Eric Rank’s Sermonette a few weeks ago on the challenge of a prideful spirit stimulated many thoughts for me. As Mr. Rank shared his impressions, I too have allowed myself to bask in the glow of my own prideful humanity. I’ve learned that the things that I have succeeded at have been the result of God’s hand, and the moments that have not gone well were either lessons or challenges that I must learn or overcome. Still, this world celebrates success, and the pride that can accompany achievement can cause people to believe in the power of their inflated wisdom.

This is not to say that we cannot be pleased when we achieve something we’ve worked hard for. However, when being pleased becomes boastful, even with oneself, then we have indeed crossed the line in God’s eyes. We must acknowledge God’s supremacy in our lives.

I too have spoken about pride and on leadership, and the tendency for people to respond to a diligent and sincere leader, and not as much to a person who is in your face about his or her skills and victories. So, what is this factor that triggers the movement from sincerity to boastfulness? In a word: arrogance!

This editorial is not intended to be a commentary on specific leaders—but on the attitude that is so prevalent in the world, among the world’s leaders, and frankly—so many people. This is not a trait that is limited to one political party or movement. It is also an attitude that we’ve come to expect with popular sports and entertainment stars. But this character trait is not limited to the rich and famous, and to be fair, there may be humble people among them.

However, humility is not a virtue that this world generally appreciates. Society tends to consider humble people to be push-overs or worse. Yet even the Harvard Business School offers a course on the value of quiet power as a leadership skill. Now, a quiet person can still be an arrogant person, but humility and arrogance are typically opposite ends of the spectrum.

In the Book of Micah, we see the two types juxtaposed—on the one hand a boastful person suggesting that sacrifices and riches would impress God, and on the other hand a merciful, kind and just person who humbles himself before God.

We read in Micah 6, 6-8: “With what shall I come before the Lord, And bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams Or ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?”

Edgar Schein, professor emeritus at MIT Sloan School of Management and an expert on leadership and culture, once asked a group of his students what it meant to be promoted to the rank of manager. They said without hesitation, “It means I can now tell others what to do.” And yet, a management column in the Wall Street Journal offered a different headline: “The Best Bosses Are Humble Bosses.” The article referred to a study at Arizona State University in 2014 that reported that humble leaders “inspire close teamwork, rapid learning and high performance in their teams.” It even reported that one HR consulting firm was planning to introduce an assessment to identify personality traits that include “sincerity, modesty, fairness, truthfulness, and unpretentiousness.”

These are traits that would be unheard of in a political campaign. Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Vladimir Putin, Darth Vader and so many others are not characters that we describe as humble and forthright, but it is easy to build a movie plot around them. For some reason, this personality type is still integral in the eyes of many to the likelihood of success—whether the aim is good or evil.

In 1 Peter 5:5, we are told:”Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’”

It is troubling to witness politicians invoking God at will as a bludgeon against their rivals. Sadly, this is increasingly used as a method to illustrate superiority over the opposition. At the conclusion of the State of the Union address, the President asks that “God bless the United States of America”—but few understand that there is a contract that comes along with following God. Our part of the contract is straightforward: obeying Him and following His commandments. Can we obey God and be an arrogant person, out for him- or herself? We have our guidance in Mark 10:43-45:

“Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

God requires an attitude of service in His people—not arrogance. When we think of other faiths we may think of gold, and the finest fabrics, and some of the most exclusive real estate in the world. Leaders of these organizations live as monarchs and not as humble servants of God. John 13:14 illustrates what is expected of us: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”

God sent His Son to save us as the ultimate sign of His love for us. This should humble us and cause us to evaluate our arrogance and self-righteous behavior. We must recognize that we are to be humble and caring towards one another and most certainly in our relationship with God the Father and His Son. We cannot impress God with material success, anything we do to achieve fame and notoriety, or anything we possess. What God demands of us is simple: obey Him and live as He commands.

