July 7
"Even now," declares the Lord, return to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity.
“Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing, grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God.
“Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.
“Let the priests, who minister before the Lord, weep between the portico and the altar. Let them say, Spare your people, Lord! Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?
“Then the Lord was jealous for His land and took pity on His people. The Lord replied to them: I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations,” Joel 2:12-19.
There’s a penalty to be paid by the nation that forsakes the Lord. The Israelites discovered this truth over and over throughout their history of the cycle of rebellion and repentance. Because the Lord is faithful, He would always receive them back and restore them when they had turned from their wickedness to once again pursue the Living and True God.
The Holy One has said of Himself, “I am the Lord; I change not,” Malachi 3:6. In Matthew 24:35, Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Word shall not pass away.” Jesus is the living Word of God in that He is God’s greatest revelation of Himself, and He forever stands as the image of the Godhead.
Colossians 1:15 states unequivocally, “Jesus is the image of the invisible God.” He who no man can look upon and live is clearly revealed in Christ unto life eternal, and any man or any nation that returns to Him shall be fully restored to Himself that they may not be ashamed, that they may never again be made an object of scorn among the nations.
May we who are steeped in trespasses and sins accept His gracious and unspeakable gift of restoration. May we, undeserving, vile, lost creatures that we are embrace the One who has exchanged our sin for His righteousness so we may receive the fullness of His gift of eternal salvation as well as of temporal provision.
May we fast and pray and, according to II Chronicles 7:14 repent in the behalf of our nation. Let us beseech the Holy One to "forgive our sin and heal our land," even as He counseled Israel, His people of old to do.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Hidden Under His Shadow
July 6
“And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,” Revelation 6:15.
There is a great and awful day approaching. It will be a time of upheaval and bloodshed. It will be a time of indiscriminate hatred and violence. We see shades of it today, evidenced in church bombings, in mothers being chained in dungeons with their babies, in the actions of ultra-vitriolic sects that seem unable to grasp the truth that God is a holy and merciful God, who says of Himself that He is love (see I John 4:8) and that whoever does not love, does not know Him.
We see shades of it when 50,000 men flee before 8,000—hiding themselves in dread of the ruthless butchers who gave them flight. Can we not see in this the foreshadowing of the army of the “one who comes to steal, kill and destroy,” John 10:10 wreaking havoc upon the earth as his demon-possessed minions soak the land with the blood of the martyrs! (See Revelation 18:24.)
But the ultimate day of anguish, the “great and terrible day of the Lord,” Malachi 4:5, will not be the horrific period of time when the devil’s minions run in vile terror through the landscape, it will be when the vile men who furthered the purposes of the evil one are arrested in their demonic mischief by the Lamb of God who will destroy them in His wrath!
We are told in Revelation 16: 16-17, “Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
People, there is a day coming when the only secure place to abide will be in the hollow of the hand of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. There is a day coming when every other hope of safety will fail. As we see the stirrings of the final day approaching, should we not empty ourselves of self, empty ourselves of the world and its fleeting allurements.
Should we not fill ourselves with Jesus, the One in whom we have meaning and hope and truth and righteousness—the One in whom we have life forevermore! We will then have no need to flee to the mountains or to call on them to cover us, Luke 23:30, for we will be “hidden under the shadow of the Almighty,” Psalm 91:1.
“And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,” Revelation 6:15.
There is a great and awful day approaching. It will be a time of upheaval and bloodshed. It will be a time of indiscriminate hatred and violence. We see shades of it today, evidenced in church bombings, in mothers being chained in dungeons with their babies, in the actions of ultra-vitriolic sects that seem unable to grasp the truth that God is a holy and merciful God, who says of Himself that He is love (see I John 4:8) and that whoever does not love, does not know Him.
We see shades of it when 50,000 men flee before 8,000—hiding themselves in dread of the ruthless butchers who gave them flight. Can we not see in this the foreshadowing of the army of the “one who comes to steal, kill and destroy,” John 10:10 wreaking havoc upon the earth as his demon-possessed minions soak the land with the blood of the martyrs! (See Revelation 18:24.)
