Articles by Marty Kessler

Two archers are honing their skills, slinging arrows at the same target. One man’s arrow strikes the target near the bullseye, and he feels a sense of satisfaction at coming close to his mark, yet determines to make every effort to bring his next shot even closer. His desire is to master his bow so that his arrows will consistently strike wherever he aims them. The second man draws his b...

I am indebted to Irishman John Lennox, mathematician and Christian apologist, for the following insight. God teaches us to love him with all of our heart, soul and mind, said first in Deuteronomy 6:5 and repeated by Jesus in Matthew 22:37. What does it mean, however, to love God with all of your mind? Suppose for example, that an unbeliever asks you why you believe. Have you thought...

The world of music lost Glen Frey of the Eagles, David Bowie, Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane, Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire, Keith Emmerson of Emmerson, Lake & Palmer, Merle Haggard the Okie from Muskogee, Prince & Ralph Stanley the godfather of traditional bluegrass music known from the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” Hollywood lost Alan Rickman of Harry Potter fame, Dan Haggerty who...

The holiday season is for me, like the evening of a year-long day. My "instinctive" hope is for the whole family to return from the day's activities and be gathered together around the table at home. But as many of us have learned, their return is not guaranteed.I was 13 when my brother-in-law stepped through the door of our home to tell me that my dad would not be returning. No holiday season has...

“Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.  Just as many were astonished at you, My People, so His appearance was marred more than any man and His form more than the sons of men.  Thus He will sprinkle many nations, kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; for what had not been told them they will see, and what they had not heard they will...

It is a principle as old as creation, and which is stated ten separate times in the Biblical creation account (Genesis 1:11-12, 21 & 24-25).  Everything reproduces after its kind. Reproduction in kind is not limited to biology.  Similarly, Isaac Newton observed that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.  So consistent is this truth that he identified it as the t...

Amber alerts are for missing children.  Silver alerts are now understood to mean an older person is missing.  Our ears perk up when we hear of these announcements because we care. What alert do we have for sheep that are missing from the Lord’s fold? Who do you know whose name needs to be plastered across a screen somewhere within sight for all of the “spiritual” saints to see?  Tha...

Acts 5:27-29:  “When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council.  The high priest questioned them, saying, ‘We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.’  But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’” In spite of the dange...

The clamor of “separation of church and state” over the last several decades has served to condition many saints into thinking that religious views have no place in our nation’s lawmaking or in the selection of our leaders.  Nothing, I repeat, Nothing could be farther from the truth. How could we come to believe that God would ordain governments to exist (See Romans 13:1-5 for examp...

Day dawned again this morning, the light is spreading still, as it has since God’s creation, his order to fulfill (Psalm 19:4-6) The world is going crazy, but then that is a lie, because it’s long been crazy and will be ‘til we die (1st John 2:15-17) The nations in an uproar, fools devising their vain things, taking counsel with one another against the King of Kings (Psalm 2:1-3) But God stil...

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous shall live by faith”,Romans 1:16-17 Paul defined the gospel in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 when he writes that it is the death, burial and resurrection ...

We read about the first worship offered to God, as well as the first murder in Genesis 4:1-8. Coincidence? I don’t believe so. Abel honored God with an acceptable sacrifice. Not Cain. Cain had plenty of opportunity to make a proper offering and even had encouragement from God himself to do so. He deliberately refused. Instead of listening to God’s personal appeal to correct his behavior, Cain...

Your body, or flesh, is made from the stuff of this earth, so it wants the stuff of this earth. Your spirit, however, which makes you a sentient being, is from God and longs for him. Your flesh constantly compels you to satisfy its appetites which, incidentally, neither you nor I get to decide. The worst desires of your flesh are in conflict with the best desires of your spirit. That will nev...

The dictionary defines sanctity as “The state of being sanctified; holiness, sacredness”. What is sacred to those of us whom the rest of the world calls “Americans”? Is human life sacred? How can we claim that we believe life is sacred to us when we sanction the killing of children by their mothers? What place should we hold more sacred than a mother’s womb? The womb is the seat of ...

You are very likely someone who wants to influence others for God. What is one of your best opportunities to do that? How about Sunday?Every Sunday we have visitors to our worship assemblies. I want to encourage you to plan to make a positive impact on them. What can you do?1) Speak to them! Let them know with certainty that you are glad they are here.2) Introduce yourself and they will probably r...

Nutritional deficiencies often have negative symptoms.Not enough vitamin D and you might suffer weakness or aching in your bones. Insufficient vitamin E can lead to dry hair, leg cramps and slow healing. A lack of magnesium can result in irritability, anxiety and even impaired memory.So, if you’re grumpy or can’t remember stuff, eat some spinach.Is the same thing true spiritually? How much anxiety...

What good does it do to decry the state humanity if I don’t point people to the only perfect hope there is?We live in a world where marriage is dishonored through pornography, promiscuity, and adultery. Drug cartels flood our country with poison because our fellow-citizens buy it. Immigrants who despise our nation are doing great harm and Europe reels from violence being perpetrated there by thous...

A gunman kills 49 people in a nightclub. The gunman was Islamic and acted in the name of ISIS, an Islamic terror organization.The victims of this tragedy were at a bar known as a hangout for those who practice homosexuality. Likely all of the victims either embraced, practiced, or at least approved of this behavior.What are we to make of this horrible event? In the first 4,000 years, the devil lie...

All too often I hear of someone tragically taking their own life. I want to encourage any who may be considering suicide to reconsider.I haven’t been where you are, so I don’t pretend to understand all you are going through. I would like to hear your side. Until then, here are a few things I believe you need to know:#1 The rest of us want you to keep going, to live. Even if it doesn’t show, we car...

Why are mobs allowed to vandalize businesses and destroy property with very little punitive response? Why are law-breakers defended while lawenforcement is defamed and demeaned? Why is drunkenness excused as a “disease”? Why are some politicians allowed to get away with crimes that would quickly get the rest of us thrown in the slammer?  God clearly holds us all responsible,  “For we mus...