But I have a few things against you: You permit that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess

— Revelation 2:20

We live in a very tolerant society. One example of this is that you will never see anybody on a talk show, no matter what they have done—whether they’ve committed murder, adultery, or rape—you’ll never hear a whisper that they are sinners. It is because we are a “tolerant” people. All other virtues have disappeared except that of tolerance. Nobody would dare say, “Tch, tch, you shouldn’t have done that. That is a sin, and you are a sinner.” That is never heard in this society.

God is not tolerant, however. Every single sin of whatever kind that is perpetrated on this earth will be punished by God. Every single sin that you have committed and I have committed will be punished by God, either on us in hell, or on Christ at Calvary. God is infinite justice. He cannot tolerate sin. He lives in a totally 100 percent spotless, pure and holy heaven. Sin is not tolerated there.

We Christians do believe in and practice a tolerance; but remember this: tolerance is the last virtue of a completely immoral society.

Question to ponder:
What is the difference between tolerating a person and tolerating sin?

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of temptation in the wilderness

— Hebrews 3:7-8

I remember some years ago a young man from a Christian home came to see me in my office. He was living a wild life and I spoke with him for a good while. I explained to him the Gospel and urged him to turn his life over to Christ. He said to me, “Dr. Kennedy, I want you to know that I believe everything you said. I know it is all true. I know it because my parents taught it to me as a child, and I want you to know something else. I have every intention of receiving Christ as my Savior. I have no intention of leaving this world without doing that—but not now; I’ve got some real living to do first.”

He got up to leave, and as he opened the door, I stopped him. I said, “Let me leave one text with you as you go. The Bible says, “Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy” (Proverbs 29:1 NIV). He paused, looked back at me, turned again, and left.

A few days later I received word that he was riding his motorcycle on the freeway when a truck with the tailgate down stopped unexpectedly in front of him and he was instantly decapitated. I couldn’t help but think of my parting words to him: “Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.”

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” (Proverbs 27:1 NIV) Now is the accepted time. Today is the day of salvation.

Question to ponder:
Do you know of any people you should talk with about the state of their souls?

I must do the works of Him who sent Me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.

— John 9:4

My friend, have there been kind and loving things you have planned to say to your child? Have you been planning to spend time with your son before he becomes a man? Has there been some praise you wanted to give to your wife or husband? Has there been some kindness you have been thinking about doing but have always put it off. You were just too busy.

We have no tomorrow. There is no yesterday. We have only today. “This is the day that the Lord has made …” (Psalm 118:24). We always and only live in today.

There is a thought that has impacted my life, and I would like to share it with you. I would like for you to seriously consider what this day would be like if at midnight tonight you knew you would die. How would you change this day? What would you do today that you have not really been planning to do at all? Or tomorrow? Or the next day? Or the next?

If each day were the last day we were to live on this earth, can you imagine how much more kindness, how much more love, how much more encouragement, how much more praise there would be in our homes?

Question to ponder:
Is there anything you have put off that you need to do today?

Give, and it will be given to you: Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will men give unto you. For with the same measure you use, it will be measured unto to you.

— Luke 6:38

Tithing is God’s method of sanctifying and maturing Christians, and making us more like Christ. Since selfishness and covetousness are two of the root problems of humankind, we need to learn how to cut out that taproot and be set free.

Malachi 3 is the only place in the Bible where God says, “Test Me.” Can you believe that? What an incredible condescension. God says to put Him on trial—”Test Me now in this … if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing, that there will not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10).

Those who will trust in the Lord will find that He indeed will “open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing, that there will not be room enough to receive it.” God’s challenge to give is a test of faith that proves whether our god is gold or the true God, because where your heart is, there your treasure will be also.

Question to ponder:
Have you experienced that it is more blessed to give than to receive?

As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field he flourishes. For the hot wind passes over it, and it is gone, the place where it was is not known.

— Psalm 103:15-16

Once, when leaving a building, I opened a door thinking it was an exit, only to discover that I had stepped into a tiny broom closet! Of course, I stepped out instantly and closed the door. I probably was in there only one or two seconds at the most. Now, wouldn’t it be extraordinarily odd, if I were to spend the rest of my life talking about that little closet?

Since it is without doubt if we have placed our trust in Christ, that we will spend more than 99.99 percent of our lives in Heaven, why do we spend all of our time talking about this “little closet,” which will be but a fleeting moment in the prospect of eternity?

According to the Bible, this world is simply the foyer to eternity—a testing ground where the talents and the abilities that God has given to man are to be used and exercised. What is important in this life is what we do for God’s glory with the talents that God has given to us. But what we do about Jesus Christ in this life determines our eternal destiny.

When we view our earthly existence as a prelude to eternity, we see this world in an entirely different light, and this affects our view of this life as well.

Question to ponder:
How much of your time do you spend thinking about eternity?

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed, lest he fall.

— 1 Corinthians 10:12

We need to stay as far away from sin as we possibly can. Flee temptation, for none of us are immune to the tempter’s snare.

