Articles by Marty Kessler

Luke records these two Godly people meeting Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus in the temple at 2:21-38. Simeon, informed by God’s Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s anointed, took the baby boy in his arms and said, “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the pr...

Closing the door on an empty shed. It had a bunch of junk in it. Our junk. Many things that held sentimental value that were difficult to let go. Why do many of us wrestle with letting go of such things?I have known all my life that this earth is not my home, this body will not last. I am confident that my mom will be one of the first to greet me when I cross over, but I still keep a card she sent...

Today’s technology is filled with marvels. A regular guy holds in his pocket a state-of-the-art camera, multiple means of media communication, advanced global satellite location capability, the means to buy and sell with the press of a finger, a whole plethora of ways to entertain himself and much more. Yes, technology has truly changed the world in many ways. But it has not changed everything. Th...

The worst thing you can do in the Lord’s church is to cause division. Solomon made it clear 3,000 years ago that God specifically hates one who causes strife between brothers (Proverbs 6:16-19). Don’t be that guy! He’s the worst. Jesus prayed for unity among his disciples (John’s gospel 17:20-23). Don’t fly in the face of his prayer. That’s the worst! Imagine being thrown into the deepest part of ...

Jesus prayed that all of those who believed in him would be united as one: “I am not asking on behalf of these alone (the apostles), but also for those who believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one; just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. - John 17:20-22 When Jesus says, “…so that the world may ...

Do you ever get frustrated with yourself because you believe your faith is small? If so, you are in good company. Jesus repeatedly told the apostles that he would be killed and then raise from the dead on the third day. He preached this openly saying, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."- John 2:19 Mark records at least nine times when Jesus told his disciples abou...

If you don’t already have a Bible you really enjoy, why not begin the New Year with one that you do? A disciple of Jesus is a constant student of his word, and I am confident that you want to make your study as efficient and effective as possible. What to look for: · Get a Bible you enjoy seeing and handling. Color, texture, size & shape are all important to its appeal. · The print must be easy fo...

As a babe he came and in a manger lay, to ease our burden and light our way. “Emmanuel”, he would be called, God with us in an animals’ stall. “House of bread” was the name of the town, where Mary lay her baby down. Apropos is the name indeed for with the bread of life this babe does feed, the souls of men who hunger and thirst for the righteousness we are led to seek first. It is not just a story...

Faith is trusting God about what he has said. Faith is believe believing in Jesus, even though you weren’t there when he walked the earth. You did not see his cross, but you believe he was crucified in your place. Your voice was not heard outside the empty tomb, but you will say with everything in you that you believe he stepped out of it fully alive. You haven’t seen heaven where your name is wri...

Jesus asked a woman for a drink of water. She responded by asking him why a Jew would ask a Samaritan woman (which she was) for a drink, since Jews and Samaritans were not known to get along. Leaving her question hanging, he went on to make a much more profound point. He said, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would hav...

A carpenter would never complain about hammer because it wouldn’t cut wood. A cook would not throw away a wooden spoon because they can’t boil an egg in it. These may seem like pointless observations, but consider how we often diminish our value because we can’t do what some others can. Hammers and wooden spoons have specific purposes. So do you. Do you know what you’ve been designed and gifted to...

(a question much too complex for a bulletin article cover) No other people are as uniquely related to God as the Jews. He specifically called Abraham to create through him a nation that would bring his son and therefore eternal life to the entire world. The message of John 3:16 makes it succinctly clear that God’s eternal focus was never on one nation, but on the coming of his Son for the world. A...

Above is the wisdom of Solomon regarding generosity. He says our bread will return to us after many days (Ecclesiastes 11:1). In fact, a dandy bit of “bread” returned to us just this week. We received a very nice card and a generous contribution from a congregation of the Lord’s people in Owatonna, Minnesota. In that card, several members expressed the following sentiments….. “Thank you for your w...

Have you ever faulted yourself for taking something for granted? You might presume, even subconsciously, that your ability to see is a given. You accept the gift of sight without considering the cause behind it. We are taught that such blessings are from God as James wrote: “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no va...

Remember these lines? “Think about it, there must be a higher love Down in the heart or hidden in the stars above Without it, life is wasted time, Look inside your heart, and I'll look inside mine Things look so bad everywhere, In this whole world, what is fair? We walk the line and try to see, Fallin' behind in what could be” “Worlds are turnin', and we're just hanging on Facing our fear, and sta...

The movie is a true story about human trafficking. It especially addresses the kidnapping of children as objects for sale to assuage the lusts of godless people. It is said that there are more people enslaved today than ever before in human history, and this move shines a great light on this evil. If no one spent a dime on human trafficking, if markets for children as commodities lacked paying cus...

On July fourth, 1776, the Continental Congress of the thirteen American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain. A new nation was born taking upon itself the responsibility for self-government. But the founding fathers, and indeed other national leaders who followed them, understood that without the dependence of individual citizens on Almighty God, our form of government would be ...

The tree pictured is a desert willow, planted many years ago in one of the islands in our parking lot here at the church building. I am amazed it is still in such good shape. More than one ice storm has ravaged its limbs and broken off an uppermost portion of the trunk. I suspect it was some of our little ones who’ve broken off many of the lower limbs from time to time. A large hole was bored into...

I’m going on vacation, to relieve my tired mind, I can’t wait to start forgetting, all the stuff I’ll leave behind. My job with all its stress will be the first thing that will go, and maybe then those constant bills that to my mailbox flow. I’ll forget about those people who always bring me strife, their caustic negativity is just a blight on life. I’ll turn off tv, twitter & surely facebook too,...

This is not a confession, but a statement of fact. I know it is a fact because one of Jesus’ apostles spelled it out for me in a letter to the church at Rome: “In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should …..”, letter to the Romans, 8:26 A couple of things I believe worth noticing about this are: 1) Apostle Paul, the author, includes himself. He ...