March 31
“Can anything separate us from the love Christ has for us? Can trouble or persecution or problems or suffering or hunger or nakedness or danger or sword? No! I am certain that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor anything present, nor anything to come—no power—nothing above us, nothing below us, nothing in the whole of creation shall ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord,” Romans 8:35, 38, 39.
This passage of scripture is pervasive. Paul endeavors to consider every possible eventuality in time and every perceivable consequence for eternity and to weigh its influence over the believer as to the love Christ has for him. The conclusion the Apostle reaches is that there isn’t any influence of any negative factor in time or in perpetuity that can sever the bond of love that the Lord uses to hold believers fast.
We who name the name that is “above all names,” Philippians 2:9, may do so with the assurance that no matter how fearsome becomes the wrath of man against us, no matter how uncomfortably we may fit into a society that is becoming constantly more anti-Christian, no matter how negatively our prospects for temporal success may become because of the faith we profess, our risen Savior shall never allow us to be separated from His love.
The question to us must become, ‘How badly do we want the love of Christ?’ The paramount factor we must consider is, ‘How high a price are we willing to pay for God’s free gift?’ Romans 6:23. Yes, salvation is free, but there is often a price tag upon the actual living out of the redemption Jesus holds out to us.
May we be fortified in the inner man as we count the cost (see Luke 14: 26-33.) May we resolve when the days are free of persecution to stand strong when the evil days come. May we be steadfast, not in our own strength but in “the power of His might,” Ephesians 6:10. May we never falter, not because we are strong, but because HE is strong in us.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Remember the Sabbath
March 30
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” Exodus 20:8.
Our holy God has given us precious laws by which to govern our personal and our societal activities. There was a time when laws regarding Sabbath activity were staunchly in place. Sometimes they were called ‘Blue Laws’ and they required that business activity be curtailed on Sunday.
Some may insist that Sunday is not technically the Sabbath anyway, so the restriction was misplaced. The reason for the change of the day of worship was that Jesus arose from the tomb, not on the last day of the week, the Sabbath, but on Sunday. Many will debate the propriety of one or the other day of worship, but the larger point is that we have come to regard all days as equally viable for business and commercial interests to the extent that we keep no day holy!
We run our errands on the ‘weekend.’ Saturday and Sunday are the days busy people use to accomplish personal interests for which they lack time during the hustle and bustle of the business week. We initiate and conclude our vacations on the weekend, thereby excluding the time from church attendance and worship of our Lord. In so doing, we are denying ourselves not only the joy of fellowship with people of like precious faith, which we are admonished not to do, Hebrews 10:25, but we also prevent ourselves from the intended rest that accompanies honoring the Sabbath.
Many sports events are conducted on the weekend. We will travel for miles to watch our favorite teams engage in completion, forgoing church attendance to do so. We will spend our energy traveling to sports events and cheering on our favorite teams on Sunday, but we will be too tired to get out of bed to attend church after a night on the town on Saturday.
Some would say that God doesn’t so much expect a specific day dedicated to Him but that He wants a seventh of our time every day to be spent in prayer and scripture reading and contemplation of the Holy One and of the things of eternity.
Then there are those who quote Psalm 109:4, “I give myself unto prayer,” which indicates that the entirety of our focus should be on the things of Christ—the way we live our lives should be governed by our submission of ourselves to the Lord and Savior of our lives.
As we embark upon this day of worship, let us allow ourselves the joy of corporate worship and anointed preaching. Let us be bathed in the presence of the Holy Spirit who will teach us all things. Let us lift up our voices in praise to the Holy One who inhabits eternity (see Isaiah 57:15). Let us abide in the presence of the Christ who "will never leave us or forsake us," Hebrews 13:5.
If we allow the Holy Spirit to move in and through us, He will have His way in us—our thoughts, our words, our actions, the entirety of our use of the time He gives to us, will be spent for His glory.
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” Exodus 20:8.
Our holy God has given us precious laws by which to govern our personal and our societal activities. There was a time when laws regarding Sabbath activity were staunchly in place. Sometimes they were called ‘Blue Laws’ and they required that business activity be curtailed on Sunday.
Some may insist that Sunday is not technically the Sabbath anyway, so the restriction was misplaced. The reason for the change of the day of worship was that Jesus arose from the tomb, not on the last day of the week, the Sabbath, but on Sunday. Many will debate the propriety of one or the other day of worship, but the larger point is that we have come to regard all days as equally viable for business and commercial interests to the extent that we keep no day holy!
We run our errands on the ‘weekend.’ Saturday and Sunday are the days busy people use to accomplish personal interests for which they lack time during the hustle and bustle of the business week. We initiate and conclude our vacations on the weekend, thereby excluding the time from church attendance and worship of our Lord. In so doing, we are denying ourselves not only the joy of fellowship with people of like precious faith, which we are admonished not to do, Hebrews 10:25, but we also prevent ourselves from the intended rest that accompanies honoring the Sabbath.
Many sports events are conducted on the weekend. We will travel for miles to watch our favorite teams engage in completion, forgoing church attendance to do so. We will spend our energy traveling to sports events and cheering on our favorite teams on Sunday, but we will be too tired to get out of bed to attend church after a night on the town on Saturday.
Some would say that God doesn’t so much expect a specific day dedicated to Him but that He wants a seventh of our time every day to be spent in prayer and scripture reading and contemplation of the Holy One and of the things of eternity.
Then there are those who quote Psalm 109:4, “I give myself unto prayer,” which indicates that the entirety of our focus should be on the things of Christ—the way we live our lives should be governed by our submission of ourselves to the Lord and Savior of our lives.
As we embark upon this day of worship, let us allow ourselves the joy of corporate worship and anointed preaching. Let us be bathed in the presence of the Holy Spirit who will teach us all things. Let us lift up our voices in praise to the Holy One who inhabits eternity (see Isaiah 57:15). Let us abide in the presence of the Christ who "will never leave us or forsake us," Hebrews 13:5.
If we allow the Holy Spirit to move in and through us, He will have His way in us—our thoughts, our words, our actions, the entirety of our use of the time He gives to us, will be spent for His glory.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Search Effort
March 29
"He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light," Job 12:22.
As of this writing, there is a massive search going on for a Malaysian jet liner that has been missing for over a week. Speculation is rampant regarding the where-abouts of the missing airship.
One of the more incredible aspects of the jet’s disappearance is that audio communication with the giant passenger plane went silent just before it disappeared. That silence has perhaps fueled more speculation than any other single thing.
Why wasn’t a ‘may-day’ alert called?
Why didn’t the pilot or co-pilot sound an alarm if problems occurred?
Why did the plane have two people aboard who had false passports?
Why did the plane change course and travel for hours before disappearing?
Some of these same questions may be asked of people who consider themselves to be ‘former Christians.’
Why didn’t they beseech their friends and fellow believers when they felt they were losing their way spiritually?
Why didn’t someone close to them sound an alarm regarding their deteriorating spiritual condition?
Why had they begun to associate more closely with unbelievers than with people of faith?
Why did they travel a divergent path before terminating all contact with their former fellow worshipers?
As with the missing plane, a massive search effort is undertaken in order to locate the missing believers and to encourage them to return to the fold, but though there is much expenditure of time and effort to return them to their ‘First Love,’ Jesus, the mission can become an exercise in futility.
Where there is life, there is always hope. We must never stop our outreach and we must never cease our prayers in the behalf of those who have departed the faith; yet we must not allow our preoccupation with returning them to the fold to discourage us from our continued ministry to the lost.
We must ever encourage the unsaved to “taste and see that the Lord is good,” Psalm 34:8, and we must do so because we know that “all things are possible with God,” Matthew 19:26. Both the reclaiming of the disappointed former believer and the shedding of the light of eternal truth upon the unbeliever who walks in darkness are part of the on-going work of believers through the power of the Holy Spirit.
"He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light," Job 12:22.
As of this writing, there is a massive search going on for a Malaysian jet liner that has been missing for over a week. Speculation is rampant regarding the where-abouts of the missing airship.
One of the more incredible aspects of the jet’s disappearance is that audio communication with the giant passenger plane went silent just before it disappeared. That silence has perhaps fueled more speculation than any other single thing.
Why wasn’t a ‘may-day’ alert called?
Why didn’t the pilot or co-pilot sound an alarm if problems occurred?
Why did the plane have two people aboard who had false passports?
Why did the plane change course and travel for hours before disappearing?
Some of these same questions may be asked of people who consider themselves to be ‘former Christians.’
Why didn’t they beseech their friends and fellow believers when they felt they were losing their way spiritually?
Why didn’t someone close to them sound an alarm regarding their deteriorating spiritual condition?
Why had they begun to associate more closely with unbelievers than with people of faith?
Why did they travel a divergent path before terminating all contact with their former fellow worshipers?
As with the missing plane, a massive search effort is undertaken in order to locate the missing believers and to encourage them to return to the fold, but though there is much expenditure of time and effort to return them to their ‘First Love,’ Jesus, the mission can become an exercise in futility.
Where there is life, there is always hope. We must never stop our outreach and we must never cease our prayers in the behalf of those who have departed the faith; yet we must not allow our preoccupation with returning them to the fold to discourage us from our continued ministry to the lost.
We must ever encourage the unsaved to “taste and see that the Lord is good,” Psalm 34:8, and we must do so because we know that “all things are possible with God,” Matthew 19:26. Both the reclaiming of the disappointed former believer and the shedding of the light of eternal truth upon the unbeliever who walks in darkness are part of the on-going work of believers through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Friday, March 28, 2014
The Word
March 28
“Moses said to the LORD, ‘O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.’ So the LORD said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.’ But Moses said, ‘O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.’ So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: ‘Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God.’” Exodus 4:10-16.
“But Jesus answered him, saying, ‘It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’'" Luke 4:4
In these two passages of scripture, we see the importance of the Word of God. In Exodus, when the Holy One of Israel endeavors to enlist the agreement of Moses to God’s plan to use him to speak to Pharaoh, Moses insists that he is incapable of such a momentous task. The Lord assures him that HE will HIMSELF give Moses the words to speak. All he must do is be obedient to speak the words he’s given.
Moses refuses to capitulate and God becomes angry with him, but He does not relent from his insistence that Moses is indeed chosen to represent Him before Pharaoh. What God does is to allow Moses some latitude. God tells him that his brother Aaron may act as Moses' spokesman but that Moses is the one who will actually stand before God and receive His words. Aaron will accord to Moses the great respect of one who is charged with being in the presence of the Holy One and the recipient of His directives.
In Luke 4:4, Jesus has gone into the wilderness for 40 days to fast and pray at the onset of His earthly ministry. The evil one has followed Him there and taunted Him at the point of His physical weakness. The devil showed Him the kingdoms of the earth and assured Him that they would be His if He will but bow before satan.
Jesus rejected this easy route to the salvation of mankind. Jesus knew that the plan that had been in place from the foundation of the earth (see Revelation 13:8) demanded that He be “the Lamb slain…”
The devil challenged Jesus to throw Himself from the pinnacle of the Temple, assuring Him that the angels will “hold Him up, lest He dash His foot against a stone,” Psalm 91:12. At this point, Jesus told him that one must never tempt the Lord your God (see Matthew 4:7, Luke 4:12).
In the final temptation, satan addressed Jesus' hunger from His 40 day fast. The Lord rejected this temptation as well, saying, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from God,” Luke 4:4.
We see the importance of the Word of God in both these passages. We see the importance of hearing it and knowing it and obeying it. We see the assurance of the Holy One that He is guiding and guarding His people even as He did Moses, and that He gives power to believers to overcome the evil one even as Jesus did.
How can we, believers today, in a world that is fraught with disdain for our faith and our Savior, not cling steadfastly to the Word that He has given to us? We cannot. WE MUST HOLD FAST TO JESUS, THE ETERNAL, LIVING AND TRUE WORD OF GOD!
“Moses said to the LORD, ‘O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.’ So the LORD said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.’ But Moses said, ‘O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.’ So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: ‘Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God.’” Exodus 4:10-16.
“But Jesus answered him, saying, ‘It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’'" Luke 4:4
In these two passages of scripture, we see the importance of the Word of God. In Exodus, when the Holy One of Israel endeavors to enlist the agreement of Moses to God’s plan to use him to speak to Pharaoh, Moses insists that he is incapable of such a momentous task. The Lord assures him that HE will HIMSELF give Moses the words to speak. All he must do is be obedient to speak the words he’s given.
Moses refuses to capitulate and God becomes angry with him, but He does not relent from his insistence that Moses is indeed chosen to represent Him before Pharaoh. What God does is to allow Moses some latitude. God tells him that his brother Aaron may act as Moses' spokesman but that Moses is the one who will actually stand before God and receive His words. Aaron will accord to Moses the great respect of one who is charged with being in the presence of the Holy One and the recipient of His directives.
In Luke 4:4, Jesus has gone into the wilderness for 40 days to fast and pray at the onset of His earthly ministry. The evil one has followed Him there and taunted Him at the point of His physical weakness. The devil showed Him the kingdoms of the earth and assured Him that they would be His if He will but bow before satan.
Jesus rejected this easy route to the salvation of mankind. Jesus knew that the plan that had been in place from the foundation of the earth (see Revelation 13:8) demanded that He be “the Lamb slain…”
The devil challenged Jesus to throw Himself from the pinnacle of the Temple, assuring Him that the angels will “hold Him up, lest He dash His foot against a stone,” Psalm 91:12. At this point, Jesus told him that one must never tempt the Lord your God (see Matthew 4:7, Luke 4:12).
In the final temptation, satan addressed Jesus' hunger from His 40 day fast. The Lord rejected this temptation as well, saying, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from God,” Luke 4:4.
We see the importance of the Word of God in both these passages. We see the importance of hearing it and knowing it and obeying it. We see the assurance of the Holy One that He is guiding and guarding His people even as He did Moses, and that He gives power to believers to overcome the evil one even as Jesus did.
How can we, believers today, in a world that is fraught with disdain for our faith and our Savior, not cling steadfastly to the Word that He has given to us? We cannot. WE MUST HOLD FAST TO JESUS, THE ETERNAL, LIVING AND TRUE WORD OF GOD!
Thursday, March 27, 2014
An Eventful Day
March 27
Yesterday was quite an eventful day and it is one that makes us thankful for the Lord's hand of protection around us.
We had been traveling on Interstate 81 North and when we had gotten to just beyond mile post marker 21 in West Virginia, traffic had come to a complete halt. We didn't have any idea what had happened but finally found a local radio station that was carrying the news.
Apparently, we had come within a mile or so and within about two to three minutes of being involved in the accident. The clock in our car indicated that it was 8:49 when we came to a stop and the accident, which we could not see, happened at 8:45. It was between mileposts 21 and 23 according to the reports we heard.
It seems there was a sudden snow squall that blinded everyone. We were that close to it but didn't see any evidence of it at all! One driver plowed into the concrete median and a semi skidded into him and a third car skidded under the semi! The news report said there were twenty cars involved to one degree or another in the pile up. A second accident happened in the south bound lane just beyond the 23 milepost. Reports indicate numerous cars in that pile up, too. The final tally was that 44 cars were impacted to one degree or another by the accident.
We sat in totally stopped traffic from around 8:49 until around Noon when we followed the lead of a number of other cars that turned around and went back south in the north bound lane and got off at the milepost 21 on-ramp that was being used as an-off ramp. We got over to the south side at the next ramp and there were very few cars making their way south...just people like us who had been going north but turned around. The north-bound lane didn’t resume normalcy until 5 P.M.!
