THE NEW CREATION

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Volume 86, Numbers 5 & 6 May/Jun 2023

Contents
Page
Contents….....………………………………………………….….1
Editorial: It Is the Gift of God………..……………………………2
Is This the Year?.……………………………………...….….......3
Year That the Locusts Have Eaten…................... …...……….6
The Sin of Leprosy……...………………........................…........8
The Beatitudes……………………………….………...………..11
How Saying “Amen” Could Be Hurting Your Christian Walk..16
A Great Multitude……………………………………….....…….18
The Story of Abigail………………………...........................….20
What Is Faith?................................…..……………….....….…31
Restored………………………………………………….........…32
A Portrait of Jesus: Rebuking Satan………….…….………....33
Prayer List……………………………………………………...…34
Grads/Websites……….…..........…………………………….....35
Conferences and Conventions ...………..……………….........36

NOTE: The thoughts presented in the articles are those of the writer and
are not necessarily totally endorsed by the New Creation Staff. “Study to
show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” – 2 Timothy 2:15.
“Prove ALL things and hold fast to what is good.” – 1 Thess. 5:21.

The New Creation magazine and all of CDMI’s other publications are sent out
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tions are totally supported by the voluntary and generous donations of those
who wish to help us in this work for the Lord. Your support makes it possible
for CDMI to provide this magazine and booklets and tracts to the poor around
the world. All donations are tax exempt.

1
 It Is the Gift of God
Editor’s
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and Page
that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast. For
we are his workmanship, created in Christ Je-
sus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them.” Eph.
2:8-10 KJV

God gives many gifts to his human family. “Every good and
perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of
lights, with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning.”
“In him we live and move and have our being.” All creation has
His witness through nature, both about us and in us. We are
without excuse for ignoring his sovereignty. However, in
recognition of our fallen condition, He sent His dearly beloved
Son to provide a way back from sin and condemnation. This
then is the greatest gift God could give.

The way back to fellowship and son-ship with God comes

through faith. God provided the way; therefore, it is His gift,
anchored in redemption by the blood of Christ Jesus. There is
“no other way we can be saved” from condemnation. Note that
we are not saved by our own works. However, now that we
are in Christ Jesus, we can do the good works ordained by
God. “All things become new.” We are “new creatures.”

Among the good works is the development of the fruits of the

holy spirit. For instance, “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gen-
tleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and temperance.”
(Gal. 5:22, 23) Briefly, the good works are the transformation
of character into godliness (God-likeness) through efforts to
put into action the known will of God in all of life’s affairs. As
the apostle wrote, “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20).
Therefore, faith with works is a living faith.

R. Whittaker

2
 Is This the Year?
“Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our be-
ing gathered unto Him, I need not write you…” -- 2 Thess. 2:1
We have entered another year of uncertainty. Will this be
the year that the Lord will return and gather His bride to Him-
self? No one on earth knows the answer to that question.
Some will say, “No how! There is still too much that has to
happen before Jesus comes.” Should we shelve the idea to be
more seriously considered at some later time? What is our
attitude towards this much-longed-for event?
What advice did Jesus give us in respect to this issue? Did
He not say, “I will come as a thief in the night” – totally unex-
pected by anyone (Luke 12:39-40)? Did He not say, “No one
knows of that day or hour…” (Matthew 24:36)? And again,
“Keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour”
(Matthew 25:13)? These and many other citations were spo-
ken by our Lord Jesus. Why?
For over 2000 years Jesus’ followers have lived in expecta-
tion of His return, perhaps in their day. I believe that this was
the very thing that our Lord wanted them to think. Should we
not be living every day as if it were our last upon this earth?
Whether Jesus returns tomorrow or we should die unexpect-
edly, is not the result the same? Remember the parable of the
Rich Fool. He thought he had it made, but that very night his
life was taken from him (Luke 12:13-21).
Life is a series of choices. Someone has said, “Life is like a
coin; you can spend it any way you wish, but you can spend it
only once!” Our choices will determine our destiny. If we post-
pone opportunities the Lord puts in front of us, we may be fol-
lowing in the footsteps of the rich fool. Life is short; we need to
do the will of the Father when we have the opportunity. In
James 4:14, the Apostle asks us this question: “… you do not
even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You
are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
Keeping focused on the eternal is what is truly important.

3
 How do we go about living a life of expectancy? Paul tells
us in Gal. 5:25, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step
with the Spirit” (NIV). If we are allowing the Holy Spirit to be
our guiding influence, we should be well attuned to God’s will
for us. We have two very assuring scriptures found in Phil. 1:6
and 2:11-12: “Being confident of this, that He who began a
good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of
Christ Jesus.” “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have al-
ways obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more
in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear
and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act
according to His good purpose.”
Let us note that it is God’s work that is shaping and chang-
ing us into vessels fit for His use. He started this work in us. It
is to be according to His good purpose, not ours! Do we have
a part to play in this? Yes! Vs. 12 tells us what that part is: “As
you have always obeyed.” Obedience is essential if God is to
work out His will in us. That is how we work out the salvation
God works in us. In the KJV obedience is mentioned 12
times; obey – 69 times; obeyed – 41 times; obeying – 3 times;
not to mention other words similar in thought such as hearken,
heed, be doers. The Lord desires to teach us that obedience is
something of great importance.
We need to have the mind which was also in Christ Jesus
– the mind that was always determined to do His Father’s will
whatever the cost. Jesus’ motivation was love for His Father.
Love is a very powerful motivation. Love can overcome great
obstacles as it never gives up. It is patient and persevering as
it presses towards its goal. Proverbs 3:3-4 wisely admonishes
us to “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them
around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”
Faith and love ~ an unbeatable team!
We find a beautiful example of the Apostle Paul’s mindset
in Philippians 3:7-11 which if meditated on will help us, day by
day, to stay on track. “But whatever was to my profit I now
consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider
everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of
4
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all
things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be
found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that
comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—
the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want
to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fel-
lowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his
death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the
dead.”
The Apostle Paul was always focused on the purpose for
which God called him. In 1 Corinthians 2:2 we read, “For I re-
solved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus
Christ and him crucified.” Now, that is focused! If this is the
year that our Lord will return, Praise God! But what is really
important is that we stay continually focused on the reason for
our calling and live today as if it were our last. If we do, then
one day we, too, will hear the beautiful words of Matthew
25:23: “…‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have
been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many
things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’”
E. Weeks

Lord, Here I Bring Myself

LORD, here I bring myself,

'Tis all I have to give,
My heart's desire is wholly this,
Henceforth for Thee to live;
To own no will but Thine,
To suffer loss or shame,
All things to bear, if only I
May glorify Thy name;
Henceforth mine every power
Each day for Thee to use,
My hands, my feet, my lips, mine all,
As Thou, my Lord, shalt choose.
Dear Lord, my constant prayer Is for increase of grace, That I by
faith may walk with Thee, Till I behold Thy face.
Poems of Dawn

