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According to a recent CDC (Center For Disease Control) report more than 38 million U. S. adults are binge drinkers on average four times a month.  The agency defines binge drinking as women having four or more drinks in a sitting and men having five or more drinks in a single sitting. Others define binge drinking differently.  The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as the same amount of alcohol consumed in two hours or less or an amount of alcohol that would put a person’s blood alcohol level above the legal driving limit.  Consider the following facts:
1.  Binge drinking is more common among young adults ages 18 to 34.
2.  It is more common among wealthier Americans–those with an annual income of $75,000.00 or more.
3.  But, binge drinkers age 65 and older reported drinking more in one sitting and people with an annual income of less than $25,000.00 per household drank the largest number of drinks per sitting–about eight or nine at a time.
4.  Binge drinking is also a major problem among children under 18.
5.  Drinking too much alcohol results in 80,000 deaths each year in the U.S.  By comparison, less than 4,500 soldiers were killed in the war in Iraq. Where is the public outcry against alcohol?
6.  Too much drinking of alcohol costs the U.S. $223.5 billion dollars in 2006.  Again, where is the public outcry?
7.  The government has made obesity a public health problem and actively seeks to inform the public about this problem.  Most people do not realize that binge drinking is a health problem!
8.  Too much alcohol leads to:  car accidents, violence, unwanted pregnancies, poverty, and sexually transmitted diseases among other things.  Where is the public outcry?
9.  Why do we tolerate such an evil in our society?
(Many of the above facts are taken from an ABC News Blog on Yahoo News:  CDC: Millions of American Are Binge Drinkers)
Many Christians are also negatively affected by the use of alcohol.  Consider the following passages of scripture that address this topic.
1.  Eph. 5:18, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.”  This passage contains a prohibition in the form of an imperative command and a positive injunction also in the form of an imperative command.  The phrase, “be not drunk with wine” is stated in the negative and the verb is an inceptive verb (methusko) which means, “to make drunk, or to grow drunk (an inceptive verb, marking the process of the state expressed in No. 1 (reference to methuo) (W. E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, I, 341).  The force of this verb, stated with the negative, is that the entire process (from the first drink onward) of becoming intoxicated is denounced and forbidden.  Christians are commanded to abstain from the use of intoxicating beverages!  Instead of coming under the influence of intoxicants, a Christian is to be “filled with the Spirit.”  This command means that a Christian is to be controlled by the moral and spiritual influences of the Holy Spirit as He leads through the Word of God and works in the life of a Christian.  This moral and spiritual filling takes place when a Christian is involved in true worship to God (Eph. 5:19).  Alcohol will never become a direct problem in a Christian’s life if he/she abstains completely from drinking it.
2.  I Peter 4:3.  “For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries.”  In this passage, Peter uses the word oinophlugiais (excess of wine) a drunkeness that marks the steps of methe–drunkenness (R. C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament, p.239).  The “steps of methe” refers to the process of getting drunk.  This word denounces the entire process of becoming intoxicated.  He also uses the word komois (revellings) which refers to behavior that is the consequence of drunkenness.  Finally, he uses the word potois (banquetings or carousings) which refers to “a drinking bout, the banquet, the symposium, not of necessity excessive… but giving opportunity for excess” (R. C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament, p. 239).  This word includes drinking parties and drinking bouts.
Both of these passages forbid the use of alcohol by Christians.  They forbid what is commonly called “social drinking.”  A Christian should abstain from the use of alcoholic beverages which manifest an indulgence of the lust of the flesh and instead should be “filled with the Spirit.”  Consider the following poem:
The name of each saloon’s a bar,
The fittest of its names by far.
A bar to heaven, a door to hell,
Whoever named it, named it well.
A bar to manliness and wealth,
A door to want and broken health;
A bar to honor, pride, and fame,
A door to sin and grief and shame,
A bar to hope, a bar to prayer,
A door to darkness and despair.
A bar to honored, useful life,
A door to brawling, senseless strife;
A bar to all that’s true and brave,
A door to every drunkard’s grave,
A bar to joys that home imparts,
A door to tears and aching hearts;
A bar to heaven, a door to hell,
Whoever named it, named it well.   (Wayne Jackson, Does the New Testament Justify Social Drinking?).