We saw more emergency vehicles than we've ever seen before, including five medi-vac helicopters. There were numerous injured people and at least two fatalities. We were struck by the fact that so many dear souls, simply going about their routine, had such a calamity befall them.
We had prayed before we left home, as we always do before a trip, and must thank the Lord for His mercy and grace and keeping power over us on a day when so many lives were impacted so devastatingly. An experience such as this one makes very real the words of II Corinthians 6:2, “Behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold TODAY is the day of salvation.”
No one has a promise of tomorrow. No one knows the moment when he will breathe his final breath. “At an hour when you think not, the Son of Man shall come,” Matthew 24:44. Whether He comes for us individually or whether He comes on that glorious day of His return (see Acts 1:11), we will each keep that final appointment (see Hebrews 9:27.) An eventful day like today makes us so very cognizant of that inescapable truth.
Ephesians 2:8, 9 becomes very real: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Only the grace of God saves us and only the grace of God keeps us. May we ever be thankful; may we not take His grace for granted. It is indeed life’s greatest gift.
Yesterday was quite an eventful day and it is one that makes us thankful for the Lord's hand of protection around us.
We had been traveling on Interstate 81 North and when we had gotten to just beyond mile post marker 21 in West Virginia, traffic had come to a complete halt. We didn't have any idea what had happened but finally found a local radio station that was carrying the news.
Apparently, we had come within a mile or so and within about two to three minutes of being involved in the accident. The clock in our car indicated that it was 8:49 when we came to a stop and the accident, which we could not see, happened at 8:45. It was between mileposts 21 and 23 according to the reports we heard.
It seems there was a sudden snow squall that blinded everyone. We were that close to it but didn't see any evidence of it at all! One driver plowed into the concrete median and a semi skidded into him and a third car skidded under the semi! The news report said there were twenty cars involved to one degree or another in the pile up. A second accident happened in the south bound lane just beyond the 23 milepost. Reports indicate numerous cars in that pile up, too. The final tally was that 44 cars were impacted to one degree or another by the accident.
We sat in totally stopped traffic from around 8:49 until around Noon when we followed the lead of a number of other cars that turned around and went back south in the north bound lane and got off at the milepost 21 on-ramp that was being used as an-off ramp. We got over to the south side at the next ramp and there were very few cars making their way south...just people like us who had been going north but turned around. The north-bound lane didn’t resume normalcy until 5 P.M.!
We saw more emergency vehicles than we've ever seen before, including five medi-vac helicopters. There were numerous injured people and at least two fatalities. We were struck by the fact that so many dear souls, simply going about their routine, had such a calamity befall them.
We had prayed before we left home, as we always do before a trip, and must thank the Lord for His mercy and grace and keeping power over us on a day when so many lives were impacted so devastatingly. An experience such as this one makes very real the words of II Corinthians 6:2, “Behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold TODAY is the day of salvation.”
No one has a promise of tomorrow. No one knows the moment when he will breathe his final breath. “At an hour when you think not, the Son of Man shall come,” Matthew 24:44. Whether He comes for us individually or whether He comes on that glorious day of His return (see Acts 1:11), we will each keep that final appointment (see Hebrews 9:27.) An eventful day like today makes us so very cognizant of that inescapable truth.
Ephesians 2:8, 9 becomes very real: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Only the grace of God saves us and only the grace of God keeps us. May we ever be thankful; may we not take His grace for granted. It is indeed life’s greatest gift.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Rejection or Restoration?
March 26
"’Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but shall not find it. In that day the fair virgins and strong young men shall faint from thirst. Those who swear by the sin of Samaria, who say, As your God lives, O Dan! and, as the way of Beersheba lives! They shall fall and never rise again.'" Amos 8:11-14
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness…” Romans 1:18.
“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness, “ II Thessalonians 2:9-12.
Would anyone add to or take from the Word of God in this matter! Would anyone be so bold as to purport himself to be capable of expounding upon a word that is pregnant with truth!
Can anyone fail to see the veracity of this warning to the people of our day? Indeed, there is not a lack of the Word of God, but a refusal to hear the Word of God! We who have had the blessing of freedom of worship have turned our liberty into license. We have joined the ranks of those who “call evil good and good evil,” Isaiah 5:20.
We have accepted man’s wisdom and his skewed interpretation of law and we have denied the Law of God that is immutable. We have determined that we can save ourselves; but by our rejection of the Truth of the ages, the ever-true Word of our Living God, we have rejected the Savior who is “the way, the truth, and the life,” John 14:6.
In our rebellion, we have exalted the flawed word of man and trampled under our feet the eternal Word of the Living God. Can we do anything but fall on our faces before Him in repentance, recognize Him to be the holy Christ that He is and implore that He cleanse us afresh and restore us to the Word of Truth that makes us free.
"’Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but shall not find it. In that day the fair virgins and strong young men shall faint from thirst. Those who swear by the sin of Samaria, who say, As your God lives, O Dan! and, as the way of Beersheba lives! They shall fall and never rise again.'" Amos 8:11-14
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness…” Romans 1:18.
“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness, “ II Thessalonians 2:9-12.
Would anyone add to or take from the Word of God in this matter! Would anyone be so bold as to purport himself to be capable of expounding upon a word that is pregnant with truth!
Can anyone fail to see the veracity of this warning to the people of our day? Indeed, there is not a lack of the Word of God, but a refusal to hear the Word of God! We who have had the blessing of freedom of worship have turned our liberty into license. We have joined the ranks of those who “call evil good and good evil,” Isaiah 5:20.
We have accepted man’s wisdom and his skewed interpretation of law and we have denied the Law of God that is immutable. We have determined that we can save ourselves; but by our rejection of the Truth of the ages, the ever-true Word of our Living God, we have rejected the Savior who is “the way, the truth, and the life,” John 14:6.
In our rebellion, we have exalted the flawed word of man and trampled under our feet the eternal Word of the Living God. Can we do anything but fall on our faces before Him in repentance, recognize Him to be the holy Christ that He is and implore that He cleanse us afresh and restore us to the Word of Truth that makes us free.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
The Awfulness of Sin
March 25
Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Matthew 24:11, 12
Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! Matthew 7:22, 23
The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the Day of Judgment, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, II Peter 2:9,10
For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. II Peter 2:18, 19
Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Jude 1:3, 4
Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. I John 2:3, 4
Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. I John 3:4
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. I John 5:2, 3
This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. II John 1:6
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. Romans 8:7
It requires but a cursory reading of a few scriptures to become fully aware that the awfulness of sin is a prevalent topic in the Word. The God who gave Himself for us has inspired His human scribes to address the matter fully with the intent that mankind will know His truth and that His truth will set man free, John 8:32.
Friendship with the world will certainly obfuscate the truth the Holy One would reveal to His errant creation, for it is enmity with God, James 4:4. The closer man adheres himself to the world and its value system, the less credence he gives to the value system of the One who inhabits eternity.
As the old saying clearly conveys, ‘You are what you eat,’ because the foods you take into yourself greatly impact your fat to muscle ration, so do the things you take into your spirit impact your inner man. Will you be holy and righteous?
Then you must take to yourself the Word of Life and allow the admonitions against sin that you find there to govern you. If living righteously is the goal of your existence, if salvation from sin is your ultimate life’s goal, then you cannot trivialize the words He has given that are intended to the purpose of setting you free.
Christ’s great price, His “unspeakable Gift,” II Corinthians 9:15 will avail you nothing if you elect to disregard the truth that you must build “precept upon precept, line upon line,” Isaiah 28:10. Salvation is indeed free, but if it is esteemed, it will become the centerpiece of life.
All the work we do toward temporal ends is futile, but all we perform in the behalf of Christ’s Kingdom, all we do to further His purposes, all we strive to reveal to those who know Him not that they, too, might be saved will extol the virtue of His law.
Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Matthew 24:11, 12
Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! Matthew 7:22, 23
The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the Day of Judgment, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, II Peter 2:9,10
For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. II Peter 2:18, 19
Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Jude 1:3, 4
Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. I John 2:3, 4
Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. I John 3:4
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. I John 5:2, 3
This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. II John 1:6
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. Romans 8:7
It requires but a cursory reading of a few scriptures to become fully aware that the awfulness of sin is a prevalent topic in the Word. The God who gave Himself for us has inspired His human scribes to address the matter fully with the intent that mankind will know His truth and that His truth will set man free, John 8:32.
Friendship with the world will certainly obfuscate the truth the Holy One would reveal to His errant creation, for it is enmity with God, James 4:4. The closer man adheres himself to the world and its value system, the less credence he gives to the value system of the One who inhabits eternity.
As the old saying clearly conveys, ‘You are what you eat,’ because the foods you take into yourself greatly impact your fat to muscle ration, so do the things you take into your spirit impact your inner man. Will you be holy and righteous?
Then you must take to yourself the Word of Life and allow the admonitions against sin that you find there to govern you. If living righteously is the goal of your existence, if salvation from sin is your ultimate life’s goal, then you cannot trivialize the words He has given that are intended to the purpose of setting you free.
Christ’s great price, His “unspeakable Gift,” II Corinthians 9:15 will avail you nothing if you elect to disregard the truth that you must build “precept upon precept, line upon line,” Isaiah 28:10. Salvation is indeed free, but if it is esteemed, it will become the centerpiece of life.
All the work we do toward temporal ends is futile, but all we perform in the behalf of Christ’s Kingdom, all we do to further His purposes, all we strive to reveal to those who know Him not that they, too, might be saved will extol the virtue of His law.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Press into the Fullness of Salvation
March 24
It Is Not Finished
Real faith is not only getting beyond our past: it’s recognizing that faith is an ongoing process. None of us “have arrived.” At best, we can say we’re “on the way.”
A big mistake many make is the notion that at any given moment we’re going to be complete and thus relieved from the prospect of additional construction. That is not and will never be the case.
While I’m not everything I want to be, I’m not all the things I once was. Our lives are filled with pressure and stress. This is not necessarily bad. Stress and tension, properly balanced, actually give us strength.
Faith involves having something in the distance to motivate us and keep us moving, as the apostle Paul admonished in Philippians 3:14, “We should press on toward the goal of our high calling in Christ Jesus.”
Faith gives us a focus for our future, helps us move in the direction of our destiny, and gives us the capacity to continue working toward a worthy legacy.
–Mike Huckabee, from Living Beyond Your Lifetime
"Righteousness rescues those who are honest, but those who can't be trusted are trapped by their own greed," stated in Proverbs 11:6, gives us a very clear picture of what Governor Huckabee is saying here.
If we are honest with ourselves, we are aware that we must not only overcome the sin that besets us but we must live lives worthy of the salvation Christ has purchased for us.
Too often we come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus without emerging from the sinful lifestyle that holiness requires us to leave. We subscribe to the notion of once saved always saved and allow ourselves to languish in the squalor from which His great sacrifice has redeemed us.
We may, subsequent to our receiving the Lord into our heart, give lip service to His authority over us; we may attend church regularly; we may support missionaries who travel to far-flung corners of the earth to share the gospel with those who have not heard; but until we make the Word of God the heart of who we are, we have missed the fullness of what Jesus died to give to us.
May we take Paul’s words seriously! May we indeed press forward into the fullness of our salvation! May we, as Governor Huckabee has said, “…work toward a worthy legacy” of faith in and devotion to our Savior.
It Is Not Finished
Real faith is not only getting beyond our past: it’s recognizing that faith is an ongoing process. None of us “have arrived.” At best, we can say we’re “on the way.”
A big mistake many make is the notion that at any given moment we’re going to be complete and thus relieved from the prospect of additional construction. That is not and will never be the case.
While I’m not everything I want to be, I’m not all the things I once was. Our lives are filled with pressure and stress. This is not necessarily bad. Stress and tension, properly balanced, actually give us strength.
Faith involves having something in the distance to motivate us and keep us moving, as the apostle Paul admonished in Philippians 3:14, “We should press on toward the goal of our high calling in Christ Jesus.”
Faith gives us a focus for our future, helps us move in the direction of our destiny, and gives us the capacity to continue working toward a worthy legacy.
–Mike Huckabee, from Living Beyond Your Lifetime
"Righteousness rescues those who are honest, but those who can't be trusted are trapped by their own greed," stated in Proverbs 11:6, gives us a very clear picture of what Governor Huckabee is saying here.
If we are honest with ourselves, we are aware that we must not only overcome the sin that besets us but we must live lives worthy of the salvation Christ has purchased for us.
Too often we come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus without emerging from the sinful lifestyle that holiness requires us to leave. We subscribe to the notion of once saved always saved and allow ourselves to languish in the squalor from which His great sacrifice has redeemed us.
We may, subsequent to our receiving the Lord into our heart, give lip service to His authority over us; we may attend church regularly; we may support missionaries who travel to far-flung corners of the earth to share the gospel with those who have not heard; but until we make the Word of God the heart of who we are, we have missed the fullness of what Jesus died to give to us.
May we take Paul’s words seriously! May we indeed press forward into the fullness of our salvation! May we, as Governor Huckabee has said, “…work toward a worthy legacy” of faith in and devotion to our Savior.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Dear Reader...
March 23
Dear Reader…
I pray you have a richly blessed time in our Father's house today, among His people. I pray you follow where He leads and abide in His presence always, for as the Word assures, "In His presence is fullness of joy," Psalm 16:11.
I pray you take that presence and that joy with you as you go about life's tasks and I pray the indwelling Christ is such a real and integral part of who you are that the words of Colossians 1:27, "Christ in you, the hope of glory," will be fully realized in every challenge you face and in every task you undertake and in every thought you think and in every aspect of who you are.
If you live in a place where corporate worship is dangerous or impossible, I pray you have such a blessed fellowship with Him within yourself that wherever you may be becomes a temple of worshipful expression within the heart of who you are.
May you “Sing forth the honor of His name and make His praise glorious,” according to Psalm 66:2, so even if the song must be sung within the quiet of your own heart, it will no less redound to His glory in the corridors of Heaven.
You are precious to me, dear Reader, and you are far more precious to Jesus than you are to me. You are greatly beloved. You are a child of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Let who you are and Whose you are make a difference for good in every aspect of your life for time and for eternity.
Let who you are and whose you are make a difference for good in how you deal with today.
Dear Reader…
I pray you have a richly blessed time in our Father's house today, among His people. I pray you follow where He leads and abide in His presence always, for as the Word assures, "In His presence is fullness of joy," Psalm 16:11.
I pray you take that presence and that joy with you as you go about life's tasks and I pray the indwelling Christ is such a real and integral part of who you are that the words of Colossians 1:27, "Christ in you, the hope of glory," will be fully realized in every challenge you face and in every task you undertake and in every thought you think and in every aspect of who you are.
If you live in a place where corporate worship is dangerous or impossible, I pray you have such a blessed fellowship with Him within yourself that wherever you may be becomes a temple of worshipful expression within the heart of who you are.
May you “Sing forth the honor of His name and make His praise glorious,” according to Psalm 66:2, so even if the song must be sung within the quiet of your own heart, it will no less redound to His glory in the corridors of Heaven.
You are precious to me, dear Reader, and you are far more precious to Jesus than you are to me. You are greatly beloved. You are a child of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Let who you are and Whose you are make a difference for good in every aspect of your life for time and for eternity.
Let who you are and whose you are make a difference for good in how you deal with today.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Can We Trouble Ourselves?
