​In 1966, John Lennon (frontman for The Beatles) stated in an interview, “Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that; I know I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now. I don’t know which will go first—rock & roll or Christianity” (Jordan Runtagh, Rolling Stone, July 29, 2016). This is but one example of those who have exhibited the spirit of blasphemy in modern times. Blasphemy literally means, “to speak harm” or “damage” and it is always seen in an attitude of disrespect against the character of God.
From the Old Testament to the New Testament, blasphemy has always been a serious offense because it is the opposite of praise. Under the Old Testament law, it primarily was an action against God’s name. In fact, if an Israelite cursed God he was guilty of blasphemy and was to be put to death (Lev. 24:14-16).  The Assyrians were guilty of blasphemy when they claimed their army was mightier than God (2 Kings 19:6) and the Edomites blasphemed when they rejoiced over the fall of Jerusalem (Eze. 35:12).  Under New Testament Law, blasphemy also includes anything done against Christ and the church. The Jews accused Jesus of blasphemy when He said, “I am the Son of God” (John 10:36) and Paul recognized himself as a blasphemer when he was persecuting the church (1 Tim. 1:13).
Unfortunately, blasphemy is still all around us today. When a person takes the Lord’s name in vain, using His name in an empty and meaningless way, it is considered blasphemy (Exo. 20:7; 2 Tim. 3:2).  Other modern examples would be: burning a Bible, creating artwork that dishonors God, or portraying God or Jesus in a perverse or dishonorable way on T.V. or movies.  The command is to “put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth” (Col. 3:8).
Blasphemy will certainly keep a person out of Heaven; however, as with others sins, it can be forgiven. Jesus said, “And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him . . . (Mat. 12:32). Some may speak harsh words against the Lord out of ignorance, but later repent and obey the Gospel being forgiven (Acts 3:17-19). Unfortunately, there are others who will never repent and continue in sin, rejecting the only sacrifice for sins through Jesus (Heb. 10:26).  The bottom line is to always love, honor, and respect the Godhead in all that we say and do (Mat. 22:37-40; 1 Tim. 1:17).
 Derrick Coble

​The beautiful blankets of snow covering the entire ground never cease to amaze me.  It is a wonderful part of creation that clearly shows God exists and that He is powerful!  Job recorded, “God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend. For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth; likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of his strength” (Job 37:5,6).  The Psalms also echo this by saying, “He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?” (Psa. 147:16-17).  These passages demonstrate the great power of God over nature.  As temperatures and wind chills plummet below freezing, we can’t stand before His cold as we run for shelter and warmth. Even by using salt and deicer to help the snow melt, we could never melt it all. Only God decides when it is time and “He sendeth out his word, and melteth them” (Psa. 147:18). 
God’s power is seen in how complex snow really is.  There are 35 different types of snowflakes and no two snowflakes are identical.  There have even been reports of giant snowflakes falling all across the earth measuring anywhere from two, to six, and even 15 inches across. Snow can fall leisurely or even up to 9 mph absorbing and when the ground is covered, it absorbs sound waves making everything quieter (bbcearth.com). Perhaps this complexity is one of the reasons why snow is seen as praising the Lord and fulfilling His Word (Psa. 148:7,8). 
Furthermore, the power of God through snow reveals how much we depend on Him.  Snow tends to stop everything for a time—road traffic, airports, businesses, electricity, etc. can all be affected by the snow.  There is a pause to our lives that causes us to see that we need God and depend on Him daily.  The good news is the righteous will never be forsaken (Psa. 37:25) and God will always supply our needs (Phi. 4:19).  The necessary pauses in life help us appreciate the blessings of God even more and cause us to wonder at His mighty power! 
So, enjoy the beauties of the snow while it is here. It will not be here forever. The seasons change showing the faithfulness of our Creator (Acts 14:17; Gen. 8:22) and soon the snow will melt away and the cold will end giving way to the blessings of spring and summer.  But, one thing will always remain: the greatness of our Lord and His great power (Psa. 147:5). 
​~Derrick Coble

The time-honored tradition of singing “Auld Lang Syne” on New Year’s Eve was popularized in North America on December 31, 1929. The phrase is actually Scottish and literally means, “old long since.” Yet, through the years, the definition has been refined to mean, “for old time’s sake” or “the olden days” (countryliving.com). So, the question in the song is, “Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?” Or you might ask, “Should the ‘olden days’ be forgotten?” The answer may seem to be an obvious, “no” but, spiritually speaking, it could be answered in a variety of ways: yes, no, or maybe. Each person must answer individually.

First, you might answer, “yes.” When the apostle Paul was thinking about his past he said, “this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before” (Phi. 3:13). His mind was made up that he would forget all of the past success he had in the Jewish religion (Phi. 3:5) and he would forget all of his past failures in persecuting the Lord’s church (Phi. 3:6). His goal was to be focused on Jesus and the prize of Heaven (Phi. 3:10-14). It could be that forgetting some of the worldly things that have overtaken our lives in the past year or more could be the best for us as well. We might take pride in certain accomplishments (job, personal goals, awards, etc.) but if they are taking us away from God, it is best to forget those things. Recommitting ourselves to focus our lives on Jesus, His Word, His church, and our eternity is essential (James 1:21).

Second, you might answer, “no.” The Hebrew Christians were told to “call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of affliction” (Heb. 10:32). After those Christians were first converted, all of the trials they had suffered didn’t seem to matter because they knew their treasures were in Heaven (Mat. 6:19,20). However, they were at the point where they were tempted to give up and turn back to Judaism. So, the inspired encouragement was don’t forget about your past success and don’t stop living faithfully to God (Heb. 10:38,39). Maybe this year has caused us problems to the point that we’ve felt like giving up. It is a good time to stop and remember the trials that God has helped us through in the “olden days” and not forget Him in our lives (1 Cor. 10:13; James 4:13-15).

Finally, you might answer, “maybe.” The Proverbs state, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed” (Pro. 13:20) while Paul said, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Cor. 15:33). This means that sometimes it is necessary to rid ourselves of “old acquaintances” and old habits to keep ourselves out of sin. Family members or friends that put temptation in our paths through negative influences, cursing, drug and alcohol use, evil desires, anger, etc. may need to be avoided (Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 4:22-32). However, not at the cost of never attempting to save their souls. It is first necessary to show them the positive changes in our lives through the Gospel and allow them the same opportunity of hearing the “gospel of your salvation” (Eph. 1:13; Mark 16:15).

So, as the new year begins, the answer to the question of “Auld Lang Syne” is up to each individual. We never want to forget the “old paths” (Jer. 6:16) in following God and we do not want to forget that the souls of old acquaintances are important too. Remembering God and His Word daily will allow for opportunities to grow spiritually enjoying the “new days” ahead. 
Derrick Coble