There must be some meaning to humanity’s mixture of awesome abilities and awful atrocities. What is the ultimate purpose and meaning of your life?

by Gary Petty

What would you ask the Supreme Being if you could get a direct and immediate answer? A poll in USA Today reports that the No. 1 question people would like to ask God is “What’s my purpose here?”

With all our technology and sophistication we still haven’t answered the fundamental question of what is the purpose and value of human life. It seems Henry David Thoreau’s observation that most people live lives of “quiet desperation” is all too true.

Where would you even start to discover the purpose for your life? Can you find it in psychological tests or philosophy? Aptitude tests might help you pinpoint your abilities. Personality evaluations could conceivably help you focus on aspects of who you are. But the social sciences can’t explain why you live.

The place to begin

The complexity and interdependency of nature around us, the miracle of life itself, reveal a Life Giver, a Creator. Would it make sense that a brilliant Life Giver would create intelligent beings without purpose? “What’s my purpose here?” can ultimately be answered only by the Creator of life.

Western society claims to have its roots in Christianity, yet the last place many people search to find purpose in life is the Bible. The Bible reveals a special creation with a special purpose. The first book of
the Bible is Genesis, which simply means “beginning.” Here is the Bible’s first sentence: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

God then created a unique biological being called man. Genesis 2:7 states, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

Does this mean that man is just another animal, different in form but essentially the same as a chimpanzee or other mammal?

The theory of evolution would lead us to that conclusion, but evolution doesn’t explain the obvious differences between humanity and animals. How do we explain the human ability to create music and art, discover and use geometry, develop architecture or invent complex forms of communication?

Instinct and intellect

A slug or a spider is driven entirely by instinctive behavior. The more complex the life-form, the more it can learn. Yet the behaviors of even the supposedly highest forms of animals are primarily instinctive. This isn’t true of humanity.

Mortimer J. Adler, in his book Ten Philosophical Mistakes, makes the point that if we compare animals with man “a radical difference appears. In the strict sense of the term instinct, the human species has no instincts—no innate, performed patterns of behavior. We have a small number of innate reflexes, only some of which are congenital. We also have what might be called instinctual drives or impulses. But in carrying these impulses out, members of the human species behave in a wide variety of ways. They do not all manifest a single pattern of behavior, such as we find in all members of a particular species of bee, ant or termite” (1985, p. 31).

This ability to reason and make complex decisions and choose courses of action makes humans infinitely different from any animal. The differences between the quality or quantity of the human brain and the brains of other mammals aren’t sufficient to explain the vast differences in function. When it comes to size, some mammals have larger brains than humans’ while others have a higher brain-to-body ratio than that of humans.

The difference between other mammals and human beings—the ability to reason, create, communicate emotions, experience love and empathy—are all aspects of what we call the mind.

Adler concludes: “The relation of the sensory powers to the brain and nervous system is such that the degree to which an animal species possesses these powers depends on the size and complexity of its brain and nervous system. This is not the case in regard to the intellectual powers. That the human mind has such powers does not depend upon the size or complexity of the human brain. The action of the brain is only a necessary, but not the sufficient, condition for the functioning of the human mind and for the operations of conceptual thought. We do not think with our brains, even though we cannot think without them” (pp. 52-53).

What is the human mind?

Brain size and biology can’t explain humanity’s uniqueness. So what creates the differences?

Once again we turn to the Bible. In the creation account we see that God created each animal “according to its kind,” but human beings are in the “image” and “likeness” of God (Genesis 1:24-28).

Creativity, positive emotions, logic, love, abstract thought, communication skills—these are aspects of the mind of the Creator. These are ways in which He has created us in His likeness.

Notice what the Bible says in Job 32:8: “But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.” One of the biblical prophets, Zechariah, declares that God “forms the spirit of man within him” (Zechariah 12:1).

Mankind and animals are both living “souls,” or beings. Both are subject to death, the cessation of life. The difference is that man possesses a nonphysical component called a spirit that imparts individuality, intellect, creativity and personality.

The Bible reveals the mystery science can’t solve. We are physical, chemical beings with a nonbiological component—a spirit—a mind that is in a limited way like the mind of the Creator. But, if human beings are like God in so many astonishing ways, why can’t we solve our own problems?

