| By God's Design |
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 Questions about death are often on our mind. Death is something that each person will face one day, and the death of loved ones and friends is something that we will deal with throughout our life. The subject caused many questions among the church in the first century and God, through the inspiration of the Spirit, answered those questions in His word. 
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 The idea of forgiveness can be very perplexing to us at times. The very fact that regardless of what a person has done he can be forgiven when he seeks God, is taught throughout the Bible. The problem is that some people fail to believe this truth. There are some individuals who find it hard to believe that they can be forgiven because they can't forgive themselves. They see their sins as being too numerous and too great for God to forgive. Well, there is a man whom we are going to read about in the Bible who had committed great sins, yet he found forgiveness from God when he sought it.
 As Christians, we must constantly seek to answer the question, "Who is Jesus to me?" Does he have the pre-imminence in my life? These are not questions that can be taken lightly. These are questions with eternal implications. The destiny of our souls depends upon the place that we give Jesus in our life. As our Savior and Lord He is to be our all in all.
 No matter how many times we read passages in the Bible that speak of people becoming unfaithful to God, the tragic reality never really sinks in until we see it happen to someone close to us. The sad reality is that good men can turn wicked. Any man or woman who at one time was a great example of faithfulness for others can lose his or her way and become an example of what we shouldn't be. As we examine this topic, however, I believe that there are some warning signs that can be found in the lives of the men and women we read about in the Bible.
 The events that occurred at the death of Christ were unlike any other before or after. At the very moment that our Lord's lips were silent and He breathed His last breath, God began to speak in the unmistakable language of supernatural signs and wonders. The veil in the Temple was torn from top to bottom, there was an earthquake, rocks were split, graves were opened, and Luke records that the Sun was dark for three hours. While these miracles are indeed awe inspiring, we must not forget their purpose.
 Not long after Moses had lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, God required Him to collect an offering of gold, silver, and other precious materials from the people in order to build the tabernacle. The Israelites had been slaves in the land of Egypt for some four hundred years, how did they have all of those precious materials to contribute to the building of the tabernacle? Modern estimates place the value of the tabernacle well over a billion dollars in today's money.
 Submission is a concept that is almost altogether lost in our society. If the idea is suggested and it involves people and civil government, it is oppression. If it involves people of different genders, it is sexism. If it involves people of different races, it is racism. If it involves parents and children, it is abuse. We could go on and on about the negative stereotypes that society has placed on the idea of submission. What does the Bible teach on this subject?
 Nehemiah took on an ambitious project to rebuild the walls to the city of Jerusalem. He completed the project in just 52 days. That alone is an amazing accomplishment, but when you take into consideration the adversity that he faced it becomes even more impressive.
 Pharaoh tried on several occasions to get Moses to make compromises. After the last attempt, Moses told Pharaoh that Israel was taking all that they had with them because they did not know what they might need to serve God. Moses was going to make sure that he and the children of Israel were prepared to serve God no matter what the circumstances were.
 Life can be full of many great challenges. We can face many difficulties that can almost seem impossible to overcome. Our response to these challenges will determine whether or not we become bitter. Naomi faced many difficulties in her life. She allowed these things to take hold of her and dominate her life for a time. She told her countrymen to no longer call her Naomi (pleasant). Now, she wanted them to call her Mara (bitter) because of all that she had been through.
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