I Will Give You Rest

September 5, 2018

Do you ever just seem overrun. There are so many “things” to draw our attention from the Word and Jesus that it can get the best of us sometimes if we let it. They do not have to be bad things. In fact, for the Christian, they can often be very good things.

These distractions can be big or small, heavy or light, many or few, but whatever they are the adversary convinces us that not to do them is bad and he works to make us feel guilty if we turn away from them even to spend time in the Word… especially if it is to spend time in the Word. This adversary is a liar, and he has had a lot of practice. He was the one who deceived Eve in Genesis 3. This thing that we struggle against is more than a simply a part of life; it is a battle of life and death.

Ephesians 6:12

This battle we find ourselves in, these seemingly inconvenient distractions, are not battles of flesh and blood they are far more sinister. Paul found them to be so serious that he warned the Ephesians in no uncertain terms.

Ephesians 6:12 (ESV Strong’s)

Paul warns us that the adversary is attacking in ways that we cannot see and if we are not prepared, we cannot defend against these attacks. But he does not leave us defenseless; he reminds us that we have a weapon and we need to use it. It is the very tool that the adversary strives to deprive us of.

Ephesians 6:13-18

This weapon is the full armor of God. This morning as I read through Ephesians 6 I just could not help but be humbled by verses twelve through eighteen. You see, I write these posts as I am studying a topic that touches my heart on any given morning. This morning it regarded some physical challenges I had been dealing with for months. Also, some decisions I had made that resulted in the less consistent study.

This passage reminded me that I had let my guard down because God had given me all I need regardless of my circumstances in this passage and I had allowed myself to be distracted from taking His full council.

Ephesians 6:13-18 (ESV Strong’s)

¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints

I was still studying and praying, but not like I should. I was not taking up the full armor of God every day. I was not asking for the help I needed to focus as I needed when I studied until this morning. Actually, until now.

Reflections

As I meditate on this passage in Ephesians, I am filled with a humble heart. It is easy to let things get in the way of my goal. The goal that Paul describes so well in Philippians.

Philippians 3:8-14 (ESV Strong’s)

⁸ Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— ¹⁰ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

¹² Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³ Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Like Paul, this must be my goal always, and I need to be sure that it is always my focus. If I will stay here in tune with God and pursue this path and live my life, pressing “on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” These distractions will no longer get in my way.

It is not always easy, but Jesus promised that He would always be with us.

Hebrews 13:1-6 (ESV Strong’s)

¹ Let brotherly love continue. ² Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. ³ Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. ⁴ Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. ⁵ Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” ⁶ So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper;

I will not fear;

what can man do to me?”

What comfort there is in the Word of God. He asks so little of us when He has done so much, and He did not wait for us to get our act together to do it. He loved us in the midst of our sins.

Ephesians 2

In Ephesians 2 Paul reminds us of how much was done for us

Ephesians 2:4-10 (ESV Strong’s)

⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵even when we were dead in our trespasses*, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

He did all that for us. Who does something like that BUT God? Who could do something like that BUT God! The is even more amazing when you think for just a second how badly we treated Him in our disbelief. To say we are not worthy is such an understatement it is hard to fathom. Likewise, the Love of God is so great that, for me, it too is hard to fathom.

I am simply so small, and He is so great, and yet He loves me… He loves us.

Closing Thoughts

This brings me to two other passages with which I will close. The first one is in Matthew and the second is in 1John.

Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV Strong’s)

²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

1 John 5:3 (ESV Strong’s)

³ For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

Jesus and John both remind us that the path to salvation is not burdensome. Jesus reminds us that He will be there with us on that journey. I take such comfort in these passages. This is not a challenge where God has laid out things to trip us up. But there will be trials in this fallen world. There will be suffering. Jesus warned that both the just and unjust will face trials. “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”(Matt 5:45b). But the thing is, those that believe in the Son do not face them alone. I cannot help but be reminded of this Psalm 121.

Psalms 121:1-2 (ESV Strong’s)

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

² My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

What joy there is in knowing that Jesus paid my debt so that I might be saved. There is no greater joy!

Prayer

Father, thank you for all that you are. That you for Your Word and the reminder that You are our everything. Give us strength Lord to never let that distraction be so strong that we are kept from our pursuit of You. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

*emphasis added

Some Context Please?

August 14, 2018

I truly love God’s Word. It is like the air I breathe or the food and water my body needs to survive, and if you know me you know, I like food. However, just like a meal I am rarely satisfied with a single bite. It may taste great and even make me smile, but it is rarely enough to sustain me.

The same is true of a single verse in God’s Word. It may make me feel good for a moment, but without the context, it does not give my spirit the nourishment it needs to grow closer to God; in fact, it can lead to confusion. It hit me this morning as I was listening to a sermon by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. As I listened, the importance of context, in growing my faith, became very clear.

Belief

He began with a discussion of John 3:18. It is one of those verses we seldom get too. Everyone knows John 3:16 but that is normally where we stop. Some will recite verse 17 with it, but it is rare that you hear 18.

John 3:16-17 (ESV)

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

John 3:16-17 is the wonderful, reassuring part of the Gospel. It focuses strictly on the salvation. Verse 18 adds the consequences of unbelief. He also reminds us that not everyone will believe.

John 3:18 (ESV)

¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

I listened to this sermon and pondered these verses and was very moved by these passages. I went back to chapter 3 and read from the beginning of chapter three to get a better understanding of the context, and remembered that these verses were only part of a discussion that Jesus had with the Pharisee Nicodemus.

Born Again

Nicodemus was a Pharisee that was afraid to meet Jesus in the daylight, so he met him in secret at night, and Jesus told him the good news of salvation. Nicodemus knew Jesus was from God because of the works and wonders He had performed, but he did not fully understand who he was, so Jesus told him.

In John 3:3-21 Jesus explains the path of salvation to Nicodemus. He also explains who He is, and why He is here. I am not sure if Nicodemus gets it or not by how this passage ends, but he does show up to defend Jesus in John 7:50 and he is at Jesus’ burial in John 19:19.

Reflections

I look at this passage in John and hear the words that Jesus shares with Nicodemus and His message is so clear. What struck me as I read these verses in chapter 3 was the confusion expressed by Nicodemus and Jesus’ response.

John 3:4 (ESV)

⁴ Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

John 3:9 (ESV)

⁹ Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”

The first question Jesus explains the meaning of being “Born Again.” But the second question He is a bit harsher because Nicodemus should already know this answer.

John 3:10 (ESV)

¹⁰ Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?

Jesus goes on to give Nicodemus something to think about and references the old testament.

John 3:11-15 (ESV)

¹¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. ¹² If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

I have to imagine that verse 15 had to rock Nicodemus back on his heels. It is interesting to me how the discussion ends after that. I have to believe that he was left dumbfounded and when he got home he pulled out his scriptures and started studying about the serpent and healing and then ponder all that Jesus had said.

John 3:11

This morning one of the most powerful verses for me was verse 11. In that verse, Jesus Christ declared to Nicodemus who he was and at the same time told him that he did not get it.

John 3:11 (ESV)

¹¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.

Jesus declares His authority in this verse. Everything He said before to Nicodemus, and after to him, He declares as true because He is the Son of God. Jesus declared that the only path to salvation was through Him and he proclaimed that Numbers 21:9 was not only a miracle that occurred during the exodus but a prophecy or our salvation.

Numbers 21:9 (ESV)

⁹ So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

Just like the serpent’s bite that leads to death during the exodus had only one cure so does the death from sin: Christ Jesus, lifted up on a cross, “¹⁵ that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” (John 3:15)

I can see the look on Nicodemus’ face. It was not enough that Jesus proclaimed who He was, but he pointed to a passage from the scriptures that Nicodemus knew but had not been able to connect, and if this one connected, what other passages might also confirm that Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecy; the Son of God?

Closing Thoughts

I reflect on chapter 3 in John and think of how Jesus spoke to Nicodemus. It was like he was saying; if you doubt my words test them against the scriptures and I will give you a place to start, and He gave him Numbers 21:9. And I have to believe that Nicodemus did not stop there. He had the scriptures memorized. I have to believe he read every prophecy and I doubt that stopped as Jesus continued His ministry.

I never stop being amazed at how Jesus uses the scriptures to add power to what he preaches. He did with Nicodemus, and when he was tempted in the wilderness by Satan. He also used the scriptures to proclaim who He was in his hometown of Nazareth.

If he did that to teach the Gospel to those around Him. Shouldn’t we do the same?

Just One More Thing…

My wife Pat and I watched a Christian movie the other night, and one of the characters told a story to the villain in the movie. The story was pretty simple.

The first man in the story had been a heathen. He was unkind and selfish and had no time for anyone. He ended up being in a bad accident and nearly died.

During his recovery, one of the therapists spoke to him of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He had no time for it initially, but as he struggled along, and this therapist continued to help him and never gave up on him, he cried out to God and believed.

About a year after recovery the man gave his testimony in a small group, and one of the people in attendance came forward and told of a friend that had been through a similar situation and wondered if he would share his testimony with his friend.

Well, he did share it, and the man was moved, but was unwilling to commit that night and asked them to come back the following evening to discuss it further. He went back the next day, but the guy had died in his sleep and his sin.

The good guy in the movie told the villain that he loved him in spite of his actions, and he needed to tell him about Jesus. He held no grudge against him but loved him and wanted nothing but the best for him.

The villain said thanks but no thanks.

Nicodemus was confused, but Jesus did not throw his hands up and walked away. He gave him a path to understanding. He planted a seed in his heart that grew. He did not do it for him, and he did not make him accept it. He laid out the path of salvation for him and gave him the proof that had been there all along so that he could, as Paul said to the Philippians;

Philippians 2:12 (ESV)

¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

Jesus gave Nicodemus what he needed. He has done the same for us, and just as Paul declared to the Philippians, we need to use the tools Jesus gave us to do the same. Those tools include God’s Word, Prayer, Meditation, and the body – the Church.

Prayer

Father, thank you for your Holy Word. Thank you for your wisdom, grace, and mercy. Father help us all to be bold and share the Gospel with the world around us, even those that might be hostile to us. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen!

