A long hard struggle

A long hard struggle

It’s a long, hard struggle through life, but the Lord makes it a lot more pleasant. Oh, it isn’t easy for anyone, but admittedly, some have it much worse than others. We suffer many things in this life; sickness, deaths, persecutions, mockeries, even beatings for some, but the Lord sees us through if we will just hang on. Each moment seems to hold a blessing or a curse for us; every step we take can bring about a new disaster, or a new blessing, but the Lord is there with us through it all; He is there to guide us through, and to make the path easier to tread, and He does that well. No matter oh Christian friend, how hard your plight, it would be worse without Jesus. Jesus never fails; He suffers long, and is kind; He envieth not; is never puffed up; He does not behave Himself unseemly, and seeketh not His own; is not easily provoked, and thinks no evil at all. He rejoices in the truth, bears all things; believes all things; hopes all things for us, and endures all things for us; He is charity manifest in the flesh, and we would be very wise to walk close to him through this life. He has overcome the world with its maladies and temptations, and knows the paths of Truth; yea, we would be wise to follow Him, even unto the end.

Sunny Days

Sunny Days

“And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.” (Rev. 21:25)


There is no gloomy day in eternity. The Son always shines, and the days are always “good days”. The gates need not be shut, for the safety of all is assured; there is no darkness in eternity.

Darkness is a cloak for evil; an evil doer can “hide” in darkness, even right out in the open, but, friends, there are sunny days ahead! I can’t imagine a place where it never rains! I cannot fathom having light continually, and never having to sleep or flee from the evils of night. What a wonderfully glorious place Heaven will be! The brightness of the glory of God will be sufficient to lighten all of heaven, and we will find comfort in the solace of His grace. Another verse in the Revelation takes it a step further:

“And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.” (Rev. 22:5)

“The Lord giveth them light”. All light is of the Lord, and it is good, and His light is everlasting. We have a hidden teaching here--that is that the Lord gives enlightenment forever! When the “light comes on” and we “see the light” in our lives, it is an everlasting light, even as the salvation it brings with it! Are your days clouded by sin? Are you enjoying the Sunshine of grace? It doesn’t have to be that way, we all have a choice in the matter. If you prefer to live in darkness the rest of your life, you may also spend eternity in the darkness of hell; that is up to you, my friend. The Light has been provided, as well as the Life, and it is ours for the taking. Trust the Lord today, and forever hereafter.

Defying Nature-In Birth

Defying Nature

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” (Mt 1:18)

One of the great things about Jesus was that He was often found to defy nature. Here, we have a woman who “Had never known a man” (Lk. 1: 34) and yet, she became the mother of our Lord! Her reputation was at stake, but she seemed willing to honor the Father, and be used to bring the Savior into the world. Mary was, no doubt, ostracized by her peers because everyone knows that a woman cannot be “with child” unless something unscrupulous had taken place! She bore the pain of rejection; she submitted to the Holy Spirit of God, not refusing to suffer the expected shame and reproach; Mary was quite a woman, but the main point is that God is quite a God! He defied nature several times in scripture, and blessed His children as a result of it.
Sarai, Abraham’s wife, was over ninety years old when she bore a child! It was unheard of in those days, and still is today that a woman of that age should give birth, and yet, God defied nature, and she had Isaac.
Hannah, a woman who was barren for many years, bore Samuel in her old age, and he became a mighty prophet and judge.
Elisabeth, a woman also of great age, childless throughout her marriage, was called “barren” though she longed for a child. God defied nature again! Elisabeth conceived and bore the greatest of the prophets, John the baptist. God is a God of miracles, but Lo! and behold! He performed a greater miracle in me; He gave me a new heart! He took a barren soul and gave it life! He took a wayward young man and made him into a useful vessel, and what an amazing feat that was! He defied nature again--in me! He took a natural man, and changed him so that he became supernatural, and was “born again”. I became a new creature in Him, and wonder of wonders, I still am! He continues to defy nature to this day, over and over again in providing for wandering souls a second chance--in giving them a new birth too! What an awesome and amazing God!

Babes

Aren’t newly-born babies quite cute? They may not actually be too cute at the very first, but most will agree that babies are really cute up to and about the age of two and a half or three; then, they begin to be kids! I wonder if the Lord sees us that way. I wonder if we aren’t quite lovely at first, until we begin to grow toward adulthood. The road to adulthood is a long, winding path, and full of many pitfalls; how do these affect our lives, and our walk with the Lord? Oh for the innocence of the child; the loyalty and the unfeigned love that they have toward others is soon lost and replaced with…life in this world. 1 Peter 2:2 says: “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” perhaps the Lord would prefer us to remain in the same state of mind that we were as a young child of God—as a babe in Christ. Oh, He wants us to grow, and to learn more about Him and His great love for us; He wants us to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of Truth, but in effigy, I can’t help but think that perhaps He would like us as sweet and as cuddly as the very young infant, before the indoctrination and the problems of the world sets in, and totally dependent on Him! I believe He wants us to grow in the Word, but to remain as babes in practice, depending totally on Him for all our needs. Remember this the next time you hold a precious little bundle in your hands, and try to see yourself as you see that sweet little baby.

