There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
Why Did God Save Humanity? Britt Mooney The Father’s abundant love is the root of his salvation. God’s saving work isn’t based on our worthiness but entirely upon his love. The same love which created all things compels him to restore what was broken. Continue Reading →
What Is Shrove Tuesday? Britt Mooney As with many parts of Christian history, the modern and highly secularized Mardi Gras masks the solemn and spiritual nature of Shrove Tuesday. As believers, we should take the time to understand the true meaning and purpose behind these traditions. Shrove Tuesday is a great example. Continue Reading →
Why Did People in the Old Testament Live So Long? Britt Mooney Before the flood, people lived for hundreds of years. This seems like a fantasy or myth to us today, especially when local TV stations celebrate when someone reaches a century. Even after God covered the world with water, the Bible records other men with ages over 100. Continue Reading →
A 7-Day Study of Jesus’ Miracles Amanda Idleman Do you believe that miracles still happen today, in our modern world? Take just one week to dive deeply into the miracles found in Scripture to see how Jesus is still at work today. Let these stories encourage you to trust God to do big things, and challenge you to ask Him for whatever it is you need. Continue Reading →
5 Bible Characters Who Benefitted from Rest Sophia Bricker The Bible invites us into the stories of several key people to show us how we, too, can benefit from the rest that the Lord provides. It is a wonderful blessing and gift, but also a discipline we must practice. Continue Reading →
5 Movies That Give Us a Glimpse of the Gospel Britt Mooney Since God tells a redemptive story, he invites us into the epic, biblical arc as individuals and the church. It shouldn’t surprise us that we’re drawn to stories. God created us to live within his grand story. Continue Reading →
6 Bible Verses about Powerful Healing Sophia Bricker Scripture gives us many stories and passages that speak to our desire for healing. We find accounts of people receiving miraculous healings of both body and soul, providing us with glimpses of the ultimate restoration that God will bring in the future. Continue Reading →
Is Worrying a Sin? Shelby Turner Even when life is at its best, we can find a reason to worry. It comes to us as naturally as taking our next breath. But what does the Bible say about worry? Is it really a sin? How should Christians handle the thoughts of fear that arise in our minds? Continue Reading →
21 Grounding Verses That Can Help Us in Seasons of Change Heather Adams God has helped me see that changes are a natural part of life, and that He uses them to help me grow. In fact, He wants to walk through the process with me, and indeed with all believers, offering comfort and anointing that will help us move forward confidently into new adventures. Continue Reading →
Is Jesus Angry at the Rich in This Parable? Clarence L. Haynes Jr. There are plenty of Bible verses and stories about money, often focusing on those who are generous. But in this lesser-known parable, is Jesus angry at the rich man? As with all passages, it’s important to look at the context. Let’s see what Jesus is, and is not, saying in this story. Continue Reading →
Don’t be alarmed, he said. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.
Mark 16:6-7
The words of the angel to these women contain the answer to all the skepticism of over twenty centuries. For the angel said some things to them that answer most of the claims that have ever been raised in questioning the actuality of the resurrection. The first thing the angel said was, This Jesus of Nazareth, this One who was crucified, this same One whom you seek, has indeed risen from the dead. Many of the attempts to explain this away say that the women went to the wrong tomb or that they found the wrong person. That whole question is answered here by the angel. He says to the women, This very same Jesus, the One you knew from Nazareth, the Jesus who was crucified, whom you saw on the cross with the nails in His hands and the blood running down His side, that same One is risen from the dead.
Then he said to them, He is not here. That is, He is not only risen; He is not here. And in those words he makes clear that, though Jesus is risen, there is nevertheless a real tie with our humanity. He is not just a spirit. This is not a spiritual resurrection but a bodily resurrection. It was the body of Jesus that rose from the dead. There are cults today who claim that what happened was that the spirit of Jesus rose, and He now lives spiritually only. But the Bible consistently defends the proposition that it was the dead body that was put into the grave, which also rose from the dead. He is not here. He is a person yet, a human person with a human body—changed, yes—but still human. And in that human body He rose from the dead.
The third thing the angel says is put in these extraordinary words that only Mark records: But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee.’ That is a wonderful touch. What a gentle, tender word that is! The last time we saw Peter in this gospel account, he was standing in the courtyard of the high priest during the trial of Jesus. And a little maiden kept following him around, saying, I know you. You were with Him, weren’t you? Peter kept denying it. He went out into the darkness of the night, weeping bitterly. What a tender thing it is for the angel to say to these women, Go and tell the disciples and Peter that He goes before you to Galilee. It puts him right back into the apostolic band.
That says that Jesus is available to individuals—not just to the crowd at large, not just to the world in general, or the church, but to you. Put your own name in there. This accessibility to individuals has been the hallmark of Christianity ever since. Each one of us can know Him personally, intimately—not just as a figure of history nor as a coming king nor in a general sense, as we know about the president of the United States, but in that close, personal, real, conscious sense of knowing that we share in the most intimate human communion.
Lord Jesus, thank You that You are, indeed, what you promised to be—a living Lord—and that You can enter my life and begin to bring me out of despair into hope, out of death into resurrection.
Life Application
What is the profound impact of Jesus’ actual bodily resurrection on us personally? How is it affecting our intimacy with Jesus? Do we acknowledge His life in our body?
1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
6“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ “
8Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
Job 19:25 In this week’s studies, we see how the book of Job points us to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Theme
We Shall See God
At the end of yesterday’s devotional, we said that one consequence of knowing that our Redeemer lives is that we, too, shall live. Jesus’s bodily resurrection is proof of our own future bodily resurrection.
Then, too, we shall see God. This is the second consequence. We shall live again and in that living form shall see God. I shall see God! What a wonderful thought! And how much more wonderful than anything else that might be said! Notice that Job does not say, “I shall see heaven.” That was true, but it was relatively unimportant when viewed against the fact that he would see God. Spurgeon noted this fact and wrote, “He does not say, ‘I shall see the pearly gates, I shall see the walls of jasper, I shall see the crowns of gold and the harps of harmony,’ but ‘I shall see God’; as if that were the sum and substance of heaven.”1
Nor does he say, “I shall see the holy angels.” That would have been a magnificent sight, at least it seems so to us as we look through the eyes of John the evangelist, who wrote the book of Revelation. I find few scenes more thrilling than John’s description of heaven and the angels. But this too pales beside the gaze of the soul on God. Notice, finally, that Job did not even say, “I shall see those of this world who have gone to heaven before me,” even though this would be a great joy and his departed children would be among them. Job would see all these things: the pearly gates, the holy angels, his children. But over and above and infinitely more glorious than any of these, he would see God.
Do not think that this is a narrow vista, wonderful but small, like looking at one of those old-fashioned pastoral scenes within a candy egg. God is infinite. In Him all things are centered. Thus, to see Him is to experience perfect contentment of the soul and to be satisfied in all one’s faculties.
I trust that this and the other truths we have considered are real for you, or that they will become real this Easter. Can you remember them?
1) There is a Redeemer.
2) He is a living Redeemer.
3) He can become your Redeemer.
4) You can know that He is your Redeemer.
5) You can look forward with confidence and delight to those consequences which follow from these facts: you shall live again, and you shall see God.
Our conclusion is this: If Job, who lived at the dawn of recorded history centuries before the time of the Lord Jesus Christ—if Job knew these things, how much more should we know them, we who know of Christ’s resurrection and have witnessed His power in our lives. Job lived in a dark and misty time, before the dawning of the Lord Jesus Christ, that sun of righteousness, who has since risen with healing in His wings. Job lived in an age before Jesus had brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. If he had failed to understand about the resurrection and had failed to believe in it, who could blame him? Nobody. Yet he believed. How much more then should we?
Do you believe in it? Can you say with Job, “I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God”?
If so, then live in that assurance. Do not fear death. During the next twelve months death will certainly come for some of us, but there will also be a resurrection. Besides, Jesus is also coming; and if that should happen soon, He will receive us all.
May I add one more thought? We believe these truths, yes. But let us not only believe them, let us pass them on so that others may share in this great resurrection faith also. What was Job’s desire after all? It was that his words might be preserved and that his faith in the resurrection be saved for coming generations. Job wanted his testimony to be engraved in lead and chiseled in stone. I do not know whether his wish was fulfilled in a literal sense, save in the fact that his words have been cut into many millions of gravestones. But I do know this: Figuratively the faith of Job has been cut into many millions of hearts so that those who have believed as he believed have become so many millions of living memorials, living stones, in which the resurrection hope is made manifest.
The resurrection hope has come down to us through many centuries of Church history. Let it pass to our children and to our children’s children, until the living Lord Jesus Christ returns in His glory. Jesus Christ lives! He lives! Then let us tell others, and let us shout with Job, “I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth”!
1Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth,” in Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, vol. 9 (Pasadena, TX: Pilgrim Publications, 1969), 214.
Study Questions
What is the second consequence of knowing our Redeemer lives?
Review the five truths we have considered. Do you believe them? Have you committed all you have and are to the service of so great and loving a Redeemer?
Application
Reflection: Who do you know who still needs to learn these things and bow before Him in worship and obedience?
For Further Study: Download for free and listen to D. A. Carson’s message, “Job and Suffering.” (Discount will be applied at checkout.)
We must acknowledge it an unspeakable favor and an inestimable privilege that we are not only admitted, but invited and encouraged, to draw near to God in prayer.
