Growing up, I liked watching science fiction movies and many of those movies assumed there were,
indeed, beings on other planets.  The vast majority pictured those life forms as being in many “un-
human” shapes.  Some looked like walking lizards, some like an octopus, most had big eyes and large
heads, and some were even blobs of a jelly-like substance. Most were malevolent creatures bent on our
destruction.

But it is an interesting question when we consider the possibility of life on other planets.  Is there? And if
so, what does it do to our Christians beliefs?  Are there other gods of other plants with life? NASA says
there are over 3,200 stars with planets orbiting them. So is there a planet with life in every configuration
like that?  Questions, questions, questions.

I believe the answer lies in scripture.  The Bible tells us that Jehovah God created, and numbered every
star in the universe.  It goes on to say that He is the only God. That answers the question of how many
gods are there if…if…there was life on other planets…right? One God created the universe.

But, did God create life on other planets? I don’t know.  No one knows. I don’t believe anyone will ever
know.  But I do know this:  if God created life on other planets the method of salvation would be the
same.  God’s expectations of His other creatures would be the same. All of that because God never
changes.  His character never changes, His purpose never changes, and His nature never changes. 
So…there would even be Christians on other planets.

It would not affect my beliefs, my faith, nor my relationship with God through the blood of Christ. So
why worry about it?  We have enough to do in the here and now on this planet.  We are to live to please
the one true God who created everything and sustains all that He created.  We are to share the Gospel,
the one true God’s only plan of salvation. Did God populate other planets? Whether or not He did? 
More important questions:  have you been saved by the blood of Christ and do you live out your
salvation in obedience to the only God?

Say good things about your Savior

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ
have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there
male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s
seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:26-29 NIV

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened
again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1 NIV
 
In the book of Galatians Paul is writing to the church because some folks have come into the church
teaching that, even after salvation through the blood of Christ, people still had to live by the “law”. That
included all the Old Covenant laws up to, and including, circumcision. Paul called living by the law “a
yoke of slavery”. Some have tried to say he was talking about being a slave to sin. But if you read it in
context, you understand that he was speaking of being a slave to the law. He even said that if you tried
living by the law you would constantly be alienated from Christ: “You who are trying to be justified by
the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.” Galatians 5:4 NIV
 
Yet, we still argue among ourselves about which festivals and Jewish celebrations we should observe.
We still have to defend what day we celebrate as the Sabbath. The Gospel is so simple that it is difficult
to accept in its simplicity. We, in our human nature, still want to set rules and regulations in order to
measure our righteousness (and to measure other’s righteousness).
 
The scripture doesn’t say “believe in the Lord Jesus, keep the festivals, wash your hands in a certain way,
give God Saturday, and you will be saved”. Jesus simply told us that we are to love the Lord with all our
heart and love our neighbor as our self. That’s the lifestyle we are called to live when we are endowed
with the Holy Spirit at salvation. Yes, it’s that simple.
 
Say good things about your Savior.

Do you remember the Y2K scare? As our calendar rolled over from 1999 to the year 2000, there
was going to be a total shutdown of computers and everything that was dependent on
computers. It was going to be a dangerous time. There were conferences and meetings on how
to prepare for the apocalypse that was to come. People were told to build up their food stores
and buy weapons to protect what they had. Many people were frightened. But why?
First of all, because the scenario was possible. It made sense too many that there could be a
glitch when the computers tried to roll over into a year for which they were not prepared. We
were, after all, in the very early stages of computers. But secondly, and I think more importantly,
there were people ready to fan the flames of hysteria for their own purposes, usually money, but
fame and notoriety was also present. Politicians also got involved, somewhat, if there was a
chance to score some points.
That was 25 years ago. Yep … 25. Do you feel older now? But the matter of fact
is that we haven’t grown much wiser, if any, when it comes to panicking. This event or that
event signals the coming of our Lord, this bill or that bill, passed through Congress, will shut
down churches and penalize Christians. It seems to always be something. Let me calm things
down a little.
God is still on His throne. Not a day, event, or action is catching Him by surprise. If government
puts its heel on the neck of Christianity, God is still on His throne. If Jesus comes back
tomorrow, God is still on His throne (and what a glorious day it will be for Christians). You see,
the trick to that “peace that passes all understanding” is to trust in God, be prepared as you
study His Word, and live a life of obedience. Then there is nothing to fear, nothing to be anxious
about. God bless you and keep you!
Say good things about your Savior
Bro. Tony