March 22
Whatever It Takes
A couple of years ago, a member of my church’s vocal team, and I were invited by a Christian leader named Yesu to go to southern India. There we would join a team of people from various parts of the U.S. We were told that God would use us to reach Muslims and Hindus and non-religious people for Christ. We all felt called by God to go, but none of us knew what to expect.
When we arrived, Yesu met us and invited us to his home. Over the course of the next few days, he told us about his ministry. Yesu’s father, a dynamic leader and speaker, had started the mission in a Hindu-dominated area. One day a Hindu leader came to Yesu’s father and asked for prayer. Eager to pray with him, hoping he would lead him to Christ, he took him into a private room, knelt down with him, closed his eyes and began to pray.
While he was praying, the Hindu man reached into his robe, pulled out a knife and stabbed him repeatedly. Yesu, hearing his father’s screams, ran to help him. He held him in his arms as blood poured out onto the floor of the hut. Three days later, his father died.
On his deathbed he said to his son, “Please tell that man that he is forgiven. Care for your mother and carry on this ministry. Do whatever it takes to win people to Christ.”
by American pastor Bill Hybels from Too Busy Not To Pray
How many of us would be willing to lay down our lives for the sake of sharing the gospel with someone who was not merely unsaved but that despised us with a vitriolic hatred because we love and serve Jesus Christ?
Let alone allow ourselves to be sacrificed for the sake of the Gospel, how many of us are willing to be inconvenienced for the sake of sharing our faith? Can we trouble ourselves to witness to our neighbors? Do we support community outreach programs with our enthusiastic participation?
How many of us care enough to be aware of such ministries and have an insight into the needs they face? The unfortunate reality is that apart from placing our meager contribution into the collection plate, we are abysmally uninvolved in the Great Commission to “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature,” Mark 16:15.
If our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ cared enough to leave the glory of Heaven that we might be saved, should we not be willing to leave our comfort zone in order that those who have not heard may hear?
For the Word is very clear, “How can they believe in Him they have not heard? And how can they hear if there is no preacher? And how can they preach unless they be sent?” Romans 10:14, 15.
Jesus, our example, would have us to live our lives for Him and to love even the unlovely for Him. If believers are impassioned enough to lay down their lives in the behalf of His Kingdom’s purposes, surely we should be willing to devote ourselves to assuring that no one within our sphere of influence lacks a knowledge of the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.
Whatever It Takes
A couple of years ago, a member of my church’s vocal team, and I were invited by a Christian leader named Yesu to go to southern India. There we would join a team of people from various parts of the U.S. We were told that God would use us to reach Muslims and Hindus and non-religious people for Christ. We all felt called by God to go, but none of us knew what to expect.
When we arrived, Yesu met us and invited us to his home. Over the course of the next few days, he told us about his ministry. Yesu’s father, a dynamic leader and speaker, had started the mission in a Hindu-dominated area. One day a Hindu leader came to Yesu’s father and asked for prayer. Eager to pray with him, hoping he would lead him to Christ, he took him into a private room, knelt down with him, closed his eyes and began to pray.
While he was praying, the Hindu man reached into his robe, pulled out a knife and stabbed him repeatedly. Yesu, hearing his father’s screams, ran to help him. He held him in his arms as blood poured out onto the floor of the hut. Three days later, his father died.
On his deathbed he said to his son, “Please tell that man that he is forgiven. Care for your mother and carry on this ministry. Do whatever it takes to win people to Christ.”
by American pastor Bill Hybels from Too Busy Not To Pray
How many of us would be willing to lay down our lives for the sake of sharing the gospel with someone who was not merely unsaved but that despised us with a vitriolic hatred because we love and serve Jesus Christ?
Let alone allow ourselves to be sacrificed for the sake of the Gospel, how many of us are willing to be inconvenienced for the sake of sharing our faith? Can we trouble ourselves to witness to our neighbors? Do we support community outreach programs with our enthusiastic participation?
How many of us care enough to be aware of such ministries and have an insight into the needs they face? The unfortunate reality is that apart from placing our meager contribution into the collection plate, we are abysmally uninvolved in the Great Commission to “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature,” Mark 16:15.
If our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ cared enough to leave the glory of Heaven that we might be saved, should we not be willing to leave our comfort zone in order that those who have not heard may hear?
For the Word is very clear, “How can they believe in Him they have not heard? And how can they hear if there is no preacher? And how can they preach unless they be sent?” Romans 10:14, 15.
Jesus, our example, would have us to live our lives for Him and to love even the unlovely for Him. If believers are impassioned enough to lay down their lives in the behalf of His Kingdom’s purposes, surely we should be willing to devote ourselves to assuring that no one within our sphere of influence lacks a knowledge of the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Today!
March 21
II Chronicles 7:14 says, “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.”
But Isaiah 1:11-14 says, "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me? Says the LORD. I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts?
“Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me; I am weary of bearing them.”
Our God and Savior is long-suffering, not willing that any should perish (see II Peter 3:9), but it is apparent from the words of Isaiah that He does reach a breaking point; He does weary with the way professed believers give lip service to Him without surrendering their hearts or their minds or their lifestyles to Him.
Taken together the passages in II Chronicles and in Isaiah tell us that there is a limit to what our Lord will put up with. He is eager to save us; Jesus died to set us free from sin and its consequences, but He will not abide our feigned worship and false life before Him.
He poses to us the same decision He expressed in Joshua 24:15, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Will we, like Joshua, resolve to be faithful to the One who delivered the people from bondage in Egypt? Will we relinquish our attachment to the world and its pleasures and its foibles and sins in order to serve Christ in the beauty of holiness according to Psalm 29:2? Will we “Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness; and tremble before Him, all the earth,” as Psalm 96:9 admonishes that we do?
We have a choice to make, People! It is time to stop playing church! It is time to stop straddling the fence between commitment to Christ and abandonment to the world and its pleasures!
Will we be people on our face before Him according to II Chronicle 9:14, or will we be people rebuked by Him according to Isaiah 1:11-14? The sobering words of II Corinthians 6:2 are more weighty today than when they were first spoken, “Behold now is the accepted time; behold, today is the day of salvation.”
How many tomorrows can there be until Acts 1:11 is fulfilled, “This same Jesus who is taken from you into Heaven will come again in like manner as you have seen Him go”? And when He comes, for all of us collectively or for each of us individually, it will be too late to turn from the wickedness that has beset us.
TODAY is the day of our repentance; TODAY is the day to place our lives as a living sacrifice at His feet. (See Romans 12:1.)
II Chronicles 7:14 says, “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.”
But Isaiah 1:11-14 says, "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me? Says the LORD. I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts?
“Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me; I am weary of bearing them.”
Our God and Savior is long-suffering, not willing that any should perish (see II Peter 3:9), but it is apparent from the words of Isaiah that He does reach a breaking point; He does weary with the way professed believers give lip service to Him without surrendering their hearts or their minds or their lifestyles to Him.
Taken together the passages in II Chronicles and in Isaiah tell us that there is a limit to what our Lord will put up with. He is eager to save us; Jesus died to set us free from sin and its consequences, but He will not abide our feigned worship and false life before Him.
He poses to us the same decision He expressed in Joshua 24:15, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Will we, like Joshua, resolve to be faithful to the One who delivered the people from bondage in Egypt? Will we relinquish our attachment to the world and its pleasures and its foibles and sins in order to serve Christ in the beauty of holiness according to Psalm 29:2? Will we “Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness; and tremble before Him, all the earth,” as Psalm 96:9 admonishes that we do?
We have a choice to make, People! It is time to stop playing church! It is time to stop straddling the fence between commitment to Christ and abandonment to the world and its pleasures!
Will we be people on our face before Him according to II Chronicle 9:14, or will we be people rebuked by Him according to Isaiah 1:11-14? The sobering words of II Corinthians 6:2 are more weighty today than when they were first spoken, “Behold now is the accepted time; behold, today is the day of salvation.”
How many tomorrows can there be until Acts 1:11 is fulfilled, “This same Jesus who is taken from you into Heaven will come again in like manner as you have seen Him go”? And when He comes, for all of us collectively or for each of us individually, it will be too late to turn from the wickedness that has beset us.
TODAY is the day of our repentance; TODAY is the day to place our lives as a living sacrifice at His feet. (See Romans 12:1.)
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Apate
March 20
Apate (Greek) noun: "Treachery, deceitfulness." Trick, deceit, and fraud are among the meanings found in classical Greek. The term itself comes from the verb apateo, "to deceive, cheat."
As Christians, we live in an age of great perile. An age in which we are in danger of "Falling away from the faith" without knowing it! An age in which Jesus warned, even the "elect" might possibly be misled. An age in which "a deluding influence" (see 2 Thessalonians 2:11, literally, "a working of error") can and will come upon all who do not "love the truth."
Apate is found just seven times in the New Testament...each usage is incredibly important for those of us living in the "age of delusion."
1-2. The deceitfulness of money. Matthew 13:22/Mark 4:19.
"...The 'apate' of riches choke out the word..."
The Bible warns us that money is "deceitful." It tends to blind us from the word of God, and lead us away from the truth. This is why the Bible instructs us, "Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, cease from your consideration of it" (Proverbs 23:4).
Why? Because much wealth tempts us to trust in our money rather than our Lord. Thus, the Bible warns, "Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs" (1 Timothy 6:9-10). Indeed, "He who trusts in riches will fall" (Proverbs 11:28).
3. The deceitfulness of lust. Ephesians 4:22.
"In reference to your former manner of life,
you lay aside the old self, which is being
corrupted in accordance with the lusts of 'apate.'"
The Bible warns us that lust is "deceitful." This is why the Bible instructs, "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever" (1 John 2:15-17).
In this "age of delusion" in which we live, the entire world is currently being consumed by the "lusts of 'apate.'"
4. The deceitfulness of human philosophy. Colossians 2:8.
"See to it that no one takes you captive
through philosophy and empty 'apate',
according to the tradition of men,
according to the elementary principles
of the world, rather than according to Christ."
The Bible is either what it claims to be, or it is not. It is either "inspired by God" (see 2 Timothy 3:16) and therefore, "not a matter of one's own interpretation" (see 2 Peter 1:20-21), or it isn't.
When the Bible becomes anything less than, "everything pertaining to life and godliness" we become enslaved by "the corruption that is in the world by lust" (see 2 Peter 1:3-4). The man who strays from God's word by declaring, "That's just your interpretation," has lost everything. There are only two sources of revelation in the world: The Bible...and human philosophy. One is the truth, the other is 'apate'.
5. The deceitfulness of unrighteousness.
2 Thessalonians 2:10.
"And with all the 'apate' of unrighteousness
for those who perish, because they did not
receive the love of the truth so as to be saved."
God's way is righteousness, my way is unrighteousness. God's way is the truth that makes man free. The Devil's way is a lie that makes men slaves. The Bible is clear, the "love of truth" is the only way of escape from "delusion" and the 'apate' of unrighteousness.
6. The deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13.
"But encourage one another day after day,
as long as it is still called 'Today,'
so that none of you will be hardened
by the 'apate' of sin."
All sin is delusion. All sin is unbelief. All sin erodes understanding. All sin leads to death. Whenever we choose to sin, whenever we reject God's word, we become "hardened." "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts..." (see Hebrews 3:7,15; 4:7).
"Hardening results from men's persistence in shutting themselves to God's call and command.
A state then arises in which a man is no longer
able to hear and in which he is irretrievably enslaved. Alternatively, God makes the hardening final...God's divine sovereignty in hardening men
is precisely congruent with man's responsibility
for this hardening, hence Psalm 95:7-8...The 'deceitfulness of sin' generates a diving hardening...it is a man's reaction that causes
the hardening... The same sun that melts
the wax hardens the clay."
-The Complete Biblical Library,
Greek/English Dictionary,
Sigma-Omega, p.70.
7. The deceitfulness of False Teachers. 2 Peter 2:13 (context 2 Peter 2:1-22).
"There will be false teachers among you and secretly introduce destructive heresies...
many will follow their sensuality, and
because of them the way of truth will be maligned...They are stains and blemishes,
reveling in their 'apate'...promising them
freedom while they themselves
are slaves of corruption..."
The "age of delusion" is an age in which the "false prophets and false teachers" arise in the Church. Indeed, they have arisen and are rising. They become rich, powerful and influential because the "spirit of the Bereans" has been quenched (see Acts 17:11), thus the people of God are being destroyed (see Hosea 4:6).
"Apate." It appears just seven times and yet, in these last days, it has become "One of the Most Important Words in the Entire Bible."
From Godthoughts Wired by Pastor Brad
This brief study, if we allow it to do so, can transform believers from cultural Christians who enjoy the traditional benefits of living in a society that has been established upon the tenets of faith in Jesus Christ to empowered servants of His eternal Kingdom who understand that the Dominion in which He reigns is the only place where there is joy forevermore.
As Psalm 16:11 tells us, “You make known to me the path of life ...in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” This is not the pleasure that comes through the deceitfulness of riches or sin or the lures of the enemy of the soul. No, this is the “joy unspeakable and full of glory” of I Peter 1:8.
This is the joy that comes through seeing Christ, in faith, believing Him and rejoicing because He has redeemed us from the deceit that surrounds us and would engulf us in its temporary pleasure at the price of our eternal hope.
Let us not fall victim to the seduction described in II Timothy 3:1-13 which says, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
“For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, they are ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as was that of Jannes and Jambres before them.
“But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long=suffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”
Paul goes on to tell us that the way to avoid this deception—in all its forms, in all its pervasiveness—is by being grounded in the WORD! If we desire to make our faith secure in time and our eternity secure in the hand of our Living Lord, we will anchor ourselves to His truth and the wiles of the enemy through the world and its deceitfulness will have no power over us. Apate will be trampled under our feet as we march forward under the banner of Christ's truth and power and love.
Apate (Greek) noun: "Treachery, deceitfulness." Trick, deceit, and fraud are among the meanings found in classical Greek. The term itself comes from the verb apateo, "to deceive, cheat."
As Christians, we live in an age of great perile. An age in which we are in danger of "Falling away from the faith" without knowing it! An age in which Jesus warned, even the "elect" might possibly be misled. An age in which "a deluding influence" (see 2 Thessalonians 2:11, literally, "a working of error") can and will come upon all who do not "love the truth."
Apate is found just seven times in the New Testament...each usage is incredibly important for those of us living in the "age of delusion."
1-2. The deceitfulness of money. Matthew 13:22/Mark 4:19.
"...The 'apate' of riches choke out the word..."
The Bible warns us that money is "deceitful." It tends to blind us from the word of God, and lead us away from the truth. This is why the Bible instructs us, "Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, cease from your consideration of it" (Proverbs 23:4).
Why? Because much wealth tempts us to trust in our money rather than our Lord. Thus, the Bible warns, "Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs" (1 Timothy 6:9-10). Indeed, "He who trusts in riches will fall" (Proverbs 11:28).
3. The deceitfulness of lust. Ephesians 4:22.
"In reference to your former manner of life,
you lay aside the old self, which is being
corrupted in accordance with the lusts of 'apate.'"
The Bible warns us that lust is "deceitful." This is why the Bible instructs, "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever" (1 John 2:15-17).
In this "age of delusion" in which we live, the entire world is currently being consumed by the "lusts of 'apate.'"
4. The deceitfulness of human philosophy. Colossians 2:8.
"See to it that no one takes you captive
through philosophy and empty 'apate',
according to the tradition of men,
according to the elementary principles
of the world, rather than according to Christ."