You have commanded me to pray always, with all prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, and, to that end, to keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints; Ephesians 6:18(ESV) to continue in prayer, and in everything, by prayer and supplication, to let my requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6(ESV)
You have directed me to ask and seek and knock, and have promised that I will receive, I will find, and it will be opened to me. Matthew 7:7(ESV)
You have appointed for me a great High Priest, in whose name I may draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that I may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16(ESV)
You have assured me that while the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, the prayer of the upright is acceptable; Proverbs 15:8(ESV) and that the one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies you; Psalm 50:23(ESV) and the sacrifice of thanksgiving will please the LORD more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs. Psalm 69:30-31(ESV)
You are he who hears prayer, and therefore to you shall all flesh come. Psalm 65:2(ESV)
You say, “Seek my face,” and my heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.” Psalm 27:8(ESV) For, should not a person inquire of his God? Isaiah 8:19(ESV) To whom shall I go but to you? You have the words of eternal life. John 6:68(ESV)
Have you ever heard the phrase, “The Cobbler’s children have no shoes”? If you saw the children of a cobbler, a shoemaker, walking around with worn out shoes, or no shoes at all, you would wonder why! Wouldn’t caring for your children’s needs be a priority? In a similar way, the prophet Haggai warned God’s people that their priorities were out of alignment. They were neglecting what was most important.Israel was back in the land after 70 years spent in exile. While they returned in excitement, the rebuilding process had been discouraging. The Temple in Jerusalem was still not completed, and the people had turned instead to building their own homes. Through Haggai, God confronted them about the situation: “Is it time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” (v. 4). His question needs no answer. Of course, it was not time for them to be focusing on their own homes while the house of the Lord was in shambles. This was an embarrassment, an affront to all sensibility.God’s displeasure is evident as the prophet points out that they have been suffering economic distress (v. 5). Their crops have failed. What they do have, they find satisfying. When they save money, it disappears like money in a bag with holes (v. 6)! They were failing to prioritize the most important things and this affected everything else they did.The solution was to put God first. They needed to expend energy, making God’s work a priority in their lives. They needed to be less busy with themselves and more busy with the things of the Lord. Specifically, that meant redoubling their efforts to gather the building material to finish the Temple and working hard to get the work done.
Go Deeper Are your priorities rightly ordered? How do you put God first in your life? What changes do you need to make to realign your priorities? Extended Reading: Haggai, Zechariah 1
Pray with Us Dear Jesus, help us to look honestly at our lives to determine our priorities. Do we put You first? Help us to “give careful thought to [our] ways” (Haggai 1:5).
The words of the angels are introduced in the Greek with ‘saying’ (cf. RSV), as in 4:8, 10; 5:13, though all look like songs. Indeed, up till now the only specific reference to singing is in verse 9. But as the actual words of their song are there introduced with ‘saying’, it is plain that this verb is consistent with song as well as speech. The structure and content of the other passages show that they should likewise be understood as songs, as is the case with the present passage. Like the preceding one this song begins with Worthy. For the Lamb and was slain, see note on verse 6. A slight difference is that there the Lamb was looking as if … slain’ while here there is no ‘as if’. The fact of the slaying is allowed to stand out. The angels use seven expressions (the perfect number is probably significant) to indicate the wonder of the Lamb. The first four are qualities he possesses, the last three express the attitude of people to him. Though there is no quotation there are resemblances to the praise of God in 1 Chronicles 29:10–12. Almost all the qualities here are ascribed to Christ elsewhere in the New Testament: power (1 Cor. 1:24), wealth (2 Cor. 8:9; Eph. 3:8), wisdom (1 Cor. 1:24), strength (Eph. 6:10; 2 Thess. 1:9), honour (Heb. 2:9; cf. Phil. 2:11), and glory (John 1:14; Heb. 2:9). ‘Blessing’ (NIV praise) is not specifically used of him, but the corresponding verb is (Mark 11:9–10; cf. Rom. 15:29).
Morris, L. (1987). Revelation: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, pp. 101–102). InterVarsity Press.
They were saying in a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and thanksgiving.”
No mention is made of harps or other musical instruments. We may assume that the heavenly host sang, but the text reads that they uttered a loud shout in unison so that the sound came as one voice. The wording of this second hymn expresses much the same thoughts as the hymn sung by the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders (vv. 9–10). But the angels have no need of redemption; they have learned from the church about the mystery of salvation (Eph. 3:10; 1 Pet. 1:12). They stand in awe at the wonder of God’s redeeming love in Christ Jesus. They are the ones who rejoice in heaven when one sinner on earth repents and cries out to God for mercy (Luke 15:7, 10). They are sent out as God’s messengers (Ps. 104:4; Heb. 1:7), and they are servants of the saints who are to inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14). They sing loudest praises to the Lamb, for they themselves have an integral part in the process of salvation by conveying divine messages to God’s people. Thus the angels compose and sing a hymn, dedicated not to God but to the Lamb. Their song is more compact and even richer in attributes than the hymn sung by the cherubim and elders. It is unique because of its sevenfold construction: it lists seven nouns in succession that are ascribed to the Lamb: power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and thanksgiving. Seven is the number of completeness (compare 7:12). The four living creatures ascribed glory, honor, and thanksgiving to God seated on the throne (4:9), and the twenty-four elders do the same thing except that instead of thanksgiving they use the term power (4:11). Note, however, that the heavenly beings once call God worthy because of his work of creation, but twice they name the Lamb worthy because of his redemptive work (4:11 and 5:9, 12 respectively). Some scholars divide the seven attributes into objective qualities (power, wealth, wisdom, and strength) and subjective qualities (honor, glory, and thanksgiving). Even though this demarcation has merit, the question is whether John wished to convey a division of qualities. For instance, glory is a heavenly attribute that people observe but are unable to increase. By contrast, honor is the act of people paying respect; and the act of thanksgiving “evokes man’s thankful response for benefits received.” All the other qualities belong to God and the Lamb. This song has its origin in heaven, yet the individual words reveal acquaintance with an Old Testament doxology composed by David: “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor.… Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks and praise your glorious name” (1 Chron. 29:11–12). Hence the Old Testament is the basis for the New Testament, reflected even in this angelic hymn. Qualities that belong to God are now ascribed to the Lamb. These qualities are power as inner strength; wealth that comes from God; and wisdom that God freely gives to his people. Strength is a synonym of power, and honor and glory frequently appear as a pair (e.g., Ps. 8:5). God grants these qualities to his people, and they in turn express their thanksgiving to him and the Lamb.
Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Vol. 20, pp. 212–213). Baker Book House.
5:12 Their tribute is one that believers will sing throughout eternity. “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive:
power—over my life, the church, the world, the universe;
riches—all my silver and my gold;
wisdom—the finest of my intellectual powers;
strength—my physical strength for His service;
honor—a single, pure desire to magnify Him in all my ways;
glory—my entire life devoted to glorifying Him;
blessing”—all my powers of praise for Him.
MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments (A. Farstad, Ed.; p. 2363). Thomas Nelson.
Let my heart be sound in thy statutes: that I be not ashamed. (Psalm 119:80)
We may regard this inspired prayer as containing within itself the assurance that those who keep close to the Word of God shall never have cause to be ashamed of doing so.
See, the prayer is for soundness of heart. A sound creed is good, a sound judgment concerning it is better, but a sound heart toward the truth is best of all. We must love the truth, feel the truth, and obey the truth, otherwise we are not truly sound in God’s statutes. Are there many in these evil days who are sound? Oh, that the writer and the reader may be two of this sort!
Many will be ashamed in the last great day, when all disputes will be decided. Then they will see the folly of their inventions and be filled with remorse because of their proud infidelity and willful defiance of the Lord; but he who believed what the Lord taught and did what the Lord commanded will stand forth justified in what he did. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun. Men much slandered and abused shall find their shame turned into glory in that day.
Let us pray the prayer of our text, and we may be sure that its promise will be fulfilled to us. If the Lord makes us sound, He will keep us safe.
The question of the purpose of the book of Romans is important for two reasons. The first is historical. The Bible is history. We want to know why Paul wrote this letter. But there’s also a practical purpose, namely, what use are we going to put the book of Romans to, and the purpose will inform that question.
The purpose of Romans has been studied for a very long time. In the Reformation, people say that it was regarded as a compendium of theology—depravity, justification, union with Christ, predestination. You read Romans to learn about doctrines. That’s a bit unkind to the Reformers, but we’ll leave it there for a moment. More recently, scholars have realized that the book of Romans, like Paul’s other letters, is really occasional. They’re written into particular situations and settings. So, the occasion of Romans, most scholars say, is threefold.
In Romans 15, Paul tells the Roman church he wants to use them as a base of operations for extending his mission to Spain. He’s proclaimed the name of Christ in quite a bit of the Roman Empire. He wants to go to Italy and then further west to Spain. So, there’s a missional purpose. There’s also an apologetic purpose. Paul has never visited the church in Rome. Someone else founded this church, so he wants to present himself and his gospel in a way that will get them on his side and bring them into his orbit.
And then many scholars today think there’s also a pastoral purpose, citing Romans 14 and 15, saying there’s a dispute in Rome between the strong and the weak over Jewish diet and calendar. And Paul addresses those divisions right throughout the letter.
In fact, one scholar has said that the best way to read Romans (like the title of his book) is to read Romans backwards. Not literally, but thinking everything up to Romans 14 is leading to a resolution of that dispute. Now, my own view is that there is a pastoral purpose of Romans, but it’s much broader than dealing with division. And we pick that up from what we call the letter frame.
In Romans 1:11, Paul says, “I want to impart to you a spiritual gift.” And in Romans 1:15 he says, “I want to preach the gospel to you.” So we ask ourselves,Well, why would Paul be preaching the gospel, this gift he wants to give them, if they’re already Christians?
The hint is that he wants to impart this spiritual gift to strengthen them. In one sense, the book of Romans is Paul presenting his gospel in full, with all its implications, to strengthen the Roman believers. And in Romans 16:25, right at the end of the letter, he says exactly that. He says, “Now, may God strengthen you with my gospel, the preaching of Jesus Christ.”
So, its purpose is to make Christians strong to face sin, to have hope, to deal with hardship, to love our enemies, and to be submissive to government. All of those things come together for Paul with his gospel message. The really remarkable thing is the verb that Paul uses for “to strengthen” is used another four times in his letters. In 1 and 2 Thessalonians, where he has already preached the gospel to that church, he writes to strengthen them. And even more remarkably, Luke uses a similar verb “to strengthen” four times in the book of Acts, where Paul’s already established a church, then he comes back, and he takes the gospel and strengthens them. So, I think it’s really helpful to think about how understanding the gospel helps us to deal with the challenges of the Christian life. And Romans is a remarkably full answer to that question.
Brian Rosner(PhD, Cambridge) was principal at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia from 2012–2024, where he now lectures in New Testament. He previously taught at the University of Aberdeen and Moore Theological College. Rosner is the author or editor of many books, including How to Find Yourself: Why Looking Inward Is Not the Answer. He is married to Natalie and has four children.
Studying Romans carefully is worth every minute you invest that way. It’s a relatively short letter, it takes about sixty minutes to read aloud, and it’s profound.
The openings of Paul’s letters are really very helpful in understanding the contents of the letter. They frame it beautifully. They’re like a good introduction to an essay, where you preview what’s going to happen in the rest of the document.