My Dad

My dad wasn’t a bad man, as far as the flesh is concerned; he did his best to raise his children in the bewilderment of a rapidly changing world. He never did tell me that he loved me; I never heard him praise me for well doing, but I know that “in his own way” he loved me, and I grew up with the hope that I had pleased him and become someone he could be proud of. It didn’t work out that way, unfortunately. He passed away many years ago at the ripe old age of sixty-four; he left little behind for us in the way of preparing us for the world and its wiles, whether monetarily or in the framework of wisdom. My dad, as far as I know, was never saved.

My God? He is everything my dad was not! He is loving, and kind, and full of compassion for His own, as well as for strangers. I love my God with all my heart--but I never really learned how to love my dad in the same way; I never seemed to live up to his expectations. Not that I live up to the Lord’s expectations, not by a long shot, but my Lord treats me better in spite of myself. Even when I fail Him, he is there to carry me through; oh, He punishes when necessary, but then He gently leads me out of mischief, and into a cradle of grace. My earthly dad never knew what grace was, at least he never let us know if he knew! I thank my God for being what I need Him to be; I thank Him greatly, and praise Him for being a Father unto me. Please do not think badly of my earthly father, he did not know any better--he did what he felt was best, but my Heavenly Father, He always does what is best, whether I think it good or not! He knows what’s best.

If your dad did not live up to your expectations of what a father should be, The Lord will, guaranteed! Make God your Father, and see what being a father is all about. With Christ as my friend, and God as my Father, I cannot go wrong (though I do many times!).

A Holy Family Tree

“And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;” (Eph. 2:20)

It seems that there is a revived interest in family genealogies nowadays. Many people are excitedly tracing their “roots” and there are even ads on tv to find that great grandparent, or ancestor, etc. Suddenly it has become important to know about the history of our families, but there is a “family tree” that is traced through the Bible for each of us, if we know Christ as our personal Savior. It is built upon a solid foundation of apostolic authority, and Christ Himself is the Chief Cornerstone. The entire story is told in only four verses in Ephesians:

Eph 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Eph 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
Eph 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

It is an “habitation of God through the Spirit.”

Actually it is two trees joined together in Christ, built upon the prophets for the Jewish race, and upon the apostles for the Gentiles. Being “fitly joined together,” both are made one in Christ. This union, unknown in the Old Testament, is a mystery that has been revealed in these latter days.

This family tree would begin with Jesus at the top, with twenty-four branches, which are the apostles and the prophets. These branches would branch out to multitudes of saints, down through the ages. The “tree” is indeed a “tree of life”, and is vast in proportion to any other ever known. All of us would be in there somewhere, and the myriads of branches would be endless, as if one would attempt to count the leaves on a huge, old tree. Praise God, we are all in the Lord’s family tree once we accept Christ as Savior!

Two related verses

“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” Romans 10: 17

Hearing what? The Word of God.
The Word plants the seed;
It nourishes the “see“;
As we absorb the Word of God, we increase.


“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy Word.” Psalm 119: 9

Taking heed “thereto”--to that effect; taking heed to cleansing;
Cleansing also comes by hearing (and heeding) the Word of God.

Initially we obtain faith, and at the same time we obtain cleansing.

Hearing is often spoken of as “heeding”; so then Faith cometh by hearing , and heeding by the Word of God. Heeding is applying it personally; as we apply it, we are cleansed by it. These two verses, though many years apart, are in harmony with one another.

Out Of Context?

I am often accused of taking a verse out of context, but what many fail to see is the “context” of scripture as a whole! If it agrees with the line of scripture, then it is in context with scripture, and not merely the immediate text. To confine a passage or verse to one area of scripture isolates it from the rest of the context--that of the entire flow of scripture.

Here are three guidelines for us to determine whether a passage or verse betrays the text it is used in:

1. Does it glorify the Father?
2. Does it edify the saints?
3. Does it exemplify the Savior?

If the answer to all three of these is “yes” then it is doing what it was written for! Many New testament writers have quoted Old Testament passages and applied them differently than the way they used on the Old Books.

Be careful not to get so hung up on the immediate “context” that you miss the true “content” of the scripture!