After becoming a Christian, we cross from darkness into light. We leave the realm of sin and unbelief and enter the realm of repentance and faith. The stark contrast between what we were and what we have become are striking. Now that we are God’s children, we may see ourselves as God’s special people for whom He cares deeply to the exclusion of all others. The Jewish people of Jesus’ day thought this. They enjoyed being God’s special people and thought themselves better than all other people. But was this the case? Or is this the case today? Does God only care about believers?

While God had a special relationship with the Israelites, there are several anomalies which we should investigate. During this study, we will look at several people who could be classified as unbelievers or at least people outside of God’s special attention. After looking at these examples, we will answer our initial question: Does God care about unbelievers?

1. Did God care for unbelievers in the Old Testament?
   
   The Book of Genesis traces the godly line from Adam, Seth, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It also covers the ungodly line of Cain before the Flood and the various “other” descendants of Abraham who didn’t follow in his footsteps. While the main focus is on the seed of Abraham, God did have some interactions with a number of people who we would consider unbelievers.
   
   Cain (Gen. 4:6, 9-15)
   
   When Cain and Abel brought their offerings to the Lord, only Abel’s was accepted. For an unrevealed reason, God did not respect Cain’s offering. Cain didn’t seem very happy about this and left with an angry countenance. As you know his anger got the best of him and he killed his brother.
   
   If we only knew that much of the story, we would think that God only cared for Abel and disliked Cain. But that’s not the whole story. God addressed the situation with Cain and offered him a proper reception but also gave him a warning. Did God care about Cain? Yes, God cared enough to address Cain’s problem despite his unbelief.
   
   Abimelech (Gen. 20:1-7)
   
   During our adult Sunday School lessons, we have been going through the Book of Genesis. As you may recall, Abraham feared for his life when living in Gerar. Thinking that someone would kill him to take his beautiful wife, he told the lie that she was only his sister. How did that work out? Abimelech, the king of Gerar, took Sarah. What a terrible situation.
   
   In an interesting turn of events, God appeared to Abimelech in a dream and warned him of his sin. Abimelech pleaded innocence and God acknowledged this. God even revealed that He had kept Abimelech from touching her. He then told him to return Sarah to Abraham so that he could be forgiven. Once again, God showed his care for not only Abraham and Sarah, but also for an unbeliever.
   
   Joseph’s Pharaoh (Gen. 41:1-8)
   
   The unbelieving pharaoh of Egypt had two dreams that troubled him. The first involved seven fat cows that were eaten by seven gaunt cows. The second dream involved seven plump heads of grain that were devoured by seven blighted heads of grain. This unbelieving ruler asked his magicians to interpret the dreams but they could not. Eventually, God enabled Joseph to interpret the dreams and warn the Pharaoh about a coming famine.
   
   What is so interesting about this situation is that God gave the dreams to an unbeliever. Of all the people whom He could have given the dreams, he chose an unbeliever. Why was that? You could say that God was using Pharaoh to accomplish His plan for Israel and that would be true. But could it also be that God was giving Pharaoh an opportunity to know the One, true God?
   
   Belshazzar’s queen (Dan. 5:10-12)
   
   Besides Daniel, the main character in the Book of Daniel is Nebuchadnezzar. God got his attention on several occasions and eventually convinced him of his need to submit to God’s sovereignty. But he wasn’t the only unbeliever that God cared for in the book. There was also Belshazzar’s queen. When the supernatural fingers wrote the message of condemnation against the wicked king, the queen took the opportunity to respond. She told him about Daniel “in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God.”
   
   It would seem that Nebuchadnezzar was not the only one who had been affected by God’s care. The queen, who is only mentioned here in the book, was the silent watcher in the background who saw all that transpired as God was working. This, I believe, is evidence that God cared for this woman from an unbelieving background. And it may also be evidence that she turned from her unbelief to faith in the one, true God.
   
   Each of these unbelievers experienced something that seems out of place. The Old Testament is usually focused on the history of the Israelites. But if you look closely, you will see that He also cared about people who were outside of Israel. He cared enough to reveal himself to people who beforehand had not believed. Despite their sinful unbelief, God interjected Himself into their lives and gave them a chance to believe.
   
   Now, if this is true that God cared for unbelievers in the Old Testament, it would seem to be a characteristic that would overflow into the New Testament as well.
   