An incomplete creation

Why are human beings capable of writing inspiring music and also able to commit terrible crimes against each other? We research into the intricate human body and create medicines that heal, yet we produce nerve gas that kills. We send a rocket to explore outer space but send a missile hundreds or thousands of miles to destroy a city.

If mankind is made in the image of God—who reveals Himself as loving, kind and merciful—why are we so filled with hatred, violence and selfishness? The answers lie in understanding that we are an incomplete creation.

Genesis reveals the root cause of humanity’s evil. The first humans, Adam and Eve, were given freedom to choose between their Creator’s instruction about life and a way simply called the “knowledge of good and evil.” They chose the latter, the knowledge of good and evil.

God told Adam and Eve that once they started on the course of self-determination they would embark on a path that would ultimately lead to death. Evil—what the Bible calls sin—brings about death. History is a story of good and bad, of incredible potential and incredible failure. It is also a story of death. It seems that humanity’s destiny is to struggle, suffer and eventually die.

Central to the Christian religion is the belief that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God who took humanity’s death penalty upon Himself. Jesus also came to supply the missing ingredient to make eternal life possible. On the night before His crucifixion Jesus told His disciples He would send them another “Helper” (John 14:15-18).

The apostle Paul wrote to Christians in Corinth about the missing ingredient that keeps humanity from solving its problems: “… We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

“But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:7-11).

Here Paul writes that mankind knows the things of mankind-reason, creativity, mathematics—because of the “spirit of man.” This spirit is what makes us have similarities to God and gives us the ability to have a relationship with Him. Paul shows that to really understand the spiritual nature of God we must also receive the Spirit of God.

The Spirit of God is the missing ingredient in humanity. Without it human beings become both good and evil, lacking the wisdom to always see and choose the good. Death is the natural result. The death process must be reversed and a new nature developed in us. Peter puts it succinctly when he writes that we must become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).

God’s purpose for you

Humanity’s problems—from agriculture to economics to education to government to family relationships to individual emotional health—are ultimately spiritual in nature. Real solutions require not just a change in environment but a change in people.

Our first parents chose to participate in both good and evil. Not just Adam and Eve, but every human being who has ever lived—except Jesus Christ—has made the same choice. The result is that every human suffers and dies. Jesus came to pay the death penalty for evil. He also came to make available to people the Spirit of God, the healing, missing ingredient that will change corrupt human nature into divine nature.

What is your ultimate destiny? What awaits those who are willing to be changed by God’s Spirit from corrupted human nature to become partakers of the divine?

Paul explains in Romans 8:14-17: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by [which] we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit [itself] bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

The purpose of humanity is to become the spiritual children of God! The purpose for your life is more than making money, gaining social status and wearing the right clothes. The coupling of the human spirit with the Spirit of God makes possible the development of a new nature and eventually a resurrection to a new life as immortal children of God, joint heirs with Jesus of all things.

This is the ultimate potential of every human being.

But this isn’t just a nebulous promise of something in the far-off future. The Creator says you can enjoy a Father—child relationship with Him now. There are real solutions to your problems. There is hope for those willing to discover their true purpose. The first step on that road of discovery is to turn to the Creator and His instruction book. GN

When a broken bone heals, the body creates an area of increased density and strength at the site of the break. Godly repentance from sexual sins can strengthen your life.

by Bonnie Greider

In a Christian living class at a summer camp in Missouri last year, campers and staff were discussing the topic of morality and dating. There was a great deal of conversation regarding the need to remain pure and chaste while dating. Most agreed that young men and women should enter marriage without having engaged in premarital sex.

But what if you already have? What if you’ve already had sexual relationships in the past? Maybe you have fathered or borne a child out of wedlock, or had an abortion. Are you no longer capable of a happy, healthy marriage relationship? How does God see you? How do you see yourself?

No one can argue that our age is not filled with promiscuity. Sexual activity and conversation punctuate virtually every prime-time television show. Movies, music and even video games are filled with the subject. It’s no wonder that premarital sex is so widespread.

Right and wrong choices

God allows us to make choices. Sometimes we make good ones, sometimes we don’t. Some decisions have ramifications that last for a few seconds, while others last a lifetime. If God loves us so much, why doesn’t He stop us from making decisions that could jeopardize our future happiness? Why doesn’t He intervene and keep us from engaging in activities that will affect the rest of our lives?