Yahoo News reported recently that a 53-year-old  North Carolina man, Michael Fuller, tried to buy a vacum cleaner, a microwave oven and other items at a Walmart store with a million-dollar bill.  He insisted that the note was real when he was purchasing $476 worth of items.  Fuller was arrested and charged with attempting to obtain property by false pretense and uttering a forged instrument.  He is in jail on a $17,500 bond.

Note several things about this story.  First, Fuller insisted that his milliion dollar bill was legit.  He was duped.  Second, he attempted to deceive others by using it and insisting it was authentic.  Third, A standard of currency proves him wrong.  The largest bill in circulation is $100.  The government stopped making $10,000 notes in 1969.  An authentic million dollar bill has never been produced by the United States Mint.  Fourth, Fuller was arrested and is now having to face the penalty for his crime.

In II Peter 2:1, the Word of God declares, “But there were false prophets also amng the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.”  In the world of religion we must beware of false prophets.  First, these men are duped themselves.  They are cunning and bold.  They deny the Lord that bought them.  Do you know anyone who denies the deity of Jesus Christ?  Second, these men attempt to deceive others.  They teach damnable heresies.  They teach the opposite of truth.    Third, the standard of truth falsifies what they teach.  There is a standard to which we can compare any doctrine.  The Word of God is truth (John 17:17).  The test of truth is available to anyone willing to read and understand the Bible for themselves.  Fourth, these teachers and those they deceive will be damned.  The language is strong but effective.  To be damned is to be eternally separated from God.

If someone asked you for change for a million dollar bill, what would your reaction be?  What about someone who insists that Jesus is not God’s Son?  If we deny Jesus Christ, one day He will deny us (Matt. 10:33).

In Job 38, God asks Job a series of mind-boggling questions.  He desired to show Job His infinite wisdom and power.  He also wanted to produce humility in Job.  God’s wisdom and power are seen in the magnificent design of the universe.  One aspect of that design is snow.  God asks Job, “Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? Or, hast thou seen the treasures of the hail?, which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?” (Job 38:22-23).  What are the treasures of the snow?

What Is Snow?
The word snow means, “crystallized rain.”  Snow is formed when water molecules collect around a piece of dirt and are frozen.  The temperature must be just right for snow to form.  The temperature at the top of a cloud must be at least 32 degrees Fahrenheit.  It can be so cold that it cannot snow.  Snow forms because there is water vapor in the air.  You cannot see this water vapor, but there is enough in the air to cover the earth with three feet of water! (ThinkQuest.org).  The water vapor sticks to a dirt particle.  It sticks because of the design of the water molecule which has a 105-degree angle between the hydrogen atoms.  This allows the water molecules to be polar in nature–having a positive and negative end (Does God Exist, p. 24 No.v/Dec. 2011).  The water molecules form around a speck of dust to make the crystal.  The dust can be volcanic ash, man-made pollution, or a particle from outer space.  This process removes particulate matter from the atmosphere and cleans the air.  As the crystal grows around that speck of dust, its shape is altered by humidity, temperature, and wind.  This is why the flakes seem different when we see them on the earth.
It is a myth that no two snow flakes are alike.  Scientists have identified six types of snowflakes: hexagonal plate, irregular column, a needle, stellar plate, spatial dendrites, and capped columns.  Even though there are various shapes, all snowflakes are six sided.
Snow consists of water, dirt (soil particles), and nutrients including nitrogen and sulphur.  There is more nitrogen in snow now because of acid rain.  When snow with nitrogen falls to the ground, it acts as a natural fertilizer and increases the acidity of the soil (The weathernotebook.org). Snow is nature’s fertilizer sometimes called, “Poor Farmer’s Fertilizer!”