   
2. Did God care for unbelievers in the New Testament?
   
   The people we will look at in the New Testament might not be precisely classified as “unbelievers,” but they are people who were outside the normal focus. The initial focus of Jesus and the disciples were the Jewish people. But three people (if not more) were somehow cared for despite not being Jewish.
   
   Syrophoenician woman (Mark 7:24-30)
   
   When Jesus visited the area of Tyre and Sidon, he tried to get some alone time by entering a house. But it didn’t work. A woman whose daughter was possessed by a demon came and fell down at his feet. She pleaded with Jesus to cast the demon out of her daughter. To this point, this doesn’t sound surprising at all. Jesus healed lots of people. However, this woman was not Jewish. She was a Syro-Phoenician. Jesus, who had come to minister first to the Jewish people, told her it wasn’t right to care for non-Jewish people at that time. But her sweet response won Him over. Because of her response, He told her that the demon had been removed.
   
   There is something special about this interaction between Jesus and the woman. Their picturesque language and back-and-forth make me smile. But I see this as more than just a feel good story. It is evidence that God cared for unbelievers in the New Testament. I would imagine that this kindness shown to her by Jesus later led this woman (and perhaps her daughter) to place her faith in Jesus.
   
   Samaritan woman (John 4:1-42)
   
   The Samaritans were half-Jewish people who were the result of the Assyrian captivity. Although they were half-Jewish, they were viewed as compromisers and unbelievers. This was actually true. Their version of religion was a mixture of truth and error. And because of this, they were shunned by the Jewish people. How strange it must have been for the disciples when they found Jesus talking to the woman at the well. Even she was surprised.
   
   But Jesus’ interaction with this woman led to her faith and that of many people in Samaria. “And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman.” This, I believe, is more evidence that God cares for unbelievers.
   
   I think you get the point. God not only cared for unbelievers in the Old Testament, but also cared for unbelievers in the New Testament period. It seems to be a characteristic of God. As Jesus said, “God so loved the world.” That world is big and includes people of all types. God cared for all of them.
   

Conclusion

Did you notice something about each of these people? God cared enough for each of them to interact with them despite their being unbelievers. We Christians often think that God only cares about us. But these examples show us that He cares about people before they believe and even if they do not believe.

Now, let’s take a moment to think about this. Have you always been a Christian? The answer is no. Each of us was an unbeliever at one point until God saved us. So, the truth is that God cared for us when we were unbelievers. Consider what Paul said about this:

Ephesians 2:1-8 – “And you … who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Despite our sinfulness and willful rebellion, God loved us. He cared for us when we were believers. And thankfully, He drew us to Jesus and saved us. But this care for unbelievers didn’t end with us. God still cares for unbelievers today. And I would imagine that He is still interacting with them so that they can see His loving care. And all of this has a single purpose. God is caring for people so that they can be saved. And as He does this, He is shown to be the great God who loves people. For this, He deserves our sincerest praise.

As our church works through our doctrinal statement, it has been good to look through what the Bible teaches on each subject. Our most recent section covers a basic understanding of who the Holy Spirit is. While the statement does not cover every mention of the Holy Spirit in the Bible, I think that it is helpful, concise, and biblical.

We believe that the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, is God (Acts 5:3-4) and is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son (Matt. 28:19); that He was active in the creation (Gen. 1:1-3); that He currently restrains lawlessness (2 Thess. 2:7); that He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-13); that He testifies about Jesus (John 15:26-27; Acts 5:30-32); that He is involved in the New Birth (John 3:5-6); that He seals (Eph. 1:13-14), baptizes (1 Cor. 12:13), indwells (John 14:16-17), guides (Rom. 8:14), teaches (John 16:13), sanctifies (1 Pet. 1:2), intercedes for (Rom. 8:26-27), and equips believers (1 Cor. 12:4–11).

While looking at various doctrinal statements, I came across the Position Statements of Maranatha Baptist University. Of interest to me was their statement on fundamentalism and the accompanying statement on separation.

“The Bible faculty are committed to Fundamentalism. The fundamentals of the faith have historically been defined as those beliefs that are necessary to the biblical doctrine of salvation combined with a high doctrine of Scripture, so that we have an inerrant record of those doctrines. Fundamentalism as an idea is absolute allegiance to those doctrines united to a willingness to defend those doctrines and to separate from those who deny or contradict them. Fundamentalism as a modern American movement emerged in the late nineteenth century when theological liberalism began to infiltrate and overwhelm the mainline denominations, and a generation rose up to defend the faith against those onslaughts. The movement has gradually taken shape over the last century as a separatist wing of conservative Christianity, consisting primarily, but not exclusively, of premillennarians and Baptists.