As a mother of four children, I realize how difficult being a parent can be. Children learn things in different ways and stages. I vividly recall one adventuresome child who was determined that she could jump off of the top bunk bed and not get hurt. After several admonitions, I left the room knowing exactly what would occur within the next few seconds. Thump. Then came the yelp of pain that I was expecting.

I quickly reentered the room, comforted her and reminded her that sometimes it is better to listen to the voice of experience than to experiment on her own. However, it took two more attempts before she got the point. Sometimes we learn from a soft voice of admonition, but when we refuse to hear it we pay a penalty. The lesson learned from firsthand experience may be a great teacher, but it is also the one that causes the most pain.

Not all of us are willing to take admonition from a cautionary word of correction. Some do, but many don’t. When we look at the world around us, we see unmarried people holding hands, kissing and engaging in sexual activity. These people appear to be happy. They have somebody who makes them feel wanted and needed.

Why wouldn’t this be a good thing? Why would God not allow us to engage in something that feels so good? If He loves us so much, why does He forbid us from taking part in some activities that seem to be so enjoyable?

Have you ever babysat a small child, maybe a four- or five-year-old? If you opened the cupboard or refrigerator and asked the child what he would like to eat for dinner, would he choose steamed broccoli with a side of sautéed carrots? Or would he zero in on the ice cream?

Little children don’t know what is good for them. They know what they want and what they like. Older children, and even adults, are often the same. God allows things that are good or okay for us. He forbids things that are ultimately harmful even if we can’t see why. Some things are good in the right context but harmful in the wrong one.

In the case of sex, He has ordained that its use in the right context of a proper relationship is a beautiful blessing. When engaged in outside of that context, sexual activity causes problems and difficulties—sometimes with results that last for a lifetime. AIDS, pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases are only a few of those effects. When marriage is finally entered into, likely with someone else, there may be emotional and psychological strains on that relationship due to past mistakes.

A painful but effective teacher

So what if you have already engaged in sexual activity outside of marriage? What does the future hold for you? How can you have a right relationship with a future spouse and with God?

One of my children broke a bone in her hand playing sports. When the doctor was putting the cast on her hand, he told me that the bone would heal in about six weeks or so and that the place where the break had occurred would become the strongest part of her hand.

When a bone heals, the body creates an area of increased density and strength at the site of the break. However, if an X-ray of the location is taken, there will always be a deformity in that spot. In other words, there will always be a scar.

When we break God’s laws, there are always scars. Sometimes they are not visible to those around us and sometimes they may not show up for some time, but they are still there. They may be physical, but, as already noted, they could also be emotional or psychological. However, as with a healed bone, areas that previously suffered damage can become areas of strength.

Learning lessons the hard way is painful but often very effective. The humble repentance that ensues when a critical lesson is learned can be lifelong and profound.

Once this type of true, godly repentance is reached, the action that led to it is seldom repeated. Not only that, but one who has had to learn this way and has actually turned from past mistakes is often a very effective teacher helping others avoid the same sin.

How does God view us after repentance?

But how does God view us after we have made such a mistake and repented of it? The Bible shows us some examples of how God, the ultimate loving Parent, receives one of His children who comes to Him in a humble and repentant attitude. The story of the “prodigal” son, found in Luke 15, is a sterling example of how a loving father welcomed back his repentant son.

Another beautiful example of a love story is found in Ezekiel 16. In this account, God speaks of finding His bride. She was cast away to die as an infant.

Yet He took her in and protected her, providing everything she needed to grow into a beautiful woman, whereupon He married her. But her pride and vanity caused her to defile herself with other lovers, committing fornication.

However, in time she became ashamed of her actions and repented. God then took her back and renewed His covenant with her. We know that this is speaking about His people, Israel, who rejected His laws and became involved in the political and religious systems of the world. God was foretelling their repentance and His loving forgiveness.

The marriage union is called a great mystery that symbolizes the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Church, the spiritual Israel. Christ will come to marry His Bride at His return. The Bride has not always been faithful to Him and has had to repent. The blood of Christ was shed for our sins, and those whom He has called are cleansed by that miracle.

Why is this so important? Because every single human being has sinned. Every one of us has had a need to repent and must do so on a daily basis. But when we do, our loving Father hears our prayers and is quick to forgive and remove our sins. Our sins, once scarlet, become white as snow. Every sin brings a penalty, but thankfully the ultimate penalty—death—was paid by Jesus Christ. No matter what the sin, once true godly repentance has occurred, God forgives it totally.

