Responsibility

Homes, churches, and businesses suffer when lazy and selfish men take advantage of others. The Apostle Paul directly addressed the eighth commandment in the fourth chapter of his epistle to the Ephesians. In verse 28, Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.”

Tax collectors were despised by patriotic Jews in the first century. Tax collectors, or “publicans,” were viewed as collaborators with Roman tyrants at best, and merciless parasites or outright thieves at worst!

New from Character Sketches, Volume IV! A captivating “read-aloud” nature story introduces the character quality of Boldness. This is followed by a story from the pages of Scripture! Character Sketches is designed to be a tool that fathers can use to teach their children basic concepts of Scripture that are also illustrated in the world of nature.

The obvious implications of the eighth commandment can be easily seen. Burglary and robbery are certainly forbidden by the words, “Thou shalt not steal” (Exodus 20:15). But there are more subtle ways to steal than to break a window of a man’s house, enter and empty his gun rack, and clean out any jewelry boxes. As Christians, we are tempted to steal every day in all sorts of ways.

A key to forgiving your offenders is realizing that God can work through your suffering to accomplish His purposes in your life. This understanding enabled many people in Scripture to forgive their offenders.

We might think that we are living in the worst days of humanity, and that the temptations to immorality that we face in our own generation are the strongest temptations ever faced by man. This is not necessarily the case. Young men of the New Testament, such as Timothy and Titus, faced everything that we face today—in a different format—but nothing new in vileness or availability.

The Hebrew boy who had once been betrayed by his brothers, accused by his master’s wife, and forgotten by his fellow prisoners was now arrayed in fine linen, wore the gold signet ring of Pharaoh, rode in the second chariot, and bore a gold chain about his neck. Wherever he went, people bowed in his presence.

We want our children to continue on in the faith. This outcome does not happen by accident. It is necessary to have a loving relationship with our children in order to influence them for the Lord.

As a young man, he had been a drunkard, a gambler, a fighter, and a man known for violent outbursts of temper. But all that had changed before the war when the Lord Jesus had transformed Alvin. He was now a man of meekness, a humble Christian who cared for his mother, farmed his land, and looked forward to marrying his fiancée, Gracie, if he ever got home again to the mountains of Tennessee. When he was drafted upon the entry of the United States into the First World War, he had written simply on his draft card: “I do not want to fight.”

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Giver of life. The Gospel of John tells us “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:3-4). Jesus gave us life in creation, and He also gives us life in redemption. He told Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

The sixth commandment—“Thou shalt not kill”—embraces much more than the prohibition of murder. On the positive side, God’s Law calls for the upholding of life; the deliverance of the oppressed; the kind treatment of strangers, orphans, and widows; and the defense of the innocent. These positive truths are amplified throughout the law of Moses and the prophets.

When a person receives Christ as his Savior, he experiences the delight of “first love” for the Lord. God’s Spirit witnesses with his spirit that he is a child of God, and this newfound relationship brings great wonder, joy, and freedom.

Long before he was the father of his country, George Washington was a son. Men who learn to command must first learn to obey, and men in positions of authority earn their trust by serving faithfully under authority. Throughout his life of service, George Washington was a man who understood and respected authority.

In the last verse of the Old Testament, God gives us a remarkable hope for the blessing of family restoration under the Messiah. Malachi announces: “And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:6). How interesting and very fitting that the last words of the Old Testament dovetail perfectly with the first words of the New Testament!

In the Old Testament, the word fool is actually a translation of five different Hebrew words that reflect subtle differences in types of fools. Sadly, the English translation makes it more difficult to identify the characteristics of five types of fools, but with a careful search of Scripture these differences can be distinguished.

Realizing that I will, one day, answer to God for my every thought, word, and action, and doing what is necessary to make amends with those whom I have offended

Our attitude toward our parents is closely linked with our attitude toward God. According to Leviticus 19:32, a connection is suggested between honoring elders and fearing God. This special relationship between parent and child is one that God has ordained. For this reason, our attitude toward our parents, whether or not they would be considered aged, is closely related to our attitude toward God Who gave our parents to us.

Even in the midst of all his military battles, he never forgot the Lord’s Day. On the evening after acquiring the nickname “Stonewall” for his brave stand at Manassas, in his tent Jackson wrote a letter to his pastor. With the letter he enclosed a check for the Sunday School class that he dearly loved. He did not mention in his missive his own heroic actions on that day.

We are created in God’s image, designed to reflect His character, so He is seen, enjoyed, and honored through us and in us. Consistent, lasting character comes from a changed heart, and a changed heart starts with becoming a new creation in Christ.

The Pharisees criticized the Lord Jesus over the proper observation of the Sabbath Day. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all give an account of two particularly dramatic events that took place on the Sabbath during the early days of Christ’s Galilean ministry and raised a storm of controversy. By calling Himself the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus was affirming that He was the Creator of the universe and the One Who instituted the day of rest.