Morning Musings

Life

2012-01-24T15:57:00.000-08:00

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.

carnality test

2012-01-16T06:54:00.001-08:00

(To be answered in your heart, do not write out your answers. Be honest, even if it “hurts“)

1. Name three super models.

2. How much do you spend on television? (cable, satellite, etc.)
--big screen tv?

3. How much do you watch tv?

4. What kind of programming (contract) do you have for your cell phone?

5. How many electronic “gadgets” do you own?

5. Do you own a boat, motorcycle, or snowmobile?
--How much do you use it?
--Does it own you?

6. Did/do you vote for economic reasons? Other reasons than spiritual principles?
--Do you have a scripture verse for your reason for voting?

7. Do you have any close friends that are unsaved?
--Hunting, fishing partners, etc. (friends that you run with?)

8. What do you believe about secular education?
--The more knowledge, the better?

9. Do you miss church or church events for family gatherings?

10. How is your giving record?
--can you honestly say that your giving glorifies God?

11. Do you sleep with a gun for protection?
--How much do you trust in the gun to deliver you?

12. Do you follow the latest styles when dressing?
--does the world decide what you will wear?
--Do you try to look “sexy”?

The Fear of the Lord

2012-01-10T03:35:00.000-08:00

The Fear of the Lord 2

Pro 9:7 He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.
Pro 9:8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.
Pro 9:9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
Pro 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

In Job 28:28 we are told the same thing as the last part of this passage, that “The fear of the Lord” is wisdom, and to “Depart from evil” is understanding. How many of us really fear the Lord? How many can claim to have understanding? It seems a small thing to some of us, but it is of the utmost importance. The Proverb says to reprove a wise man and he will love thee: It will make him yet the wiser, and he will increase in learning. Be wise, and take reproof, realizing that is betters you; but be careful with whom you council lest you fall into the traps of Satan.
The Lord loves humility. I believe that this one attribute is the one that David impressed God with so that he became a man after God’s own heart. Humility is admitting wrong doing without excuse or passing the buck on to someone else. When we realize our faults and take total blame for them, we are exercising humility. The sin is not to be rebuked in pride, but with a sincere effort to see one do what is right; in this way, God will bless the sinner as well as the reprover. Our reproofs are to done in humility and prayer, allowing the Spirit of God to work through us. The two go hand in hand with one another; humility compliments the fear of the Lord, and the fear of the Lord promotes humility.

Christianity

2012-01-04T14:48:00.000-08:00

There are believers, and there are Christians. Believers have trusted Christ for their salvation, that is, in their hearts. Christians, on the other hand have Christ in their hearts and in their minds. Each of us need to see how we measure up.

Christ never lived one moment for Himself; how much time do we spend on “us”? Christ never lusted in His heart for anything; how do we measure up in this area?
He never worried about anything.
Finances
Future
Job or family.
He never trusted anyone else for His needs.
Government, etc.
One can then be a believer, and not a Christian (Chris, like-ian).

In Luke 18:8 Christ asks “I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? The big question is, “Will he find faith in us?” Will Christ find us to be believers, or Christians? Which will it be for you?

There are believers, and there are Christians; which will he find faith in?

(This short devotion has convicted me to my soul, and I am afraid I fall much shorter than I had supposed.)

A White Christmas

2011-12-27T10:39:00.000-08:00

Bing Crosby sang the song “White Christmas”. I too am dreaming of a white Christmas.
White symbolizes purity. A virgin bride wears white to honor her chastity; the Lord gives white robes to all His subjects, white becomes the color of purity. What day should be a purer day than Christmas? WE SHOULD STRIVE FOR PURITY EVERY DAY, BUT HOW MUCH MORE ON Christmas, the celebrated day of Chris’s birth?
Even the tabernacle in the wilderness was surrounded by white linen; the Lord was teaching Israel that white is the symbol of purity.

The Second Coming of Christ

2011-11-19T11:13:00.000-08:00

The hope of all the church is the return of Christ for His own. Satan seeks to downplay this doctrine because when we look to the second coming, the world loses it’s hold on us. The economy is no longer so important; politics loses it’s power in our lives; gas prices take second place to the Lord, as does everything else. Yes, the second coming takes first place over all that this world has to offer--or at least it should! Today it is in question among many “believers” as to whether there is a second coming or not. Some see it as an allegorical fallacy, while others view it as a futuristic event that never is obtained in this lifetime. There are many various thoughts concerning the second coming, but we, the elect know that Jesus is coming soon and we shall walk with Him in Glory. This still ought to be our motivation, our hope, and our great joy, and it shall stand paramount to all the doctrines and teachings of mankind until that final step takes us into the heavenly realms, and we shall see Jesus. Let it always be first in our desires, and hide itself deep into our hearts, and never, ever forsaken lest we fall short of the blessing and forfeit our reward as we work for the Lord.

The Shepherd of our soul

2011-11-13T12:35:00.000-08:00

Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. (v. 1)

The twenty-third Psalm is actually a psalm of praise. One cannot help but rejoice in the Lord’s blessings as he reads this psalm. It begins with praise for the Lord and His provision, and reflects this theme all the way through the psalm. It is probably the most popular and oft-quoted psalm in the entire Book of Psalms. The implication of verse one is that “because the Lord is my shepherd…” because He is, and because He loves, “I shall not (have) want”. All my needs are met in Him. I shall not want for peace and tranquility; I shall not want for restoration and further leading; I will fear no evil, nor death; I will not lack for comfort. I will be at peace with my enemies, and even sit at meat with them; I shall know a special and unique anointing by God alone; my cup will overflow with good things that will sustain me, and I will enjoy much more than what is needed. I can be assured that goodness and mercy will be with me all the days of my life, never one time forsaking me, and I can rest in the this promise; and, last, but not least by far, I will have an eternal home in Heaven with the One whom I greatly adore, and Who also adores me, and I will dwell in His house forever and ever. Do you see what I mean? This psalm is filled with praise for what the Lord has done. What greater promise need we than the 23rd Psalm? There is only one condition here, and that is that the Lord must be your shepherd, yea, the shepherd of your soul. This is not for everyone; neither is it for just anyone, but for the chosen one, the child of God.

As David sat on a hillside tending the flock, I can see him penning these words. He was basking in the grace and comfort of faith in the Lord; perhaps he was meditating on what the Lord means to him, and how good He has been in his life. He had put himself in the place of the sheep, and was praising God from their point of view. There must have been a vast, green meadow for his sheep, as well as a river or stream trickling gently down the hillside; Probably he had just recently retrieved a sheep that had strayed away, and restored him to the flock; he may have led the sheep back carefully to the fold. Perhaps there was a potential danger there too, a wolf lurking about, on the outer fringes of the hills, and other beasts that roamed the hills, and fed on sheep, and the sheep would gather close to the shepherd. They know the shepherd cares, and that he will protect them, even if he has to live among them until the danger is gone. What a blessing for the sheep! What a loving Shepherd.

Psalm 23

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” (v. 2)

When the Lord is our Shepherd, he sees to it that we are taken care of properly. We are His property, and He will take special care of His own. He gives us a peace that “passeth all understanding” (Phil. 4: 7); a peace in which we can rest beside still waters and dwell in green pastures. He removes fear of hunger; of danger; and settles our hearts on the fact that He will provide. Even more amazing is that He will lead us to the green pastures and still waters, so that we need not search for them ourselves. What a loving God we serve. All we have to do is follow. He supplies our every need, and we can bask in the tranquility of His loving grace. It is enough that He provides us with this comforting peace, but He goes beyond that, and leads us to it. I cannot fathom this kind of love and care. When He leads me to the green pastures, He maketh me to lie down and rest, as if I am completely and fully in His power, as well I hope to be; and when He discovers His still waters unto me, I rejoice greatly, and relax in Him, knowing that He is there, and I have no fear of wanting. In so doing, “He restoreth my soul” unto Him, and I am refreshed and made whole again; and I find Him leading in the great and lovely paths of righteousness, which lead to His Heavenly Kingdom (v. 3). These paths are narrow and hard to follow without His gracious leading, in fact, they are impossible to follow; But He leadeth; what a wonderful blessing bestowed upon us, to have the God of all Creation, of the Universe and beyond, to lead each of us, lovingly and gently along.

Are you aware of God’s leading, my friend? Has he led you into those blessed paths of righteousness? Have you walked with God? If so, you know the sweetness of His presence and the joy of hearing His voice; you have experienced the wonderment of His love and basked in the peace He freely gives, but if not, you miss out on too much in this life. The question I put to you now is “Are you walking with God”? Has your soul been restored unto Him? Oh, I hope so, I hope so for your sake, as well as for Christ’s sake, lest Calvary be wasted on you! Yes, if one would be so foolish as to turn His back on Calvary, then the cross was wasted in his life. Don’t let the great sacrifice of Christ be wasted in your life, accept Christ as your savior today and let Him lead you into paths of righteousness.

Psalm 23

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (v. 4)

Because the Lord is my Shepherd, and cares so deeply for me, I have no fear of death. Death is a valley for most people, a deep dark valley; a valley of despair and fear, but, praise God, it is not so for us! Death is only a shadow now, it has lost its gruesome death-hold on us, and is a mere shadow of what it was. Now, I can truly ask, with the apostle Paul, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Cor. 15: 55). Christ has literally wretched the victory from the hands of Satan, and passed that same victory unto us, and we live forevermore! I cannot walk this valley without Christ, for as soon as I enter its threshold, I am dead, having died in my sins; but with Jesus, oh, he is with me, I can do all things through Him, which strengthen me, even walk in this loathsome valley of death. There is comfort in His presence. There is peace, joy, love grace, and LIFE in Him, and we can endure this valley because He goes with us through it, and removes the “sting” of death.

Yea, even if death comes and nips at my heels as I walk, I have nothing to fear; If he breathes his fiery breath of death into my face, I can smile and continue on; even if he chides me and heckles me as I go, and taunts me until I want to scream… “thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” and I will prevail. Friends, I am on the winning side, but only because of Jesus. Take comfort in Him. Jesus is there for you. Most of us think we can take anything short of death if we have to, but with Jesus, we can even stand in the face of death. Against all odds, Jesus prevails. We would do well to hide ourselves in Him, thereby sharing His victory over death and hell. Be aware of the presence of Christ; it is a great comfort to know that he is there; whatever the trial, whatever the affliction, Christ is there with you; He will carry you through. When life is drudgery, and depression has you down, look up! Look up to Jesus, He is always there. He will never let you down when you fully trust in Him; he can’t; it is not in Him to do so, He honors faith. We walk through many valleys every day, but Jesus leads us out and there is a mountaintop ahead. Keep walking. Keep believing. Keep trusting in Christ, keep climbing that mountain of grace, and soar the lofty heights of eternity.

Psalm 23

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” (v. 5)

Our God will bring reconciliation to our lives. First, we are reconciled to Him, then with one another. There is growth when we walk with the Lord. Preparing a table speaks of communion with one another, sitting down together in a time of feasting. It speaks of finding acceptance with our enemies, and when we have exalted Him, he also exalts us.

Case in point: Daniel. He found great favor with the prince of the eunuchs: “Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.” Dan. 1: 9; consider also Joseph who God promoted to second man in Egypt (Gen. 39); God will give us the favor of men; even in Luke we see that Christ grew in favor with God and man (Luke 2: 52). In the paths of righteousness, we will find a table spread before us, and eat with our enemies. This is necessary because God has anointed our heads with oil, the oil of His Spirit. Once he has anointed His beloved, they are blessed indeed. Three big blessings are seen in this verse as a result of making the Lord our shepherd: He will make us to be at peace with our enemies; he will anoint us with a special anointing; and He will cause our cup to run over with blessings. The cup is also a symbol of communion, but more specifically, communion with our God. Our cup shall run over with the anointing oil of God; we shall be blessed beyond measure, we shall have a close communion with the Lord.

This is for the saved man, he who walks with God daily and communes with Him regularly. This is the man that prays without ceasing, and that makes his body a “living sacrifice”…he is the one who makes the Lord his Shepherd, and sees the promises and blessings of God poured upon him. This is the sheep that abides in His Word, and is a disciple indeed, because he abides in Him, and the Shepherd knows him by name. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow him, as two friends that are always there to lend a hand, never leaving him alone, and he shall dwell in the house of the Lord…forever.

Psalm 23

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. (v.6)

This lovely psalm brings great joy and comfort to me every time I read it.
I find it disheartening though, that it is so often used only in funeral services today. It is a psalm for life, not for death! It offers comfort in the storm, and peace for the troubled soul, and yes, it is comforting when one has lost a loved one, but we need to realize that it is not solely a funeral dirge, it is a refreshment for our souls.

To me, the most comforting part, perhaps, is the last verse; there are two angels that follow us everywhere we go in life, they are Goodness, and Mercy. Goodness is there to bless us in all our endeavors for the Lord; Mercy is there when judgment comes, in any form, and he intercedes on our behalf. Thank God for these two “angels.” We could not make it through one day without the goodness of God, and definitely would not last long without mercy. We need them both, and God knows we do, and He provides that need. “Surely” they shall be with us, as surely as God’s Word. Which is the most value to us? It is hard to say. We need them both. As you walk through life, and go about your day, be aware that these two gentlemen follow you, and they are there for you, every moment, every day, and in all your ways. They do not lead, but follow, to help us out of the mischief we find, though we are often led into it of our own volition.

The Lord is so gracious in providing these for us. He is, of course, the Shepherd of the psalm, but He has appointed helpers, not for Him, but for us, to help us along the way. Every time we read, or hear this psalm, let us render our thanksgiving to the Lord of the psalm, and praise Him for His great provision on our behalf, and when trouble comes our way, remember these two blessed friends, they will see us through.

There are 27 pronouns in this short passage, and 17 of them refer to the “sheep” while only 10 refer to the Shepherd. One can easily see that the Lord loves His Sheep, and that we are foremost in His thoughts and heart.

Psalm 91

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (v. 1)

This chapter is a chapter of great promises. Only those who have found His secret place, whether it may be a place of prayer, or a place of praise, or simply a closeness to Him (as the next few verses imply), only these may know the very sweet and special promises that we read about here. Yes, there is a secret place with God. Is it a secret from you, my friends? It should not be. Only they that find this secret place will dwell under the shadow of the Almighty. These can truly say that the Lord is their refuge and they are content to seek haven in Him. The promise is first for deliverance, but what type of deliverance? Protection from the “noisome” or “destructive” pestilence, or diseases; from those plagues that seem to go around and cripple the mainstream of society; not only that, but from the “snare” of the one who lies in wait to ambush or entrap us. A snare is a trap; a wily ruse set to catch us in its clutches to either ruin our testimony or destroy us altogether. We are promised to have the foresight and discretion to avoid these pitfalls of life. We will not fear the darkness nor the evil that lurks there waiting to pounce on us at the first chance it gets; Neither should we worry about the bullets and arrows that take lives so randomly as we go about our business. We shall see the plight of the wicked (v. 8) and see his downfall, as he seeks to trip us up. Because we make the lord our refuge, we shall see no evil (vs. 9, 10), and we will have the angels to watch over us. What a blessed promise. As you read through these passages, believe them! Much is lost because of unbelief.

The last few verses seem to be the Lord talking, and sum up His promises to us. He promises to hear us when we call upon Him, and not only that, but He promises to answer us, that alone is a very worthy and precious promise. He promises to be with us in trouble, not necessarily to keep us from it, but to go through it with us, as a father might go through deep waters with his child, and hold unto his hand, but He also promises to deliver us from some of it. I need not go on and explain these things, for you are able to read them for yourselves, but I wish to excite you more to believe them than to merely read the words. God is there for us, always, and forever.

Isaiah 53

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (v. 6)

This verse has a story behind it: It is said that as D. L. Moody was boarding a train while rushing to his next speaking engagement, a man asked him how he might receive Christ as his Savior. Mr. Moody, being very much hurried, did not have the time to disembark the train and talk to the fellow, so he told the young man to Look up Isaiah 53:6, and enter in at the first “all” and come out at the last “all”. If we will take Mr. Moody’s advice, we too will find the salvation of the Lord, freely given to all men. This verse says it all. We are as sheep, who stray by nature. They need to be led.

Our Lord saw us as sheep, scattered among the hills. He knew that we were in danger of being ravished by a lion or a bear or wolf, but he knows too that he is our strength against such peril. We need to lean upon the Lord. He was despised, and at times we are too; He was smitten, as we will be; He was rejected and so are we; He was our healing balm. (vs. 3 - 5)

The 53rd chapter of Isaiah, though a prophetic chapter, depicts the plight of Christ and mans attitude toward Him. Because of sin, we are not drawn to righteousness, as seen in this chapter. It is no wonder that man crucified the Savior who is the epitome of right and the holiest of the holies. We, from a wicked heart, will produce wicked actions; we all have rejected Christ at sometime in our lives, either by direct will or by our evil deeds.

Note that, as we are like sheep, He takes on the form of a lamb. The lamb “mothers” the sheep, and cares for them with all her heart. (v. 7) Jesus loves us like a mother loves her siblings. He “bore” us, as a woman in labor, and, spiritually speaking, he loves us because He suffered for us. All this for the transgression of his people, (v.8). We stray away as lost, and lowly sheep, but as a mother lamb, our Lord seeks us out, and brings us back. He knows the danger we could face, and keeps us close by His side.

Ephesians 6

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (v. 11)

This is the warrior’s chapter. We fight against unseen forces—forces of evil. Ours is a spiritual warfare, and has to be fought on a spiritual front. We know that we cannot fight the fight of faith on our own; we need the armor of God for our defense and the sword of the spirit for attacking. We need the power of God in our lives. This armor, however, ought to be worn daily, indeed, every moment of every day, for we know not when the adversary may attack us.

Around our loins we are to cleave to the Truth. This keeps us from being distracted. The breastplate of righteousness protects our heart from the emotions that will assume themselves upon us and cause us to be less effective in battle. We should always walk in “gospel boots” and carry the truth that we embrace to others. Boots protect the feet, lest we are hindered in our maneuverability. Faith is a shield for us, to quell the arrows that would pierce our hearts, and the helmet of our salvation protects our head from fatal thoughts. These head wounds can be critical to the war-faring soldier. We carry with us a sword, a double edged sword, that pierces even to the dividing of the soul and the spirit, and the joints and the marrow. (Heb. 4:12). It discerns between the thoughts and intents of the heart. This Mighty Sword is our only weapon, but it is all we need. We are well defended against Satan’s attacks, but we need also to be prepared before we face the enemy. This preparation is prayer. (v. 18). Without the prayer, we are ill-equipped to face the enemy of the soul; our armor would have a “chink” in it without prayer. As we don the armor of God, we need to saturate it in prayer, and as we advance to the front lines, we should wear it as a cloak over all our armor.

A warrior is a weakling without the armor of God. A champion is a defeated man unless he dons the armor. One piece is not enough, for too much of him is left exposed, he needs the whole armor, as well as the God of the armor. There is no use going through this life without the Lord, we are defeated before we start, we are all nothing but dead men without Him.

