city, and the birds of the air will feed on those who die in the country."  God had already destroyed Jeroboam for his flagrant sins, yet Baasha repeated the same mistakes.  Time and time again God warned the Israelites about their propensity for sin.  He even told them how they would be punished! 

All this is actually in the Bible.  Read it for yourself.

Many people call themselves Christians even though they reject the Bible and live as heathens.  This is unacceptable. Christians are to have a biblical foundation so that their lifestyle will mirror the lover of their souls, Jesus Christ.  Admittedly, when someone is new to the faith, the fruit on the vine doesn't bloom immediately.  Sanctification is a life long process.  It doesn't just happen over night. (At least for most Christians.)  There comes a time, though, when the vine brings forth fruit.  If the fruit tree remains barren for years on end, one can't help but wonder if the tree was pollinated!

One of my favorite pastimes is discussing (debating, dissecting) the Bible with other Christians.  When I have a discussion with a long time believer who knows very little (or nothing) about what God's Word says I'm incredulous.  Most Christians have heard the verse, "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" (Psalm 119:105). In plain English, God's Word gives us guidance on how to live our lives, which is why we're supposed to read it.   

To have a close relationship with someone you have to get to know him or her, right?  So your course of action is to learn everything you can, which means you probe and you dig deep enough to uncover the intimate details of the person's life.  But, of course, you do this only if you want to develop a relationship with someone.  Otherwise why bother?

Because our Father in heaven loves His children, He wants to have a relationship with us.  The Creator of the universe actually wants to pull us into a bear hug and hold us close to Him!  Christians, if you want that kind of relationship with your Heavenly Father, you must dig into the scriptures.  It's the only way you can get to know about God and His ways.  And it's important what you believe about God!  "What we believe about God," said the late A. W. Tozier, "is the most important thing about us." 

Christians must set aside a few minutes a day to spend with the King of kings and Lord of lords.  Sitting at the feet of our Heavenly Father, who loves us more deeply than human words can express, will give us great joy!  At his feet, we can thank him for our many blessings, pour out our hearts to Him, make requests, believing that the answers will come.  Sitting at His feet, our hurts will be healed, our joy restored. God says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). 

What's the point of being a Christian if you can't find the time in your busy schedule to meet regularly with God?  Countless Christians admit that they don't pray much, nor do they attend a Bible study and they rarely meet with other believers.  If this is you, consider this.  Would it be honest for anyone to say they're an avid skier if he or she never hit the slopes?  Could a person that pumps iron three or four times a year ever develop into a body-building champion?  In the same vein, is it right for someone to claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ if he or she rarely spends time pumping spiritual iron?
 
Christian apathy is a distraction from my main point, so I'll move on.
Continued...