Month: April 2023

Our Bible question for this week is, What does the Bible say about how old the earth is?

I am reminded of the guide who worked in the Carlsbad Caverns. Someone asked him how old the caverns were. He replied that they were 20 million and 15 days old. When he was asked how he could be so specific, he explained, “When I first started working here they told me they were 20 million years old. That was 15 days ago. Now they are 20 million and 15 days old.”

That is a cute story, but no one really knows.

Some have estimated it to be around 4.54 billion years old. This age has been determined through various scientific methods. For example, if the nearest star(other than our Sun) is 4.24 light-years away from us, then since we can see its light then it must have taken more than 4 years to get here. Some stars are billions of light-years away so the universe must be at least that old.

Some also 

Some Bible students believe that the Earth is around 6,000 to 10,000 years old. They base this on a literal interpretation of the Bible’s genealogies and the belief in a six-day creation. This view is often referred to as young earth creationism.

There are 2 things to consider when looking at these two views.

1. God could have made the earth and all the stars with the appearance of being old. People will ask, “When God created Adam and he was only 3 days old, how old did he look?” the Bible presents Adam as being created as a grown man. Could God have done this? Yes. Did God do this? Nobody knows for sure.

2. Could our universe be billions of years old/ Yes. Those who believe that the Bible teaches a 6,000-year-old earth do not take account of Genesis 1. 

Verse 1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The next verse says, “Now the earth was formless and empty…” How much time passed between verse 1 and verse 2? The Bible does not say. Could it have been one hour? I don’t know. Could it have been 5 billion years? No one knows.

So finally, how old is the earth? It is not important. That God created it is the important issue.

Lonnie Davis

Good morning. Today I want to share an old story with you that I find humorous and instructive. It is called

Pulling Together

An out-of-towner drove his car into a ditch in a desolated area. Luckily, a local farmer came to help with his big strong horse, named Buddy. He hitched Buddy up to the car and yelled, “Pull, Nellie, pull!” Buddy didn’t move.

Then the farmer hollered, “Pull, Buster, pull!” Buddy didn’t respond. Once more the farmer commanded, “Pull, Coco, pull!”

Nothing.

Then the farmer nonchalantly said, “Pull, Buddy, pull!” And the horse easily dragged the car out of the ditch.

The motorist was most appreciative and very curious. He asked the farmer why he called his horse by the wrong name three times.

The farmer said, “Oh, Buddy is blind and if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn’t even try.”

I love the words of the song, “I get by with a little help from my friends.”  Don’t we all?

I think s  his illustrates the meaning of Hebrews 10:24

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,”  

Lonnie Davis

In today’s note we will consider two great reasons for prayer.

Not too long ago I read a great truth about prayer. It read, “Prayer is the language of faith.”

You wouldn’t like it if I wrote, “If you don’t pray, you don’t have faith.” If I wrote that, you may even stop reading. So, I won’t say that. I will instead write, “If you have faith, you will pray.”

I’m not saying that faith will lead you to pray three times a day while facing Jerusalem, as Daniel did. I’m not even saying you will pray on your knees for one hour every day. Everyone’s prayer routine look different. Certainly, everyone’s spontaneous prayer is different. Where and how long you pray does not matter, but if you have faith, you will pray.

It is natural.

God is your Father and you are his child. Fathers and children speak to each other.

It is natural.

Here are two reasons we pray.

#1. In prayer you build a relationship with your Father. Of course there are some sons and daughters who never speak or have not spoken to their earthly father. That is sad. I know because I never got to speak to my earthly father. We build our relationship with the Father by talking with Him in prayer.

#2. You have needs that only the Father can fill. If you can help your chlld, you want to do so. Your Father can help and he want to do so. No matter what is going on, He can help.

Let’s close this with a relevant scripture.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you “- 1 Peter 5:7

Lonnie Davis

Once upon a time, a rat looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package. What food might it contain? He was horrified to discover that it was a rat trap. 

Retreating to the farmyard the rat proclaimed the warning; “There is a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!”