Paul had never visited the church in Rome when he wrote Romans. For that reason, the theology of Romans is the most complete and comprehensive of any of his letters.
Dr. Brian Rosner discusses the controversial, confusing, and difficult to understand parts of Romans, and what makes this book so helpful for believers today.
The Rev. Franklin Graham’s recent call for Americans to turn to prayer made headlines, with the evangelist explaining the power and importance of invoking God.
“Prayer is our opportunity to go directly into the presence of Almighty God,” he said. “And we need to examine ourselves before we do this, and just ask God to cleanse our hearts.”
Graham explained that the Lord’s Prayer in Scripture offers an “outline” for how to invoke the Lord, with Jesus detailing it in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4.
“He’s given us the blueprint that we need to pray using that as our model and structure our prayer in such a way that we’re asking for God’s will to be done, not our will, not Franklin Graham’s will, but His will and submitting ourselves to Him, and God does hear prayer.”
Graham concluded his interview with CBN News by praying for America, offering stirring words for the times in which we live. Of note, he prayed for America’s leaders.
“Father, forgive us of our sins, and, Father, we want to turn from our sins,” he said. “We pray for our president today and Vice President J.D. Vance. We pray for the Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, for all of our leaders, Father, and Kristi Noem, especially, who’s got such a tough job. Father, we pray for her today. Father, give wisdom. And then, Father, we pray for healing on our streets as there’s turmoil in our country.”
The evangelist also asked for peace and calm. Watch the full prayer above.
And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span? (6:27)
The second illustration has to do with life expectancy. Our culture is obsessed with trying to lengthen life. We exercise, eat carefully, supplement our diets with vitamins and minerals, get regular physical checkups, and do countless other such things in the hope of adding a few years to our lives. Yet God has bounded the life of every person. Exercise, good eating, and other common-sense practices are beneficial when done in a reasonable way and looked at in the right perspective. They no doubt can improve the quality and productivity of our lives, but they will not force God into extending our life’s span. You can worry yourself to death, but not to life. Dr. Charles Mayo, of the famous Mayo Clinic, wrote, “Worry affects the circulation, the heart, the glands and the whole nervous system. I have never met a man or known a man to die of overwork, but I have known a lot who died of worry.” The gift of life is a gift from God to be used for His purposes, for spiritual and heavenly reasons, not selfish and earthly ones. Our concern should be to obey, honor, please, and glorify Him, leaving everything else to His wisdom and care.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1985–1989). Matthew (Vol. 1, p. 423). Moody Press.
The senselessness of anxiety is also evident from the following: 27. And who among you is able, by being anxious, to add (even) one cubit to his life-span? The word translated “life-span” (Greek: hēlikia) may refer either to age or to height or stature. Thus Zachaeus was small in stature (Luke 19:3), but Sarah was long past the age of conceiving (Heb. 11:11). The man born blind, healed by Christ, had reached the age of legal maturity (John 9:21, 23). Here in Matt. 6:27 (cf. the parallel passage, Luke 12:25). A.V. has “stature.” But in the present context this cannot be correct, for two reasons: a. adding this amount is represented as being “a small thing” (Luke 12:26), but actually becoming taller by about eighteen inches or forty-six centimeters can hardly be considered an altogether insignificant accomplishment; and b. who, except perhaps an abnormally small person, would impatiently desire to add that amount to his stature? The true meaning, then, is this: “Who among you is able, by means of worrying, to lengthen the pathway of his life by ever so little?” On a birthday a person will sometimes say, “I have reached another mile-post.” On his seventieth birthday this individual will have reached his seventieth mile-post. Adding a cubit to seventy miles, or even to ten miles, would certainly be hardly worth mentioning. It would be “a small thing,” but even such a small thing, says Jesus, no one is able to accomplish by means of worrying. A man may “worry himself to death”; he cannot worry himself into a longer span of life. See also Ps. 39:4–6. The Lord now turns to another example from nature. Paralleling what he has said about the birds (verse 26) he now refers to the lilies (verses 28–30). In line with his teaching regarding the divine provision of food so that a person may keep alive, he now shows that God will also provide clothes so that this person’s body may be covered. It will be noticed that in verses 26–30, taken in their entirety, we therefore have an orderly elucidation and elaboration of verse 25. Jesus, then, continues to speak about the senselessness of worry (see d. on p. 343), in order that men may place their full trust in the heavenly Father.
Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew (Vol. 9, pp. 351–352). Baker Book House.
“We should be unfaithful to ourselves if we should ever lose sight of the danger to our liberties if anything partial or extraneous should infect the purity of our free, fair, virtuous, and independent elections.” —John Adams (1797)
Trump picks Warsh as Fed chair: President Donald Trump has announced his nomination of Kevin Warsh to replace the soon-to-be outgoing chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell. “I have known Kevin for a long period of time,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, “and have no doubt that he will go down as one of the GREAT Fed Chairmen, maybe the best. On top of everything else, he is ‘central casting,’ and he will never let you down.” Trump has repeatedly criticized Powell for not, in his opinion, acting quickly enough to lower interest rates, arguing that it could have saved the government “hundreds of billions of dollars.” Back in 2017, Warsh was among the candidates Trump considered before deciding on Powell. Warsh holds degrees from Stanford University and Harvard, worked at Morgan Stanley, and in 2006 became the youngest member to serve on the Fed’s board at age 35.
Shutdown avoided, funding for Fiscal Year 2026 secured: Funding for almost every part of the federal government has been secured through September 30, 2026. The Department of Homeland Security is the lone exception. Senate Democrats threatened a shutdown this week, insisting on renegotiating DHS funding. Late Thursday, a deal was reached with the White House that will pass funding for the Pentagon and Departments of State, Health, Education, Labor, and Transportation through FY 2026, while floating DHS funding for another two weeks to allow for further negotiations. Technically, funding will still lapse at midnight on Saturday unless the House can reconvene in time to vote on the new language. But even if funding lapses until Monday, the Office of Management and Budget may not declare a shutdown, since many government services do not operate over the weekend.
Minnesota update: Border Czar Tom “Families Can Be Deported Together” Homan was probably always the right choice to run an intense immigration enforcement operation. Unfortunately, he can only be in one place at a time, and Joe Biden dispersed millions of illegal immigrants as far across the nation as he could. Now that Homan has arrived in Minneapolis, where enforcement has been impeded by a multi-week riot, including harassment of border agents and interference with arrests, the situation is calming down. Homan met with leaders in Minnesota, including Attorney General Keith Ellison, and reached an agreement for ICE to be notified of the release date of criminal illegals held in county jails so they can be detained safely. Homan promises that as long as cooperation from Minnesota authorities actually materializes, the massive deployment of immigration agents in the Gopher State can be “drawn down.”
Illegal immigrant involved in fatal shooting: Another fatal shooting involving an illegal immigrant occurred late Tuesday night in Springfield, Missouri. Investigators on the scene in Greene County said the victim, Marvin Rodriquez Sanchez, 26, of Mexico, was shot in the chest “over a dispute about smoking in a house in the 1900 block of North Burton Avenue,” according to reporting by KY3. Sanchez died at a Springfield hospital from the gunshot wound. Nineteen-year-old Christopher Salazar-Montes from El Salvador has been arrested by the U.S. Marshals, and the county prosecutor has charged him with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. Investigators found that the suspect had not appeared at a municipal court summons in November 2024. Remember the sheer number of illegals that were allowed in under the Biden administration with virtually no vetting? The majority of them were single young men.
Don Lemon arrested: “Journalist” Don Lemon was arrested Thursday night as he was covering the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. The belated arrest is due to his invasion of a church service, shutting down that service, and disrupting that congregation’s First Amendment rights. Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, argued in a statement that Lemon’s actions were protected by the First Amendment, which Lowell said “exists to protect journalists.” Unfortunately for Lemon and Lowell, the entire event, in which Lemon and leftist agitators invaded and shut down a church service, was live-streamed by Lemon himself. The footage clearly shows that Lemon was not merely following protesters and acting as a journalist; he was coordinating with them and berating the congregation over their different views of the immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota. Lemon promises to fight the unrevealed charges in court.
Clintons courting contempt: In response to Bill and Hillary Clinton’s refusal to comply with congressional subpoenas related to its Jeffrey Epstein investigation, the House moved forward on holding the Clintons in contempt. On Monday, the House Rules Committee will vote on whether to bring the contempt measure to the House floor. It is widely expected to pass. Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer observed, “Subpoenas are not mere suggestions; they carry the force of law and require compliance. Former President Clinton and Secretary Clinton were legally required to appear for depositions before this Committee. They refused.” While most Democrats will likely vote against the measure, some have sided with Republicans on the issue. Meanwhile, the Clintons have continued to resist the subpoenas, claiming they’ve already given the committee the “little information we have.”
Labor secretary misconduct? Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has asked Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer for an explanation of some troubling allegations. Chief among the allegations is the possibility that Chavez-DeRemer used her position to “travel for pleasure, while having the American taxpayer foot the bill.” It also appears that the secretary may have taken staff to an Oregon strip club just after being confirmed by the Senate. She may have also been pursuing an extramarital affair with one of her bodyguards. Two of Chavez-DeRemer’s staffers and the bodyguard have been placed on leave or similarly benched during this investigation. So far, the White House is standing by the secretary, and she attended the most recent televised cabinet meeting, although she was not asked to speak.
Trump raises $10B lawsuit against IRS: During Donald Trump’s first term, Charles Littlejohn, an IRS contractor, collected and leaked the tax records of Trump and his sons Eric and Donald Jr. to The New York Times. Littlejohn was eventually identified, charged, found guilty, and is currently serving a federal prison sentence. On Thursday, Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, contending that the tax agency was obliged but failed to screen and monitor Littlejohn as it does with IRS employees. Trump argues that Littlejohn was, for all practical purposes, an employee of the IRS. Littlejohn admitted that he took the job with the aim of gaining access to Trump’s tax records. Democrat Sen. Ron Wyden blasted Trump for trying “to abuse his office in an attempt to steal $10 billion from the American taxpayer.”