Be Ready… Be Dressed for Action… Be Content

May 31, 2018

For a long time, I have had this issue that I have prayed about inconsistently. It is one of those thoughts that are always there. It has to do with the peace that I have in spite of my health issues. There is this peace and contentment that is difficult to explain; it is a healing that I have experienced that is different than what the world calls healing. This morning as I prayed God gave me the answer as I was reminded of the parable about being ready, found in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 12.

In spite of the physical issues; the facial numbness, the balance problems, hindered speech, issues with focus under pressure or sometimes just standing I am healed. I am blessed beyond measure. I am content in my circumstances. My healing came the day I was born again in Christ Jesus. The day I gave my life to him and picked up my cross to follow him. This morning I saw it in the parable of the servants left in charge of the master’s house.

Be Ready

All three of these passages deal with the return of Christ. The parable is about the Master of the house leaving and the servants left in charge not knowing when he will return.

Matthew 24:36 (ESV)

³⁶ “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

Mark 13:32-33 (ESV)

³² “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.

Luke 12:35-36 (ESV)

³⁵ “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.

I read these passages, and I know that they deal with the time of Christ’s return, but that is not the only place in my life they apply. The thing is, I do not know the number of days I have nor the circumstances that will affect my physical being, so I have a choice to make – be ready or waste my time whether it is one moment or one hundred years.

Dressed for Action

Looking at these passages, I was overwhelmed by what the Holy Spirit revealed through God’s Word. Matthews stopped me in my tracks. I read it over and over. I saw something I had missed or blended in with Mark and Luke’s versions of the parable.

Matthew 24:43-47 (ESV)

⁴⁴ Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁷ Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.

It is the question Jesus asks in verse 45 of the passage. I read this, and all I could think of was…

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)

¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

That passage leaves but one answer… Me… I am to share the Gospel. I like what Paul says to Timothy.

2 Timothy 4:1-2 (ESV)

¹ I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: ² preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Also Peters counsel in 1 Peter 3.

1 Peter 3:14-16 (ESV)

¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, ¹⁵ but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶ having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

Reflections

I look at these passages and the Lord’s counsel, and I am humbled. In all this, He teaches us to be prepared for His return. He tells us to feed those around us the good news… the Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ. He warns us that we do not know the hour or the day that He will return. I would add that we do not know the hour or the day that we may well go home, and being prepared is more than staring at the door waiting for the knock of our master Jesus Christs return. It is a time to be sharing the Gospel of Jesus with friends and family as well as strangers. It is also a time to encourage one another. There are two passages that come to mind that encourage me.

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)

²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

2 Peter 1:3-11 (ESV)

³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, ⁴ by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. ⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. ¹¹ For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit strengthens us and gives us the wisdom and courage to share God’s Word. God gives us His Church to strengthen and encourage us as well. It is much easier to face the challenges of life with your family than it is to face them alone. God uses all things to bring us contentment in our circumstances.

Be Content

Luke precedes the passage about being ready with not being anxious.

Luke 12:22-23 (ESV)

²² And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.

I will tell you; this was one of the things that took me the most time to shed when I came to the Lord, and most of it came with my strokes. I had spent my life as a workaholic worrying about my everything. I let go of some stuff that hindered me when I accepted Jesus, but I did not let go until I had no choice and Jesus showed me that he had everything under control.

Financial issues that concerned me were lifted. Worries about my health left as well. I looked at life differently. I began to understand a key passage in Luke 12

Luke 12:30-31 (ESV)

³⁰ For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

I realized that God knows my needs better than I ever could. He showed me all I had, and it was far greater than I had been able to see. Before all the health issues I stressed over my job and so many other things. God helped me realize that the strokes healed my heart and mind. It taught me something Paul spoke of in Philippians.

Philippians 4:11-13 (ESV)

¹¹ Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. ¹² I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. ¹³ I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

I will be the first to admit that there are times when my worry gene will reignite that part of my personality. Especially in the midst of a change in my condition.

A couple of months ago I lost the feeling in the left side of my face, and that scared me. It came after a few days of really intense migraine headaches. But I held onto this passage in Philippians and worked through it. God gave me strength, and in the end, it worked out. It is a bit weird feeling, but it is ok, and this passage reminds me to be content.

Closing Thoughts

I am so thankful for all God has done in my life. I praise him daily. I am thankful for my wonderful wife Pat and all she is to me and all she does. I am thankful for my family and extended family. I am thankful for my Church and the family I have there.

As I close out this morning’s writings, I am taken back to that question Jesus asked in Luke.

Luke 12:42 (ESV)

⁴² And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time?

I am thankful that there was someone that stepped up and took that responsibility when I was young and needed nourishment, (I still am). I pray that I might do as well in those times when it is my responsibility. This one falls on us all.

Prayer

Father, I pray a prayer of thanks and praise for your holy Word and counsel. Father thank you for all that you reveal. I pray Lord that I might not squander the wisdom you share with me every moment of every day. I pray that I might share that portion with others every day and I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

May 7, 2018

I have been reading Romans 1 for a while now. I have not strayed from it, other than to see cross-referenced text and commentary for over a week now. This chapter in Romans is pretty intense if you will take the time to look at it.

For a long time, I had been focused on verses 18-33 which discuss God’s wrath because I had seen a few sermons on the subject; including a very focused one by John MacArthur whom I respect very much. He spoke about the wrath of God and how He had turned this world over to it’s selfish desires.

Romans 1:28-29 (ESV)

As I read those fifteen verses, they chill me to the bone because I once walked in that same path. No, I did not participate in everything referenced in these verses, but I was right in the midst of them.

Rebellion

My rebellion began in verses 18 and 19

Romans 1:18-19 (ESV)

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

God’s truth was all around me. I knew it to be true in some recess of my mind, but I chose not to acknowledge it. My desires outweighed the truth. Verses 21-23 really shook me.

Romans 1:21-23 (ESV)

²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

As I pondered these verses, I continued to read the chapter. There is a reference to sexual immorality

Romans 1:24-25 (ESV)

²⁴ Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, ²⁵ because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

More Sins

I read on through the remaining verses and was humbled and filled with thanksgiving all at the same time. Paul speaks of how God gave “them up to dishonorable passions.” But it does not stop there. You may be free from the dishonorable passions, but it was not limited to just them.

Romans 1:26-32 (ESV)

²⁶ For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; ²⁷ and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

²⁸ And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹ foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³² Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

The list was pretty inclusive, and all of them came from this foolishness of denying God. Knowing Him yet not honoring Him.

Reflections

As I considered these passages and how I had lived it is easy to measure myself against other men and women and say; I am not to bad… I did not do this or I did not do that… That has to count for something right? But as I look at these verses, I cannot find that clause. What I do see are faith and the gospel.

Romans 1:16-17 (ESV)

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

As I mulled over these two verses, I was drawn to one of my favorite passages in the Bible that speak to me of God’s love. That passage is found in the book of Ephesians.

Ephesians

Ephesians is one of the books of God’s Word that I go back to a lot because it was one of the places that helped me understand the gospel. Ephesians 2 specifically was a chapter that aligned all the dots for me. Paul speaks of me in this chapter.

Ephesians 2:1-10 (ESV)

¹ And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

In ten short verses the Holy Spirit, through Paul, reminded me that I was a dead man walking in my sins. I deserved to die in those sins, yet because of His rich mercy me He saved us. What a wonderful gift we have in the Gospel.

Corinthians

This good news we have in Jesus. The salvation we received by grace is an amazing gift that is so simple but yet so amazing that anything else pales in comparison.

I like how Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 15

1 Corinthians 15:1-6 (ESV)

¹ Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, ² and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

³ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ⁶ Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

It is hard for me to imagine God’s perfect plan. I cannot commit to small tasks at times, yet Jesus never wavered. He set this example that I strive to emulate every day.

1 Peter

Look at first Peter as he speaks of faith and being born again.

1 Peter 1:3-9 (ESV)

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, ⁹ obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Born again to an inheritance that we did not earn but was freely given. How can we not rejoice in that? Why would we not burst at the seams to tell others?

Temporary or Permanent

I ponder all these passages and look back at the wonderful gift of the gospel, and the darkness of settling for the things of this world by denying God and I cannot grasp it now, but I once was there, and he saved me. It is so easy to be deceived if we do not keep our eyes on the things of heaven. I think of the tail of Esau as it is laid out in Hebrews.

Hebrews 12:15-17 (ESV)

¹⁵ See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; ¹⁶ that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. ¹⁷ For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.

Do we want to give up eternal salvation that we did not deserve for something as fleeting as some temporary desire of the flesh?

Closing Thoughts

I prefer to hold onto God’s promises. It is not easy, and it is not something we can do alone.

Ephesians 6:12-13 (ESV)

¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

The adversary will seek to silence us any way he can.

1 Peter 5:8-9 (ESV)

⁸ Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

“Firm in our faith,” I cannot be silent about the gospel. Jesus gave all that believe a great commission in Matthew 18-20. It is clear that we are to share the gospel with others. There is another passage that I strive to meet as well in Psalms.

Psalms 40:9-10 (ESV)

⁹ I have told the glad news of deliverance

in the great congregation;

behold, I have not restrained my lips,

as you know, O LORD.

¹⁰ I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;

I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;

I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness

from the great congregation.

Let me be bold in my testimony.

Prayer

Father, thank you for this gift of salvation that you have given through Your Son Jesus. Help me to share it boldly with everyone.

Psalms 40:9-10 (ESV)

⁹ I have told the glad news of deliverance

in the great congregation;

behold, I have not restrained my lips,

as you know, O LORD.

¹⁰ I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;

I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;

I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness

from the great congregation.

In Jesus name, I pray, Amen!

Godliness Today??

April 18, 2018

Last week I mentioned that I was studying the two letters from Paul to Timothy. I wrote my blog about the things that touched me in the first one about fighting the good fight, and I have started this post a couple of times to be pulled off for one reason or another. But this morning I am starting the post once more. Again from a slightly different vantage point than the last attempt. I think this makes three tries on paper… far more as I muddle it over in my head. The one constant has been the passage from the book of Proverbs I quoted in last weeks post.

Proverbs 3:5-7 (ESV)

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

⁶ In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.

⁷ Be not wise in your own eyes;

fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

This verse is written on my heart, and as I study God’s Word It reminds me of who I should rely on for all things… because every one of these last days is one day closer to the last day of the last days; if it is not the last day.