John 3:16

Eternal Love

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.

“For God so loved” the eternal words for mans eternal destiny. The love of God is indescribable, but proven by His actions. This verse is the Gospel in miniature; it is the most oft-quoted, and perhaps the most profound verse in the Bible. In it we find not only the key to eternal life, but the wondrous love of an amazing God, and the potency of that love. Love is only seen by the sacrifice it prompts. Here we see the ultimate sacrifice prompted by ultimate love. A young boy asks his Sunday School teacher “Why does God love me?” and the teacher cannot explain it to him in an understandable way. Why does God love any of us? None can adequately answer that question. The love of God is a part of Him, as the Scripture says, “God is love.” Again I say, love is seen through sacrifice. Don’t tell me you love me if you are not willing to sacrifice something for me. Don’t tell that wayward child that you love him if you are not willing to go all the way with him through any trial, and many heartaches. There is only one kind of love that does that, and that is God-love.

One cannot emphasize enough how precious this love is. It is a redeeming love, a restoring love; a love that builds and makes strong; a love that is not swayed by circumstance or unaffected by pomp and the glory or criticisms of men. It is a love that is freely given and is sufficient for every, and any need; a love that transcends all loves, and overcomes all obstacles. It is an amazing, fantastic, total love. The word “so” describes it as indescribable; how much is “so much”? We tell our children we love them “so much” and extend our hands outward from the sides, just as Jesus did on the cross. He loved us “so much”, and stretched His hands out, and nailed them to a cross. In that position He died, to remind us how much He loved us. God loved us “so much” that He masterminded the plan, and sent His only begotten Son to die in our place. Greater love hath no man than this…

God so loved whom? The world. Not the earth and the grass and the water, but mankind, those who make it a world. He loves us all, “so much” that he is willing again to give the ultimate gift, and make the ultimate sacrifice. He loves us all, whether we love Him back or not. What an amazing God; what an amazing love. He died for us all, and not merely the elite. He provided the same gift of life to everyone, and showed no partiality. Love is like that; God is like that.

Immeasurable Love

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. (John 3:16)

“God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son…” Not that He gave a Son that was one of many; nor did He give a Son that was worthy of death, as some might. He gave the best. He gave His only begotten, the only one He had, and will ever have. He gave His greatest love, the dearest thing to His heart, His only Son. He gave perfection for imperfection. We were so important to Him that he gave the life of His bosom, the very blood of Himself. The words “only begotten” are important because there were no daughters either! Jesus was the only child of God; now, through Him, we too are children of God.

Some say that man has a soul, but the Bible says that man is a soul. The Book of Genesis says that God breathed into man the breath of life, and man became a “living soul.” (Gen. 2:7). Man does not possess a soul, as some imagine, but he is a soul, a precious, living, breathing soul. A soul is a precious thing to the Lord who created it. It was worth dying for. Even more, it was worth giving for. God both gave, and died for us, He did it all. Yes, God sent His Son, He gave His life, then He died Himself on the cross, and all for the price of a soul. He sent; He gave; He died, in that order, and all for you and me. This is the creature that God loved, and still loves. Oh that we might know that God loves us, and how that ought to stir our hearts for Him. Dear soul, know that God loves you “so much” that he is willing to do whatever it takes, and pay the utmost price for your restoration and redemption. You are worth it to Him. In a sense, you are worth more to Him than the life of His Son was, and that was proven at Calvary. If I may be so bold to say it, God cares more for us than He did for Jesus it seems, but not really, because now He has Him and us! Yes, He has Jesus, and he has us too, the off-spring of Jesus. It is a win-win situation with God. He gave life that we might gain life.

Only the fool of fools would reject the love of God. Love bestowed is love received, at least to the wise hearted. Love responds to love, it is a fact of nature. God first sought us out, and loved us before we were ever born, and those of us who see this love will love Him in return. The great love of God is there for us, but what will we do with it? That is a decision that we all must make on our own.

Believing Love

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

“For God so loved the world…that whosoever believeth in him…” But not only those that believe were loved by Him, but the entire “world”. Some teach that Jesus died for “the elect” or only for those that would receive Him as savior, whom He foreknew, but He died for all mankind, including the elect. He provided a “way of escape”(1 C0r. 10:13), for all men to escape the tragedy of hell. It is there, but not all will respond to it. He gives eternal life, available to all, but whosoever will believe in Him shall receive it without a doubt. God’s love produced this life, and freely gives it to all. It is not his fault if all do not receive it, in fact, it is His will that all mankind should be saved. This life, eternal, from an eternal God, is ours for the taking.

Love is an amazing thing. By it we are provided for in every aspect of life. God’s love is even more amazing in that it is freely given. Most of us expect some sort of favor for love bestowed, whether a simple “thank you” or a card of thanks, or a kind word tossed our way. Whatever we might expect, we are disappointed when we have shown an act of love to someone, and they spurn our love, yet we do this to God all the time, and amazingly, He loves us anyway! He does not become so disappointed in us that He quits loving, or seeks to take back what He has given. Yes, “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Romans 11: 29). There is, however, a response required of us, and that is that we must believe.

There are certain privileges, however, that we have, that the “world” does not. For example; The indwelling Holy spirit. This is a great advantage to the children of God, even in every day life. There are promises that are given solely, and only to the Children of God, as well as certain and many blessings. There is eternal life. God’s love is universal, but He especially watches over His own. There is a “general love” which is the love for all mankind, His creation, and there is a “specific love” which speaks of loving His people especially, and in a special way. Actually though, His love is the same for all, but it is manifest differently in each of us. That is the amazing thing about the love of God, it is unique to each one of us. A good father does not love one child more than another, but he loves them differently, and that love manifests itself in different ways; God is an excellent Father, and He too loves us each uniquely and differently.

Miraculous Love

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (Jn 3: 16)

John 3:16 is probably the most quoted and most familiar verse in the entire Bible to children and adults alike, and yet do many ever take time to meditate on what it is saying? Do we attempt to analyze the verse and break it down to squeeze all the blessed fruit out of it? Probably the key word in this verse is “believeth”, at least that is the one word that allows us to find the gift of true life that is provided by Christ. Contrary to the prevailing opinions, “believeth” is the key word and the entrance into the realm of the Holy for us. You see, the verse has little to offer without the belief. God gave His Son to the entire world, even those who don’t seek Him, and who seem to care less of His comforting grace; He has provided the same love for them as He has for us. He is there for them too, but the difference is, they will not believe. I do not say they cannot believe, but that they “will not”. You see, belief is a definite act of the will. You choose to believe or disbelieve. We first must make up our minds to believe God, then we begin to put our belief into action. So, believing is a decision; a wise one, but still a decision.

Belief is a miracle worker. It moves mountains because it has the strength of faith behind it. Belief then is the determining factor as to whether we are saved or not. It is by grace that we are saved, but through the conduit of faith we receive the gift of salvation. You see, it is there already, just waiting for us to tap into it, and make a pipeline that leads directly to our hearts for it to travel through. It is there in Jesus. He is Salvation; He is faith; He is belief; he is everything we need; He is the One and only, everlasting life. The question for all mankind today and always is, “Will you believe?” Will you take Christ at his word, and accept Him as your sacrifice for sin? That is a decision we all must make, and it is the most crucial decision we will ever have to make. It is not a matter of life and death, but of eternity, and eternal life and death. It is a decision that follows us throughout our lives, and beckons us daily until we face it; it will not leave us alone until we decide to do the wise thing; the right thing.

Even after we are saved, and walking in the grace of His love, we can still be guilty of unbelief. We can never move mountains until we believe; we can be a child of God, but weak in faith, and for the same reason—we refuse to believe. Faith is not out of reach for us; it is not some high mountain that we are unable to scale; its there before us, ours for the taking. We have the Word of God to back it up; the words of God for support of it, and yet ye will not believe. Oh ye of little faith, will ye not make that decision today? Will you believe God and His Word? If so, there is nothing that you cannot accomplish for Him; no task is too large, and no chore too small for His glory. Take Him at His Word, and try Him, and see if it is not so.
Far reaching Love

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

The love of God spans the Heavens, and encompasses the earth. It is there, no matter what overtakes us, no matter how dismal our life may get; the Love of God is always there, afresh and anew. It remains firm against all oppressions and oppositions; the love of God is rock solid, and will not be moved. It stands when all else fails; it is the true master of all circumstances the strength of all prayer; the power of all good. It is the “charity” of 1 Corinthians 13.
Yes, the love of God is preeminent over all faults; all trials must succumb to His love, but we, as mere mortals, as sinful men made of dirt and clay, do not realize the full potential of His ever enduring love. To think that He would love a lump of clay is overwhelming to say the least; not only does He love us unconditionally, but He proves His love over and over again by giving. You see, giving is the proof of love. We give of ourselves when we truly love; man takes love, and holds it in his bosom, but God gives it. To be God-like we must learn to give. We must first take His love in, then give it out to others. We are takers, and He is a giver, but when His love is taken in, we too can become givers, and true lovers because it is “God-love”. “We love Him, because He first loved us” is the teaching of 1 John 4:19; if He had not loved us, we could in no way love Him. So, our love to Him is His love in us; it is also everlasting love; it is able to endure all grief’s and all hardships, and to come through unscathed and stronger than ever; it is an ever increasing, all consuming love. It is His gift of love to us, and no matter what we do, or where we go, we cannot escape the love of God. True and mature love gives (this is charity), immature love expects; we do not love others for what they do, but we love them because of the love in us. Friends, Heaven is run by love.

The love of God is an armor for us. It is our defense and our hope in time of trials. You might call it the armor of God, the same as in Ephesians 6. His love envelops us and covers us with an impenetrable shield of grace. We not only hide in His great love, but we walk victoriously because of it; we bask in the glory of it, and by His grace are able to share it with others.

Wondrous Love

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (Jn. 3:16)

Love is a great and wonderful thing. It is timeless; it is forgiving; it is ever enduring; it is most honorable. God’s love is much more so, it is pure and sweet, and creative and uplifting; it is beauty and grace and mercy all at the same time; can you imagine a world without love? What a tragedy it would be. God’s love is the ultimate: it transcends all boundaries that man puts on it; it soars to greater heights than man can ever imagine; it reaches to the lowest earth, and stretches across the heavens themselves; it is altogether wonderful. The love of God penetrates the coldest of hearts; it breaks the walls of rebellion, and soothes the wretched soul of despair; it brings peace to mankind, and joy to every lonely and forlorn soul; there is nothing greater than the love of God, absolutely nothing.
When men have forsaken me, and life seems futile and harsh, the love of God sees me through; when I despair for my health, or fear for my life, God is there, and His love carries me; when I am destitute and despondent, and just want to die, God quickens me in His love; when my fellow man hates me, and plots against me, my God turns his evil back unto him. I cannot thank Him enough; I cannot praise Him enough; I cannot feel the depths of gratitude that I owe Him because he loves me; there are no words adequate enough to express the joy He gives in love. His love is more than amazing; it is a thousand times greater than wonderful; it supercedes all splendors and the very best of the thoughts of men; it reconciles; it forgives; it builds anew; it creates; it does everything imaginable, and yet we spurn it. Oh foolish man, we do not deserve the love of God, and yet He gives it; unconditionally; impartially; to all men all over the world. Most blessed be the name of the Lord. Lift His name on high; exalt Him beyond the heavenly realms; speak softly of His lovely name, and meditate on His unspeakable grace, and draw nigh unto him in hope. “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Only the love of God is able to deliver me.

Matthew 6

“But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.” (vs. 3, 4)

There are three verses in this chapter that immediately catch the readers’ attention, they are: Verses 4, 6 and 18. These three verses tell us that when we serve the Lord in these aspects, and secretly, He will reward us openly. These concern the giving of alms; prayer, and fasting. For each of these there is a promise of open, public rewards if we will do them in secret.

The first, found in verses 1-4 speak of almsgiving. This is giving to charitable causes; it is giving to the poor, and needy specifically. It is not tithing; it is not offerings, but it is charity, which is the essence of love. One principle for giving then is to give to a need. We have too much giving that promotes us instead of the recipient. We give for favor; or for position; or some sort of recognition, usually, but this is honest and needful giving. It is done cheerfully when done right, because we know that it has helped someone in some way.

Second, we find in verses 5-7 we see the admonition for prayer. These too shall be rewarded openly, when they pray secretly. Others will be able to see the blessings of God upon us when we pray in secret. Too many of our prayers are done for the sake of those around us. We try preaching in our prayers! Sometimes we try to “wax eloquent” and make a nice sounding prayer for the sake of those who are listening; we pray to them, and not to the Father when we do this; and sometimes we like to “show off” and pray loudly or publicly for the sake of those around us. These types of prayers accomplish nothing, we have our reward when others see us and think us to be spiritual; we have the praise of man.

Then, thirdly, we see in verses 16- 18, that fasting needs to be done in secret, as a personal thing, and not broadcast to others around us. Each of these passages contains the same promise, that God will reward us for doing them. Not only that, but others will see the blessings of God upon us, as already stated, and they too may have cause to glorify the Father. Let us serve Him in Spirit and in Truth, and not for the glory of men.

How is your “secret life” going?

Philippians 4

“Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” (v. 5)

To use a naval term, let us be "even keeled" or steadfast in all endeavors. This is a restraint of passions and indulgences of appetites; it is to control rage, and extinguish anger. Moderation is the "middle of the road", so to speak, and not drastic swings to the right or left. It is no extreme or excess in any direction or practice. When we allow others to anger us, we are not practicing moderation. If we are not angry all the time, we should not get angry any time! This is a very hard thing to practice, but the Word never changes, only circumstances change. When we react to circumstances, we are no longer acting on the Word of God. So, why should we do this? Because "the Lord is at hand."

The Lord demands an evenness in our person, a moderation of temper and appetites. Overindulgence most always leads to trouble in some respect, as well as extreme swings in attitudes and moods. If I find myself in adverse circumstances, and perhaps someone strikes me, am I still to remain moderate in temper? Is retaliation justified at such times? Let me ask, in answer to that, does the Bible change with each situation? No. It still says, every time we read it, “Let your moderation be known unto all men…” even if the situation is not a pleasant one. This does not mean that I have have attained to this height yet, please don’t get me wrong. I have struck out at adversity, and, no doubt, I will again, but know when I do it I am not doing what the Bible says to do. My point is, we too often allow the circumstances in life to dictate our actions, and ignore, at times, the Word and principles of God. We then become a child of circumstance, and at the whim of every evil that comes along. A great man once said that “if you anger a man, you have conquered him already”, or something to that effect, and I see that it is a true statement.

Let’s endeavor to be of moderate temper, at least, and that alone will be quite an improvement for most of us; and, along the way, let us also be moderate in our actions, and appetites, and we will have accomplished a great deal toward godliness.

Philippians 4

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (v.8)

In this verse we see six things in which we can judge our own thoughts by. These are the things that we are told to “think on” as we go through this life, to help us keep pure, clean thoughts that are Christ honoring, and beneficial. The Bible admonishes us to always keep our mind on the things of God, or at least good things, because, it has been observed, that man cannot think two thoughts at the same time. If our mind is occupied with a certain thing, we cannot think of another without “changing the channel” so to speak. When thoughts enter our mind, we need to see if they measure up to these biblical standards, and if not, kick them out, and “change the channel” to another, better, thought. We can relate to changing the channel on tv, but when it comes to our thoughts, we are slow to do so. These six categories, though few in number, cover a myriad of thoughts, and we could go for weeks in them without getting bored, and still keep our minds of on the right things.

Notice how Jesus fits all these categories! When we keep our mind on Him, and those things pertinent to Him, we fulfill this scripture, and have the “peace that passes all understanding.” After all, what else is more worthy of our attention? What, or Who better fits in these qualities of thought than our Lord? Every thought needs to be brought into captivity (2 Cor. 10:5), and we ought to measure them all by these standards. If our thoughts don’t fit in these categories, we need not dwell on them any longer. So, how do you measure up?

All our thoughts can be controlled, and ought to be, and this “guide” will help us to accomplish that task in our lives. Let’s be conscious of our failures here, and conform our thinking to the Word of God, and we will fare well in the game of life. Don’t fail though to allow the Bible to define what is true, or lovely, or just, and all these virtues, and not our own definitions, lest we err in our interpretations, and prevail in the application of error.

Philippians 4:4

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”

I find it peculiar that none of the commentators of our day, or previous days, say anything about the use of the word "alway" as opposed to "always". Unless they are critical of the text, they do not even address this change in wording. Paul uses the word "always" three different times in this same book, and yet saw fit to say "alway" here! Why do you suppose it is so? Obviously there was a reason for it.

(Three references to "always" are: 1:4~1:20~2:12)

"Alway" is used only one time in Philippians, but several times in the New Testament. There is a reason for the change in usage, if you believe at all in the inspiration of the writers, if not, then it can be sloughed off as a scatter brained man whose inconsistencies are obvious in the writing of Holy writ. It would be wise for us to trust the text and the wisdom with which it was meant, and search out the "why" behind the matter.

"Always" enters the realm of time without necessarily including circumstance, while "alway" speaks of every way our feet find to go, and whatever comes our way. they are almost the same thing, for if we were to rejoice always, it would include the time of trouble too, but the latter word is more definite and descriptive of the teaching.

The Old Testament uses this word (alway) as if it were more permanent than the other. "Always" may have certain exceptions, while "alway" does not seem to. It is used 11 times in the Old Testament and 12 in the New, including as a last comforting word to the apostles in Matt. 28:20. Don’t you think Jesus knew the difference? Why then do we attack the translators of the King James Bible (it is not a “version” of the Bible), in this matter, when they too translate these words correctly everywhere else? We must understand that there is a reason for the difference in text. By the way, let’s not lose the message of the text while we examine the wording of it; we need to rejoice in all things, all the time, and only then will we truly enjoy our Christian experience. The word “always” then, is more inclusive than even the word “always”. I wish I had more time to expound on this, but I pray that the Lord will reveal it to you, as He has to me.

Philippians 4:13

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

The key word in this verse is “which”. I see this as the second most mis-quoted verse in the Bible. How many times have you heard someone quote this verse and say, “Christ who strengtheneth me”? This one word makes a world of difference in this verse. The word “who” refers to a person, who is Christ. This is saying, in effect, that I can do anything through Christ, but too often I discover that I cannot do absolutely anything. Mis-quoting this verse in this way, hurts one’s faith, especially a new Christian, when he finds that he cannot do everything he attempts to do, or any great feat for that matter (such as working miracles). On the other hand, when we put the proper word, “which” in this verse, it refers to an object or a principle, such as a doctrine. The verse then focuses on “all things” that strengthen. The true application of this verse is “I can do all those things that strengthen me through Christ.” I do not attempt to correct the text, for it needs no correction, but I hope to correct our focus on this verse. Folks, we can do all that makes us stronger in Him, by His grace. He wants us to be stronger. All that is good for us, and is right (which is the same thing), we can do through Him.