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, “Excuse me, Mr. Rat, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.”

The rat turned to the pig and told him, “There is a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!”

“I am so very sorry Mr. Rat,” sympathized the pig, “but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured that you are in my prayers.”

The rat turned to the cow. The cow said, “Wow, Mr. Rat, a rat trap! I am in grave danger. Duh?”

So the rat returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s rat trap alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a rat trap catching its prey. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital.

She returned home with a fever. Everyone knows that you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient.

His wife’s sickness continued so that friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer’s wife did not get well. She died, and so many people came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide meat for all of them to eat.

So the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think that it does not concern you, remember that when there is a rat trap in the house, the whole farmyard is at risk.

– Anon

Today’s  SPIRITUAL TOOL. – Romans 10:17

No workman tackles a task without the proper tools in his or her toolbox. If you would be spiritual in your journey to eternity, then collect the proper tools for your task. Today’s scripture belongs in your spiritual toolbox.

Romans 10:17

Before we read today’s text, let’s look at a time when even the apostles cried out for this verse.

Luke 17:5-6

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

What did the apostles ask Jesus to do? They asked him to increase their faith. That is what we all want to do, but Jesus’ answer does not tell them HOW to increase faith. It assures them that faith can grow. Again we say with the apostle, Yes, but HOW.

Our text today answers that HOW.

Romans 10:17

So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The meaning of this verse is so clear that it is easy to understand regardless of the translation one uses. For example, here is how the NIV translates it. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”

A person does not increase or grow in their faith because of some event in their life. It is not increased because of an automobile wreck or a health scare. These things remind you of the need for faith, but according to this verse, one grows faith as one reads and hears the word of God. 

Do you want to increase your faith? Then, increase the time you spend reading and hearing the word of God.

This verse is a great tool for you to have because you need to use it to grow your own faith and to help those around you grow their faith.

Lonnie Davis

Too many times I have heard a sad person say, “I can’t help how I feel.”

Sure you can!

I learned better during a particularly hard time in my life. I was driving 30 miles every morning, in heavy traffic, to a job I did not want to do. As I drove I thought of the bad things in my life. By the time I would get to work I would have a terrible case of discouragement or a sad heart or even depression. 

As I was driving, one morning the solution to my recurring sad heart came to me. I realized I was not discouraged because of the bad things that happened, but because of what I was doing at the moment. This point is so important that I have to say it again.  I realized I was not discouraged because of the bad things that happened, but because of what I was doing at the moment. What was I doing at the moment? I was reliving the old negative events!

Once I understood this profound thought I was able to overcome the problem. The way to stop my daily discouragement was to change what I allowed myself to think. Whenever I would catch myself ruminating on the negative things in life, I would purposefully and quickly change the subject of my thinking. Let’s hear that again. I would purposefully and quickly change the subject of my thinking. 

When I stopped thinking about negative things, I quit being discouraged. 

We are what we think about!

Paul wrote, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things…And the God of peace will be with you.” (Phil 4:8-9)

Surely there is something noble, something pure, something lovely in your life. Think about those things and they will crowd out the negative, sad thoughts. When you control what you think about, you will control how you feel. If you make yourself think about the good things, you will make your day better. 

You will make your life better.

Lonnie Davis

It’s Saturday and each Saturday I am going to be writing and answering a Bible question. Today’s question is one that many Bible students ask.

What is the difference between man’s soul and his spirit? 

It has long been said that man has three parts: (1) Soul. (2) Spirit and (3) Body. It is easy to understand the body of man. We see it, but what is the difference between the soul and the spirit? 

Answer: Hebrew 4:12 certainly teaches that there is a difference. It reads,

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Here are my thoughts: There is no Scripture that clearly teaches the difference, but I believe that the soul is the eternal part of man that is created at birth or even conception. The spirit, however, refers to a person’s mental or emotional state, such as their will, determination, or enthusiasm. 