Does that mean it is better or just fine to make mistakes? Not at all. Life is made so much harder that way. And because of the power of habit, wrong lifestyles can be difficult to forsake. If you can take advice and admonition from parents, family, friends and from God’s Word to start with, life will be much easier. But when painful mistakes are made, real repentance, striving with God’s help to break free of sin, can lead to a happy and rewarding life—with a powerful lesson learned. GN

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 4:19, NKJV)

So now the anxious care of yesterday has ballooned into the pressing need of today. The trouble that was near has come, and the need you anticipated is urgent.

So be it. The life God intends his people to live is one of faith, not one of sight; it’s one for today, not for tomorrow. For the most part, he allows us to keep nothing in hand, or it would ruin the simple outworking of our faith.

Like the poor widow who gave the prophet Elisha a place to stay, we’re often led to say “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” (2 Kings 4:2)

Our dear Lord took note of our daily life of faith when he taught us to offer this daily prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11)

The apostle Paul wrote a grateful letter of thanks for a gift he’d just received from the Christ-followers in Philippi. He had given them spiritual help, and they gave back material help, which he called “a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.” (Philippians 4:18) He knew he couldn’t match their material gift but instead he taught them truth and offered a precious prayer: “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

Let your soul anchor itself on this truth: God is my God. And though the winds may blow, or the waves may surge, or the skies darken, you will not be moved. Your needs may be great and urgent, and harsh demands may press in on you. Your resources may have run dry. But if the believer takes hold of God, fully focused and fully dedicated to him, none of these threats will matter. God is your God—in a forever covenant, in Christ Jesus, in a thousand past troubles—he is your God and your guide even to death.

God has sworn to meet our material needs and he’s able to meet our material needs. He wants us to know and deal with him as the Provider-God, as well as the God of grace. God’s promise is “His bread will be supplied, and water will not fail him.” (Isaiah 33:16)?

Has he ever failed you? He may have brought you to the edge, when your pantry was nearly empty and you had “nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” Yet he knows your need, and in the end he will supply it. Your faith may be sharply tried, but without a doubt it will triumph in the end. As Jacob promised his sons in his last words, “Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, but he shall triumph at last.” (Genesis 49:19)

In our battle against painful trials and circumstances, faith may face temporary defeat. But like the tribe of Gad, it “shall triumph at last.” God will supply all of our material needs because he has made a covenant commitment to us and because he has inexhaustible resources. We just need to trust him.

Above all, the Lord is our spiritual Provider. If he provides for the body, he most surely will provide rich and ample resources for the soul. “There is grain in Egypt,” as Genesis 42:1 reminds us. There’s also a rain of manna and a gushing rock in the desert. All the supplies from the grace covenant, all the fullness we find in Christ Jesus, all the boundless resources of the triune God…are there for the believer’s benefit.

Do you need more faith? Jesus is the author of faith and he will increase it. Do you need more grace? Out of God’s fullness we can draw “grace for grace,” as John 1:16 puts it. In the original Greek it literally means, “wave on wave.”  Do you need more love? Feed its flickering flame at God’s altar, and while you’re considering his wondrous love, your fire will burn.

So take that list of all your needs to your heavenly Provider, and he will supply. Not according to your meager desires, your unbelieving expectations, or what you personally deserve, but “according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

What need shall not our God supply
From His abundant stores;
What streams of mercy from on high
An arm almighty pours?

From Christ the ever-living spring,
These ample blessings flow;
Prepare, my lips, His name to sing,
Whose heart has loved us so.”
(P. Doddridge, 1755)

A NEW BEGINNING
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Acts 9:10–19

Regardless of what you have done, no one is beyond hope. That’s the great hope of the Christian message. No amount or depth of sin in your past can trump the grace of God. If you question that, remember Saul, the brash Pharisee of Tarsus. When the Lord saved him, He didn’t put him on probation. The other disciples did that. No, God gave Saul a new name and, in the process, made him a new creation. That’s what makes grace so amazing!

Even though your past is soiled, anyone can find a new beginning with God. I’ve made the same statement throughout my ministry: It’s never too late to start doing what is right. When Saul knelt before the living God, he finally faced the reality of his sin. Deep within the man, Christ transformed his life, and he started doing what was right. Grace provides that sort of new beginning.