Amazing Facts About Snow
The word snow is of English origin.  It has four letters and one syllable.  It is pronounced, snow!  It is sometimes used as a name.  In 2010, it was not one of the top 1,000 most popular girls names in the U.S.  Variant spellings include the word snowy.  Snow has no nicknames! (However, I would suggest, flaky).
Snow can be found all over the world.  Even near the equator at high elevations.  Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania has the only permanent snow cap within site of the equator.  Permanent snow and ice cover about 12% (21 million square kilometers) of the earth’s surface.  80% of the world’s fresh water is locked up in snow and ice.  The regions of permanent snow and ice are called cryospheres.  They are located in the Arctic (North Pole) and the Antarctic (South Pole) regions of the world.
The average snowflake has a top speed of 1.7 metres per second.  A single snowstorm can drop 40 million tons of snow!  This carries the energy equivalent of 120 atom bombs!  The most snow produced in a single snowstorm is 4.8 metres (15.75 feet) at Mt. Shasta Ski Bowl, in California, USA on Feb. 13-19, 1959.  The largest snowflake recorded was 15 inches in diameter found in Montana in 1887 (Does God Exist, Nov./Dec. 2011, p. 24).  Each year, an average of 105 snow-producing storms affect the continental U.S.  Practically every location in the U.S. has seen snowfall. Even most portions of Florida have seen a few flurries.  In the western U.S., mountain snow packs contribute up to 75% of all year-round surface water supplies.
The commonly used ratio, one to ten, of snowfall to water content is a myth for much of the U.S.  This ratio varies from as low as 100 to one to as high as three to one depending upon meteorological conditions associated with the snowfall (National Snow and Ice Data Center).

What are the Treasures of the Snow?
Snow is an important source of fresh drinking water.  Psa. 33:7 may be referring to snow and ice.  “He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses”  Snow has an effect on the earth’s climate.  It reflects sunlight and so heats the atmosphere and helps make wind currents.  Snow contains nutrients that help fertilize and renew the earth’s ability to produce food.  Snow and ice (hail) have been used by God to plague man for disobedience (one of the ten plagues was hail-Exodus 9) and to fight battles and win victories for His people (Joshua 10:11). Snow has an aesthetic quality and provides beauty in the midst of cold and dreariness.  Snow is used for recreation and enjoyment by skiers, sledders and wintertime outdoor enthusiasts.  Snow provides insulation for animals, man and plants.  Freshly fallen snow is between 90 and 95 percent air, so it is a good thermal insulator.  Snow cover actually helps animals, some people, and plants survive the long winters and harsh conditions.  Snow prevents frost heave and keeps your spring flowering bulbs in the ground during the winter.  Snow purifies the air that we breathe.  And, yes, you can eat snow!  But, don’t eat yellow snow!

The treasures of the snow relate to every aspect of our lives on the earth.  They related to the air we breathe, the water that we drink, and the food that we eat.   Could we live without snow?  No.  God’s wisdom produces marvelous things like snow that stir our imaginations and freeze our fingers and toes!

I have just completed a book review on the Book of Mormon by Ross Anderson.  The book club that I belong to just finished reading it.  Anderson gives an overall view of The Book of Mormon in a kind, concise and easy-to-read format.  The book is less than 100 pages!  Anderson addresses the following questions: What is the Book of Mormon?  What is the Book of Mormon About?  Where Did the Book of Mormon Come From? What Does the Book of Mormon Teach? How Does the Book of Mormon relate to the Bible?  Anderson is a former member of the LDS Church.  Why not read my review of this book before purchasing it yourself.  Just click on Book Reviews and then The Book of Mormon and start reading!  Enjoy!

God is omniscient.  He is all-knowing.  The Bible is exemplary of the wisdom of God.  It is a piece of the mind of God revealed to the heart of man.  That makes the Bible unique and special.  It is the ultimate source of knowledge and wisdom for our lives.

The Pursuit of Wisdom
A noble quest of the human heart is to possess the wisdom that comes from God.  Seek and ye shall find!  In Proverbs 2:1-4, Solomon uses four phrases to capture the essence of this quest.  The pursuit of wisdom involves:  inclining thine ear unto wisdom, applying thine heart to understanding, crying after knowledge and lifting up thy voice for understanding.  Seek wisdom as silver and search for her as for hid treasure.  Stop for a moment and consider what you are pursuing in life.  Is it worthwhile?  Is it going to last?  The wisdom of God is a treasure worthy of the pursuit.  It is worthy of the time and effort to gain it.  It is worthy of any cost or sacrifice necessary to secure it.