Guard What is Entrusted to You

Last week when I started this I began reading in chapter 3 of this book, but I kept inching backward and forward until I pretty much read the whole book. It was not my idea. I would get a little prompting that leads me to get the context. I ended up in chapter one today because I read a verse of the day. 2 Timothy 1:9. I opened my ESV translation to get the context and the verse, although it contained the same information, it was so different than the NLT I had read I had to read 8 and 10 as well and that turned into 3-14.

It is funny how one verse can lead to 2 paragraphs. It is kind of like a loose string in a sweater. When you pull on it, you can easily pull more than you planned, but unlike the sweater, Gods Word does not unravel, it makes things stronger.

Verse nine in chapter one of 2 Timothy speaks of Jesus saving us because of His purpose, not because of anything we had done. But when I went back to verse three, I am filled with this hope and joy that Paul shared with Timothy and the encouragement he offered him benefited me as well.

2 Timothy 1

Take the time to look at this passage.

2 Timothy 1:3-14 (ESV)

³ I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. ⁴ As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. ⁵ I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. ⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, ⁷ for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

⁸ Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, ⁹ who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, ¹⁰ and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, ¹¹ for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, ¹² which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. ¹³ Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

I read this passage, and I am overcome. I am not Paul, but, as I read this passage, I see myself in each role. I had faithful ancestors, and I had family members with deep faith. I know that there was a time when I accepted Christ and someone shared that message with me and baptized me.

There was a time when I realized that I needed to be bold in my faith, not because I had done anything to earn it, but because it was such a great gift from God and I could not let it sit on a shelf. This gift is meant to be shared.

Paul also reminds us that this gift is precious, and we must guard this gift from all forms of false teaching and corruption. We do this, not by our own strength, but by the strength of the Holy Spirit which dwells within us.

What a wonderful gift we have been given. How could we not share it? How could we not, “Trust in the Lord with all our heart.”

I went on from there and read through chapter two on the importance of being a soldier for Christ and a good worker. At the end of chapter two, I came to the passage about foolish passions and controversies.

Foolish Passions and Controversies

Paul, in chapter 2 takes us through the kind of person we should be and how the Lord knows His own, and these are powerful passages. As I came to the end of this chapter through the last paragraphs stopped me in my tracks.

2 Timothy 2:22-26 (ESV)

²² So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. ²³ Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. ²⁴ And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, ²⁵ correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

As I read this passage a few times my heart, it touched my heart. Paul reminded me that I have this great gift that I must share. He tells me the kind of person to be, and then he reminds me to “flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness.” Not to argue but endure evil and correct “his opponents with gentleness.” Why? “God may perhaps grant them repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth… and escape the snares of the devil.”

Now I do not know about you all, but as I read this, I was very thankful for the fruits of the Spirit because I know that my human nature lacks the patience to endure many things. As I read 22-26 this passage from the book of Galatians share space with it in my heart.

Galatians 5:22-24 (ESV)

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

And all of that prepared me for the “But understand this,” that begins chapter three.

But Understand This

Paul begins with a warning to us that this world is going to continue to fall away from God. It will become more and more self-absorbed and more and more hostile to believers.

2 Timothy 3:1-9 (ESV)

¹ But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. ² For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. ⁶ For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, ⁷ always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. ⁸ Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. ⁹ But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.

Paul even gives you a point of reference in Jannes and Jambres who opposed Moses. It is interesting to me that at the end of chapter two Paul tells us that we should correct opponents, but then at the beginning of chapter three, he warns us that not all can be helped and he defines them with an example. It is a lot to take in but so important. We do have this precious gift that we must guard against false teaching, with the help of the Holy Spirit, and Paul is not the only one that warns us about false teachers and their ways.

2 John 1:10-11 (ESV)

¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, ¹¹ for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.

2 Peter 2:1-3 (ESV)

¹ But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³ And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

These warnings along with the passage from chapter two cause me to stop and reflect on the responsibility and challenges of following Jesus.

Reflection

Think about the responsibility we have. We have been given this great gift of salvation. We were taught the Gospel; the good news of Jesus Christ and we, like the first apostles have been commanded to share that with the rest of the world, (Matthew 28:18-20). But in addition to this command we are warned that the task will not be easy, and if we were on our own I would say it would be impossible, but along with the message we have a gift. That gift is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit; a Helper promised by Christ Jesus.

John 15:26 (ESV)

²⁶ “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.

We also have the full Armor of God.

Ephesians 6:13-18 (ESV)

What power we have been given to draw on and if we will stay in God’s Word and study prayerfully and trust in the Holy Spirit we will not fall victim to false teaching. We will guard that “good deposit entrusted to me.”

Closing Thoughts

There is so much more to 2 Timothy yet to share, but it is more than I can handle in a single writing. I am overwhelmed by the power of God’s Word. My heart aches for those that do not have the time to spend in it. It is so easy to get to busy in the world today. I was one of the worst, and I can still fall into that trap. It seems that we are often pulled in too many directions.

These days I tell myself it is a struggle with focus. In the old days, it was busy. My wife shared an acronym for busy that I think works in both cases: Being Under Satins Yoke. I cannot tell anyone else if that is true for them. That is between them and God. I do know that often if I pushed a bit harder, God would clear my head and give me what I need to focus. All I need to do is…

Proverbs 3:5-7 (ESV)

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

⁶ In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.

⁷ Be not wise in your own eyes;

fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

Prayer

Father, thank you for the gift of repentance and grace. Thank you, Lord, for strengthening me when I am weak and giving me wisdom when I feel incapable and unworthy. Forgive me for my unwillingness. Thanks be to you Lord in Jesus name I pray, Amen!

The Joy of Salvation

March 20, 2018

In this past few days, I have been thinking about the joy, wonder, and glory of God and His promises. It started one day with an email, and it has just bounced around in my head for several days. It came together last night with a Facebook post that just touched my heart.

The original verse was in 1John 5. It just reminded me what joy I have in Jesus. The glory and wonder of this gift I have in knowing Him and having Him in my heart.

1 John 5:12-15 (ESV)

¹² Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

¹³ I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. ¹⁴ And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

The first part of that passage just thrills me – ”Whoever has the Son has life.” It is not something we will get it is something we HAVE been given. The next part is clear as we; the only way to obtain that is through the Son of God. John wrote this to remind those of us that believe that we have eternal life.

The last two verses are just as powerful. ” ¹⁴ And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”

IF we ask in accordance with His will He hears us… What a wonderful promise and the only caveat is it must be in accordance with His will, but that is easy to find in His Word.

Reflections

I pondered over that passage for a while not because I questioned it but because of the peace and joy it brought to me, and at the same time the desire to share it with others, because of the second half of verse 12 – “whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” That is a serious issue. See I was one of those people. I knew who God was, but I was arrogant. I fit in with a passage from James.

James 2:19 (ESV)

¹⁹ You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

The only difference is that I was not smart enough to shudder. I was whiskey bent, and hell bound and thought I was a “Good Person” and would go to heaven. In truth, I was a foolish person. But today I am so thankful and am filled with this wonderful news. God snatched me from my selfish ways and showed me the truth of freedom in Him.

I ended up looking at some scriptures over the past few days. I began in Romans

Romans 8

I began in Romans 8 beginning with verse 12. Paul was speaking of the debt that we owed and to whom. He spoke of the gifts we have received through our redemption. My heart nearly jumps out of my chest as I read it.

Romans 8:12-17 (ESV)

¹² So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

I am a child of God. Adopted as a son. I know this because the Holy Spirit Himself bears witness with my spirit that I am a child of God. I am speechless when I consider this gift and the price paid not only for my freedom from sin but my salvation and eternal life. It makes the meaning of the next verse in this chapter so clear.

Romans 8:18 (ESV)

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Some days it is hard to speak. Some days my balance does not work and sometimes my head throbs but in all that I still have Jesus. In all that I still am dancing on the inside regardless of what my shell may be experiencing, and I am filled with Joy and thanksgiving. I cannot fathom what it would be like without Jesus. I am thankful that I do not have to experience that kind of life. I pray that others may be freed from that prison.

From Romans, I went to Peter. I love how the Holy Spirit impacted Peter. I love his letters.

1 Peter

I began in 1 Peter chapter 3. Peter spoke of the kind of person we should strive to be.

1 Peter 3:8-13 (ESV)

⁸ Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. ⁹ Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. ¹⁰ For

“Whoever desires to love life

and see good days,

let him keep his tongue from evil

and his lips from speaking deceit;

¹¹ let him turn away from evil and do good;

let him seek peace and pursue it.

¹² For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

and his ears are open to their prayer.

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

¹³ Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?

Now I read this passage, and I am reminded that the world is looking for an excuse to hate me and point out my hypocrisy. I know I have been goaded by people to try and make me argue and get angry, but there is not any value in that. When I was of the world, I used intimidation and anger to get my way. But nowhere do we see Jesus intimidate, even in those final hours before the cross.

For me, anger was often a response to fear. You startle or threaten the old me I got angry. I like what Jesus said about fear in Matthew.

Matthew 10:28 (ESV)

²⁸ And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

I think that kind of says it all, don’t you? No one can do that, but God and my hope is in Him. I am a child of God…

2Peter

From 1 Peter I went to 2 Peter. I cannot help but think about the soon return of Christ and balance that against all that are still lost. I wish for Him to return now, but in the same breath I wish for more time to share Gods Word, and I ended up in Chapter 3 of 2 Peter.

2 Peter 3:8-13 (ESV)

⁸ But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

¹¹ Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, ¹² waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! ¹³ But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

What a beautiful passage. Peter reminds us that all things come in God time. His desire is for all to come to repentance. I thought it was interesting that he said repentance instead of any other words like salvation or Jesus. The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Repentance is so important, but sometimes folks overlook that word for others.

Repentance

As I reread 2 Peter 3:9 this morning several other passages about repentance came to mind. First was Peter in Luke 5. Several were fishing with Jesus in the boat, and they fish all night without catching a fish. Jesus told them to put their nets in the deeper water, and they would catch fish, and the catch was so big that they nearly sank the boat and another that came to help. Peter realized the truth of Jesus and said the following:

Luke 5:8 (ESV)

⁸ But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

Peter saw the power and glory of God in Jesus and his wretchedness and could not bear it. But Jesus told him not to be afraid. The other that comes to mind always is in Isaiah 6.

