“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.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The Water of the Word
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 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.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The Roots of evil
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.
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.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Cleansing Word
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.
(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.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
2/12 the Blood
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!
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!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The Stormy Seas
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 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.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
The Blessing of Giving
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.
“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.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
A Man of Truth
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.
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.
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