Maranatha’s origin lies squarely within the fundamental Baptist movement. As such, we have self-consciously identified ourselves as a separatist institution serving primarily independent and separatist Baptist churches. We reject the evangelical mindset towards culture and the tendencies to develop strategies for ecumenical evangelism and to cooperate with non-evangelical theologies. We see our mission as a militant defense of the faith once-for-all delivered to the saints. We regard separation from disobedient brethren a sometimes necessary step in order to maintain fidelity to Scripture. In general, we believe that cooperation is possible in proportion to agreement, and separation is necessary in proportion to disagreement. We also reject the attitudes and actions of fundamentalists who elevate tangential and eccentric teachings to the level of the fundamentals of the faith and separate over them. With our fundamentalist forefathers, we believe that unity should be enjoyed when possible, separation practiced when necessary.”

Today we celebrate our mothers. Many of us had the privilege of knowing and growing up under the care of a good mother. She carried us inside her belly for 9 months, fed us, potty-trained us, spanked us, clothed us, and dealt with all of our shenanigans. Despite our best efforts to the contrary, she led us in the way we should go and somehow chose to keep us! So, it is fitting for us to remember and honor our mothers today.

If you were to search for every mention of mother in the Bible, you would come up with a variety of interesting events. In my Bible, I found 306 mentions of the word mother. In the beginning, Adam called his wife Eve because she was the mother of all people. Then there was Sarah who gave birth to Isaac at age 90! Then there was Bathsheba who convinced David to make her son Solomon king. In the New Testament, we read of Jesus’ interesting relationship with his mother Mary. Even while dying on the cross, he put his mother in the care of a close friend.

While there are many stories about mothers in the Bible, the one best remembered is probably the story of Hannah and Samuel. It is the story of a woman with a less than normal family situation, a frustrating desire, and a miracle child. As we look at what happened, you will feel the emotions and see God’s hand at work in the situation.

[Read 1 Samuel 1:1-7.]

1. Hannah’s odd family situation (1 Sam. 1:1-7)
   
   Do you ever get the idea that someone else’s family is normal and your own is the weird or troubled one? I suppose that every family has its quirks and probably some secrets as well. Sometimes we think that a godly person must have come from a perfect family where nothing bad ever happened and everyone was perfect examples of faith and propriety. The family situation of Hannah says otherwise.
   
   a. She was one of two wives (2).
   
   Imagine what it must have been like to live in such a home. Would you be willing to share a husband with another woman? I think not. It would be a bad situation involving jealousy and mistrust. Not good at all.
   
   i. This was not God’s plan.
   
   You only need to go back to Genesis to find God’s perfect plan for marriage. There God gave Adam one woman as his companion not two or three. And from this we learn God’s pattern for marriage: one man and one woman.
   
   ii. This was not a pattern for happiness.
   
   Having more than one wife may have seemed like a good idea to Abraham, Jacob, and Solomon, but consider how things turned out for each of them. Abraham added Hagar to give him a son but almost lost his wife. Jacob wanted to marry one but eventually had four women. If you have read the Book of Genesis, you know all of the conflict that resulted from those poor choices. Then there was Solomon who had 300 wives and 700 concubines. Can you imagine that Mother’s Day celebration?
   
   Like these others, Hannah’s home was not a happy one.
   
   iii. This was not surprising for the times.
   
   Being that they lived during the time of the judges, it is not surprising that this was the case. At that time, “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25). Does that sound familiar? Perhaps that description could be said of how our current culture operates. And as it was back then, those who stray from God’s blueprint are often frustrated, unfulfilled, and unhappy.
   
   b. She was unable to have children (2b).
   
   Many would be mothers struggle with infertility. They have the desire but the desire remains unfulfilled for a variety of unknown reasons.
   
   i. During this time, children were considered a blessing.
   
   Have you noticed how angry people are today about “reproductive rights”? Many are angry that the Supreme Court may be overturning Roe vs Wade and making abortion legal. This mindset is at odds with what the Bible says.
   
   According to Psalm 127:3, “children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.” Instead of looking at children as an unwanted obstacle to happiness, we should view them as God does. Children are a blessing given by the Lord.
   
   This is certainly what Hannah thought about children — especially because she was unable to conceive.
   
   ii. Note that children are not always part of God’s plan.
   
