After Mary met with her relative Elizabeth, Mary did something that we should all be seeking to do in magnifying God (Lk. 1.39-46). The word “magnify” means “to deem or declare great, i.e. to esteem highly, to extol, laud, celebrate” (Thayer 394). The focus was upon God and not herself as Luke records her saying, “My soul magnifies the Lord” (Lk. 1.46 NKJV). She also rejoiced in God and acknowledged He was her Savior (Lk. 1.47). Her humility was on display with her use of the word “maidservant” (Lk. 1.48).

In another sense of the word “magnify” we have the concept of enlarging an object. I recall using a magnifying glass to look at insects and other small objects growing up. Some may use a magnifying glass to help them read. John the Immerser put the proverbial shrink ray on himself and the magnifying glass on Christ when he said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn. 3.30 NKJV). Like Mary, John was magnifying God. His humility was seen all throughout his ministry (cf. Jn. 1.19-27, 3.26-31). John was not afraid to point others to the Christ and in the process magnify Him (Jn. 1.29, 35-36).

Paul understood that his life was a living sacrifice to God (Rm. 12.1-2). He sought to magnify Christ in his body whether by life or death (Php. 1.20). This we can say without a doubt Paul did (2 Tim. 4.6-8). Christ was his life, and He must be ours (Php. 1.21; Col. 3.4). Paul understood what it meant to magnify God when he wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2.20 NKJV).

Can it be said in my life that God is magnified? Is He on full display by the words that I say and the things that I do? If not, why not?

Trent Thrasher

God’s real servants must never close their mouths when Satan parades before the world, spouting errors of every sordid form. Here are eight great examples of men who did not seal their lips.

1. Nathan, the bold prophet, plainly said unto King David: “Thou art the man” (2 Sam. 12:7).
   
2. Micaiah, the prophet, withstood Ahab and his 400 wise men and used these words of emulation: “As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak” (1 Kgs. 22:14).
   
3. John, the Immerser, severely warned the Pharisees who would have made a mockery of divine truths. Matthew 3 is a tribute to fearless preaching.
   
4. Jesus was uncompromising with a prospective follower when He told the rich young ruler about the challenge of kingdom service. Some of us try to ease prospects in and then teach them duty. Not so with the Master Teacher (Lk. 18:18-30).
   
5. Peter, in Acts 5:29, before an aroused Jewish council, frankly, informed them that the apostles would “obey God rather than men.” This is a refreshing change from our halting speech (1 Kgs. 18:21).
   
6. Stephen, nearer to death with each sentence, nonetheless spoke clearly of the debauchery and shame of the Jewish leaders. His courage sparks our need to oppose error. Read Acts 7 carefully.
   
7. Philip seized the opportune moment after running to his mission of importance, opened his mouth, and preached Jesus to the Ethiopian (Acts 8:26-39).
8. Paul, before Felix, chose the three most unpopular themes in his repertoire in preaching to his captor: righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come. Plain preaching is powerful; even Felix trembled and considered the plea (Acts 24:25).

Brethren, heaven will be too sweet to miss. Yet, we shall miss its glory if we seal our lips when God’s truth is burning within our souls. Sinners need it, the world will die and go to hell without it, and our souls will perish unless we open our mouths and speak forth the message of God’s resplendent glory.

Johnny Ramsey

Jesus highlighted the fact that a kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation and a house divided against a house falls (Lk. 11:17). The church is both a kingdom (Mt. 16:18-19) and a house (1 Tim. 3:15), therefore if she is divided she too can experience these tragedies. Paul addressed this with the church at Corinth (see 1 Cor. 1:10ff).

It is obvious that the world is divided, but the church should be united. Unity describes “oneness” and “harmony” that results in agreement (Am. 3:3). Jesus prayed for His followers to be one (Jn. 17:20-23). Paul outlined the necessary steps in order to have unity (Eph. 4:1-6). Seven times he utilized the word “one” in verses four through six. We all need to be on the same page as it relates to doctrinal matters which will align our thinking and behavior (1 Pt. 3:8-9). There is a great blessing in being a Christian and knowing that we are "…one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28 NKJV).

Christ only has one flock and His sheep hear His voice (Jn. 10:13-16, 27). We want our conduct worthy of the gospel of Christ which requires us to "…stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel" (Php. 1:27 NKJV). What a blessing unity is (Ps. 133)!

"Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you" (2 Cor. 13:11 NKJV).

Trent Thrasher

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” (Gal. 5:22 NKJV). The word “goodness” captures our attention in this article. To properly understand goodness, we must first understand the word “good.”

We know that God is good (Mt. 19:17). So too is His law (Rm. 7:12), His will (Rm. 12:1-2), and everything He does and provides (Jm. 1:17). Therefore, since each of us is made in His image (Gen. 1:26-27), we can be good too! More than that, as Christians, we should desire to be good every day. What does that include (just to name a few)?

• Our conduct toward our enemies (Mt. 5:43-48)
• Our teaching (Mt. 7:15-20)
• Our speech (Mt. 12:31-37)
• Our stewardship (Mt. 25:14-23)
• Our deeds (Eph. 2:10)
• Our obedience (Rm. 2:7-10)
• Our giving (2 Cor. 9:8; Gal. 6:6-10)
• The gospel message (Rm. 10:15-16)

Now that we understand the word “good” we can understand the word “goodness.” The Greek word is found only four times in the Bible (Rm. 15:14; Gal. 5:22; Eph. 5:9; 2 Th. 1:11). In general, it denotes an uprightness of life that conforms to the standard of God’s Word. That makes sense since God’s Word makes us complete for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Therefore, when we follow God’s standard, we too can be full of goodness. In a wicked world (1 Jn. 5:19), let us be those that not only know what good is but do it!

Trent Thrasher

On July 4th we will celebrate our nation’s independence in commemoration of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. We are truly blessed to enjoy the freedoms and liberty that we have in this country. Over 700 years before the Christ, Isaiah prophesied, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound” (Isa. 61:1 NKJV emphasis mine). This prophecy was fulfilled by Christ, the great Liberator (Lk. 4:16-21).

The Bible is clear that sin enslaves and the truth sets free. Jesus made this point to the believing Jews when He said, “…If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (Jn. 8:31-32 NKJV). Free from the bondage of sin was the point Jesus made when He continued, “…Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (Jn. 8:34-36 NKJV). What joy it is to know that we can be free from the bondage and penalty of sin, which is eternal death (cf. Rm 6:23).

Liberty does not give us license to sin but rather to serve (Gal. 5:13-15; cf. 1 Pt. 2:16). We should stand fast in this liberty and not be moved away from it (Gal. 5:1). We should look often into the perfect law of liberty (God’s Word - Jm. 1:21-24) and make sure we are doing what it says (Jm. 1:25; cf. Ps. 119:45). Why? We will be judged by it on the last day (Jm. 2:12). Never forget what Christ has done for us and let us follow in His precious steps!

Trent Thrasher