Joseph faced the temptations of Potiphar’s wife, who wanted him to have sex with her. But he resisted, even at the cost of going to jail. Daniel in Babylon resisted the temptations of a godless society. Countless millions of others have, likewise, taken a stand for Jesus Christ. The responsibility ultimately is ours.

The Bible is very clear about temptation. There is a theological phrase that describes what we are supposed to do about temptation. I want you to remember it. I want you never, ever to forget it. It is not all that difficult. I think it should be understandable to everyone. That is, whenever you are confronted with temptation, remember this phrase: Run like crazy. “Flee temptation,” the Scripture says. “Flee youthful desires” (2 Timothy 2:22).

Many people have supposed they could flirt with temptation. How many among the army of addicts to alcohol, tobacco, and drugs have thought they could flirt with temptation: “Oh, it will never get the best of me.” They have fallen ignominiously on their faces before it. How many have flirted with sexual temptations and have found themselves falling headlong into an abyss of sin that has ruined their lives.

Question to ponder:
Have you ever thought that you would never fall into one sin or another?

God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. There shall be no more death. Neither shall there be any more sorrow nor crying nor pain …

— Revelation 21:4

In this life, because of sin, there is much sorrow. Between our far from God, sin-laden souls, and the joy that is at the right hand of God, there is, I believe, almost of necessity, a vale of tears to be crossed. Just as icicles hanging on the frosted branches drip forth water when the sun shines on them, even so the sin-filled soul, when it is brought close to the Son of Righteousness, will invariably drip with tears.

All the sins of man eventually turn into tears. For some, the tears come in this world. For those with harder hearts, they come in the next world. However, they will come, for God has so ordained that sin must bring tears of contrition and repentance. Don’t misunderstand: I would have you to clearly know that it takes more than our salty tears to wash away the stains of all our sins. It is only when we place our trust in Christ, and Him alone, that we can find forgiveness and the confident hope of eternal life with Him in Heaven.

The Bible tell us that in Heaven there shall be no more tears, for God shall wipe them away with His own finger.

Question to ponder:
What kind of tears are good and beneficial?

Put my tears in Your bottle …

— Psalm 56:8

As far as we know, God does not cry. As far as we know, neither do angels. I also believe that in the sense that we know the term, animals don’t cry either—though I confess that some of them do something that looks like it. Tears seem to be in the economy of God’s providence—something reserved for the human race. Perhaps that is because of sin. Before the fall, there were no tears.

We need to have our hearts melted and our souls strengthened, and somewhere in there are going to be tears when we really see ourselves as we are. A soft heart brings tears to our eyes. We weep for our own sins. We weep for others. We weep because we live in a fallen, sinful world, where sorrow and pain are all around us. Tears belong to this world, and when this life is over, God Himself will wipe our tears away, and there will never be any more reason for crying, weeping, or wailing.

In the meantime, God numbers our tears and keeps them in His bottle.

Question to ponder:
What is most frequently the cause of your tears?

All the angels stood around the throne …

— Revelation 7:11

The picture of the angels of God worshiping and rejoicing before God and the Lamb is a beautiful image. Imagine these angels rejoicing over a human—a man or a woman.

“Oh, Mommy, how happy the angels will be!” These words burst spontaneously from the lips of a little five-year-old girl on hearing about the death of a very godly man. The man was Boston-born, Harvard-educated professor of Latin, the Right Reverend Phillips Brooks, Bishop of Massachusetts for the Episcopal Church, composer of the classic hymn “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”

May we so live for Christ that when we die that someone could make a similar exclamation, “Oh, Mommy, “how happy the angels will be!”

May God help us live in such a way that we not only please the angels, but we please the Lord. For example, if we want to please the Lord, we should be encouragers. Paul’s letter to the Galatians says, “Bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). Most of us would immediately set out to help somebody who was doubling over because of a heavy burden. Oftentimes, however, we do not see the burdens people are struggling with that are not visible to the physical eye.

If our eyes were open, we would realize that opportunities abound to please the Lord in our daily lives. May we truly live in such a way as to please Him.

Question to ponder:
It’s one thing to talk about making angels happy. Is there anything we can do to make the Lord happy?

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: how Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, rose again the third day according to the Scriptures

— 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

The Apostles’ Creed is the oldest condensation of all of the beliefs of Christianity. What does it have to say about the teachings of Jesus or the preaching of Jesus or the example of Jesus? Absolutely nothing. It says, “[He was] conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary [that’s His birthday] …” Immediately contiguous with that, “[He] suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried …”

And so it goes from His birthday to His death-day with absolutely nothing in between, because Christianity is based upon Christ and Him crucified. He came not to teach, but to die. In the mind of God, He was crucified before the world began.

This does not mean that Jesus’ teaching or preaching was unimportant. What it does mean is that it is His person—who He was, is, and will be—that outshines what He said and thought. As the Apostle’s Creed states, we believe in our crucified and resurrected Savior who is coming again with life and liberty to all who believe.

Question to ponder:
What place, if any, do the historic creeds of the Christian church have in your life and worship?