A while ago, someone rang and spoke to my wife as I was not available at the time.   The person said he would ring again later in the day.   The call did not happen.   I was musing on this matter as this was not the first time (nor the second, third, fourth, fifth or sixth time…) I had been let down by this person.

Actually, the lack of this phone call did not present a problem, but it could have done.   How many times have we stayed at home waiting all day for the workman to arrive, as agreed, for him not to turn up?   What about the time we took off work to make sure that someone turned up to do an urgent job and never arrived?

I remember the old joke about two promises we should never rely on – the cheques in the post and I’ll ring you back.   Funny, but not so funny when it actually happens to us when we are relying on someone else doing what they said they would do.

I recall a boss from many years ago who said he would do certain things and he had to be chased, reminded and nudged gently to do what he had said he would do.   I had over six years of being subjected to this approach, and it wore very thin over that period of time.

In “Tired Of Being Let Down? How To Hold People Accountable”, Margie Warrell states the following:

“When you decide not to call someone on their broken promise and ill-managed commitment, you’re, albeit inadvertently, being part of the problem. The one thing you can count on is to expect more of it. More broken promises. More turning up late. More cut corners. More well-worn excuses. More missed deadlines. And more of the stress, frustration and resentment you’d much rather avoid.

“If you’ve ever found yourself frustrated at someone who’s perpetually slack, or late, or unreliable then you’ll relate to some of the comments above. Many people value their promises cheaply or simply manage their commitments poorly. Others have a hard time holding people to account. It’s easier to just let it go and hope they’ll be more reliable next time.

“The problem is, they rarely are.”

When we’re let down by someone and the promise to follow through is not achieved, it might be a good idea to review whether we are guilty of doing this to others.   Do we say that we will get back to someone with an answer by a certain time and not achieve this?   Do we assure someone that we will answer their query within a certain time period?   Do we do anything at all where we let others down by not being true to our word or timescale?  If so, we need to change because this is a case of breaking our word and can be considered as lying.   Our intentions may be honourable, but the end product is unreliability.

It is not good, or godly, to be known as someone who cannot be relied upon to do as they say.

Wikipedia states that the saying “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” is attributed to “Saint Bernard of Clairvaux” who wrote this around 1150 and so the problem has been around a long time!   They further state: “One meaning of the phrase is that individuals may have the intention to undertake good actions but nevertheless fail to take action.  This inaction may be due to procrastination, laziness or other subversive vice.  As such, the saying is an admonishment that a good intention is meaningless unless followed through.”

In a study published in 2017 (“Citizens’ Beliefs about Pledge Fulfilment” by Fraser McMillan/John Smith Centre), 20,000 specific campaign promises from 57 elections in 12 countries were reviewed, showing that over 85% of promises by governing parties at least were partly enacted in the years studied with the strongest “programme-to-policy linkage” found in the United Kingdom.   The observations seemed to be that that was pretty good but we must note that this percentage was “partly enacted” and the result was still only 85%, well short of what it should be.   There were lots of promises not kept or only partly kept.   For a man or woman of honour, that simply isn’t good enough and yet another reason why a true Christian must not be involved in the politics of this world!

It is inevitable in society today, which is very heavily influenced by Satan, “the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2) and the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), that humanity, in general, follows the wrong way of Satan who is “a liar and the father of it” (compare John 8:44).   Bearing false witness which is lying breaks the ninth Commandment (Exodus 20:16), and, as the people of God, our word must be reliable and be our bond (For further information, please read our free 180 pages-long booklet, “The Ten Commandments”).

Let us make sure that we are as good as our word and always follow through, doing exactly what we say we will do.   Then and only then will others be able to totally trust what we say knowing that our word is reliable!

In a talk with my son recently, I was mentioning to him how blessed we are. He wanted to get something, and I said no, and he wasn’t pleased about it. We talked about how continually wanting things leads to feelings of frustration, greed and maybe jealousy. As he walked away, I could tell he wasn’t exactly agreeing.