Republicans introduce bill requiring approval for any climate treaty: In an effort to prevent the executive branch from unilaterally entering into climate treaties or agreements, 23 Senate Republicans led by Majority Whip John Barrasso have introduced the No Climate Treaties Act. This bill is specifically aimed at the infamous Paris Agreement, which Barack Obama initially joined by bypassing the Senate, despite the constitutional requirement of a two-thirds ratification vote in that chamber. The climate agreement imposed a costly greenhouse gas emissions reduction target on the U.S. While Trump formally withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, Biden rejoined it, and Trump has since withdrawn again. Barrasso explained that the legislation was needed because “Democrat administrations have a history of ignoring the will of the American people and bypassing Senate approval to unilaterally join costly international climate treaties.”
Headlines
Trump claims Putin agreed to one-week ceasefire (National Review)
With a low-level leftist insurgency continuing to roil a major American city, you’d be forgiven for thinking that election integrity isn’t a top priority.
But, hey, we should be able to stomp filthy leftist rabble and keep the Democrats from stealing elections walk and chew gum at the same time, right? And while it’s true that the Democrats long ago declared war on honest elections, that doesn’t mean we can’t keep trying to reform them, right?
After all, if you need a photo ID to get on an airplane, or to adopt a pet, or to apply for welfare, or to walk into a Costco, or to gain admittance to an NAACP convention, shouldn’t you have to prove who you are in order to cast a vote for a dementing presidential candidate exercise the most solemn and fundamental right of an American citizen?
Yesterday, House Republicans introduced a comprehensive election reform bill — one that would require photo ID before voting and verification of citizenship before registering to vote.
The bill is called the Make Elections Great Again Act — a name that certainly dooms it from getting the required 60 votes to beat a Senate filibuster — and is led by Wisconsin Republican Bryan Steil. As Steil put it: “Americans should be confident their elections are being run with integrity — including commonsense voter ID requirements, clean voter rolls, and citizenship verification,” Steil said in a statement. “These reforms will improve voter confidence, bolster election integrity, and make it easy to vote, but hard to cheat.”
If Steil’s name sounds familiar, it might be because he’s been an ardent champion of election reform for a few years now, and because he and his fellow House Republicans introduced an election reform bill, the American Confidence in Elections Act, back in 2023.
For the opposition, here’s Steil’s Democrat counterpart, Joe Morelle of New York: “President Trump and House Republicans are terrified of the American people. They are desperate to rig the system so they can choose their voters. This bill is their latest attempt to block millions of Americans from exercising their right to vote. I will fight this bill at every turn.”
It’s hard to blame the Democrats for their lack of enthusiasm when it comes to voting integrity. After all, our current system works really well for them. Consider this bit of evidence from an AP poll taken prior to the 2024 election:
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds that only 22% of Republicans have high confidence that votes in the upcoming presidential election will be counted accurately compared to 71% of Democrats, underscoring a partisan divide fueled by a relentless campaign of lies related to the 2020 presidential election. Even as he runs for the White House a third time, Trump continues to promote the false claim that the election was stolen.
When folks think a system is broken, they’re less likely to trust that system, and — more important to Democrat electoral fortunes — they’re less likely to use that system. And that’s why the Democrats absolutely love our broken status quo — because they know that requiring folks to, you know, show proof that they are who they say they are, to prove their identity and their citizenship, makes it tougher for them to cheat. (Democrats have long held the racist belief that blacks are somehow less capable of getting voter IDs than whites.)
The unveiling of this House bill comes a day after Senate Majority Leader John Thune said that another bill — the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which would add a requirement that folks prove their citizenship in order to register to vote — will come to the Senate floor “at some point.”
I wonder how Thune can “promise” a vote here. Maybe he’s talking about a procedural vote, in which the Democrats will certainly not cooperate to get over the Senate’s 60-vote threshold.
And that’s the most frustrating thing about election reform. It’s a great bill, but without a few Democrat votes, it goes nowhere.
And that’s a shame. Because, as The Daily Wire notes, “Recent data suggests that 80% of Americans favor photo ID laws, including 97% of Republicans, 84% of Independents, and 53% of Democrats. Furthermore, 77% of minority voters reportedly support such measures.”
Yep, even a majority of Democrat voters support fixing our broken system.
Brian Mark Weber: Bungling the Second Amendment Message — In the wake of Alex Pretti’s death in Minnesota, people on both sides of the political divide have thoroughly botched the explanation about gun rights.
Emmy Griffin: Friendly Fire in Letitia James’s Office — The attorney general of New York fired her lesbian assistant AG for rightly calling gender-affirming care for children “consumer fraud.”
Mark Alexander: Profiles of Valor: SGT John Baca (USA) — “I am an ordinary citizen who answered my country’s call to duty and performed that duty to the very best of my ability.”
Ron Helle: ‘Sit, Walk, Stand’ — Are you spiritually stiff from only sitting? Are you trying to walk without “knowing Him whom you have believed”? It’s never too late to get back to the basics.
Clay Fuller: Faith, Duty, America First — Fuller, who’s running to replace MTG in GA-14, lays out the three pillars of his campaign and shares the personal moments that shaped his worldview.
SHORT CUTS
Village Idiots
“It’s time to talk to your neighbors. Find out if they’re MAGA or not. Sorry, but we have to know who’s on our team and start to plan. … If you’re silent, you’re complicit.” —actress/“comedian” Kathy Griffin
“People are being murdered. … It’s hideous. And so if we can do anything out here to support the movement to cast ICE out, to delegitimize this unbelievably criminal organization, then that’s what we should be doing.”“ —actress Olivia Wilde
“They’re blatantly murdering U.S. citizens, detaining five-year-olds … patrolling schools and churches. So imagine what they’re doing behind closed doors at detention centers with no cameras around.” —actress Eva Longoria
“This is time for a revolution. … They can’t take us all down. If the whole world showed up on Putin’s doorstep or the Iranians’ doorstep or in Washington … they’ll kill 500, 50 million or however, but the rest of us would survive.” —actor Giancarlo Esposito
“Do not compare ICE or Border Patrol agents to the Nazis. That’s an unfair comparison. The Nazis were willing to show their faces.” —”comedian” Stephen Colbert
Chilling
“This is a small bunch of wannabe Nazis. That’s what they are. … If we have to hunt you down the way they hunted down Nazis for decades, we will find your identities. We will find you.” —Soros-backed Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner discussing plans to hunt down ICE agents
For the Record
“Under the president’s leadership, we have the most secure border in the history of this nation, which means less women are being raped, less children are dying crossing that border, less fentanyl is getting into this country to kill Americans, less known suspected terrorists are crossing the country. … A secure border saves lives.” —Border Czar Tom Homan
“I begged for the last two months on TV for the rhetoric to stop. I said in March if the rhetoric didn’t stop, there was going to be bloodshed, and there has been. I wish I wasn’t right. I don’t want to see anybody die. Not officers, not members of the community.” —Tom Homan
“I didn’t come to Minnesota for photo ops or headlines. I came here to seek solutions, and that’s what we’re going to do, and we’ve come a long way.” —Tom Homan
Re: The Left
“These highly organized ‘protest’ events have been ginned up by those who want to distract the public’s attention away from the money laundering that is taking place under the guise of government ‘grants.’” —Laura Hollis
“Divulging anything vaguely negative about a victim whom liberals like is abhorrent, beyond the bounds of decency — even if the information is true, relevant and important. On the other hand, if liberals don’t like you, the worst thing you ever did in your life will be front-page news the day after the government kills you.” —Ann Coulter
ON THIS DAY in 1882, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born. Elected president in 1932, he was the only man to be elected four times, though he died shortly after beginning his fourth term. He ably led the U.S. through World War II, but he is also largely responsible for the extra-constitutional behemoth that is our modern federal government.
Soros-Backed Radical Leftist DAs Vow To ‘Hunt Down’ ICE Agents, Smearing Them As ‘Wannabe Nazis’ Amidst the calls to execute President Trump and hang White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller, Soros-backed leftist district attorneys have decided to hunt down ICE agents, whom they have branded as “wannabe Nazis.” Billionaire George Soros is reportedly funding the coalition, pushing his legion of DAs to prosecute federal immigration agents in their jurisdictions.
Will the US use cyberwarfare to ‘help’ Iranian protesters? Analysts and experts have been trying to ascertain if that intervention would come as physical strikes in the country, or as something more subtle. Restricting internet access to protesters has been a key tactic used by Iranian authorities to curb dissent and limit information flowing in and out of the country. Shahin Modarres, a specialist on Iran at the International Team for the Study of Security Verona, says attacking Iranian authorities’ internet presence could be a probable tactic for the US. “The preferred solution would be a limited, precise intervention on the headquarters of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards so that people in the streets can continue to mobilise,”
US envoy: Full, unrestricted access to Greenland a must “The reality is that no country, no group of countries, has the capacity to secure Greenland without the United States,” Landry, who is also governor of Louisiana, writes … Landry praises the framework for the island that Trump presented at the World Economic Forum last week and writes that it will strengthen the security of Greenland, NATO and the United States.
Agreement may avoid new government shutdown Democrats and Republicans have reached a preliminary agreement that may avoid a new government shutdown, AP reports. President Donald Trump said he supports the deal. Last fall, the U.S. government shut down after Democrats and Republicans in Congress failed to agree on the federal budget.
Sam Altman Says AI Will Cause Massive Deflation, Making Money Worth Vastly More Altman remained characteristically bullish about what his company’s tech will soon offer to the world. When asked if AI can be used to “solve economic gaps that have existed for decades,” the executive argued that it’s “going to be massively deflationary.” ..As a result of this deflationary pressure, Altman promised that things would get “radically cheaper” and the “empowerment of individual people” will go up as money becomes more valuable
IDF warns Hamas is rebuilding by stealing aid, calls to limit truck deliveries ahead of Rafah crossing reopening The amount of aid entering the enclave through border crossings as well as other smuggling routes has contributed to the significant economic strengthening of Hamas in recent months, the IDF warned. The military is also preparing for a new ground operation to eventually disarm the terror group, which has shown no intention of laying down its weapons.
European parliament votes to list IRGC as terror organization as EU moves to impose new sanctions on Iran European foreign ministers voted to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terror organization on Thursday, following significant lobbying efforts after the deadly crackdowns by the Iranian regime on protesters. The move was expected after several countries which had previously opposed such a step indicated their willingness to do so over the past few days. “This will put them on the same footing with al-Qaeda, Hamas, Daesh (ISIS),”
Iranian official threatens strike ‘to the heart of Tel Aviv’ in case the US attacks the regime Writing on 𝕏 both in Persian and in Hebrew, Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and one of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s closest aides, said, “A limited [US] strike is an illusion. Any military action by America, of any kind and at any level, will be considered the start of a war, and the response will be immediate, comprehensive, and unprecedented, directed at the aggressor, at the heart of Tel Aviv, and at all who support the aggressor.”
