They Lacked Nothing
Luke 22:35
“And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?" So they said, "Nothing." The reason was very simple. Jesus had made them promises concerning providing for them. He did not tell them just how He would do it. He just told them He would and He did. They trusted and lacked nothing.
God has always been like that. There is not any record of any time that God failed to make proper provisions for the people who obeyed Him. He has not promised to explain how He will do it, but said He would, and He always has fulfilled His promises.
The Jews Left Egypt without sufficient provisions for the journey. In fact they hurried the night they left. God knew they would take little with them. But when they came to the wilderness they lacked nothing. God did not tell them just how their provisions would come, but when they awoke in the morning it was there. In the evening the birds came in and they had meat. There was not a merchant in the entire wilderness. But after forty years of wandering, their clothing and shoes were still there. When there was no water, God brought it from a rock. When the water was bitter, God made it sweet. So when they crossed over into the land of promise, they could look back and say, “We lacked nothing.”
God is still like that. He has not changed His attitude toward His children. We are no farther from God than the Jews. We are really closer to God. We have a direct approach through His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ. Our entire system of religion is described as better than that of the Jews. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God is the same. There is no end to what may happen to the person who fails to trust God. But for those who do trust Him, Jesus asked, “Lacked ye anything?” And they can always answer, “Nothing.”
Jeremy W. Goen
More Than Burnt Offerings and Sacrifices
Mark 12:32-34
“So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. 33 "And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." 34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." But after that no one dared question Him.”
Did you notice the scribe did not say there was no value in burnt offerings and sacrifices? They were still living in the Jewish age when those things were necessary. The old law did not pass away until Christ died. The commandments that required these offerings and sacrifices were still in force. But the offerings and sacrifices without proper attitude in the heart were worthless. The chief mistake made by the Jews was in placing the acts above the condition of the heart that should cause the act. Because of this their sacrifices became worthless to God.
The importance of being right in heart cannot be stressed enough. Many have gone to the extreme concerning the heart and have said that if the heart is right it does not matter about the action. There is nothing wrong with that statement if we understand that the heart cannot be right without the right acts. In any service to God we are required not only to do what is demanded of us but also to have the proper attitude while doing what is demanded. Perhaps the reason so many of God’s people get little pleasure from their service to him is because they have thought only of what He said do while refusing to get the heart right. May God help us to remember that we should be right both in attitude and in action in 2019.
Jeremy W. Goen
Use Your Bible!
Using your Bible answer the questions below
Theme: The Scriptures
By what name are the sacred writings of the Bible commonly known? (Matt. 21:42)
What other title is given this revelation of God to man? (Luke 8:21)
How were the Scriptures given? (2 Tim. 3:16)
By whom were the men directed who thus spoke for God? (2 Pet. 1:21)
What specific instance is mentioned by Peter? (Acts 1:16)
How does David express this same truth? (2 Sam. 23:2)
Who, therefore, did the speaking through these men? (Heb. 1:1)
For what purpose were the Scriptures written? (Rom. 15:4)
For what is all Scripture profitable? (2 Tim. 3:16)
What was God’s design in thus giving the Scriptures? (2 Tim. 3:17)
What estimate did Job place upon the words of God? (Job 23:12)
Upon what evidence did Jesus base His Messiahship? (Luke 24:27)
What three general divisions did Jesus refer to in the writings of the Old Testament? (Luke 24:44)
What does God’s character preclude Him from doing? (Titus 1:2)
What is God called in the Scriptures? (Deut. 32:4)
What, therefore, must be the character of His word? (John 17:17)
What test should therefore be applied to every professed teacher of truth? (Isa. 8:20)
What does God design that His word shall be to us in this world of darkness, sin, and death? (Psalm 119:105)
To what extent has God magnified His word? (Psalm 138:2)
How long will the Word of God endure? (Matt. 24:35)
“A Walk With God”
We will “search the scriptures daily” (Acts 17:11) by reading through the entire Bible in a year for 2019. In this section of the Pekin Bulletin you will find the reading schedule to help you take “A Walk With God” so that you may grow closer to Him. This reading will be done in a somewhat “chronological order.” Enjoy!
January 2019
01 – Gen. 1-4 11 – Job 23-31 21 – Ex. 1-4
02 – Gen. 5-8 12 – Job 32-37 22 – Ex. 5-11
03 – Gen. 9-11 13 – Job 38-42 23 – Ex. 12-15
04 – Gen. 12-14 14 – Gen. 23-25 24 – Ex. 16-18
05 – Gen. 15-17 15 – Gen. 26-28 25 – Ex. 19-24
06 – Gen. 18-20 16 – Gen. 29-33 26 – Ex. 25-28
07 – Gen. 21, 22 17 – Gen. 34-36 27 – Ex. 29-31
08 – Job 1-7 18 – Gen. 37-41 28 – Ex. 32-34
09 – Job 8-14 19 – Gen. 42-45 29 – Ex. 35-40
10 – Job 15-22 20 – Gen. 46-50 30 – Psalm 90
31 – Lev. 1-7