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“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13, KJV).

The last part of this verse has been a challenge for translators. In Hebrew it would literally read, “this is the whole of man.” Not surprisingly, various Bible versions have differed slightly in rendering the sense of the phrase. And a brief look at how they render it leads me to three observations about the need to “fear God and keep His commandments.”

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God warns us to be careful of what we say. “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise” (Proverbs 10:19). “Every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). “No one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison” (James 3:8). Few things have as much potential for harm as our power of speech.

At the same time, God warns us not to be overly sensitive to what…

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    One of the most profound and beautiful stories in the Bible is the account of Jesus washing the feet of His disciples in John 13. The event happened just before the Passover meal, where Jesus would ultimately be betrayed by one of His own disciples. As Jesus and His disciples gathered in an upper room, Jesus surprised them by taking on the role of a servant and washing their feet. There are many lessons that can be learned from this account and they are as relevant today as they were over 2,000 years ago. 

Lesson 1: Serving others is never…

REALIZATION
(David Weaks)

Some of us are “late to the party” where good sense is involved, while others figure things out pretty quickly in life. This should not surprise us because many times Bible characters were slow to “get the point” of things that the Lord was teaching. David, for example, was a little slow when Nathan told him about a rich man who mistreated a poor man and essentially stole from him (2 Samuel 12:1-4). When David heard the tale, he became incensed at the idea some citizen in his kingdom could…

John chapter nine is a story about Jesus healing a man, who was born blind. As Jesus and his disciples were walking along, they saw the man, and his disciples asked Jesus who had sinned, the man or his parents, to cause him to be born blind. Jesus replied that it was neither, but that the man’s blindness was an opportunity for the works of God to be displayed.

Jesus then spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva, which he then applied to the man’s eyes and instructed him to go wash in the pool of…

It is said that Benedict Arnold was a better general than George Washington. He was a handsomer man and a more interesting conversationalist. But he had one conspicuous weakness — he was unable to "MARCH WITHOUT MUSIC." Whenever General Benedict Arnold performed a task in a competent manner, he expected praise and acclaim, and if these were not forthcoming, he sulked and became morose.

In the hurry and scurry of the war there were times when the feats of General Arnold went unnoticed. This hurt in his most vital spot — his vanity. So he committed a terrible act — he…

Joseph Fletcher (1905-1991), an Episcopal priest, was the most famous proponent of “situation ethics.” In a book entitled “Situation Ethics: The New Morality” he formalized a view that is commonly accepted by many individuals.

Here are some quotes from Fletcher’s book:

“For the situationist there are no rules - none at all.” p. 55

“And therefore what is sometimes good may at other times be evil, and what is sometimes wrong may sometimes be right when it serves a good enough end - depending on the situation.” p. 123

“Any act — even lying, premarital sex,…

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