This is a little off the text, but I must use the illustration to clarify my point:

It is important to realize that every word is important when it is God’s Word. One word can change the focus, and the entire meaning of a verse or passage. No two words mean exactly the same thing, otherwise, we would not need so many words in the English language. An example is in Jn. 1:12, where the word “power” is translated “right” or “privilege” or authority” or several other words, especially in inferior versions of the Bible. Now, though these words may be correct in a sense, they all lose the force of the word “power” which is the correct rendering. If Christ gives me the right to become a son of God, it is as if I must do it, with His blessing! If He gives me the power, I know I can do it, because He “strengthens me” in that area. Not so with “authority” or “privilege” or even the “right.” We, as Christians, need to be careful about changing the Word of God, especially when we are “quoting” scriptures. Accuracy is imperative, for another’s faith may hang on your words.

Philippians 1

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (v. 21)

I shudder to think of how often I have flippantly quoted this verse, and gave no thought to what it really says. Can you imagine actually living your entire life for Christ? I mean, every moment of every day is given to Him and to His glory, with no time for “self” or things of this world that occupy so much of our time now. There is yet a double emphasis here, even in the first part of this verse: “For me to live is Christ” or “my life is in Him” and the usual application speaking of service to Him, or “for” Him. I can only imagine living completely in service of the Lord, it seems nowadays to be nearly an impossibility. There is so much that “needs to be done” in our lives; how crowded we are with the things “of necessity” in this world, such as business (“I have to provide for my family” is our excuse) , and education (which is closely tied to business, or rather future business); what about recreation? Don’t we need a lot of leisure time to help quell the tension and anxieties of life’s struggles? Jesus didn’t. Paul didn’t. For Paul, “to live is Christ”, Christ is his life. There was no other thought of life without Jesus. So what makes up this thing called life for us? When anything occupies the place of Christ, and our life is totally consumed with “things” and actions aside from Christ, death is not gain for us, it is a mysterious and fearful thing. Let’s go a step further, and say that when our life is crowded with the confusions of this world, and the desires of the flesh, and the pride of self-worth, then Christ is no longer clearly visible in our life, he exists in us in a haze or fog, obscured by the things this world throws at us and offers us subtly. Can we then say with Paul that “For me to live is Christ…”? If so, our death is truly gain to us.

The “gain” is Heaven of course, but there is much more to gain than this. If all we have is hope of Heaven after our death and up until our death, then we live as if it is future, and not for us today. We live as if it is something far off, and perhaps not even real in our thoughts and minds. We must live for Christ, even as we live in Christ. There is, after all, a difference in the two. There is much gain in living for Christ, even here and now, before our day of death. There is an abundance of blessings waiting to be bestowed upon us, as well as a Heavenly home, in Christ. Paul’s life was dedicated solely to the glory and magnification of the Lord, and he reaped the joys and benefits of it. Sure, he was a tentmaker, and plied his trade for a time so as not to be a burden to the churches, that they might have more to give to the poor and needy. Even his secular work was for the glory and honor of the Lord, and then he spent his weekends preaching! (Acts 18: 1-4 and 1 Corinthians 9), now that is a dedicated life.

Philippians 2

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. (v. 3)

This verse seems to be a key verse in chapter 2. It seems that Paul recognizes a problem in the church at Philippi, and hits the problem head-on. All that aside, look at the problem, and then notice the solution: the problem was self-centeredness, the “me first” attitude; the solution? Think of others first. Put their needs before ours, this will defeat the pride of self-will and the attitude that the world promotes so readily of having confidence in yourself (another way of saying “be proud”). When the Bible says “nothing” it seems to mean “nothing”, at least in this case! All of our actions and thoughts ought to be for the sake of others, knowing that the Lord Himself will take care of our needs and wants! Why do we worry so much about “self” when we have the Lord watching over us? We strive for the mastery over others, thinking ourselves to be worthy leaders, and this truly fits in the realm of “vainglory”. “Vainglory” is exactly what both words imply, an empty, worthless glory that is focused on “self” and self exaltation. Strife and vain glory promote one another, they work well together, and lead us down the paths of destruction. Where there is strife, there is vainglory, (see proverbs 13:10); pride is the root of all strife. On the other hand, self glory, or pride, will always lead to more strife as one seeks positional or material gain in his daily life. Let us not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think.

So much is done these days in the name of vainglory. We crave attention; we like the public parts of the serving the Lord, where everyone knows of our great sacrifice, but does this really please the Lord? Worship is a private matter, as is prayer and fasting and almsgiving. How many of us clean the restrooms or even the church when all is quiet and empty? Even when we do, we like for people to know about it. We crave the attention of men. This type of service, though somewhat of a sacrifice, merits very little actually, because it is not done entirely for the glory of God. It is done for self exaltation, and to gain respect of others. Much of our lives are lived in this type of setting. The irony of this type of service is that we can convince ourselves that we are serving others, when we seek the glory of men. We need to keep focused on the Lord, and continually seek His grace for each day, and in each act of service.

Philippians 3

“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,” (v. 8)

This is the proper attitude of humility. We must attain to this standard, lest our service and our entire Christian life becomes vanity. Christ ought to supercede anything and everything this world has to offer, or even claims to have. We spend much of our lives gathering things together, buying possessions and dreaming and seeking “Better” things, then we realize one day that life is more than that, and we discover that without Christ we really have nothing. Christ is everything to us, or ought to be. We know this in our minds, but it is hard to get it in our hearts. With the mouth we say that love the Lord with all our might and strength, but I wonder if we really do? What is important to you? When we find ourselves dwelling on “problems” or desires or anything more than we do on the things of God, we need to do some real soul searching. Try writing down the minutes, or hours that you dwell on godly things and compare it to the hours spent on other things. They may not be evil in themselves, but they “steal” our thoughts and our time; the thoughts and time that we owe the Lord. Carry a notepad with you, and write down how much time you find your mind “drifting” from the things of God to otherwise “important” things in this life. It will be a rude awakening for most of us. We would do well to emulate Paul, and forget those things which are behind, and reach forth to those things which are before (v. 13), and “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, (v. 14). Paul says that those of us that will be perfect need to be “thus minded” and to think like he thinks of the matter of our service, v. 15).

We might consider this a continuation of chapter 2, where we are admonished to serve the Lord in truth, and not be “menpleasers.” This is the key to great service. This will glorify God in our lives. Please don’t get me wrong, I too live on this earth; I too have a family, and things come up that demand immediate attention; there are things that absolutely cannot be ignored, but while I am doing those things I must be careful that they do not consume me, and “swallow me up”. I need to take time for the Lord. When I mow the lawn, I pray as I am doing it. It takes very little concentration to mow the lawn. When you do the dishes ladies, you can sing praises unto God; or pray; or meditate on a certain passage or verse. It is easier than we normally think to keep our thoughts centered on the Lord. Let’s make a habit of doing so, and watch the difference it makes in our lives.

Philippians 4

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (vs. 6, 7)

First let me clarify something; this phrase “be careful for nothing” doesn’t mean that we should not be careful in our lives, as we think of the phrase today, but it means not to be full of care for anything, so that our attentions and affections can be toward the Lord, and not too occupied with other things. Yes, the same message all the way through the book of Philippians. If we are “full of care” for one thing, we have no more room to care for another thing, but we care for our time with the Lord, and for His duties and services. If we will keep our thoughts on Him, and by “prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving”, let our requests be known unto God, then we will have “perfect peace” in all things. You see, it is when things steal our thoughts that we turn from that perfect peace, and begin to worry about the things of this world. This peace of God (which is of course perfect peace) will keep our hearts and minds through Christ (v. 7). To be kept by the Lord is the greatest of blessings; He that is “kept” by God has no need nor worry of anything at all. (See also Isa. 26:3)

Now for one of my favorite passages on this subject, seen in v. 8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Here we have six categories in which we can measure our thoughts by; If our thoughts do not fit into any of these, then we need not entertain them, even for a moment. The Word of God, of course, is described in all these things, it fits perfectly in these guidelines for thought. Paul admonishes us to do the same things that we have learned, received, seen and heard in him, and if we do, God will be with us, as He was with Him (v. 9).

Folks, we need the peace of God; without it we have no hope, no ability to cope with the things this life throws our way. Every day hundreds of temptations, trials, and just “regular old business” comes our way and demands of us certain sacrifices and duties. We are ill prepared to handle them without succumbing to doubts worries and greater fears if we have not the peace of God “which passeth all understanding” and we buckle under the pressure of anxiety and tension and other sources of stress. Let’s begin to apply these principles for peace today, and make a lifestyle of living in them, and enjoy the peace of God in our lives.

Perfect Peace

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isa 26: 3)

When we have Jesus we have peace, because He is the “Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). In fact, when we have Jesus, we get an entire package of love, joy, peace, longsuffering… and all those fine qualities that make up the Spirit of God (Gal. 5: 22,23), not to mention eternal life, the most outstanding blessing of them all. That in itself is a most wonderful thing, and it is beyond our comprehension. It is a peace that passes understanding (Phil. 4:7), and rightly so, because it is Jesus, and it is His peace. There is, however, or so it seems, a step higher in the obtaining of peace. You see, the Peace that comes with receiving Christ as our Savior is for everyone that does so, of course, but it is not that “perfect peace” that we see in our text verse above. That peace comes from keeping our mind, our thoughts, on the things of God. Yes, since Christ is perfect, one could argue the point that his peace is also perfect, and I could not fault you there, but there is a “more perfect” peace, obviously, else this verse would not have needed to be written in such a way as it is. I want the peace of Christ, that peace which surpasses all understanding, but I want even more, I want perfect peace. I want peace that is so perfect that nothing can ever add to it, nor mar it; I want to be sure that it is so perfect that I could not want for more, nor could I ever hope to find more. I want that “Perfect peace” that comes to those whose minds are stayed on Jesus, and I have a promise here that He will see to it that I get it; He will keep me in it. As long as I keep my mind on Him, He will keep me in perfect peace, that is a promise from God Himself.

This is a challenge for all who call themselves by His name. We serve a wonderful and mighty Savior, who is more than worthy of our praises, and who is able to do all that He says He will do, and that includes keeping us in perfect peace. We need to be like the soldier in 2 Timothy 2:4, where the Lord teaches us to be “single minded” by saying “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” We are too caught up into this life, too busy to keep our thoughts on the Lord all the time, yet, even the soldier must concentrate on “soldiering” in order to succeed in his duties. God has called us all to service, will we be distracted by the dainties and delicacies of this world? If so, we will always fall short of that perfect peace that comes from keeping our minds on Him.

God is Love

“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” (1 Jn 4:8)

“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” (1 Jn. 4:16)

Twice in this chapter we read that “God is love” If you have a hard time defining what love is, here is your answer, “God is love” It did not say that God has love; nor does it say that God can love, but it says that God is love. Love is the essence of what God is. Since God is love, then we cannot get away from love; (Rom. 8: 35-39). Since God is eternal, then we see that love is eternal; If God is omnipresent (and we know He is), then love must be omnipresent; God is omnipotent, so love too is omnipotent. Now I do not wish to replace God with love, but the Bible tells us that God is all these, and love too. All that love is, is God, and all that God is, is seen in love. Since we cannot escape the love of God, we know that it is both powerful and omnipresent (See also Psa. 139: 7-14). You cannot make God quit loving you, no matter what you do; it is His nature to do so, he is love. This means that no one can be evil enough to make God stop loving them; Love is the essence of God, the totality of His being. (Jn. 3:16). We talk of the attributes of God; teach of the blessings of God; all these things, but they are all wrapped up in the love of God, because God is love. They are wrapped in love, and laced with grace, which itself is a manifestation of love. His love is all-inclusive; it reaches out to man and spans the universe searching for a resting place, and it finds man. It takes a wretched, dirty, unworthy vessel and makes it fit for the kingdom of God. I do not speak of the “brotherhood of man”, this is worldly love; I speak of the true, pure, honest and holy love of God that is Him and in Him. Let us all bask in His love. Love His love, for love’s sake. In so doing we love Him too. Why love Him? Because He first loved us (1 Jn. 4:19). He reached out to us, and He who loved first loved best. He loved us because He is love, and He cannot do otherwise. He said in Jeremiah 31:3 “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” Gods love is everlasting, and cannot be broken, lest we break Him, and that is totally impossible. All this because “God is love”.

Sow sin, reap trouble

2011-11-07T04:53:00.000-08:00

Something to think about...
1Co 15:36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:

We sow more than we reap. We sow handfuls, and reap bushels; we sow bushels and reap granaries; the sin grows slowly, but it grows. It spreads itself and multiplies itself sevenfold. This principle is infinitely more true in the spiritual realm than in the natural realm; we reap what we have sown.
Not only do we reap in an abundance from our seeds of sin, but others reap because of us! Often our families suffer the reproaches of our sin, unto the third and fourth generation. Our friends are affected by our deeds and the reaping of sinful seeds that are sown; yes, and often everyone we spend great amounts if time with are also tainted by our sin. It is a dreadful thing, this thing called sin. As my opening statement implies, we reap infinitely more than we sow; we reap a multitude when we have sow only a little, we reap a harvest from a handful. In this sense, we become serial killers, spreading plagues of sin, affecting the multitudes with an epidemic, because when sin has finished its course, it brings death with it.

Symphony in “F” major

2011-10-28T04:51:00.000-07:00

Symphony in “F”

Feeling foot-loose and frisky, a feather-brained fellow forced his fond father to fork over the farthings, and flew to foreign fields, and fettered his fortune feasting fabulously with faithless friends.

Fleeced by his fellows in folly, and facing famine he found himself a feed flinger in a filthy farmyard. Fairly famishing, he fain would have filled his frame with foraged food from fodder fragments.

“Fooey, my father’s flunkies fare far finer,” the frazzled fugitive forlornly fumed, frankly facing the facts. Frustrated by failure, and filled with foreboding, he fled forthwith to find his family.

Falling at his father’s feet, he forlornly fumbled, “Father, I’ve flunked, and fruitlessly forfeited future family favor.” Finally, finding faith in the Father, “Freddy” forsook his foolishness and found favor with God.

The far-sighted father, forestalling further flinchings, frantically flagged the flunkies to fetch a fatling from the flock, and fix a favorable feast.

The fugitives’ fault finding brother frowned on the fickle forgiveness of former folderol, but the faithful father figured “Filial fidelity is fine, but the fugitive is found! What forbids further fervent festivities? Let the flags be unfurled, let the fanfares flare!”

And the Fathers forgiveness formed the foundation for the former fugitives’ future fortitude.
Copied(?)

help Wanted!

2011-10-21T06:47:00.000-07:00

Heavenly Sign

“Help Wanted”
(and much needed.)

“No Experience Necessary”
(Anyone can apply; all may be used ;)

Full Time only.
(No part-time work available)

“Will Train”
Low Pay, but Excellent Benefits.

APPLY WITHIN
(Apply God’s Word in your life.)

“Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” (Jn. 4:35)

“Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” (Mt. 9:37, 38)

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 15:58)

“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” (Jn. 9: 4)

Bible Math

2011-10-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

Bible algebra: Can you figure out this equation?

3 (3) (three days and nights)
+ MT (tomb)
A Risen Savior

Written correctly:

3 (3) + M T tomb = A Risen Savior.

This equation shows us that there is math in the Bible. In fact, the Christian life is a life of addition and subtraction. We are to add to our faith (2 Peter 1: 5-7), and we are to subtract, or take away some things from our life (example: Gal. 5: 19-21). It is a life of multiplication (such as multiplying ourselves by winning others to Christ) and division (separation from the world and from the carnality of the flesh). Yes, there is math in the Bible, and we are to be master mathematicians in application of it, and we can be, by the grace of God. We can do all things through Christ which strengthen us. If it makes us stronger in our service, we can do it; if it makes us “stronger” in love for Christ, we can do it; if it makes us stronger in faith, we can do it, all through Christ who also is our strength.

I have always liked math—basic math, that is, and nothing is more basic than this Bible math. We need to apply these to our lives, and see that God is good in prospering us.

Jesus + you = others;
God + 1 = anything good;
God + Jesus + the Holy Spirit = security for me.

Man -- worldliness = purity;
Man – self = humility;
Man – sin = forgiveness;

1 God x 1 man = soul winning;
1 Savior x 1 man = salvation;

Man / faith = separation

Little Things

2011-10-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.” (Son 2:15)

Thank God that He is the God of “little things” also. He blesses us in little ways, that many would laugh at, or be amused that we even mention it, but God takes care of the minor details before they become a major defeat. You see, we are alert to the important things, and we prioritize them and keep our guard up against them the best we can, but the little things, the seemingly insignificant things that go unnoticed and unattended seem to pass us by, and they amass themselves into mountains in our life. The “Little things” of life that seem to have no bearing on our service for the Lord, or have no connection with the spiritual realm, often pile up against us, and seek to destroy either our testimony or our attitude toward the Heavenly things. Take time to thank God for the “Little things” that He attends to on our behalf, and He will gladly see to the bigger and more destructive things that come our way.

Christ, our all

2011-10-04T06:58:00.000-07:00

Christ our all and in all.

He is:
Our strength (Neh. 8:10);
Our rejoicing (Phil. 4:4);
Our help (Psa. 46:1);
A great peace )Psa. 119:165);
Our provision (Prov. 3:5,6);
Our sustenance (Mt. 6:28-34);
Our Father (Mt. 6:9);
Our Shepherd (Psa. 23:1);
Our armor (Eph. 6:11);
Our counselor (isa. 9:6);
Our Comforter (John 14: 16-18);
Our refuge (Psa. 46:1);
Our everything, and more!

Now, who/what do you run to when trials come? Does the Government meet your financial needs? Does sleeping with a gun under the pillow bring you security against crime? Do you go to friends or family when needs arise, or do you run to God? These questions are imperative to your faith.
In whom do you trust?

Many Mansions

2011-09-29T15:01:00.000-07:00

Many Mansions
John 14:1-6

“In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2)

Where was Jesus going? To Calvary! Of course He was going to Heaven, but Calvary was where he provided a mansion for us. You see, the mansions already exist (v. 2 speaks of present tense), they are already waiting for us, and only God knows the number of them. A virtual Holy city--a city full of individual mansions, which are the proper dwelling for royalty! Jesus, in all actuality, prepared us for the mansion--He prepared a place for us in a mansion in Heaven. We must meet Him at Calvary first though before we can meet Him in Heaven; this refers us back to verse one: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” That is How we meet Jesus at Calvary. Until Christ died on the cross, we had no place in Heaven--no eternal life; Jesus had to go and prepare the way for us, and He is the Way; the “preparation“ is Calvary. (John 14:6).

If He goes (and He did go) he will doubtless come again to deliver us to our mansion--to take us to heaven to be with Him (v.3). The way has been prepared already. We know the way; we know that it is through Jesus that we will go to heaven and receive our mansion, because He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father” but by Him (v. 6).