Rabbi Anava: Trump’s geopolitical moves are divine messages for Jewish repentance Speaking to a packed audience, the rabbi connected Trump’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, threats against Iran, and the Greenland crisis to ancient prophecies—and issued a stark warning to Jews worldwide. The question Rabbi Anava posed cuts to the core: Why is God orchestrating this global drama? “According to Torah teaching, when you become a king, president, or ruler, you lose your free choice. It’s 100% Hashem,” Rabbi Anava explained. “Kings and leaders don’t have free choice—their decisions are guided by divine will.” This principle transforms how we must view Trump’s actions—not as political strategy, but as divine messaging.
U.S. sends additional warship to Middle East amid Iran tensions The U.S. Navy has sent an additional warship to the Middle East, a U.S. official told Reuters on Thursday, amid a large military buildup in the region and soaring tensions. the USS Delbert D. Black had entered the region in the past 48 hours. This brings the number of destroyers in the Middle East to six, along with an aircraft carrier and three other littoral combat ships.
IDF intel, Mossad chiefs recently visit US in one-two punch for advice on handling Iran His visit came almost immediately after the critical call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump on January 14 in which, according to foreign sources, Netanyahu urged Trump to delay attacking Iran until more American forces were deployed in the region – both for offensive operations and for defending Israel. Binder met with top US military officials this Tuesday and Wednesday, just as the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group arrived in the region
From secret satellites to civilian services: Israel’s space industry reinvents itself For decades, Israel’s space industry operated largely out of public view: small, defense-oriented, closed, and focused primarily on the state’s strategic needs. Satellites, communications systems, and sensors were developed mainly for the defense establishment, sometimes in collaboration with civilian entities, but almost always under a veil of secrecy and with minimal exposure to commercial markets. That picture is now beginning to change.
Iran’s Slaughter Of Civillians Reaches Unprecedented Heights As Fiery Warnings Sound From America And Israel There is still a huge volume of bodies coming to Tehran. The estimates of protesters slaughtered by the Iranian government range from 30,000 to 80,000. Many were shot in the streets, others were killed in hospitals, and still more were unofficially executed in jails and prisons. By far this is the largest slaughter of a civilian population by its government in this century. But the leftist marchers around the world seem to either be silent or just too busy protesting against Israel and ICE to worry about tens of thousands of dead Iranians who were risking their lives for their rights
Tucker Carlson Accuses Tim Walz And Jacob Frey Of Orchestrating A ‘Color Revolution’ And Civil War “Why would a state refuse to protect American citizens from murder, refuse to give the names or whereabouts of murderers and child molesters, and refuse to use its own cops to keep riots under control? What could possibly be the answer?” “Because they want riots, that’s why,” Carlson answered.
Unprecedented: Trump Gets Putin To Halt Strikes On Kiev For One Week In Call In a surprising Thursday development, President Trump has claimed that Russia agreed to pause strikes on the Ukrainian capital and some other cities “for a week” – a decision he said came after direct personal intervention with Russian President Vladimir Putin. If accurate, this could represent a huge advance in the direction of peace, given the positive precedent it sets. “Because of the extreme cold…I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kiev and the cities and towns for a week,” Trump told reporters during a cabinet meeting. According to Trump, Putin “agreed to do that,” adding that “we’re very happy” with the outcome.
M6.0 earthquake hits South Sandwich Islands region A strong earthquake registered by USGS as M6.0 struck South Sandwich Islands region on Jan. 29 at a depth of 74.7 km (46 miles). EMSC reports M6.0 at a depth of 26 km (16 miles). There’s no tsunami threat. The epicenter was located 2,485 km (1,544 miles) SSW of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, Tristan da Cunha, and 2,592 km (1,610 miles) E of Ushuaia, Argentina.
Over 100 fatalities confirmed after major January 2026 U.S. winter storm Up to 115 fatalities have been reported over 20 states in the U.S. after a historic winter storm swept through the eastern two-thirds of the country between Jan. 24 and 26. The storm is now the deadliest since the 2021 Texas power crisis, when multiple storms claimed nearly 250 lives across the country, and has surpassed the death toll of the 2022 Buffalo Blizzard of the Century.
No Deal With Iran! An Apocalyptic “Regime Change War” Appears To Be Imminent, And Everyone Is Bracing For The Worst It appears an apocalyptic war is about to begin in the Middle East, yet most people living in the Western world don’t seem alarmed. They should be because once the missiles start flying, the death and destruction we’ll witness will shock the entire globe. The nuts running Iran fully understand the goal this time will be to bring their regime to an end, and they’ll throw everything they’ve got at us in a desperate attempt to survive.
WEF calls for “cultural revolution” to push fake meat The World Economic Forum is calling for a “cultural revolution” to increase acceptance of lab-grown meat, despite public resistance to the products…. But far from being beneficial to consumers, the fake meat agenda is really about global oligarchs taking control of the food supply, irrespective of the negative impacts on the environment and health.
Soros-Backed Radical Leftist DAs Vow To ‘Hunt Down’ ICE Agents, Smearing Them As ‘Wannabe Nazis’ Billionaire George Soros is reportedly funding the coalition, pushing his legion of district attorneys to prosecute federal immigration agents in their jurisdictions. These are the same communists who oppose mandatory minimum prison sentences for actual criminals, opting instead to release them back onto the streets.
Trump Warns Next Attack Will Be ‘Far Worse’ If There Is No Nuclear Deal As Iran Claims Its ‘Fingers Are On The Trigger’ President Trump warned Iran that “a massive armada” led by aircraft carrier USS Lincoln is moving toward them and that “time is running out” to make a nuclear deal or face a US strike “far worse” than the one last summer. “Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS….Time is running out,” he wrote.
US increases forces in the Middle East, with another destroyer now operating in the region; Iranian leaders warn “a decisive response will be delivered instantly” if the US does attack; President Trump says it would be great if the US does not have to use its forces; Israeli leaders preparing for the possibility of another conflict with Iran; U.S. warns Iran against building nuclear weapons; European Union designates Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, and the Guard announces plans to conduct live fire naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz; Chris Mitchell talks about Trump’s military options in Iran, if Iran is capable of launching deadly strikes against Israel, if air strikes would be enough to bring down the Iranian regime, what exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi is urging for Iran’s future, and what’s happening with the church in Iran; how China has gained a military foothold in Venezuela, and how durable it remains after Trump removed former leader Nicolas Maduro; our Studio Five conversation with Gospel songwriter Brunes Charles, who could win a Grammy this weekend for Best Gospel Songwriter – even though he never saw himself as a writer; and how some kids in Tennessee made the best of last weekend’s winter storm.
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When the economy and the financial system are both greatly shaken at the same time, the consequences can be extremely painful. Most of you still clearly remember what life was like in 2008 and 2009. It was such a dark chapter in American history. But there have been other times when we have had a financial market crash but no recession. 1987 is a perfect example of that. Of course there have also been many instances when economic conditions have been very poor but the financial markets weathered it just fine. It is actually rare for a major economic crisis and a major financial crisis to occur simultaneously like we witnessed during the Great Recession and the Great Depression. Unfortunately, it appears that this is precisely the type of scenario that we are now facing.
The other day I authored an article entitled “12 Signposts That Indicate That A Monumental Economic Meltdown Is Now Upon Us”, and it received a tremendous amount of attention. That article clearly established that a significant economic slowdown is now upon us. Since I wrote that article, more evidence that the economy is slowing down has emerged.
For example, it is being reported that Las Vegas experienced a “devastating fall of 7.5 percent” in the number of people visiting the city last year…
Las Vegas’s long‑rumored tourism collapse has erupted into full public view, with new data revealing that 2025 was the year the desert empire finally stumbled.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) confirmed that the city drew just 38.5 million visitors in 2025, a devastating fall of 7.5 percent from the previous year.
This marked the sharpest annual decline since the post‑pandemic recovery and erasing years of hard‑won momentum.
Las Vegas has always been a leading indicator for U.S. economic performance.
When the number of tourists starts to fall, an economic downturn almost always follows.
The video game industry has also fallen on very hard times.
One-third of U.S. video game industry workers say they were laid off last year, according to a new survey conducted by the organizers behind the newly revamped Game Developers Conference (GDC).
Based on responses from more than 2,300 gaming industry professionals, with surveys “customized for each participant group, ensuring that developers, marketers, executives, investors and others answered questions most relevant to them,” the 2026 State of the Game Industry Report found that 33% of respondents in the U.S. were laid off in the past two years.
That is crazy.
I think that AI is having a bigger impact in the video game industry than most of us realized.
But of course we are seeing mass layoffs in many other industries as well.
On Thursday, Mastercard announced that it will be laying off approximately 4 percentof its entire workforce…
Mastercard has completed a review of its business that will impact about 4% of its full-time employees, the payment processor’s CFO, Sachin Mehra, said on Thursday.
“Based on the recent strategic review of our business, we expect to record a one-time restructuring charge in Q1 of approximately $200 million,” Mehra said on a call with analysts.
Atlanta-based Home Depot announced hundreds of layoffs Wednesday in its corporate operations.
Around 800 employees who work for the Atlanta store support center are being laid off, according to the company. Less than 150 of them work in the center and the rest work remotely.
In a statement, a Home Depot spokesperson said the company is “simplifying our corporate operations to better support our stores and our customers.”
Just like in 2008, it seems like we are being hit by one wave of layoffs after another.
Everyone thought that Dow Inc. was doing well, but they just announced that 4,500 employeeswill be hitting the bricks…
Chemical maker Dow Inc. is the latest company to announce substantial layoffs as it pivots to a stronger reliance on artificial intelligence and automation.
The company, on Thursday, announced it would cut 4,500 jobs as part of a streamlining operation it calls “Transform to Outperform.” The cuts will provide a $2 billion boost in near-term revenue, the company said, but will bring with them between $1.1 billion and $1.5 billion in one-time costs, including severance and other costs.
Some of the employment markets that were once the hottest are now being hit the hardest by layoffs.