   For those who have not been able to have children, keep in mind that God’s plan sometimes is different than what we desire. There are some who never marry. And there are some whom God does not choose to bless with children. It doesn’t mean that you are any less special to God. Instead, His plan for you is just a little different.
   
   For Hannah, the constant conflict and ridicule from the other woman was more than she could handle. Every day, it was hard for her to get up and smile because the one thing she really wanted was something she could not obtain.
   
   
2. Hannah’s frustrated prayer (1 Sam. 1:8-18)
   
   [Read 1 Sam. 1:8-18.]
   
   During the family’s annual visit to the tabernacle, Hannah would weep and pray. Her husband, who loved her more than the other woman, couldn’t understand her emotions.
   
   a. She was depressed.
   
   Her husband didn’t know what to do. As is the case with most husbands (or so I have heard), Hannah’s husband was unsure how to help his wife. They had tried to have children but nothing happened. He even asked why she didn’t value him more than ten sons.
   
   To make matters worse, the other woman provoked her, making things more miserable than they needed to be. You get the idea that she flaunted the fact that she had children and Hannah did not. What a terrible things to do!
   
   Hannah was quickly sinking into a deep depression that nobody seemed to be able to help.
   
   What if you were able to talk to Hannah at this point in her life, what would you say? The words of an old song come to mind.
   
   Are you weary, are you heavy hearted?
   Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus
   Are you grieving over joys departed?
   Tell it to Jesus alone
   Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus
   He is a Friend that’s well known
   You’ve no other such a friend or brother
   Tell it to Jesus alone
   
   That song has support in the New Testament. Hebrews 4:15-16 reminds us that “we do not have a High Priest [speaking of Jesus] who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
   
   b. She was distraught (9-11).
   
   After the meal, Hannah went to the tabernacle to pray. Her emotions were so powerful that she wept in anguish. She was at the breaking point and could find hope in nobody else.
   
   As she wept, she prayed to the Lord and made a vow. She promised two things. First, if God gave her a male child, she promised to consecrate him to the Lord for life. Second, she would never cut his hair.
   
   The second part of Hannah’s vow may sound familiar. Like Samson, her son would take the Nazarite vow. This was an outward expression of the person’s consecration to the Lord. Besides not cutting his hair, he would never drink wine or touch a dead body. You can read more about this in Numbers 6:1-21.
   
   Basically, Hannah made a deal with God that she intended to keep. If he would give her a son, she would dedicate the boy to God’s service for his entire life.
   
   c. She was accused (12-16).
   
   Did you notice who was nearby when Hannah arrived at the tabernacle? It was Eli, the high priest, sitting by the doorpost. As he watched her weeping and praying, he got the idea that something was wrong with her. He saw her lips moving but didn’t hear any words. So he assumed that she was drunk.
   
   Why would the priest think she was drunk? Well, if you read more about Eli you will find that his sons were very wicked. Their evil practices are described in the next chapter. Perhaps his own family experience led him to believe that most people were evil. Or he may have seen many people turn to the bottle to handle their difficulties. Whatever his reasoning, he confronted Hannah and accused her of being intoxicated.
   
   Hannah quickly denied being drunk and explained her situation. In a play on words, she insisted that she had not been drinking intoxicating beverages, but had been pouring out her heart to the Lord. She explained that her grief had led her to pray fervently to the Lord.
   
   d. She was comforted (17-18).
   
   Despite his first impression, Eli quickly changed his tune. He told Hannah that he understood and hoped that the Lord would grant her request. Hannah responded with grace and hurried back to her family.
   
   If you had been there, you would have noticed a completely different woman. She washed the tears from her face, ate a meal, and skipped down the path like a little girl. Well… we don’t know if that happened, but we do know that she was no longer sad.
   
   In all reality, Eli hadn’t told Hannah that God would answer her prayer. He only hoped that God would do that. Was Hannah reading into what Eli said? Would her hopes be dashed in the coming days?
   
   
3. Hannah’s happy results (1 Sam. 1:19-20)
   
   [Read 1 Sam. 1:19-20.]
   
   a. She worshiped the Lord (19).
   
   When you have prayed to the Lord and been encouraged that He will answer your prayer, what has been your response? Hannah’s response was to rise the next day and worship the Lord.
   