5
 Years that the Locusts have Eaten
"What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten;
What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten;
And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has
eaten." [Joel 1:4]
“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has
eaten..." [Joel 2:25]
The larger context is Joel 2:18-27.
From the mind of the prophet [thoughts put there by God
Himself, of course], we have these inspired words. Multiple
visitations seem to be implied by the plural word “years”; or
possibly the results of a single visitation would be felt for many
years.
This message of Joel seems literally to refer to the loss of
crops [grains, fruit, vegetables, olives] and livestock [lack of
pasture grass] due to the massive invasion of the locusts.
Perhaps it is also prophetically referring to the waves of Assyr-
ian invaders then at hand, and yet to come. The locusts,
shown in four stages of development, thus might have as a
further fulfillment the four waves of conquerors that came upon
the land of Israel from Assyria -- Tiglath Pileser III, Shal-
maneser, Sargon, and Sennacherib.
And who knows -- perhaps in further distant times portraying
to some degree the desolations wrought by Babylon, or even
Rome? Powerful military “locusts” swarming over, and de-
vouring, the land and its people.
Why had this affliction come? The nation as a whole had
forsaken their covenant with God, and He had now sent the
promised punishments. Not all in the nation, of course, were
apostate -- but all of them [faithful, apostate, indifferent] suf-
fered in the punishments. The faithful had the additional reali-
zation that this was not of their own making, and that their
years of service to God had seemingly come to nothing, to
smoke, to dust, like the “early dew” that goes away [Hosea
6:4].
6
 Of course, God has never fully forsaken His people; there is
a limit, and a restoration is always promised.
“For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; For
the spirit would fail before Me, and the souls which I have
made.” [Isaiah 57:16]
But another thought [whether it was in the prophet’s mind, or
not] has often come to mind upon reading this 2:25 passage.
That is -- restoring YEARS.
HOW can God restore the “years” that have been lost? Re-
storing crops, Yes! Restoring denuded trees and vines, dam-
aged pastures, Yes! But “years” -- how could that possibly be
accomplished?
In one sense, “years” can be restored by deepening one‘s
faith in Christ, to a degree perhaps never known before. This
could be a starting over, a repentance to a new life in Christ, a
recovery from failure to a “new creation”, or similar spiritual
renewal. The old, failed life itself, the years that the “locusts
have eaten”, might even be seen as renewed [in a sense] by
the later results.
But there seems to be more involved than even that.
The blessed thought comes to mind that only by the resurrec-
tion could “years” be restored to people. The blessings of the
Kingdom age of restoration, and then [if faithful] the endless
years stretching out into eternity -- that is how “years” could be
restored.
God will wipe the tears from off all eyes, and the previous life
and its sorrows will not intrude itself anymore.
"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall
be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no
more pain, for the former things have passed away.” [Revela-
tion 21:4]
“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has
eaten..." [Joel 2:25]
L. Schneider
All quotations from the NKJV unless otherwise specified.
7
 The Sin of Leprosy
I would like to write to you about a loathsome disease
known for thousands of years as leprosy, but also known to-
day as Hansen’s disease, being named after the scientist who
did a lot of research on it.
Leprosy is a contagious, chronic disease. It starts on the
skin, works itself into the flesh, and finally penetrates the
bones. It usually first affects the face, hands and feet, and
eventually covers the whole body. As the disease progresses,
expands, and penetrates deeper, it gradually weakens the
body, and eventually the person becomes an invalid, not able
to care for himself. Both the skin and flesh are consumed leav-
ing the afflicted person’s appearance gruesome to behold.
According to the Mosaic Law as recorded in the 13th and
14th chapters of Leviticus, new lepers were immediately isolat-
ed and separated from the rest of the people. They were for-
bidden to marry with healthy people. When a person was
found to have leprosy by the priest, he had to leave his wife,
children, relatives, and friends. He was not allowed to continue
in his trade or business. Most lepers lived together with others
of their kind. They were not allowed to live in the cities and
towns, so they lived in caves or in huts that they built for them-
selves. When approached by other people, they had to shout
out a warning: “Unclean! Unclean!” Lepers were considered
the living dead. An example of this is found in 2nd Chron.
26:21: “King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He
dwelt in an isolated house, because he was a leper, for he
was cut off from the house of the LORD. Then Jotham his son
was over the king's house, judging the people of the land. This
would be their state of existence until they died (Numbers 5:1-
4).
Leprosy became a symbol of sin to the Jewish people. The
outward sinner would be shunned by the people. This was so
of the adulterous woman who came to Jesus, washed His feet
with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. Any sinner would
be treated much like a leper would be treated. To have contact
with unrepentant sinners would bring contamination upon you.
8
 Let us now consider the case of the ten lepers that is rec-
orded in Luke 17:12-19. At the time of our Lord’s first advent,
Palestine, west of the Jordan River was divided into three re-
gions: Judea in the south; Samaria in the center; and Galilee
in the north. The more prominent Jews lived in Judah. Jerusa-
lem and the Temple were there. It was considered the center
of learning. Those dwelling there looked down on those of Gal-
ilee and had a hatred for the Samaritans. Many Jews who had
to go to Galilee would not pass through Samaria. They would
go out of their way by crossing the Jordan River and traveling
up its east side until they could cross back over into Galilee.
This would explain the surprise of the Samaritan woman at the
well when Jesus asked her to give him a drink of water. Jesus
did not mind traveling among the Samaritans, in fact because
of His kindness and the way He spoke to them, many believed
on Him.
It is believed that Jesus came across the ten lepers while
traveling through Samaria. These ten apparently lived together
as a group or colony, sharing their misery and loneliness with
each other. Without question, rumors had reached them about
someone called Jesus who was preaching good tidings of a
kingdom to the people and who was healing all kinds of dis-
eases, including leprosy. How they wished for an opportunity
to see Him to ask Him to heal them! He was the only hope
they had that they could be cured. They might have thought of
the wonderful prospect of being able to return to their families
and friends and once again live normal lives.
Then all of a sudden, Jesus came walking by their village
on the way to Jerusalem. The ten lepers saw Him coming from
afar, and somehow knew that this was the Jesus that they had
heard about. They could not let this wonderful opportunity
pass them by. If ever they were to have a chance to be rid of
their horrible disease it would have to be now. They went out
to meet Him and as He came nearer they pleaded crying out
in unison, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Jesus’ heart
was touched with their plight. Compassion and love filled His
whole being and it had to express itself on their behalf. Jesus
did not heal them on the spot. He simply said to them, “Go
9
show yourselves to the priests.” It was a test of faith. Would
they go or would they stay around looking for their leprosy to
disappear? Fortunately, they all believed and did exactly what
Jesus told them to do.
As they began walking, on their way to the priests, a mar-
velous thing happened. They noticed that their flesh was re-
turning, that their skin was clearing. Their health was being
restored and their old strength was returned to their bodies.
They had been healed! Jesus had healed them! What excite-
ment and joy must have filled them! But what happens after
that? Only one of them turned around, came back to where
Jesus was, and falling on his face, gave thanks to the Lord for
healing him. Jesus wondered aloud, “Where are the other
nine?” And this man who returned was – a Samaritan. The
other nine were Jews and yet only the Samaritan, prompted by
a bursting heart overflowing with gratitude, thought to return
and give thanks. The Lord surely must have appreciated his
actions. You remember the parable of the “Good Samaritan”
and how the others in the story, who were Jews, coming upon
the beaten man, were found lacking; so once again, it was the
hated Samaritan that showed the proper condition of heart by
his action in giving thanks.
Sin has many strains that can contaminate us. It can ren-
der us spiritual lepers and as surely as physical leprosy can
have a devastating effect on one, so also can we be disas-
trously affected. What lesson can we learn from the nine lep-
ers? What was their sin? It was the sin of ingratitude. They did
not come back to thank the Lord. They were too caught up in
self and what they would now be able to do. When our prayers
are answered, are they acknowledged with thanksgiving and
gratitude? Let us keep in mind the lesson derived from the ten
lepers. May we be like the Samaritan who returned to give
thanks, never taking our blessings for granted by showing the
sin of ingratitude.
Gaetano Boccaccio