The Bible

2011-09-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

“What a Book is the Bible in the mere matter of variety of contents! Everything seems to be in it . . . poem, narrative, intelligence, judgment, battle, prayer, song, anathema, and benediction.”
“It might be added that it deals with themes moral, philosophical, astronomical, biological, ethical, legal, dramatic, prophetic, historic, poetic, and romantic.
“Continuing this line of thought I am reminded of an unknown writer's contribution which is very comprehensive. He says, in the Bible we read of the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, and the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers.
“Its doctrine is holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.
“Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy.
“It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.
“It is the traveler’s map; the pilgrim's staff; the pilot's compass; the soldier's sword; and the Christian's charter.
“Here heaven is opened and the gates of Hell disclosed.
“Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end.
“It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet.
“Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully.
“It is a mine of wealth, health to the soul, and a river of pleasure.
“It is given to you here in this life, will be opened at the judgment, and will be established forever.
“It involves the highest responsibility, and will reward the greatest labor, and condemn all who trifle with its contents.”
--anonymous

Withered Fruit

2011-09-21T05:25:00.000-07:00

Withered Fruit?
(The Word series)

Mat 21:19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.

Jesus spoke to a tree! His Word was affective in rebuking the fruitlessness of it, and will do the same toward us. If we fail to bear fruit unto the Lord, He may just speak the Word, and we will dry up forever! Oh what a curse that would be. Thank God that He is longsuffering, and we may never see the day that He has to rebuke us in such a way, but the power of His Word is able to do so. God’s Word is good, but it is not wise for us to take advantage of it, and to have a presumptuous attitude toward it--it is always better to obey, and to do what the Lord expects of us. My friend, you are a tree of life because of Christ, is there fruit growing on you? As we are commissioned to bring real life to others through the Gospel, we need to be sure that we are bearing fruit unto the Lord. Nothing less will do. Just as easily as the Lord condemns the withered fruit, He can restore it to productivity. Our God is an altogether amazing God.

“What reason ye in your hearts?”

2011-09-15T05:08:00.000-07:00

What reason ye…?

“What reason ye in your hearts?”

This was the question Jesus asked the Scribes and Pharisee’s in Luke 5:22, yet it is a good question for each one us to ponder. When we meditate on the Truths of the Scripture, we need to ask ourselves “What reason ye in your heart?” what do you think of Jesus and the Bible? If we do not accept His Word, as it is written, can we really say we believe it? Remember, it is “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” (Mt. 12:34, in part). It is important that we get the Word of God in our hearts, and not merely in our heads. Though it enters the head first, there must be an acceptance of that which we hear, and then it can be mixed with faith. It is the hearing of the Word, and the acceptance of the heart that brings us to Calvary. So, the question remains, “What think ye of Christ?” or as stated here, “What reason ye in your hearts?”

Truth From Error

2011-09-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

Telling Truth From Error

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)

Imagine the problem a judge might have today determining who is telling the truth, and who is not. He has no real guidelines for truth, and yet he must determine it for another person. His hands are tied on the matter. So, how does one recognize the truth and the error of a matter? Even a “lie detector” can be wrong at times. There is often too much at stake to allow error to slip in, and yet, they are only human. We must measure the truth with the Word of God, and that is the ONLY way we will be able to discern who is right, and who is wrong. In fact, it is the only way to determine truth from error in our lives too; you must have a measuring line, a standard with which to compare the two. Truth and error, both expose the other. If you determine one, the other is revealed; that cuts the job in half! What we need to do is learn the truth, and allow it to expose the error in our lives. We need not spend time learning about cults, or about the heinous acts that men commit, just learn truth, that is all we need. If we will consume the Word of God and soak it up as a sponge, it will reveal everything we need to know, and show us the right way to do things. Use your time wisely, and study and meditate on the Word, and leave off that time you spend searching the erroneous doctrines of men, and it will benefit you far more than you ever imagined.

The Water of the Word

2011-09-08T06:41:00.000-07:00

The Water of the Word
(The Word series)

“That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,” (Eph. 5:26)

Did you ever really think about water, and the importance of it? Every living plant or creature needs water to survive. Some creatures can go long periods of time without drinking, but every living thing needs water. Water then, becomes a staple of life. Bread is also a staple of life, in fact, Jesus spoke of both of these many times in the Bible. Bread and water are our life source for the flesh, while the Word of God is the life source for the spirit. When it comes right down to it, we desperately need both to live, in the spiritual sense as well as in the physical sense. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

It is said that man is composed of 80% water, the rest is, no doubt, hot air! Actually I believe it is even higher than 80%, I’m being conservative, but the point is that water is very important in our lives. Where would we be without water? Dead! It is easy then, to see that the Water of the Word is important too, so much so that the Lord often refers to water in the scriptures. Just as our bodies need water to survive, so doe our spirit--spiritual water that is. We cannot continue in the grace of the Lord without the Water of the Word. Jesus is called the “fount of living water”. This refers to John 7:38 where we read “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

The woman at the well in John 4 found the “Living Water” that sates the thirst of the soul.

Joh 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
Joh 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

This Living Water is all that we will ever need, it is a wellspring unto eternal life. The Word gives us Life; it is as refreshing as a cold drink of water is to the weary traveler’ it is the very life of the soul.

The Root of Evil

2011-09-04T02:51:00.000-07:00

The Bible says that “The love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10); let’s look at this verse very closely, and consider the implications of it.

When I see the word “root” I often think of plants, and how beautiful some have become. A flower, for instance is a desirable plant, and we often like to display it in our homes and gardens, but it seems that no one likes to display the roots! The roots are ugly, they are undesirable, while the tree or plant does not at all resemble the root. Every plant has a base, and we call that base the “root”. The root remains though underground, and out of sight, while the product of the root is visible, and often desirable; though we do not see the root, we know that it exists, and is crucial to the health of the flower or plant. So it is with sin, as the root cause is often hidden deep in the soil of the heart, the product may look good, and even desirable to the human eye; the enticement then is not the root, but the plant! Every sin has a root, and the Bible says that the root of evil has to do with the “love of money”, though we cannot always see the connection, it is there, and the root nourishes the sin. Just as the root sustains and nourishes the plant (flower), so does the love of money nourish the sin. We must sink our roots deeply beneath the soil of love--specifically, God’s love, so that the flower will be a blessing to others, and the root remain under the soil of true love apart from the love of money.

The Cleansing Word

2011-08-31T02:29:00.000-07:00

The Cleansing Word
(The Word series)

Mar 5:8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.

The Word of God is cleansing. Jesus commands the devils and they must obey; only He can cleanse the sin-wrecked soul, and change the heart of man. Remember Psalm 119:9? “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.” What can take a sin-filled life, and completely change it around? The Word of God; what changed the maniac of Gadara, and restored him to a normal man? The Word of God. It restores as well as cleanses. It shows us the Way, as a map in the wilderness, and leads us in paths of righteousness. Further cleansing is always needed by the pure water of the Word. Consider:

“Eze 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.”

We could hardly find a text more clear than that. Though the “clean water” was not what actually cleansed the soul, as some might claim (baptism), it becomes a type of the water of the Word, which is able to cleanse us from the evils of Idols; rather, I should say, the Word becomes like clear, clean water in its cleansing ability and effectiveness.

The Blood

2011-08-28T05:01:00.000-07:00

Psa 78:39 For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

We are “but flesh”; one cannot expect too much out of flesh. We are rotting flesh, rotting from the day of birth, and the only thing that slows the deterioration is the blood in our veins. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev. 17:11), and so it is with the spirit! The life of the spirit is in the blood—the blood of Christ, that is! Yes, the only thing keeping our flesh from rotting in decay is the life-blood that flows in our veins, and the only thing that keeps us alive in the spirit is the precious blood of Christ, shed for the sins of the world.
We are made of corruptible material; flesh rots away eventually, and goes back into the ground, as most things do nowadays. How can we trust in that which is corrupt? Yet we do. Only the pure blood of Christ is sufficient; only His blood is incorruptible and reliable, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” (Heb. 9:22).

Some say that there was not much blood shed at Calvary, but what they fail to see is that it is not the quantity, but the quality of the blood that counts! One drop of pure, untainted blood from the veins of our Savior is sufficient to wipe away all sin--forever! What glorious power there is in the blood of Christ!

The Stormy Seas

2011-08-23T11:54:00.000-07:00

The Stormy Seas

Mar 4:39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

There is great comfort in the Word of God. When the waves were boisterous, and the shipped tossed upon the crest of the waves, Jesus calmed the sea with a few words. His Word is soothing; it comforts us when the storms come, and we need to seek it daily. It was a light thing for our Savior to calm the troubled sea, but it was a fearful thing for man to see the raging waves. The closer we are to Jesus, the more assurance we have that there will be peace--everything will be alright with Jesus around. Though He was asleep in the nether part of the ship, His presence made a difference. It always does. The storm cannot go beyond the confines of grace, and it could not phase our Savior in His time of rest. Though the sea is raging, it is calm within the heart, with the full assurance that Jesus is there. Men are given so easily to panic, when all we need to do is trust.

Our God is peace for the troubled soul. His Word gives us peace and rest when trials come our way, because it is a peace that passes all understanding--a peace like no other can give us (See Phil 4:7). He speaks the Word and it is done. We have that same Word that Jesus spoke written for us in the Bible, God’s Precious Word; it is a great blessing, “a great calm” to our troubled souls, and we can depend on it to see us through the storms.

Forsaken?

2011-08-20T17:43:00.001-07:00

Forsaken?

“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
(Mk. 15:34)

Jesus’ cry form the cross was a cry of desperation! Yes, Jesus had a time of desperation; a time when He desperately and earnestly called out unto His God, and anguished over the loneliness of sin. You see, God had never forsaken Christ before; He was with Jesus every moment of every day, and the fullness of His Spirit was upon Him. Until the weight of sin had been placed upon His back, Jesus had never walked alone on this earth; He never had even a moment of confusion or anxiety because His Father was with Him all the way. Now, at the time of this cry unto God, He is left to Himself—with the sin of the world upon Him—a feeling He had never known before. Can you see the intensity of His cry, the anguish of His soul? Who would have thought that the Father would ever turn His back on the Son?—and yet He did. The price of sin is great; it separates us from God.
Notice first that Jesus had always referred to God as “Father”, but Here He calls Him “God”! He no longer knows the Father-Son relationship that He had all His life and all during His ministry; He no longer had that closeness with the Father that a son ought to have; sin had come between them. If sin is vile enough to separate the Father from the Son, what do you think it would do with us? Never underestimate the power of sin.
Secondly, and perhaps most important, sin breaks fellowship with even the mightiest of men. The word “forsake” means to “abandon altogether” with no hope of return in the mind of one that is leaving. It is a very strong word, as opposed to “leaving”—leaving leaves the door open for return, or reconciliation, but forsaking has no thought of ever returning again. Hebrews 13:5b tells us that our Lord will “Never leave us nor forsake us” two different depths of separation; He will not leave us for a moment, nor abandon us altogether, but that promise is only for His children. That is how God sees sin—serious enough to abandon the Son when sin was placed upon Him. Sin, which He had never known before, had separated the Son from the Father, and Jesus had to cry unto God, just as we do, for mercy and grace. Until the sin was atoned for, God had to forsake His Son, His only begotten, and leave Him to the suffering and torment of Calvary.

Truth

2011-08-17T02:46:00.001-07:00

A Man of Truth

Friends, in spite of the world’s ideas, and philosophies, Truth still prevails; in spite of how things look to the eye of flesh, and how dire life seems to be at times, Truth prevails. A man of truth will be respected whether he knows it or not. The world is not going to often tell you “I respect you”, but they will because every man is in a search for Truth, though many have a distorted view if what real Truth is. Every man desires truth to some extent, and every man respects the truth. The world needs men of truth; it needs leaders that are not afraid to venture out and lead others into the paths of Truth. Will you, dear reader, be that man?
Walk in Truth. Walk in the favor of man and God, and be a man of truth. God also desires Truth in us:

Psa 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Jesus is Truth; (Jn. 14:6) He is truth incarnate, and the epitome of Truth in Spirit. As he prevails, so Truth prevails; as he is , so is Truth.

2011-08-13T04:01:00.000-07:00

Answered Prayer

Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. Dan. 10:12

Sometimes the answer to prayer is a long time coming. We are a very impatient people, and often become agitated because of the long wait that, many times, accompanies the answer to prayer. It took twenty-one days for Daniel to see the answer to his urgent prayer, because the answer had to pass through enemy territory! (Dan. 10:13). I believe that sometimes, this is the reason for the delay in our prayer answers also. We have no idea of the warfare that is waged in our behalf. As God receives our legitimate requests, the answer is assured, but the timing is not always according to our desires. Imagine, God sends the answer back to us, and all the way down the line it is attacked by unseen forces. Depending on the particular request, and the importance of it to the glorification of the Lord, the attack can be very fierce, and takes much effort on the part of the delivering angel. Be patient, God promises to answer our prayers, and remember, prayer is not an option, it is a necessity.

Gifts

2011-08-09T01:27:00.001-07:00

“Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” (Eph. 4:8)

“Gave gifts”--the greatest of these at Calvary.
God’s gifts are “forever” gifts (Rom. 11:29)
They are not repented of.
Our God does not give grudgingly; he does not give to get.
A gift is paid for by the giver, not the recipient. Every gift has a price, but not necessarily of the recipient.

Many come bearing gifts, as the wise men came to the manger, but the Lord does not demand a gift, He requires us to give Him our hearts.
“When He ascended” He left this world, and left the gift of eternal life for mankind.
There is no greater gift than this.
He also left gifts for us to use in the church and on the street;
He gave us supernatural gifts--the gift of faith, love, mercy, etc. These are to be used by us for our betterment, and shared with others for their benefit.

Contentions

2011-08-04T05:27:00.000-07:00

“Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.” (Prov. 13:10)

I find great truth in that old adage that when we point a finger at another, three more are pointing back at us. I cannot recall how many times I noticed that those who contended with me, and especially when they accused me, were in fact, guilty of that which they condemned me for! We are so fickle. I have had people tell me that I think I am right and no one else is, but the fact is, they think they are right too, or there would be no disagreement! In the factory where I worked for thirty years, many men told me that “religion doesn’t belong here” when I would “preach” to them, but they seemed to think that drinking and foul language did belong there! Everyone had there own agenda, and when we accuse others of any wrong doing, it is a result of pride in us. “Only by pride…” and no other reason is given for contentions. This pride puffs us up so that we wish to become the dominant one in conversation and in testimony, although we ought to desire it to be that way, and sometimes it is cloaked with the guise of “truth”. Our pride declares that we are better than others, although our mouths say differently in a mock humility. Often we wish to exercise the privilege of condemning another, and yet secretly wish we had the nerve to do what they did! Our self righteousness is pride; our self confidence is pride; anything aimed at self is pride, and we are chock full of it. We are prideful in appearance (under the guise of “testimony” to justify it); we are proud of our homes, our lawns, our automobiles, etc. and we tend to look down, to some degree, at those who are not like us. We work out to keep our bodies in shape, (for the testimony of the Lord, of course) so that we will “look good”, and that is an ostentatious display of pride. If we will be honest, we care about our public appearance way too much to the extent that we prim and pamper ourselves before we even step out the door! Oh that we would see ourselves as the wretches we really are. Most of the time our accusations against others come right back home to us; we gossip about so and so being a gossip; we criticize so and so for something when we would do the same thing or worse under their circumstances. (See Mt. 7:1-5 and Rom. 2: 1-3) We even criticize those that are critical!

Babes

2011-07-30T01:55:00.001-07:00

Jam 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Jam 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Aren’t newly-born babies quite cute? They may not actually be too cute at the very first, immediately after birth, 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 the final analysis, 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.

Loving the Lord through dependency

2011-07-27T03:33:00.000-07:00

Dependency

Love grows through dependency. As a new born baby, we begin to love those that take care of us, this is one reason why we must not prolong the babies stay in the hospital. The baby will love the one who first loved him. (1 Jn. 4:19).
The evolutionist teaches that we are all animals, and that animals know their mother by instinct, but we are people, we do not act on instinct. The newly born babe does not instinctively know who “mom” is, but soon learns through her tender loving care that she is “mom”. It is the same with us and our Lord.
We love Him because He fist loved us, and we respond to His love in reciprocating it back to Him. The more you learn to depend upon the Lord, the greater your love will be toward Him. Learn to trust Him; in so doing, you will grow to love Him more and more. As the Lord reached out to each of us, we responded to His love by returning it back to Him; in this way, we have learned that he loves us enough to provide for us, and to sacrifice for us, as a mother does her beloved child. Find ways to depend more fully on the Lord, and see if your love does not grow greater toward Him.

Kindness, Compassion and Forgiveness

2011-07-23T02:43:00.000-07:00

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” (Eph. 4:32)

Upon observation, I would say that this verse is perhaps the most ignored verse in the Bible, or at least one of the most ignored and less practiced. We have three important steps of maturity outlined here for us, as an example for a godly Christian walk.

The first, “Be ye kind”; though it says “one to another” implying other Christians, I feel we owe all men a certain amount of kindness, at least until they prove themselves unworthy of it. Nonetheless, in the Christian world, we need to remember to exercise kindness, especially when dealing with one another. Kindness seems to be lacking in fundamentalism these days, but among the ranks of the godly, we must be known by our kind attitude toward our fellow man. It is very easy to get out of sorts when others oppose our views, it becomes a personal thing to many of us, and we are pout on the defense. Sarcasm; hostility; name-calling, these have no place among the brethren, and yet we do it so easily.

The second thing of note is “Tenderhearted”. Tenderheartedness speaks of compassion, but perhaps a little more than generalized compassion, it speaks of personalizing our compassion; of directing it, and “aiming” it in a selected direction, for a certain purpose; it is compassion in action.
Tenderheartedness is much needed in the church today; I would rather have a man with a heart for others than a man that is faithful in church. Compassion, in my opinion, is worth more than faithfulness to church. Show me a compassionate man, and I’ll show you a loving man, but not all faithful men are loving.

The third thing we need is forgiveness. Forgiving, really, honestly forgiving, is a very hard thing to do. If we say “I can forgive, but I won’t forget” then we do not have forgiveness. Forgiveness entails trust restored; if we cannot restore the trust in our minds of one that has offended us, we have not truly forgiven them. How easily we can remember past offenses, and forget our own; we hope to be forgiven our offenses, but fail to forgive others theirs! We ask for that which we are not willing to give. It is hard to forget, but time and prayer can heal such wounds, and trust can be restored once again.

