Give Me the Bible

Give me the Bible, star of gladness gleaming,
To cheer the wanderer lone and tempest-tossed;
No storm can hide that radiance peaceful beaming,
Since Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

Give me the Bible when my heart is broken,
When sin and grief have filled my soul with fear:
Give me the precious words by Jesus spoken,
Hold up faith's lamp to show my Savior near.

Give me the Bible, all my steps enlighten,
Teach me the danger of these realms below;
That lamp of safety o'er the gloom shall brighten,
That light alone the path of peace can show.

Give me the Bible, lamp of life immortal,
Hold up that splendor by the open grave;
Show me the light from heaven's shining portal,
Show me the glory gilding Jordan's wave.

Give me the Bible, Holy message shining;
Thy light shall guide me in the narrow way;
Precept and promise, law and love combining,
Till night shall vanish in eternal day.

By: Priscilla J. Owens &  E. B. Lorenz



AND MATTHEW (THE TAX COLLECTOR)
Neal Pollard
It is interesting that Matthew, who lists himself eighth among the twelve apostles the Holy Spirit moved him to record, adds a qualifier to his name different from any notation he makes about the others (10:1-4). He identifies one as a traitor, gives an ethnic detail about another and tells that there are two pairs of brothers chosen by our Lord, gives surnames, nicknames, and tells us James is the son of Alphaeus. Yet only after his own name does he specify occupation. We know there are fishermen in the group. At least one professional nationalist stood among the chosen. Perhaps one was in the finance business. Strangely however, he mentions only his own trade.
By Matthew's own account, tax collectors had no qualms hanging out with sinners (9:10-11). Luke records at least one known for unscrupulous, unethical behavior in that occupation (19:1ff; 3:13). In fact, Matthew repeatedly lumps together tax collectors, prostitutes, and pagans (11:19; 18:17). That is apparently how they were seen, especially by the scribes and Pharisees. Yet, Matthew does not hide the kind of work he did before Jesus called him.
Did he do this to give hope to people who wrestled with the guilt of their own sins, who would know what he overcame to follow Jesus and see him as an example of Jesus' power? Did he do this to show that even he, who was picked to be an apostle and to write one of the four sacred records of Jesus' life, had a sinful past (Romans 3:23)? Did he do this to show the unity possible in Christ? How much interaction did he and Simon the zealot have in fulfilling Jesus' ministry? Did they ever "door knock" together? How far apart were they when reclining to eat together? A Jewish nationalist would not have had deep, inherent appreciation for a guy collecting taxes to enrich the Roman coffers.
What is clear is that Matthew tells everyone what he did and who he was. Yet, what he became through Christ is what is most important. He is still faithfully serving after Christ's resurrection and ascension (Acts 1:13). He had a role in doing the initial preaching of the gospel of Christ (Acts 2:14).
What about Joe the alcoholic? Or Ted the foul mouth? Or Susie the liar? Can they find a useful place in the kingdom too? We already know the answer. The Lord wants us to believe it!


WHAT IS THE SEASON OF LENT? We hear a lot about Lent this time of year. An invention of the Catholic Church, Lent is the forty day liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. The word "Lent" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten, or Spring, the time of year when the days begin to lengthen. The forty day period is taken from Jesus' temptations, Matthew 4:1-2. The purpose of Lent is the preparation of a person through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial, for the commemoration of the passion and resurrection of Christ.
Tuesday February 24, was the final day before the Lenten fast. This day is variously recalled in celebration of "Carnival" (farewell to meat) which concluded on "Fat Tuesday" or Mardi Gras, and in "Shrove" Tuesday's pancakes (consuming the eggs, milk  and fat not allowed during the fasting of Lent). "Shrove" Tuesday refers to the ancient practice of being "shriven" (confessing and receiving absolution) in order to begin and keep a holy lent.
Neither Lent, Carnival, Fat Tuesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, nor Mardi Gras are found in the Bible. These are man-made religious holidays. Yet they have permeated our society. Even non-Catholics get caught up in the celebration! While a lot of well-intentioned people put a lot of effort into observing these events as best they can, if they would only follow God's word they would be far better off!