Bible

An investment is to use, give or devote to (time, talent, etc.), as for a purpose or to achieve something. People that make an investment usually do it seeking a return. If you invest in your 401k, you expect there to be growth to have enough money for retirement. People who invest time in exercise expect to have stronger muscles and a healthier heart. People who make an investment in reading, studying or memorizing the Bible should expect ... what kind of return? We can make an investment in a variety of different things, but without a doubt, to invest time in reading the Bible has a great return.  Psalms 119:11: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” The purpose of hiding the word in our hearts, is not hiding it from others, but like an investment, it is to keep it available, in the pocket of our hearts, for future use. It is an investment we can make that will have eternal returns.

Memorizing the Bible is an important part of being a Christian. The benefits most certainly outweigh the difficulty. Our brain, one of the biggest muscles in the human body, often is neglected.  Exercising this muscle through mental exercise with the Bible will affect not only your brain's capacity to remember other things, but it has a way of manifesting itself through our lives. The efficacy of Bible memorization will not only benefit you, but the people around you also will notice the difference.  The psalmist gave the memorization of scripture a place of great importance.

Dear Editor: Continuing from the debates about homosexuality and the Bible, I feel I must rebuke and point out fraud when I see it - especially when ignorance is cloaked with the name of the Bible behind it. In a recent letter, the writer began his statements with "our one commandment is to love God with all our heart and soul and to love our neighbor as ourselves" and then ended his opinion with the insinuation that if America were...

While the people of Vicco, KY can be commended for protecting the rights of all citizens and taking care of their own people, we would be remiss to allow an emotion-packed letter or anything else to determine what is the standard for right and wrong. In fact, neither Chicago, New York City, or Washington can do that. No congressional law, Supreme Court ruling or even the President has that right. They can give their opinions like the writer of this article but that does not determine what is true nor what is right.

The Gospel of John is unique. The Apostle John wrote this one-of-a-kind Gospel. Each of the Gospels was written with a specific group of people in mind. The Gospel of Matthew was written for the Jews, calling Jesus the King of the Jews, and it referenced the Old Testament Scriptures more than 100 times. The Gospel of Mark is what I like to call, “a hurry-up Gospel.” Believed to be written for the Romans, Mark writes the word “immediately” 37 times. The Gospel of Luke, a very detailed Gospel, is believed to be written to the Greeks.  The Gospel of John focuses on the personal relationship Jesus made and the miracles He performed.

Dear Editor: It never ceases to amaze me how people can come up with their own interpretation of what the Bible says. Last week, Bill Johnston wrote to say that many quote Leviticus 18:22 as the passage that condemns homosexuality, but "the condemnation of many sexual acts was a call for faithfulness to a sexual partner. " If this were so, would it not have been easier for God to simply say, "Thou shalt pick thy mate and stay with him or her for life. " God was not just teaching fidelity here, but specifying all the different ways of pairing off that are forbidden.

Dear Editor: More than 76 percent of Americans claim to be Christian and use the Bible as an instructional tool. For those of us in that category, the teachings of the Bible make up who we are and are clearly used to help guide our mental capacities in all routes of life, including voting. As far as Scripture and voting go, Romans 13:1 says, "Governments are ordained by God. " Our job is to support them by voting, paying taxes and praying for our leaders, among other things. Voting is a tangible thing a Christian can do to show love for his fellow man. And let us not forget the book of Mark which tells us "to render unto Ceasar that which is his. " This does not just apply to taxes, it applies to government and our responsibilities to it. Just because the Bible does not give a direct commandment that says, "Thou shalt vote," does not mean that the Bible does not have anything to do with voting.

Dear Editor, The Bible completes whose educational experience? It would complete someone's educational experience if the Qur'an, Talmud, Torah, the Hindu Scriptures, the Buddhist texts, or other religious books are also taught. Not every child who attends public school is Christian so if the Bible would complete a child's education then the other religious texts would need to be taught as well. Religious education begins at home and ends at home unless you want your child to attend a faith-based school like Danville Christian or Covington Catholic.