As I continued to think about this after our conversation, I realized that there are areas in my life where I act like this at times with God when I am asking Him for things and then getting frustrated when things don’t pan out like I think they should.

There is no point in living life like this!

A much better way is to remain in a continual state of thankfulness and mindfulness of what God does for us. How He blesses us and what He does to make this happen.

It is so easy to complain about what we don’t have, in what situations we are, and how they could be different. I have found though that complaining doesn’t change a situation nor does it make one feel any more willing to try harder or try to do something differently.

Why does God consider our complaining as something that should not be done?

Philippians 2:12-16 tells us: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”

Complaining leads to us not being able to be used by God! When we complain, we take away the opportunity God has to use us or the chance to help us to grow. When we complain, we take matters into our own hands and leave no room for Him.

It is very easy to complain in this day and age when there is a lack of justice in our lands while immorality reigns. When nothing seems to be fair, it is easy to become dissuaded and discouraged. Even though we are told to sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done (Ezekiel 9:4), we need to realize that God is always there for us at all times. Lamentations 3 does a wonderful job in showing just how this is true, and it would be helpful at this time to read it thoroughly.

The reality is that there will always be opportunities to complain if we allow them to exist in our minds! How we choose to go about this is completely up to us.  We will be judged on this though, and we will have to give an account. Even though it is hard, we should stop and think often about how God has blessed us and strive to let Him be glorified through how we live.

The calculation of profit is an easy one. Simply subtract costs from total revenue to tabulate the margin of profit. When considering any kind of endeavor, counting the costs to evaluate whether it is worth the investment is essential. We don’t want to waste our resources on pursuits that will not bring us the kind of return that we seek. But the question is, what is the unit of measure that we use to calculate our profit?

Pharmaceutical companies are raking in record profits for the year — calculated in units of money. For example, prior to the Covid 19 pandemic, Moderna was a relatively small pharmaceutical company, typically making about $100 million in annual revenue. By way of contrast, their 2021 profits are projected to be $10 billion. This makes their profits one hundred times larger than their average revenue before the pandemic. Undoubtedly a financial success story, at least on the face of it. But this is only true if we consider the financial costs. When considering the collateral damage done to the percentage of people who have physically suffered or even died as a result of taking their vaccine, the costs are much more material. One wonders how God calculates the profits of pharmaceutical companies when considering the cost of unnecessary harm done to people desperately seeking safety. I doubt the numbers would be very impressive.

To some, an endeavor that appears to waste money or time might in fact produce value that is meaningful to us individually. Volunteering time or donating money are examples of giving away valuable resources that may not appear at first to bring in a profit by the same measure. The profit of those activities may be inherent in the joy of helping others. What appears to be a fruitless dedication of time and money can yield great returns when the unit of measure is not so material. As Christians, we ought to understand this clearly, as we are admonished to seek our treasure in heaven (compare Matthew 6:20). We also understand, of course, that giving to others with the right motivation will result in physical as well as spiritual blessings (Luke 6:38; Malachi 3:10; compare also Mark 10:29-30)

God wants us to profit, but only in the right way. “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea’” (Isaiah 48:17-18). Our methods and measures for achieving a profit must be guided by God. We are to make our investment with a spiritual return as our motivation, knowing that He will hold us accountable in our time of judgment. In whatever way we choose to invest the resources that God bestows upon us, the targeted product must not compromise with His commandments. He is the one who teaches us to profit through obedience, measured by the fruit of the Spirit that we are able to produce (compare the above with Galatians 5:22-25).

When we become baptized into the Family of God, we are given a measure of the Holy Spirit. It is not something that we can feel in any physical way, but it has the power to produce immense positive change in our lives. However, the power of God the Father and Jesus Christ will only work within us when we put it to use. If we choose to continue in our worldly ways, seeking a material profit by worldly measures, we will quite ironically become unprofitable (compare Matthew 25:30, Luke 17:10). Not only does God want us to be profitable with our lives, we have a responsibility and duty that we MUST be profitable. This, of course, according to our spiritual growth.