   This parallels what God tells us in Philippians 4:6-7:
   
   “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
   
   Hannah’s hope in God’s provision had taken away her tears and replaced them with a calm assurance in God’s goodness for her and the future.
   
   b. She had a baby boy (20).
   
   Not long after this trip to Shiloh, Hannah became pregnant and had a little boy. How happy she must have been! In thanks to God for answering her prayer, she named him Samuel.
   
   “Samuel (sometimes spelled Samual) is a male given name and a surname of Hebrew origin meaning either “name of God” or “God heard” (שם האלוהים Shem HaElohim) (שמע אלוהים Sh’ma Elohim).”
   
   It seems that the latter meaning fits best for Hannah’s situation. She had taken her grief to the Lord and was heard.
   
   c. She gave him to the Lord (21-28).
   
   [Read 1 Sam. 1:21-28.]
   
   Can you imagine how Hannah felt after God answered her prayer? The Lord had given her a son but she had promised to give this boy to the Lord. What a conflict of interest! So what should she do?
   
   After talking things over with her husband, they decided to keep the child until he was weaned and then fulfill her vow. When the boy had been potty-trained and was able to eat regular food (probably 3 years old, BKCOT 434), she made the journey to Shiloh and presented him to Eli the priest.
   
   When she arrived, she reminded Eli who she was and what had happened several years earlier. She praised God for answer her prayer and explained that she had promised to lend him to the Lord for life.
   
   Wouldn’t you like to have been there when this happened? All of the women would have been crying and hugging Hannah. All of the men would be scratching their heads and wondering what old Eli was going to do with a little boy in the tabernacle!
   
   The next chapter reveals that Hannah didn’t stop being a mother to little Samuel. She visited him and brought him a new outfit every year but she kept her promise to the Lord. And because of her willingness to keep her promise, the Lord blessed her with three more sons and two daughters.

Conclusion

Today’s message from God’s Word is heart-warming. We like to see how things turned out for Hannah and her little boy Samuel. But as we read this true story in the Bible, what lesson should we take with us?

1. God can overcome your bad family situation.

If you were to read about Samuel’s future ministry and not know about his family situation, you would think he had come from a godly home with no issues. But that was far from the case, his dad had two wives and his mom didn’t get along with the other woman. It wasn’t the perfect situation, but God chose to bring Samuel into that situation and used him despite of it.

Do you think God could use you despite your family background? We know that God can do anything but often think that we are limited by our upbringing. What if my parents got a divorce when I was younger? What if my dad beat me when he was drunk? What if my family situation contains things I can’t talk about? Could God still use me? The answer is yes. Remember, “with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26).

2. God cares for you.

Do you recall how bad Hannah felt while she was childless? Her depression was deep. Her grief was great. Her hopelessness was growing. And yet God was always there.

Sometimes our emotions get the best of us. We think that we are alone and without hope. But is this really the case? Does God leave us to suffer in our situation without showing any interest in our case? I would say no.

Consider what Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:7. There he says that we should be “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” Do you believe that to be true? I think that most of us understand the first part but don’t accept the second. Our circumstances often cloud the truth that God wants us to know.

Today, know that God does care for each of His children. He cares about you and wants you to take all of those burdens that have been pressing down on your shoulders and lay them at his feet. When you do that, believing that He actually does care for you, you will find the peace that only He can give.

It worked for Hannah and it will work for you.

Bibliography

David Erdmann, Lange’s Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Vol. 3 Samuel-Kings, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1960, reprint 1980, 47-53.

“Samuel (name)” as viewed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_(name) on 5/7/2022.

Eugene H. Merrill, “1 Samuel” in Bible Knowledge Commentary Old Testament, USA: SP Publications, 1989, 433-34.

Have you ever wondered why certain national leaders have taken such wicked or cruel actions? Think about the Egyptian pharaohs during Moses’ time, Jezabel, Manasseh, Stalin, and Hitler. Each of them chose to kill many people and seemingly with no good explanation for their actions. What caused them to go to such extreme steps?

Daniel 10 gives insight into what is happening in the spiritual realm. Angels are fighting other angels as they seek to influence nations in either a good or bad direction. The following quotation is a good summary of what is happening.

“Although the entire subject of the unseen struggle between the holy angels and the fallen angels is not clearly revealed in the Scriptures, from the rare glimpses which are afforded, as in this instance, it is plain that behind the political and social conditions of the world there is angelic influence—good on the part of the holy angels, evil on the part of the angels under satanic control. This is the struggle to which Paul referred in Ephesians 6:10-18.”