The Bible is either what it claims to be, or it is not. It is either "inspired by God" (see 2 Timothy 3:16) and therefore, "not a matter of one's own interpretation" (see 2 Peter 1:20-21), or it isn't.
When the Bible becomes anything less than, "everything pertaining to life and godliness" we become enslaved by "the corruption that is in the world by lust" (see 2 Peter 1:3-4). The man who strays from God's word by declaring, "That's just your interpretation," has lost everything. There are only two sources of revelation in the world: The Bible...and human philosophy. One is the truth, the other is 'apate'.
5. The deceitfulness of unrighteousness.
2 Thessalonians 2:10.
"And with all the 'apate' of unrighteousness
for those who perish, because they did not
receive the love of the truth so as to be saved."
God's way is righteousness, my way is unrighteousness. God's way is the truth that makes man free. The Devil's way is a lie that makes men slaves. The Bible is clear, the "love of truth" is the only way of escape from "delusion" and the 'apate' of unrighteousness.
6. The deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13.
"But encourage one another day after day,
as long as it is still called 'Today,'
so that none of you will be hardened
by the 'apate' of sin."
All sin is delusion. All sin is unbelief. All sin erodes understanding. All sin leads to death. Whenever we choose to sin, whenever we reject God's word, we become "hardened." "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts..." (see Hebrews 3:7,15; 4:7).
"Hardening results from men's persistence in shutting themselves to God's call and command.
A state then arises in which a man is no longer
able to hear and in which he is irretrievably enslaved. Alternatively, God makes the hardening final...God's divine sovereignty in hardening men
is precisely congruent with man's responsibility
for this hardening, hence Psalm 95:7-8...The 'deceitfulness of sin' generates a diving hardening...it is a man's reaction that causes
the hardening... The same sun that melts
the wax hardens the clay."
-The Complete Biblical Library,
Greek/English Dictionary,
Sigma-Omega, p.70.
7. The deceitfulness of False Teachers. 2 Peter 2:13 (context 2 Peter 2:1-22).
"There will be false teachers among you and secretly introduce destructive heresies...
many will follow their sensuality, and
because of them the way of truth will be maligned...They are stains and blemishes,
reveling in their 'apate'...promising them
freedom while they themselves
are slaves of corruption..."
The "age of delusion" is an age in which the "false prophets and false teachers" arise in the Church. Indeed, they have arisen and are rising. They become rich, powerful and influential because the "spirit of the Bereans" has been quenched (see Acts 17:11), thus the people of God are being destroyed (see Hosea 4:6).
"Apate." It appears just seven times and yet, in these last days, it has become "One of the Most Important Words in the Entire Bible."
From Godthoughts Wired by Pastor Brad
This brief study, if we allow it to do so, can transform believers from cultural Christians who enjoy the traditional benefits of living in a society that has been established upon the tenets of faith in Jesus Christ to empowered servants of His eternal Kingdom who understand that the Dominion in which He reigns is the only place where there is joy forevermore.
As Psalm 16:11 tells us, “You make known to me the path of life ...in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” This is not the pleasure that comes through the deceitfulness of riches or sin or the lures of the enemy of the soul. No, this is the “joy unspeakable and full of glory” of I Peter 1:8.
This is the joy that comes through seeing Christ, in faith, believing Him and rejoicing because He has redeemed us from the deceit that surrounds us and would engulf us in its temporary pleasure at the price of our eternal hope.
Let us not fall victim to the seduction described in II Timothy 3:1-13 which says, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
“For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, they are ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as was that of Jannes and Jambres before them.
“But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long=suffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”
Paul goes on to tell us that the way to avoid this deception—in all its forms, in all its pervasiveness—is by being grounded in the WORD! If we desire to make our faith secure in time and our eternity secure in the hand of our Living Lord, we will anchor ourselves to His truth and the wiles of the enemy through the world and its deceitfulness will have no power over us. Apate will be trampled under our feet as we march forward under the banner of Christ's truth and power and love.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Repent...Act
March 19
“Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing"—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked…’” Revelation 3:17.
The risen Lord had aught against His fledgling church and He used the initial pages of the final chapter of the Bible to expound them, for He has already clearly stated in Matthew 5:23 that anyone who has anything against his brother must address his grievance before him before he can offer anything before God.
The Book of Revelation delves into a most crucial topic—that of the end times—and Jesus feels it incumbent upon Him to direct His complaints to the various churches, to clear the air in order to prepare them to hear the words that so impact the ages.
In Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, Jesus addresses the seven churches which were located at:
Ephesus, which is expected to shine His light
Smyrna, which must affirm that Jesus is the first and the last, the one who died and came to life again; that He is the alpha and omega and He lives in the power of endless life.
Pergamum, is reminded that Jesus has the sharp, double-edged sword, He is in the position of authority and power and when he wields authority, it’s a blessing for those who follow and a condemnation for those who do not.
Thyatira, hears the admonition that Jesus has penetrating insight and wisdom in all things; He is swift to move and will perform quickly what needs to be done.
Sardis is reminded that Jesus holds those in leadership in His hands, and provides the seven-fold graces of the spirit.
Philadelphia, hears again that Jesus is the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David, that what He opens, no one can shut and what He shuts, no one can open.
Laodicea is told that Jesus is the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Ruler of creation; He is faithful to all God is; He is totally true and He rules over all in glorious authority.
Among the criticisms that Jesus directs to the churches are these:
1. They have forsaken the love of Jesus and drifted from His heart; they are doing the work of the church from a sense of duty rather than from a heart of love for the Lord.
2. They have held to teachings of traitors, eaten food sacrificed to idols, committed sexual impurity, lead and encouraged people away from righteous teachings and moved them toward idolatry.
3. They have put created things before the Creator. All of this is evidence that they care more for the temporal than the spiritual.
4. They have an exaggerated sense of their importance and effectiveness, but are not even close to being the church that they think they are.
They are here warned that it is that it is time for repentance. It is time to listen, take the words to heart, and act before it’s too late!
As we draw ever-nearer to the closing days of time, should we not attend to His warnings to the early Church? Should we not repent, take His words to heart and act?
“Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing"—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked…’” Revelation 3:17.
The risen Lord had aught against His fledgling church and He used the initial pages of the final chapter of the Bible to expound them, for He has already clearly stated in Matthew 5:23 that anyone who has anything against his brother must address his grievance before him before he can offer anything before God.
The Book of Revelation delves into a most crucial topic—that of the end times—and Jesus feels it incumbent upon Him to direct His complaints to the various churches, to clear the air in order to prepare them to hear the words that so impact the ages.
In Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, Jesus addresses the seven churches which were located at:
Ephesus, which is expected to shine His light
Smyrna, which must affirm that Jesus is the first and the last, the one who died and came to life again; that He is the alpha and omega and He lives in the power of endless life.
Pergamum, is reminded that Jesus has the sharp, double-edged sword, He is in the position of authority and power and when he wields authority, it’s a blessing for those who follow and a condemnation for those who do not.
Thyatira, hears the admonition that Jesus has penetrating insight and wisdom in all things; He is swift to move and will perform quickly what needs to be done.
Sardis is reminded that Jesus holds those in leadership in His hands, and provides the seven-fold graces of the spirit.
Philadelphia, hears again that Jesus is the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David, that what He opens, no one can shut and what He shuts, no one can open.
Laodicea is told that Jesus is the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Ruler of creation; He is faithful to all God is; He is totally true and He rules over all in glorious authority.
Among the criticisms that Jesus directs to the churches are these:
1. They have forsaken the love of Jesus and drifted from His heart; they are doing the work of the church from a sense of duty rather than from a heart of love for the Lord.
2. They have held to teachings of traitors, eaten food sacrificed to idols, committed sexual impurity, lead and encouraged people away from righteous teachings and moved them toward idolatry.
3. They have put created things before the Creator. All of this is evidence that they care more for the temporal than the spiritual.
4. They have an exaggerated sense of their importance and effectiveness, but are not even close to being the church that they think they are.
They are here warned that it is that it is time for repentance. It is time to listen, take the words to heart, and act before it’s too late!
As we draw ever-nearer to the closing days of time, should we not attend to His warnings to the early Church? Should we not repent, take His words to heart and act?
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
At the Feet of the King
March 18
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” Romans 10:17.
The Word of God, the Living Word, Jesus Christ is the One by Whom and through Whom faith comes. If we deny Him, we have no faith at all. Oh, we may think we have faith. We may attend church every time the doors are open, we may spend ourselves tirelessly to further the cause of the Kingdom, we may give of our resources until our coffers are empty, but we will not have done it for faith.
The world is full of people who think they are serving God. From the most radical terrorist who kills in the name of the Holy One who has said, “Thou shalt not kill,” Exodus 20:13, to the TV evangelist who goads the gullible into donating their meager resources in order to reap a reward from the Lord, the misguided are everywhere misrepresenting the Word.
And by our self-identified measure of God’s favor, we try to convince ourselves that they’re actually winning. We neglect to remember that, “Without faith it is impossible to please God,” Hebrews 11:6. We fail to grasp the reality that “…he who comes to the Father must believe that HE IS…”
His infallible Word states clearly that the one who comes to him cannot be “driven like the winds of the sea and tossed about,” James 1:6. If anything propels our faith but the Word of God, if anything but the Living Christ is our motivation, then nothing we do, nothing that we believe ourselves to be is of any consequence in the Kingdom’s value system.
We must not allow ourselves to be compelled to act in the way the world expects us to comport ourselves or in compliance with the things the belief systems in which we were nurtured anticipate that we will conduct ourselves.
No, we must hear the Word of God, the true. Infallible, eternal, living Word of God; we must have faith in it and in the One who gave it to us; and we must act upon it in the power of His name. As we do, that faith will become alive in us, and we will do exploits in the behalf of the Kingdom that we serve; we will, because we have placed our lives at the feet of the King.
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” Romans 10:17.
The Word of God, the Living Word, Jesus Christ is the One by Whom and through Whom faith comes. If we deny Him, we have no faith at all. Oh, we may think we have faith. We may attend church every time the doors are open, we may spend ourselves tirelessly to further the cause of the Kingdom, we may give of our resources until our coffers are empty, but we will not have done it for faith.
The world is full of people who think they are serving God. From the most radical terrorist who kills in the name of the Holy One who has said, “Thou shalt not kill,” Exodus 20:13, to the TV evangelist who goads the gullible into donating their meager resources in order to reap a reward from the Lord, the misguided are everywhere misrepresenting the Word.
And by our self-identified measure of God’s favor, we try to convince ourselves that they’re actually winning. We neglect to remember that, “Without faith it is impossible to please God,” Hebrews 11:6. We fail to grasp the reality that “…he who comes to the Father must believe that HE IS…”
His infallible Word states clearly that the one who comes to him cannot be “driven like the winds of the sea and tossed about,” James 1:6. If anything propels our faith but the Word of God, if anything but the Living Christ is our motivation, then nothing we do, nothing that we believe ourselves to be is of any consequence in the Kingdom’s value system.
We must not allow ourselves to be compelled to act in the way the world expects us to comport ourselves or in compliance with the things the belief systems in which we were nurtured anticipate that we will conduct ourselves.
No, we must hear the Word of God, the true. Infallible, eternal, living Word of God; we must have faith in it and in the One who gave it to us; and we must act upon it in the power of His name. As we do, that faith will become alive in us, and we will do exploits in the behalf of the Kingdom that we serve; we will, because we have placed our lives at the feet of the King.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Our Hope
March 17
"While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
“So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said,
‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’
"Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,” Acts 26:12-19.
Paul, the great Apostle who ultimately gave his life for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ, had been “a Hebrew of the Hebrews.” In Philippians 3:4-14, he expands upon his background of faith in the law of Moses and in the religion of his nation:
“I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but dung, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
Paul here acknowledges his knowledge, his training in the law and religion of his heritage; he acknowledges his zeal for the things he had been taught and the lofty height he had reached as a representative of his faith.
He also confesses the utter worthlessness of all he valued when it came to the eternal security of his own soul. Paul declares that everything he counted of worth in the service to his God was utter refuse in the value system of the Almighty.
Paul, because of the encounter he had with the Living Christ on the Road to Damascus, the Living Christ whom he had persecuted, was able to recognize that all the knowledge of religion, all the practice of the tenets of faith, all the zealous pursuit of the purpose of God—if viewed from a skewed perspective, are worthless.
Paul was able to conclude through his encounter with Jesus that Jesus Himself is the only viable way to God, the only reasonable object of devotion and service. Paul was able, because of meeting Jesus face-to-face, to grasp life's one absolute, unshakable, magnificent truth--that owning the Living Christ is the only way of salvation.
We, in our injudicious zeal for the accomplishments and pleasures of life today, must come to that same conclusion. Nothing can save us. No amount of misguided service to God can please Him. Our hope is “built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness,” (from On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand, by Edward Mote).
We, like Paul, need the Savior…and the only Savior is Jesus Christ.
"While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
“So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said,
‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’
"Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,” Acts 26:12-19.
Paul, the great Apostle who ultimately gave his life for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ, had been “a Hebrew of the Hebrews.” In Philippians 3:4-14, he expands upon his background of faith in the law of Moses and in the religion of his nation:
“I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but dung, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
Paul here acknowledges his knowledge, his training in the law and religion of his heritage; he acknowledges his zeal for the things he had been taught and the lofty height he had reached as a representative of his faith.
He also confesses the utter worthlessness of all he valued when it came to the eternal security of his own soul. Paul declares that everything he counted of worth in the service to his God was utter refuse in the value system of the Almighty.
Paul, because of the encounter he had with the Living Christ on the Road to Damascus, the Living Christ whom he had persecuted, was able to recognize that all the knowledge of religion, all the practice of the tenets of faith, all the zealous pursuit of the purpose of God—if viewed from a skewed perspective, are worthless.
Paul was able to conclude through his encounter with Jesus that Jesus Himself is the only viable way to God, the only reasonable object of devotion and service. Paul was able, because of meeting Jesus face-to-face, to grasp life's one absolute, unshakable, magnificent truth--that owning the Living Christ is the only way of salvation.
We, in our injudicious zeal for the accomplishments and pleasures of life today, must come to that same conclusion. Nothing can save us. No amount of misguided service to God can please Him. Our hope is “built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness,” (from On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand, by Edward Mote).
We, like Paul, need the Savior…and the only Savior is Jesus Christ.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Power and Mercy Are God's
March 16
“God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God. Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; for You render to each one according to his work,” Psalm 62:11, 12.
David has heard God speak concerning two of the most essential points required if man is to truly know God. David has heard Him speak regarding His power and His mercy.
The whole earth testifies to the power of God. Anyone who has ever stood before the raging sea in a furious storm knows beyond the shadow of doubting that there is an awesome force behind the soaring waves and the furious winds that drive them.
Anyone who has ever stood frozen in fear as an earthquake shook the ground beneath his feet is aware of the exceeding power of the One who not only holds the earth in the hollow of His hand, but who can shake it at His will. Hebrews 12:25-28 says, "all things that can be shaken will be shaken so the things that cannot be shaken (the truth, the will, the peace, the love of God) will remain."
Isaiah 40:12 states His unfathomable power thusly, “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, or with the breadth of His hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?”
And who of the millions of believers in Christ who have placed their broken lives at the feet of the Lord is not aware of the amazing and vast bridge of mercy that we have found there? It is a bridge we may cross from darkness to light, from despair to hope, from sin to forgiveness, from death to life!