Isaiah 6:5 (ESV)

⁵ And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

This too is so powerful. Isaiah is cleansed when a hot coal is touched to his lips. It blows me away how both these men came to realize how unworthy they were and when they realized it they were forgiven.

They realized, probably for the first time, how great God was and how small they were. It happened for me at a very difficult time when I had no clue how to proceed and I threw myself at God’s feet and he changed the world for me; at least my world. I will never stop being thankful for that.

Peter led me to Revelation 3

Revelation 3

Thinking of God’s timing from Peter I thought of Laodicea. Laodicea gets the harshest of reprimands of the seven churches. But even so they are not left without hope. Every time I read this passage in Revelation I am reminded of the Glory of God. He is just, and He does not hold back His reprimand, but he tells them what they must do to escape judgment.

Revelation 3:15-22 (ESV)

¹⁵ “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. ¹⁹ Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. ²⁰ Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. ²¹ The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²² He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

How amazing is our God? He reminds them that He reproves those that he loves and asks them to be zealous and repent. He does not leave it there He tells them what is in store for them if they do. My heart is filled with joy as I read this passage.

Closing Thoughts

Our God is an awesome God. If we truly believe we have eternal life. His plan is very specific. It is not multiple choice. I like the way Paul says it in Ephesians 2.

Ephesians 2:4-10 (ESV)

⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

What a gift we have been given and what an opportunity we have been given to serve with these good works that He laid out for us that we should walk in them not to be saved but because we have been saved. I am filled with this overwhelming joy and thanksgiving.

Prayer

Father, thank you for all you are. Lord, it is hard to find words that say more than that. I am thankful that you have drawn near to me and given me this hope and joy that comes from knowing and loving you. In Jesus name, I pray, amen!

The Freedom and Salvation in the Light

March 13, 2018

I have been caught up, for lack of a better way of describing it, in the thought of salvation in Christ Jesus and how some get it and others don’t. It just makes my heart ache that so many seem to miss the whole idea of salvation through Jesus Christ. This morning the thought was almost overwhelming.

I woke and like the past several weeks my head was a thick cloud of almost confusion, but as I worked to wake up there was this light that was burning through the fog. It was just like the sunrise I photographed this morning. There was a strange haziness this morning, but there was still this light that could not be contained, and it pushed through all that haze, and I was moved to John 1. If I have a favorite apostle today, it is the Book of John. It is the view that John shares that moves me. To me, he shares the heart of Christ Jesus in a way that just fills my heart and this morning as I ached for those that seem lost I was drawn to John 1.

John 1, (the first five verses)

I read the first 18 verses, and it chipped away at that fog that filled my head. The first five verses just put me on my knees. I am filled with a feeling of thanksgiving.

John 1:1-5 (ESV)

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

This passage reminds me who Jesus is and what He has done and how powerful He is. Through Him, all things were made, and without Him, nothing would be made. He is a light so powerful that the darkness cannot overcome it.

Have you ever been in absolute darkness? I went to Mammoth Cave when I was about 11 or 12. We went on a tour and deep in the cave as part of the tour they turned out all the lights. It was a dark that still amazes me now. I remember smoking was still commonplace and a guy up front had a cigarette lit, and this little red dot was so bright, but I could not see my hand.

Just think of that darkness against the light of Jesus. No matter how dark it might be, it cannot overcome the light of Jesus.

Consider This

As I look at these five verses and apply the circumstances of my life to that image of the darkness of Mammoth Cave, there is no darkness or circumstance that Jesus cannot overcome. There have been three times in my life that I have come to terms with my mortality and in two of the three times were before I knew Jesus. The third was after I had a relationship with Him.

The first two scared me badly. I knew who Jesus was, but I did not have a relationship with Him. I suffered from Pride, Selfishness, and Self Control. I did not trust in God. I felt everything was my job. I had no real understanding of Jesus. I could see no further than my circumstances. I was fortunate that I survived both situations. Now I had to remember I had to be more careful. But I was an unconscious incompetent; I did not know what I did not know. Jesus was in the middle of both of these situations. He saved me both these times and much more I just was too blind to see.

The third was after I came to love and accept and respect Jesus. It was strokes. It startled me. I realized how much worse it could have been, but God used it to draw me closer. He showed me there was so much more than my circumstances. Jesus showed me through Paul that this is not my home.

Romans 8:18 (ESV)

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

He reminded me that my goal is to focus my eye past my circumstances.

Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Reflections

I look at these things that He showed to me, and I ache for those that just cannot seem to see it. I know that God has a plan and it is beyond my understanding. I know that everything happens in God’s time. When I think about these things, I have to remember that I was just like those that do not see it for 52 years and the truth of it is people continued to pray for me and show me Christ through their lives. God showed me amazing things and now reminds me of every time he intervened in my life, including those two times I nearly did not make it. He had a plan, and I am thankful. That brings me to John 1: 14-18

John 1 Continued

As I ponder the power of Jesus and the wonder of His incarnation I cannot go forward without considering verses 14-18. These verses fill me with joy and thanksgiving.

John 1:9-18 (ESV)

⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) ¹⁶ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

What an amazing gift that God gave us. Jesus, who created the world, became flesh. He gave His life that we might have eternal life in Him. What amazing thing it is to know that He loved us that much. I cannot help but think of chapter 2 in Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

Philippians 2

I love how Paul speaks of Jesus sacrifice; It is so clear.

Philippians 2:5-8 (ESV)

⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

What a gift we have in Jesus. In human terms this is impossible. But through God alone it is possible.

Romans 5:6-11 (ESV)

⁶ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— ⁸ but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. ¹¹ More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

What power there is in God’s Word. No man can do this. No man alone can say this. Only God has this power to share these things through man. Even as I think of these things, I have no memory. That is a gift from the stroke, but as I ponder the wonders of God’s love HE reminds me of the things that I have seen in His Word. I am overwhelmed by His grace and mercy. I am thankful for His gift of repentance through which He forgives my sins as far as the east is from the west. There is no darkness that can overcome the light of God’s love and grace.

Closing Thoughts

As I ponder all of this I am drawn to my families favorite Psalm. It is Psalm 121

Psalms 121 (ESV)

My Help Comes from the LORD

A Song of Ascents.

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

² My help comes from the LORD,

who made heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot be moved;

he who keeps you will not slumber.

⁴ Behold, he who keeps Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD is your keeper;

the LORD is your shade on your right hand.

⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,

nor the moon by night.

⁷ The LORD will keep you from all evil;

he will keep your life.

⁸ The LORD will keep

your going out and your coming in

from this time forth and forevermore.

He is my strength, hope, and understanding. I have all these things because of the saving grace of Christ Jesus. I do not know who will or will not hear and believe the promises of Jesus. I only know that I must continue to share them every day.

I am thankful that my heart aches for the lost. It assures that I cannot stop sharing this message. I think again of Paul’s letter to the Philippians as I close.

Philippians 4:12-13 (ESV)

¹² I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. ¹³ I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

I know Paul was speaking of the physical, but I see the spiritual in these words as well because I know what it is to be brought low and to abound. I have also learned to face plenty and hunger for God and His Word. For I can do all things through Him for I am never really alone. The Holy Spirit is with me always, and I am filled with thanksgiving.

Prayer

Father, thank you for this joy that you fill my heart with. Thank you for giving me a desire to share it even when I cannot find the words. Help me to always hold fast to you, especially when the adversary tries to deceive me with the hint of darkness in your abounding light.

In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!

Trust, Vanity or Peace

March 8, 2018

Light of Hope

Lately, I have been having a difficult time with focus. I am not sure what it is that causes it but the cloud that surrounds my thought process has been making things very difficult; especially study and writing.

This morning as I prayed I asked for help with this issue. I wish it had a name or a clear description, but I cannot seem to find one, so I just call it a cloud. But this morning, after my initial prayers, I was prompted to look at two passages.

The first passage came from K-Love’s verse of the day and was in Psalms. The second came from my Keller devotional, and as I read them, I received some peace and contentment that only comes to me by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God.

Psalm 19

The first passage was Psalm 19. It is a Psalm of David and the Heading in my ESV translation is “The Law is Perfect.” The K-Love verse was 19-1

Psalms 19:1 (ESV)

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

That is a wonderful verse, and it is such a blinding statement of the truth. It touches my heart because I look for that every day and try to capture that beauty with my camera. What a glorious God we serve that even this fallen world could be this beautiful.

I ended up reading all of Psalm 19, and it was very encouraging. I love the closing verse of this Psalm.

Psalms 19:14 (ESV)

¹⁴ Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

What a wonderful way to close the Psalm. As I pondered this passage, I remembered a passage in 1John that I love that speaks of God’s commandments.

1 John 5:3-5 (ESV)

³ For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. ⁴ For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. ⁵ Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

These thoughts just fill me with a sense of contentment, in spite of the fog, and as I reflect on these things, I look at Psalm 20. The heading is “Trust in the Name of the Lord,” and I had to read that.

Psalm 20 Trust in the Name of the Lord

As I read this passage, I knew that this was part of what God was reminding me of in regards to this struggle I have been having. I know that He is always with me. I find great peace and contentment in His presence, but sometimes these struggles can become a distraction that can set me off track a bit, but today the Holy Spirit reminded me that I was not alone. The opening verses touched my heart. I ended up reading the whole chapter.

Psalms 20 (ESV)

¹ May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!

May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!

² May he send you help from the sanctuary

and give you support from Zion!

³ May he remember all your offerings

and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah

⁴ May he grant you your heart’s desire

and fulfill all your plans!

⁵ May we shout for joy over your salvation,

and in the name of our God set up our banners!

May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!

⁶ Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;

he will answer him from his holy heaven

with the saving might of his right hand.

⁷ Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

⁸ They collapse and fall,

but we rise and stand upright.

⁹ O LORD, save the king!

May he answer us when we call.

It was hard to find the words to describe my response. I was filled up with joy as I was reminded of regardless of my circumstances my trust rests in the Lord. I am reminded of Paul’s letter to the Philippians in Chapter 4

Philippians 4:11-13 (ESV)

That is why I am so thankful for God’s Word because I know that when I struggle or when physically things are not working as they should if I will take it to the Lord He will show me what I need if I will listen and look. But He had more to share this morning in Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 1

After my time in Psalms, I read my devotional for the day from Timothy Keller and his reference verse for today was 1:12-18

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 (ESV)

The Vanity of Wisdom

¹² I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³ And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. ¹⁴ I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

¹⁵ What is crooked cannot be made straight,

and what is lacking cannot be counted.