The Source of Wisdom
Solomon writes, “For the LORD giveth wisdom.  Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.”  “Out of his mouth” refers to the words of God.  The words of God reveal the wisdom of God.  God gives us insight into the way things really are.  He gives us truth.  Truth is fundamental to the Christian walk.  God’s wisdom is manifested in His created acts. The beauty and design of the universe in which we live testify to His wisdom.  Consider your own body.  David states that we are “fearfully and wonderfully” made (Psa. 139).  The design is complex and precise.  It takes a superior intellect or mind to produce the design and beauty that we observe all around us every day.  God’s wisdom is manifested in His word. Paul writes, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Rom. 11:33).  God’s Word provides guidance to our lives.  There is an alternative, but it is the way of foolishness.  We can reject God and the knowledge He gives to us but this would be foolish.  God’s word provides direction for morality affecting both human conduct and character.  God’s Word provides direction for salvation and shows us the way of the cross leads to a heavenly abode with Him.  God’s Word helps us to know ourselves and human nature which surrounds us.  It shows us the way to be better husbands, wives, fathers and mothers.  It warns against the pitfalls of temptation and sin.  The Word of God is a vast treasure of the divine thoughts of a  Holy God.  If we pursue the wisdom from above, we can find it and apply it to our own lives thereby enriching our lives immensely.

Practical Aspects of Wisdom
God does not withhold wisdom from the upright.  God is a buckler (shield) to the upright.  Here are some practical aspects of His wisdom. First, God’s Word defines righteousness.  Righteousness is right conduct as defined by God’s precepts.  Pursuit of His holiness will keep us from evil and identify us as His children.  We become partakers of the divine nature. Second, God’s Word imparts judgment (spiritual discernment).  Spiritual insight and sensitivity that enables us to distinguish right from wrong and good from evil.  This spiritual discernment instructs the conscience and guides us through the maze of choices and decisions that must be made every day.  We have the wisdom of God as a moral compass.  Third, the Word of God gives us equity or a sense of uprightness.  This pathway of righteousness leads us to God and to heaven.  Fourth, God’s Word gives us knowledge of every good way.  Good is defined by God’s own nature.  To be good and walk in that which is good is nothing less than the pursuit of God Himself.  Fifth, God’s Word imparts discretion.  Discretion is the capacity of well-considered action.  It is an aspect of judgment.  Sixth, God’s Word gives understanding.  Understanding is when the mind of man is joined with the truth from God and results in insights into the way things really are.  It involves the capacity in the case of opposing rules to make the right choice or in the matter of extremes to choose the right medium. These practical aspects of the wisdom of God are essential for living a successful spiritual life and navigating the obstacles and temptations that Satan places in front of us.

The Results of Wisdom
Wisdom from above protects and preserves.  It keeps us from evil men, evil designs and sinful ways.  It delivers us from the flattery of a strange woman.  We can distinguish truth from a lie or right from wrong and so choose our steps carefully and walk in the pathway of righteousness. Wisdom preserves relationship with God.  It preserves the righteous.  The upright shall dwell in the land but the wicked shall be cut off.  Destruction and death follow the indulgent life characterized by the pursuit of evil.  This is foolishness.  The way of wisdom preserves life and expands enjoyment of life.  It gives hope beyond this life consisting of eternal life with God.

Jesus distinguished between the wise man and the fool.  The wise man is the person who hears the sayings of Jesus and does them.  The foolish man hears the sayings of Jesus but does not submit to them (Matt. 7:24-28).  Wise or foolish–you choose!

Thanksgiving is the expression of the human heart in praise and prayer of the sacred memory of the gracious acts of God which benefit our lives every day.  In Psalm 9, David manifests thanksgiving in praise and prayer.  Praise and prayer are aspects of worship.  Worship is devotion or homage paid to deity.  David renders unto God what is rightly due His holy name.