If someone disagrees with this, I will just say that this seems likely to me, but even though I have studied this, I am open to further study.

If you have a Bible question you would like to see discussed, send it to me and we will look at it.

Lonnie Davis

Text: Luke 17:4

“Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

Why this verse:

I chose this verse, because we all need to remember a special verse on a topic that is needed all the time. People are flawed and they (including you) will do things that hurt. This verse remind us that we need to forgive – always! As Adam and Eve needed to forgive Cain for slaying Abel, so we all need to forgive each other often.

Insight into the subject and verse

The book “Will Daylight Come” tells the story of how sin enslaves and forgiveness frees. A little boy visiting his grandparents was given his first slingshot. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit his target. As he came back to Grandma’s backyard, he spied her pet duck. On an impulse, he took aim and let fly. The stone hit, and the duck fell dead.

The boy panicked. Desperately he hid the dead duck in the woodpile, only to look up and see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing. After lunch that day, Grandma said, “Sally, let’s wash the dishes.” But Sally said, “Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today. Didn’t you, Johnny?” And she whispered to him, “Remember the duck! So Johnny did the dishes.

Later Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing. Grandma said, “I’m sorry, but I need Sally to help make supper.” Sally smiled and said, “That’s all taken care of. Johnny wants to do it.” Again she whispered, “Remember the duck.” Johnny stayed while Sally went fishing. After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally’s, finally he couldn’t stand it. He confessed to Grandma that he’d killed the duck. “I know, Johnny,” she said, giving him a hug. “I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave you. I wondered how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.

Lonnie Davis.

Text: Luke 17:4

“Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

Why this verse:

I chose this verse, because we all need to remember a special verse on a topic that is needed all the time. People are flawed and they (including you) will do things that hurt. This verse remind us that we need to forgive – always! As Adam and Eve needed to forgive Cain for slaying Abel, so we all need to forgive each other often.

Insight into the subject and verse

The book “Will Daylight Come” tells the story of how sin enslaves and forgiveness frees. A little boy visiting his grandparents was given his first slingshot. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit his target. As he came back to Grandma’s backyard, he spied her pet duck. On an impulse, he took aim and let fly. The stone hit, and the duck fell dead.

The boy panicked. Desperately he hid the dead duck in the woodpile, only to look up and see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing. After lunch that day, Grandma said, “Sally, let’s wash the dishes.” But Sally said, “Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today. Didn’t you, Johnny?” And she whispered to him, “Remember the duck! So Johnny did the dishes.

Later Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing. Grandma said, “I’m sorry, but I need Sally to help make supper.” Sally smiled and said, “That’s all taken care of. Johnny wants to do it.” Again she whispered, “Remember the duck.” Johnny stayed while Sally went fishing. After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally’s, finally he couldn’t stand it. He confessed to Grandma that he’d killed the duck. “I know, Johnny,” she said, giving him a hug. “I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave you. I wondered how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.

Lonnie Davis.

The Yak-Yak Rule

Do you know the Yak-Yak rule?

We’ve all got that special person in our life. You know them because of what they are “going to do” someday.

The wise man warned about leading this kind of life.

“In all labor there is profit, But mere talk leads only to poverty.” Proverbs 14:23

Let me translate that into our language, if all you do is talk about what you are going to do, then you will be poor.”

So what do we say, stay away from people who live their life this way? Yes. we could say that friends with the yak yak habit will live in pain and bring pain to those around them. We could also note that life by the yak yak rule is one of underachieving.

But what we really should say is that sometimes I live with the yak yak rule. 
Sometimes it is me. 
Sometimes it is you.

So how can I tell if I live by the yak yak rule? Here is how: make a list of all the good plans you were going to do but never got around to it. Look at all the projects you started but never finished. Those are pretty good indicators of a yak yak personality.

Everybody does that sometimes but not everybody makes a habit.

What is the antidote? Start something and get it done. See it through to its completion. Maybe start with some simple things and build a habit. By so doing, you can overcome the Yak-Yak rule.

Lonnie Davis