THE INFLUENCES AROUND US

THE INFLUENCES AROUND US All your garments are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces of ivory the harps make you glad. Psalm 45:8 We cannot be too careful about the influences we allow into our lives because each one leaves its mark on us, either for beauty or for harm. When my brothers and I were teenagers, the violent shooting games were a new thing and Mom refused to have them in the house. She thought that shooting people, even in "fantasy" or make-believe war was very wrong. And time has certainly shown the wisdom of her conviction, as we see that society is now addicted to violence in all our entertainment media. We are paying the price for it, too.  Instead of worldly attractions, we should seek constant fellowship with those who are good, pure, and holy. When we spend time with people like this, we unconsciously absorb something of their sweetness, beauty, and the aroma of heavenliness that surrounds them. We take on the qualities of whatever we see, touch, or spend time with. So choose your associations, and your entertainments, carefully. What would Jesus do?

THE MAN WHO REWROTE TIME

 

CHARLES LYELL: THE MAN WHO REWROTE TIME TO RUN FROM TRUTH Charles Lyell was a lawyer turned geologist who stepped into the 1800s with a very clear objective. He was not a neutral observer. He was a man driven by an agenda. Lyell openly declared that his mission was to "free science from Moses". He wanted to detach geology from the authority of Scripture. He approached the earth with his worldview already in place; rejecting the Bible first and then creating a narrative to support that rejection. His influence reshaped the Western world because he did not simply study the rocks. He reinterpreted them through a lens of unbelief and convinced others to do the same. Yet before Lyell appeared, science and Scripture were not divided. They were allies. Ministers studied geology as confirmation of the Flood. They examined astronomy to marvel at the heavens that declare the glory of God. Biology was taught as a testimony of complex design. Scientific discovery was used in sermons to strengthen faith and defend the accuracy of the biblical record. Science equipped pastors. It fortified believers. It magnified the power, beauty, and intelligence of the Creator. For centuries, science served as a faithful witness to God’s handiwork. But Lyell broke that partnership. He pushed aside the Bible and claimed the rocks “looked old,” not because the evidence demanded it, but because his worldview required it. He ignored rapid burial (from Noah’s flood.) He dismissed marine fossils on mountains. He glossed over continent wide layers that scream catastrophe. Then he dragged countless others into the same error, influencing Darwin, reshaping education, and pushing entire nations to interpret the world through unbelief rather than through Scripture. And that is where the danger lies. When one man follows his own thoughts instead of the Word of God, he leads multitudes astray. Lyell replaced truth with assumptions; and multitudes followed his lead. But as believers today, we must not repeat that mistake. We should be turning to God’s Word for truth and returning to the original purpose of science. Science exists to glorify God, not to push Him away. Not to make excuses. Not to invent timelines to avoid accountability. We must reclaim the narrative. The Creator is the rightful Author of science. Not millions of years. Not deep time. Not evolution. Truth belongs to God: and His Word stands above every idea that tries to erase Him.  By Biblical Creation on Facebook Used with permission

QUOTES FROM J.C. RYLE

 

QUOTES FROM J.C. RYLE We must give up the vain idea of trying to please everybody. That is impossible, and the attempt is a mere waste of time. We must be content to walk in Christ’s steps, and let the world say what it likes. The highest form of selfishness is that of the man who is content to go to heaven alone. Except a man be born again, he will wish one day he had never been born at all. Our Lord has many weak children in his family, many dull pupils in his school, many raw soldiers in his army, many lame sheep in his flock. Yet he bears with them all, and casts none away. Happy is that Christian who has learned to do likewise with his brethren. The world’s idea of greatness is to rule, but Christian greatness consists in serving. To be born again is, as it were, to enter upon a new existence, to have a new mind, a new heart, new views, new principles, new tastes, new affections, new likings, new dislikings, new fears, new joys, new sorrows, new love to things once hated, new hatred to things once loved, new thoughts of God, and ourselves, and the world, and the life to come, and salvation. True Christianity is not merely believing a certain set of dry abstract propositions: it is to live in daily personal communication with an actual living person – Jesus Christ. Wealth is no mark of God’s favor. Poverty is no mark of God’s displeasure. Let us cleave to Christ more closely, love Him more heartily, live for Him more thoroughly, copy Him more exactly, confess Him more boldly, and follow Him more fully. John Charles Ryle (1816-1900) was an English Anglican bishop, preacher, and writer.

LET IT BE AN ADVENTURE

 

LET IT BE AN ADVENTURE By Joni Eareckson Tada It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep. Proverbs 25:27 Today’s generation won’t remember this, but people used to listen to the radio all day, hoping to hear a disk jockey play their favorite new song. When the familiar melody began… what joy! People would immediately sing along and begin waiting for the next time it came over the airwaves. Now people listen to favorite songs whenever they want to on their iPhone’s “favorites” playlists. But isn’t it a little boring to get what you want, anytime you want it? It was better when the song was a surprise and the joy was spontaneous. Today’s Scripture reads, “It is not good to eat too much honey.” But in today’s we-can-have-it-now culture, that’s just what we do. No wonder so many people find life boring. Even Christians! It’s why the Bible repeats over and over, “Wait on the Lord.” Let good things come in His timing. Withhold a little self-gratification; trust in His goodness and provision…and life will always be an adventure. Father, what sweet gifts You deliver, often totally unexpected. Like the days when I suddenly feel Your smile, on no special occasion and for no particular reason, shining down on me out of a gray sky. The good I hoped for may be delayed or withheld, but the good You give me in Your timing and wisdom is even better still. Copyright © 2026 Joni and Friends Used with Permission You can sign up for Joni's Daily Devotional CLICK HERE

RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD

RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD Study of Revelation Continued   REVELATION 20.4 I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such as didn’t worship the beast nor his image, and didn’t receive the mark on their forehead and on their hand. They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 20.5 The rest of the dead didn’t live until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 20.6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over these, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him one thousand years. -WEB Bible   Revelation describes the resurrection of the dead as two events:   There will be a resurrection of the dead at the beginning of the Millennium for those who were martyred for Christ. Revelation states that this is the “First Resurrection.” There will be a second resurrection at the end of the Millennium for everyone else, at which time the Day of Judgment will take place. The book of Revelation doesn’t mention a Rapture event at all. The only clue we are given is the timing of the resurrection of the dead.   I THESSALONIANS 4:16-17 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with God's trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever. -WEB Bible   Since the “first resurrection” happens at the beginning of the Millennium and the other resurrection happens at the end of the Millennium, I don’t know what to say about the Rapture. The Bible doesn’t tell us enough to make solid conclusions. It’s probably best to leave that in God’s hands and trust his timing.   The main thing to remember about the Rapture and the End Times is that God has a wonderful plan for his people, and everything is going to work out for our good.     IMAGE CREDIT: Image of sunrise over the mountains, generated by SeaArt.ai and edited by C.A. Stevens.   This study of Revelation will continue on Thursdays!                           You can also read the Word for the Day at our Blogspot: CLICK HERE