Dear Editor: Recently, there have been several letters regarding whether or not God supports one political party. I find it odd that most of these letters come from people who seem to support John Kerry. From the thoughts of the writers of these letters one could surmise the authors are feeling guilty about their support of a candidate who supports abortion, gay rights, and many other things the Bible tells us are wrong. I am not going to tell you that God supports Bush or Kerry, Republicans or Democrats.

At towering 1,776-feet-tall, in remembrance of the year of our country's independence, will be the all new, New World Trade Center in New York City, when finished this year. The building was not built from the surface of the ground, but before they erect it they took months digging deep below the surface. No building can endure storms being built on the surface. If we plan to go high in building we must first go deep. Speaking of the beginning of our faith, Jesus spoke of two ways, one broad and easy that many go through, and the other narrow and difficult that few find.

Editor's note: This is the second column in a series on prayer. We are looking at Matthew 6, at what is referred to as the Lord's prayer, but should really be called the disciple's prayer. The prayer found in the Gospel of John, chapter 17, would fit that description better. The Lord taught His disciples to pray - not that they would pray like a parrot, repeating the same words over and over again, or like a disobedient child asking over and over again, until he gets what he wants from his parent.

Fifty years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional the devotional use of the Bible by public schools, in its ruling on Abington Township v. Schempp. But many school districts in the Lone Star State still haven't gotten the message, according to a report released last month by the Texas Freedom Network (TFN) entitled “Reading, Writing and Religion.” Conducted by religious studies professor Mark Chancey of Southern Methodist University, the study examines elective Bible courses offered in 57 Texas school districts and 3 charter schools and concludes that “evidence of sectarian bias, predominantly favoring perspectives of conservative Protestantism, is widespread.” (The full report is available at www.tfn.org/biblecourses.)

While the people of Vicco, KY can be commended for protecting the rights of all citizens and taking care of their own people, we would be remiss to allow an emotion-packed letter or anything else to determine what is the standard for right and wrong. In fact, neither Chicago, New York City, or Washington can do that. No congressional law, Supreme Court ruling or even the President has that right. They can give their opinions like the writer of this article but that does not determine what is true nor what is right.

In response to the letter by Mr. Wing, I followed his suggestion and did my homework and I found that the meaning of “deism,” put simply, is belief in a god who is hanging around somewhere and that Christ is deemed unnecessary. Of the 118 “Founding Fathers,” signers of  the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of the Confederation and The Constitution, only a handful leaned toward deism. Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Ethan Allen and John Adams more or less embraced that philosophy.

There was a marriage in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Often times when reading the Bible, we should take the culture into account and this is one of those occasions. In Jesus' day, Jewish weddings lasted a week.  During the seven day celebration, the family and friends would stay at the home of the bride and groom. It was sort of a family reunion, engagement and honeymoon celebration all in one.  Jesus and his disciples were called to the marriage. Jesus' presence at this wedding, at the onset of His ministry, signals His stamp of approval on the institution of marriage.

Abraham climbed Mount Moriah to offer his son as a sacrifice in obedience to God's command. Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son. " Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" Abraham said, “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.” So they went both of them together. The children of Israel were held captive in Egypt for 400 years. Moses came as God's messenger to free the Israelites from their captivity.

The Gospel of John is unique. The Apostle John wrote this one-of-a-kind Gospel. Each of the Gospels was written with a specific group of people in mind. The Gospel of Matthew was written for the Jews, calling Jesus the King of the Jews, and it referenced the Old Testament Scriptures more than 100 times. The Gospel of Mark is what I like to call, “a hurry-up Gospel.” Believed to be written for the Romans, Mark writes the word “immediately” 37 times. The Gospel of Luke, a very detailed Gospel, is believed to be written to the Greeks.  The Gospel of John focuses on the personal relationship Jesus made and the miracles He performed.

Many wear the cross on a chain, as earrings, on a T-shirt, glue it on the dashboard of their car, tattoo it on their body, put in their pocket, put it on top of a buildings. What we must realize is that all those crosses, which are displayed as a symbol of our faith, but are only superficial, and a superficial cross will only lead, to a superficial faith. 1 Corinthians 1:18,  “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” The central point is how the perishing see the cross, and how the saved see the cross.