¹⁶ I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” ¹⁷ And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much vexation,

and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

I read this passage a couple of times in the devotional and then in my ESV translation. I have not given as much effort in studying Ecclesiastes as other books so until today I had missed a key point in this passage. I knew that striving to figure things out ourselves without God was vanity. That I understood, but what I missed was the vexation and sorrow part.

We push and struggle to figure things out on our own to the point of frustration or sorrow before we seek God’s help and it is such a vain waste of time and energy. “What is crooked [we] cannot [make] straight.” It takes God’s intervention to resolve the issue, whatever it might be, and He always has the best solution.

Reflections

I thought over all of these things this morning. Prayed and pondered, meditated and reflected and ultimately settled into contentment. I received sufficient clarity to write this and to study just enough to respond the insight provided by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. I am thankful.

He leads me to one last place in His Word, and I will close with that.

Closing Thoughts

I do not know that this cloudy feeling will leave completely. I know that it is frustrating, but I know that regardless God will use it to help me grow closer to Him. He has shown me too many times that all things work together for good. It does not mean there are not moments that I do not freak out a bit, but ultimately I place my trust in Him. There are two passages that I always hold onto in the difficult moments.

The first is in 2 Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 (ESV)

⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

The second is in Romans 8

Romans 8:28 (ESV)

²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

These passages speak to me. I have not seen what Paul has seen and I am not even saying that these issues I have are to keep me humble, but they do. Every time I read 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 I am reminded of what Paul withstood, and I am reminded of how much I have to be thankful for. The same is true of Romans 8:28.

I will never claim to understand any of the things that are taking place in my life or those around me. I only know that I have been blessed beyond measure and every struggle has been met with blessings, hope, and strength; not because of anything I have done but because of what God has done in my heart.

Thanksgiving

I am filled with a thankful heart. I am overwhelmed by the awesomeness of God and His GLORY! There is none above Him. I praise Him and to Him goes all the Glory.

Psalms 19:1 (ESV)

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

As for me… I am thankful.

Prayer

Father, thank you for this morning and the insight you afforded me. Thank you for your holy Word and answered prayer. Thank you for all that you do in us, through us, and around us, in Jesus name, I pray, Amen!

God’s Word ETC.

February 22, 2018

The Light and Promise

This morning was an interesting morning of prayer and study. I always start with prayer, but from there it is up in the air. Today I fired up a sermon by Doctor Martin Lloyd-Jones on the pride of man. While that was starting, I read a devotional regarding God’s Word. The referenced verse was in Proverbs 30.

Proverbs 30:5-6 (ESV)

⁵ Every word of God proves true;

he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

⁶ Do not add to his words,

lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

I looked at this passage and just pondered the power of verse five. “Every word of God proves true.” This passage is burned into my heart. I do not question its validity. I do not question any of God’s Word from the first word of Genesis to the last word of Revelation. So, what does that mean about verse six?

It means I believe it as well. “Do not add to his words.”

Proverbs 30 is not the only place these two things are stated. Looking at the links in my Bible I found verse five restated twice and verse six three times.

Every Word of God Proves True

This passage is restated twice in Psalms.

Psalms 12:6 (ESV)

⁶ The words of the LORD are pure words,

like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,

purified seven times.

Psalms 18:30 (ESV)

³⁰ This God—his way is perfect;

the word of the LORD proves true;

he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

If we doubt this how can we be certain about any of God’s Word? How can we accept any teaching without questioning its veracity? I thought about that for a long time meditating on verse six and listening to Doctor Lloyd-Jones discuss the same topic things started to come together for me.

Do Not Add to His Words

I read verse six several times. I also looked at the linked verses:

Deuteronomy 4:2 (ESV)

² You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.

Deuteronomy 12:32 (ESV)

³² “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.

Revelation 22:18 (ESV)

¹⁸ I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,

I have read these verses many times, and though I had not memorized these words I knew them and honestly, I tended to overlook them or take them for granted. It one of those phrases that I knew to be true and subconsciously I did not need to focus on it, but God showed me this morning that I was wrong.

As I was pondering this verse and looking at the linked verse, I heard Doctor Lloyd-Jones begin specific discussion of pride and how it prevented faith, and that got my attention.

The Barrier of Pride and Selfishness

He first spoke of Jesus and how he never took credit for the things He did. He gave all the Glory to God. I thought a passage in Philippians 2 where Paul explained Jesus’ example of humility.

Philippians 2:1-2 (ESV)

¹ So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, ² complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Then Paul defines the mind we should have in verses 3-5, and in verse 6-8 he explains what the willingness of Jesus.

Philippians 2:3-8 (ESV)

³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

This is not always an easy step. Christ’s example is hard for me to fathom. Paul cautions us to simply not be selfish and put others interests before our own, but sometimes that selfishness just kicks in. I will hit a point where I want to be first. Jesus never did that except to be the first to live without sin and to die for me. That is humbling when I think of times I let selfishness or pride put myself first.

You Can’t Handle the Truth

The sermon took another turn as I listened. Doctor Lloyd-Jones spoke of truth and pride and in came God and his pruning knife to convict me once again. The good doctor brought up arguing over a point; it could be anything. He posed the question asking are we searching for the truth or allowing our pride to prove our side of the argument is the correct side.

As I listened I just began to see all the times I had fought not for the truth, but to be right. Even if the point I began with is true and right once I surrender to pride the truth no longer matters, and even if I “win” the argument the truth is lost. No one wins, one simply relents, and decides it is not worth fighting over.

Selflessness

I listened a bit more to the sermon and paused it to read the Word several times. I kept thinking of Paul’s passage above – Philippians 2: 1-8. As I pondered that John 17 came to mind. It is Jesus’ prayer. He speaks of His mission to fulfill God’s plan for salvation and asks God for a blessing to protect his disciples. But even in this prayer He never takes anything from God. All Glory goes to Him. I love this chapter. I especially like how it begins.

John 17:1-5 (ESV)

“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, ² since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. ⁴ I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. ⁵ And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

Jesus assumes nothing. He asks God. He asked him to allow these things. He only told God of His obedience and asked for his blessing. What a powerful example. He did not argue. He did not doubt, and he did not question God. He made only requests of Him.

Ask or Question

As I typed the words from verse 17 above the Holy Spirit hit me with this thought; I suddenly saw this great divide between the word “ask” and “question.” I know that as verbs both have different meanings, but I had not considered it before this moment. It is one of those things we know but do not think about. But today the difference became clear with a verse from Matthew 18.

Matthew 18:3-4 (ESV)

³ and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus asked knowing God would not deny Him. Neither does a little child when they make a request of their parents. When they ask they know that it will be answered. Little children do not question their parents they know who they are, and they trust them not for what they do but for who they are. That is what God wants from us.

Trust

God’s only desire is to be united with us and it was so strong that He was willing to give His Son’s life to pay for our sins. He desires to knock down this wall of pride, doubt, and fear cultivated by the adversary and our rebellion and restore the love and trust that we had with God in the beginning.

In the beginning, the adversary has been filling our minds with doubts and fears. Posing questions to us that cause doubt or fear. Just read Genesis 3:1-7 and you can see the beginning of that process.

Holding on to Our Joy

As I worked through all these things this morning, I could not stop thinking about how blessed we are to have the Word of God and the gift of the Holy Spirit to bring us understanding.

The world is a place filled with darkness, but we have the light of risen Lord, Jesus Christ! Yes, there are people in this world that hate the light and hate us for sharing it, but how can we hide the light of Jesus. If we truly believe it cannot be contained.

As I think of all that Jesus endured for me how can I turn from it. How can I be silent? He suffered in a way that I cannot fathom and did not protest. With a word, he could have stopped it all, but His love for me was so great that He was willing to pay that price. He paid it all for us. Just look at Isaiah 53

Isaiah 53:4-6 (ESV)

⁴ Surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.

⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed.

⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

The whole chapter just blows me away. Isaiah foretells of Jesus sacrifice hundreds of years before it happens, and Jesus would not disobey.

Closing Thoughts

I look at all this, and the promise of Jesus and I am humbled. God asked His Son to give His life as a sacrifice to pay for my sins because the debt had to be paid for us to be reunited. Jesus knew this and did so willingly and was glorified and He gave us one final command and a means to accomplish it.

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

He asked us to tell others what he has given us in His word. It is the promise of eternal life. Why would we not share it? I like how Paul puts it in Romans.

Romans 10:8-10 (ESV)

“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); ⁹ because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

But then comes the question that we need to answer.

Romans 10:14-17 (ESV)

¹⁴ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵ And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ¹⁶ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” ¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Now I am not a preacher, but the Lord is telling us all to share the gospel. It is the good news of salvation. It is the path to peace and rest. The only effective way for it to grow is to be shared. If there were another way, God would have told us.

Sometimes we freeze up. Sometimes we keep silent. That is not what Jesus asked us to do. He asked us to speak because, faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Rom 10:17).

Prayer

Father, please help me to always be bold in my faith and speak the Gospel to others without allowing my pride or fear to get in the way. Lord, you are my strength and if you are with me who can stand against me. Thank you, father, for Your Word and the Gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. I pray all this in Jesus name. Amen!

Pay Close Attention

January 25, 2018

Approaching Clarity

Earlier this week I got together with some brothers and we began a study in Hebrews. The discussion covered chapter one and the first four verses of chapter 2. The discussion led to a realization that Salvation is a gift that we cannot do anything to get. God gives it to us freely, but we have some responsibility not to squander it or ignore it. We need to spend time with God in prayer and His Word.

I know I talk about this activity all the time, but it seems to be everywhere I turn in His Word. The other has to do with encouraging our brothers and sisters which reaffirms the need for us to meet.

This discussion has been bouncing around in my head all week, but the part that prompted me to write about it was a passage from 1 Thessalonians.