10
 The Beatitudes
In this article, we will examine the famous and longest ser-
mon given by Jesus, “The Sermon on the Mount.” The mes-
sage of blessings He shared are powerful, and should be tak-
en to heart as an encouragement, to serve the Lord today.
Though far from exhaustive, this is an attempt to give some
thoughts to the beatitudes he gave so long ago.

Mat 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the king-
dom of heaven.
You remember the parable (Lu.18:10)…. It was the poor in
spirit who prayed and came away justified, whose sins were
not imputed, but covered, while the Pharisee who prayed,
who thought too much of himself, and who looked down on
the Publican, did not receive God’s grace. Pride is a kill-
er…Let us ALWAYS remember who a true Jew or Israelite is,
those who receive favor. It has absolutely nothing to do with
one’s lineage, but one’s condition of heart. We brethren
strive to be Abraham’s seed, being one of Christ’s (Galatians
3:2). Remember Revelation 2:9 “I know thy works, and tribu-
lation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blas-
phemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not,
but are the synagogue of Satan.” So, we see that the Church
in Smyrna doing the will of God was rich, having laid up for
themselves treasures in heaven. They have the favor of God
and will reign with Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Mat 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be com-
forted.
We who strive to walk after the spirit can never remove the
Lord from our lives. We may have sorrows and discomforts,
but we must always be accepting and thankful for all things,
even the trials we face, knowing that they build patience, in-
ner strength, and character (Ro. 5:3). Most importantly,
properly bearing trials is an indication of faith, without which
we cannot be pleasing to God. (He. 11:6) By faith we know
also that the Lord will not give us more than we can bear
11
(1Co.10:13). We must be faithful….and remember what the
Lord told Job who suffered much, after he with some right-
eous indignation proclaimed his innocence by many exam-
ples, including his care for the needy, and not putting his faith
in his riches. The Lord who loved him told him in Job 38:2-3
“Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without
knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; …” We do
not want to be shaken by the things we suffer, but maintain
our trust in the Lord, and we will be comforted.

Mat 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the
earth.
Meekness is the bedrock of our faith, for it enables learn-
ing…making us teachable in the ways of the Lord. On the
other hand, pride hardens our hearts, and sets us up to fall
(Mat. 2:16). Jesus describes himself in the next beatitude “as
meek and lowly in heart,” as Peter says, “leaving us an ex-
ample, that ye should follow his steps: (1Pe.2:21)
Concerning Israel, Exodus 19:5 says, “Now therefore, if ye
will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye
shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all
the earth is mine:” Now we know from many accounts that
they were not meek, but prideful, whose house was left deso-
late. (Mat. 23:38) They were provided as an example and
warning to us who are seeking the Lord’s favor. Galatians
3:29 declares, “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's
seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Those who are
Christ’s in this age, shall indeed inherit the earth.

Mat 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after
righteousness: for they shall be filled.
The Lord tells us in Mat 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given you;
seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto
you:” Notice that we are told here that one hungers and thirsts
after righteousness, thus demonstrating a deep desire to walk
with the Lord. This desire is likened in Mat.13:44, to a man

12
who found treasure in a field, and went and sold all he had to
acquire that field. To inherit the Kingdom, we indeed must
become a living sacrifice, to give our all to serve the Lord
(Ro. 12:1), knowing we have a loving Father who will respond
favorably to fill that sincere desire.

Mat 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
The Lord’s prayer makes it crystal clear that our willingness
to forgive is directly related to our own ability to be forgiven by
the Lord for our sins. We are also taught in Mat 7:2, “For with
what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what
measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. This
principle of receiving in direct proportion to our giving, wheth-
er it be mercy or of our substance is also expressed in Luke
6:38, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure,
pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall
men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that
ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
To have a pure heart, one must be led by the Lord, and be
one of His.
We are told that of the abundance of the heart, the mouth
speaketh. (Luke 6:45). Thus, to tame the tongue, one must
have a pure heart. We are also told that “the end of the
commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good
conscience, and of faith unfeigned:” (1Ti.1:5) Who we are,
and end up being is measured by the condition of our heart. A
pure heart that loves a neighbor as himself “is the fulfilling of
the law, (Ro. 13:10) and additionally, demonstrates our love
for God. This condition of heart enables us to “Follow peace
with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see
the Lord.” (Heb.12:14) For of a truth, “…. now we see
through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in
part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. (1Co
13:12)

13
Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be
called the children of God.
Peacemakers put self aside, and are not carnally motivated,
for their only desire is righteousness, to do the will of God in
love. Already noted above is Heb. 12:14, “Follow peace with
all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the
Lord.” Jesus told his disciples, “If a man love me, he will keep
my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto
him, and make our abode with him.” (Jn.14:23). Keeping the
admonitions of Jesus that are centered in love and peace with
all men is holding fast to God’s Word, and thus being one of
His children. (Mat. 5:44-45)

Mat 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for right-
eousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
1Pe 2:20 tells us, “For what glory is it, if, when ye be buf-
feted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye
do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable
with God.” Suffering for righteousness sake is any suffering
we do in keeping with doing the Lord’s will in every matter,
giving thanks for all life experiences that the Lord allows for
our ultimate good. James tells us in Jas. 1:2-4, “…count it all
joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the
trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience
have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire,
wanting nothing.” For we are also told and must take to heart,
the promise of 2Co. 4:17, “For our light affliction, which is but
for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceed-
ing and eternal weight of glory.” This glory whether in this
age or in God’s Kingdom of Heaven, is being “a vessel unto
honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and pre-
pared unto every good work.” (2Ti 2:21)

Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and
persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you
falsely, for my sake.

