even to the point of dying for our faith if necessary.
By: Gary L. Hutchens We find the phrase “sound doctrine” used several times in the New Testament (1 Tim. 1:8-11; 2 Tim. 4:3; Tit. 1:9; 2:1). The word doctrine simply means “teaching.” To qualify doctrine as being sound would identify it as being truthful, accurate, reliable, trustworthy. As applied to biblical teaching, sound doctrine would be teaching that accurately communicates God’s will by staying true to His word.
By: Gary L. Hutchens A Christian should stand out in the crowd. Not in the sense that he should purposely call undue attention to himself, but from the perspective of character. A Christian should be distinct from the world.
By: Gary L. Hutchens In Paul’s letter to the Philippians he instructed them as to where to find the power to face life and deal with it successfully (Phlp. 4:11-13). The lesson within that text is equally important for us today.
By: Gary L. Hutchens This world is an uncertain place, and life herein is equally uncertain. History is filled with examples of such uncertainty. Many people would take security in the supposed sovereignty of their country. But the geographic landscape of this world is always in a state of continual flux.
By: Gary L. Hutchens Jesus went to the cross to die to pay the price for the guilt of the sins of all humanity for all time (Heb. 9:27-28). For all humanity? Yes, for all humanity. For all time? Yes, for all time. But Jesus’ death on the cross holds its greatest meaning for you when you view it as having been done for you. You personally! You cannot make the death of Jesus have meaning for all humanity. You can only make His death have meaning based upon how you personally react to it. So, are you worth the death of Jesus?
By: Gary L. Hutchens Everybody wants to be happy. There may be more emphasis in our society right now than ever before on finding happiness. There’s a lot of focus on having a job you can be happy with. Some people move to different locations in the pursuit of happiness. Wives leave husbands and husbands leave wives because they’re just not happy. Teenagers are committing suicide at a staggering rate because they’re unhappy. Happiness seems to be elusive to many people. But a profound question should be, “Where do you look for happiness?"
By: Gary L. Hutchens To all fathers out there, Happy Father’s Day! Fatherhood is pivotal in rearing and equipping our children to be able to effectively take their places in the adult population. It is even more pivotal in their spiritual development, resulting in whether or not they will spend eternity in Heaven. Sadly, a huge segment of our nation’s children are handicapped toward these ends because of Vanishing Fatherhood!
By: Gary L. Hutchens The prophet wrote, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter” (Isa. 5:20). God is speaking specifically about the nation of Israel in this text. Earlier in the chapter He refers to them as a vineyard that He planted and cultivated, only to have it produce “wild grapes” instead of “good grapes” (vs. 1-7). The allusion is clear.
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September 2021
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