The Handicapped Body

1 Cor. 12:14-27

The flesh does not resemble the bone; The bone does not look like the blood; the eye is not the ear, nor the foot a hand. There are many members of the body, and each is different, they all differ from one another; and yet, what would the body be without one member? Handicapped. Though they do not all look like one another, some larger, some smaller; some are odd shaped, while others are quite handsome in appearance, and yet they are all members of one body; all useful, and all needed. God has ordained it to be so, how then can we decide what is most important, and what is less significant? That is not up to us to decide. So it is, my friends, in the spirit; are we so crass as to exalt one part above another? Are we so proud that we will undermine that part which we see no value in; which we find to be less desirable? Though the feet have a lower place than the head, (and all the body is subject to the head), they remain a foundation for the rest of the body. Though the arms and hands hang loosely at our sides, they function as the workers for the body.

I once saw a man that was born without arms. He had to use his feet to do those things he would do with his hands and fingers. Actually, he became quite proficient in making due with what he had. Even though he had learned to use his toes to grasp things, and even to hold a spoon and feed himself with, he still was handicapped; he was lacking that which made his body complete. He adjusted to his circumstances, but think how much easier his life would have been had he not lacked the arms and hands that he needed; when a part of the body is missing, though another part may take up the slack, the body is handicapped--it is incomplete. So it is in the church; so it is in the spirit. No matter how insignificant you may feel you are, you have a place in the body of Christ. You are important. Without you, the body is incomplete, it is handicapped! Take your place, not that of another, but that which was given to you, and function where the Lord has put you.

Spiritual reincarnation

Some folks seem to believe in a “spiritual reincarnation” of sorts. They think that salvation is given, and taken easily, and that they need to “toe the line” to keep it. This is the ruse of Satan on the blood-bought children of God today. The Bible is very clear that “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Rom. 11:29), and the redemption of our souls is indeed a great gift. To assume that one could lose their salvation is to deny the one time sacrifice of Calvary; our fate was settled, once for all, at Calvary. It would take another sinless Son--another perfect lamb to redeem us again, just as it took the first time; this will not be done, because the one sacrifice is sufficient for taking away all our sin. Some believe we are saved over and over again, as if they are re-incarnated in the spirit.

Many believe that if they lose their salvation (which is impossible to do Phil. 1:6), all they would have to do to be saved again, is to apply 1 Jn 1:9. My friends, that is foolishness. That puts the obtaining of salvation, the “weight of the matter” on confession, and not on the atoning blood of Christ. If it takes the shedding of blood to forgive sin, (Heb. 9:22) then it must take that again to forgive more sin; furthermore, if the Lord sought us out “while we were yet sinners” (Rom. 5:8), how much worse could we be if we backslide? A sinner is a sinner. No, our sin does not hinder the Lord from saving us, neither do our good works do anything to redeem us. Don’t be fooled into accepting this “spiritual reincarnation” where you are born again, and again, and again, but accept the one-time sacrifice and walk in the assurance of the Word of God, and the faith in His saving power. Remember, you truly believe but one time; man cannot “un-believe” something he truly believes. He can get angry and rebellious, and refuse to admit it, but he cannot quit believing if he truly believed in the first place, and it is this faith, this believing, that leads to our salvation.

Bless the Lord

Bless the Lord

Bless His Holy name; “Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless His Holy name”. He has lifted me from the pit of despair, and rooted me from the depths of despond; He has quickened me again in His Word, and has filled me again with His Spirit. He has taken me from the abyss of doldrums to the clouds, and still set my feet upon solid ground. Bless His Holy name.
I set out to search His Word, with a tragic heart and in a fit of depression, and He lifted me up. He gently lifted me through His beloved Word, and graciously set me down on solid ground again. So gentle, and yet so firm, His hand, and such compassion I have never known from another. How could I but turn to Him and love Him for all the grace He has bestowed upon me? “Oh see that the Lord is good, His mercy endureth forever.” I will praise Him from the deepest depths of my heart, and from the rooftops I shout to the glory of God; Oh that I might know Him better, and intimately, as one should, and can. He has afforded me to draw close to Him, and my joy is overwhelming. Let me see thy presence oh Lord, and bask in the glory of thy brightness; let me learn to love thee entirely, and in truth, and with my entire being. “Bless the Lord oh my soul, and all that is within me”: bless His Holy name forever, and ever more.