14
 Here we read that we are blessed when we walk righteously
in every matter, shedding light in every situation to overcome
darkness with the light of God’s Word. We must never give in
to the pressures of this evil world to please men, for as we are
told. “…for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of
Christ.” (Gal. 1:10) Being known of Christ is to be one of His,
and not being part of the darkness of this evil world. Remem-
ber what Jesus tells us in Mat 10:25, “It is enough for the dis-
ciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If
they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how
much more shall they call them of his household?” Blessed
we are if we are faithful, not giving in to the desires of men,
and known of the Lord at His return. For our light affliction,
which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceed-
ing and eternal weight of glory:” (2Co 4:17)
J. DiCesare

Gratitude
Gratitude consists in a watchful, minute attention to the
particulars of our state, and to the multitude of God’s gifts,
taken one by one. It fills us with a consciousness that God
loves and cares for us, even to the least event and the small-
est need in life. It is a blessed thought, that from childhood
God has been laying His Fatherly Hands upon us, and always
in benediction; that even the strokes of His Hands are bless-
ings, and among the chiefest we have ever received. When
this feeling is awakened, the heart beats with a pulse of thank-
fulness. Every gift has its return of praise. It awakens an in-
creasing daily converse with our Father; He speaking to us by
the descent of blessings, we to Him by the ascent of thanks-
giving, while all our whole life is thereby drawn under the light
of His Countenance, and is filled with a gladness, serenity,
and peace which only thankful hearts can know.
Selected

15
 How Saying “Amen” Could Be Hurting Your
Christian Walk
Whether it was after praying over a meal or praying in public,
from our youth many of us were taught to finish a prayer with
amen. That custom followed us to our prayers that we would
have in private. It would serve as a conclusion to our prayer
and our fellowship with God. Many of us have this habit even
until this day. It seems to be a natural conclusion to our com-
muning with God and with His son Jesus Christ. How could
this in any way impact our walk in faith you might ask? When
we pray we usually try to calm our mind and prepare ourselves
to approach the presence of God. It involves making a con-
scious effort of reminding ourselves of our calling and the im-
portance of it. In that moment during our prayer, we tend to
refocus our mind and zero in on who we are in Christ and the
privilege to be able to approach the throne of God. (Hebrews
4:16) This puts us back into the spiritual perspective, the eter-
nal perspective. What a great place to be! It is the true per-
spective, but then something happens. That something is the
conclusion of our prayer, the conclusion of our communing
with God. And it happens with an AMEN.

Now the word isn’t necessarily the problem but it is what the
word accomplishes. In the picture of a prayer, it may cut off
the line of communication with God. It puts a partition between
the time that we are mindful of the bigger picture, and our
“everyday lives.” That partition is what may lead us to stumble.
It is very common to refer to Jesus Christ as Lord. Under what
circumstance would a servant not follow his Lord’s leading?

Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians says that we should

“pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17). In a traditional sense
this may be impossible as we need to work, go to school, or
raise our families, but in the sense that we are listening to the
Spirit of God and allowing it to mold us in all that we do, it is
more than possible it is essential. Walking in the spirit is also
referred to as walking in the light. In our typical lives, we are

16
always quick to turn the lights on when we walk into a room.
We consider it a natural thing to do. A seemingly simple stroll
from one place to another would be quite difficult if there was
no light to reveal to us a correct path to walk in and the ability
to see obstacles and avoid them. Choosing at any time to
leave our “spiritual light” off would derail us from our path and
make us less aware of obstacles that may be in our way.

Sometimes it crosses our minds that “I need some time to my-

self.” “I need to put some space between myself and God.” We
don’t phrase it quite like that, but we all have creative ways of
adding that space. Perhaps we argue within ourselves that the
burden of the Lord is heavy and we need to rest. Our mind de-
ceives us that we need rest from the giver of rest. If we walk in
the light, we will never stumble. The only way we stumble is if
we are deceived, that for even a moment, we would be better
off to walk in the dark then in the light. So every time we say
amen from this day forth let’s make sure it’s not an ending to
our communing with God, but a reminder that though we walk
on this earth we are never far from Him. As Paul says in Co-
lossians 3:2, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly
things.”
K. Vassilopoulos

Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication

with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Philippians 4:6
THE question may arise, Why will not God give us the things which
He sees us to need without our making petition to Him and claiming
His promises? Undoubtedly because we need previously to come
into the proper attitude of heart to receive His favors and to be ad-
vantaged by them. Even as it is, we may be sure that we do not suf-
ficiently appreciate the divine care bestowed upon us hitherto and
now. Even in the attitude of prayer and thanksgiving we probably do
not discern one-half of our causes for gratitude, as we shall see
them by and by, when we shall know even as we are known.
Daily Heavenly Manna

17
 A Great Multitude
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude
that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and
language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.
They were wearing white robes and were holding palm
branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to
the Lamb." Revelation 7:9-10 NIV

Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who

are they, and where did they come from?" I answered, "Sir,
you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out
of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, "they
are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in
his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with
his presence. Rev 7:13-15 NIV

Do we believe the great tribulation has started? If so, let us try

to identify this class. Are they Israelites? It is clearly shown
they are not only Israelites, for this great multitude is stated to
have come from every nation.

Are they less than overcomers? We are not told that. What we
are told is that they have come to Jesus as their Savior; for the
text says they have washed their robes and made them white
in the blood of the Lamb. They may not have complete
knowledge of God’s plans but they are attempting to keep the
great commandments, including the new commandment Jesus
gave: to love him as he loves us, and be willing to lay down
our lives for each other. See John 13:34 and 15:12, 13.

How comforting to know that so many God-loving Christians in

our midst today are probably part of this great multitude, and
they will be blessed by Jesus in the kingdom, as we read in
Rev. 7:15-17, Therefore, "they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on
the throne will shelter them with his presence. ‘ Never again
18
will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not
beat down on them nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at
the center of the throne will be their shepherd; 'he will lead
them to springs of living water.' 'And God will wipe away every
tear from their eyes.'"

Is this a spiritual class? Perhaps ‘yes’ and perhaps ‘no.’ They

are before the throne and serve God day and night in His tem-
ple. That certainly sounds spiritual. But in Rev. 21:2-5, God’s
temple comes down to earth. Then I saw "a new heaven and a
new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed
away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City,
the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I
heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwell-
ing place is now among the people, and he will dwell with
them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with
them and be their God. 'He will wipe every tear from their
eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or
pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who
was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"
Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustwor-
thy and true."

Again, in Isaiah 66:1, the Lord says, this is what the LORD
says: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Be-
ing on the footstool also would place this class ‘before the
throne.’ In any case, their status will be wonderful!

May we open our arms and our hearts to all who are hunger-
ing and thirsting for righteousness and invite them to … take
the free gift of the water of life. Rev. 22:17

Dan Anas

If you have found knowledge, hold it up so others may light their

candles from it.

