The Book of Psalms is the hymnal of ancient Israel. Psalms are ancient lyrics preserved with occasional musical notations. Most of these musical notations are found in the superscriptions or titles. For instance, many are directed “To the Chief Musician” (Ps.31). Others call for musical accompaniment. For example, Ps. 4 calls for stringed instruments, Ps. 5 for flutes, Ps. 6 for the eight-stringed harp, and Ps. 8 for the instrument of Gath. The titles sometimes specify the tune to be used, such as “Death of the Son” in Ps. 9 and “The Lilies” in Ps. 45. In this way the superscriptions contain hints of the musical nature of the psalms.

The Psalms present a balanced picture of the use of music in worship. In particular, the first three verses of Ps. 33 are instructive. As v. 1 suggests, the purpose of godly music is to rejoice in the God who has given us new life. As the psalmist notes with his directive to the “righteous,” this type of praise can come only from those who have been cleansed by God’s grace and renewed by His Spirit. Indeed the psalmist describes this praise from the righteous as “beautiful,” for God enjoys receiving praise from His people. For this reason, worshipful music is always directed “to Him” (vv.2, 3). That is, God is always the audience for the music performed in His name.

What kind of music can we present to God? The psalmist describes a variety of instruments, such as the harp and the instrument of ten strings, that join the human voice in giving praise to the Lord. But his exhortation to sing “a new song” (v.3) is not merely a call for new music and new hymnals. The phrase new song means to sing to God with a renewed sense of wonder at all He has done for us. The worship of God should never degenerate into something that we just do; we should always approach God with rejoicing. With the phrase play skillfully (v.3), the psalmist exhorts us never to approach our worship with a casual attitude. We are to “play skillfully” because we are playing to the Lord, and we must offer Him only our best. But skill is not the only criterion of worship music, for the psalmist’s final exhortation in v.3 is to play “with a shout of joy.” Since God always considers our attitudes, genuine joy in the presence of our caring Lord is required for music to be truly worshipful.

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The Bible clearly, condemns lying. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, commands forbid it, prophets condemn it, and godly people avoid doing it. (Ex 20:16; Jer. 9:4-9; Zech. 8:16; Eph. 4:25). Behind all these is God Himself, who cannot lie (Num. 23:19). But what about Rehab? She lied to protect the spies of Israel who had come to scout out the city of Jericho. The story of her heroics paint her in a very positive light; Joshua praised her efforts, and both Testaments of the Bible praise and honor Rahab for doing this (Josh. 6:22-25; Heb. 11:31; James 2:25). Her action made her part of God’s people, ultimately placing her in the line of ancestry to David and Jesus. Her lie was also part of the conquest of Canaan, a task that God commissioned and blessed. Does her example mean that lying can sometimes be an acceptable course of action?

In Rahab’s case, there are three possibilities. Either her lie was not a sin, or it was a sin but excusable, or it was a sin and inexcusable. Those who say her lie was not a sin will sometimes say they believe that “the loving thing” is all that matters; a “little lie” told in the name of love is not sin. In fact, it is the right thing to do.

Others have said that Rahab’s sin was excusable because of a greater value –the lives of the spies. Those who hold this view believe that some sins are worse than others, and sometimes a person has to choose among them. In Rahab’s case, the necessity of preserving the lives of the spies had a higher value than the truth. She did the right thing in misdirecting the king’s men because it was more important to save their lives than to tell the king’s men where they were.

The third possibility is that a lie is a lie, and that even Rahab’s action was wrong. In this view, Rahab sinned no matter how noble her intentions. Of course, in her case, her sin is understandable because she lacked a complete knowledge of the living God. That is, what she did was wrong, but she did not know any better.

We must be careful to make a distinction between Rahab’s faith and the way Rahab expressed it. The Bible praises Rahab because of her faith in God, not because of her lying. That is, her actions would have been more noble had she protected the spies in some other fashion; as it is, she did the best she could. The Bible calls Rahab a prostitute, but we are not meant to take that as an endorsement for immorality. Rahab, like the rest of us, had a mixed character, but she believed in God and strove to honor Him and His people. That is what draws her praise.