2011-07-19T03:19:00.000-07:00

Approaching the Throne of Grace

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
(Psa. 100:1,2)

As we approach the throne of God in prayer, will we smugly leave our requests at His feet? We are actually ushered unto the throne room of God, and stand before the God of gods, and yet we often come to Him with a broken heart. Does He hear from us when things are going well; when we can sing and rejoice in His presence? Can we “come before His presence with singing” and make a “joyful noise” unto Him? He is sad when we are sad, and rejoices when we rejoice. Why? Because He loves us more than we have ever been loved before, and He feels our infirmities. What a wonderful thing to be so greatly loved by One so great! Blessed be the name of the Lord, forever and ever more, amen.
Let us go before Him with a merry heart, and not only when burdens have gotten us down, and allow Him to hear us rejoice in his presence and still ask for grace. Too many times He hears from us only when we are blue, but the Lord knows our burdens and He carries us through. That is worth rejoicing over!

2011-07-15T05:42:00.000-07:00

July 15

Morning
“The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.”
- Lev_6:13
Keep the altar of private prayer burning. This is the very life of all piety. The sanctuary and family altars borrow their fires here, therefore let this burn well. Secret devotion is the very essence, evidence, and barometer, of vital and experimental religion.
Burn here the fat of your sacrifices. Let your closet seasons be, if possible, regular, frequent, and undisturbed. Effectual prayer availeth much. Have you nothing to pray for? Let us suggest the Church, the ministry, your own soul, your children, your relations, your neighbours, your country, and the cause of God and truth throughout the world. Let us examine ourselves on this important matter. Do we engage with lukewarmness in private devotion? Is the fire of devotion burning dimly in our hearts? Do the chariot wheels drag heavily? If so, let us be alarmed at this sign of decay. Let us go with weeping, and ask for the Spirit of grace and of supplications. Let us set apart special seasons for extraordinary prayer. For if this fire should be smothered beneath the ashes of a worldly conformity, it will dim the fire on the family altar, and lessen our influence both in the Church and in the world.
The text will also apply to the altar of the heart. This is a golden altar indeed. God loves to see the hearts of his people glowing towards himself. Let us give to God our hearts, all blazing with love, and seek his grace, that the fire may never be quenched; for it will not burn if the Lord does not keep it burning. Many foes will attempt to extinguish it; but if the unseen hand behind the wall pour thereon the sacred oil, it will blaze higher and higher. Let us use texts of Scripture as fuel for our heart’s fire, they are live coals; let us attend sermons, but above all, let us be much alone with Jesus. C.H. Spurgeon

he said it much better than I could!

Peace with God

2011-07-12T03:04:00.000-07:00

Finding the Peace of God

“Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” (Phil. 4:9)

“Learned” by personal experience, and observation of Truth.
Two Ways of learning:
1. Compiling known facts;
2. Experiencing first-hand.

“Received” Believed and applied Truths.
Two ways of receiving:
1. Accepting it as Truth indeed;
2. Making the Truth useful.

“Heard” Those things not yet understood, but known to be true.
1. Rumored;
2. Learned by seeking after Truth.

“Seen” In the Word of God.
1. By the examples of others;
2. By observing godly men.

The Bible is full of godly men; the God of peace be with you.

Going Home

2011-07-08T02:26:00.000-07:00

Home is still Home

Home--a place of joy; of fond memories.
Home--where joy abounds, and fears are wiped away, and sorrows forgotten.
I’m going home.

Home, where growing up was filled with wonder and adventure;
Sometimes there was sorrow--sometimes joy, but home is always home.
It was a place of love; a place of learning; a sanctuary from the storms of life.
It was a place of chastisements and mercy; of comfort, and grace,
A place of learning.

Memories linger on; they have impressed themselves deeply into our lives, and are still very much a part of us.
There have been fighting’s and fears; smiles and tears;
There were betrayals, and friendships, follies and fears, but there was also joy and gladness. When my trial is over…I’m going home.

Home (earthly) was a place of security and comfort; of testing’s and trials; of heartbreak and laughter, but here was always love, spliced with victory.
Home--it isn’t what it used to be, things have changed; I am not what I used to be either, I have grown, and so has “home”.
It still holds a special place in my heart, and endearing place of fond memories; whatever else it may be--

Home is still home.

Our three fold ministry

2011-07-02T02:39:00.000-07:00

Our three-fold ministry:

We are to:
Exalt the Savior;
Exhort the saints;
Evangelize the world.

Exalting the Savior will of necessity,
Exhort the saint; exhorting the saints will
Edify us, as well as others; and
Exonerate the sinner.

It is--
Expedient that we obey the Lord;
Exciting to serve Him;

We must;
Experience salvation;
Execute justice;
Enquire of the Lord,
Evangelize the world.

The Balm of Gilead

2011-06-28T02:25:00.000-07:00

No Balm in Gilead?

Is there no balm in Gilead? The Lord asks this question in Jeremiah 8:22: “Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?” The problem was the indifference of God’s people to His will and to the law (His Word). Just two verses before this, God, speaking through Jeremiah, makes another observation: “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” We all have grown lax when it comes to serving our God. At times, we do well, but then we seem to “peter out” and slack off on the things of God. We are a busy people, it seems, but perhaps busy in the wrong things!

Remember the old strong smelling salve that was good for wounds and scrapes and burns? You don’t see it any more, modern medicine has consumed it. I remember a balm (we called it “salve”) that my mother used to rub on our sunburned skin to soothe us. It was a smelly, brown salve that was thick and pasty, but it did relieve the pain. The question is asked “Is there no balm in Gilead?” I re-phrase it for us today “Is there no balm in churches?” Is there no balm in our homes, and in our places of work? Where is the soothing ointment that we used to see so frequently? Is there not an aromatic, sweet smelling salve of the Holy Spirit to comfort us, and heal our wounds?
There are spiritual wounds that beset us; some are slight abrasions, and others more severe, even fatal, but there is also a Physician here. There is a soothing Balm in Christ. Jesus is called “The Great Physician” by some, and indeed He is the healer of the body as well as the soul. Jesus is the balm of the church, the “balm of Gilead, if you will. He is able, and willing to comfort us against the spiritual wounds of lust, envy, jealousy, and contentions; He is the balm that will heal us. That is not to say that this old body will not suffer ever again, it wears out through years of use and abuse, but there is an ointment for the soul, and that is everlasting. The comforting hand of Jesus will never wear thin.
There are doctors today who treat illnesses, but they cannot make the body heal. Only God can fuse the skin back together again; only He can make the scrapes disappear, the doctor merely applies the right medication, and then the Lord does the work! Doctors do the right thing to prepare the body for healing, but God does the actual healing. No doctor is truly a healer, give praise where praise is due. There is a balm in the churches today, in the form of the Holy Spirit of God. Balm was a medication to heal pain, but Christ is our medication to heal the anxieties and troubled hearts of His people. All the counseling that doctors do, they cannot give the peace that the Lord gives us; when they experiment with troubled minds, they are, at best, guessing, and “practicing” medicine on us, but Christ is thorough, and He heals the perplexing vanities of our minds and hearts. The old balm that I remember had been perfumed so that it did not give off an unpleasant odor; Christ is a sweet smelling aroma, a perfume for the stench of sin, and the stink of a worldly life.

Take the “Balm of Gilead” and apply it to your life; take Jesus as your Savior and see what wonders he will perform through you. Take Him even while your healthy, and not just when aches and pains prevail; He is the Balm of Gilead, the Great Physician for the soul, and the Medicine for our troubled minds. He cures the heartaches and the headaches of life, and comforts us when we are troubled. There is a cure for your “blues”; there is a cure for your worries and your depression; there is a friend for the lonely, a companion for the forlorn, and a hope for the hopeless, all in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus will carry you through the storms, and set your feet upon solid ground. Won’t you ask Him to save you today? Remember Jeremiah 8:20: “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” Will this verse describe you, my friend? Now is the time of salvation, “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”

Gypsy Martindale

3 divine loves

2011-06-25T03:06:00.000-07:00

There are three great loves in my life, all others are subordinate to these three:
My first love is the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing supersedes the Love I have for Him. Men have jeopardized their lives for love of the Lord, because He has blessed them beyond comprehension. Thus, the Lord God Almighty is my first and foremost love, and that only by His grace.

The second great love I have is for my wife, who the Lord has chosen for me, and me only. I love her with all the love my Lord has given me, and there is no other mortal as wonderful as her. There is no one, and nothing that I love on this earth more than the woman that God has given me; and He has allowed us the great privilege of spending eternity together with Him.

My third great love is the love of my country. Though I do not, and would not, put anything on par with my Lord, I see America’s flag as the paradigm of freedom for the world, as one sees Calvary for a Monument for men’s souls. Yes, as Calvary represents the liberty we have in Christ, so the “Red, white, and blue” stands paramount above all other countries and banners; it represents, in the human world, what Calvary represents in the Christian realm.
It is almost as if the Lord Himself designed our flag, and inspired the name “Old Glory”;
The red symbolizes the blood of Christ which makes all men free;
The white represents righteousness, imparted to those who believe;
The blue shows the firmament, and God as Creator;
The stars remind me that he is the eternal God who lives beyond the stars;
And the stripes remind me that it is by His stripes that we are healed.
Yes, “old Glory” speaks of glory, and though it is not worthy to be exalted anywhere near our Lord, freedom is worth dying for.

Our Lord died to make us free; liberty was so important to Him that He made man a free moral agent, giving him the freedom to choose.

A Lying Tongue

2011-06-20T02:58:00.000-07:00

A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, (Prov. 6:17)

A “lying tongue is an abomination to the Lord (v. 16). Look at the company it runs with (vs. 17-19)! With friends like these, who needs enemies? The liar is in alliance with a proud person, and a murderer; a mischievous man; and a troublemaker among the brethren. It seems rather strange to us that a simple little lie would have such an impact on our lives, but it does. To lie is to deceive one’s spirit; to cheat one’s own heart; and that, my friends, is an abomination to the Lord. Lying brings serious repercussions. The lying tongue is but for a moment…it will ultimately lead to a narrow grave while truth is enduring, and lasts forever. Which would you prefer? Would you want a friend you could trust, or one that is full of deceit and folly? Others may wish that of you too! Be honest, even when it looks as if it is not to your advantage, God will see you through.

Finding the Peace of God

2011-06-17T02:36:00.000-07:00

“Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” (Phil. 4:9)

“Learned” by personal experience, and observation of Truth.
Two Ways of learning:
1. Compiling known facts;
2. Experiencing first-hand.

“Received” Believed and applied Truths.
Two ways of receiving:
1. Accepting it as Truth indeed;
2. Making the Truth useful.

“Heard” Those things not yet understood, but known to be true.
1. Rumored;
2. Learned by seeking after Truth.

“Seen” In the Word of God.
1. By the examples of others;
2. By observing godly men.

The Bible is full of godly men; the God of peace be with you.

Besetting sin

2011-06-14T03:04:00.000-07:00

Besetting sin

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” (Heb. 12:1)

Maybe I should call this “Losing weight” because that is exactly what the apostle seems to be referring to here. Anyone who has lost a lot of weight knows how hard it can be to shed those pounds, and to keep them off. It takes a change in lifestyle; in eating habits; in exercising; and a lot of moxie and determination. Shedding those pounds does not come easily. Shedding those weights which so easily beset us in life can be just as hard, and maybe more so. These would, for many of us make the weight loss of the flesh as child’s play in comparison, and yet they are necessary to a healthy and happy spiritual life. Just as excess weight slows one down in the flesh, our spirits also need to be “cleaned up” and perked up by shedding the excess baggage we clutter our lives with. Though not all excess is sin, it is good to lay it aside and continue the race for the prize of the high calling of Christ.
Though we carry some baggage that is not necessarily sinful, we have some sins that we cling to, and will not let go of. They have grown on us, and become a part of us, and it is like losing weight to give them up, but those are the sins we must deal with before they consume us altogether. An obese spirit does not mean that we are more spiritual, on the contrary, it means we are lax in the care of excess baggage! Even as “spiritual beings” we can be so deeply rooted in the soils of earth that one could hardly tell us from the world; therefore, our testimony at least, is at stake, but even those hidden sins that are not seen by mortal eye need to be dealt with one by one. Are we up to it? I hope so. I would like to think that we all are able to exercise Jesus in our lives enough to shed the unwanted pounds of sin.

Eternity

2011-06-11T03:09:00.000-07:00

Eternity

“And I give unto them eternal life;” (John 10: 28)

Where did God come from? Man cannot comprehend eternity with no beginning and no end. It makes no sense to the carnal mind that God has always existed, and was never created, but we believe it by faith. This mind-boggling truth is logically impossible, but nevertheless it is true. Why then is it so hard for us to believe that the Bible is the Word of God? Or that the earth was formed by God’s spoken Word, or any other great Truth of scripture? The Bible answers it simply in Mt 19:26 “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” It is not for us to know all things, that is God’s attribute, and His only. He must hold back some things and limit the human mind lest we presume to be like Him. “All things are possible” with our Lord, and nothing can confuse or confound Him. We must trust in His great wisdom, which is much greater than our own, and rely on His loving grace day by day to see us through. Everything man knows has a beginning and an end, everything except our God. What an amazing Being He is.
One day we will be a part of that vast eternity, entering into it by faith; this, of course, is not a surprise to our God who has determined before the foundation of the world that mortal men would lose their mortality, and enter into eternity. That day may be soon for some, and later for others, according to God’s perfect will, but all men are invited and find unity at Calvary.

Give Thanks

2011-06-07T03:37:00.000-07:00

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thess. 5:18

The verse says “In” everything… not “for” everything. In other words,
in trials, we are to give thanks;
In rejoicing, we are to give thanks;
In fears we are to give thanks,
And in poverty or wealth, we are to give thanks.

No matter what state we are in, we are to give thanks, and we can if we realize that nothing comes our way but that it must go through the loving Father. Trials, fears, heartaches, sickness, whatever it may be, must be “filtered” through the loving grace of God; be assured, it will be ok if He has allowed it for us. What burden do you carry? What grief do you face? Remember that God has allowed it for you, and if he allows it, we need it, it fulfills His purpose in us. Trials are often a training ground for some, and a proving ground for others; either way, we come out better in the end; this we sometimes must accept by faith. Who loves us more than our Lord? Who wants the best for us more than the Lord? Don’t you see, these things are needed, though we may not understand why. Just quit complaining, and give thanks that you will be closer to what the Lord wants you to be because of the trials he allows you to have. We don’t have to give thanks for the parting of a loved one, or the tragic handicap that is thrown on us, but let us give thanks for the finished product that we are when we come out on the other side of the trial.

Goodness and Mercy

2011-06-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

Goodness and Mercy

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” Psa. 23:6

The Lord has promised that when I make Him my shepherd, these two fellows will follow me “all the days of my life”, the problem is, too often I do not recognize them! Sometimes they are disguised as financial woes; sometimes they wear the cloak of disease. There are times that they appear as heartache, and at times they are a blessing, and at times, it seems they are a bane, but their names never change; they are still Goodness and Mercy. The Lord knows what’s best for us. In His infinite wisdom, he removes the hedge of protection from us, and builds us into something greater. He did it with Job;
“Job 1:10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
Job 1:11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Job 1:12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.”, and He showed Satan what faith can do. Has the Lord shown you what faith can do? Believe God; trust Him to do right by you, and see what He will do.

Do right

2011-05-31T05:10:00.000-07:00

Do right

“The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.” (Prov. 10:7)

Dr. Bob Jones, evangelist, and founder/chancellor of Bob Jones University used to often say “Do right until the stars fall”. Little did many of the students know how important and prophetic those words would be.
As one ages, he often lives with his memories. The kids are gone; many loved ones have passed away, and all he seems to have in this world that is of any value is memories. The human nature, being as it is, will recall the evil days and deeds much quicker than the good and wholesome thoughts, therefore, make your days good days, and do right! We store up memories as we go through life, some will bring rewards in eternity, and others will fall by the wayside and burn as wood, hay, and stubble; whichever it is, we have some input in our late life memories. How much sweeter life will be when we can recall more righteousness than evil in our lives; when our memories, try as they may, seek to defeat our joy with negative and unworthy deeds and thoughts, and run into a solid wall of right thinking and righteous living. As Dr. Jones used to say, “Do right!”--you’ll never regret it.

Battlefields and broken bodies

2011-05-29T02:30:00.001-07:00

Battlefields and broken bodies

We have built great and magnificent buildings over past battlefields; we have erected sub-divisions, and built roads over parking lots of generations long gone. We have done wonders in the heavens and in the earth, but life has rolled over us all, and we have been cast upon the dung heaps of life. Today we tread over battlefields and bones long passed away, never stopping to give them a thought or a prayer, and still life goes on. It marches onward, as a great banner of evil and good; it marches on to a battlefield of a different sort, war waged on the brim of only to discover that age-old spirit that chases us all through life--the spirit of death. A continual struggle exists between the two, the one giving, and the other taking, and still life trudges on seeking more life, all the while ruining that which it has given until it is swallowed up by death. Yes, life squeezes a man until he dies, and then discards him in six foot of ground…and the end is not yet….
Some day, oh some glorious day, the Reaper will come and glean the wheat from the tares, and those that are found faithful will enjoy sweet rapture forever with the Lord. Let us remember those “glory days” when knights gave their lives in service for their country; when men bravely fought for the control of their own land, and for those who have fallen by the wayside. Let us remember those who fought on foreign soil so that America could be free from toil, and those who stayed home and fought from the factories and plants to feed the soldiers way off in who-knows-where. Let us give thanks for the pioneers that forged a path through the wilderness for others to follow, “trailblazers” they were, and for those who gave of themselves to serve the wounded soldiers at home and abroad. Yea, as we tread these turmoil-filled streets, let us consider how many thousands, yea, millions have went on before us, and made us what we are, and our country what it is today…and we walk over their graves! Give thanks, oh people, give thanks for the battles that led the way…for you…for me. May we step carefully and cautiously as we tread these not-so-hallowed streets and consider those forgotten men and women who believed in Truth, and went with faith forward into battle, to battle good and evil first-hand; let us thank the Lord for them, and whisper a prayer for their ancestors, of which may be our friends and neighbors. Mostly, my friends, give thanks for Calvary where the ultimate battle has taken place--for us.

Under the Law

2011-05-26T00:14:00.000-07:00

I may have posted this before, but if so, please excuse me. I am easily confused as of late, (and I think it worthy of mention again, if so)

“The Law”
Christ fulfilled the law, proving that He could keep every facet of it, thereby doing what no man could do. The law, then, was weakened because it faced defeat in Christ, and became incorporated into grace. Grace overpowered law, having been stronger than it, and the law was “swallowed up in victory” along with death and sin. The law, then, never died, it dwells within the confines of grace; the strictest part of the law is now the weakest part of grace. Law has become “of no effect” unto us now, it has been fulfilled in Christ, our “all” and in all; it has merged with grace. Today, we live under grace, and walk by faith in it; we no longer consider the law to be our master, but have been set free from its grip, and have freedom in Christ and grace.