Grandpa

Grandpa

Some kids call me grandpa now,
I wonder how this could be;
That the name should be applied,
To a man as young as me?

I have little imps come by,
And I bounce them on my knee;
And still I stand in solemn awe,
That this should happen to me.

The cute, the lovely little ones,
That I often get to see,
Bring great joy to my soul,
Even a man as young as me.

Ne’er dreamed of the day
That I would have three;
That call me by that grand old name,
How can all this be?

Now there is another,
One to add to three,
Another cute little body
To bounce upon my knee.

Finally I find there’s six
Darling little scamps;
Three of one kind, three of another--
Bright as little lamps!

But as the days quickly pass,
And more wrinkles I begin to see,
I now know why they call me “gramps”--
A man as old as me!

Kingdom of God

Kingdom of God (Mt. 6:33)

We do not “seek” Heaven as we are told to seek the kingdom, it is ours through Christ, and Promise. So, we see that the “kingdom of God” is not the “kingdom of Heaven”. A king has a kingdom, and our King, the “King of kings” is a spiritual being with a spiritual kingdom, and “invisible” kingdom, yet visible in the lives of men. The kingdom of Heaven is a very precious kingdom indeed, one worth selling all that we have for it, and that is what we are to do, sell all for Jesus. Everything that is precious, or important to us, ought to take second place compared with the Lord, however, both these kingdoms become ours through Christ. All the redeemed of God dwell in the kingdom of God, and inherit the kingdom of Heaven. The “kingdom” is all that is under His rule, His domain, and empire, you might say; This term is proper then when applied to an earthly kingdom, or a Heavenly!

Kingdom? (Mk.9:1)
They would see Christ's kingdom with great power. What kingdom? What power? It refers to the resurrection of Christ, “in great power”, as He alone enters into the “spirit realm”, and is the master and originator of it. It is indeed His kingdom. If this were not true, He would have deceived those who He promised would not die until they saw Him in His kingdom with great power and glory. Jesus would have been a liar! We know this cannot be.


Aside:
A youngster cries from physical pain, almost unaware of an “emotional stress”; the older man cries out of distress, “emotional pain” oblivious many times to physical hurt. The crying is the same for both. The “hurt” is still there, though the focus of it is on different things.

Life

Life is like a four tier building;

The first floor; Mayhem. Chaos, and confusion. Every man is born into this state, he spends much of his youth here, and some never really go on to the second floor. This represents those who live by the motto “do your own thing” or “Doing in MY way”; also the “If it feels good, do it” philosophy. This is man in his natural state. He that lives here is a “Me only” thinker--he cares not for anyone or anything else but “self.” Infant stage.

The second floor; Law. Stringent rules that demand of us; commanding that which we do not wish to give. A cage: A restraint to our natural instincts (intuitions); A binding cord, a forced obedience. As man grows, he realizes responsibility; subjection to bosses; to police; to judicial laws; to authorities; rules in general. In school he learns subjection.
Manners are gotten here, he learns from them, and morals. Teenage stage.

The third floor; Grace: a free will, but a will to do right instead of the “Me” attitude (first floor); A will to choose good or evil, which was introduced through law. Grace inside, law on the fringes. Law seasoned with grace; love prevails, patience rules. Young married.

The fourth floor; Utopia: The ideal. The exact right mixture of law and grace; of love and truth; of joy and peace. The epitome of all goodness. Heaven on earth; “Thy kingdom come”…Old age.

There are those who seem to be good at everything in this life. They set out to build, and do a great job: they put their heart into sports, and excel in that area; or they seem to have a charisma that charms others to do whatever they wish them to do. Whatever the case, it could be dangerous to excel in anything in the flesh. The more proficient we are in worldly things, the greater hold the world has on us. When we are good at repairing and building, we spend much time in this sphere of learning; when we are good at sports, our heart is drawn to sports events, and we become at least a little consumed with them; when we learn to motivate people that becomes a bane to us, and we find it getting out of hand; our mastery seems to master us instead of others. Those that are good at “business”, are always busy in their business--their time is not their own.

I used to feel deprived and “out of place” because I am good at nothing in this life, but now I see the blessing in it. I have nothing more to occupy my time and thoughts than that of meditating upon the Lord and His greatness and Majesty. Don’t ask me to repair a car, or to build a house, if you want it done right, and don’t choose me if you need a qualified ally in a sports game, because I will inevitably let you down, but choose me to pray for you when the need is great and the afflictions come, that I can do.