Articles by Marty Kessler

Is anything in this life, as good as it could be?Everything we enjoy has a culminating point, and we live for these culminating points.You buy groceries to prepare and serve a meal, but the culminating point is when you eat it together with loved ones. No matter how great the meal or the pleasure of the occasion, however, you always know that things could somehow be better.You live for that rare m...

“Quit trying to tell people about Jesus. You don’t have a Bible degree, you are not good with words and you are obviously judgmental if you think someone else’s life needs improving or fixing in any way.”“You should keep quiet about abortion. What business is it of yours if fornication has resulted in a pregnancy? You don’t understand the expense of having a child when you’re not ready. If they wa...

I am not against New Year’s resolutions. Any effort we make to do better is worthy of praise in my book.It strikes me, however, that Jesus pointed us to today, and only today. He also said not to worry about things that we consider absolute necessities in life such as food and clothing, but rather to seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness. Jesus encouraged us with the idea that if we put God fir...

2400 years ago, an oath attributed to the Greek Physician Hippocrates was put in writing. I find it interesting that in ancient Greece, a culture famous for its Pagan idolatry, a man would be so committed to such high moral ideals as are included in the oath.Do you realize that the original Hippocratic oath prohibited both abortion and euthanasia?“I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who a...

1. Never belittle your spouse, even in jest; and especially never in public. Just don’t.2. Always lavish legitimate praise for any and all of your spouse’s qualities or accomplishments, especially in public.3. Almost all marriages that end badly do so because of selfishness. If your immediate inclination is to look for selfish behavior in your spouse instead of yourself, it is a good sign that you...

Perhaps you’ve seen videos on the internet of people who do themselves great harm by doing terribly foolish things. They dive off houses into swimming pools and miss, mess around with explosives and discover that they work as advertised, or misjudge the amount of bungee cord they needed to maintain an intact cranium.We look at them and wonder, “What were they thinking?”We seem to have some of the ...

The above is not simply the title of this brief article; it is the last question a number of people were asked just before being shot dead on Thursday October 1st, 2015.On Monday October 5th, a stone monument bearing inscriptions of the ten commandments was removed from the grounds of the Oklahoma state capitol. The monument bearing such subversive thoughts as “Thou shalt not kill”, “Thou shalt no...

Are you struggling or have you struggled with any of “life’s issues”? Financial troubles, divorce, straying children, chronic illness or pain, addiction to alcohol, nicotine, drugs, pornography, sex; do you struggle with anxiety, depression, doubt, fear, frustration, faithfulness, anger, disappointment, abandonment, abuse, a sense of shame or guilt, loss of a loved one, a job, a relationship, tryi...

Increasing InsanityGod designed our minds to function in sync with his own. When one turns his mind away from God, the only possible result is insanity.Jesus’ apostle Paul wrote the following to the saints in Rome (1:21-22):“…but they became futile in their speculations”“…their foolish heart was darkened”“Professing to be wise, they became fools”“Futile speculations”? The so-called theory of evolu...

Risking a bad pun, I must ask, “Why is Donald Trump rising in popularity these days?” It is not his wealth or his “you’re fired” notoriety. No, these days he is gaining in popularity because he is not afraid to say what he believes to be the truth.No political correctness. No minced words. No one has to wonder what he means when he speaks. There is something to be said for that.I know of no more “...

Your skeleton is the underlying structure of your body and must be healthy for the body to be healthy. When a bone is broken, or out of place, we immediately take steps to insure that it is brought back to its original condition and position as soon as possible. We recognize that the original plan for the placement and function of the bones is the best design.The vital issue in God’s eyes, however...

Beware, total fulfillment is not to be found on planet earth. Nothing in our present, fallen world, will ever be just as it should be.We often set ourselves up for disappointment by having unreal expectations.It may begin in childhood when we believe that our life will be complete if we can just have that new bicycle, or football helmet or doll or whatever. We receive the object of our obsession, ...

Jesus came to give us life, according to John 10:10. Not just life, really, but “abundant life”. Are you living the abundant life Christ came to give you?Jesus said that if we come to him, he will give us rest for our souls, according to Matthew 11:28-30. Is your soul at rest?Most of all, I am drawn to the idea that Jesus has come to give us peace. John wrote Jesus’ words:“These things have I spok...

In a recent interview with the Huffington Post, President Jimmy Carter offered his opinion saying, “I believe Jesus would approve gay marriage”.How can you know if he is right? Read what the Law of Moses said about the practice of homosexuality:“You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination”, Leviticus 18:22 ……. As well as ……. “If there is a man who lies with a male...

The recent murder of nine of our fellow citizens while they were studying the Bible together, was cold and calculated. The murderer’s intent was to ignite a seething firestorm of hatred whose flames would be fanned into a race-war.As Jesus’ brother, James wrote nearly 2,000 years ago, some fires are set from those in hell (3:6). This was intended to be one such fire.No such war is erupting, howeve...

Tree-trimming, I cut a couple of large, heavily foliated limbs from an elm. I hadn’t seen the nest. Three tiny hatchlings lay on the ground.What do you do with three tiny birds you can’t save?My mind immediately was called to Leviticus, and the sin offerings to be made by the poor; two turtledoves, or two young pigeons (Leviticus 5:7).The text said that the sinner presents the two birds to the pri...

We live in a world where being sexually pure is cause for ridicule.We live in a world where one can be arrested for killing a sea turtle but given tax dollars to pay for aborting a human baby.We live in a world where a man confused about his sexuality is not only considered headline news, but is called a hero.We live in a world where rampant sexuality is the essence of popular entertainment yet ma...

Did God raise his son from the dead, or did someone take the body?The Jews didn’t take the body. They would have had to get past the Roman guard that they demanded be placed at the tomb for the express purpose of making sure no one breached that heavy, sealed stone. Besides, the last thing the Jews wanted was to get any kind of rumor started that Jesus left that grave. If they had taken the body, ...

The local news network reported last week that a young man was killed. He was sitting in a home playing video games with friends when a stray bullet from a would-be intruder’s pistol ended his life.Another report told of three motorcyclists killed when a driver momentarily lost control of his automobile.Then just yesterday, news came from a friend that a loved one of theirs who went to sleep, neve...

Jesus was homeless. He said the foxes had holes and the birds had nests, but he had nowhere to lay his head. Would we think him a bum?Jesus told a Samaritan woman that she and her people did not know what they worshipped (John 4:21-22). He even told some Sadducees that they were in error not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God (Matthew 22:29). Would we think him rude?Jesus openly condemned...