1 Thessalonians 5:4-11

Chapter 5 in 1 Thessalonians is dealing with the day of the Lord. Paul speaks of how the Lord will come like a thief in the night, but it will not be that way for the brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:4-11 (ESV)

⁴ But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. ⁵ For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. ⁶ So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. ⁸ But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. ⁹ For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

I read that passage by Paul, and I see the need for all who believe in paying close attention to the world around us. We are not to be fearful, but aware and be sober-minded. Know God’s Word and grow your relationship with Him through prayer and study. That passage brought me back to Hebrews 2.

Hebrews 2:1-4

Paul spent chapter one defining who Jesus was and how important the gift of salvation was and then I had to read the first part of chapter 2.

Hebrews 2:1-4 (ESV)

¹ Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. ² For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, ³ how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, ⁴ while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

“We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” And where do we hear that today? We hear the Word of God; the Holy Bible. And it is not enough to simply give it a passing thought, “we must pay much closer attention.”

Reflections

As I considered just these two passages, my heart was flooded, especially this morning, with more passages and thoughts of how important this all is in knowing God. My next thought was someone would ask, “How can you say we need to spend time with God in the Bible” and I went to Hebrews 1

Hebrews 1:1-2 (ESV)

¹ Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, ^two but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Then John 1

John 1:1-5 (ESV)

So, I look at these three passages and what I draw from them is the need to spend time in the Word to communicate with God and grow closer to Him and know Him better.

The other thing that Paul tells us is to test everything, and the only benchmark that I have is God’s Word. It is the only place of absolute truth and inerrancy.

1 Thessalonians 5:21 (ESV)

²¹ but test everything; hold fast what is good.

Encourage One Another

There was another piece to this morning’s prayer and study, and it dealt with encouragement. I read several passages: Philippians 3:17-21, Jeremiah 29:11-13, and 2 Peter 1:3-4. All of these dealt with encouragement. Then I read 2 Peter 1:5-11 one of my favorites.

2 Peter 1:5-11 (ESV)

⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. ⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities, you will never fall. ¹¹ For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

When I read this passage and the list of attributes we are to build on and share I see only one way to get the correct specification to begin construction, and that is in God’s Word. I know I could cobble something together based on my own understanding, but God has warned me of the folly of that path in Proverbs.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

⁶ In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.

Closing Thoughts

You know there are days that I do not want to study. My head is a cloud of mush. I cannot focus, and I can make no sense of anything I read, but I pray, and I ask for guidance to understand, and I may not be able to put two sentences together to write anything, but God gives me What I need for that day.

The days when I am just not up to it, in my mind, I never seem to pull out. Those days just stay cloudy until I surrender. Pride usually is in the mix somewhere. Once rid of that the clouds begin to lift.

So, I cannot say I am in the Word as much as I should be, but I can with all certainty say that when I am in the Word of God, the days are better and the hunger for the word grows like an addiction. I need it as much as air and desire it as much as my favorite food.

Prayer

Father, I just give you thanks for today. I pray that this hunger for your Word and the desire I must share my experience will never fade. Lord, I love you and give you thanks for pulling me from the darkness. I pray you may use me to do the same for others. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

Proverbial Ramblings

January 10, 2018

There has been a gap in my writing and posting in the past week. I had a posting written on the January 5^th, but It just did not fit, and clearly, God felt the same way about it because every time I thought of publishing it something prevented it from happening. That and Pat getting sick Sunday morning got me out of the rhythm. But this morning was more back to normal. My wife Pat is better, and my focus is better.

Head of Trail

The past few weeks during the cold snap, (anything for me below 20º is a cold snap), I have been listening to YouTube videos with quite a bit of open-air preaching. Other teachings came from some of my favorite preachers, and the thing that has been nagging at me has been the response by “Christians” to the open-air preachers. The responses are heartbreaking.

These guys are not threatening their audience; they are preaching the Gospel. They preach the absolute authority of the Bible. They preach;

John 14:6 (ESV)

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

But the reaction of the “Christians” just messes me up. They talk about “their god” is not that way. They claim that there is more than one way to heaven. They claim to be “good” people… at least better than most.

As I listened to these videos, all I could think of is Biblical Illiteracy.

Biblical Illiteracy

As I listened to the responses, I was humbled by the lack of understanding people had for the Word of God. Then I looked back on my 52 years preceding my rebirth, and I was in that same boat. I had been confronted by the same folks, (not on camera), telling me the same things and I responded the same way with maybe a bit more attitude. I was so sure of myself. I didn’t need a preacher to tell me about anything. I knew what I needed to know about God. I prayed when I was in enough trouble and the rest I handled on my own: at least that is what I told myself.

But that all changed, and I thank God for it every day. He drew me in, and the old man died, and the new man was born again in Christ Jesus and to say I am thankful is an immeasurable understatement. But because of the work, the Holy Spirit does in me He revealed a piece of the puzzle I have been struggling with in Proverbs.

Proverbs 1:22 with the Help of Timothy Keller

I had gotten behind on reading my Keller devotional “God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life.” But I am thankful for that because I may not have put the 8-10th together had I read them every day, and I think this is something God wanted me to see all together. These three days covered Proverbs 1:22

Proverbs 1:22 (ESV)

²² “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?

How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing

and fools hate knowledge?

Keller provided the Hebrew word for the fools mentioned in verse 22 and explained them each. And as I read each day all three were far too familiar, but for me to face them honestly was important for me.

The Mocker or Scoffer

Keller explains in the January 8 devotional that foolishness is not a mental disorder but a function of attitude. The goal of the mocker or scoffer is to debunk everything. At their core is pride. Keller called it High Pride. He also pointed out that often these folks are seen to be wise in the eyes of the world while being foolish in God’s eyes. We are not wise when we take things down. We are cynical and hanging around with people like that can harden us and close our minds to seeing the good in anything.

I was so there for so long. I had such a sharp tongue and could be so cynical. But until Christ Jesus entered my heart I did not see it. I was blind to the pride that drove the cynic in me. Now I look back, and I see that the negative attributes are easy to pick out of things. If you are wrong nobody is angry. In fact, often they are glad you pointed out something that could be a problem. But after a while, that becomes all you see, and when Christ Jesus opens your eyes, there is so much more to see.

The Mocker and the Word

The frightening thing about who I was when I fit so nicely in the place of the Mocker or Scoffer was that I did not think I needed the Word. I knew enough to get by. I had gone to church, and I knew who God was. I was the guy James spoke to in his letter.

James 2:19 (ESV)

19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

The only thing is that I was not smart enough to shudder. I was filled with pride that I did not even understand because I had spent no time in the Word.

Had I been in the Word I would have known how futile pride is. I would have known Proverbs 8

Proverbs 8:13 (ESV)

¹³ The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.

Pride and arrogance and the way of evil

and perverted speech I hate.

But those things eluded me because I knew God and had no time for His Word. He was my emergency device, not my Lord. He was there to get me out of a tight spot.

The Gullible Fool

The Fool the Keller covered on the 9th was the gullible fool. The Hebrew word meant Simple or Gullible. If you are this kind of fool, you believe anything. I never really thought of myself as gullible, but you know as I thought about it this morning there were times when I experimented with religions. Sort of like Paul said in Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:14 (ESV)

¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

My parents will attest to that. In my youth I was crazy, and I did get wrapped up in some crazy religions. But until I thought about it this morning I had not considered having a weakness here in being simple or gullible, but I did.

The Obstinate

The main Hebrew word used for fools in proverbs according to Keller means to be obstinate. This fool was unable to gain sufficient knowledge to be corrected because he was wise in his own eyes. He isn’t open to new ideas. I cannot help but see pride at work here too. A closed mind is so easy to lock down. We get so busy in a discussion (or argument) planning what to say next we do not hear the other persons response. We hear only enough to jumble it up to match our preconception.

This was hard for me. I would argue to win in any situation. Now I realize that nobody wins in those situations… nobody. The only difference between that kind of a debate and a fist fight is that there are no visible cuts or bruises.

Our example is Christ Jesus. We stand on the Word of God and let the Holy Spirit guide us in love. I like what Paul told the Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV)

¹ I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Closing Thoughts

As I reflect on all of this that I studied and read this morning, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness for God’s Word and His Holy Spirit that guides me to a better understanding of His Word. I know that without daily study and prayer it would be like going without food or water. How do I know? January 7 in Keller’s book covered Proverbs 1:22 as well, but I had read it Saturday and forgot that quickly.

I must be in prayer and the Word every day as much as I must drink water every day.

Prayer

Father, I pray that I will stay focused on Your Word and Prayer. I pray that you will strengthen me that I do not fall into distractions of this world and return to my old ways but hold fast to you in all that I do. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!

Encourage a Preacher of the Word

January 3, 2018

In the past few days, I have been pondering all the places that I come to know and grow closer to God. Of course, it begins with prayer and study of His Word. But there are other places as well. One is my preacher, another devotionals and commentaries, and more prayer. Today I wanted to mention the preacher of the Word.

I have wrestled with this topic for a couple of days now (maybe three), but it is very important to me. I love the men that preach at my church. They all strive to be godly men, and their focus is to preach God’s Word.

As I think of these guys, I realize it is a very easy thing to put them as the head of the church rather than Christ Jesus and not even realize it our Preachers need our encouragement, but not our worship.

1 Corinthians 2

There are at least a couple letters where Paul talks about His preaching and his example of humility and an explanation of sorts of how he preaches.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (ESV)

¹ And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. ² For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ³ And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, ⁴ and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, ⁵ so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Now I am not proclaiming that my preachers are Paul, but they do not use fancy words or express words of human wisdom. Their sermons and teachings come from God’s Word guided by the Holy Spirit. When you consider the audience that meets every Sunday, how could it be anything else? The congregation is such a mix of people from first-time visitors to seasoned followers, and our preacher must walk a fine line to keep everyone engaged.

1 Corinthians 1

I looked back to chapter one in the book and beginning in the chapter and saw one thing that is dangerous with a great preacher. It is when people start following the Preacher more than the word.

1 Corinthians 1:10-17 (ESV)

10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

This passage is a pretty profound caution in my mind. Paul is telling us not to get wrapped up in the messenger but the message. I love verse 17 of this warning. “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” Just let that soak in for a moment. I can think of half-dozen TV preachers where the cross seems to have been emptied because it is more about the preacher than Jesus. Paul never claimed any authority. He remained humble in all his dealings.

