Roots by the River

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:2-3). “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:17-18). “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20). You may have wondered what my eschatology is. I do not often speak about it. These few words from the text summarize my anticipation: Hope Purifies Encourage “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” This keeps me from differing with the saints on the order of events at the end time. This post coordinates with today's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading ...

Here are some suggestions for how to go about either reestablishing relationships with your parents or making them better. First, write two letters home. Do not write, “Dear Mom and Dad.” If you write that, who answers the letter? Mom. Dads are illiterate when it comes to answering letters. In many cases, the father thinks that any communication is between mom and the kids. He doesn’t think he ever gets a letter, even if it is addressed to both Mom and Dad. So, write a letter to your father and a separate one to your mother. Make them very clearly separate. Put on the outside “Dad Only,” “Mom Only.” (Yes, I am suggesting sending actual letters in the mail. It will mean more than an email.) When you write to your father, include at least five things. [1] I recommend covering one element per paragraph as follows: 1. Tell your father how much you respect him. If you do not respect him, do not write the letter until you do respect him. You must not be hypocritical. But not respect...

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. (Exod. 20:12) Our country is full of broken families. Whether you are a Christian or not, from a broken family or a whole one, God calls you to honor your parents. The apostle Paul tells us this “is the first commandment with a promise—‘so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth’” (Gal. 6:2-3). Your relationship with your parents affects your relationships with your spouse and children. If you are not yet married, a good way to prepare for those future relationships is to reestablish a good relationship with your parents. The Ten Commandments give us two statements that relate to this. The first is the Exodus quote above. Here is the second: You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God,...

Based upon the Word of God, if you are in a homosexual relationship, you are either a very disobedient Christian, or you are not a Christian. Things that would indicate that you are not a Christian are the complete absence of a sense of guilt and your current manner of life. The points for being a Christian are your conversion, if you have had one, and any previous record of Christian living. Galatians 5:19-23 gives us two lists: the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Which list de...

  by Bessie Wilson Victorious Christian living means walking in obedience to God in all areas of our life. Obedience is something not many Christians are interested in. We dismiss the commands of Scripture with spiritual words and nuanced arguments of why we don’t need to obey a command that seems difficult, instead of simply asking, “How do I do this?” If we want to live a victorious life, we must be committed to obeying God with everything we are: physically, mentally, morally, socially, and spiritually. Physically. Physical obedience means recognizing God’s ownership of your body. This relates to your marriage as well. Are you withholding physically from your husband? What if it’s hard? You don’t love him anymore, or you’re tired, or you’re just not in the mood. “I can’t; not tonight.” I come up with the same excuses, and the Lord used a verse about the man with the withered hand to show me the way. One Sabbath, Jesus went into the synagogue, and there was a man with a with...

“Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name” (Malachi 3:16). “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete” (1 John 1:3-4). God listens to us talk about Him and has a special book of remembrance for us. Our fellowship with each other is also with the Father and the Son. Much of Christian “fellowship” is fun and food, and not much with or about the Father and Son. Our fellowship is with each other and with the Father and the Son. This post coordinates with today's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge . If you are not in a daily reading plan, please join us at TotheWord.com . We would love to have you reading with us.

by Bessie Wilson If your husband is not a Christian, ask God to give you the kind of a Christian life that he won’t be able to resist. When I first met the woman in Monterey who had married the officer in India, she had just gone through a good spiritual experience with the Lord. She was a very perky English woman, and she told me in her pert way, “Bessie, I gave him tit for tat for many years! I was always after him for deceiving me that he was a Christian when he wasn’t.” She gave him an awful time. Then God spoke to her about the gentle and quiet spirit and submission to her husband. It was truly a very hard situation for her to be quiet in. “Do you know what? The Lord gave me grace to say to my husband, ‘May I go to church?’ He’d say, ‘No.’ And I could say, ‘Alright dear.’ There was no venom in what I said. Before I knew it, he was suggesting that I go.” After a while, we began to have Bible studies in her home. Her husband wouldn’t come to the study, but he’d come for refre...