Who among us who has seen a glimpse of the holiness of God has not marveled that such an infinitely pure being can have mercy upon those of us who have been engulfed in sin? Indeed, Isaiah 1:18 assures us, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be washed white as snow.”
The shed blood of Jesus, “…cleanses us from all unrighteousness,” I John 1:7 as soon as we “Walk in the light as He is in the light,” and He enables us to, “have fellowship with one another.”
May everyone embrace the God who sacrificed Himself that we might live. May everyone walk in the power of the immutable Word He has made alive to us, (see John 1:1 and John 1:14.)
“God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God. Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; for You render to each one according to his work,” Psalm 62:11, 12.
David has heard God speak concerning two of the most essential points required if man is to truly know God. David has heard Him speak regarding His power and His mercy.
The whole earth testifies to the power of God. Anyone who has ever stood before the raging sea in a furious storm knows beyond the shadow of doubting that there is an awesome force behind the soaring waves and the furious winds that drive them.
Anyone who has ever stood frozen in fear as an earthquake shook the ground beneath his feet is aware of the exceeding power of the One who not only holds the earth in the hollow of His hand, but who can shake it at His will. Hebrews 12:25-28 says, "all things that can be shaken will be shaken so the things that cannot be shaken (the truth, the will, the peace, the love of God) will remain."
Isaiah 40:12 states His unfathomable power thusly, “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, or with the breadth of His hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?”
And who of the millions of believers in Christ who have placed their broken lives at the feet of the Lord is not aware of the amazing and vast bridge of mercy that we have found there? It is a bridge we may cross from darkness to light, from despair to hope, from sin to forgiveness, from death to life!
Who among us who has seen a glimpse of the holiness of God has not marveled that such an infinitely pure being can have mercy upon those of us who have been engulfed in sin? Indeed, Isaiah 1:18 assures us, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be washed white as snow.”
The shed blood of Jesus, “…cleanses us from all unrighteousness,” I John 1:7 as soon as we “Walk in the light as He is in the light,” and He enables us to, “have fellowship with one another.”
May everyone embrace the God who sacrificed Himself that we might live. May everyone walk in the power of the immutable Word He has made alive to us, (see John 1:1 and John 1:14.)
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Believe!
March 15
"So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." And he himself believed, and his whole household," (see John 4:46-53)
The nobleman's son was dying. In desperation, his father approached Jesus with the sad tale of his worsening condition. To human eyes, the situation looked hopeless. Human hands couldn't help, but the father of the dying child knew the One to whom he was turning was not bound by human limitations. The loving father knew the One whose help he sought had brought Heaven's power to earth-bound man to set him free from sin and death.
Dire circumstances require dramatic action. Man's hopelessness demands Heaven's hope. And Heaven's hope is still where it has always been—it is in Jesus, the One, "...who stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundation of the earth," Isaiah 51:12, 13. In its entirety, the passage says, "Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who shall die and forget the Lord your God...?"
We who profess faith in Him must affirm that confidence, not only by sharing our belief with others but by employing it in our own lives at the point of our own need. We must have the boldness of the nobleman who approached the Lord with his dire problem.
The man was not one of the humble peasants who usually followed Jesus; in fact the Word says, "The royal official implored, "Sir, come down before my child dies." Jesus replied, 'You may go. Your son will live.' The man took Jesus at His word and departed.
While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, 'The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.' Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, 'Your son will live.' So he and all his household believed."
It wasn't as though Jesus were nearby when the nobleman determined to seek His help. Rather, the Lord was 20 miles from Capernaum where the nobleman lived! The anguished father had heard that it was in Cana of Galilee where the Healer could be found and he set upon the journey himself, rather than to send a servant to beseech the Lord to come and heal his son!
The man's desperation compelled him on a journey of love and hope; it set him on an errand that, if it failed, would assure he would not be at his son's side when he breathed his last. It was a journey of complete faith! And his faith was not denied!
Upon his return journey, after receiving Jesus' assurance that his son would live, the nobleman was met by servants of his household who told him that his son was raised from his deathbed! And in case the father might harbor any notion that this was a mere coincidence, the servants told him when the miraculous turn around occurred—and it was at "the same hour that Jesus had promised his child would be healed!
Believers in Christ, arise! Let faith well up strong within you! Let your hope be "built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness"--(hymn by Edward Mote, written in 1834). Let your confident assurance be in His unchanging love and power. Believe and be sure that whatever your need, "He is able to do exceeding, abundantly above all you can ask or think, according to His power at work within you," Ephesians 3:20.
You may know beyond the shadow of doubting that the promise of Jeremiah 33:3, "Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things you cannot imagine," is true TODAY, and it is true for YOU!
"So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." And he himself believed, and his whole household," (see John 4:46-53)
The nobleman's son was dying. In desperation, his father approached Jesus with the sad tale of his worsening condition. To human eyes, the situation looked hopeless. Human hands couldn't help, but the father of the dying child knew the One to whom he was turning was not bound by human limitations. The loving father knew the One whose help he sought had brought Heaven's power to earth-bound man to set him free from sin and death.
Dire circumstances require dramatic action. Man's hopelessness demands Heaven's hope. And Heaven's hope is still where it has always been—it is in Jesus, the One, "...who stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundation of the earth," Isaiah 51:12, 13. In its entirety, the passage says, "Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who shall die and forget the Lord your God...?"
We who profess faith in Him must affirm that confidence, not only by sharing our belief with others but by employing it in our own lives at the point of our own need. We must have the boldness of the nobleman who approached the Lord with his dire problem.
The man was not one of the humble peasants who usually followed Jesus; in fact the Word says, "The royal official implored, "Sir, come down before my child dies." Jesus replied, 'You may go. Your son will live.' The man took Jesus at His word and departed.
While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, 'The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.' Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, 'Your son will live.' So he and all his household believed."
It wasn't as though Jesus were nearby when the nobleman determined to seek His help. Rather, the Lord was 20 miles from Capernaum where the nobleman lived! The anguished father had heard that it was in Cana of Galilee where the Healer could be found and he set upon the journey himself, rather than to send a servant to beseech the Lord to come and heal his son!
The man's desperation compelled him on a journey of love and hope; it set him on an errand that, if it failed, would assure he would not be at his son's side when he breathed his last. It was a journey of complete faith! And his faith was not denied!
Upon his return journey, after receiving Jesus' assurance that his son would live, the nobleman was met by servants of his household who told him that his son was raised from his deathbed! And in case the father might harbor any notion that this was a mere coincidence, the servants told him when the miraculous turn around occurred—and it was at "the same hour that Jesus had promised his child would be healed!
Believers in Christ, arise! Let faith well up strong within you! Let your hope be "built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness"--(hymn by Edward Mote, written in 1834). Let your confident assurance be in His unchanging love and power. Believe and be sure that whatever your need, "He is able to do exceeding, abundantly above all you can ask or think, according to His power at work within you," Ephesians 3:20.
You may know beyond the shadow of doubting that the promise of Jeremiah 33:3, "Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things you cannot imagine," is true TODAY, and it is true for YOU!
Friday, March 14, 2014
Divine Power Destroys Strongholds
March 14
"Forget about the wrong things people do to you, and do not try to get even. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. I am the Lord," Leviticus 19:18.
People yearn for world peace. People yearn for peace within their homes, within their nation, within themselves, but peace is among the most elusive of commodities.
Regarding world peace, the Word tells us in I Thessalonians 5:3, that when we are crying, “peace and safety, then will sudden destruction come.” Perhaps the most important reason for the inability of the entirety of the planet to achieve peace is the reality that its inhabitants are so unable to attain it within themselves.
In Philippians 4:7 the Apostle Paul tells us, “The peace of God that passes all understanding will keep your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.” Can it be that world peace is ever-sought but never-found because we have not allowed the Prince of Peace to reign within our hearts?
Everyday people who lack the kind of authority required to implement national policy or to enact laws may not be able to transform the world through political or military means, but we do have an unfailing source of power that we can employ daily toward the pulling down of the strongholds that impact our lives.
II Corinthians 10:3, 4 tells us, “Though we live in the world we are not warring against the world, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds.”
Our focus must ever be on the hearts and souls of men. Certainly we care that the poor be fed and clothed, that the freedoms we hold dear be maintained, but if we do not invest ourselves in the transforming of souls from death to life in Christ, no other of our longings stand any chance of being fulfilled.
Until Christ is all and in all, our efforts will be vain and unfruitful. With Him, however, we can do all things—not in our own strength but in His, Philippians 4:13.
"Forget about the wrong things people do to you, and do not try to get even. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. I am the Lord," Leviticus 19:18.
People yearn for world peace. People yearn for peace within their homes, within their nation, within themselves, but peace is among the most elusive of commodities.
Regarding world peace, the Word tells us in I Thessalonians 5:3, that when we are crying, “peace and safety, then will sudden destruction come.” Perhaps the most important reason for the inability of the entirety of the planet to achieve peace is the reality that its inhabitants are so unable to attain it within themselves.
In Philippians 4:7 the Apostle Paul tells us, “The peace of God that passes all understanding will keep your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.” Can it be that world peace is ever-sought but never-found because we have not allowed the Prince of Peace to reign within our hearts?
Everyday people who lack the kind of authority required to implement national policy or to enact laws may not be able to transform the world through political or military means, but we do have an unfailing source of power that we can employ daily toward the pulling down of the strongholds that impact our lives.
II Corinthians 10:3, 4 tells us, “Though we live in the world we are not warring against the world, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds.”
Our focus must ever be on the hearts and souls of men. Certainly we care that the poor be fed and clothed, that the freedoms we hold dear be maintained, but if we do not invest ourselves in the transforming of souls from death to life in Christ, no other of our longings stand any chance of being fulfilled.
Until Christ is all and in all, our efforts will be vain and unfruitful. With Him, however, we can do all things—not in our own strength but in His, Philippians 4:13.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Change of Focus
March 13
Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith,” Hebrews 11:6, 7.
Faith is something everyone has but that many of us misplace. We eagerly put our trust in people, in institutions, in the weather! But we neglect to lay it at the feet of Jesus where it belongs—and indeed—where it will do us the most good.
Our race is much too preoccupied with the world. We live in an age of over-abundance and self-indulgence. Our grocery stores afford us aisle after aisle of foods and products from every state in the union and from virtually every country in the world.
We have the opportunity to satisfy our taste for the exotic fare of the far-flung corners of the globe, by simply strolling the aisles of our local grocery stores. The Internet gives us access to recipes for preparing these acquisitions in the authentic fashion of their nations of origin.
We believe in the ever-increasing resources that are daily more readily available to us, but as we become ever more reliant upon the world and its assets, we find ourselves less and less in possession of the power of the Living God at work in our lives.
Jesus said we could “ask anything,” using His name as the basis for our authority and it “will be done,” John 14:14, yet our prayers in His name rarely produce the results we seek. Why? Has His mighty name lost its power? Has the authority He gave us, which is reiterated again and again, been withdrawn from us?
James 4:3 addresses this lack. The brother of the Lord tells us that we ask with the wrong motives. Of course, our God understands our frame, Psalm 103;14; He knows our needs before we express them, Isaiah 65:24, and it is His desire to fulfill them, but His great intent is not so much to gratify the yearning within us but to satisfy His own desire!
And what is that desire of the heart of the Holy One? John 14:13 tells us His reason is “that the Father might be glorified in the Son.” Is His glory the intent of our hearts when we pray? Psalm 37:4 assures that if we, “delight yourself in the Lord, He will give you the desires of your heart.”
If we will change our focus from our desires, from our needs, from the achievement of our ends to that of Jesus—that His name be lifted up (see John 12:32), He will reach down from Heaven and grant us our petition. And in so doing, He will be glorified by drawing all men to Himself.
Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith,” Hebrews 11:6, 7.
Faith is something everyone has but that many of us misplace. We eagerly put our trust in people, in institutions, in the weather! But we neglect to lay it at the feet of Jesus where it belongs—and indeed—where it will do us the most good.
Our race is much too preoccupied with the world. We live in an age of over-abundance and self-indulgence. Our grocery stores afford us aisle after aisle of foods and products from every state in the union and from virtually every country in the world.
We have the opportunity to satisfy our taste for the exotic fare of the far-flung corners of the globe, by simply strolling the aisles of our local grocery stores. The Internet gives us access to recipes for preparing these acquisitions in the authentic fashion of their nations of origin.
We believe in the ever-increasing resources that are daily more readily available to us, but as we become ever more reliant upon the world and its assets, we find ourselves less and less in possession of the power of the Living God at work in our lives.
Jesus said we could “ask anything,” using His name as the basis for our authority and it “will be done,” John 14:14, yet our prayers in His name rarely produce the results we seek. Why? Has His mighty name lost its power? Has the authority He gave us, which is reiterated again and again, been withdrawn from us?
James 4:3 addresses this lack. The brother of the Lord tells us that we ask with the wrong motives. Of course, our God understands our frame, Psalm 103;14; He knows our needs before we express them, Isaiah 65:24, and it is His desire to fulfill them, but His great intent is not so much to gratify the yearning within us but to satisfy His own desire!
And what is that desire of the heart of the Holy One? John 14:13 tells us His reason is “that the Father might be glorified in the Son.” Is His glory the intent of our hearts when we pray? Psalm 37:4 assures that if we, “delight yourself in the Lord, He will give you the desires of your heart.”
If we will change our focus from our desires, from our needs, from the achievement of our ends to that of Jesus—that His name be lifted up (see John 12:32), He will reach down from Heaven and grant us our petition. And in so doing, He will be glorified by drawing all men to Himself.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Fix Our Gaze
March 12
Jesus’ words in John 10:27-30 convey a substantial level of doctrinal truth.
He says, “My sheep listen to My voice. I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life and they will never die; no one can steal them out of My hand, for My Father gave My sheep to Me. He is greater than all, and no person can steal My sheep out of My Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”
If a person had no more of scripture than these few verses, he could establish his faith on the solid rock of Jesus and His eternal truth.
Add to this Romans 8:38, 39, “I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord,” and the battery of evidence of the worthiness of the plan of salvation becomes even more profound upon each of our lives.
What will we do with this actuality? What will we do with these words that compel us from our vain lifestyle of pleasurable pursuits and short-term achievements to an investment of the entirety of our person-hood into endeavors that further the eternal longing of the heart of God that “all men might be saved”? I Timothy 2:4.
If our answer is anything but, “Here am I, Lord, send me,” Isaiah 6:8, then we have fallen far short of the destiny our Father and our God desires us to have.
Unless we can say with Paul, “I count all things but dung for the sake of the precious knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord,” Philippians 3:8, then we are short-changing ourselves in the only eternal area of our lives.
Lord Jesus, help us to see beyond this Vale of Tears and its temporary allurements, beyond “all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, which is not of the Father, but is of the world,” I John 2:16, and help us to fix our gaze on You, “the Author and Finisher of our faith,” Hebrews 12:2.
Jesus’ words in John 10:27-30 convey a substantial level of doctrinal truth.
He says, “My sheep listen to My voice. I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life and they will never die; no one can steal them out of My hand, for My Father gave My sheep to Me. He is greater than all, and no person can steal My sheep out of My Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”
If a person had no more of scripture than these few verses, he could establish his faith on the solid rock of Jesus and His eternal truth.