1 Corinthians 4

I like how Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 4:1-7

1 Corinthians 4:1-7 (ESV)

¹ This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. ² Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. ³ But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. ⁴ For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. ⁵ Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

⁶ I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. ⁷ For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

Paul speaks of their role as “servants of Christ and Stewards of the mysteries of God.” Then he speaks of judgment by men and God and how he has applied these things to both himself and Apollos for the Corinthians benefit, “that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.”

Paul reminds us all that all that we have we received and nothing we have is worthy of boasting about.

Reflections

I read all this and thought and prayed over what I had read. I also read a good part of Philippians two through four which speaks to me the example of Christ Jesus humility and Paul’s humility as examples for us to follow. As I pondered all this, I could not help but consider how much pressure the adversary must apply to my preachers to puff up his ego and at the same time knock him around for not reaching everyone in the congregation.

I had to stop and pray a prayer of thanks to God for my preachers. A prayer that the Lord be with them to stay in the Word and remain humble “not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. ” (1Cor4:6b)

Closing Thoughts

I love my preachers, and I am thankful that every Sunday through them the Holy Spirit reveals something new to me. I am thankful that these men are willing servants who trust in the Holy Spirit and the Word of God as the only source of truth. I am thankful that they do not want blind followers that can only manage one meal a week but push us each Sunday to study and to test everything that they teach against the scriptures. I am thankful that they have no desire to boast in anything but Christ Jesus, “so that our faith may not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”(1 Cor 2:5)

Prayer

Father, thank you for your bride the Church. Thank you, Lord, for the Preachers you have placed in positions of authority, in my home Church. Lord, I know that they, like all of us, are fallible men, but I know that they seek after you and trust in you and your Holy Word. I pray that you will bless them with humility and courage to lead our church and bless them with a heart for your Word and Prayer every day. Lord, I thank you in Jesus name, Amen!

Reflections

December 20, 2017

The Narrow Gate

This morning I woke with the hook to an old hymn running through my head. The words were “What a friend I have in Jesus, take it to the Lord in prayer.” It just kept rolling through my head to the point that serval times I just sang it out loud. As these lyrics meandered through my brain. I began to think of what that really meant and found myself in a state of prayer and reflection as I tried to clear the cobwebs of sleep.

At some point, I had started a sermon by Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones where he discussed Ephesians 2:4-7. I also read a post by a friend whose wife is struggling with cancer and the anxiety that comes with it both for his wife and himself.

As I pondered these things, my thoughts seemed to get very jumbled. There is so much in this world that is disheartening while if we just believe in Jesus, these burdens can be lifted.

Ephesians 2

I thought about the sermon as it played and the referenced verses in Ephesians. As I thought of them that song was keeping time although now it was a bit less smooth. It seemed to seek out blank spots in my thoughts to fill to make certain that I did not lose focus.

I looked up the referenced verses.

Ephesians 2:4-7 (ESV)

Just think about that gift God gave us and the cost, and we were not even interested in being friends with Him, but He paid the ultimate price to open our hearts to Him. I think of Philippians 2 as I ponder this sacrifice.

Philippians 2

God endured every humiliation to save us. Even death on the cross.

Philippians 2:6-8 (ESV)

⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

What greater friend could we have than in Him.

Philippians 4

I thought of my friend and his wife and my own family struggling with health issues and the anxiety that comes with not knowing and fearing the worst. I remembered my Dad and his fears and the prayers I prayed when I could not persuade him to relax. It was in Philippians.

Philippians 4:5-7 (ESV)

The Lord is at hand; ⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This prayer gets me through a lot of things. It reminds me of where my hope lies. It does not rest with a man or his implements, but how God might use them for the fulfillment of His plan.

By Faith

I am reminded through the Word of God and these lyrics that I have a true friend in Jesus. Someone in whom I can have faith and place my trust in no matter how dark the circumstance may seem. The light of Christ Jesus cannot be overcome.

Hebrews 11:1-3 (ESV)

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. ² For by it the people of old received their commendation. ³ By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

I place my hope and faith in Christ Jesus.

What a Friend I Have in Jesus

That lyric continues as I write and pray and this passage from John came to mind to kind of wrap things up for me.

John 15:15-17 (ESV)

¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. ¹⁷ These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Jesus says it so well. God goes on later to remind us that we are adopted into the family. What joy and wonder there is in knowing that.

Closing Thoughts

That song and all the thoughts and posts that laid on my heart as I prayed and meditated this morning were such a comfort. The circumstances of this fallen world can be dark and bring sadness to us all. I can no longer fathom how you can make it in this world without Christ Jesus. I am reminded of one last passage. It is a family Psalm that goes back at least to my Dad’s father. It is Psalm 121.

Psalms 121:1-2 (ESV)

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

² My help comes from the LORD,

who made heaven and earth.

I love the whole Psalm. But these two verses seem to fit with my thoughts today. I thank God for His love and grace and eternal strength.

Prayer

Father, Thank you for everything. All Your love and provision. All Your peace and joy. Praise be to You, God. Let me always take everything to You in prayer… EVERYTHING… In Jesus name, I pray, Amen!

Going Deep (Trust and Obedience)

December 18, 2017

Friday morning, I woke, and I read a day out of “The Book of Mysteries,” by Jonathan Cahn. It was day 48, and the title was “Into the Deep.” The teacher character in the book spoke of Luke 5:5-11 where Jesus was calling his first disciples.

As I read the devotional in Jonathan Kahn’s book and then the scripture he drew his thoughts from initially I go a different perspective.

Luke 5:3-11

The scripture that the teacher based his teaching on was Luke 5:3-11. In it Luke relayed a story of a time when Jesus was teaching a crowd on the edge of “the lake of Gennesaret,” and he got into Simon Peter’s boat and asked him to put out a bit from shore, and Jesus taught from the boat. When Jesus had finished teaching, he told Peter how to fish.

Luke 5:3-11 (ESV)

³ Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. ⁴ And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” ⁵ And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” ⁶ And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. ⁷ They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸ But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” ⁹ For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, ¹⁰ and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” ¹¹ And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

You could tell by Simon Peter’s tone that he was not eager to drop those nets he had just cleaned, but he did, and Jesus blessed them. They not only caught fish, they nearly sank their boat, ruined their nets, and sank the boats that came to help. When they got to shore they left everything to follow Jesus.

Perspective

Now I read this more than a couple times over the last three days; I did not get it. I saw the act of dropping the nets as an act of obedience. Jonathan Cahn explained it as moving to the deep because that was where the most blessings were… at least that was my initial thought. But the more I meditated on it, the more my perspectives changed.

My thoughts went from one of simply trust and obedience to faith and from faith a deeper relationship with God.

I read all the reference passages included with the daily reading focused on Luke 5:3-11. It also included Genesis 49:25, 1 Corinthians 2:10-13 and as I pondered his thoughts I added 2 Timothy 1:6-7 and Romans 8:14-17

1 Corinthians 2:10-13

I read 1 Corinthians 2, and I struggled a bit with understanding it and how it related to the deep relationship. But I read past 13 through verse 16.

1 Corinthians 2:10-16 (ESV)

¹⁰ these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. ¹¹ For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. ¹² Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. ¹³ And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

¹⁴ The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. ¹⁵ The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. ¹⁶ “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

As I read, I prayed and asked for guidance. My head and heart both ached at times as I tried to grasp this teaching. But what I realized is the great gift that we have in the indwelling Holy Spirit. Without Him, we would be lost, and the Word of God would often be gibberish.

The Holy Spirit came when we gave our life to Christ Jesus. We surrendered our will to Him. This gift is a gift of courage that is ours and is not meant to be squandered staying close to the shore but shared in the deep water without fear. We are not alone in this task the Holy Spirit gives us the strength to not only stay afloat but not fear the deep. It brought to mind for me two other passages. Romans 8:14-17 and 2 Timothy 1:6-7

Courage

I love these two passages from Romans and 2 Timothy. They remind me of who I am and the gift that I have been given.

Romans 8:14-17 (ESV)

¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

2 Timothy 1:6-7 (ESV)

⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, ⁷ for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Now I ponder these two passages, and they speak of the kind of Spirit we received. In Romans, it was a Spirit of adoption, not slavery or fear. In 2 Timothy, it was a Spirit of power not of fear, but there was a condition to both. We had to suffer with Christ so that we may also be glorified with Him in Romans. In 2 Timothy we must fan the flame of the gift from God to assure we benefit from the gifts God gave us. As I considered these passages I thought about the reference to the deep and the blessings found there.

Reflections

Over the past few days, I have just mulled these things over. I considered all kinds of thoughts from prayer to study of the Word. I thought about writing this blog and sharing the Gospel. But I had never really thought about blessings associated with the deep. I thought of it more as growing than a blessing, but that changed this weekend.

Title Change

The original title for this blog post was going to be “Trust and Obedience” because that is more of what I saw when I initially read these passages, but as you can see it has been replaced with “Going Deep”. The more I read the piece by Jonathan Cahn and read God’s Word and Prayed the more I realized what blessings are found by searching the deep water. Not searching it FOR blessings but searching it to be closer to God.

Closing Thoughts

It is not enough to hang out along the shore and wade in only deep enough to be sure that our head never gets under water. There is an illusion that we are safer there because no sharks will come get us in the shallows, but that is not true. Besides that, we are defining our safe zone rather than trusting the Lord. We are sure if we just stay in the shallows we will be safe. If we always keep our head above the water, we will be safe. But that is a deception from the adversary.

Never getting our hair wet we will never see the beauty of God’s Word that rests just below the surface. Never getting our hair wet we will never throw all our trust in prayer and see what He will do for us. There is far more danger in the shallows alone than in the deep water held by God.

One More Thing

This surrender is not always easy. It can be a radical change. But Jesus died for us and took away our sin and the method He used far exceeds the definition of radical. We are not alone. The Lord is with us and what He has to show us is more beautiful than our minds can grasp, but it is in the deep water, and we must trust Him enough to go where we cannot touch the bottom.

Prayer

Father God, Thank you for everything. It is the only word that works for me this morning. I praise You for keeping me on track and reminding me that the joy and peace come in knowing You and sharing our good Word with others. Thank you for the courage and strength of the indwelling Holy Spirit. I am overwhelmed by His guidance and strength to direct my actions and give me the courage to obey. I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen

The Hypocrite?

