LAST LESSONS #169 — LAST LESSONS — EVIL

“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” (Psalm 34:13-14)

In our world today we hear of the evil done by terrorists, but we would not even know what evil is if Adam and Eve had not eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gensis 3:5). Now we know plenty about evil. We read about it, we hear about it, and we see it on our TV screens.

Jesus had much to say about evil. He made a distinction between good people and evil people (Luke 6:45), he made a distinction between good words and actions and evil words and actions (Matthew 15:19). He also made a distinction between good hearts and evil hearts (Matthew 12:34-35).

We are to remember that “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)

I don’t know about you, but I grew up being taught never to call a person “evil”. I could call them “mean” or “bad” but not “evil” because I do not know what is in the heart of another person. Jesus could say that a person is controlled by the devil, but I could not. However, I could say that someone’s acts are evil. We can certainly say that the acts of the terrorists in Israel were evil. We cannot even imagine that human beings can do such horrific acts.

So how are we to respond to the terrorist attacks on Israel? I know I am to hate evil, but I do not know how I am to express that hatred. All I can do is to take the two verses from Psalms and ask God to enable me to keep them:

“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” (Psalm 34:13-14)

LAST LESSONS #168 — LAST LESSONS — THANKSGIVING

“Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of men!  For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.”  Psalm 107:8-9

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY! 

Love,

Rosemary

LAST LESSONS #167 — BOOK SUGGESTIONS — 3

“Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.” Proverbs 19:2

Are you interested in a good Bible study? One that you can do by yourself because you don’t have time to go to a group study or you just like to study on your own?

A close friend of mine has written two very good Bible studies that can be purchased from P&R Publishing or Amazon. They are:

• Joy Beyond Agony: Embracing the Cross of Christ, a Twelve-Lesson Bible Study
• God's Mysterious Ways: Embracing God's Providence in Esther, A Ten-Lesson Bible Study

My friend is Jane Roach. Many of you will know her because she worked with me in Bible Study Fellowship for many years.

I have several reasons for recommending these studies. The first is that the studies are published by P&R Publishing. That means they are worthy to be published. The second reason is that Jane lives in the same senior living complex that I do. We have been taking our meals together for almost a year and enjoying our long-time friendship.

However, Jane recently fell and broke her hip and lower spine and is now in rehab. My thought is that if you use one of her studies, you might want to write her a letter of encouragement at this time when she needs it. Any letters should be mailed to Jane’s son James Roach, 19233 County Road 450A, Umatilla FL 32784. Jane does not have a computer for email.

Even if you do not use one of Jane’s Bible studies, but know her, you might want to write her a little note. It would mean a great deal to her.

P.S. from Rosemary: Friends are important when we have difficult times. I know that and I am sure you do too. 

LAST LESSONS #166 — BOOK SUGGESTIONS — 2

“Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.” Proverbs 19:2

With wars and rumors of wars, the increase of evil, and the persecution of Christians, we might think that the Lord must be returning soon. For sure, I am praying that he comes quickly! But, of course, I don’t know when the Lord will return. No one does. However, we should be ready, as the little book I am suggesting you read this week says.

The book is Last Things: Preparing for the Future in the Present by David McKay. McKay has helped me put last things together in an organized way. The book is short and sweet and easy to understand. There are 13 chapters in all, and some cover such things as Facing Death, The Signs of the Times, The Future of the Jewish People, The Final Judgment, and the New Creation.

The book is published by Banner of Truth and you can get it from them or Amazon.

I hope you will take time to read this book because it will spur you on to present the gospel to as many people as possible in the time the Lord has given you on earth.

P.S. from Rosemary: I am so happy for this little book. It has helped me and I can give it to others (maybe for Christmas!).

LAST LESSONS #165 — BOOK SUGGESTIONS — 1

“Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.” Proverbs 19:2

Watching the news these days about the war going on in Israel, I can’t help but write you about a book I read fairly recently called BIBI: My Story. It’s the autobiography of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel.

One of the reasons I read the book was because when I visited Uganda on trips to Rafiki’s Village I had seen the actual plane that was hijacked by terrorists in 1976 and taken to Uganda at the invitation of Idi Amin. The old plane is left in an open field close to the Entebbe airport as a memorial to the rescue of the passenger hostages by Israeli soldiers. This bit of history is fascinating as told in detail by Benjamin Netanyahu especially because his brother Yoni was killed as he successfully led the rescue team.

Now over forty years later we see hostages taken by terrorists again and Israelis attempting to rescue them. But the reasons to read this book today are to understand more fully Israel’s history, Israel’s politics, and the heart of Benjamin Netanyahu.

The book is long, but definitely worth reading. You can get it at your local library, bookstore, or Amazon.

The last thing I am asking you to do is to pray for Israel. We are told to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). I am watching the news and praying for Bibi Netanyahu and his country.