Send to Kindle

by Jim Hughes

Prov. 25:18 Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an ax, wounding them with a sharp arrow.

There are a lot of ways one can physically hurt others. It is painful to watch what some people do to others. It should outrage us at the way others are treated. Perhaps you have been on the receiving end of being mistreated by others either physically or emotionally. Sadly, it is not uncommon. People who are lost have no problem taking their lostness out on others. There is no way to stop the madness apart from Christ. No imprisonment can keep evil people from being evil. It is the nature of the soul without Christ to be self-serving and cruel to those who they don’t want in their lives.

As painful as physical pain may be, wounding the heart is just as bad. Concocting lies about another can destroy the heart. It can cause someone to actually believe the lies being told. It can cause someone to foolishly seek revenge against the one spreading lies. It can ruin the reputation of others. It can create a mistrust in others towards the one being lied about. It can cause the one being lied about to no longer trust others. It can break one’s spirit and cause him to not even try any longer. It hurts deep within the soul to be on the receiving end of someone’s lies.

God commands us to always speak truthfully in love. Telling lies about anyone is never acceptable to God. It never accomplishes anything but destruction. When we talk about others we must always watch what we say. If we must say anything about another’s character, we must always know that what we say is absolute truth and not hearsay or just our opinion. If we have something negative to say, we should first go to the person and lovingly address the issue.

Telling lies is a spiritual issue. It indicates that the heart is not right with God. Only the truth must flow from the lips of the redeemed. Godly people never slander others. They are truth-bearers. And when the truth is shared, it’s only done in love so that restoration can take place.

About the Author:

Spending his formative years in Ft. Wayne, IN, Jim followed the love of his life to southeast Iowa where they married and have spent the majority of their lives. Jim has pastored several churches throughout his life and has worked many years in local factories to help support his family. The father of two married adult children and one son still at home, Jim is a first-time author.

C Through Marriage came into being through many years of pastoral and life experiences. The book first took on a life of its own over 20 years ago when I sought to address the much publicized moral failures of prominent leaders in the church. In the chapter on Chasity, I include the guideliness that I developed then to protect one’s self from such failures.

I am a firm believer in order to make sense out of life you have to use much common sense. We need to get back to the basics of what has worked for many, many generations. If is isn’t broke, why try to fix it? I strive to return to the basics of what really works in all my writings.

This site contains Third Party Advertising, using online behavioral tracking technology. Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we believe will add value to our readers.

Send to Kindle

by Jim Hughes

Prov. 24:19-20 Do not fret because of evildoers; don’t envy the wicked. For the evil have no future; their light will be snuffed out.

The world promotes evil. For the most part, evil people run the world. They rise to the top of most fields. They are portrayed as people to be looked up to and admired for what they do. We glamorize them and overlook their personal failures. We separate their public lives from their private lives. For the most part we don’t care what they do in private as long as we like what we see in their public persona.

If we are not careful, we envy their successes in life. We long to be able to walk in their shoes. We dream about what it might be like to be in the limelight. We fail to remember that what we see is disillusional. Things aren’t as they seem to be. Earth’s successes mean nothing when it comes to eternity. There is no future for evildoers. They have no hope of escaping hell. When their lives have run their course, they are soon forgotten. They are buried and remembered by only those closest to them.

But, the lives of the righteous live on. When the righteous die they are ushered into the presence of the Lord. They lives are lived on in the lives of those they touch on earth. They impact the world for generations to come as the seed they sow keep reproducing new seed.

Do not fret because of evildoers. Live life in Christ and trust in His Word. Only in Christ will you find help and hope. Only in Him do you find what the wicked are looking for. Only in Him is there peace and contentment. The more you invest your life in Christ, the happier you will be in life. Surround yourself with godly people. Be thankful for what Christ has done for us and what He is doing in you. Do not long for the successes of the wicked. Fix your eyes upon Jesus, the author and finisher of our salvation and your life will be blessed.

About the Author:

Spending his formative years in Ft. Wayne, IN, Jim followed the love of his life to southeast Iowa where they married and have spent the majority of their lives. Jim has pastored several churches throughout his life and has worked many years in local factories to help support his family. The father of two married adult children and one son still at home, Jim is a first-time author.

C Through Marriage came into being through many years of pastoral and life experiences. The book first took on a life of its own over 20 years ago when I sought to address the much publicized moral failures of prominent leaders in the church. In the chapter on Chasity, I include the guideliness that I developed then to protect one’s self from such failures.

I am a firm believer in order to make sense out of life you have to use much common sense. We need to get back to the basics of what has worked for many, many generations. If is isn’t broke, why try to fix it? I strive to return to the basics of what really works in all my writings.

This site contains Third Party Advertising, using online behavioral tracking technology. Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we believe will add value to our readers.

Send to Kindle

by Jim Hughes

Prov. 24:12 Don’t try to avoid responsibility by saying you didn’t know about it. For God knows all hearts, and he sees you. He keeps watch over your soul, and he knows you knew! And he will judge all people according to what they have done.

Ignorance is no excuse. We cannot avoid being held responsible for obeying God because we may not know all there is to know. God holds us responsible for how we live by what we know. He knows the heart and why we do what we do. No one escapes His notice.

There is nothing in your heart that God does not know about. Nothing. You may not be open and honest with others about you, but you cannot hide from God. He knows not only what is in you, He knows how and why it got there. If there is something there for Him to see, it is because you have not confessed it and repented of it. He has not forgiven you and will hold you accountable for it.

You cannot fool God. He knows what you know. He knows when you disobey His revealed truth to you. He will not let you get away with it. He judges us for what we have done.

How about it? Do you have unconfessed sin in your heart? He knows about it. It is not okay with God and He will hold you responsible for your sins. You have two choices to make. You can confess your sins to Him today, or you can let God deal with you on Judgment Day. Would you rather let Him deal with you now while you can still live in Him, or do you want to wait until you no longer have a chance to repent?

You cannot take a neutral stand. By not repenting of your sins today, you are rejecting the Lord. And, all who reject the Lord face an eternity in hell. Are you prepared to face the possibility that you could die today with unconfessed sin in your heart?

About the Author:

Spending his formative years in Ft. Wayne, IN, Jim followed the love of his life to southeast Iowa where they married and have spent the majority of their lives. Jim has pastored several churches throughout his life and has worked many years in local factories to help support his family. The father of two married adult children and one son still at home, Jim is a first-time author.

C Through Marriage came into being through many years of pastoral and life experiences. The book first took on a life of its own over 20 years ago when I sought to address the much publicized moral failures of prominent leaders in the church. In the chapter on Chasity, I include the guideliness that I developed then to protect one’s self from such failures.

I am a firm believer in order to make sense out of life you have to use much common sense. We need to get back to the basics of what has worked for many, many generations. If is isn’t broke, why try to fix it? I strive to return to the basics of what really works in all my writings.

This site contains Third Party Advertising, using online behavioral tracking technology. Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we believe will add value to our readers.