John Walvoord in Daniel The Key to Prophetic Revelation, Chicago: Moody, 1971, 247.

During Christmas, we often read Matthew 1:21 and consider the reason why Jesus was born. The angel said, “He will save His people from their sins.” We have already learned that “His people” refers to all Jews and Gentiles who received Jesus as opposed to just the Jewish people. We have also already learned that Jesus saves us from not only the eternal consequences of our sins but also the current problem of sin’s control over our lives.

However, we have pretty much only looked at the principle as opposed to specific evidence in the Bible that shows what Jesus did. Were there people in NT Bible times whose lives were set free from the power of sin both current and future? I can think of several examples.

I have always liked the words of this Christmas song — especially the change of heart at the end. But were you aware of the usually-not-sung verses at the end? They complete the song well by showing that repenting from sin and the change of life that God brings are the secrets to peace and good will.

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play;
In music sweet the tones repeat,
“There’s peace on earth, good will to men.”

I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along th’ unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor does He sleep,
For Christ is here; His Spirit near
Brings peace on earth, good will to men.”

When men repent and turn from sin
The Prince of Peace then enters in,
And grace imparts within their hearts
His peace on earth, good will to men.

O souls amid earth’s busy strife,
The Word of God is light and life;
Oh, hear His voice, make Him your choice,
Hail peace on earth, good will to men.

Then happy, singing on your way,
Your world will change from night to day;
Your heart will feel the message real,
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Christians deal with sexual temptation just like everyone else. With the world propagating the idea that satisfaction is found outside the bounds of marriage, we are tempted to give in to passion “like the Gentiles who do not know God.” So how do we know how to abstain and control our sexual urges?

As I read through 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, I was struck with the idea that God’s will involves not only abstinence (3) and temperance (5), but also knowledge (4). What knowledge is available to help with this issue? Perhaps the Bible has a few ideas:

1. Run away (Gen. 39:7-13; 2 Tim.2:22)

   When accosted by his master’s wife’s proposition, Joseph stated that what she proposed was a sin against God and his master. When she persisted, he didn’t stay to argue but ran away. When we are faced with such temptation, it is best to leave as quickly as possible.

2. Make a promise to yourself and stick with it (Job 31:1).

   Job was a conscientious believer whom God honored for his devotion. His faithfulness to the Lord was evident to all who knew him. And yet this godly man had experienced the temptation to look at women. His way of handling it was to make a promise to himself to not look. Then he made himself keep that promise. When we are faced with the temptation to look, remember your promise to yourself and the Lord and look away.

3. Don’t put yourself in a bad situation (Rom. 13:14).

   Paul told the Christians that instead of providing opportunities for their lusts, they were to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” The first part is proper thinking. Putting on Jesus is like putting on the armor of God. It is a spiritual choice to think and act like our Lord. The second part is not provisioning the flesh. This is an active choice to not allow things in your life that will enable your felshly desires. As Christians, striving to please the Lord, we need to know our trigger points and avoid them.

Today may be a tough day for you. You may be tempted in this area. And while you might blame the influence of the world, the flesh, and the devil, the decision to abstain, know, and control yourself (1 Thess. 4:3-5) is something that you will have to choose for yourself.

In this article, you have been given tips from the Bible to help you. Now you have to face the battle yourself. With God’s help, make wise decisions today.

The person who wrote Psalm 107 repeats a phrase multiple times. He says, “Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” He seems to be amazed at how often people forget to thank God for his goodness and what he does for them.

As you read through the psalm, he gives several examples of people who were in trouble (sometimes because of their own choices) but who turned to the Lord for help. Thankfully, God is merciful and kind to his rebellious creations. The psalm shows how God often bails them out of their situation and how the rescued person is then thankful for what God did.

If only people would recognize God’s goodness today! If only they would recognize the many times and many ways he has taken care of them through the years! Sadly, it often takes a difficult situation to get their attention.

How can we get people to be thankful to God? For those of us who know the Lord, it should be relatively easy. We see what he did for us through Jesus. That always fills our thoughts with thankfulness. But it shouldn’t end there. We ought to be praising God every day for something new. And our thankfulness should point others to God.

For those who don’t know the Lord, it will not come naturally. Thanking God has to begin with knowing and receiving him. So, our duty, as Christians, should be to serve as ambassadors for Christ. As we show our thankfulness and preach the gospel, some will be regenerated and as a result become thankful.