Beech Hill Church of Christ

In Genesis 16:8, Hagar, calling on the name of the Lord, says, “You are a God who sees.” This sentence means two things: Firstly, it means that God sees all things. God knows what you overcame yesterday, and God knows what you will face tomorrow. Secondly, we are reminded, that even in the middle of all creation, with God holding everything together, God sees us, individually. God sees us, and God loves us.

In Psalm 139, David makes a proclamation that God formed David, and he proclaims that God made him fearfully and wonderfully. This is true of all of us. God created us, and God has seen all we have been, and He sees all we will be. In that Psalm, David makes many remarks about the comfort this gives him. As we read it, does it not comfort us as well? These are just a few listed in Psalm 139:

–       Lord, you have searched me and known me (v. 1)

–       You… are intimately acquainted with all my ways (v. 3)

–       Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it all. (v. 4)

–       If I say, surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night, even the darkness is not dark to you, and the night is as bright as day. (v. 12)

–       When I awake, I am still with You. (v. 18)

–       Search me, O God, and know my heart (v. 23)

–       And lead me in the everlasting way. (v. 24)

The one, true, living God is a God who sees, and He is a God who loves us. He has searched us and known us, and he sees the darkness ahead and behind, and through His love He makes that darkness light! When we wake up, we are able to face each day with God in our lives, taking our sins and afflictions away. God has made us, fearfully and wonderfully, so let us give thanks to him and rest in the everlasting peace in knowing that our God is a God who sees!

-Winston Smith

This past week began the new year of 2023. Along with the new years comes the resolution people make to stick to throughout the year, and one of the most common resolutions for those of faith is to read through the entirety of the Bible.

As we read, we need to remind ourselves how incredibly important and powerful the word of God is! Hebrews 4:12-13 tells the reader:

 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

As we read the Bible, we do so knowing that it is not just any, ordinary book. Rather, the Bible is the way that God, in His infinite wisdom and love, has chosen to communicate with His people today. That is why this year, as you are reading through your Bible readings, you will see verses that you have known and appreciated take on new meaning. For example, I became a father this year when my wife and I welcomed our first child. Since then, I have taken on a whole new appreciation for what I have read, quoted, and recited since I was a child in John 3:16, because now, I understand the different kind of love a Father or Mother has for their son.

We take peace in the fact that God has created the Bible, the Bible is inspired by God (II Timothy 3:16), and while the Bible is the same and will always mean the same, we are able to grow in our study, appreciation, and devotion to the word. As our knowledge of life and our experiences increase, so will our understanding of God’s word, as we read it an apply it to our lives.

So, this year, as you read God’s word, take time to appreciate the season of your life you are in, and take time to appreciate that God loved you so very much, and with this love He gave you His Word!

When you are in times of darkness, know that the Bible is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path (Psalm 119:105).

When your are in need, remember that we live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).

Lastly, when you think about your future, your tomorrow, know that the word of God will not change, and that all that it says: that God loves you, helps you, gave you His only son, all those things will last forevermore! The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever. (Isaiah 40:8)

-Winston Smith

There is a popular quote among secular minds that states, “You only have two lives, and the second one starts when you realize you only have one.” Of course, this is in reference to that “live like you are dying” mentality. To the minds of the world devoid of hope and faith, this is as commendable a way to live as possible. While there is nothing wrong with living an exciting life, going on adventures, and making memories, we also realize that there is so much more to living than only what we gain in our earthly life. While the quote mentioned is not in reference to spiritual living, I can’t help but to have dwelled on that quote the past couple of day. 

So, let us take this secular quotation and apply to our spiritual walk. In fact, I believe whole heartedly that this statement is even more applicable to Christian living than any life outside the Kingdom. For we know that we only have two lives, and the second one does start when we realize we only have one that matters.

Our first life is our life before Christ. It is a life of childish whimsy and the lack of accountability. A life lived in the purity and innocence of youth, but then that innocence is shattered by our understanding of good and evil, and our choosing to do what is evil instead of what is good… Of course, that choice invites sin into our lives, and from the moment we become willful sinners, everything about our life changes. We are lost, we feel regret and remorse, we know we are broken, and we also know that there is nothing we can do to fix our brokenness on our own. However, we make that realization. We understand that there is another life waiting for us, a life in the grace, love, and mercy of Christ. We understand that we do have two lives, one that is earthly, one that will perish and go away, but we also have that second life, the one that is eternal, and the one that God wants us to spend with Him in glory. When we make that realization: that the one physical life we live can be changed forevermore, it can be washed clean, then we come to that new realization and beautiful promise: The life we live in Christ, the one life that matters, that will know no end. 

Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

          1 Peter 1:23

We, as Christians, have 2 lives: the one we lived before our salvation, which has thankfully ended, and the one we live in harmony with the God Head, the one which will thankfully never end! If you are not yet a Christian, this thought should be an exciting and enticing one! Jesus Christ died for you to have this eternal life because He loved you! Why would anybody with that knowledge not crave admission into this life made possible only through the lifeblood of Christ? 

Our new life begins with our burial with Christ in baptism (Romans 6) and it immediately goes into a new life servitude in the blessed love and faith of Christ Jesus. The moment we realize that we have the opportunity to embrace this new, one, everlasting life founded in love and mercy, at that second, everything changes for the better, forever. Through Jesus’s blood our sins are washed as white as snow though our immersion, and then, our blessed resurrection into the blessed existence forevermore made possible through the will of God. So, how true is it?  “You only have two lives, and the second one starts when you realize you only have one.”

– Winston