Thanksgiving and Praise.
Praise is adoration of the name of God for His glory, holiness and majesty.  God acts in creation and redemption to benefit all of mankind.  David makes a holy resolution in response to all that God has done, “I will praise thee.”  Consider some aspects of this praise:
1.  It is personal.  “I.”  David engages his own heart, mind and will to glorify God.  He has been touched by God’s mercies and graciousness.  He renders the praise as thanksgiving.
2.  It is reflective.  David spends time thinking about God and what He has done.  We must count our many blessings and name them one by one.  We are ‘vessels of mercy’.  Just as a ordinary vessel by its scent tells what liquid is in it, so should our lips smell of the fragrance of God’s mercy shed abroad in our hearts.  Thanksgiving is reflective of God’s mercies and help.
3.  It is purposed.  ”I will.”   It sometimes takes all of our determination to bless God in the midst of adversity.  Job’s wife told him to curse God and die.  Job said, “The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed by the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21 and 2:9).
4.  It is focused.  “I will praise thee.”  God is the ultimate source of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17).  God is an inexhaustible fountain of blessings that enriches our lives.  You cannot separate thanksgiving from God.
5.  It is declared.  “I will show forth.”  The psalmist openly declares his praise for God’s goodness.  He tells saint and sinner.  His praise is a thankful telling forth of all God has done for him.
6.  It is unfeigned.  “With my whole heart.”  There is no pretense.  There is no lip service.  His praise is whole-hearted and sincere.  This distinguishes him from the hypocrites who pay lip service but their hearts are far from God (Matt. 15:8).
7.  It is all-encompassing.  “All thy marvelous works.”  Can we truly comprehend all of the marvelous works of God?  His preservation, forgiveness, conversion, deliverance, creation, provision, guidance, justification, sanctification, atonement, reconciliation, salvation, answered prayers and we shutter to leave something out.  If we are willing to talk of His deeds, God has given us plenty to talk about!

Gladness and joy are the appropriate spirit in which to praise the goodness of God.  Joy and thanksgiving go together.  Can you be sad while counting up all the blessings God has bestowed upon you?  Can you truly be thankful and not be joyful?  We rejoice in the Lord.

Thanksgiving and Prayer.
In Psalm 9:13, David pleads, “Have mercy upon me, O LORD.”  This breathes forth a humble spirit.  It exudes a deep spiritual need.  It indicates self-knowledge and self-awareness.  It make appeal to the source which possesses the power of spiritual healing.
Thou liftest me up from the gates of death.  Sickness, sin, despair, and temptation have worked to bring us low.  When it seems helpless and hopeless, God delivers and saves.  Underneath us are the everlasting arms of Almighty God.
The psalmist returns to praise.

This day of thanksgiving, let us use our lips to declare the true feelings of our hearts as we stand overwhelmed by God’s graciousness and lovingkindness.

Psalm 116 contains the central thought of love, adoration, and thanksgiving to God for His acts of redemption. The thoughts are personal.  God is magnified for His graciousness.  He has manifested mercy, deliverance from enemies and protection.  The Psalmist asks, “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?

We want to focus on the response of the human heart that knows the grace of God. What can be done to manifest our gratitude?

Take the Cup of Blessing
We must first drink of the fullness of God’s goodness.  We must take it all in and experience His saving power.  Partake with joyful hearts.  Thanksgiving from the heart flows from participation in the stream of the grace of God.

Call Upon The Name of the Lord
In the Old Testament, the phrase, “to call upon the name of the Lord” was used frequently for worshipping God.  Worship directed to God is a manifestation of thanksgiving. Worship is homage paid to deity.  It is reverence, awe, love and devotion toward God.  It involves acts, sanctioned by God, that are directed to Him. Prayers are thank you notes to God. Praise glorifies His name.  In the midst of the assembly of the saints, God’s Word is declared and honored.  His works are remembered.  Worship attempts to give God what is rightly due Him.

I Am Thy Servant
God’s goodness toward us produces a desire to give something back.  Many today have become lovers of self.  This results in being self-centered, and self-absorbed.  Freedom from sin is the result of God’s saving acts (redemptive acts).  Such freedom results in our sonship.  Sonship without service is a manifestation of ingratitude. When we become lovers of God, we become selfless.  Service to God is the result of selflessness.  This is the key to sacrificial love.

Sacrifice of Thanksgiving
The Psalmist declares, “My inmost soul shall adore Thee.”  How?  He will do it with lips of prayer and praise.  He will surrender his heart in character and conduct that is befitting a servant of the Most High God.  He renders a thankful heart.  This is a heart that is humble, full of love and totally devoted to God’s Will.

A Challenge
Use holy ingenuity to search out various ways by which you may render fresh praises to our God!  Begin with the thoughts expressed in this Psalm.  Render to God the genuine praise His majesty and glory deserves.