The measure of our profitability lies in the way that invests our resources spiritually. The proverbial “good life” is not identified by luxury. Rather, if we want to live the good life, we dedicate our resources to obedience, loving the way of life that God commands, with joy. Love for Him and our fellow man lead us into the kind of profits that are most valuable in the long run. If our costs are the sacrifices that we make to leave the desires of this world behind, and our revenue is spiritual fruit, then our profit is the reward promised by God to those who remain diligent in their commitment to the Work (compare Matthew 16:27).

Over the past year, powerful images of social bedlam and mayhem have often dominated the news. What is now being called an “insurrection” is the description of what took place in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, as crowds of people turned into a mob of anarchists.

People were injured and people died!

That sad episode hardly begins to represent the breakdown of civil order that is occurring all around us and all over the world. People are now being randomly assaulted, stabbed or even shot in circumstances where safety was taken for granted. Here is how God prophetically describes our time:

“‘By swearing and lying, Killing and stealing and committing adultery, They break all restraint, With bloodshed upon bloodshed’” (Hosea 4:2).

Jesus Christ never allowed Himself to become entangled in the chaos of this world, although He was constantly surrounded by it and even eventually became its victim. His overpowering self-restraint in all that He faced serves as our example—especially, as times grow even more dire.

Our challenge to practice self-restraint in all that we think, say or do, will not be easy. To live as Christians, we need help:

“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Our “help” is found in following the lead of Jesus, and it involves thinking as He thinks. The Apostle Paul puts it this way:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

Paul adds:

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Regarding what we should say:

“‘“These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace; Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; And do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate,” Says the LORD’” (Zechariah 8:16-17).

Jesus taught the kind of self-restraint we should practice regarding what we do:

“‘Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves’” (Matthew 10:16).

Indeed, we do live, as Paul writes, “…in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom [we] shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15).

As mentioned, the past year has been a time of unrestrained violence, and it will, as we have been warned by God, grow to become the very worst trouble ever experienced or that ever will be again. Against this backdrop, God’s Church will continue to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God—even as we remain separate from the destructive path of those who continue to choose violence and who continue to break all restraint.

I think we all have at one time or another sat down and pondered some of the choices we have made. Some were good and turned out well; others were not so good and brought us close to a disaster.

When opportunities arise, we have to use wisdom in our decision-making process; especially in regard to those opportunities where we can supposedly make a lot of money quickly. If something is too good to be true, it usually is. If we are being pressured to purchase something—for instance a vehicle which has been only driven allegedly by a little old lady from Pasadena— then we ought to be on guard. This is also true when buying shares in a company when we are told that it is guaranteed that we will double our investment in a short period of time. The higher the financial commitment, the more we should take time to decide on what to do, including perhaps walking away from a supposed deal. We would not buy a house, no matter how good the deal sounds, without seeing it, having it checked out by a professional inspector and ascertaining whether there were any liens against the title. God assures us that there is wisdom in seeking proper counsel.

God gave the nation of Israel a choice—receiving blessings through obedience or curses from not obeying. His laws were given to express their love for God, as summarized in the first four of the Ten Commandments, and their love for man, as explained in the last six commandments. They had to follow these rules, which are further expounded in many statutes and judgments, in order to obtain physical blessings and protection from God.

The motivation for keeping the commandments should be the demonstration of our love for God and man; knowing of course that our disobedience would bring about punishment and retribution for sinning. But fear of punishment should not be our primary motivation for obeying God; rather, it should be our love for God and man and for the Truth that convicts us to obey.The nation of Israel frustrated God by their disobedience, and how quickly they turned away from God! One of their problems was that they did not totally cleanse the territory they occupied of the existing inhabitants who in time corrupted their worship of God, and they turned to Baal worship and even went as far as sacrificing their children on the altar of pagan gods which surprised God who stated that such evil conduct had not even entered His mind.

In Jeremiah 32:35, He says: “And they built the high places of Baal which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.”