Under the Law
We hear this phrase often, as applied to the Jew, or usually to an ordinance of the law, such as tithing, but whenever we fail to see the grace of God, we place ourselves “under the law”. “The Law”, according to the letter of the law, is the commands for conduct in the Old Testament; though Gentiles never have been technically under the law, they become a “law unto themselves” when they fail to accept the grace of God, and thereby they are under the law, or rather should I say “A law”? Do not suppose that the Bible, when speaking of being “under the law” excuses the Gentile because he never was under the law in the strictest sense, but realize that there is no middle ground. You either dwell under “a law” (the law) or under grace, there is no other way aside from blatant unbelief; even then man is under the “law of sin”.
We are all under a law of some sort. When the Bible refers to “The Law”, it usually speaks of the Old Testament law which condemns men under sin, the law of Moses, but if we leave it there, then we must claim that the Gentile is not under sin, since he never was under the law! The purpose of the law was to expose man’s sin, but not all law is bad. You see, there are many laws; there is the “Law of the Spirit of life” (Romans 8:2); there is the “law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2); the “perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25 and 2:12); the “royal law” (James 2:8). Again, there are many laws by which we are to dictate our lives, but none is sufficient to deal with our sin, only grace can do that!

So, why should we remain “under the law” when we can walk “above the law” as we know “the law” to be? We have the victory in Christ, and are not under “the law of Moses” and the others. We are only above the law in the sense that we are no longer under its authority, but have made another law, and another authority to guide our lives by, that being, “The law of Grace”. So, as we are freed from the old law, we are subject to a new law--the Law of Christ. In one way or another, it behooves us to remain under “a law“.

Meditating on the Cross

2011-05-23T02:26:00.001-07:00

Meditate on the Cross

The Cross

One preacher has said, (quote)
- “The history of human guilt culminates in the cross.
- The purposes of divine love are made intelligible at the cross.
- The rays of glory emanating from Christ are focused in the cross.
- The fingers of prophecy point to the cross.
- The mysteries of prophecy are unraveled at the cross.
- The great problem of human redemption is solved in the cross.
- The serpents head is bruised at the cross.
- The door of heaven is opened at the cross.
- The fountain of Salvation is unsealed at the cross.
- All the great events of the gospel yield in importance to the cross.
- The incarnation was preparatory to the cross.
- The transfiguration foreshadowed the cross.
- The resurrection was a complement to the cross.
- Pentecost was the firstfruits of the cross.
- All the great doctrines of grace revolve around the cross.
- Our new life is born at the cross.
- The world is stripped of its charm at the cross.
- Earthly glory fades at the cross.
- Our condemnation is lifted at the cross.
- The bitters of life are sweetened by the cross.
- The shadows of death are dispelled at the cross.
- The heart of God is revealed at the cross.”
----Joe Henry Hanks
(In public domain)

“I am saved by the cross. Hallelujah for the cross of Jesus Christ! It is the power of God and the wisdom of God. To those who perish it is foolishness, but I invite you to put it to the test. ‘We preach Christ crucified, unto the Greeks foolishness, unto the Jews a stumbling block, but to them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.’”
The cross--the “Highway to Heaven” that leaves this old world and enters into a new, bright eternity.

Is the seed yet in the barn?

2011-05-20T07:12:00.000-07:00

“Is the seed yet in the barn?” (Hag. 2:19)

My comments take this question out of context, nevertheless, it is a very worthy question to consider. Is the seed, in your life, yet in the barn? Is it lying dormant while you enjoy the benefits of God’s grace? The seed is to be planted for the harvest, when the fields are white and ready, so where do you stand in lieu of this question?
The Lord had withheld His mighty hand from Judah because they failed to get the house of the Lord in order (chapter 1), but now that they had refurbished His house, and had set the right priorities, what did they do with Word of God? Too many times we sit back and bask in His grace, and reap the blessings of the treasures of God, but fail to pass them on to others. In Chapter two, he calls upon the old timers to verify that His house is much more splendid than the previous one, and it’s grandeur outshines what used to be (v. 3), but there is still the question we must all consider, “Are we getting the seed out”? Are we sharing the grace of the Lord with others by introducing them to Jesus? The Bible is a practical Book, and here is the practical application for us, are we trying to win others to Christ? The Lord will be pleased to put His name there when we are doing what we are supposed to do.

A Brief benediction for young ladies

2011-05-18T04:50:00.000-07:00

Young Ladies
For the young ladies meeting.
(A brief benediction)

Girls, these are evil days we live in; there are a lot of people out there that will destroy you if you let them. You are approaching the time of life when decisions are crucial, and will make some decisions that can affect your entire lives. To make a wrong decision will bring pain and misery for many, many years to come. By now, most adults here can remember a decision that they would rather forget; they did something perhaps that cannot be undone; they have to live with those decisions. We hope to spare you much heartache, much anxiety, and maybe even mental anguish with this lesson, please heed it, and file it in your memory; it will help you later in life.

The one, and perhaps the greatest question you will ask yourself when you meet Mr. “right” is “Does he really love me? Is he sincere, or stringing me along?” Girls, Listen, there is no way you will know without continued communication with God. I know that sounds trite; you have heard it all your life, but I am going to give you tonight a few guidelines that will spare you from grief later on. I am going to teach you how to discern between the true and the untrue.

You may have already met that prince on a shining white horse--your hero, the man of your dreams, and yet as the relationship grows, doubts prevail. Making the right decision is too important to ignore. As your relationship grows (and I will be as delicate as I can) he presses you for a more intimate relationship. What are you going to do? You are under no obligation to submit to him yet. Does he really want a lasting relationship? (Get this in your craw ladies, marriage is forever. Ten years up the road you ought to love him as much, and more than you do when you first get married. Twenty years later, you are still committed to him--it’s for life!) if you jump into a marriage as a “trial basis,” you are not committed yourself, you are not ready for a permanent relationship.

Here are some guidelines that may be helpful:

1. How does he treat his mother?
The attitude toward his mother will reveal to you his attitude toward you some day. If he is cruel to that woman which bear him into the world, and took care of him for many years, what makes you think he will be different with you?

2. How does he handle authority?
God is the ultimate authority--if he is rebellious toward the Lord, what makes you think he will be kind and generous to you?

3. Can he hold a job?
Working reveals much more than being able to support you, although that is very important. It is a matter of character. Character will help him stay around when things get tough (and they will); working is a “training field” for fidelity.

4. Is he responsible?
Paying bills, and meeting other obligations will “prove” him to be responsible. Marriage is hard enough without failing in responsibilities; many men “give up” because of the result of irresponsibility, and will abandon a marriage. This, to many, is the true proof of manhood.

Thanks!

2011-05-11T03:19:00.001-07:00

This thread will soon be discontinued. I have been diagnosed with Alzheimer disease, and as it progresses will be unable to write or type, or even think clearly. I would like to thank the Lord for the great privilege of writing on this site,and to thank JTR for trusting me in allowing me to do so. I have thoroughly enjoyed these years of writing here and especially the blogs that JTR made for me. I pray her and Fred often, and ask that you all do the same.

Again, thank you JTR for all you do, you have a great web site.

The science of sin

2011-05-09T02:58:00.000-07:00

The science of fire is made up of three parts, spark, fuel, and oxygen. If you remove any of the three elements, you cannot have fire. Sin is also made up of three elements, at least physical sin is, and they are lust, enticement, and opportunity. If you could break up this unholy trinity, you would not have sin in the flesh. (based on James 1:14,15) Everything has a science; I speak from a worldly perspective, and not a heavenly, but, according to this world, everything has a science. Fire burns if not controlled, and sin leads to death if left to itself; it is a natural fact. Fire leaves ruin and ashes, while sin leads to death and despair.

The science of sin--
When enticement meets with lust, we are tempted, but opportunity has not yet presented itself; when opportunity meets with enticement, we are lured, but lust has not yet entered the picture; it takes all three meeting all at once, and be sure that the devil will do his part to see that they do. It is wise of us to seek the guidance of the Lord in our daily walk, that these three should never meet al at the same time, lest we fall to the clutches of sin. Man is weak, and Satan knows our weaknesses, and he will see to it, the best he can, that these three meet together in the minds and hearts of God’s people.

The science of sin

2011-05-06T03:54:00.000-07:00

The science of sin

The science of fire is made up of three parts, spark, fuel, and oxygen. If you remove any of the three elements, you cannot have fire. Sin is also made up of three elements, at least physical sin is, and they are lust, enticement, and opportunity. If you could break up this unholy trinity, you would not have sin in the flesh. (based on James 1:14,15) Everything has a science; I speak from a worldly perspective, and not a heavenly, but, according to this world, everything has a science. Fire burns if not controlled, and sin leads to death if left to itself; it is a natural fact. Fire leaves ruin and ashes, while sin leads to death and despair.

The science of sin--
When enticement meets with lust, we are tempted, but opportunity has not yet presented itself; when opportunity meets with enticement, we are lured, but lust has not yet entered the picture; it takes all three meeting all at once, and be sure that the devil will do his part to see that they do. It is wise of us to seek the guidance of the Lord in our daily walk, that these three should never meet al at the same time, lest we fall to the clutches of sin. Man is weak, and Satan knows our weaknesses, and he will see to it, the best he can, that these three meet together in the minds and hearts of God’s people.

Three Secret things

2011-05-01T05:32:00.001-07:00

Mt. 6

Alms giving:
“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.”

Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

Though we do it in secret, God will reward us openly.

“and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.” Vs. 1-4)

Praying
“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. (Mt. 6:5,6)

Praying is a personal form of worship between us and our Lord only; we are not to be “showy” and ostentatious in our praying.

And finally:
Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. (Mt. 6:16-18)

Fasting is also a personal sacrifice, and to be done unto the Lord only; we need not “advertise” the fact that we are fasting.

Under the Law

2011-04-27T03:26:00.000-07:00

“The Law”
Christ fulfilled the law, proving that He could keep every facet of it, thereby doing what no man could do. The law, then, was weakened because it faced defeat in Christ, and became incorporated into grace. Grace overpowered law, having been stronger than it, and the law was “swallowed up in victory” along with death and sin. The law, then, never died, it dwells within the confines of grace; the strictest part of the law is now the weakest part of grace. Law has become “of no effect” unto us now, it has been fulfilled in Christ, our “all” and in all; it has merged with grace. Today, we live under grace, and walk by faith in it; we no longer consider the law to be our master, but have been set free from its grip, and have freedom in Christ and grace.

Under the Law
We hear this phrase often, as applied to the Jew, or usually to an ordinance of the law, such as tithing, but whenever we fail to see the grace of God, we place ourselves “under the law”. “The Law”, according to the letter of the law, is the commands for conduct in the Old Testament; though Gentiles never have been technically under the law, they become a “law unto themselves” when they fail to accept the grace of God, and thereby they are under the law, or rather should I say “A law”? Do not suppose that the Bible, when speaking of being “under the law” excuses the Gentile because he never was under the law in the strictest sense, but realize that there is no middle ground. You either dwell under “a law” (the law) or under grace, there is no other way aside from blatant unbelief; even then man is under the “law of sin”.
We are all under a law of some sort. When the Bible refers to “The Law”, it usually speaks of the Old Testament law which condemns men under sin, the law of Moses, but if we leave it there, then we must claim that the Gentile is not under sin, since he never was under the law! The purpose of the law was to expose man’s sin, but not all law is bad. You see, there are many laws; there is the “Law of the Spirit of life” (Romans 8:2); there is the “law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2); the “perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25 and 2:12); the “royal law” (James 2:8). Again, there are many laws by which we are to dictate our lives, but none is sufficient to deal with our sin, only grace can do that!

So, why should we remain “under the law” when we can walk “above the law” as we know “the law” to be? We have the victory in Christ, and are not under “the law of Moses” and the others. We are only above the law in the sense that we are no longer under its authority, but have made another law, and another authority to guide our lives by, that being, “The law of Grace”. So, as we are freed from the old law, we are subject to a new law--the Law of Christ. In one way or another, it behooves us to remain under “a law“.

Resurrection Sunday

2011-04-23T06:07:00.000-07:00

Resurrection Sunday

At Christmastime we are reminded of the birth of Christ, and at Easter, His resurrection. You night say that Christmas was the birth of our redemption, and Easter the completion of it. It is not so much that he was born though, as it is that he died for us; and it is not so much that He died as it is that he lives for us. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Yes, one must remember that without the resurrection, Christmas would be the end of our redemption, and, though precious as it is, it would not be enough. We need a living Savior; and thank God, we have a living Savior.

What good a Savior that has passed on and left nothing tangible behind? Can one live off the legacy of another? Can one find solace in time of need from a ghost of the past? Can one count on promises made when the maker of those promises was not powerful enough to defeat the greatest enemy of mankind? Thank God for Easter. Thank God that we have such a Savior as Jesus. He is the “resurrection and the life”, and we can be assured, by the testimony of an empty tomb, that He is alive today, and sitteth at the right hand of God. Lazarus knows the about Easter better than any of us; he has experienced a bodily resurrection, by the wonderful grace of God. When things get rough, and they definitely do, and will, remember Jesus, and what He did for Lazarus; When things get you down, look up! Jesus us still there making intercession before the Father for us. Thank God for the unspeakable gift of life everlasting, and for a live, and living Savior who cares about you and I.

Without the resurrection, the Gospel would be incomplete. Thank God that He finished the job, not on the cross only, but in the resurrection. Calvary and the blood of Christ took away our sins, but the resurrection provided eternal life for us; it sealed our redemption for us. Rise now to the challenge of Easter, and receive life eternal.

The Seven “I Wills” of God

2011-04-17T01:41:00.000-07:00

Psalm 91

1. “therefore will I deliver him” (v. 14)
All of these promises are contingent on the first part of the verse; “Because he hath set his love upon me,”
We must enter into the promise by faith in Christ.

2. “I will set him on high” (v.14)
The Lord will give us our place in His kingdom; He will glorify us because His name is in us.
We will have a place in heaven with Him. Why? “because he hath known my name.”

3. “I will answer him:” (v. 15)
The Lord promises to answer our prayers, especially in time of need.
The only stipulation is to “seek His face”, and call upon Him.

4. “I will be with him in trouble” (v. 15)
A promise we can’t afford to deny.

5. “I will deliver him, and honor him” (v. 15)
Both deliver from trouble,
And honor him with glory.

6. “With long life will I satisfy him (v. 16)
One of many ways He satisfy’s us!
Long life= eternal life.

7. I will “Show him my salvation” (v. 16)
The most precious of promises.
His promise begins with salvation,
And ends with fulfillment.

New and Improved!

2011-04-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

“For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.” Gal. 2:19

This earthly body has, many times, resisted God’s grace, but let it be known that it will no more. Once this body is decayed and turned to dust, the real me will be watching from above, as the bones melt away, this old body will be new and improved one day! The seeds it leaves behind, spread in the earth’s soil, will also be trampled under foot by the next generation, and they too, by the grace of God, will watch from above. Yes, The body will have lost its shine; it will have lost its luster, its life, but the spirit of man remains. Out of the ground we were taken, as a piece of the earth, “for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” But… wait! Though this old body will someday be eaten by worms, the spirit goes on; upward…forward to new generations, new worlds, and yet the spirit of man abides within him. Let this my epitaph be: New and Improved! Yes, the body was once new, but has not been improved. It can be new, but never be improved here…from the moment of birth, we begin to die, but the spirit endures forever. The spirit improves upon the body.
Here we are altogether hopeless without God’s grace; There, we see His grace done in every one, and in everything. Though many times our flesh has fought against God’s grace, one day we will see it from the other side, and no spirit shall refute His grace, for it is by God’s grace that we are.

The Issues of Life

2011-04-09T02:43:00.000-07:00

Pro 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Do you have a lot of “issues” in your life? Does it seem as though life is against you? Maybe you are not diligent in keeping your heart. Look to your heart; guard it from evil, and many of those issues will be resolved. To “keep”
Your heart you must:
Keep yourself unspotted from the world;
Keep your eyes upon Jesus;
Keep growing in the Lord;
Keep reading, meditating, and studying God’s Word;
Keep your mind on the things of the Lord;
Keep the faith.

This is good advice, but keep in mind that it is written only to the child of God; you must first be born again. Assuming that we are, look to keeping yourself pure, modest, and submissive to the will of the Lord. Those “issues” that trouble you come from the heart, as our verse clearly says; it just seems wise to guard our hearts from all evil.

Armor Provided

2011-04-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Eph. 6:13)

God provides our armor. Years ago, when I was in the Army, they provided all my needs. I did not have to buy clothes, or weapons, or a flak jacket, a steel pot, or anything of the sort--the Army provided for my protection from the enemy, and from the pangs of hunger as well as the need for clothing. They taught me how to protect myself from the enemy, and gave me the equipment I needed to do it. They even did my laundry, and provided for my cleanliness and health! My friends, the could not the Lord do more?
As we walk through life, we are assailed on every side by Satan’s attacks. We can grow weary and weak if we are not vigilant and properly equipped; we are given what we need to win the battle, but we must wear it before it does any good, and we must walk circumspectly. The Lord is good in providing for us; He doesn’t have to; He could demand of us that we walk circumspectly, and be very careful, and that is all, but He also provides our protection as we do. In the Army, all my needs were met; I did not lack anything that I needed. In the Lord’s Army, it is the same, I have need of naught. Today, I can truly say with David, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psa. 23:1)

3/26 Billboards for Christ

2011-03-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

Our bodies are the temple of God, but to “defile” the body is not a matter of what we eat, or how we let ourselves go, as much as it is that we use the body against which it was created for. In other words, “defilement” is a moral term, not a physical one. “Defilement” refers more to fornication and abuse of the body for purposes against God’s commands, than it does as to what we eat that is not “good for us”. Our bodies then, become a “billboard” for Christ. We are a living, moving, breathing advertisement for the Lord, or for the devil! You see, we can also defile the body by allowing it to advertise satanic messages, and “anti-Christ” things. For example, when we write all over our bodies, and promote witchcraft or violence, we advertise for the devil. We advertise for him when we defile ourselves with jewelry that promotes the world and witchcraft of some sort. For men to wear earrings is of the devil, because it promotes that which God gave to women for beauty and adornment. It confuses the distinction that He made between the sexes. That goes for necklaces, and any “wearing of that which pertaineth to a woman.” As seen in Deuteronomy 22:5. It is abomination to God. It promotes homosexuality, and defies the very core of creation in distinguishing between the genders. The same is true, by the way for the ladies; they are not to wear that which pertains to a man, and cut their hair like a man, or anything that is contrary to the normality that God intended. In so doing they become billboards for Satan. We need to be careful to advertise that which is right and proper, and not criticize the flesh for obesity, eating right, and other ways we interpret defilement of the body. Christ Himself said: “Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.” The defilement then comes from motive and not from what we eat or drink (although, in some cases, that too could reflect motive).