Don’t get stuck on where you were. Don’t waste your time focusing on what you used to be. Remember, the hope we have in Christ means there’s a brighter tomorrow. Sins are forgiven. Shame is cancelled out. We’re no longer chained to a deep, dark pit of the past. Grace gives us wings to soar beyond it.

Could it be that you are stuck because of something from your past? Perhaps it has pinned you to the ground with embarrassment, shame, and fear. You’re crippled by it. The best you can do is to limp through each day, hoping for a painless end. That way of thinking is from the enemy, Satan. He loves to push your nose in the dirt, hoping to make you miss the marvelous claims of grace.

Don’t allow him that power in your life today. Around you are people who have no greater claim on grace than you do, and the Lord mercifully brought them out of their pit of sin. If He could turn a Saul of Tarsus, who was engaged in a murderous rampage, into a Paul the apostle, who preached and lived the message of grace, He can change your life too.

Taken from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.

“In prison, the most difficult thing was to live without a Bible.”

Aida Skripnikova was a beautiful young woman. In her early twenties, she stood on a corner in the streets of Leningrad and handed out poems declaring her love for Jesus and her joy in knowing him as Lord and Savior. She was soon arrested, but she proved to be resolute in her convictions, even though she was sentenced to a year in prison.
By the time Aida was twenty-seven years old, she faced her fourth prison term for her determination to defend the gospel. She had remained outspoken, saying in one publication, “We cannot be silent about what constitutes the whole meaning of our life—Christ.”
Her fourth stay in prison proved her most difficult. The guards constantly tried to corrupt her faith with everything from abuse to offers of chocolate. But the hardest thing for her was living without God’s Word. Her copy of the Scriptures was confiscated. As a punishment, she spent ten days in solitary confinement. Later she received a New Testament and guarded it as more precious than life.
When she was finally released, Aida was hardly recognizable—her dazzling beauty was gone, and she looked decades older. But the love of God shone through her smile, restoring her unparalleled beauty from within.

In many grocery stores, beauty creams outnumber canned vegetables. The cosmetics aisle is crammed with formulas promising to renew and restore our outward appeal. If only we were as concerned about our inner character as we are our outward appearance. Martyrs teach us to value the renewal of who we really are on the inside. The inner self. This is the person that no amount of torture can dismay. This is who is evolving into the image of Christ. You may wish to impress others according to worldly standards. However, God thinks your inner self is far more striking. Are you as focused on your inner character as on your outward appearance? In what ways is your inner self growing more beautiful as you age?

God’s Untainted Holiness by Bill Bright

“He will pour out His anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and practice evil deeds.” (Romans 2:8)

God is the absolutely pure being who abhors evil. He cannot tolerate any unrighteousness. Habakkuk 1:13 tells us, “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; You cannot tolerate wrong.” (NIV) God cannot secretly inspire any evil in us, for in His very nature He cannot accept evil in any form.

God’s holiness demands consequences for sin. We have broken His standard of holiness, and His holiness demands that He judge sin, not ignore or excuse it.

Throughout the Bible, God’s wrath is pictured as a destroying fire. Think back to the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. The cities were filled with sin. What was the punishment? The Lord rained down fire and burning sulfur upon those cities. Everyone perished. Yet God’s wrath is not uncontrolled anger. Instead, it is a planned and just act based on God’s holiness.

Today, many people believe that actions do not have consequences. If you want to have extramarital sex, just use a condom. If you commit a crime, hire a good lawyer. Stealing items from your employer is okay because everyone else is doing it. The lack of teaching on true morality in our public schools and in society in general has lowered the bar.

This is how we sometimes approach God too. “Our sins are not so wrong,” we say. “What others do is much worse.” The person who believes this has not confronted the absolute holiness of God. One small sin, one white lie, one hurtful word is enough to separate us from God’s untainted holiness.

Additional reading: John 3:31-36

Because God is holy…
I will devote myself to Him in purity, worship, and service.

Knowing and living the Ten Commandments
will empower you and feed your soul.
But here’s an easy way to remember God’s laws:
Use the acrostic “I AM THE LORD.”