That’s a pretty astonishing statement that it did not even enter God’s mind that His people would engage in such abominable and detestable conduct.

God’s relationship with the nation of Israel was, figuratively speaking, one of husband and wife, but they broke their “marriage” covenant on a continual basis, and thus, God had to divorce them.

Jeremiah 31:32 explains that God made a covenant “‘with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them,’ says the LORD.”

Consequently, we read in Jeremiah 3:8: “Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also.”

Jesus Christ, the God of the Old Testament, will marry converted Israelites at the time of His return. He betrothed the New Testament church to Him which was established in 31 AD. It is described as the bride of Christ, consisting of all converted Church members who are obligated to follow the same rules of obedience, but they have been promised a much greater reward than physical Israel and Judah in Old Testament times had been offered.

Revelation 21:9 says: “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’”

Ephesians 5:24-27, 32 adds: “Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish… This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

The great mystery is that Christ is betrothed to His Church, figuratively speaking, whom He will marry as His bride at His return.

So, we are faced with a choice. Will we be obedient to God by keeping His laws and statutes, which are still in force today, and receive a much greater reward than what the nation of Israel was offered? Theirs was a physical reward while ours is eternal rulership in the Kingdom of God. While eternal life as God beings is a gift, our reward is based on our works and includes ruling with and under Christ in the Millennium and down through eternity. Or, will we fall short by rebelling and refusing to repent of our sins and thus disqualify ourselves from the great gift of eternal life as God beings and from the reward of eternal rulership Christ is anxious to give us?

Life is full of choices, but the most important one we face is either one of glory or one of shame.

Let’s bring joy to our Husband (Jesus Christ) by making the right choice. Either way, it’s for eternity.

Many of us will remember learning the 23^rd Psalm as a child or young adult. It consists of six verses so it is quite easy to remember and many articles, or even books, have been written about it. There are even a number of hymns written using its words, some are sung in many different churches, and we even have two versions in our own Hymnal.

The theme of the Psalm is obviously about how a shepherd looks after his sheep, and from that point of view, is most inspiring and encouraging, especially as it applies to us. But it also lists many of the attributes of God in just five of its verses. All of these attributes are mentioned in other Scriptures so we can see consistency in God’s Word.

The very first thing we read in verse 1 is that “The LORD is my Shepherd.” This is not newly revealed in the Bible here but is first mentioned in Genesis 49:24. There we read, speaking of Joseph that “… the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel).” This attribute is continued through the Bible, and we read again of it in John 10:11: “I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”

Continuing on in Psalm 23:1, “I shall not want.” In other words, God will provide. This attribute is first mentioned in Genesis 22:14 after God had provided a ram as a sacrifice in place of Isaac. “And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, ‘In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.’”

Considering Psalm 23:2, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.” This is a very peaceful situation. In fact, that is another attribute of God. In Judges 6:23-24 we read, “Then the LORD said to him, ‘Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.’ So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.”

Following on in Psalm 23:3, it begins with, “He restores my soul…” This shows us that God is our healer. This is first mentioned in Exodus 15:26 where God said: “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”

The second part of Psalm 23:3 states, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” This is mentioned in Jeremiah 23:6 where we read, “In His days [the days of the Branch of righteousness] Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely. Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Going on to Psalm 23:4, we read, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” David acknowledged that the LORD was with him; that He was present. In Ezekiel 48:35, last part, we read: “…and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE.”

In Psalm 23:5, we find that, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” In Exodus 17:15, we read, “And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner.” This signifies that the LORD protects us from enemies—a banner being a symbol of authority and power, like a national flag.

In the second part of Psalm 23:5, we read: “You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.” In the last part of Exodus 31:13, we read that when you keep God’s Sabbath, “… you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” It was a practice for kings and others, e.g. Aaron or David, to be sanctified by anointing them with oil to show that they were appointed to their office.