Spiritual or Literal translation/application

2011-03-21T03:00:00.000-07:00

Spiritual or Literal translation/application

John 3:4--Nicodemus took Jesus literally.
Jesus meant it spiritually. Jn 3: 5, 6

John 2:19--Jesus spoke of His body
Others took it literally. Jn. 2:20

Matt. 5: 29, 30--Jesus spoke in a spiritual manner
We do not take this literally!

The Bible is a spiritual Book, not a literal Book;
It is to be taken spiritually, not literally.

Jesus Himself used these types of analogies when talking to the Pharisees:

Mt. 19:24 the “eye of the needle” statement;
His disciples took it literally 19:25.
Whether it was meant to be literal or not, we do not know for sure. It could be taken either way, and still make a point.

Almost the entire Book of Revelation is spiritual interpretation.

Conclusion: Both translations are to be applied. Discernment is an important factor in deciding which is which.

One must have discernment to decide which way to interpret each passage. Usually both ways can add something to us, but only one way can be right.

The Issues of Life

2011-03-18T23:25:00.000-07:00

Killing the Dogs

2011-03-16T04:16:00.000-07:00

Killing Dogs
(An analogy)

“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” (Rom. 8:13)

If I had a dog nipping at my heels everywhere I went, and he kept biting my feet, I would only have two permanent solutions for the problem--either kill the dog, or cut off the foot! Killing the dog would be the easier of the two, since he may decide to nip at the other foot, but killing dogs can bring much reproach from society, no matter what the reason. Nonetheless, killing the dog would be less painful for us, and more convenient. We must kill the dog, in spite of the reproaches of men.
As Christians, we have a dog following us around, and nipping, or worse yet biting, at our feet. We must kill the dog, or lose the foot. Satan’s subordinates are a constant vexation to us, and yet we allow it to continue. Why not cut off the foot? We all have something that seems to attract the dogs, but usually only the “ankle biters”--the small dogs that become more of a pest than a major threat. If we got rid that which attracts these devils, we could be rid of them also, but we cannot do it! We are powerless unless we kill the dog. Therefore the best solution is to kill the dog. But what if, for some unknown reason, we are not able to do so? Then we must kill the foot!

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: (Col. 3:5)

Since we find that we cannot alone kill the dog, we must consider cutting off the foot. That foot seems to attract the small dogs; we have no problem with the big dogs, they have already been dealt with by now, but those little ankle biters, they are the nuisances that vex us daily. What will it be? The foot, or the dog? Let’s “draw nigh” unto the Lord, and allow Him to kill the dog!

Why the Works?

2011-03-10T04:43:00.002-08:00

Why works?

“Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? (Mt. 25: 37- 39)

It is not the work here that we must focus on, but the heart attitude that we keep hidden deep within us. The parallel verse, v. 44, we see that both the righteous and the unrighteous produced the same works. Both were told the same thing, that what we do to others, we do to Christ. The key to this parable, I believe, is that the works reveal the motives. They reveal the hidden intent of the heart--the “inner self”. Works become much more useful and important when we see this, and we can learn from them ourselves. The nations did not know when they did this to Christ, neither side knew, yet they discovered that how we treat our fellow man speaks much of the true “us”. Some did the works to obtain spirituality, while others did them because they were spiritual minded. Works do not merit anything, on the contrary, they reveal much. We must all ask ourselves if what we do is done to the glory of God, or in hopes of obtaining glory from God. Both were challenged, but only one side was rewarded. Let us make an effort to “be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ’s sake has forgiven us (Eph 4:32, not direct quote) A few verses down from our text verse in Matthew, our Lord says “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Mt. 25:40)

Withered Fruit?

2011-03-06T04:48:00.000-08:00

(The Word series)

Mat 21:19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.

Jesus spoke to a tree! His Word was affective in rebuking the fruitlessness of it, and will do the same toward us. If we fail to bear fruit unto the Lord, He may just speak the Word, and we will dry up forever! Oh what a curse that would be. Thank God that He is longsuffering, and we may never see the day that He has to rebuke us in such a way, but the power of His Word is able to do so. God’s Word is good, but it is not wise for us to take advantage of it, and to have a presumptuous attitude toward it--it is always better to obey, and to do what the Lord expects of us. My friend, you are a tree of life because of Christ, is there fruit growing on you? As we are commissioned to bring real life to others through the Gospel, we need to be sure that we are bearing fruit unto the Lord. Nothing less will do. Just as easily as the Lord condemns the withered fruit, He can restore it to productivity. Our God is an altogether amazing God.

Telling Truth from Error

2011-03-02T04:09:00.000-08:00

Telling Truth From Error

Imagine the problem a judge might have today determining who is telling the truth, and who is not. He has no real guidelines for truth, and yet he must determine it for another person. His hands are tied on the matter. So, how does one recognize the truth and the error of a matter? Even a “lie detector” can be wrong at times. There is often too much at stake to allow error to slip in, and yet, they are only human. We must measure the truth with the Word of God, and that is the ONLY way we will be able to discern who is right, and who is wrong. In fact, it is the only way to determine truth from error in our lives too; you must have a measuring line, a standard with which to compare the two. Truth and error, both expose the other. If you determine one, the other is revealed; that cuts the job in half! What we need to do is learn the truth, and allow it to expose the error in our lives. We need not spend time learning about cults, or about the heinous acts that men commit, just learn truth, that is all we need. If we will consume the Word of God and soak it up as a sponge, it will reveal everything we need to know, and show us the right way to do things. Use your time wisely, and study and meditate on the Word, and leave off that time you spend searching the erroneous doctrines of men, and it will benefit you far more than you ever imagined.

What is that to Thee?

2011-02-26T04:37:00.000-08:00

“Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.” John 21:22

These words, spoken by our Lord, rebukes those of us who seem to worry about someone else getting blessed, or rewarded more than we are! In a rougher sense, the Lord is saying “It is none of your business what I do with him, see to your own walk”. Too many times we allow others to determine our attitude, and many times it leads to defeat and failure. I suppose we all go through times when we look upon the blessings of another, and wonder why the Lord has blessed him or her more than us when we were “doing more for Him than they are”. For one thing, a man never really knows what another is doing, not always anyway; and beside that, we have no business comparing their blessing with ours, nor their works with ours, we ought to be thankful for what the Lord has given us. If another mans blessing or backsliding can affect our walk with the Lord, we do not have a proper relationship with Him anyway! No one can affect our relationship with Christ, but us and Him. Even the devil has no power in such matters, until we relinquish it to him! If God chooses to bless a brother in a different way than He does me, what is that to me? I need to thank the Lord that He blesses me at all, and that he is a blessing to my brother also. Quit worrying about what another man may do, or get, and get busy with your own service for the Lord. Jealousy will condemn even the most faithful of God’s children.

The Water of the Word

2011-02-23T03:51:00.000-08:00

The Roots of evil

2011-02-20T01:48:00.000-08:00

The Cleansing Word

2011-02-17T04:58:00.000-08:00

The Cleansing Word
(The Word series)

Mar 5:8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.

The Word of God is cleansing. Jesus commands the devils and they must obey; only He can cleanse the sin-wrecked soul, and change the heart of man. Remember Psalm 119:9? “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.” What can take a sin-filled life, and completely change it around? The Word of God; what changed the maniac of Gadara, and restored him to a normal man? The Word of God. It restores as well as cleanses. It shows us the Way, as a map in the wilderness, and leads us in paths of righteousness. Further cleansing is always needed by the pure water of the Word. Consider:

“Eze 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.”

We could hardly find a text more clear than that. Thought the “clean water” was not what actually cleansed the soul, as some might claim (baptism), it becomes a type of the water of the Word, which is able to cleanse us from the evils of Idols; rather, I should say, the Word becomes like clear, clean water in its cleansing ability and effectiveness.

2/12 the Blood

2011-02-12T04:36:00.000-08:00

The Stormy Seas

2011-02-09T04:23:00.000-08:00

The Stormy Seas
(The Word Series)

Mar 4:39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

There is great comfort in the Word of God. When the waves were boisterous, and the shipped tossed upon the crest of the waves, Jesus calmed the sea with a few words. His Word is soothing; it comforts us when the storms come, and we need to seek it daily. It was a light thing for our Savior to calm the troubled sea, but it was a fearful thing for man to see the raging waves. The closer we are to Jesus, the more assurance we have that there will be peace--everything will be alright with Jesus around. Though He was asleep in the nether part of the ship, His presence made a difference. It always does. The storm cannot go beyond the confines of grace, and it could not phase our Savior in His time of rest. Though the sea is raging, it is calm within the heart, with the full assurance that Jesus is there. Men are given so easily to panic, when all we need to do is trust.

Our God is peace for the troubled soul. His Word gives us peace and rest when trials come our way, because it is a peace that passes all understanding--a peace like no other can give us (See Phil 4:7). He speaks the Word and it is done. We have that same Word that Jesus spoke written for us in the Bible, God’s Precious Word; it is a great blessing, “a great calm” to our troubled souls, and we can depend on it to see us through the storms.

The Blessing of Giving

2011-02-06T03:29:00.001-08:00

More Blessed

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)

Yes, it is more blessed to give, but don’t we have such a hard time doing so? Giving ought to be natural for the Christian, but most of the time, we find it to be one of the hardest things we do in the Christian life. Until we learn to give, we will not receive the greater blessing; receiving, on the other hand, is quite easy for most of us, but again, the greater blessing is found in giving. Why is it so hard to give regularly and sacrificially? Because we love our “things”; we fear poverty and want, but in so doing, we forget our Lord’s promises that He will always sustain us. Giving though, is much more than monetary expenditure, it is a giving of “self”. We give to a cause; we give to a need; whether it is support, comfort, a “helping hand”, or time, which is the sum of all other giving, we receive manifold blessings, and we become productive in the hands of the Lord. Therein lies the blessing.

A battery gives of itself until it is all used up. Much can be accomplished while it is able to give, but it needs to be re-charged at times. We are like that old battery; as a flashlight, we light the path for those in darkness, and become a hope those who fear the dark, and we guide them on their way. For a minor, we are his eyes as he works way down deep in the ground. We help him to make his job easier; a battery has a lot of uses, it continually gives of itself, let’s be as batteries for Christ.

A Man of Truth

2011-02-02T03:48:00.000-08:00

A Cabana by the Sea

2011-01-30T05:23:00.000-08:00

A Cabana by the Sea

In a quaint cabana,
On an island reef,
Lived a man whose lifespan was,
At the most considered “brief”.

For nigh the dawn meets the tide,
That old man death will come;
With scythe in hand, to take a man,
And pick him as a plum.

The reaper grim, scythe in hand,
Will come this very night;
To collect another winsome soul,
From a life of sin and blight.

With the coming of morning light,
Another soul shall be set free;
A lonely man with bated breath,
Meets death in a cabana by the sea.

“A good man” his friends will claim,
“And kind and true and pure”;
But don’t ask his God my friend,
You see, His judgment is good and sure.

His God may speak a different tone,
“A putrid, wretched man”, says He;
And His judgment will be Just, and true,
In that cabana by the sea.

One night more to live,
And what then shall he do?
“Prepare to meet thy Maker, sir”;
He doesn’t have a clue.

He’s been good to all his kin,
And a friend to every friend;
He’s given back what he received,
And was faithful to the end;

He went to church now and then,
But was busy as could be;
And didn’t have time for prayer and alms,
Nor for such “foolishness” you see.

He walks the beach with tearful eye,
And sobs with fearful heart;
To think that tonight he’ll die,
And from this world will depart;

Then another comes his way,
A man walking alone;
His eyes were bright and full of life,
As for his face—it shone.

He walked with a certain lilt in gait,
He came singing a peculiar song;
One of beauty and of grace,
Of a place he didn’t belong.

The two passed on the sand,
The one tearful and afraid;
The other joyful, with a glow,
The sad one, in need of aid.

The stranger continued a little way,
Then turned and quietly spoke;
“I sing of a Land far away from here,
Where One who had died awoke”

“A man who has died can live again?”
Questioned the broken man, His hope was sparked anew;
“Yes indeed” the answer came, “Indeed he can;
A man who has died can live again, and so, my friend, can you”

The stranger turned and walked away,
And nothing more was said;
Despondent man was left alone,
With new thoughts in his head.

He hurried back to his seaside home,
And found that Book so grand;
Blowing off the long term dust,
He took it in his hands.

With memories of long ago,
Of Sunday Schools all past;
He found what he had missed so long,
And found true joy at last.

A body was discovered late the following day;
All nestled and snug in bed;
The Bible opened on the shelf,
The body cold, and dead.

But Life had come the night before,
As he read of Christ upon the tree;
And found grace in the eyes of the Lord,
In that cabana by the sea.

“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:” (John. 11:25)

Our Three-fold Trials

2011-01-28T07:54:00.001-08:00

Our Three-fold Trials
Job (chapters 1-2)

Job was tried in three areas and from three directions; our trials follow much the same pattern. When we are tempted, we are tempted from above, from below, and from all sides, but at different times, and in different ways. Our trials may not be from three directions at once, often one is sufficient to defeat us, but all testings and trials are from one of these three sources, and all can be overwhelming if we are not walking with the Lord. We have testing from above; temptations from below, and trials all around us.

Testing from above--The Lord tests His children at times, so that they can learn to have the resolve they need through life and cope with trials that will inevitably come our way. He does not test us to see what we will do--the omniscient God knows exactly what we will do in all situations and at all times, but he tests us so that WE will know what we will do! These tests will allow us to trust, and walk in the confidence that God is with us, and we must rely upon Him to get us through. It is important that we know how to face testing, and trials and temptations.

Temptations from below-- The devil seeks to undermine the Lord through us. He cannot get our souls once we belong to the Lord, but he can confuse us and make us of none effect for the work he has given us to do. Unless we walk daily with the Lord, and keep His Word fresh within us, we have no power against the wiles of Satan as he “walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

Trials from the world around us-- Trials come from others mainly, but also from the fact that we are but flesh, and flesh has its weaknesses. Affliction is the tools of trials, to keep our minds on problems, and not on the Lord; we are afflicted through the flesh and the world, and if not walking close to the Lord, we will be affected adversely by afflictions.

Persecution then, is also from the world around us, and is a powerful tool in the testing, trials, and temptations that come upon us; it is a trial that the world imposes on us, whether we desire it or not. It can be evidenced by affliction, but may take a course of its own, leaving havoc in its wake.

Gypsy Martindale

The Lord Jesus Christ

2011-01-24T12:18:00.000-08:00

Our Lord Jesus Christ

“Lord” is Jesus’ deified name; seen as God.
“Jesus” is His earthly name; seen as man.
“Christ” is His prophetic name; seen as the Messiah
--the Promised One.

The complete title describes what Christ really is:

The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.
The “Son of man.”

God (Jehovah);
Jesus (the Son);
Christ (The Messiah).

Jesus is His name,
Christ is His title;
“Lord” entails both of these.

Bride of Christ

2011-01-20T00:57:00.000-08:00

Who is the Bride of Christ?

There are a total of 16 times that a bride is mentioned in scripture, 9 are n the Old Testament, and are comparative, and 5 are in the New Testament, with 4 of those being in the Book of revelation. Only one passage comes right out and says who the bride is when an angel said to John, “I will show you the bride”.

Rev. 21:9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

This is the only place where our Lord says definitely that he will show who the bride is. The others compare the church to her, but may not be the actual bride. The others speak in comparative terms:

Isa 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

Isa 62:5 For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.

Jer 2:32 Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.

The rest in the Old testament speak of an earthly bride and compare her glory to the glory and beauty of God and His people.

The first mention of the word “bride” in the New Testament is in John 3:29 and was spoken by John the Baptist;

Joh 3:29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

Notice that there are “friends” of the bride (Jn 3:29), these also will be at the wedding supper of the Lamb, but as attending to the guests.

Then we go to the Book of Revelation:

Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Again, comparative,…“as a bride adorned for her husband.” “As” is a word of comparing one thing looking like another.

Here is where the angel is about to show us who the bride is:

Rev. 21:9 “And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
Rev. 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,”

The bride is the church, all those who are written in the Book of life.

Rev 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Why works?

2011-01-15T16:19:00.001-08:00

Carnality Test

2011-01-11T03:30:00.000-08:00

Carnality Test

(To be answered in your heart, do not write out your answers. Be honest, even if it “hurts“)

1. Name three super models.

2. How much do you spend on television? (cable, satellite, etc.)
--big screen tv?

3. How much do you watch tv?

4. What kind of programming (contract) do you have for your cell phone?

5. How many electronic “gadgets” do you own?

5. Do you own a boat, motorcycle, or snowmobile?
--How much do you use it?
--Does it own you?

6. Did/do you vote for economic reasons? Other reasons than spiritual principles?
--Do you have a scripture verse for your reason for voting?

7. Do you have any close friends that are unsaved?
--Hunting, fishing partners, etc. (friends that you run with?)

8. What do you believe about secular education?
--The more knowledge, the better?

9. Do you miss church or church events for family gatherings?

10. How is your giving record?
--can you honestly say that your giving glorifies God?

11. Do you sleep with a gun for protection?
--How much do you trust in the gun to deliver you?

12. Do you follow the latest styles when dressing?
--does the world decide what you will wear?
--Do you try to look “sexy”?

Why Am I Here?

2011-01-08T04:02:00.001-08:00

Have you ever asked yourself that question, “Why am I here?” I have. Men have been musing on this very question for thousands of years, and yet, the Bible had the answer all along. We are here for the glory of God. Isaiah says: “Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.” We are made to glorify God. Friends, our sole reason for existence on this old earth is to glorify God. We are not given the gift of life to make our mark in the world; we are not alive for the sake of self or mate, but solely, and only for the glory of God. He has told us why we were created. We all have the same purpose in life; there is no other reason given by man or by God as to why we breathe and have life. Science has not answered the question of the existence of life; they have not given any reason to the origin of life, except that it “just happened”. No, man does not have the answer, but God does.
There are, however, multitudes of ways to accomplish the task before us. Yes, we can glorify God in many ways. Obedience is the premier way to glorify Him; submission to the will of God exalts His name and puts is in our rightful place with Him. This too brings glory to God. If we live our life and die at an old age, and have done little or nothing to glorify Him, our life is wasted and counts for nothing, and we die in our sin”. The Lord, in His marvelous and miraculous grace, allows us to live without giving glory to Him because He is a merciful and loving God, but we have not fulfilled our purpose in life if we do so. Every success we might have enjoyed, every happy moment and joyful time we have had; every “good” thing we may have accomplished, amounts to nothing if we have failed to glorify the Father. We are failures in life without Him. All awards that we have earned; all advances we have made for mankind; every battle we have faced means nothing at all if we have failed to glorify God. We have missed our reason for being. Oh friend, as you make your way through life, remember to keep God in all your thoughts; honor Him; praise Him; glorify Him, and you will have a victorious and successful life because you have done that which you were created for.