In Seattle, we are being told that the “tech boom” has now turned into “tech gloom”…
A cloud hanging over Seattle is usually a good thing, if you’re here for the rain, or if you work in that aspect of the tech industry. But the cloud of economic uncertainty is a less welcome occurrence.
The tech boom is showing more signs of tech gloom this week following layoffs at some of the region’s biggest employers.
Amazon is laying off another 16,000 corporate employees, bringing the total to 30,000 since October. The company is also shuttering all of its Fresh and Go grocery stores.
Meta is cutting hundreds of workers in its Reality Labs division, with roots in the region.
Expedia Group is slashing more than 160 jobs at its Seattle HQ.
For those that want even more examples of the mass layoffs that have been happening all over America, I would recommend checking out my previous articles.
As economic conditions continue to deteriorate, chaos is erupting in the financial system.
Japanese bond yields have been going nuts, currency rates have been flying all over the place, cryptocurrencies crashed again today, and the price of silver and the price of gold have both been absolutely skyrocketing.
Statistically, the probability of what we have witnessed in the financial markets during the month of January is very close to zero. To illustrate this, I would like to share an extended excerpt from a social media post that a user known as “NoLimit” recently published on his X account…
The probability of what is happening is near zero.
Three 6-sigma events occurred in one week.
– Bonds – Silver – Gold
We are currently living through a statistical impossibility.
Let me explain:
Last Tuesday, Japanese 30-year debt recorded what’s called a “6-sigma” session.
2 days ago, silver did even better: it was at 5-sigma on the rally, then reached 6-sigma on the drop. IN A SINGLE SESSION.
Gold right now? It’s up 23% in less than a month. We’re getting very close to a 6-sigma event.
That’s three 6-sigma events in ONE WEEK.
To explain quickly: in finance, we measure price moves around an average using the standard deviation, which we call sigma.
1-sigma: mundane 2-sigma: common 3-sigma: becomes rare 4-sigma: exceptional 5-sigma: extremely rare 6-sigma: supposed to occur once in 500 million
Here are the 6-sigma-type episodes we saw previously:
– The october 1987 crash, 22% drop in 1 session – March 2020 covid crash – The swiss franc’s surge in january 2015 – WTI oil turning negative in april 2020
But we’ve never had 3 events occur in one week.
Do you see the point?
A 6-sigma event is almost NEVER triggered by a simple macro headline.
It almost always comes from the market’s structure: leverage, positions that are too concentrated, margin calls, collateral problems, and forced selling or buying.
That’s important to understand because we’re talking about internal strains in the system’s mechanics.
As you know, the Japanese bond market sits at the heart of the global financial system, and I won’t go back over the whole topic, but a 6-sigma move in a market that enormous doesn’t go unnoticed.
Seeing a 6-sigma move in silver a few days later gives one a lot to think about.
And now gold?? That’s absolutely insane.
Why are we seeing extreme statistical events, only days apart, in such different markets?
When a pillar of global funding becomes unstable, leverage tends to contract, and two things happen at the same time: forced selling in certain assets and forced buying of protection in others.
Historically, precious metals are often among the beneficiaries.
Many of my readers are loving the fact that gold and silver prices have risen at an exponential rate.
JPMorgan is even suggesting that the price of gold could eventually hit $8,000.
But meanwhile the U.S. dollar and other fiat currencies are dying and investors are losing faith in the entire system.
At this stage, Peter Schiff is warning that we are headed for a global nightmare “that will make the 2008 financial crisis look like a Sunday school picnic”…
As gold prices keep rising, American economist Peter Schiff says investors should view the rally as more than a hedge — calling it a warning that inflation is speeding up, the U.S. dollar is losing global trust and a major economic reckoning may be near.
“Gold and silver are warning about a bigger crisis that’s gonna hit either later this year or maybe next year. We are headed for a U.S. dollar crisis and a sovereign debt crisis,” Schiff said Tuesday afternoon on “The Claman Countdown.”
“Central banks are buying gold to back up their currencies. They’re getting rid of dollars. They are getting rid of Treasuries,” he continued. “We are headed for [an] economic crisis, again, that will make the 2008 financial crisis look like a Sunday school picnic.”
The warning signs are all around us.
The last time we were forced to endure a major economic crisis and a major financial crisis at the same time was during the Great Recession.
Now it is happening again, and many prominent voices believe that the pain that we will soon experience will be off the charts.
It appears that an apocalyptic war is about to begin in the Middle East, and yet most people living in the western world don’t seem alarmed by this at all. But they should be, because once the missiles start flying the death and destruction that we will witness will deeply shock the entire globe. The nuts that are running Iran fully understand that the goal this time around will be to bring their regime to an end, and they will throw everything that they have got at us in a desperate attempt to survive. Anyone that believes that there is any limit to what they might do is not being rational. They figure that if they are going to go down, they might as well go down swinging.
A number of countries have been attempting in recent days to mediate between the United States and Iran, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke to The Jerusalem Post.
Among the countries conveying messages are Turkey, Oman, and Qatar. The message these countries have delivered to Iran, according to one of the sources, is: “Act rationally. Give President Trump something so that war can be avoided.”
Unfortunately, all of those efforts have failed.
At this point, the Iranians would rather fight a war than agree to the deal that is being proposed by President Trump…
The foreign ministry official added that the US wants Iran to dismantle its nuclear program, limit its defense capabilities, and recognize Israel.
“This has nothing to do with a balanced agreement; it would mean Iran’s surrender,” the source told the Lebanese outlet.
The official went on to say that Iran remained open to a “balanced” agreement, but would choose armed conflict if one was not given one.
“If forced to choose between the agreement proposed by Trump and war, Iran will choose the latter, considering it less costly, because it will not surrender itself in advance.”
I don’t think that there ever was a chance for any sort of a deal.
So now war is coming, and it is being reported that President Trump wants to see “regime change” in Iran…
Two US sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters that Trump wanted to create conditions for “regime change” after a crackdown crushed a nationwide protest movement earlier this month, killing thousands of people.
To do so, he was looking at options to hit commanders and institutions that Washington holds responsible for the violence, to give protesters the confidence that they could overrun government and security buildings, they said.
One of the US sources said the options being discussed by Trump’s aides also included a much larger strike intended to have a lasting impact, possibly against the nuclear or ballistic missile programs.
There has been a lot of discussion about what type of military strikes President Trump will choose.
But in the end, it really doesn’t matter.
A former member of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council named Ali Shamkhani is warning that even a very limited attack on Iran “will be considered the start of a war”…
“A limited [U.S.] strike is an illusion. Any military action by America, of any kind and at any level, will be considered the start of a war, and the response will be immediate, comprehensive, and unprecedented, directed at the aggressor, at the heart of Tel Aviv, and at all who support the aggressor.”
The moment that Iran realizes that it is under attack, it will start responding.
A spokesperson for the Iranian army says that the response “will be delivered instantly”, and he insists that U.S. aircraft carriers have “serious vulnerabilities”…
Iran will deliver an immediate response in case of an attack by the United States, the army spokesman says, warning that US military bases in the region or an aircraft carrier could be targets.
“A decisive response will be delivered instantly,” army spokesman Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia tells state television after the USS Abraham Lincoln deployed in the region, saying that US aircraft carriers have “serious vulnerabilities” and that numerous American bases are “within the range of our medium-range missiles.”
Another Iranian official is telling us that once Iran starts attacking an aircraft carrier, they won’t stop “until it is finished”…
I don’t know why more people aren’t taking these warnings seriously.
The Iranians have already deployed several Shahed-149 long-range drones to monitor the USS Abraham Lincoln and the destroyers that are escorting it…
Iran has deployed multiple long-range armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to monitor the U.S. Navy’s USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group operating in the Gulf of Oman, according to defense and regional intelligence assessments cited by multiple security officials.
The drones identified are Shahed-149 “Gaza” unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Tracking data indicates the aircraft are operating over international waters near Oman, at a distance of more than 700 kilometers from Iran’s southern coastline, placing them well outside Iran’s traditional coastal defense zone.
Once the shooting starts, the Iranians could easily send hundreds of armed drones at the Abraham Lincoln.
The Abraham Lincoln is equipped with sophisticated defenses, but it is simply not able to handle that many targets simultaneously.
In addition, there are unconfirmed reports which indicate that China has given extremely advanced DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missiles to Iran…
Unconfirmed intelligence reporting circulating among regional security officials and defense analysts indicates that China may have covertly transferred DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missiles to Iran, a development that, if substantiated, would represent a significant shift in the military balance of the Middle East and the northern Indian Ocean.
Neither Beijing nor Tehran has acknowledged the reports, and U.S. officials have so far declined public comment. However, multiple analysts say the possibility is being treated seriously within Western and regional defense circles due to the strategic implications of the DF-21D system and Iran’s longstanding effort to expand its anti-access capabilities.
Of course the Iranians already have Sunburn anti-ship missiles, and those are quite formidable.
Open-source defense assessments describe the DF-21D as a road-mobile medium-range ballistic missile with an estimated range of approximately 1,500 to 1,700 kilometers. The missile is believed to reach hypersonic speeds during its terminal phase, exceeding Mach 10, and is equipped with a maneuverable re-entry vehicle.
Unlike conventional ballistic missiles that follow a fixed trajectory, the DF-21D warhead can adjust its path during descent, allowing it to engage moving maritime targets. Guidance is thought to rely on a combination of inertial navigation and terminal active radar, potentially supported by off-board sensors such as satellites, maritime patrol aircraft, or unmanned systems.
Our aircraft carriers would be sitting ducks if they are within range of Chinese-made anti-ship missiles.
In addition to having the USS Abraham Lincoln positioned south of Iran, the USS Theodore Roosevelt is currently in the Red Sea, and the USS George H.W. Bush is now traveling toward the Middle East…
There is still time to pull back from the brink.
But the clock is ticking.
Just hours ago, Israeli leaders reportedly held an emergency meeting to discuss how they will handle the rapidly approaching conflict…
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was holding a security consultation in Jerusalem with top advisers and defense officials on a “classified topic,” the office of one of the attendees told The Times of Israel on Thursday, as speculation continues to swirl over whether the US will attack Iran.
According to Channel 12, the discussion was focused on Iran and the possibility of an American strike, which US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened.
Needless to say, the Israelis would love to see regime change in Iran because they consider the Iranians to be their number one enemy.