But, of course, this is not the end of Psalm 23. It finishes up in verse 6 with, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.” The prophet Ezekiel echoes this in Ezekiel 37:25: “Then they [the children of Israel] shall dwell in the land I have given to Jacob My servant, where you fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever.”

When we read this very short Psalm, it shows us God’s loving attitude and concern, not just to David, but also toward us. It also shows us some of God’s attributes that we can rely upon. It finishes up with a promise of eternal life for David, and other Scriptures show that this promise also extends to us. So, this Psalm is very encouraging, well worth meditating on and singing praise to God.

The number of this week’s Update is 1,000, meaning that we, in the Church of the Eternal God, have published 1,000 weekly Updates since we began publication on or about August 25, 2001. These initial issues had a humble beginning with just one page or a few pages of Church announcements and of some news developments, but soon, beginning with Update #32, we added a regular Editorial and, commencing with Update #54, a regular Bible study which we named “Q&A”—with our Current Events (News) section having reached over the years a sizeable scope as well. Our weekly Updates have grown to in excess of 20 pages on average.

Is there any significance to the fact that we have now reached now the milestone of 1,000 editions of our weekly Updates? We believe there is.

In the Bible, the number 10 has great significance… even more so, of course, 10x10x10.

We explain in our free booklet, Hidden Secrets in the Bible, that the biblical number 10 stands for godly judgment. And so, God is judging us as to how well we have performed so far, realizing that there is of course always room for improvement in our search for excellence, but we believe that God is also judging those who were reached over the years with the Gospel message—and even those who could have been reached, but who refused to respond by closing their ears and shutting their eyes. Yes, God is judging and evaluating us as to how we have responded to the preaching of His Word and whether we have turned to or from God’s Way of Life.

We say in our above-mentioned booklet that God gave us the law of the Ten Commandments, which is still in force and effect today, and it is by that law that we will be and are being judged. God also asked us to pay Him His tithe—ten percent of our increase—and we will be judged as to how diligent we are in fulfilling His command.

God brought judgment upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians and their false religion (Exodus 12:12; Numbers 33:4), by striking them with ten plagues—the tenth plague being the death of every Egyptian firstborn. God told Abram that He would not destroy Sodom if ten righteous were to be found in it (Genesis 18:32), but Sodom was judged as lacking even ten righteous people. We also read that during God’s judgment, only ten out of one hundred people (that is, 10%) will be left in the cities of Israel (Amos 5:3).

There are ten generations from Adam to Noah (Genesis 5), and God judged the world at the time of Noah when He destroyed it in a Flood. At the time of Moses, the children of Israel rebelled ten times against God in the wilderness (Numbers 14:22), judging themselves as unworthy to enter the Promised Land (verse 23).

We read about ten virgins in the end time—five of them are judged as being foolish, and five as being wise. The five foolish ones are not too concerned with using the Holy Spirit that had been given to them, while the five wise virgins—even though they also fell asleep with the others—had still enough Holy Spirit within them to be able to prepare and make themselves ready for their Master’s return. The church in Smyrna was to be tested for ten days, but if they were judged to be faithful, they would inherit eternal life (Revelation 2:10).

All these examples, and there are many more, show that 10 (or a duplication of the number 10) signifies evaluation and judgment in many cases. We believe that God has given His Church the end-time responsibility of preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God to this dying world as a witness, which includes a warning message of doom and destruction, unless there is repentance, and God’s Church is also to feed the flock and to nourish them in the Word of God. Yes, God is judging all of us as to how well we are fulfilling this responsibility, collectively and individually, and He is evaluating and judging all of those who have responded to His Word and are changing their lives for the better, as well as those who returned to the world, or refused to listen even though they were given the opportunity to respond.

We do not know how much time we have left before the Great Tribulation begins, and how many more weekly Updates we can produce in combination with our other activities and services, with the hope of reaching as many people as possible, but as much as we have opportunity, we will continue to do the Work and “march onward” as “Christian soldiers,” knowing that time IS running out.