We should honor Rahab the way the Bible does. She was a great heroine of the faith, who came from the most surprising place. In time, her name would be honored not only for what she did for Israel, but for what she became- a mother in the line of Jesus (Ruth 4:18-22; Matt. 1:5).

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1. Give God what's right- not what's left.

2. Man's way leads to a hopeless end-God's way leads to an endless hope.

3. A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.

4. He who kneels before God can stand before anyone.

5. In the sentence of life, the devil may be a comma- but never let him be the period.

6. Don't put a question mark where God puts a period.

7. Are you wrinkled with burden? Come to the church for a facelift.

8. When praying, don't give God instructions-just report for duty.

9. Don't wait for six strong men to take you to church.

10. We don't change God's message- His message changes us.

11. The church is prayer-conditioned.

12. When God ordains, He sustains.

13. WARNING: Exposure to the Son may prevent burning.

14. Plan ahead- it wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.

15. Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory position.

16. Suffering from truth decay? Brush up on your Bible.

17. Exercise daily-walk with the Lord.

18. Never give the devil a ride-he will always want to drive.

19. Nothing else ruins the truth like stretching it.

20. Compassion is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back.

21. He who angers you controls you.

22. Worry is the darkroom in which negatives can develop.

23. Give Satan an inch & he'll be a ruler.

24. Be ye fishers of men- you catch them & He'll clean them.

25. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

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Writing to believers in Christ who were experiencing extreme persecution at the hands of pagan culture, Peter advocated holy living. Seven times in Peter's first letter, we find the word holy (hagios in Greek) used in reference to conduct or behavior. And even when the word is not explicitly used, pure conduct is called for again and gain.

     Holy implies sacredness, being consecrated to God, or being worthy of God. In order to qualify for this label, a person or thing has to be free from impurity. There can be no hint of moral pollution or spiritual defilement. To be holy is to be free from anything that would offend a perfect God.

     This state may seem impossible to achieve. After all, how can imperfect, fallen creatures like ourselves live up to the command to "be holy in all (our) conduct" (1 Peter 1:15)? The answer is found in the opening sentence of Peter's letter. Sanctification, the process by which we are made holy, is "of the spirit" (1:2). The Holy Spirit of God, who indwells us at the moment of salvation, is able to transform us. By the power of the Spirit we find the ability to "abstain from fleshly lusts which was against the soul" (2:11). As we yield ourselves to God, and as we soberly and vigilantly resist the devil (5:9) and all his temptations, we will find that God is able to "perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle" us (5:10).

     Holy living should be our goal not merely because God commands it, but also because it befits our true identity. In Christ we are no longer citizens of a sinful world, but the "people of God" (2:10). We are "sojourners and pilgrims" in this world, on our way to our true home which is heaven (2:11).

     Furthermore, holiness serves an evangelistic purpose. It is a "holy nation" and "special people" who are able to "proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (2:9). It is our "honorable" conduct and "good works" that cause evildoers to glorify God (2:12).

     Finally, Peter speaks of the day when we will stand before God and give an account for the way we have lived. Those who have maintained a lifelong fear (reverence) of God resulting in holy living will be best prepared for the day of reckoning (1:17).

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     Every generation of Christians must face the dilemma of how to live in the tension between the possibility of Christ's immediate return and the impossibility of predicting the moment. Many Christians unfortunately settle the problem by living as if Christ will not return.

     The young Thessalonian church struggled with persecution from the outset. Facing such difficulties, many of them found hope in the promise of Christ's return. Others misapplied the lesson by becoming lazy. After all, they reasoned, if Christ is already on His way, why participate in the details and responsibilities of life? Why sow if we will not be here to reap?