But the Israelis also realize that this war will be much deadlier than the short war that we witnessed last year…
Many are warning that we could also see terror attacks by sleeper cells that are suddenly activated in western countries.
In fact, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see terror attacks in the continental United States.
In addition, an apocalyptic war with Iran would send the price of oil soaring.
On Thursday, it hit the highest level that we have seen in six months…
The price of oil hit a six-month high on rising concerns of a US military attack on Iran.
With tensions between Washington and Tehran mounting, Brent crude jumped 5 per cent to $71.89 a barrel.
That was the highest since the start of August and took gains since early January, when oil dipped below $60 a barrel, to 20 per cent.
If the Strait of Hormuz is closed for an extended period of time, we could easily see the price of oil double or even triple.
Needless to say, that would have very serious economic implications and there would be a lot of very unhappy people in this country.
But a spike in the price of oil will only be temporary.
The vast numbers of people that will perish during the upcoming conflict will be dead permanently.
Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, released a bombshell report with new and damning information on Wednesday. On Wednesday afternoon she shared with White House reporters at the daily briefing. The documents reveal it was Barack Obama and the FBI and CIA leadership at the time to sabotage President Trump before he even stepped into office. Obama did this knowing the entire story was manufactured and not a word of it was true.
Gabbard released one House Intelligence Report that had been locked up in a CIA vault for almost a decade! It now is clear that Obama doctored the information to make it look like Putin and his buddy Donald Trump stole the election.
There were four key elements in the reports about the fake Russian collusion that formed the basis of the Russia hoax. Jesse Watters reported: 1.) That Vladimir Putin wanted Donald Trump to to win in 2016. 2.) That Putin took action to help Donald Trump win in 2016. 3.) Russia had blackmail evidence against Trump – the Steele dossier. 4.) Russia tried to collude with the Trump campaign.
This was all a lie and they knew it. There was no reliable information to back up any of their allegations.
During her press conference with White House reporters, DNI Tulsi Gabbard said she has already turned this information on Obama over to the Department of Justice.
Reporter Emily Jashinski: Do you believe that any of this new information implicates former President Obama in criminal behavior?
Tulsi Gabbard: We have referred, and will continue to refer all of these documents to the Department of Justice and the FBI to investigate the criminal implications of this.
Reporter Emily Jashinsky: For even former President Obama?
Tulsi Gabbard: The evidence that we have found and that we have released directly point to President Obama leading the manufacturing of this intelligence assessment. There are multiple pieces of evidence and intelligence that confirmed that fact.
Now that the DOJ has this information let’s see if Pam Bondi has the guts to charge Barack Obama for leading this attempted coup of the Trump administration. Don’t hold your breathe!
Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, (1:27a)
The second proper reaction to the Word of God is the willingness to apply it to one’s life without selfishness, with genuine concern for the welfare of others, especially those in great need. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is to serve them with love and compassion. Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Katharos (pure) and amiantos (undefiled) are synonyms, the first emphasizing cleanliness, the second denoting freedom from contamination. James is not speaking of what may seem best to us, best to the world, or even best to fellow believers, but what is best in the sight of our God and Father. The genuineness of anyone’s religion is not determined by his or her own qualifications or standards but by God’s. The greatest spiritual mistake of the scribes, Pharisees, and other Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus was in that very regard. They had replaced God’s standards in the Law with their own man-made traditions. Of such men Jesus said, “You invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me’ ” (Matt. 15:6b–8). Episkeptomai (to visit) means much more than to drop by for a chat. It carries the ideas of caring for others, exercising oversight on their behalf, and of helping them in whatever way is needed. It is from the same root as episkopos, which means “overseer” and is sometimes translated “bishop” (see the NASB and KJV texts of Acts 20:28; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:7; 1 Peter 2:25). Episkeptomai is used frequently in the New Testament of God’s visiting His people in order to help, strengthen, and encourage them (see, e.g., Luke 1:68, 78; 7:16; Acts 15:14 KJV; the NASB reading uses the expression “how God first concerned Himself about”; and Heb. 2:6 KJV; the NASB reading uses the expression “concerned about”). In speaking of the separation of the sheep and goats in the day of judgment, Jesus used the word to describe those who truly belong to and love Him, saying, “I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me” (Matt. 25:35–36, emphasis added). Actually, all of those ways of ministering could be included broadly under episkeptomai. To visit in a way that is pleasing to our God and Father is to meet as best we can all the needs of orphans and widows and any others in their distress. Generally, the neediest people in the early church were orphans and widows. There were no life insurance or welfare programs to support them. Jobs for either group were scarce, and if they had no close kin, or at least none who would help them, they were in desperate straits. But the principle applies to anyone in need. Because such people without parents and husbands are unable to reciprocate in any way, caring for them reveals true sacrificial love. God has always had special concern for orphans and widows and has commanded His people to reflect that same concern. David affirmed that “a father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, is God in His holy habitation” (Ps. 68:5). The Mosaic Law included the instruction, “You shall not afflict any widow or orphan” (Ex. 22:22), and,
“At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and shall deposit it in your town. The Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do” … “Cursed is he who distorts the justice due an alien, orphan, and widow.” And all the people shall say, “Amen.” (Deut. 14:28–29; 27:19)
Through Jeremiah, the Lord declared to Israel, “If you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever” (Jer. 7:5–7). Loving, selfless service to others, especially fellow believers, is also a frequent New Testament theme. Paul gave the command to “honor widows who are widows indeed” (1 Tim. 5:3), which included bestowing financial and any other help that was needed. John declares that
the one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.… By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.… We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.… We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (1 John 2:10–11; 3:10–11, 14, 16)
Later in 1 John, he says,
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:7–12)
True Christianity is manifested from a pure and loving heart by the way believers talk and by the way they act. It is manifested by how they love and care for those who are in need, not by how they love and care for those they prefer, those who are close to them, or those with whom they share common traits and interests. Love is to be the central and most visible manifestation of salvation. And, as John makes clear, love for God cannot be separated from love for others, especially for fellow believers and most especially for those who are in … distress. The professed Christian who does not show such compassion has reason to doubt that he is born again. A truly redeemed heart reaches out to others (cf. Matt. 5:43–48; John 13:34–35).
WILLINGNESS TO APPLY THE WORD WITHOUT COMPROMISE
and to keep oneself unstained by the world. (1:27b)
The third proper reaction to the Word of God is the willingness to apply it to one’s life without moral or spiritual compromise. To keep translates a form of the Greek verb tēreō, indicating regular, continuous action. In other words, keeping oneself unstained by the world is the perpetual obligation of Christians, allowing for no exception or qualification. Those who belong to God are to be characterized by moral and spiritual purity, by unstained and unblemished holiness. Peter admonishes believers to “conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Pet. 1:17b–19). Neither James nor Peter is speaking of sinless perfection, a human spiritual condition solely manifested by Jesus in His incarnation. “Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth,” the writer of Ecclesiastes assures us, “who continually does good and who never sins” (Eccles. 7:20). Although Paul could honestly say, “I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day” (Acts 23:1; cf. 24:16), he also confessed, “I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord” (1 Cor. 4:4), and “I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want” (Rom. 7:18–19). Every Christian falls short of the Lord’s standards. Like Paul, we find ourselves doing things we know are wrong and not doing things we know are right (cf. Rom. 7:14–25). Even the most faithful and loving believer does not always show as much compassion as he should, love his fellow believers as he should, or love God as he should. James is speaking of the basic orientation of our lives, of our central commitment and allegiance. If that allegiance is right, then our deepest desire will be to love and care for others and to confess our selfish sin to the Lord when we do not. The genuine Christian cannot be happy or content when he fails to show compassion for others. It is not our perfection that proves our salvation but rather our hating our imperfections and seeking, with God’s help and power, to correct them. In his inmost heart, the genuine Christian longs to speak and do only those things that are holy, pure, loving, honest, truthful, and upright, things that are uncorrupted and unstained by the world. On the other hand, a person who does not have compassion for others, who is not concerned about living righteously, and whose satisfaction is found in his sin, cannot be a true disciple of Christ and child of God. Kosmos (world) has the basic meaning of order, arrangement, and sometimes of adornment. In the New Testament it is used figuratively of the earth (see Matt. 13:35; John 21:25) and the universe (see 1 Tim. 6:7; Heb. 4:3; 9:26). But most often it is used to represent fallen mankind in general and its ungodly spiritual systems of philosophy, morals, and values (see John 7:7; 8:23; 14:30; 1 Cor. 2:12; Gal. 4:3; Col. 2:8). That is the sense in which James uses the term in the present text. (See discussion below on 4:4.) With that meaning of world obviously in mind, John warns, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world” (1 John 2:15–16). Love of God and love of the world and the things of the world are totally incompatible and mutually exclusive. The phrase “the things of the world” does not pertain to such things as participating in business, being involved in social activities, or buying and using the material necessities of life. It is the overriding love of and allegiance to such things that are ungodly and come between men and God. Godly religion, that is, biblical Christianity, is a matter of holy obedience to God’s Word—reflected, among other ways, by our honesty in regard to ourselves, by our selflessness in regard to the needs of others, and by our uncompromising moral and spiritual stand in regard to the world.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1998). James (pp. 88–92). Moody Press.
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. Scripture is not a book with concise definitions that can be applied to specific instances. The Bible teaches us the way of life that is pleasing to God and to our neighbor. Thus, James gives us not a precise definition in this verse but rather a principle. a. “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless.” When James says “God our Father,” he immediately introduces the family concept. We are God’s children because he is our Father. He expects us to pay due respect and love to him, to our brothers and sisters in God’s household, and to all people (Gal. 6:10). Within the family of God love is the prevailing characteristic because God himself is love. God sets the example. Here are a few random Scripture verses that illustrate this characteristic: A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. [Ps. 68:5] The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow. [Ps. 146:9] He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien. [Deut. 10:18] For the pagans run after all these things [physical needs], and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. [Matt. 6:32]
If, then, God sets the example, he expects his children to do what he does. If they follow God’s example, they demonstrate religion that is “pure and faultless.” These two adjectives show the positive (pure) and the negative (faultless) aspects; together they denote the essence of religion. And how do we practice our religion? James gives two examples: b. The first example pertains to the social circumstances and conditions of his day: “To look after orphans and widows in their distress.” Social conditions in ancient times were such that orphans and widows were unprotected because they had no guardian and breadwinner. God himself, therefore, filled that role. He exhorted the Israelite to be a protector and provider for the orphan and the widow (for example, see Deut. 14:29; Ezek. 22:7; Acts 6:1–6). The person who exhibits true religion visits the “orphans and widows in their distress.” He puts his heart into being a guardian and provider, he alleviates their needs, and shows them the love of the Lord in word and deed (Matt. 25:35–40). c. “To keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Even though James urges us to become socially involved in helping needy people around us, at the same time he warns us to stay away from a sinful world. Do we have to isolate ourselves from the world? No, we are always in the world but not of the world (John 17:14). Therefore, we ought not to imitate the ways of the world; rather, we ought to practice godliness. Writing about the coming of the Lord and the end of the world, Peter says, “So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with him” (2 Peter 3:14; and see 1 Tim. 6:14). In a sense James repeats what he said earlier, “Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent” (1:21). Members of God’s family have the word holy written on their foreheads. They “know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God” (James 4:4). They love and serve the Lord truly and sincerely.
Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of James and the Epistles of John (Vol. 14, pp. 64–66). Baker Book House.
It is a typical Sunday—the parking lot, the stroll up to the church doors, the usual people who arrive at the same time you usually do. As you walk in, you see two ushers just inside the door with a basket of glasses, handing out a pair to each person. It reminds you of attending a 3-D movie and the requisite glasses involved. Each pair of glasses has looped over one of the arms a small piece of paper, apparently the directions for proper use. While other people fill the sanctuary around you, you sit down, take the small piece of paper with directions, and begin to read:
These are holiness glasses. When you put them on, they will change the way you see others. Everyone you look at through these glasses will glow dimmer or brighter based on their relative level of personal holiness. Disclaimer: These glasses will not make you more holy; they may do the opposite. They will not reveal the holiness of the operator. These glasses are for diagnostic purposes only.
Justification and Sanctification
The Protestant Reformation recovered the important distinction between justification and sanctification. You see the emphasis on clearly describing each of these doctrines, their similarities, and differences, scattered throughout the confessional literature of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The Reformers had seen firsthand the spiritual harm done to individuals and entire churches who had harbored confusion on these crucial biblical truths.
Justification, they taught, is the declarative act of God in which He pardons, accepts, and accounts as righteous the sinners He chooses, not for any work they have done but solely on the basis of the obedience and satisfaction of Jesus Christ on their behalf. This righteousness God imputes to them—He puts it on their record—and it is received by faith alone (Westminster Larger Catechism 70). Summarizing the Bible’s teaching on how God saves sinners, the Reformers revived the doctrine of justification by faith alone.
Sanctification, they taught, is the ongoing work of God in those who have been saved by faith. In sanctification, the Holy Spirit applies the death and resurrection of Jesus to them, progressively renewing them after the image of God (WLC 75). They summarized this process by two simultaneous processes: mortification (progressive death to sin) and vivification (progressive life to God through the Holy Spirit). Summing up the Bible’s teaching on the renovating work of the Holy Spirit, the Reformation revived the doctrine of sanctification—the Christian’s personal growth in holiness.
I can’t overemphasize the importance of charting the distinctions between these two rich doctrines. You will be hard-pressed to find a better description of the differences than the one given in question and answer 77 of the Westminster Larger Catechism. That question and answer pull together two fundamental realities for any group of Christians. First, all Christians are equally justified before God, with zero gradation in righteousness between them, since all Christians are righteous before God based on the same imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. Second, sanctification differs in all Christians, based on God’s purposes and plan for the sanctification of each Christian. When it comes to sanctification, no two Christians are alike.
Sanctification in a Congregation
With this biblical distinction between justification and sanctification in mind, you reach into your lap, pick up the holiness glasses, and put them on. As you look at the people filling the sanctuary, you find that the glasses cause each to glow, almost as if the light came from within each person, but each to a greater or lesser degree. Some are barely visible, ghostly silver. Others are radiantly bright, not with a brightness that makes you look away but with one that draws your gaze. And as you read in the disclaimer, the glasses don’t show you your own level of holiness, just that of others.
Holiness glasses are a fictional and imperfect illustration at best. But consider for a moment the idea behind them. Based on the biblical differences between justification and sanctification, there is, on any given Sunday and in any given congregation, a holiest Christian and a least-holy Christian. This isn’t a statement about salvation or justification before God. There is not a least-saved or most-saved person. All the saints of God are equally righteous in Christ. But sanctification admits degrees.
If the first difficulty is that justification and sanctification are often confused, the second is that Christians often judge sanctification by unbiblical standards.
How to Tell
If the first difficulty is that justification and sanctification are often confused, the second is that Christians often judge sanctification by unbiblical standards. Inaccurate marks of sanctification include the following:
Worldly accomplishments: Starting your own business, earning a medical degree, or running a legal firm are not accurate measures of personal holiness. Surviving extreme suffering does not create holiness. Holiness can’t be charted by GPA or resume.
Age and gender: A 16-year-old girl may be vastly more spiritually mature than a 75-year-old man.
Talk about religion: How much someone speaks about religious topics or theology is not an accurate marker of personal holiness.
Raw Bible knowledge: Even an encyclopedic knowledge of Bible facts is not a reliable metric for sanctification.
This list is brief and incomplete. But considering it and how it might be used to judge sanctification in a local congregation shows how wildly inaccurate Christians can be in assessing the holiness of others or themselves. Even worse, consider what might happen to a church that thinks of the list above as an accurate metric for judging the kind of spiritual maturity needed to be an elder or deacon.
The Bible offers a different way of determining growth in sanctification. Some of the things to look for in those who are growing in godliness are the following:
Fruits of the Spirit: The Holy Spirit produces specific, supernatural fruit in Christians in the process of sanctification (Gal. 5:22–23).
Use of the means of grace: Those who are growing in godliness will make use of and enjoy Bible study, prayer, the sacraments, and participation in a local church.
Repentance: Those who are growing in grace will also grow in humility and repentance as God humbles them for sin and encourages them with the gospel (2 Cor. 7:9–10).
Demographic holiness: The Bible says that holiness will run in different channels for Christians based on their age, gender, and responsibilities (Titus 2; 1 Peter 2:12–3:7).
Hatred of sin: Growth in holiness always involves a growing hatred for sin (Rom. 8:12–13).
Love for and obedience to Christ: It isn’t love for morality or yourself as a holy person that marks the Christian who is growing in godliness. Instead, it is a growing love for Jesus and a desire to obey Him in all things, in every area of life (1 John 5:1–5).
Like the first list, this second list is brief and incomplete. The Bible’s picture of sanctification in a believer is complex and beautiful but also distinct and unmistakable. Charting holiness in yourself (Phil. 2:12) and in others (Heb. 3:12–14) is biblical and essential and implies a set of principles and priorities for a local church.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on October 20, 2017.
This period piece motion picture portrays the unique and heartfelt story of Pamela Bucklin from her birth in 1969 to her wedding day in 1991. When her mother dies at birth, Pamela is raised by her father, Wayne. He makes a commitment to pray with his daughter each and every night. He also raises her with a very high standard of purity before marriage. In an age when purity is scoffed at by many, this movie presents the message with perspective and inspiration. Also, the prayerful commitment of Wayne Bucklin is an example for all who are in a parental role.
The following stories had the most page views at theMinistryWatch
website during the month of January. We present them here in a “countdown” format, from 10 to 1. The first few sentences of each story are reproduced below. To read the entire story, click on the link. To read the Top 25 stories of 2025,click here.
By Christina Darnell.Here at MinistryWatch, one of our goals is to equip donors with the information they need to make wise decisions with their giving. That’s why we manage our database, which rates more than 1,300 of the country’s largest ministries based on their financial efficiency, financial transparency, and their donor confidence. Each week, we highlight ministries in our database that have had rating changes, plus a brief explanation about why it matters.
By Jessica Eturralde.The Washington State Court of Appeals has issued a consequential ruling rejecting former Together Church Pastor Micahn Carter’s defamation suit against a former assistant who claimed he raped her.
By Bob Smietana.Leaders of Cities Church, the Minneapolis congregation whose worship service was disrupted by anti-ICE protesters, are considering legal action against the activists, saying the group that invaded the church on Sunday (Jan. 18) “jarringly disrupted our worship gathering.”
By Kim Roberts.Rick Olmstead, pastor of Arise Vineyard Church in San Luis Obispo, California, has resigned his post at the church after allegations resurfaced that Olmstead had taken photos of the backside of young women at a local Trader Joe’s years earlier. Olmstead was also a former national leader in the Vineyard USA movement.
By Warren Cole Smith.The idea of finishing well has been on my mind a lot lately. The nature of our work here is that sometimes we cover Christian leaders who do not finish well. We got another tragic example this week—Philip Yancey,a Christian leader whose books have sold at least 15 million copies. Yancey, who is 76 years old and has Parkinson’s disease, was in sight of the finish line of his race. But he will now be remembered — following his confession of an eight-year extramarital affair — as a man who did not finish well.
By Kim Roberts.The complaint alleges that Merris, through her Tik Tok videos, defamed the church when she criticized its leadership for publicly discussing her private affairs, namely marital difficulties she and her husband were experiencing.
By Kim Roberts. The number of lawsuits filed against Harvest Christian Fellowship’s founder Greg Laurie—related to alleged abuse of young men at a children’s home in Romania—now stands at 12. The original lawsuit was filed in September by two men claiming that Paul Havsgaard abused them at a children’s shelter in Bucharest, Romania.
By Warren Cole Smith.Below is a list of 125 highly paid Christian ministry executives. The information was derived from the latest available Form 990 prepared by the ministry itself. We are not calling this list the “Highest Paid Christian Ministry Executives” because many pastors and other church leaders who might make more are not on this list.
By Bob Smietana.Philip Yancey, a beloved evangelical author and speaker, will retire from public ministry after admitting to a long-term affair. “My conduct defied everything that I believe about marriage,” Yancey, 76, wrote in a letter to Christianity Today. “It was also totally inconsistent with my faith and my writings and caused deep pain for her husband and both of our families.”
By Kim Roberts. Another group of plaintiffs, this time including seven women, have filed lawsuits against California megachurch Harvest Christian Fellowship and its lead pastor Greg Laurie for sexual abuse they claim to have suffered at the hands of Paul Havsgaard.
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