19
 The Story of Abigail
Through her faith and courage, Abigail saved her house-
hold from certain death at the hand of David and his men. She
kept David, God’s chosen future king of Israel, from making a
dreadful mistake, which would probably have haunted him and
his kingship for the rest of his life. In 1 Sam. 25:1-9 (NIV) we
read:
“Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned
for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then
David moved down into the Desert of Paran. A certain man in
Maon who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He
had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he
was shearing in Carmel. His name was Nabal and his wife's
name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful
woman, but her husband was surly and mean in his
dealings—he was a Calebite. While David was in the
wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. So he
sent ten young men and said to them, "Go up to Nabal at
Carmel and greet him in my name. Say to him: 'Long life to
you! Good health to you and your household! And good health
to all that is yours! "'Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time.
When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them,
and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was
missing. Ask your own servants and they will tell you.
Therefore be favorable toward my men, since we come at a
festive time. Please give your servants and your son David
whatever you can find for them.'" When David's men arrived,
they gave Nabal this message in David's name. Then they
waited.”

Background
Here, we pause and briefly review the events leading up to
this story. The nation of Israel had wanted a king and the Lord
finally allowed them to have a king. The prophet, judge, and
priest Samuel, under God’s direction, had anointed Saul as
king. Under Saul’s leadership, Israel fought against their ene-
mies such as Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the Philistines,

20
and the Amalekites. These nations wanted to destroy Israel
and take their land and property.
The Amalekites were a nasty group of people that made
their living by raiding other nations and carrying off their wealth
and families. The Lord wanted them totally destroyed because
he knew that they would never allow Israel to live at peace and
would cause Israel to follow their own idolatrous religion. Thus,
Samuel said to Saul in 1 Samuel 15: 1-3 (NIV):"I am the one
the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so
listen now to the message from the LORD. This is what the
LORD Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what
they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up
from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy
all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men
and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels
and donkeys.'"
So that was the Lord’s command. Destroy the Amalekites
and everything that belongs to them. Then Saul attacked the
Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern
border of Egypt. He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive,
and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. But Saul
and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and
cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good.
These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but
everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.
1Sa 15:7-9 NIV
So, did Saul do everything that the Lord required him
to do? No, he did not. They were unwilling to destroy com-
pletely. They (and they means the Israelite warriors under
Saul’s leadership as well as Saul) spared the Amalekite king
Agag, and they kept for themselves the best of the sheep, cat-
tle, and lambs. Everything that was good. That probably in-
cluded good stuff that the Amalekites had. Stuff that the Lord
did not want them to have. We don’t know what those things
were but I suspect it could have included idols of gold and sil-
ver, etc. God commanded that all of it be destroyed and Saul
allowed it to be saved and kept for their own use because they
were good things, nice things. Why destroy them?

21
 Not a good decision. It showed that King Saul only obeyed
God on his own terms. There are so many lessons here for us,
enough for a sermon just in this one event. Lessons such as:
 Saul and his army were willfully disobedient.
 They were greedy.
 They did not honor and respect the Lord.
 They violated the rules of war that God set up in Deut.
20: 16-18, which said that their enemies in the land
must be completely destroyed or they would teach Isra-
el to worship their own gods.
 Saul himself was apparently swayed by his army (i.e.,
public opinion) rather than being a leader for God and
listening to Him
 Saul later lied to Samuel.
The Lord was very upset with Saul’s actions. Then the word of
the LORD came to Samuel: "I regret that I have made Saul
king, because he has turned away from me and has not
carried out my instructions." Samuel was angry, and he cried
out to the LORD all that night. 1Sa 15:10-11 NIV
Samuel later confronted Saul about what he had done and
Saul tried to lie. So, because of his act of rebellion, disobedi-
ence, and rejection of the Lord, God rejected Saul as king of
Israel. And instead, God chose David, the youngest son of
Jesse, to become the next king. To make a long and amazing
story short, Samuel finds David and anoints him king. Saul
does not know this yet and David enters into service for King
Saul, playing the harp for him, becoming one of his armor-
bearers, killing the giant Goliath, and becoming very success-
ful in the army of Israel.
Saul then becomes very jealous of David, as recorded in
1Sa 18:6-9 NIV, “When the men were returning home after
David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all
the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and danc-
ing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. As they
danced, they sang: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David
his tens of thousands." Saul was very angry; this refrain dis-
pleased him greatly. "They have credited David with tens of
thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What

22
more can he get but the kingdom?" And from that time on Saul
kept a close eye on David.”
After that, things got progressively worse between Saul
and David, to the point that Saul tries to kill him. David be-
comes a fugitive and eventually moves down into the Desert of
Maon or Paran as some manuscripts have it with his band of
about 600 loyal followers. And thus we pick up the story in
1Samuel 25.

David’s Request and Nabal’s Reply

David and his men ask Nabal for some help, anything that he
can do for them—some food and water. David waits for a re-
ply. And here was the response from Nabal: "Who is this Da-
vid? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking
away from their masters these days. Why should I take my
bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my
shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?"
David's men turned around and went back. When they arrived,
they reported every word. David said to his men, "Each of you
strap on your sword!" So they did, and David strapped his on
as well. About four hundred men went up with David, while two
hundred stayed with the supplies.” 1 Sam. 25:10-13 NIV. In-
stead of showing hospitality to David and his men, which was
normal behavior, Nabal refuses to give them any food or water
and basically insults David. So, was Nabal correct in his re-
fusing David? Do you empathize and sympathize with his
position?
Let’s look at it a little closer. Nabal answers: “Who is this
David, son of Jesse?” Well, it seems to me that the whole
nation already knew about David being a devoted servant of
the nation of Israel, how he killed the dreaded Philistine Goli-
ath, how he won many battles against the Philistines risking
his life to protect the nation. How the women came out of all
the towns of Israel with joyful singing over David and Saul’s
victories. And yet Nabal could say “Who is this David” in such
an insulting way.
Furthermore, David and his men did not mistreat Nabal’s
workers, they did not steal anything. In fact, they protected his
workers in such a way that no one else could do them harm.
23
There were plenty of marauders from among Israel’s enemies
that could have stolen from and hurt the shepherds and
shearers and servants of Nabal. But David and his men were
right there and protected Nabal’s animals and the servants
who worked with the animals. Also, this time of sheep shear-
ing was a festive time. Much money would be made from the
wool of the sheep and it was a time to celebrate and share
with others—especially those who contributed to the effort of
taking care of the sheep.
In addition, we are told that Nabal was a Calebite. That
means he came from the region of Bethlehem, the same as
David. For all we know, he could have been a kinsman of Da-
vid. Yet he says, ”Who is this David, son of Jesse, coming
from who knows where?” This was also insulting. I don’t know
for sure but Nabal probably knew who David was, yet he says
“who is this David.” As we shall see in a minute, Abigail, his
wife knew exactly who David was.