Add to this Romans 8:38, 39, “I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord,” and the battery of evidence of the worthiness of the plan of salvation becomes even more profound upon each of our lives.
What will we do with this actuality? What will we do with these words that compel us from our vain lifestyle of pleasurable pursuits and short-term achievements to an investment of the entirety of our person-hood into endeavors that further the eternal longing of the heart of God that “all men might be saved”? I Timothy 2:4.
If our answer is anything but, “Here am I, Lord, send me,” Isaiah 6:8, then we have fallen far short of the destiny our Father and our God desires us to have.
Unless we can say with Paul, “I count all things but dung for the sake of the precious knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord,” Philippians 3:8, then we are short-changing ourselves in the only eternal area of our lives.
Lord Jesus, help us to see beyond this Vale of Tears and its temporary allurements, beyond “all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, which is not of the Father, but is of the world,” I John 2:16, and help us to fix our gaze on You, “the Author and Finisher of our faith,” Hebrews 12:2.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Attached and Empowered
March 11
What Are You Attached To?
Once, A.J. Gordon went to a World’s Fair. The American Baptist preacher, writer, composer, and founder of Gordon College and Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary saw something curious from a distance. It looked like a man pumping water with one of those old hand pumps. The water was gushing out.
“That man is really pumping water hard,” said Gordon. But when he got closer, he discovered that the man was wooden, and his form was attached to a pump powered by electricity. The man was not pumping the water, the water was pumping him. To what are you attached? Are you driving it, or is it driving you? –Anonymous
“…who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,” II Timothy 1:9.
What are you attached to? Unless your answer is that you are attached to Jesus, the “Author and Finisher of our faith,” Hebrews 12:2, attached to the One who died on a cruel cross to set you free from sin and death, you need to step back and reevaluate your life and your attachments.
The God of Heaven and Earth has indeed “called you with a holy calling…” He has not restricted you from answering His call because of any negligent or naughty works you have done; nor are you absolved from being required to heed His call because of the great accomplishments you have achieved. No. He has called you according to His own purpose and grace; and His calling is from everlasting (see Revelation 13:8).
If you will accept that calling; if you will make that calling the utmost priority of your life, your life will no longer be powered by your own strength, your own will, your own ability, or your own desires. Your life will become supercharged with the might of Heaven behind you.
According to Daniel 11:32, you will be among, “the people that know their God who shall be strong, and do exploits.” HE will tap your ability and empower it for the furtherance of the Kingdom of Christ. HE will glorify Himself through your surrendered service to His eternal purposes.
What Are You Attached To?
Once, A.J. Gordon went to a World’s Fair. The American Baptist preacher, writer, composer, and founder of Gordon College and Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary saw something curious from a distance. It looked like a man pumping water with one of those old hand pumps. The water was gushing out.
“That man is really pumping water hard,” said Gordon. But when he got closer, he discovered that the man was wooden, and his form was attached to a pump powered by electricity. The man was not pumping the water, the water was pumping him. To what are you attached? Are you driving it, or is it driving you? –Anonymous
“…who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,” II Timothy 1:9.
What are you attached to? Unless your answer is that you are attached to Jesus, the “Author and Finisher of our faith,” Hebrews 12:2, attached to the One who died on a cruel cross to set you free from sin and death, you need to step back and reevaluate your life and your attachments.
The God of Heaven and Earth has indeed “called you with a holy calling…” He has not restricted you from answering His call because of any negligent or naughty works you have done; nor are you absolved from being required to heed His call because of the great accomplishments you have achieved. No. He has called you according to His own purpose and grace; and His calling is from everlasting (see Revelation 13:8).
If you will accept that calling; if you will make that calling the utmost priority of your life, your life will no longer be powered by your own strength, your own will, your own ability, or your own desires. Your life will become supercharged with the might of Heaven behind you.
According to Daniel 11:32, you will be among, “the people that know their God who shall be strong, and do exploits.” HE will tap your ability and empower it for the furtherance of the Kingdom of Christ. HE will glorify Himself through your surrendered service to His eternal purposes.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Yesterday I Wasn't; Today I Am
March 10
Dear Reader,
Recently, a lady in our church told me of a serious medical condition she was experiencing. We prayed together and I shared the following with her. After several weeks of tests, it has been concluded that there is nothing amiss, that a minor condition may exist that can be easily remedied. Further testing will be done in six months.
God bless each of you as you read and may HE expand your faith to anticipate even more of the good things His Word promises to you as you simply come to Him in faith, "believing that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him," Hebrews 11:6.
I love you all, and pray you appropriate all His promises so every need you face may be met in Jesus Christ who "is the same yesterday, today, and forever," Hebrews 13:8.
The inconclusiveness of your situation may cause you confusion and anxiety, but perhaps God has a great purpose in allowing it. The following is an example of just such a scenario which was endured by one of Christ’s faithful servants.
There once was a lady who had a medical problem that defied diagnosis. She had seen more than one doctor but her condition remained unidentified. Finally it was concluded that exploratory surgery would be done to try to determine what was causing her problem.
Even this seemed to be unfruitful, for the surgeons could locate nothing amiss. However, just when they were ready to sew her up without finding the problem, she began to speak to them in tongues while under the anesthetic.
As it happened one of the doctors was from a foreign country and he understood every word because she was speaking his native language! She not only told him where the problem was and how to fix it, but she also witnessed Christ to him.
When he visited her the next day after she'd awakened from the anesthetic, he told her about the incident. He asked if she knew the language she'd spoken. She assured him that she spoke only English.
She asked him if he were a Christian and he said, "Yesterday I wasn't, but today I am."
Perhaps your ordeal is rooted in the fact that as you go through it, you are a witness to every person you meet of what it is to be a person of faith who is secure even in the midst of a trial because the “joy of the Lord, ” Nehemiah 8:10, is indeed the strength on which you lean.
Please know, dear reader, that much faith is added to yours that when the conclusion of the matter which is imposing itself upon you is reached, you will be whole from the top of your head to the bottoms of your feet and someone who was lost will have been found in Christ because of your faithful witness of the light that is Jesus through the darkest place you’ve ever been.
Remember the beautiful words scrawled on the wall of the Bastille during the horrible days of the French Revolution: "I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining; I believe in love, even when I can't feel it; I believe in God, even when He seems to be silent."
Keep believing in what you know and keep holding fast to the One who is always speaking to your spirit, “Peace, be still,” Matthew 8:23-27.
Dear Reader,
Recently, a lady in our church told me of a serious medical condition she was experiencing. We prayed together and I shared the following with her. After several weeks of tests, it has been concluded that there is nothing amiss, that a minor condition may exist that can be easily remedied. Further testing will be done in six months.
God bless each of you as you read and may HE expand your faith to anticipate even more of the good things His Word promises to you as you simply come to Him in faith, "believing that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him," Hebrews 11:6.
I love you all, and pray you appropriate all His promises so every need you face may be met in Jesus Christ who "is the same yesterday, today, and forever," Hebrews 13:8.
The inconclusiveness of your situation may cause you confusion and anxiety, but perhaps God has a great purpose in allowing it. The following is an example of just such a scenario which was endured by one of Christ’s faithful servants.
There once was a lady who had a medical problem that defied diagnosis. She had seen more than one doctor but her condition remained unidentified. Finally it was concluded that exploratory surgery would be done to try to determine what was causing her problem.
Even this seemed to be unfruitful, for the surgeons could locate nothing amiss. However, just when they were ready to sew her up without finding the problem, she began to speak to them in tongues while under the anesthetic.
As it happened one of the doctors was from a foreign country and he understood every word because she was speaking his native language! She not only told him where the problem was and how to fix it, but she also witnessed Christ to him.
When he visited her the next day after she'd awakened from the anesthetic, he told her about the incident. He asked if she knew the language she'd spoken. She assured him that she spoke only English.
She asked him if he were a Christian and he said, "Yesterday I wasn't, but today I am."
Perhaps your ordeal is rooted in the fact that as you go through it, you are a witness to every person you meet of what it is to be a person of faith who is secure even in the midst of a trial because the “joy of the Lord, ” Nehemiah 8:10, is indeed the strength on which you lean.
Please know, dear reader, that much faith is added to yours that when the conclusion of the matter which is imposing itself upon you is reached, you will be whole from the top of your head to the bottoms of your feet and someone who was lost will have been found in Christ because of your faithful witness of the light that is Jesus through the darkest place you’ve ever been.
Remember the beautiful words scrawled on the wall of the Bastille during the horrible days of the French Revolution: "I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining; I believe in love, even when I can't feel it; I believe in God, even when He seems to be silent."
Keep believing in what you know and keep holding fast to the One who is always speaking to your spirit, “Peace, be still,” Matthew 8:23-27.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Freedom from Deep Gloom
March 9
“But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: ‘Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.’” Ephesians 5:13-17
Jesus, the Light of the World, wants us to walk in His light because in the light of His love and truth, there is power to see. Until we awake from the darkness of self’s sinful pursuits, we cannot clearly see. In fact, until we awaken from the dismal gloom of our lives, we are tantamount to being dead.
We cannot fully grasp the reality of our spiritual demise because we have persuaded ourselves that our worldly pursuits are enjoyable, that we are fully alive in the utmost center of our being…but in the heart of who we are, we know we deceive ourselves.
If we will, we can indeed “redeem the time,” we can indeed, be restored to fellowship with the Holy One. The relationship that was lost in the Garden of Eden was bought back for us in the Garden of Gethsemane.
If we will but claim the free gift of Christ, we shall be wise in these dark, evil days, we shall understand what the will of the Lord is and we shall proclaim His salvation from the housetops, according to Matthew 10:27.
We who allow ourselves to be redeemed from the darkness, can be instruments of Christ’s glorious light to those who yet abide in the dark. We can reflect the glorious light of the Son to everyone who yearns for freedom from sin’s deep gloom.
“But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: ‘Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.’” Ephesians 5:13-17
Jesus, the Light of the World, wants us to walk in His light because in the light of His love and truth, there is power to see. Until we awake from the darkness of self’s sinful pursuits, we cannot clearly see. In fact, until we awaken from the dismal gloom of our lives, we are tantamount to being dead.
We cannot fully grasp the reality of our spiritual demise because we have persuaded ourselves that our worldly pursuits are enjoyable, that we are fully alive in the utmost center of our being…but in the heart of who we are, we know we deceive ourselves.
If we will, we can indeed “redeem the time,” we can indeed, be restored to fellowship with the Holy One. The relationship that was lost in the Garden of Eden was bought back for us in the Garden of Gethsemane.
If we will but claim the free gift of Christ, we shall be wise in these dark, evil days, we shall understand what the will of the Lord is and we shall proclaim His salvation from the housetops, according to Matthew 10:27.
We who allow ourselves to be redeemed from the darkness, can be instruments of Christ’s glorious light to those who yet abide in the dark. We can reflect the glorious light of the Son to everyone who yearns for freedom from sin’s deep gloom.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
The Anemic Bride of Christ
March 8
This has been posted before but it warrants reposting:
THE ANEMIC BRIDE OF CHRIST
The Bride of Christ is ill and frail. She is being consumed by a malady that she does not recognize because she’s borne it so long! What an indictment against the Church—the Bride of the One who heals and sets free—is suffering from the sin-sickness of faithlessness!
In Christ’s day and in many cultures today, a bride is lavished with gifts from her intended and from his family. She is given gold, fine jewels, beautiful clothing—all as a token of their welcome of her into their family. Christ lavished gifts upon His Bride. He told her she had the gifts of prophecy, healing, discernment, speaking in tongues, faith to move mountains...
He told her she could do great exploits in His name—much as a loving young husband tells his new wife she may use his checkbook any way she wishes! The bride writes the check. The groom covers the bill. Jesus told His Bride she could speak a word in His name and it would be done—He would cover all the checks she writes. “...Pray for the sick and they shall recover,” Mark 16:18. “Ask anything in faith believing and it shall be done,” James 1:6.
The Lord has lavished His Bride with spiritual wealth that boggles the imagination! She should be praying for the needs of the lost and dying world around her, but she is suffering from the illness of doubt and unbelief that plagues the rest of the world! She can’t minister to them because she’s suffering from the same affliction herself! And she doesn’t know it because her lethargy has put her into a spiritual somnolence that inures her to her own need!
Will the Bride’s spiritual lethargy render her incapable of bearing fruit for the Kingdom of her Bridegroom? It will if she doesn’t shake herself from it and begin to nurture souls! But first she must allow herself to be anointed afresh! She must give herself over to the One she professes to love and allow Him to deliver her from her weak condition to restored, vital Spirit-infused energy!
Jesus is returning soon for a beautiful Bride without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27). She cannot be spiritually anemic and consumed with the world! She must be vibrant! She must be full of the Holy Ghost and Fire! There must be a passion in her bosom for her Bridegroom that propels her forward in the pursuit of holiness and Spiritual power!
May the Bride consume the Bread of Life (John 6:35) and drink the Living Water (John 7:38) that she lacks so she may be strengthened, so she may use the gifts—the power of Jesus (Matthew 28:18)—that He shares with her (Luke 10:19) to do the work of His Kingdom! The hour is late. His return is near.
This has been posted before but it warrants reposting:
THE ANEMIC BRIDE OF CHRIST
The Bride of Christ is ill and frail. She is being consumed by a malady that she does not recognize because she’s borne it so long! What an indictment against the Church—the Bride of the One who heals and sets free—is suffering from the sin-sickness of faithlessness!
In Christ’s day and in many cultures today, a bride is lavished with gifts from her intended and from his family. She is given gold, fine jewels, beautiful clothing—all as a token of their welcome of her into their family. Christ lavished gifts upon His Bride. He told her she had the gifts of prophecy, healing, discernment, speaking in tongues, faith to move mountains...
He told her she could do great exploits in His name—much as a loving young husband tells his new wife she may use his checkbook any way she wishes! The bride writes the check. The groom covers the bill. Jesus told His Bride she could speak a word in His name and it would be done—He would cover all the checks she writes. “...Pray for the sick and they shall recover,” Mark 16:18. “Ask anything in faith believing and it shall be done,” James 1:6.
The Lord has lavished His Bride with spiritual wealth that boggles the imagination! She should be praying for the needs of the lost and dying world around her, but she is suffering from the illness of doubt and unbelief that plagues the rest of the world! She can’t minister to them because she’s suffering from the same affliction herself! And she doesn’t know it because her lethargy has put her into a spiritual somnolence that inures her to her own need!
Will the Bride’s spiritual lethargy render her incapable of bearing fruit for the Kingdom of her Bridegroom? It will if she doesn’t shake herself from it and begin to nurture souls! But first she must allow herself to be anointed afresh! She must give herself over to the One she professes to love and allow Him to deliver her from her weak condition to restored, vital Spirit-infused energy!
Jesus is returning soon for a beautiful Bride without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27). She cannot be spiritually anemic and consumed with the world! She must be vibrant! She must be full of the Holy Ghost and Fire! There must be a passion in her bosom for her Bridegroom that propels her forward in the pursuit of holiness and Spiritual power!
May the Bride consume the Bread of Life (John 6:35) and drink the Living Water (John 7:38) that she lacks so she may be strengthened, so she may use the gifts—the power of Jesus (Matthew 28:18)—that He shares with her (Luke 10:19) to do the work of His Kingdom! The hour is late. His return is near.
Friday, March 7, 2014
He Doesn't Promise Tomorrow
March 7
"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. You say, ‘I am rich, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.” Revelation 3:15-17.