Lifting up Our Savior

2011-01-04T02:30:00.000-08:00

“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” (Jn. 12: 32)

The Gospel lifts up the name of Jesus. It exalts Him far above mankind, and sets Him in His rightful place, on the throne of grace. As we present the Gospel message, it draws men unto Him, the Gospel incarnate. The power is in the Word, and not in the delivery; it is God-given, and not man made. We all know this, but in practice we seem to forget it! In John 6: 44, we see that “No man” can come to Christ but that the Father draw him, and the Father will accomplish this in three different ways:

First, the cross: Jesus was “lifted up” above the earth on the cross, and Calvary has been established as the beginning of our modern day calendar. All men still use the timetable of the cross for reckoning certain times, and all men’s attention was drawn to Calvary, and to the Christ of Calvary. This is the literal sense of the meaning “lifted up”, and it obtains a great amount of glory for the Father.

Second is the lifting up of His name in the hearts of His followers. As we exalt the name of Christ, and testify of Him, we see that others are often drawn to him by word of mouth. Our testimony and our praises are then used to glorify the Father in the lifting up of Christ. We lift Him up on high in praise, and He does the drawing of others to Him through His Spirit which works within us.

Then, the third application is the resurrection of Christ. In rising from the dead, our Lord indeed drew the attentions and affections of man the resurrection is the completion of the Gospel; without it, the Gospel would lose its power. It is the climax of the Gospel of Christ, and it draws men to Him in the very need that it provides—the salvation of souls.

Who Made You an authority?

2010-12-31T01:57:00.001-08:00

Who Made You an authority?

Some have asked, “Who made you an authority in such matters”, as they asked Christ (Mt. 21:23); the following is a three-fold answer to that question concerning me:
Mt. 28: 19, 20 and Mk. 16:15

1. A dispensation of the Gospel has been committed unto me; (1 Cor. 9:17)

2. A Commission to the world has been assigned to me; (Mt 28:19, 20)

3. A command to the church has been demanded of me. (Mk. 16:15)

A dispensation given by God Himself;
A commission by Christ to all believers;
A a command in that same commission, also given to His own.

The Lord has made us all an “authority” in such matters as the teaching and spreading of the Gospel. It is our duty, as well as our delight; we go; we speak; we act according to the Word of God to promote His good will. We do what we do “in the name of Jesus” or, as we like to often end our prayers, “In Jesus’ name”. It is by His authority that we do what we do, and that we are what we are. So, when asked by the skeptic “Who made you an authority on the matter”, you can truly say, “I am an ambassador for Christ, and live, move, and act in His authority, and His alone”, and know that you have well answered the probing skeptic though probably not to his satisfaction.

Home is still Home

2010-12-26T02:36:00.000-08:00

Home is still Home

Home--a place of joy; of fond memories.
Home--where joy abounds, and fears are wiped away, and sorrows forgotten.
I’m going home.

Home, where growing up was filled with wonder and adventure;
Sometimes there was sorrow--sometimes joy, but home is always home.
It was a place of love; a place of learning; a sanctuary from the storms of life.
It was a place of chastisements and mercy; of comfort, and grace.

Memories linger on; they have impressed themselves deeply into our lives, and are still very much a part of us.
There have been fighting’s and fears; smiles and tears;
There were betrayals, and friendships, follies and fears, but there was also joy and gladness.

Home was a place of security and comfort; of testings and trials; of heartbreak and laughter, but here was always love, spliced with victory.
Home--it isn’t what it used to be, things have changed; I am not what I used to be either, I have grown, and so has “home”.
It still holds a special place in my heart, and endearing place of fond memories; whatever else it may be--

Home is still home.

Our three-fold ministry:

2010-12-21T01:24:00.000-08:00

Three Expectations of Love

2010-12-16T14:50:00.000-08:00

Three Expectations of Love
In relation to their stages.

1. Youth: Love is there; it is fresh, new, but it is a selfish love.
One might ask, “What is a selfish love?” (The same with both parties.)
Man: fleshly, physical; Lustful love.
Man asks, “What can she do for me?”

Woman: material love; “What will he give me”
Secure love; takes comfort in knowing that she will be taken care of.
This stage, for both parties, can be the hardest stage to endure.

2. Middle age: Secondly, love’s giving:
Love asks, “What can I do for him/her?” The lusty love is settling, and a new phase begins; love is more secure, more enduring.
Love is growing; it’s the same love, but has matured a bit; it still has expectations, but the focus begins to change.
This love is seen in compatibility.

3. Old age: Third, love’s harmony:
This love has come a long way; it has suffered much-but has endured the pressures of life together. Peers are no longer an issue. The focus remains on the other partner. Lust has been replaced by giving.

This is the best and easiest stage of love--the blissful love that has “endured unto the end”. It is love’s fruitfulness; the joy of the relationship when all obstacles have been overcome, and all interference is past; The two can truly become one in this stage, and love will carry them into eternity as they focus more on the love, and not the flesh.

All I need and want

2010-12-11T03:06:00.001-08:00

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19)

I’ve always wanted riches,
But I’ve always needed redemption;
I’ve always wanted reputation,
But I’ve always needed reconciliation;
I’ve always wanted reliability,
I’ve always needed repentance;
I’ve always wanted restitution,
But I’ve always needed rehabilitation;
I’ve always wanted revenge,
But I’ve always needed remorse.

Christ has given me everything I Have always wanted,
And he has given all I need.

Those Dry Bones

2010-12-05T02:29:00.000-08:00

“and, lo, they were very dry.”
Ezekiel 37:2

The words above describe a valley that the Lord showed unto Ezekiel, which we call “The valley of dry bones” (Ezekiel 37:1-14) This passage speaks of Israel becoming a nation, of course, but it can also a prophetic type for the church. We see here a resurrection from the dead. The Lord asks, “shall the dead live again?” And our answer is “yes, Lord they shall, by thy grace”. It speaks of resurrection, but it also can be about a new birth. Don’t you see, the Lord promised Israel a homecoming, just as He does the church; he promised him an opening of the graves, just as He did the church. These dry, dead bones, are as “whited sepulchers, full of dead mans bones“, but when the Spirit of God occupies them, they surely will live again. So, we see that though this passage refers to Israel in its context, there is a beneficial application for us in it. If the Word of God is not able to benefit us, then we must say we don’t need it! Don’t cut out the Old Testament, there is much practicality there for us today.

In this chapter then we see:
1. The new birth; (Jn. 3:16~ Gen I, etc.)
2. The resurrection of the dead; (Comp. 1 Cor. 15)
3. The restoration of Israel, and our restoration to our heavenly home. We seek a country, as the old saints did (Heb. 11:14), “Whose builder and maker is God”.(Heb. 11:104.
4. The growth process; the “skin,” sinews, and joints of the church comes together as we grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we become one body.

Yes, those dry bones can live again, and indeed they will, just as our dead and dried up bodies shall be renewed when we receive our new, glorified bodies; the graves will be opened, and the dead will walk, and live again.

THE HOLY BIBLE

2010-11-29T03:21:00.000-08:00

Three words that sound alike, but vastly differ in meaning:

Wholly
Holey
And holy.

1. Wholly
The Bible is the Word of God, from cover to cover;
It is wholly true,
completely reliable
And perfectly recorded.

There is no need to alter it; the truth needs no altering.
Copied inspiration is total inspiration;
The ten Commandments are copies, and have been re-copied by God. They are not “original“!
“Oldest and Best manuscripts?” Who says so? A matter of preference.
Chevrolet better than Ford?
Vanilla ice cream better than chocolate?
All a matter of “taste“.

2. Holey
You have to believe it!
If you do not believe all of the Bible, you have a Bible that is full of holes!
Cut out that which you don’t accept, and see what you have left--a holey Bible!
A “holey” Bible is no Bible at all! It is as if you had a bag full of money with holes in the bag!
There is no stability when the foundation is full of holes.
The real “Water of the Word” leaks out!
Nothing tangible can be reliable when it is full of holes.

3. Holy
A Holy Bible is the only kind we need.
God-inspired; Christ ordained;
A holy Bible that is obeyed is a holy life that is consecrated. It has to be! (Heb. 4:12)
Do you believe it? Then obey it!
When the guide for our lives is holy, and we follow it in obedience, we too must be made holy!
There is no excuse for dis-obeying God’s Word!
Read, heed, study, and it will prove itself superior.

Be ye thankful

2010-11-24T03:10:00.000-08:00

Thankfulness—A key to Prosperity

How can we ask the Lord for more of His wonderful blessings when we have not thanked Him for those we already have? Can we honestly keep expecting something from Him when we seem as if we do not appreciate it in the first place? Yet, we do. How unthankful we are in today’s society.
Dr. Bob Jones Sr. said that “a man that is unthankful is nigh well hopeless” and he was not exaggerating at all. You see, thankfulness begins in the heart then it finds its way up to the mouth—it is conditioned on character, and it grows stronger with exercise. Unthankfulness, therefore is a heart condition, and not a matter of a mere lack of manners. Don’t you think that the Lord appreciates our attitude when we are thankful for His blessings? Psalm 100: 4 tells us to “enter into His gates with thanksgiving”, and the word “thanks” alone is mentioned 37 times in the New testament alone. (With 36 in the Old Testament).

Look at Romans 1:21, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” God mentions that these were not thankful, as if that was a part of the reason for their spiritual demise. Then is Col. 3:15, we have a command to be thankful. Thankfulness is an important commodity in the Christian life, and a key to greater blessings from God.

Thanksgiving--an anagram.

2010-11-19T19:38:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving

There is so much to be thankful for today. Yes, we have lost a lot of freedoms; we have been subject to ridicule and persecuted for our beliefs, but there is still much to be thankful for. If we will meditate on the Lord and His blessings, we will see that there is much we take for granted. Let us give thanks unto the Lord, for His mercies are new every morning.

Thank you Lord for thy many blessings;
How can we thank thee enough?
All the love that thou can bestow,
Necessitates our esteem;
Know, dear Lord, our hearts desires;
See our tears of joy;
Grant us Lord thy perfect peace.
In all my ways I’ll acknowledge thee,
Visit me in thy grace;
Illustrate in me thy perfect love,
Never forsake thy people.
Give gifts unto men.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Are You Excited?

2010-11-15T04:04:00.000-08:00

“Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained?” (Isa. 63:15)

Why is it that we seem to “cool off” as the years go by, and the original zeal, and excitement we initially experienced when first saved seems to wane and weaken as time goes on? Could it be that man cannot hold on to that excitement for very long before it is swallowed up in the mundane chores and activities of life? Or perhaps it is merely because we are wrapped in thin coat of flesh, and are too weak to be consistent and too lazy to get back the Bethel where we began! No one can stay excited all the time, it is nearly impossible to do so in this world, but how often do we visit the joy of yesterday, and bask in the glory endowed us? What will it take to get us back to that place again where we actually rejoiced in the Lord instead of living by rote and repetition? Let us continually seek the Lord in spite of our misgivings and doubts. Yet, it seems there is a maturity in the Christian life, a “tamed zeal” if you will.
A child is easily excited, sometimes their exuberance is seen in smiles or in jumping up and down, or talking rapidly about the event or object of excitement; whatever way it may manifest itself, we know they are excited. As one matures though, he is more settled, and the excitement has less control over him; he is just as excited, perhaps, as the child, but it is repressed more, and manifested differently; so it is in the spirit realm; I do not question whether it should be so, but I see that it is so.

A Holy Family Tree

2010-11-10T02:22:00.000-08:00

“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!

Words

2010-11-06T01:47:00.000-07:00

The most profound words in the Bible:
“I AM” (Ex. 3:14) spoken by the Father;
“I am”… (John 14:6) spoken by Christ.

The most prideful words in the Bible:
“I will”…(Isa. 14:13,14) spoken by Lucifer.

The most prolific words in the Bible:
Who can?”. (Prov. 20:9) (Psa. 106:2)

The most prophetic words in the Bible:
“I must”…(Lk. 2:49) spoken by Jesus Himself.

The most promising words in the Bible:
“I go”…(jn. 14:2,3) Again spoken by Jesus.

The most powerful words in the Bible:
“I can” (Phil. 4:13)

Words are a road to truth;
Truth will form our thoughts;
Thoughts are the birth of action;
Action is accomplishment,
And accomplishment leads to reward.
Reward is the wages of service;
Service is the duty of man.
Man is the glory of God.

A Paradox of Faith

2010-11-02T02:12:00.001-07:00

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1)

“Substance” is that which we can hold in our hands; it is tangible physical matter, but it is also something of practical value, and perhaps moral value. Faith is substance; it is of practical value; it has worth.
This entire verse is a paradox; one wonders how faith can have substance and be felt or touched or held in the hands? When you think of it, there is no substance in hope--it is a mere longing for, or excitement for something. That is the paradox, but there is another in this verse also, and that is that something unseen can be evidence! “Evidence” is that with which we would use to prove a fact; again, one might ask, “How can that which is unseen be valid evidence?” I do not know the answer to that, but I do know that faith is the evidence of things unseen.
The Bible clearly states this mystery, and it is a fact, whether we understand it or not, because without faith, the Bible says, “it is impossible to please Him” (God). Hebrews 11 goes on to verify the wonderful acts of faith, and faithful men; it is a wonder-working faith that moves mountains, and yet, Nothing is impossible with God (Lk. 1:37)

Mountains of Sin

2010-10-28T02:58:00.000-07:00

Mountains of Sin

“The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.” (Song of Solomon 2:8)

Sin looms before us a great mountain which no man can scale alone. It is in a range of its own, and becomes too great a challenge for us to conquer. As men seek to climb Mt. Everest, and other mighty mountains, sin remains undaunted and stands as a mountain, unscaled by mortal man. A true mountain climber plans for his excursion; he knows what he needs to survive and conquer the mount, but he still must face many obstacles and setbacks on his way up. Mt. Everest is an easy climb compared to the mountain of sin that we all must face; we are ill-prepared for such a climb. Will we then hang our heads in defeat? Will we abandon the chore of scaling that mighty mountain? Will we run from the foothills before we face the real mountain? If so, let us run to Jesus for He will conquer the mountain on our behalf.
Our mountains are made low to the Lord; He can, and will conquer all. He will come “skipping upon the hills” as if they are nothing, and seek us out as His “beloved”. There is no mountain high enough to discourage our Lord, for he is the Mighty One. Sin must flee before Him, and death will be “swallowed up in victory”, only Jesus can conquer our sin and death; we are weak and frail, and have no chance of victory without Him, but when he leaps upon the mountaintops, it is for the joy He has in us--the love He has for us.

The Virtuous Woman

2010-10-23T05:02:00.000-07:00

Virtue (Prov. 31:10-31)

The “virtuous woman” of scripture (Prov. 31) is virtuous toward her husband, as well as toward God; a careful reading if the text will reveal this; see how many times her husband is mentioned, and her virtuous deeds focus on him and the family. It is then to him that she must prove her virtue by her service and her character. Thus, she truly is priced “far above rubies” (v. 10), especially in this day and age. She “seeketh not her own” as is said of charity, and which describes her as a charitable woman (v. 20). Yes, she indeed “shall be praised”. Her acts are toward her husband, and her household, and she takes great care at home. Do you see that the text is for man and his betterment? She is to serve him, and that is her virtue.
Woman was created for man, and not man for the woman (1 Cor. 11:9). Thus, she is a servant to man, but more than a servant, a helper in all respects. She is, in fact, such a helper that man could hardly function without her help, but that help is not needed by God, only by man. She is not “below” man in degree, nor above him in honor, but she is honored in her rightful place in the home. She is a great “keeper at home” (Titus 2:5), and is to be obedient to her own husband, not in cruel subjection, but in tender affection. Now, she is to be obedient regardless, but the text does not make her a slave, per se, but a queen of her home, with queenly rights and privilege; but even the queen is subject to the king. Her virtue then, is seen in her subjection; it is seen in her compassion; it is seen in her humility; it is seen in her beauty, which is her godliness. When she is in her right place with the Lord, she will be virtuous toward her husband, and others will take note.

One preacher puts it this way: “The man is the head of the home, and the woman is the heart of it” He goes on to say that no body can function without a head or a heart. Women, enjoy the place the Lord has given you, you are needed there, and no one else can fulfill that need like you can.

The gold of the temple

2010-10-20T03:34:00.000-07:00

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16)

“Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?” (Mt. 23:17)

I am beset on every side by my adversary; he has laid siege to my temple, but he cannot get to the gold of the temple. He attacks at will, attempting to break the walls of the temple, but my spirit, which is of the Master, holds firm. So, I ask myself, “What is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold?” I see that the gold has much more worth. The gold belongs to the Master, and the temple? It is man made; it is nothing; it is temporal, while the gold is eternal. Daily, yea, almost hourly the adversary attacks; his darts are severe and the temple groans at the onslaught. Though the temple be destroyed, the gold remains, for the Master watches over it, and it is his own to protect. None can overcome the Master, for He is the Champion of love, He is Almighty. I try to care for the temple, but He cares for the gold of the temple; it is His joy to do so. As struggle to maintain the temple, He is relaxed, knowing that none can harm that which is most precious--the gold inside the temple. I have been given charge of the outer temple, while the Master sees to the precious inner sanctum, where the gold is stored. As inadequate as I am in performing the upkeep of the outer temple, I thank the Master that he cares for and tends to the inner, for He cannot be moved. I could not but fail were I to be in charge of the inner, and the Adversary would certainly break in and pillage my very soul. Thank God for His watch-care over our souls.
Gold is eternal. You can melt it, you can chop it, you can ground it to powder, and scatter it to the four corners of the world, but it will still be gold. The temple, though precious, is temporal, it can be destroyed until there is nothing left but sawdust! Let us appreciate the temple, but take especial care for the gold of the temple, the soul, after all, what doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and lose his very soul?

2010-10-15T04:38:00.000-07:00

Prayer is Asking

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:” (Mt. 7:7)

John R. Rice wrote a book called “Prayer is Asking”. Asking seems to be the one thing that the Lord definitely wants us to continue doing. If you will loook closely at this passage, you will notice an anagram in these verses (vs. 7,8). Not only does our Lord come out and tell us to ask outright, but He gives us a hidden message also; let’s examine these verses closely:

Ask, and it shall be given you;
Seek and ye shall find;
Knock and it shall be opened unto you:

For everyone that Asketh recieveth;
And he that Seeketh findeth;
And to him that Knocketh it shall be opened.

An anagram within an anagram!

Do you see what I mean? Definitely, the Lord is admonishing us to ask;
Then He promises us that He will answer;

Those that ask, will receive; if we don’t as, we do not receive.
They that seek shall find; when we really seek after the Lord, and the answer to our enigma, we will find it;
And those that knock, it shall be opened unto them. No knocking, no open door.

Ask before you can receive;
Seek before you will ever find;
Knock before the door is opened.

Ask, This is general prayer;
seek, This is eager or fervent prayer; Praying with intensity;
knock, and knock, and knock until He opens the door. This diligent, persistent prayer that “moves mountains”; it is the way to get answers to our prayers.

“Ye have not because ye ask not”