Abigail Enters the Story

Let’s continue the story from 1 Samuel 25: 14 – 25 (NIV)
One of the servants told Abigail, Nabal's wife, "David sent
messengers from the wilderness to give our master his greet-
ings, but he hurled insults at them. Yet these men were very
good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we
were out in the fields near them nothing was missing. Night
and day they were a wall around us the whole time we were
herding our sheep near them. Now think it over and see what
you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and
his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one
can talk to him." Abigail acted quickly. She took two hundred
loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five
seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two
hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys.
Then she told her servants, "Go on ahead; I'll follow you." But
she did not tell her husband Nabal. As she came riding her
donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men
descending toward her, and she met them. David had just
said, "It's been useless—all my watching over this fellow's
property in the wilderness so that nothing of his was missing.
24
He has paid me back evil for good. May God deal with David,
be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of
all who belong to him!" When Abigail saw David, she quickly
got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face
to the ground. She fell at his feet and said: "Pardon your serv-
ant, my lord, and let me speak to you; hear what your servant
has to say. Please pay no attention, my lord, to that wicked
man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name means Fool,
and folly goes with him. And as for me, your servant, I did not
see the men my lord sent.
There are two very wise and courageous people who took
action here. First of all was the servant, and then of course
the heroine of our story, Abigail. The servant took it upon
himself to go and inform Abigail about what had happened. I
think the servant is often overlooked as a key figure in this sto-
ry. He knew that Nabal was a wicked man and by his action
could bring down the whole household. He also had the wis-
dom to not go and argue with his master, Nabal. Instead, he
went to his wife Abigail, who was wiser and more approacha-
ble and more reasonable and she probably treated the serv-
ants with more dignity and respect. The servant plays a very
important role in this story. One of the lessons for us as Chris-
tians is to show respect honor, and kindness to all people, es-
pecially to those of the household of faith. We should never
think that someone else is less important because of their po-
sition, financial status, age, or knowledge. Abigail apparently
had this kind of attitude toward the servants, or else the serv-
ant would never have confided in her and encouraged her to
think it over and possibly take some action to avoid disaster.
Abigail having this kind of attitude and character and re-
spect for her servants is reminiscent to me of how the Apostle
Paul writes about the body of Christ in 1 Cor. 12:12–27 (NIV)
I will read parts of this. We all know it I think.

Unity and Diversity in the Body

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many
parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all bap-
tized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or
Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to
25
drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of
many. Now if the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I
do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop
being part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I
am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for
that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were
an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole
body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in
fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them,
just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where
would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one
body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And
the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the
contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are
indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable
we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresent-
able are treated with special modesty, while our presentable
parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body to-
gether, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that
there should be no division in the body, but that its parts
should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers,
every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part re-
joices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of
you is a part of it.” 1Co 12:12-27 NIV
There is both unity and diversity in the body. Everyone is
important and has a part in the body of Christ. Abigail had this
kind of attitude. She felt the servants were important people
and she was more than willing to hear what this servant had to
say. Abigail took to heart what the servant said and respected
his opinion and decided to take immediate action. She acted
swiftly and courageously with great wisdom and took control of
the situation, without going to her husband who had already
made the bad decision. She did what had to be done to defuse
a terrible situation which would have resulted in a slaughter of
many innocent people. She showed great humility and
kindness in seeking peace with David and his warriors. In
fact, she was willing to take the blame for her husband’s bad
behavior though she was not at all responsible. She asked for
forgiveness for her household.
26
 What an example she is to all of God’s people everywhere.
She did not know what David and his men would do and how
they would respond yet she took a tremendous risk for the
sake of doing what was good and right. In my opinion, she
showed as much courage to do the right thing as any of the
more well-known prophets and characters in the Old Testa-
ment.

Abigail’s Acknowledgement and Plea

1 Sam. 25: Verses 26 through 31, “And now, my lord, as
surely as the LORD your God lives and as you live, since the
LORD has kept you from bloodshed and from avenging
yourself with your own hands, may your enemies and all who
are intent on harming my lord be like Nabal. And let this gift,
which your servant has brought to my lord, be given to the
men who follow you. "Please forgive your servant's
presumption. The LORD your God will certainly make a lasting
dynasty for my lord, because you fight the LORD's battles, and
no wrongdoing will be found in you as long as you live. Even
though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my
lord will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the
LORD your God, but the lives of your enemies he will hurl
away as from the pocket of a sling. When the LORD has
fulfilled for my lord every good thing he promised concerning
him and has appointed him ruler over Israel, my lord will not
have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless
bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the LORD
your God has brought my lord success, remember your
servant."
Abigail knew exactly who David was and her action saved
the day. In fact, she knew who David was to become. If it were
not for her, there would have been a needless slaughter of in-
nocent people in her household and it would have been a
stain on David’s reputation for the rest of his life. Continuing
on in 1 Samuel 25:32–35: “David said to Abigail, "Praise be to
the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet
me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for
keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging

27
myself with my own hands. Otherwise, as surely as the LORD,
the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if
you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging
to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak." Then David
accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said,
"Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your
request."
Lessons Learned
Sometimes God sends people into our lives to help us,
guide us, instruct us, keep us from making a dreadful mistake.
So it was with David as he himself praises and thanks God for
sending Abigail to him on this day, thus preventing unneeded
bloodshed. There could have been a massacre that would
have been on David’s conscience for the rest of his life. She
gave David a chance to rethink his planned vengeance on the
household of Nabal. He had acted in anger and outrage but
because of Abigail’s action, David was able to calm down, re-
think his action, and change his mind.
This story also speaks well of David. He could have still
acted badly and not paid any attention to this woman, and
proceeded with his intentions. But he did not and, instead, had
a change of heart realizing that it was not the right response.
To put it bluntly, he came to his senses.
I think the memory of this incident stayed with David for
the rest of his life. I believe it helped him have a better heart
attitude for the things that would later happen to him in his life.
I believe it helped him form a more forgiving attitude and an
ability to maintain his composure under stress. There are sev-
eral incidents that come to mind. One is the story of Shimei in
2 Samuel 16: 5 – 13 (NIV) “As King David approached
Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul's family came out
from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed
as he came out. He pelted David and all the king's officials
with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were
on David's right and left. As he cursed, Shimei said, "Get out,
get out, you murderer, you scoundrel! The LORD has repaid
you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in
whose place you have reigned. The LORD has given the
kingdom into the hands of your son Absalom. You have come
28
to ruin because you are a murderer!" Then Abishai son of
Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my
lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head." But the
king said, "What does this have to do with you, you sons of
Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the LORD said to him,
'Curse David,' who can ask, 'Why do you do this?'" David then
said to Abishai and all his officials, "My son, my own flesh and
blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this
Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the LORD has
told him to. It may be that the LORD will look upon my misery
and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse
today." So David and his men continued along the road while
Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as
he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with
dirt.”
What a change, what a difference in David’s attitude. David
overlooks this insult though he could have had Shimei killed
on the spot. There is more to this story later in the life of Sol-
omon but nevertheless you can see that David is a much more
humble man, leaving it up to the Lord to deal with Shimei.