It amuses me that the weather forecast has become as important as it has. A lot of us look at it several times a day.
When planning an event we began looking several days ahead and pay a lot of attention to that “7-Day Forecast.” We do that even though we know that it is not possible to accurately predict what the weather will do in seven days. At best it is an educated guess. Why is that? Because things can change overnight. A front can form, or a system can slow down, or the winds can shift … among other things. Yet we diligently watch.
I really think people look at the Bible and its teachings in the same way, unfortunately. We react to the weather forecasts like they won’t change … yet they do. While we react to the Word of God like it will change … and it doesn’t. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8). That means His Word is the same yesterday, today, and forever. It has to be … because human, carnal nature is also the same yesterday, today, and forever. Mankind hasn’t changed. We still embrace greed, selfishness, anger, hatred, violence, and lust. Because of that we lie, cheat, steal, and murder.
The Bible addresses each and every vice known to man. It give the solution to all of that and the solution has never changed.
Sure, we can say that we are smarter, healthier, and more productive, but the inner man is the same. What the Bible says is immoral at the time it was written is still immoral. What it says brings pain, suffering, and dishonor in that day does the same
today.
With that truth in from of us, let’s study the Word as often as we watch the weather. Let’s make plans for the future according to God’s Word as often as we do according to the weather.
Say good things about your Savior.

I saw a news story about a man who got into an argument with another man over a bet of $25. The
man went home, got a gun, came back, and murdered the man. There are circumstances of which I am
not aware, I’m sure. But the question that struck me was this: Why would someone do that? Why
would someone take a life and, in doing so, ruin his/her own life?
There are a lot of murders in the Birmingham metro area. And when the killings occur someone will
organize a “walk against gun violence” or something like that. Some will do a gun buy-back program to
get guns off the street. So far, those things have proved ineffective in preventing murders.
The underlying causes of murder are varied, but usually include some form of anger, greed, or lust. The
Bible speaks against all three and directly condemns them. In fact the Bible tells us that we should do
away with those desires; choose to think and live differently. I have always said that Jesus is the answer
to every question and the solution to every problem. That holds true here, for sure.
Can you imagine the difference a wave of revival sweeping through a community would make? And yet,
we don’t see a “March for Jesus” or a “Rally for Christ” as a viable solution. Sure, we can take guns out
of the hands of some people, but wouldn’t a changed heart keep those hands from picking up a gun?
Say good things about your Savior.

I’m the type of person who gives people the benefit of the doubt; I tend to trust people. Some times
that type of behavior backfires. Over the last 2 months I trusted a mechanic, a service manager at a
dealership and a car sales person at another dealership. All three broke my trust in them to the point
that I will not do business with them again. I must confess that I got a little mad. On the other hand, I
was more disappointed … both in them and in myself.
I was disappointed in them for taking advantage of someone who trusted them. I really do not
understand how someone can be “not truthful” in order to conduct business. And I was disappointed at
myself for allowing it to happen. I really like to be able to trust people and just take them at their word.
But it calls to mind the fact that I can always trust Jesus. He made many promise that bring peace and
joy to my life. I can trust Him to do what He says. He says that He brings a peace that passes the
understanding of mortal minds, and I know without a doubt that He does that. So when He says that He
is preparing a place for me, then that will happen. I trust Him … completely. And that is one of the best
aspects of my relationship with Him.
Maybe we can’t totally trust many people. Perhaps we should always take promises from humans “with
a grain of salt”. But never doubt Jesus.
Say good things about your Savior.