But the ultimate day of anguish, the “great and terrible day of the Lord,” Malachi 4:5, will not be the horrific period of time when the devil’s minions run in vile terror through the landscape, it will be when the vile men who furthered the purposes of the evil one are arrested in their demonic mischief by the Lamb of God who will destroy them in His wrath!
We are told in Revelation 16: 16-17, “Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
People, there is a day coming when the only secure place to abide will be in the hollow of the hand of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. There is a day coming when every other hope of safety will fail. As we see the stirrings of the final day approaching, should we not empty ourselves of self, empty ourselves of the world and its fleeting allurements.
Should we not fill ourselves with Jesus, the One in whom we have meaning and hope and truth and righteousness—the One in whom we have life forevermore! We will then have no need to flee to the mountains or to call on them to cover us, Luke 23:30, for we will be “hidden under the shadow of the Almighty,” Psalm 91:1.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
One Thing Matters--Jesus
July 5
"The Lord will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore," Psalm 121:7-8.
Nations may rise and fall. Freedom may ebb or flow. Happiness may attend our way or elude us. Human love may be our portion or it may be far from us. Our only constant in a world fraught with upheaval and transition is” Christ and Him crucified,” II Corinthians 2:2, and as the Apostle Paul affirmed, that truth is the only thing worth knowing.
At opposite ends of the human spectrum we have the great achievers who develop amazing technological and medical and military advancements and at the other end of the equation we have the people who languish on government handouts who expend no effort toward enriching mankind or themselves.
Neither the former nor the latter probe the truth of God or desire a relationship with Him, although He lovingly extends it to all who will receive. In this one immeasurable regard, all—from the most gifted to the most inert—perish for a lack of the knowledge of “the One whom to know is life,” John 17:3.
Yet to those who know His name, to those who abide in His salvation, to those who honor His Word, He has made great and precious promises! Whatever life may hold; whatever trials may be encountered in this Vale of Tears, whatever successes or failures, whatever loves gained or lost, whatever prizes won or forfeited, the child of God knows that he “abides under the shadow of His wing,” Psalm 91:1.
Our Father God assures us that “He keeps us as the apple of His eye,” Deuteronomy 32:10, Psalm 17:8. Just as the entire structure of the face is configured to protect the eye—eyebrows, eyelashes, eyelids, bridge of the nose, cheekbones, forehead—so the resources of God are available for the protection of His children.
His love covers His people so they may say even if trials come, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him,” Job 13:15. If His hedge be removed and we perish, we may say as did Stephen, the first Christian martyr as he was stoned, “I see the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God,” Acts 7:56. Jesus was standing to receive Stephen to Himself as he transitioned from the fleeting life in this veil of flesh to Eternal Life at the footstool of the Holy One.
If our hope were in this life only, we would, as Paul said, “be of all men most miserable,” I Corinthians 15:19. But our confident expectation transcends time so we have “joy unspeakable and full of glory,” I Peter 1:8. May we abide in His joy, which is our strength, Nehemiah 8:10; may we rest in His love which never fails, I Corinthians 13:8; and may we hope in His coming which is promised, Acts 1:11.
"The Lord will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore," Psalm 121:7-8.
Nations may rise and fall. Freedom may ebb or flow. Happiness may attend our way or elude us. Human love may be our portion or it may be far from us. Our only constant in a world fraught with upheaval and transition is” Christ and Him crucified,” II Corinthians 2:2, and as the Apostle Paul affirmed, that truth is the only thing worth knowing.
At opposite ends of the human spectrum we have the great achievers who develop amazing technological and medical and military advancements and at the other end of the equation we have the people who languish on government handouts who expend no effort toward enriching mankind or themselves.
Neither the former nor the latter probe the truth of God or desire a relationship with Him, although He lovingly extends it to all who will receive. In this one immeasurable regard, all—from the most gifted to the most inert—perish for a lack of the knowledge of “the One whom to know is life,” John 17:3.