Death of Nabal
Let’s return to and finish the story of Abigail. We pick up
the story after David accepts the food from Abigail, 1 Samuel
25: 36–39 (NIV): ‘”When Abigail went to Nabal, he was in the
house holding a banquet like that of a king. He was in high
spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until day-
break. Then in the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife
told him all these things, and his heart failed him and he be-
came like a stone. About ten days later, the LORD struck
Nabal and he died. When David heard that Nabal was dead,
he said, "Praise be to the LORD, who has upheld my cause
against Nabal for treating me with contempt. He has kept his
servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal's wrongdo-
ing down on his own head." Then David sent word to Abigail,
asking her to become his wife.”’
So, Abigail goes back to Nabal and tells him what she did.
She did it honestly and in a wise fashion. She did not do it
while he was drunk at his banquet but rather wisely waits until
29
the next day when he was sober. Oftentimes, it’s wise to wait
for the proper time to talk to someone about a touchy or seri-
ous subject. Nabal may have acted out of rage and done
something foolish. After he heard what had transpired, Nabal
apparently has a heart attack or a stroke and he dies about 10
days later. In fact, the verse says the Lord struck him and he
died.

Additional Lessons for Us

There are many lessons for us from this story of Abigail. Many
have already been mentioned. Additional lessons are:
1) Our words and actions can have far reaching affects.
They can affect our lives and those around us in power-
ful ways. Everyone in this story could have caused a dif-
ferent outcome for the better or worse.
2) How we react to what is said or done is very im-
portant.
3) We should not hesitate or be afraid to try to do what is
right when given the opportunity.
4) Pray that God will fight the battle for us and trust Him.
No matter what situation we are in, whatever struggles
we face, whatever we are worried about with respect to
the future, we have the assurance that God understands
and that he cares for us. God is faithful; he sees our
heart. He can change the situation in an instant as he
did for Abigail.
5) Be humble as Abigail was before David, even willing
to take the blame for something she did not do. Try to
live at peace with all people; be a peacemaker as was
Abigail. Jesus said in his beatitudes: “Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they will be called Sons of God.” (Mt.
5:9)
Take some time and re-read this story for yourself, and I
believe you too will also come to the conclusion that the world
would be so much better off if more people were like Abigail.

H. Gmiterek

30
 What is Faith?
“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later
receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did
not know where he was going.” (Heb.11:8)
Faith is the substance of hope, that is belief and trust in God. It
is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not
see. Without faith it is impossible to please God. (Heb. 11:6)
So as believers in the very great and precious promises of
God, we may participate in the divine nature and escape the cor-
ruption in the world caused by fleshly desires, and not only us
who are still living, but all the faithful (Heb.11:35,39 & 40) who
have died with the same hope.
Abraham through his faith in God did not waiver regarding
God's promises when he decided to leave the prosperous city of
Ur and face the unknown because he was fully persuaded that
God had the power to do what He (God) had promised. (Genesis
12:1-3; Romans 4:20,21).
We who are believers in the promises of God are Abraham's
offspring. (Romans 4:16,17) We follow our father Abraham as an
example because he decided to leave all the pleasures of that
city to follow the command of God. Through that same faith of
Abraham, we also believe and hope in the promises of God.
When we were baptized, we became a new creation and the old
(our former ways) forgotten. (2 Cor. 5:17) We vowed to follow in
the footsteps of Christ and God's commandments so as to be
worthy citizens to inherit the everlasting joy in the Kingdom of
God when Christ is revealed. (Rev. 21:4, 22:3-5; 1 Thess. 4:17)
Abraham never thought of the life which he left behind, but
looked forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and
builder is God. (Heb.11:10) Likewise, we must not go back to our
old way of life. (James 4:4) Now that we know what God requires
of us, we will be blessed if we follow God's commands and de-
crees. (John 13:17)
Remember that Abraham was blessed because he believed.
Abraham trusted God, which is why it was credited to him as
righteousness. (Gen. 15:6.) Let us therefore seek first the king-
dom of God and His righteousness and everything shall be add-
ed to us in this life and the life to come. (Matt. 6:33)
P. Wabwire
31
 Restored
"You have rejected us, O God, and burst forth upon us; you
have been angry, now restore!" Psalm 60:1
As the Psalmist expressed in this psalm, rejection is what I
deserve. Sin once separated me from God. The darkness that
surrounded my life even hid from me the fact that I was a sin-
ner. I thought I was a good person; after all, I didn't commit
those horrible sins that others committed. I did many good
deeds: I went to church every Sunday and to week-night Bible
studies, I worked for the church, I even accepted that Jesus
died for all mankind. But there was a void in my life that noth-
ing could fill: not more good deeds, not more Bible studies, not
more works. The hole in my heart was made by sin and only
Jesus could fill that hole. And Jesus did fill that hole. It was the
realization that Jesus died for me, for ME personally; that he
took my place in death, that transformed my life. Realizing
what it cost Him; to know that Jesus suffered so much cruelty
and died such a gruesome death that I might be free from sin
and have life is a gift for which I can never repay Him. The
stripes that he received I deserved, the suffering that he en-
dured should have been mine. I am the sinner, not Him; and
yet because he loved me so, he suffered those things that I
might be free. All I can do is praise Him!
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, Lord Jesus, for giv-
ing your life for me; for giving me your light in exchange for the
darkness of sin, for giving me true freedom for the chains of
bondage that weighed me down, for giving me your righteous-
ness in exchange for my filthy rags. I can never repay you for
your love and your grace that have so freely flowed into my
life. Dear Father in heaven, how can I ever say thanks enough
for the gift of your Son? He is the son of your love, the apple of
your eye, your only Son. There is no greater sacrifice for a fa-
ther, than to give his Son to save another. Yet you did that for
ME. Thank you for loving me so! Thank you for your grace and
mercy! Thank you for redeeming even ME!
Quiet Waters Christian Devotions

32
A Portrait of Jesus:
Rebuking Satan
“Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the
side of God, but of men.” Mark 8:33

Peter and Jesus were the closest of friends.