December 13, 2017

The title of today’s blog, “The Hypocrite?” may seem a bit strange, but I hope you will bear with me. I pray that it will make sense in the end.

This morning when I woke my prayers were prayers filled with repentance because of late they had been so full of requests and that I had lost focus of simply praying to better know God; pray to draw closer to Him.

Yes, I still prayed for my friends, those hurting and in need, the sick and the lost, and my Church. But I had forgotten to many times to spend time in praise asking God to help me seek His face.

I suddenly realized that my prayers the past few weeks had become transactional events instead of discussions with my Father. That was humbling, and it caused my heart to ache. But it did not stop there.

After my prayers, I read Proverbs 2 on the prompting of the K-Love verse of the day.

Proverbs 2

I started with verse 7 and read it. Then I slipped back to verse 6 and read 6-8.

Proverbs 2:6-8 (ESV)

⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom;

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

⁷ he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

⁸ guarding the paths of justice

and watching over the way of his saints.

I read the rest of Proverbs 2, and the Lord reminded me of the value of wisdom in those verses. I thought of how my focus had shifted away from seeking His wisdom and more fixing people or things. I realized how much I was taking that for granted and how much I needed His wisdom.

The heading of chapter three also shook me a bit reminding me further how important it is to seek after God always with all your heart. That heading was “Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart.” So that is what I did this morning in kind of a less traditional day for me.

What Next

I sat for a moment or more and just thought about what I had read, and I was still a little jumbled. On autopilot, as I meditated on what I had read I cleaned out my email junk. It is something I do every morning. This time of year, it is full of sales links from photography to Christian bookstores, and we must not forget Amazon.

While I was doing this one of subscriptions on YouTube came up with a video title that caused me to pause and shift my thoughts for reflection to the title. It was “Hypocrisy! – Charles Spurgeon Audio Sermons”

Hypocrisy

Well, I am a Spurgeon fan. To me, he is a good preacher. In this sermon, he held back nothing. He spoke of all the signs of Hypocrisy, but he did it in the form of compare and contrast. As I listened, the Lord reminded me how vigilant I need to be because there is no one that I can better deceive than myself.

I need to always draw close to God and be sure that I am properly focused if my prayers or council are to be of any value.

Hypocrisy vs. Faithfulness

Spurgeon’s sermon laid out some checks and cures for the condition.

The hypocrite is a chameleon with his religion while a true Christian is consistent with his faith.
The hypocrite is quick to condemn others. The Christian places all above himself and focuses on his own shortcomings.
A true Christian is assured by the Holy Spirit that his sins have been taken While the Hypocrite has no peace. God Dislikes the Hypocrite.

Cure for the Hypocrite

Spurgeon proclaimed that self-deception is the easiest sin to fall into. He warned that we need to go to God in prayer and ask, “If I am deceived free me from my deception.” We need to focus on ourselves on this issue. God will take care of those around us.

The thing he said that shook me was “Don’t be content to take your Christianity for granted.” Not that I should doubt my salvation or become worried about it. The thing that came to mind for me was my wife.

I love Pat, and she knows that I do. But do I take her for granted?

Sometimes I do and do not realize it, and sometimes I do, and I can see that I have hurt her in her eyes or her voice and that hurts me.

What about taking God for granted. Well in this circumstance he let me go for a couple of weeks before I realized that I had hurt Him.

What Do I Do Now?

I repent. I pray for forgiveness and remember the order and priority of things.

I remember nothing can be done in secret. God sees and knows everything, and a sin of omission is as painful to Him as one of commission.

There is something else that hurt as I thought of it and that was mistreating others. Getting frustrated with someone at a store or in a restaurant because the service is poor.

We all love grace for ourselves but are sometimes quick to hand out the justice of our own making. That did not work well for the debtor in the parable who was forgiven by his master but did not reciprocate in kind to those who owed him money. God will not be deceived.

Further Reflection

As the sermon ended and I paused to reflect on all that Spurgeon had shared a flood of scriptures came to mind. I tell my daughter Caroline all the time that everything needs to be tested against Gods Word regardless of its origin, so that is what I did. I went to these passages that came to mind and reviewed what God had to say through His Apostles.

The Book of James

I went to James and read chapter 3 and read 13-18 on wisdom and the truth of its source.

James 3:13-18 (ESV)

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. ¹⁵ This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ¹⁶ For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. ¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸ And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

In these verses, James talks about the difference between the humble and the proud the believer and the hypocrite. He points out the dangers more profoundly than Spurgeon did in his sermon.

James 4

Then I went to chapter 4 and read the warning against worldliness and settled on verse10-10

James 4:4-12 (ESV)

⁴ You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? ⁶ But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” ⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

¹¹ Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. ¹² There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

James did the same in 4-12. He tells us the path to take in Christ Jesus and reminds us in verse 12 there is only one lawgiver.

Galatians

Peter gave an example of the Hypocrite in Galatians and Called Peter to task for it. In chapter 2;11-14

Galatians 2:11-14 (ESV)

¹¹ But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. ¹² For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. ¹³ And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. ¹⁴ But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

I looked at that as confirmation of Spurgeon’s comment that self-deception is the easiest sin to fall into. Even Peter deceived himself. When the men from Jerusalem came, he pretended he had not eaten with the Gentiles. If Peter can mess up like that, I surely know I can. The last passage I looked at was Hebrews 10 although I know there are more than support this need to guard the heart.

Hebrews 10

Hebrews 10:19-31 (ESV)

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

²⁶ For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. ²⁸ Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

When I read this, I can feel the plea of the Lord through the words of the writer. He has shown us so much. We know the truth. There is no room for the false believer or hypocrite. Only the humble and repentant we have so much we should “stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Closing Thoughts

It is so easy to slip into self-deception which can lead to hypocrisy. When things get busy or distracting or just a bit melancholy because of circumstances that cannot be clearly defined it is easy to slip. I think Paul’s reminder to the Philippians is one of my favorite.

Philippians 2:12-13 (ESV)

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Peter runs a close second or maybe is tied.

2 Peter 1:5-11 (ESV)

⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. ⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. ¹¹ For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I am so thankful for God’s Word, His patience, grace, and mercy.

Prayer

Father, forgive me for taking my faith for granted the past little while. Thank you for using the sermon on Hypocrisy to get my attention. Lord, You are amazing and awesome and so patient with me that I cannot be anything but humbled and repentant. Help me be the man that you would have me be by remembering You in how I treat every person. Break my heart for what breaks Yours. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen!

The Word Became Flesh

December 11, 2017

Sometimes during the Holidays, I can get melancholy. It is too hard to explain why, besides, I am not always certain why it happens; it just does. I know when it started, but that is not important anymore. It just seems to linger.

This morning I had a bit tougher time getting started. I pushed through it, but it was just a bit muddled. I listened to a couple of old songs folks had posted and read a few words of encouragement written by wise people, and just had to stop and think about what I was hearing and reading.

The songs were beautiful. They were ones I grew up with in the early 70s. The words of wisdom were also beautiful on the surface. But both the songs and the words balanced on the edge of sadness and loneliness.

I pulled myself away from these worldly things and started praying about the condition my condition was in, and I ended up in John 1.

John 1

I read the first 18 verses and paused and prayed several times as I read them.

John 1:1-5 (ESV) The Word Became Flesh

These words are some of the most beautiful to me. When I read them my heart swells with love and hope. John describes how he sees the incarnation of Christ Jesus but not on his own but with the Holy Spirit to guide his heart and his pen. Then in verse 6 he speaks of the messenger, John the Baptist.

John 1:6-8

John a man sent to make straight the way of the Lord. To call out to the world and alert them to the Savior’s coming.

John 1:6-8 (ESV)

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

I love how John refers to Jesus as the Light. In these verses. I love what my mind’s eye sees as I read them. I love the image. There is nothing as beautiful as a day filled with sunlight. Even in a thick forest, the light will find a way through the trees to light the forest floor.

John 1: 9-13

Then we come to verse 9, and I look at that passage, and I can see why so many struggle so with things in this world. They not only do not accept the gift of Christ Jesus they do not even recognize it.

John 1:9-13 (ESV)

I was one of those that did not see him. My parents took me to church probably until I started working at age 15. Then I pulled away. Looking back, I knew who God was just like I know who the president is today. But I did not know him personally. So instead of seeking solace in God, I sought it out on my own and that never works. It took some time, but I finally became willing to listen to the witness of John, and others in the Word of God, and I am blessed beyond measure.

John 1:14-18

I did wake up on a sunny day the end of April around 8 or 9 years ago, and I heard the Word and recognized all my parents had tried to teach me from a young age and Pat shared with me in our marriage. The words were clear.

John 1:14-18 (ESV)

What an amazing sacrifice God made for us all. I end up in Ephesians 2

Ephesians 2

Verses 1-10 give me chill bumps every time I read them.

Ephesians 2:1-10 (ESV)

What a powerful declaration. What a powerful promise.

Closing Thoughts

Now I am not saying that as a Christian I should not have times when I am sad or even in mourning. I still have the same emotions had before I came to the Lord. I can still be pushed along by a sad song, and sometimes I do not know why. But I have an action plan that is different today from the days before my rebirth.

I talk to God about it. Sometimes He takes it right away, and sometimes he will leave it with me for a time that I might grow from it. I talk to my wife about it and lastly trusted friends who I know to trust in the Lord and will pray for me and with me.

In all this, I remember always one thing…

Psalm 121

Psalms 121 (ESV)

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

² My help comes from the LORD,

who made heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot be moved;

he who keeps you will not slumber.

⁴ Behold, he who keeps Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD is your keeper;

the LORD is your shade on your right hand.

⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,

nor the moon by night.

⁷ The LORD will keep you from all evil;

he will keep your life.

⁸ The LORD will keep

your going out and your coming in

from this time forth and forevermore.

Prayer

Father, thank you for replacing my heart of stone with a heart of flesh that can ache for others and be saddened by the things around it. Thank you, Lord, for the indwelling of your Holy Spirit in me to help me and guide me when those moments come, and you use them to trim and prune me to bear fruit. Lord God I love you and thank you for every step in my life and in the name of your blessed Son Jesus Christ I pray, Amen!