I stands for IDOLATRY – Don’t worship idols.
A is for ADULTERY – Be faithful to your spouse.
M stands for MURDER – Don’t!
T is TAKE – Don’t steal.
H is HONOR – Obey your parents.
E stands for ENVY – Don’t be jealous of others.
L is LIE – Tell the truth.
O stands for ONE – Worship only one God!
R is REMEMBER – Keep Sunday holy.
D is DISRESPECT – Don’t misuse God’s name

HAITI:
Life in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital city, is an empty existence for some. Although tourist areas encompass its richness and beauty, the desperate cry of loneliness and destitution echo through crowded streets—home to many men, women, and children. Oranio lived an ordinary life in Port-au-Prince, until he was faced with a life-altering decision.

Best of intentions
As a young boy, Oranio intended to become a policeman. When the time came, he enrolled in the police academy, passed all the tests, and was accepted. But then the Lord intervened. “Two weeks before the police academy started, I had a dream,” says Oranio. “I saw Jesus stand up in front of me holding a Bible in His right hand.” Oranio felt a challenge to choose between a law enforcement career and ministry.

The decision
Resistant to choose ministry, everything in Oranio still longed to fulfill his childhood dream. So he sought counsel from Christians throughout his village, and then dug deep into God’s Word to seek the truth for himself.

Through confirmation of the Scriptures, God affirmed in Oranio’s heart which one he should choose. “God’s Word is a spiritual lamp according to Psalm 119:105, ‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path,’” he explains. “And His Word is also spiritual food according to Matthew 4:4, ‘…man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

“So I chose the Bible!” God, in His infinite love, led Oranio to serve Him.

Following God’s light
Instead of entering the police academy, Oranio is now a Bible League-trained Christian reaching the destitute throughout Port-au-Prince with God’s message of salvation. He follows the light of God’s Word on the path chosen for him, and shares spiritual food with others hungry for the Savior.

Life in Puná
ECUADOR :
“The name Puná comes from the aboriginal people who used to inhabit the island,” says Bible League’s director in Ecuador. “Now it is inhabited by bare-foot children whose legs are caked with rotting mud; they are surrounded by a multitude of disease infected flies—causing many of them to die young.”

For many years God was not known in this community. When children are taught to drink alcohol, and use and sell drugs, they conform to the ways of the world—learning lifestyles far from Biblical teachings. Our director adds, “Couples do not respect marriage or see it as a means to unite their families. These families continually struggle with loyalty to one another.”

God’s Word ignites a vision
Pastor David had a vision to see this community transformed! As he received Bible League training, he was overwhelmed with compassion for the people. Just as the Lord promises in His Word, Pastor David longed to see light in the midst of darkness.

“Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.”(Psalm 112:4 NIV)

Because God’s Word was foreign to the people of Puná, the pastor’s task was challenging. “Although not immediate, soon people were strengthened by the Word of God!” adds our director. “Pastor David’s vision became a reality. He planted the seed of God’s Word in the lives of the natives in every town on the island. He continues training them, even today, to work together in service to Christ.”

Experiencing joy
Many children, once slaves to alcohol and drugs, now study God’s Word! The community now experiences physical and spiritual cleanliness. Families are becoming members of churches and experiencing the joy of Christian fellowship for the very first time! Men and women are discovering God’s ordained purpose for marriage—creating unity and loyalty in the home.

“Four churches have been planted so far, and six are in the process,” continues our director. “We can now say that Jesus Christ is known throughout the island of Puná!”

COLOMBIA:
Bible League-trained Colombian pastor living in Pereira provides Bible League training throughout his community. Since his church began holding Bible studies so that people can receive God’s Word, his young daughter has been an inspiration to many.

“My daughter Daniela, who is 9-years-old, was the first one to contact people to start the Bible League Bible studies,” shares her father.

Opposition to the Gospel
When Daniela knocked on the door of a neighbor, she was unaware of the opposition awaiting her. As she invited the woman to her father’s church for Bible study, the husband overheard their conversation. Daniela, in her 9-year-old voice, confidently explained that she would teach them to study the Bible. The husband laughed and interjected, “What else will you teach us?”

But despite his mocking of young Daniela’s desire, God eventually moved in this man’s heart. He and his wife did in fact attend the Bible studies, and now assist in her father’s church—sharing the Good News with others, and testifying of Christ’s work in their lives!

Setting an example
Despite the great spiritual battle raging in Colombia, Daniela continues setting an example of obedience to the Word of God. She courageously invites others to study the Bible, and teaches God’s Word to schoolmates—even those older than herself. “Daniela is a beautiful example for the church as she accomplishes the commands of God,” adds her father.

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)