     For those who had chosen to "coast" until Christ's return, Paul had blunt words: "If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat" (3:10). Paul understood the strong temptation to hide irresponsibility under a cover of spirituality. The integrity of the gospel was at stake.

     In his final words of encouragement in 2 Thessalonians, Paul touched on the daily challenge for every person seeking to live for Christ: "But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good" (3:13). Herein lies the secret of being ready for Christ's return. If the hope of His arrival stirs up a wholehearted commitment to do good for His sake, we will be ready for Him. We must be busy waiting.

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FAITH AND WORKS         JAMES

The great reformer Martin Luther, champion of the doctrine of salvation through faith alone, never felt good about the Epistle of James. He called it an "epistle of straw" in the preface to his 1522 edition of the New Testament, and he put the book in the appendix. He preferred Paul's wording of the faith-works equation: "A man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law" (Rom 3:28).

     In a sense, Luther had little choice. He was surrounded by men who said that good works could save you. He knew that God alone could save through faith alone, and his mission was to tell them.

     But Luther went too far when he put James in the appendix to the New Testament. Neither faith nor works can be cut off and thrown away. James was taking aim at freeloaders, those who claimed to have no need for good deeds since they had faith. The reality is that if you have faith, works will naturally be a product. You cannot get rid of works just because they do not save you. You cannot sever the effect from the cause. Just as an apple tree will bear apples, so faith will produce good works (Luke 6:43,44).

     Paul had the opposite problem in view when he wrote Romans. His letter targeted those who placed their faith in the Law of Moses. Their trust was in their own good works, and not in God. That is why Paul wrote a defense of faith, and that is why Luther preferred it to James' defense of works.

     Faith and works are not enemies. True faith and righteous works go hand in hand. They are two parts of God's work in us. Faith brings a person to salvation, and works bring that person to faithfulness. Faith is the cause; works are the effect. James believed it, and so did Paul.

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PERSONAL TRAINING

In a world where education seems to be offered everywhere, the biblical description of the church as God's training center for holy living is often overlooked (2:1-15). This error becomes obvious when a church lacks leaders. Effective leadership in a church is the result of proper training. When young believers have not been trained the church begins to flounder.

Paul was one of the most effective leaders of the early church. He preached the gospel tirelessly, founded a succession of churches throughout Asia Minor and Greece, and grounded these churches in God's Word and the essential of the Christian faith. But to be truly effective, Paul had to nurture others to follow in his footsteps and faithfully lead the church into the next century. Titus was one of the young men Paul was training for leadership. He had accompanied Paul early in his ministry (Gal. 2:1-3), had served as Paul's representative (2 Cor. 7:5-16), and was considered a "fellow worker" (2 Cor. 8:23). When Paul wrote this letter, he had begun to pass the reins of leadership to this capable young man who was overseeing the churches on the island of Crete.

In his instructions to Titus, Paul reminds him of the traits of a spiritual leader (1:5-16). Paul had chosen Titus as a helper because he had evidenced these qualities. Now he had to model such traits to others, searching for those who could become leaders in the newly planted churches.

Paul instructed Titus to place the responsibility of moral leadership on the elders. Older men and women (2:1-5) had to lead the way in personal holiness. If their lives demonstrated the transforming power of the gospel, they would leave a lasting impact on following generations. Young men who saw older men diligently maintaining their faith in Christ would do likewise (2:2). Young women who heard older women encourage them to "love their husbands, to love their children" (2:4) would be more likely to take the counsel to heart if they saw their mentors doing that themselves. Titus himself was to exhort "young men"(2:6), while making sure that he was consistently following the pattern of life he was teaching (2:7).

The degree to which sound training exists in a local church practically determines the health of that church. The pastor may be the designated teacher, but the Bible makes everyone both a trainer and a trainee. Church members should rely on each other for spiritual guidance. The older generation should pass on to the next generation their vital Christian faith by word and example. The character that results from this process of spiritual training truly is an eye-catching advertisement for the gospel.

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