I read an excellent book some time ago entitled, “Affluenza – The All-Consuming Epidemic.”   It was an excellent presentation of the ills that beset so many today.

The book describes Affluenza as “a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.”

On page 109, with the chapter heading of “Dissatisfaction Guaranteed,” it quoted psychologist David Meyer who wrote: “More than ever, we have big houses and broken homes, high incomes and low morale, secured rights and diminished civility.   We excel at making a living but often fail at making a life.   We celebrate our prosperity but yearn for purpose.   We cherish our freedoms but long for connection.   In an age of plenty, we feel spiritual hunger.”

Psychologist Jeremy Seabrook was also quoted on the same page where he opined: “The only chance of satisfaction we can imagine is getting more of what we have now.   But what we have now makes everybody dissatisfied.   So what will more of it do – make us more satisfied, or more dissatisfied?”

Those quotes certainly apply to so many in society today, and the book gives the symptoms, the causes and the necessary treatment in its 236 pages plus chapter end notes, bibliography and sources.

It got me to thinking how much the pursuit of “stuff” and material things may have rubbed off on some church members?   Do we have to discard our laptop computer that works perfectly well in order to get the latest version which we actually do not need?   Do we have to change our car every year so that it is up-to-date with the latest add-ons and options which we likewise do not need and which will be quite expensive to acquire?   Do we constantly buy clothes and shoes when our wardrobe may already be full to overflowing?   Do we have to have the latest mobile (cell) phone which may be very little different to the phone we have had for the last six months and which works perfectly well, and do we have to have the very latest fashions, clothes and gadgetry that the marketing gurus thrust before our eyes with a compelling sales pitch that such stuff are a must have or because “you’re worth it?”

Even Church of God people are not immune to the accumulation of “stuff” as well as maxed-up credit cards and bank overdrafts to facilitate this emphasis and “necessity” to indulge as the world does.   After all, we are subject, in the main, to all of the advertising that bombards society on a daily basis, and from every quarter, but we should have much more resistance than others because of the precious knowledge that God has so marvellously revealed to us.

On page 111 of this book is a quote from Donella Meadows who wrote “Beyond the Limits,” as follows:  “People don’t need enormous cars, they need respect.   They don’t need closets full of clothes, they need to feel attractive and they need excitement and variety and beauty.   People don’t need electronic equipment; they need something worthwhile to do with their lives.   People need identity, community, challenge, acknowledgement, love and joy.   To try to fill these needs with material things is to set up an unquenchable appetite for false solutions to real and never-satisfied problems. The resulting psychological emptiness is one of the major forces behind the desire for material growth.”

I’m not talking, of course, about necessities, those things that we truly need.  We need clothes and shoes, and in this day and age, most, at least in the Western world, need mobile phones, cars, electronic equipment and computers.  I’m emphasising that even members of God’s Church can, if they’re not on their guard, be distracted from their true goal in life if the here and now, and all of its excesses and glitzy attractions, take a grip of how we behave and function.   It is a very easy trap to fall into and can become a way of life contrary to that which we have been called into.

On page 118 of the book, “Affluenza – The All-Consuming Epidemic,” we read “today by virtue of a media-happy free market, it may now be possible for a person to travel from one week to the next without thinking an original thought unshaped by manipulative messages!   Much of the territory between our ears has now been commercially ‘colonised’.   The question is, if we get evicted from our own minds, who are we?”

Of course, church members are too wise to be caught out in the acquisition of stuff, aren’t they?   Are they?   One television advertisement I saw sold the benefits of being able to use their facility for things we want and for those things we may not need as well.   No wonder so very many people seem to be up to their eyes in debt!   But it is not just the debt issue but having the wrong emphasis that is even more worrying.

Scripture tells us not to love the world and all of its attractions which certainly includes unnecessary purchases and debt.   In 1 John 2:15-17, we read the following: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.  And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

If we follow the way of this dying world by greatly accumulating “stuff” that is not necessary, and spend ourselves into unnecessary debt, we may well be falling for yet another Satanic trap.  Rather than being content with our lot, we can easily succumb to the way of this world which continues down the secular path towards destruction.   Developing holy righteous character is what we should be about, not accumulating that which will disappear.