Sunday, Jan. 19, was designated “Sanctity of Life” Sunday across the Southern Baptist Convention.
The biggest concern of that movement is, of course, abortion. Abortion has become the primarily
concern of most liberal politicians and left-wing organizations. It is the “holy grail” of the left’s political
journey.
Over the years, pro-abortionists have defended their positions in many ways, all of which can be
answered quickly and sensibly. Not all abortion supporters look at it the same way. For some, it is a
question of when life begins. Those hold different standards for that, usually, though, ending up at “life
begins at birth.” I heard a minister say that! We believe what science says: life begins at conception.
A pro-abortion woman asked this to a lady who was speaking against abortion: “So you are saying that
an acorn is a tree?” She responded: “Yes. When it germinates, it is indeed a tiny tree growing until it
become a full-grown tree. But a tree nonetheless.” Another woman posted a picture of some eggs, flour,
sugar, and vanilla flavoring and said: “This is not a cake.” Someone responded: “it is not. But when you
mix it all together and place it in a heated oven, it is. No one has ever asked someone to check the oven
and see if the batter has become a cake. Likewise, a sperm is not a baby and an egg is not a baby. But
when they are joined together in the womb … they are a baby.” Life begins at conception.
However, as an overwhelming number of the pro-abortion faction now recognize that life may, indeed,
begin at conception, they have shown their true colors: some life is more valuable than others. A baby
in the womb is less valuable than a baby out of the womb. A baby in the womb is less valuable than the
“poor quality of life” of motherhood.
In uncivilized times in the past, when a baby is born and the parents do not want it, they would just
abandon the baby to die. We are vastly more civilized than that, aren’t we? We would not abandon a
child to die … we just kill them in the womb. Much, much more civilized, isn’t it?
Say good things about your Savior.

Does the Bible condone slavery? In a desperate attempt to discredit the Bible, a lot of folks say that it
does. And, even if it doesn’t say slavery is a terrible thing, it does nothing to stop it. The Bible
recognizes slavery, but it never condones slavery. We must understand something important as we
discuss the issue. There were several kinds of what was referred to as slavery in Biblical times.
There was, of course, the brutal kidnapping of individuals. Many were prisoners of war. People would
sell themselves into slavery to get financial relief and people had been known to sell a child if they could
not afford to keep it. Unfortunately, widows and orphans had few alternatives to becoming servant
slaves.
The Bible does, indeed, forbid the kidnapping and selling of people. In both Deuteronomy and
Numbers, the penalty for doing that was death. That is a pretty serious condemnation of that type of
slavery, wouldn’t you say? As far the other types of slavery if many of them were released it would have
been devastating to those released as they would have nowhere to go, no income, nothing to eat. They
would be reduced to begging. And, can you imagine the effect of hundreds of people released into the
streets?
No, the New Testament doesn’t include God telling everyone to throw their slave/servants to the street.
What He did do was instruct any who had these types of slaves to treat them fairly, be kind to them, and
never abuse them. That may seem a little strange that He just didn’t throw out a blanket commandment
“Thou shall have no slaves” but remember it’s about God’s timing. When the time was right, it was
Godly ministers and Christians who were among the first to work to abolish slavery in our nation.
In no way does the Bible approve of, or encourage, the kidnapping and selling of human beings. It didn’t
then…it doesn’t now…it never will.
Say good things about your Savior.

 

Bro. Tony

I was standing in the checkout line at Walmart reading the headlines on some of the magazines. Most of
them were featuring stories on “significant events” in 2024 or “people we lost” in 2024. It seems people
are interested in looking back; and that is a good thing to do. We can find some joyous and meaningful
events that are fond memories. And … we may find some sad or troubling events that we endured and
realized it made us stronger.
But how about looking forward? What are your plans for 2025? Do you even have plans for the new
year? I fear a lot of people live what I call a pinball life: they just live life until they hit an obstacle that
forces them to go in another direction. Those obstacles can be positive or negative, but the point is that
there is no plan; no goal.
I realize that even with definite plans, some things happen over which we have no control. But I feel we
can lessen those things by looking forward, making plans, and work toward achieving goals. And the
best way to do that is to seek God’s will and make His will your goal. There are two strong reasons for
doing that.
First, achieving God’s plan for you is what will bring the utmost joy and happiness to your life. Believe it
or not, He does desire that you experience a satisfying and fulfilled life. Therefore His will will not only
glorify Himself, but it will also assure you a peace that passes understanding and a joy most rare.
But think about this: Seeking and doing God’s will for you assures He will come alongside of you,
strengthening you with His power and authority. Think about it. When in the Bible do we have record
of a person seeking, finding, and doing God’s will … and failing? God always came through and He will
come through for you.
Make 2025 a year of seeking God’s will. His word guarantees that when you find it and do it, God’s favor
will fall on you. That would be a fantastic year, wouldn’t it?
Say good things about your Savior.

 

Bro. Tony