The Lord makes it quite clear in this passage that He does not want half-hearted worshipers, that He is not interested in marginal believers, or followers with tepid faith. II Peter 1:4 tells us that we are given “great and precious promises,” so it behooves us to walk in the power that’s ours.
Here are just a few of the amazing promises that are ours immediately upon our embrace of Christ as our Savior. They only scratch the surface of what Jesus has assured us is ours.
2 Peter 1:4
And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Matthew 11:28-29
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Isaiah 40:29-31
He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
Philippians 4:19
And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His riches in glory, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:37-39.
I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Proverbs 1:33
But all who listen to Me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.
John 14:27
I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
Romans 10:9
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.
Romans 6:23
The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Dear Children! Do these few great and precious promises not whet your appetite for the God who made them! Do these words of power and hope and truth which so profoundly reveal His love not make you hunger for His salvation! Lay your life at His feet today, for today is the day of salvation (see II Corinthians 6:2).
Make no tarrying, for He doesn’t promise us tomorrow.
"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. You say, ‘I am rich, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.” Revelation 3:15-17.
The Lord makes it quite clear in this passage that He does not want half-hearted worshipers, that He is not interested in marginal believers, or followers with tepid faith. II Peter 1:4 tells us that we are given “great and precious promises,” so it behooves us to walk in the power that’s ours.
Here are just a few of the amazing promises that are ours immediately upon our embrace of Christ as our Savior. They only scratch the surface of what Jesus has assured us is ours.
2 Peter 1:4
And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Matthew 11:28-29
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Isaiah 40:29-31
He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
Philippians 4:19
And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His riches in glory, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:37-39.
I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Proverbs 1:33
But all who listen to Me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.
John 14:27
I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
Romans 10:9
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.
Romans 6:23
The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Dear Children! Do these few great and precious promises not whet your appetite for the God who made them! Do these words of power and hope and truth which so profoundly reveal His love not make you hunger for His salvation! Lay your life at His feet today, for today is the day of salvation (see II Corinthians 6:2).
Make no tarrying, for He doesn’t promise us tomorrow.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Find Salvation in Jesus
March 6
The Essence of the Law is found in one passage of scripture which says, “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good. Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it,” Deuteronomy 10:12-14.
The Lord Himself reiterates this principle in numerous places including in Luke 10:27 where He says, “The first and greatest commandment is this, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your mind and all your strength and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
We must remember that the Pharisees were always trying to trap Jesus in His words, to catch Him in a fault. They were forever applying the letter of the law to Jesus and His actions and in so doing they continually revealed the total lack of the spirit of the law within their own hearts.
It is traditionally believed that Moses is the author of Deuteronomy so it is beyond question that the Lord would have had him (to whom the law was given) include the importance of obedience to the Commandments among His requirements for fulfillment of the divine ordinance. Jesus’ statement in Luke supposes that in loving God and loving our neighbor, we will be keeping the law.
How can He make that presumption? Because if we love God and man, we will not kill, we will not steal, we will not covet, we will not commit adultery, we will not bear false witness, nor will we abridge the rest of the law, for we understand that in so doing, we are failing to give the Lord His due and we are abrogating our responsibility to allow our lives to be living epistles, read of all men, (see II Corinthians 5:15.)
In Matthew 5:16, Jesus says, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.” He is conveying the truth that “We are not our own,” I Corinthians 6:20, “but we are bought with a price; not at a cost of silver and gold but of the precious blood of Jesus.”
When we recognize that amazing truth, we grasp the magnitude of our responsibility to love the Lord and to keep His law. Our Christ-surrendered lives are the little love notes God uses to direct lost men to His Holy Word, the Bible, and to enable them to find salvation in Jesus Christ, our Savior and soon-coming King.
The Essence of the Law is found in one passage of scripture which says, “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good. Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it,” Deuteronomy 10:12-14.
The Lord Himself reiterates this principle in numerous places including in Luke 10:27 where He says, “The first and greatest commandment is this, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your mind and all your strength and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
We must remember that the Pharisees were always trying to trap Jesus in His words, to catch Him in a fault. They were forever applying the letter of the law to Jesus and His actions and in so doing they continually revealed the total lack of the spirit of the law within their own hearts.
It is traditionally believed that Moses is the author of Deuteronomy so it is beyond question that the Lord would have had him (to whom the law was given) include the importance of obedience to the Commandments among His requirements for fulfillment of the divine ordinance. Jesus’ statement in Luke supposes that in loving God and loving our neighbor, we will be keeping the law.
How can He make that presumption? Because if we love God and man, we will not kill, we will not steal, we will not covet, we will not commit adultery, we will not bear false witness, nor will we abridge the rest of the law, for we understand that in so doing, we are failing to give the Lord His due and we are abrogating our responsibility to allow our lives to be living epistles, read of all men, (see II Corinthians 5:15.)
In Matthew 5:16, Jesus says, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.” He is conveying the truth that “We are not our own,” I Corinthians 6:20, “but we are bought with a price; not at a cost of silver and gold but of the precious blood of Jesus.”
When we recognize that amazing truth, we grasp the magnitude of our responsibility to love the Lord and to keep His law. Our Christ-surrendered lives are the little love notes God uses to direct lost men to His Holy Word, the Bible, and to enable them to find salvation in Jesus Christ, our Savior and soon-coming King.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Who Do YOU Say That I Am?
March 5
Is Jesus Really God?
By David Hume, from An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
My favorite Christmas card pictures Genghis Khan, Hitler, Napoleon, and other monarchs and tyrants beneath the words, "History is filled with men who would be gods." Inside the card, next to a depiction of Christ in his manger, it adds, "But only one God who would be man."
Is there evidence that Christ is really the divine Son of God?
The Bible says that he is, of course. According to the New Testament, Jesus walked on water and calmed stormy seas, healed the sick and raised the dead. But all religions have their holy books. Just because they believe something doesn't make it true.
Here's why I'm convinced that Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God. It all hinges on an event which Christians call the "resurrection."
We know from ancient historians Tacitus and Thallus the Samaritan that Jesus was crucified by Pontius Pilate. According to Josephus, the first-century Jewish historian, the first Christians believed that he rose from the dead on Easter Sunday morning. How can we know if they were right?
David Hume was an 18th-century Scottish philosopher, known today as the "Father of Skepticism." He set out six criteria by which we should judge those who claim to have witnessed a miracle: they should be numerous, intelligent, educated, of unquestioned integrity, willing to undergo severe loss if proven wrong, and their claims should be easily provable
I think his standards are an excellent way to judge those who say they witnessed a miracle. How do the eyewitnesses of the risen Christ fare by these criteria?
They were numerous: over 500 saw the resurrected Lord (1 Corinthians 15:6).
They were intelligent—the literature they produced is the most-published book in history.
They were well-educated—Paul was trained by Gamaliel, the finest scholar in Judaism (Acts 22:3).
They were men and women of unquestioned integrity, clearly willing to undergo severe loss, as proven by their willingness to die for the Christ they proclaimed.
And their claims were easily validated, as Jesus' empty tomb was available to anyone who wanted to visit it (Acts 26:26, "...this thing was not done in a corner").
So the witnesses were credible. What about the resurrection they proclaimed?
As we have seen, it is a fact of history that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified and buried, and that on the third day his tomb was found empty. Ever since, skeptics have struggled to explain that empty tomb and the changed lives of his followers.
One theory is that the disciples stole the body while the guards slept (Matthew 28:11-15). This was the earliest explanation for Easter. But how would sleeping guards know the identity of these thieves?
How could the disciples convince 500 people that the corpse was alive?
And why would the disciples then die for what they knew to be a lie?
A second theory claims that the women stole the body. How would they overpower the guards?
How would they make a corpse look alive?
Why would they suffer and die for such a lie?
A third explanation is that the authorities stole the body.
When the misguided disciples found an empty tomb, they announced a risen Lord.
But why would the authorities steal the body they had stationed guards to watch?
And when the Christians began preaching the resurrection, wouldn't they quickly produce the corpse?
A fourth approach is the wrong tomb theory—the grief-stricken women and apostles went to the wrong tomb, found it empty, and began announcing the resurrection. But the women saw where he was buried (Matthew 27:61); Joseph of Arimathea, the man who owned the tomb, would have corrected the error (Matthew 27:57-61); and the authorities would have gone to the correct tomb and produced the corpse.
A fifth strategy is the "swoon theory"—Jesus did not actually die on the cross. He or his followers bribed the medical examiner to pronounce him dead, then he revived in the tomb and appeared to be resurrected.
But how could he survive burial clothes which would have suffocated him?
How did he shove aside the stone in his emaciated condition and overpower the guards?
How could he appear through walls (John 20:19, 26) and ascend to heaven (Acts 1:9)?
There is only one reasonable explanation for the empty tomb, the changed lives of the disciples, and the explosion of Christianity around the world: Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
He is therefore the person he claimed to be: the divine Son of God.
Jesus came to forgive our sins and give us eternal life as the children of God. But all gifts must be opened. Open yours today: ask Jesus to forgive your sins and become your Lord and King.
Jesus really is the God who would be man.
He became one of us that we might be one with him.
Trusting him is not a leap into the dark, but into the light. When you jump, crucified hands will catch you and never let you go. (See John 10:28.)
Is Jesus Really God?
By David Hume, from An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
My favorite Christmas card pictures Genghis Khan, Hitler, Napoleon, and other monarchs and tyrants beneath the words, "History is filled with men who would be gods." Inside the card, next to a depiction of Christ in his manger, it adds, "But only one God who would be man."
Is there evidence that Christ is really the divine Son of God?
The Bible says that he is, of course. According to the New Testament, Jesus walked on water and calmed stormy seas, healed the sick and raised the dead. But all religions have their holy books. Just because they believe something doesn't make it true.
Here's why I'm convinced that Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God. It all hinges on an event which Christians call the "resurrection."
We know from ancient historians Tacitus and Thallus the Samaritan that Jesus was crucified by Pontius Pilate. According to Josephus, the first-century Jewish historian, the first Christians believed that he rose from the dead on Easter Sunday morning. How can we know if they were right?
David Hume was an 18th-century Scottish philosopher, known today as the "Father of Skepticism." He set out six criteria by which we should judge those who claim to have witnessed a miracle: they should be numerous, intelligent, educated, of unquestioned integrity, willing to undergo severe loss if proven wrong, and their claims should be easily provable
I think his standards are an excellent way to judge those who say they witnessed a miracle. How do the eyewitnesses of the risen Christ fare by these criteria?
They were numerous: over 500 saw the resurrected Lord (1 Corinthians 15:6).
They were intelligent—the literature they produced is the most-published book in history.
They were well-educated—Paul was trained by Gamaliel, the finest scholar in Judaism (Acts 22:3).
They were men and women of unquestioned integrity, clearly willing to undergo severe loss, as proven by their willingness to die for the Christ they proclaimed.
And their claims were easily validated, as Jesus' empty tomb was available to anyone who wanted to visit it (Acts 26:26, "...this thing was not done in a corner").
So the witnesses were credible. What about the resurrection they proclaimed?
As we have seen, it is a fact of history that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified and buried, and that on the third day his tomb was found empty. Ever since, skeptics have struggled to explain that empty tomb and the changed lives of his followers.
One theory is that the disciples stole the body while the guards slept (Matthew 28:11-15). This was the earliest explanation for Easter. But how would sleeping guards know the identity of these thieves?
How could the disciples convince 500 people that the corpse was alive?
And why would the disciples then die for what they knew to be a lie?
A second theory claims that the women stole the body. How would they overpower the guards?
How would they make a corpse look alive?
Why would they suffer and die for such a lie?
A third explanation is that the authorities stole the body.
When the misguided disciples found an empty tomb, they announced a risen Lord.
But why would the authorities steal the body they had stationed guards to watch?
And when the Christians began preaching the resurrection, wouldn't they quickly produce the corpse?
A fourth approach is the wrong tomb theory—the grief-stricken women and apostles went to the wrong tomb, found it empty, and began announcing the resurrection. But the women saw where he was buried (Matthew 27:61); Joseph of Arimathea, the man who owned the tomb, would have corrected the error (Matthew 27:57-61); and the authorities would have gone to the correct tomb and produced the corpse.
A fifth strategy is the "swoon theory"—Jesus did not actually die on the cross. He or his followers bribed the medical examiner to pronounce him dead, then he revived in the tomb and appeared to be resurrected.
But how could he survive burial clothes which would have suffocated him?
How did he shove aside the stone in his emaciated condition and overpower the guards?
How could he appear through walls (John 20:19, 26) and ascend to heaven (Acts 1:9)?
There is only one reasonable explanation for the empty tomb, the changed lives of the disciples, and the explosion of Christianity around the world: Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
He is therefore the person he claimed to be: the divine Son of God.
Jesus came to forgive our sins and give us eternal life as the children of God. But all gifts must be opened. Open yours today: ask Jesus to forgive your sins and become your Lord and King.
Jesus really is the God who would be man.
He became one of us that we might be one with him.
Trusting him is not a leap into the dark, but into the light. When you jump, crucified hands will catch you and never let you go. (See John 10:28.)
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
God Resists...God Gives Grace
March 4
“God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble,” James 4:6.
Why? He is concerned with the right attitude of our hearts because it is the means by which we appropriate God's grace. In I Peter 5:5 the point is further clarified. Here the impetuous Apostle tells us to, “Clothe yourself with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
In another place the Word tells us that “pride goes before a fall,” Proverbs 16:18. In Psalm 56:13, David says, “You will protect my soul from hell and my feet from falling.” It is clear that our God wants to keep us firm in faith; He does not want us to stumble over the deception of the enemy or over the worldly desires of our own hearts. He wants us to be anchored in His eternal truth.
Proverbs 11:2 tells us, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” We see here that our loving Lord resists us when we entertain pride because it will lead to our ultimate disgrace. Conversely, humility is our bridge from the mundane prospects of worldly strivings to the achievement of heavenly goals.
Proverbs 29:23 explains the concept further: “A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.” Of course, the world in which we live and function does not concur with this perception of success and failure. The world’s method is to be filled with self-confidence, which verges on pride, and to ascend to the height of our desire on the wings of our own abilities.
Ecclesiastes 7:8 tells us that patience supersedes pride; that diligent application of effort toward godly goals will result in achievement that is beneficial to the believer as well as being pleasing to the Lord. Will our eternal goals be those of time? Hardly.
James 4:2 makes it very clear regarding the temporal desires of which He approves, “You want what you don't have, so you scheme to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't attain it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it.”
He tells us that our prideful yearning for power and possessions will drive us to sinful acts in order to attain them, but if we will submit our supplications to Him in faith, He will guide us into the righteous way of achieving all He wants for us.
What alternative does He offer to those of us who have gone our own way and discovered that the attaining of ungodly desires has brought us no satisfaction? What recourse do we have when we have spent ourselves on the acquisition of power and possessions that leave us still searching for the peace and satisfaction we thought they’d afford to us?
As with all things, JESUS is the answer to every need of man, and HE is the full supply. His coffers contain the wealth of the world; the cattle on a thousand hills belongs to Him (see Psalm 50:10). Though He does not need us, He desires us to serve Him with full hearts so we may receive the blessing of being in the center of His will.
Will He discard us if we pursue our own path, if we stumble and fall under the weight of our pride? No! The moment we return to Him in faith He will pick us up and set us on the path of righteousness. As we are told by the prophet in Micah 7:8, “…when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.”