Right at the end of the book, they conclude with these thoughts.   “The bottom line is this.   When your time comes and your whole life flashes before you, will it hold your interest?   How much of the story will be about moments of clarity and grace, kindness and caring?   Will the main character – you – appear as large and noble as life itself, or as tiny and absurd as a cartoon figure, darting frantically among mountains of stuff?   It’s up to you, and indeed, it’s up to all of us.”

As we approach the December festive season, there will be huge amounts of money spent on “stuff” with many maxing up their credit card(s) for materialistic goods that may have temporary pleasure but with long-lasting consequences of unnecessary debt and all that that can bring.

We can never have “Godly Overload,” but it is a direction that would be much more profitable to pursue than all of the material pursuits of this world!

It’s about priorities, and let none of us be found wanting in this respect!

Since this past Thursday was the day of Thanksgiving here in the United States, it seems kind of self-explanatory that this Editorial would in some way be about thankfulness.

I wonder how we embody thankfulness as Christians. This will be different for each of us as God works with us individually! I am curious though about the mindset that we are cultivating. What do we do on a continual basis in regards to being thankful? What do we have in place to make sure that we are giving thanks to God for everything? How often do we think about how important it is to God that we give Him thanks and praise?

Oftentimes, our thoughts are inward and self-pleasing. When this happens, we start to lean on ourselves or others around us, and we start to leave God out of our picture! This is the exact opposite to what God wants! God desires that we depend on Him for everything. When we are constantly looking to Him, we are going to be searching how we can please Him, how we can do things differently and better. Paul tells us in Colossians 3:17: “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” If we are not in this mindset, then we are in a different mindset.

In a world that is permeated by Satan’s mindset of hate, greed, lust and a general dissatisfaction with life, I wonder how we approach each day and the things that we face. From personal experience, it is very, very easy not to remember the immense number of blessings that God gives us and just focus on the negatives that are happening in our lives!

I have to say that at times, I tend to look at the negatives in my life and dwell on them more than I should or more than is good or necessary. When we have challenging things happening in our lives, we should stop and think about the things or trials that we are going through and start turning to God MORE, so He can show us how to get through whatever it is that we are facing. In this regard, I think often about the Apostle Paul and ALL the things that he went through in his life. I especially find encouragement in what he says in Philippians 4:11-13, quoting from the NIV: “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything [or “all things,” according to the New King James Bible] through him who gives me strength.” The “secret” to being able to deal with WHATEVER we are given in this life, is found, I believe, in giving thanks and finding thanksgiving in ALL situations that we go through. We need to have full confidence and faith in God, knowing with certainty that He knows everything about us and cares about us. The Bible is replete with these truths. Notice in Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Also, note this in Hebrews 13:5: “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

During tumultuous times, God asks us to focus on Him and His faithfulness to us, rather than being shaken in this conviction by our circumstances; to dwell on His promise to never leave or forsake us; and to trust Him to help us in every situation we face in life. If we can do this more and more, then we are going to grow as Christians. And this is truly what God wants and desires in us, as we read in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “… in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Finally, reading in Colossians 4:2, we find these timely words:  “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.”  I would say, at no other time in our current history should this be more apropos and useful to us than at this time. We are witnessing the world crumble around us, and we know that things will NOT get better, but drastically worse and worse. We must remain close to God asking for His protection, guidance and help in these times we are living; and we must do so with an attitude of thankfulness.

I would like to put forth a challenge for all of us. What would happen if we spent the first couple minutes when we wake up and the last minutes before we go to bed in giving thanks to God? What if instead of every time we went to complain, we stopped and thought about something we could give thanks to God for instead? Based on God’s Word, I would be willing to say that things would start to change for the better in our lives! When we find ways to be thankful, we bring our focus back to God which is where it should be!