Yet to those who know His name, to those who abide in His salvation, to those who honor His Word, He has made great and precious promises! Whatever life may hold; whatever trials may be encountered in this Vale of Tears, whatever successes or failures, whatever loves gained or lost, whatever prizes won or forfeited, the child of God knows that he “abides under the shadow of His wing,” Psalm 91:1.
Our Father God assures us that “He keeps us as the apple of His eye,” Deuteronomy 32:10, Psalm 17:8. Just as the entire structure of the face is configured to protect the eye—eyebrows, eyelashes, eyelids, bridge of the nose, cheekbones, forehead—so the resources of God are available for the protection of His children.
His love covers His people so they may say even if trials come, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him,” Job 13:15. If His hedge be removed and we perish, we may say as did Stephen, the first Christian martyr as he was stoned, “I see the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God,” Acts 7:56. Jesus was standing to receive Stephen to Himself as he transitioned from the fleeting life in this veil of flesh to Eternal Life at the footstool of the Holy One.
If our hope were in this life only, we would, as Paul said, “be of all men most miserable,” I Corinthians 15:19. But our confident expectation transcends time so we have “joy unspeakable and full of glory,” I Peter 1:8. May we abide in His joy, which is our strength, Nehemiah 8:10; may we rest in His love which never fails, I Corinthians 13:8; and may we hope in His coming which is promised, Acts 1:11.
Friday, July 4, 2014
The Fourth of July
July 4
Today is the ‘birthday’ of the United States of America. This country enjoys the unique heritage of being established by Christians for the purpose of ascertaining religious freedom to all people of faith in Jesus Christ. It has since expanded its scope to include religious freedom for all people of all persuasions. Perhaps in gaining that dimension, the nation has lost something. That is for the Holy One to decide.
But one thing even the finite minds of mortal men may correctly ascertain is that a once great nation is in a free-fall from its lofty estate. We can blame our leaders for the corruption with which they have sullied our great Constitution or we can blame a mindless populace that elected them or we can blame the times in which we live which are fraught with godlessness.
However we feel about the cause of the current status of our nation, the one solution the God of Heaven and Earth and all that exists has to say in the matter is found in II Chronicles 7:14. That now familiar passage iterates: “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 I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
It behooves each of us who profess to love the Lord Jesus Christ to lift up this prayer, which originates in the Father’s heart, to His throne of mercy and grace daily. It behooves us to fast and pray in the behalf of this land that was laid at His feet at its inception—that godly men shall rise up to rule here, that a godly population will treasure the freedom the founders built into our Constitution as well as the freedom Jesus purchased for us on the cross.
If our generation allows the current tide of lawlessness and godlessness to be sustained, the next generation will not know the freedom our Founding Fathers counted dear enough to mutually pledge their “lives, their fortunes, their sacred honor,” in order to attain its establishment.
May we not be so foolish as to grovel in the pit of bondage when the lofty mountain of freedom is our heritage.
Today is the ‘birthday’ of the United States of America. This country enjoys the unique heritage of being established by Christians for the purpose of ascertaining religious freedom to all people of faith in Jesus Christ. It has since expanded its scope to include religious freedom for all people of all persuasions. Perhaps in gaining that dimension, the nation has lost something. That is for the Holy One to decide.
But one thing even the finite minds of mortal men may correctly ascertain is that a once great nation is in a free-fall from its lofty estate. We can blame our leaders for the corruption with which they have sullied our great Constitution or we can blame a mindless populace that elected them or we can blame the times in which we live which are fraught with godlessness.
However we feel about the cause of the current status of our nation, the one solution the God of Heaven and Earth and all that exists has to say in the matter is found in II Chronicles 7:14. That now familiar passage iterates: “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 I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
It behooves each of us who profess to love the Lord Jesus Christ to lift up this prayer, which originates in the Father’s heart, to His throne of mercy and grace daily. It behooves us to fast and pray in the behalf of this land that was laid at His feet at its inception—that godly men shall rise up to rule here, that a godly population will treasure the freedom the founders built into our Constitution as well as the freedom Jesus purchased for us on the cross.