There is always a second chance, there is always a fresh start, there is always hope, for the Lord our God and Savior loves us and desires His best for us. He will always restore us to Himself if we will but forsake the pride of our own way and walk in the grace humility claims for us.
“God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble,” James 4:6.
Why? He is concerned with the right attitude of our hearts because it is the means by which we appropriate God's grace. In I Peter 5:5 the point is further clarified. Here the impetuous Apostle tells us to, “Clothe yourself with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
In another place the Word tells us that “pride goes before a fall,” Proverbs 16:18. In Psalm 56:13, David says, “You will protect my soul from hell and my feet from falling.” It is clear that our God wants to keep us firm in faith; He does not want us to stumble over the deception of the enemy or over the worldly desires of our own hearts. He wants us to be anchored in His eternal truth.
Proverbs 11:2 tells us, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” We see here that our loving Lord resists us when we entertain pride because it will lead to our ultimate disgrace. Conversely, humility is our bridge from the mundane prospects of worldly strivings to the achievement of heavenly goals.
Proverbs 29:23 explains the concept further: “A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.” Of course, the world in which we live and function does not concur with this perception of success and failure. The world’s method is to be filled with self-confidence, which verges on pride, and to ascend to the height of our desire on the wings of our own abilities.
Ecclesiastes 7:8 tells us that patience supersedes pride; that diligent application of effort toward godly goals will result in achievement that is beneficial to the believer as well as being pleasing to the Lord. Will our eternal goals be those of time? Hardly.
James 4:2 makes it very clear regarding the temporal desires of which He approves, “You want what you don't have, so you scheme to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't attain it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it.”
He tells us that our prideful yearning for power and possessions will drive us to sinful acts in order to attain them, but if we will submit our supplications to Him in faith, He will guide us into the righteous way of achieving all He wants for us.
What alternative does He offer to those of us who have gone our own way and discovered that the attaining of ungodly desires has brought us no satisfaction? What recourse do we have when we have spent ourselves on the acquisition of power and possessions that leave us still searching for the peace and satisfaction we thought they’d afford to us?
As with all things, JESUS is the answer to every need of man, and HE is the full supply. His coffers contain the wealth of the world; the cattle on a thousand hills belongs to Him (see Psalm 50:10). Though He does not need us, He desires us to serve Him with full hearts so we may receive the blessing of being in the center of His will.
Will He discard us if we pursue our own path, if we stumble and fall under the weight of our pride? No! The moment we return to Him in faith He will pick us up and set us on the path of righteousness. As we are told by the prophet in Micah 7:8, “…when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.”
There is always a second chance, there is always a fresh start, there is always hope, for the Lord our God and Savior loves us and desires His best for us. He will always restore us to Himself if we will but forsake the pride of our own way and walk in the grace humility claims for us.
Monday, March 3, 2014
The Gift of Life
March 3
The Gift of Life
Three times a month, Jermaine Washington and Michelle Stevens got together for what they called a “gratitude lunch.” With good reason. At 25, Washington donated a kidney to Stevens, 22, whom he described as “just a friend.” In fact, theirs was Washington Hospital Center's first "friend-to-friend" transplant.
They met at work where they used to have lunch together. One day Michelle wept as she spoke about waiting on a kidney donor list for 11 months. Family members couldn't or wouldn't be donors. She was being sustained by kidney dialysis, but suffered chronic fatigue and blackouts and was plagued by joint pain.
Then Washington made his extraordinary offer.
"I saw my friend dying before my eyes," Washington recalled. "What was I supposed to do? Sit back and watch her die?
One customer at Jake's Barber Shop asked Washington where he had found the courage to give away a kidney.
"I prayed for it," Washington replied. "I asked God for guidance and that's what I got."-- Anonymous
There are stories told of wealthy people in some parts of the world who kidnap victims solely to obtain a needed body part and then return them to their families--with financial remuneration--after the part is secured.
Perhaps ‘friend-to-friend’ transplants have also occurred in those parts of the world but the stories of them have not been told, possibly because of the belief in some cultures that dire experiences befall those who have incurred God’s wrath. Donating a body part might be construed as usurping God's will.
Believers in Christ cannot subscribe to that theory because His immutable Word tells us, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23, and, “God is no respecter of persons,” Acts 10:34. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 5:45, “The rain falls on the just and on the unjust; the sun shines on the just and on the unjust.”
This life isn’t our place of judgment. This life isn’t where everyone gets what he’s ‘due.’ In fact, the exact opposite may be understood from the passage where Paul writes, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus,” Romans 6:23.
Lest we become prideful because of our seeming humanity toward our brothers in their plight; lest we become secure in our righteousness in our own eyes, let us be mindful of the pervasiveness of sin among men in general and within ourselves in particular.
In John 19:11, Jesus suggests that some sin is greater in God’s eyes than are other transgressions. Here He says, “You would have no power over Me if it were not given to you; the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
The question might be posed of the two men of whom Jesus was speaking—Pontius Pilate who condemned Jesus to be crucified and Judas who betrayed Him—as to which man had the greater sin.
Yet, we, as they, will stand before God to be judged. We, like those who could not see the Shining Character before them, will be judged on what we have done with Him.
The Gift of Life
Three times a month, Jermaine Washington and Michelle Stevens got together for what they called a “gratitude lunch.” With good reason. At 25, Washington donated a kidney to Stevens, 22, whom he described as “just a friend.” In fact, theirs was Washington Hospital Center's first "friend-to-friend" transplant.
They met at work where they used to have lunch together. One day Michelle wept as she spoke about waiting on a kidney donor list for 11 months. Family members couldn't or wouldn't be donors. She was being sustained by kidney dialysis, but suffered chronic fatigue and blackouts and was plagued by joint pain.
Then Washington made his extraordinary offer.
"I saw my friend dying before my eyes," Washington recalled. "What was I supposed to do? Sit back and watch her die?
One customer at Jake's Barber Shop asked Washington where he had found the courage to give away a kidney.
"I prayed for it," Washington replied. "I asked God for guidance and that's what I got."-- Anonymous
There are stories told of wealthy people in some parts of the world who kidnap victims solely to obtain a needed body part and then return them to their families--with financial remuneration--after the part is secured.
Perhaps ‘friend-to-friend’ transplants have also occurred in those parts of the world but the stories of them have not been told, possibly because of the belief in some cultures that dire experiences befall those who have incurred God’s wrath. Donating a body part might be construed as usurping God's will.
Believers in Christ cannot subscribe to that theory because His immutable Word tells us, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23, and, “God is no respecter of persons,” Acts 10:34. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 5:45, “The rain falls on the just and on the unjust; the sun shines on the just and on the unjust.”
This life isn’t our place of judgment. This life isn’t where everyone gets what he’s ‘due.’ In fact, the exact opposite may be understood from the passage where Paul writes, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus,” Romans 6:23.
Lest we become prideful because of our seeming humanity toward our brothers in their plight; lest we become secure in our righteousness in our own eyes, let us be mindful of the pervasiveness of sin among men in general and within ourselves in particular.
In John 19:11, Jesus suggests that some sin is greater in God’s eyes than are other transgressions. Here He says, “You would have no power over Me if it were not given to you; the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
The question might be posed of the two men of whom Jesus was speaking—Pontius Pilate who condemned Jesus to be crucified and Judas who betrayed Him—as to which man had the greater sin.
Yet, we, as they, will stand before God to be judged. We, like those who could not see the Shining Character before them, will be judged on what we have done with Him.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
...That Man Might Live
March 2
“Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; to our God, for He will abundantly pardon,” Isaiah 55:6, 7.
Man is fallible. All men make mistakes. All men fail. All men fall short of the mark. All men sin. Can anything about our species be clearer than that one outstanding truth?
Yet, over and over again in the scriptures, the holy Word of God invites us to seek the Lord, to call upon Him in the throes of our errancy, to forsake our sinful thoughts and deeds—God makes it abundantly clear that He wants to have mercy on us, to forgive us and to receive us to Himself.
Jesus makes this possible. Because of His propitiatory life, death, and resurrection, all mankind, no matter how profound our failures or grievous our sins, may reach out to the hand of the Holy One who is ever reaching out to him, and receive the grace to be pardoned and the love to be received into the family of God.
Isaiah does not state the simple fact of the desire of our Heavenly Father to forgive and redeem us, he tells us that it is the desire of the One who inhabits eternity to “abundantly pardon” His wayward children. It is His desire to clean our slate, to make us completely new in Christ!
Our fallen species tends to hold grudges, to plot and scheme for opportunities to ‘get even,’ to exact harsh payment against any who may undermine us, but our loving Lord has devised an infallible plan to redeem the ones who turned from fellowship with Him to pursue our self-destructive path of rebellion.
The concept of forgiving the offender is alien to us. But because Jesus has walked where we walk, because He has lived in human flesh, because He has been “tempted in all points like as we are,” Hebrews 4:15, He can be our true Redeemer! He can abundantly pardon!
Let us not delay to receive such full, free deliverance from the weight that pulls us from the Lord and His eternal salvation! Let us not delay to receive the loving embrace of the God who died that man might live.
“Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; to our God, for He will abundantly pardon,” Isaiah 55:6, 7.
Man is fallible. All men make mistakes. All men fail. All men fall short of the mark. All men sin. Can anything about our species be clearer than that one outstanding truth?
Yet, over and over again in the scriptures, the holy Word of God invites us to seek the Lord, to call upon Him in the throes of our errancy, to forsake our sinful thoughts and deeds—God makes it abundantly clear that He wants to have mercy on us, to forgive us and to receive us to Himself.
Jesus makes this possible. Because of His propitiatory life, death, and resurrection, all mankind, no matter how profound our failures or grievous our sins, may reach out to the hand of the Holy One who is ever reaching out to him, and receive the grace to be pardoned and the love to be received into the family of God.
Isaiah does not state the simple fact of the desire of our Heavenly Father to forgive and redeem us, he tells us that it is the desire of the One who inhabits eternity to “abundantly pardon” His wayward children. It is His desire to clean our slate, to make us completely new in Christ!
Our fallen species tends to hold grudges, to plot and scheme for opportunities to ‘get even,’ to exact harsh payment against any who may undermine us, but our loving Lord has devised an infallible plan to redeem the ones who turned from fellowship with Him to pursue our self-destructive path of rebellion.
The concept of forgiving the offender is alien to us. But because Jesus has walked where we walk, because He has lived in human flesh, because He has been “tempted in all points like as we are,” Hebrews 4:15, He can be our true Redeemer! He can abundantly pardon!
Let us not delay to receive such full, free deliverance from the weight that pulls us from the Lord and His eternal salvation! Let us not delay to receive the loving embrace of the God who died that man might live.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Mystery of Godlessness
March 1
“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now holds it back will continue to restrain it, until He (the Holy Spirit) be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie,” II Thessalonians 2:7-11.
“I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spoke, they did not hear: but they did evil before Mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not,” Isaiah 66:4.
How, we might wonder, will the antichrist be able to come upon the world stage without being recognized as the demonic entity that he is? How can it possibly be at that juncture in time that so many people will hail him as a savior rather than seeing him as the foul demon from the pit that he will ultimately reveal himself to be?
Of course, we know he will purport himself to be a good man with the best intentions for our troubled world, but we are forewarned of his scheming. How can it be that when it unfolds before our eyes we will not see it?
The answer to that may be as complicated as there are people interpreting it, but the essence of it is found in two aspects of that time: 1. The Holy Spirit will no longer be present among us, and 2. the departure of the Holy Spirit will have come about because of our rejection of TRUTH.
The one primary thing the Holy Spirit is doing today is that He is about the business of revealing Christ to the hearts of men. He is touching them with a revelation of the Living Word of the One True God and He is visiting them in dreams and visions. He is compelling them to houses of worship where the name of Jesus is being lifted up.
Simultaneously, the evil one is doing his work of sowing seeds of doubt and disorder. Lawlessness is abounding—even in high places—and many are turning away from TRUTH, away from FAITH IN THE ONE WHO IS THE TRUTH.
Jesus said, “You shall know the TRUTH, and the TRUTH shall set you free,” John 8:32. We live at a time in the Western world when we disdain TRUTH! We live in a time when TRUTH is not only ignored, but it is turned on its head! We live in an age when the word spoken by the prophet in Isaiah 5:20 is coming to pass, we, “…call evil good and good evil.” As Isaiah said, the Lord has pronounced WOE upon us for calling His immutable Word a lie!
A wise man once said, “If you don’t stand for truth, you’ll fall for anything,” Anonymous. We are indeed falling for the twisted, godlessness of the age that is being spewed upon us from every quarter—from the entertainment industry, to the media, to the government, and even from some who purport themselves to be leaders of the church!
If we do not open our minds and hearts and spirits to the BIBLE, to the unfailing, immutable WORD of God; if we do not allow ourselves to be washed clean of sin by the LIVING SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, if we do not open ourselves to the baptism of the Holy Spirit who has been sent to “teach us all TRUTH,” John 14:26, John 16:13, we will indeed be blinded to everything that is holy in this vacuous age that is rapidly filling with corruption and godlessness!
“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now holds it back will continue to restrain it, until He (the Holy Spirit) be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie,” II Thessalonians 2:7-11.
“I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spoke, they did not hear: but they did evil before Mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not,” Isaiah 66:4.
How, we might wonder, will the antichrist be able to come upon the world stage without being recognized as the demonic entity that he is? How can it possibly be at that juncture in time that so many people will hail him as a savior rather than seeing him as the foul demon from the pit that he will ultimately reveal himself to be?
Of course, we know he will purport himself to be a good man with the best intentions for our troubled world, but we are forewarned of his scheming. How can it be that when it unfolds before our eyes we will not see it?
The answer to that may be as complicated as there are people interpreting it, but the essence of it is found in two aspects of that time: 1. The Holy Spirit will no longer be present among us, and 2. the departure of the Holy Spirit will have come about because of our rejection of TRUTH.
The one primary thing the Holy Spirit is doing today is that He is about the business of revealing Christ to the hearts of men. He is touching them with a revelation of the Living Word of the One True God and He is visiting them in dreams and visions. He is compelling them to houses of worship where the name of Jesus is being lifted up.
Simultaneously, the evil one is doing his work of sowing seeds of doubt and disorder. Lawlessness is abounding—even in high places—and many are turning away from TRUTH, away from FAITH IN THE ONE WHO IS THE TRUTH.
Jesus said, “You shall know the TRUTH, and the TRUTH shall set you free,” John 8:32. We live at a time in the Western world when we disdain TRUTH! We live in a time when TRUTH is not only ignored, but it is turned on its head! We live in an age when the word spoken by the prophet in Isaiah 5:20 is coming to pass, we, “…call evil good and good evil.” As Isaiah said, the Lord has pronounced WOE upon us for calling His immutable Word a lie!
A wise man once said, “If you don’t stand for truth, you’ll fall for anything,” Anonymous. We are indeed falling for the twisted, godlessness of the age that is being spewed upon us from every quarter—from the entertainment industry, to the media, to the government, and even from some who purport themselves to be leaders of the church!
If we do not open our minds and hearts and spirits to the BIBLE, to the unfailing, immutable WORD of God; if we do not allow ourselves to be washed clean of sin by the LIVING SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, if we do not open ourselves to the baptism of the Holy Spirit who has been sent to “teach us all TRUTH,” John 14:26, John 16:13, we will indeed be blinded to everything that is holy in this vacuous age that is rapidly filling with corruption and godlessness!
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