Peter loved Jesus, therefore, hearing what Jesus was saying,
that He must suffer and die, must have been terrible words for
Peter to hear. What had they been doing for the last 3 years?
Was it all for nothing? His mind went wild. Jesus also said that
He was going to rise from the dead, but as soon as Peter heard
the word, die, he tuned out. He couldn’t accept what he was
hearing!
Peter did not want to consider for a moment Jesus’ words, and
so Peter rebuked the Lord! In the Gospel of Mark, we are not told
what Peter said, though we can guess that his words must have
contained the frustration you might feel when you think someone
you love is making a bad decision and “throwing their life away.”
Jesus’ words were destroying Peter’s vision of what he thought
was God’s will. We can be sure that Peter reacted out of deep
love for Jesus and not wanting to lose Him; not out of blatantly
evil words of rebuke with a wrong motive. Jesus heard Peter’s
words knowing the love and concern in Peter’s heart, within the
beauty of friendship; but also as the temptation to be less than
the person He was called to be, and to walk away from suffering
and escape what His Father has called Him to do. Thus, came
those words now so familiar to us, words we sometimes use our-
selves: “Get thee behind me, Satan.” Despite Jesus love for Pe-
ter, despite their friendship and the love that prompted Peter’s
rebuke, Jesus recognizes the Tempter, Satan, and without hesi-
tation addresses him as well as Peter.
Satan can be subtle…he can use our friends, those we work
with and those we love, to draw us away from God’s plan for our
lives. We also need to be careful that out of love for others we
don’t get in God’s way in their lives. May the actions here of our
Savior be a lesson to us when we need to address Satan’s temp-
tations without hesitation! There is no question that we need to
keep our eyes focused on God’s plan for us.
D. Mathewson
33
Prayer List
“Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by fail-
ing to pray for you.” (1 Samuel 12:23)

Let us be Prayer Warriors for our Brethren!

Adkisson, Grace – TX Howes, Paul & Carla - UK

Allen Family – VT (d) Iannaccone, Marie & Fam. – IL (d)
Ammerman, Shirley & Family – NJ (d) Karavas, Anna - CA
Anderson, Family– WI (d) Knapp, Jamie – NH
Bews, Sandra and Family TX (d) Knapp, Joseph – IL
Boswell, Arlene – IL Leavitt, Denise & Richard – ME
Buxton, Jean & Family - UK Lepitre Family - IL
Casell, Agnes & Family –VT (d) Mazzotta, Eva – VA
Cooper, Carmela – NJ Miller, Alain – Canada
Csutor, Judith – CT Moore, Ralph & Maryellen – CA
Day, Ronald – PA Orsburn, Judi – CA (d)
Dewys, Mary & Family – MI (d) Ostwald, Dick - WI
DiCenso, Shirley Anne & Family - (d) Parker, Geraldine – CA
Dickson, Roberta Jo – CA Penton, Jim – Canada
Duhaime, George & Family – CT (d) Phillips, Stella – OK
Dunn, Kim - IL Rice, Michelle – MA (d)
Fantuzzo, Tony – NY (d) Rowe, Bryan - UK
Feliciano, Carmen - NY Schultz, Becky & Family – MN (d)
Fischer, Mike & Liz – WI Schwartz, Ruth – TX
Foster, Jean – IL Seminoff, Brenda – CA
Hauslein, Karen – MD Thomassen, Sandi – NM (d)
Hawk, Barbara – PA Tuscia, Priscilla – FL
Hildebrandt, Lois - FL White, Joan - NY (d)
Hoffner, Steve – NH (d) = death in the family
Hogrebe, Joan – MO
Hopkins, Linda & Andrew – TX (d)

Entered into rest:

Deborah Erma Moerschel, NY – Jan. 2023

Important: If you know anyone in the names listed above whom no longer needs
special prayers, please advise us so we may remove their names. Also, if any of
the information is incorrect, please let the editor know. Thank you.

People do not care what you think until you care what they feel.

34
Bible Correspondence Course New
Graduates & Websites
Congratulations to the following students who
have completed their course and have been
awarded a Certificate.

Tina Buckingham of WV completed the Ransom Course in

March.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You are invited to view the following websites:
http://www.cdmi.org (Christian Discipling Ministries International)
(Current/past NC magazine issues are available on our website)

https://www.christianbelieversconference.com/

http://www.cbfchurch.com (Christian Believers Fellowship in New

Hampshire)

http://www.biblefellowshipunion.co.uk (Bible Fellowship in UK)

http://www.bbschurch.org (Lombard, IL)

https://sites.google.com/site/quietwatersdevotions/home

http://www.cartyorkshire.co.uk (CART)

http://www.campblessing.com (Camp Blessing)

http://www.newcovenantfellowship.org.au (New Covenant News,

Australia)

https://e-biblia.org/ (Os Estudantes da Bíblia, The Bible Students,

Brazil - Portuguese/Span) email: contact@e-biblia.org

35
 Conferences & Conventions
2023 Christian Believers Conference Invitation from the
Conference Chairman:
“Dear Brethren,
“We are excited to announce the 114th annual Christian Be-
lievers Conference to be held at beautiful Gordon College in
Wenham, Massachusetts on August 2-5, 2023. Please mark
your calendar, and make plans now to attend. This year’s
theme is:
“The Pursuit of Godliness”
“The fellowship and spiritual insight that CBC provides is a
great treasure indeed. It is our fervent hope you will help to
make the conference even more meaningful by your presence,
for we all need the encouragement and support of those of
“like precious faith.”
“Through God’s grace we are able to offer a free conference
again this year, but we do ask that those who are able consid-
er paying their conference fee or making a donation.
“A conference program and registration form with more infor-
mation will be available in mid-May, but we urge you to make
your plans now if you are planning to attend.
“On the behalf of our Conference Planning Committee, we
look forward to being with you this next August.”
Yours in Christ,
Bo Shaw, 2023 Conference Chairman
2023 Christian Believers Conference
Go to: www.cbcconference.com for more information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bible Students Fellowship Conference
High Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesdon, England
9-13 August 2023 DV

36
Note: If you would like to have your Convention, Conference, Camp, or
Seminar published in The New Creation Magazine, send information or a
program at least three months in advance of the issue month of the maga-
zine to the editor, Bob Whittaker.

Notice: If you know of Christian friends who would benefit

from receiving the bimonthly New Creation Magazine via mail,
send their names and addresses to the CDMI main office, care
of Bruce Blake. The address is inside the front cover.

Donations
Many people around the world appreciate the New Creation maga-
zine. For many, it is their only source of Christian communication.
Also, for many, they only have it through the generous contributions
of others. If you feel moved to help them in continuing to get the
New Creation, please consider a donation to CDMI.

Article Contributions
Please send articles for possible publication to Dennis Gorham,
4 Alicia Street Somersworth, NH 03878
email: dennisgorham@comcast.net

Any information published in this magazine that you know is incor-

rect should be brought to the attention of the editor at his email ad-
dress: bobwhittaker64@gmail.com. We strive for accuracy but do
not have full knowledge.

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but
thou shalt meditate therein day and night.” Joshua 1:8`
Meditation on the divine law day and night is not, of course, to
be understood literally--that we should do nothing else day or
night than think upon the Scriptures. We are to understand the
Lord to mean that we should ever have in mind, in connection
with all of life's affairs, the thought that we are his, and that he
is our guide and director in all things, and that the slightest
matter that would pertain to our lives and our interests, day or
night, should be undertaken with due consideration of the
Lord's will respecting the same.

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