Grains of Sand

Pixabay One of the first pieces of Scripture I memorized when I was a kid in Sunday School was Psalm 1. So well did I learn it that it remains cemented in my mind to this day. Mrs. Wood, the pastor’s wife and head of the Primary Department ,presented me with a bookmark as my prize—a bookmark I still have. I wish I could manage to memorize as well today as I did sixty years ago! Alas, it is not so easy. In Psalm 119:11, the psalmist reminds his readers of the importance of memorizing God’s words. He says: “ I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you .” What is hidden in the heart is what the Spirit of God brings to mind when we are faced with choices and temptations—something that happens every day. My verse for today comes from Psalm 1:1 and is one of those that comes to mind when I am faced with who to choose as my closest companions. It remains a valuable piece of advice for anyone, young and old, when deciding who should become a close friend, a life-lo...

" Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? " —2 Corinthians 6:14-16a, NIV One of recurring themes of the Old Testament was Israel's interaction with the nations around her. She was to be a witness of God's grace in a pagan world. At the same time God was very specific that there were to be no intimate relationships established with her unbelieving neighbours particularly in the areas of intermarriage and worship (i.e. Ezra 9:10-15). These instructions are picked up again in the New Testament. In these verses from 2 Corinthians we discover Paul asking some pointed questions about the relationships being built between the Corinthian believers and the society around them. But how do we reach un...

socialutions.co.uk (Google Images) It wasn’t just a New Testament phenomena. Paul, writing to the Corinthians church, said: “ Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an  unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.’ ‘Therefore come out from them and be separate, Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you ’” (2 Corinthians 6:14-17). Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, got the same message from the Lord, recorded for us in 2 Chronicles 18, after his alliance with Ahab, king of Israel. The king of Judah narrowly escaped with his life after that experience—Ahab wasn’t so fortunate. After his return to Jerusalem...