If our generation allows the current tide of lawlessness and godlessness to be sustained, the next generation will not know the freedom our Founding Fathers counted dear enough to mutually pledge their “lives, their fortunes, their sacred honor,” in order to attain its establishment.
May we not be so foolish as to grovel in the pit of bondage when the lofty mountain of freedom is our heritage.
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Separated and Waiting
July 3
“Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues," Revelation 18:4.
"When the early Christians were told that loving of the world and its trappings meant they did not love God, they did not hold discussions on how far they could indulge the world and still please God. They got out of the world; they separated themselves completely from everything that had the world's spirit. The result was that they brought down the world's fury on their own heads.
"The world is no different now than it was when they crucified Jesus and martyred the first Christians...The reason we get along with the world so well is that we have compromised our position and allowed it to dictate to us...The result is that very few of us are in any way embarrassed by the world.
"What the church needs to fear is becoming accepted in the community. Any church that the unsaved worldly community accepts is never a church full of the Holy Spirit. Any church that is full of the Holy Spirit, separated from the world, and walking with God will never be accepted by any worldly community," A. W. Tozer, The Crucified Life.
Our Brother Tozer has expressed a truth many of today’s Christens cannot begin to understand. We are to be salt and light in a decaying world that is enshrouded in darkness. The salt of the truth of Christ that we bear is to preserve those who will receive Him and the impact of the truth that we share is to bring them forth from the darkness of the world into the light of His Kingdom.
If we succeed at this mission, they will become born again (see John 3:3), they shall accept the veracity of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life,” and they shall be transformed.
In II Corinthians 5:17, Paul says of them, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things are passed away; all things become new.”
Jesus Himself says of them, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world,” John 17:14.
In Jeremiah 10:2, 3, the prophet states very clearly, “Thus says the LORD, Do not learn the way of the nations, and do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens, although the nations are terrified by them; for the customs and practices of the nations are futile and worthless.”
As believers in Christ, we must fully separate ourselves from the futility and vanity of the world. We must not desire its accolades; we must not yearn after its treasure; we must not seek its rewards, for none of its trappings are of any eternal value.
All we must do is separate ourselves as completely from it as we can; we must keep our hearts and our minds and our vision fixed on Jesus, for we are new creatures with new aspirations.
And our aspirations lie at the Mt. of Olives where, as the angel said, “…This same Jesus, who is taken from you into Heaven, shall return in like manner as you have seen Him go,” Acts 1:11.
We must be separated from the world and waiting for Him.
“Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues," Revelation 18:4.
"When the early Christians were told that loving of the world and its trappings meant they did not love God, they did not hold discussions on how far they could indulge the world and still please God. They got out of the world; they separated themselves completely from everything that had the world's spirit. The result was that they brought down the world's fury on their own heads.
"The world is no different now than it was when they crucified Jesus and martyred the first Christians...The reason we get along with the world so well is that we have compromised our position and allowed it to dictate to us...The result is that very few of us are in any way embarrassed by the world.
"What the church needs to fear is becoming accepted in the community. Any church that the unsaved worldly community accepts is never a church full of the Holy Spirit. Any church that is full of the Holy Spirit, separated from the world, and walking with God will never be accepted by any worldly community," A. W. Tozer, The Crucified Life.
Our Brother Tozer has expressed a truth many of today’s Christens cannot begin to understand. We are to be salt and light in a decaying world that is enshrouded in darkness. The salt of the truth of Christ that we bear is to preserve those who will receive Him and the impact of the truth that we share is to bring them forth from the darkness of the world into the light of His Kingdom.
If we succeed at this mission, they will become born again (see John 3:3), they shall accept the veracity of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life,” and they shall be transformed.
In II Corinthians 5:17, Paul says of them, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things are passed away; all things become new.”
Jesus Himself says of them, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world,” John 17:14.
In Jeremiah 10:2, 3, the prophet states very clearly, “Thus says the LORD, Do not learn the way of the nations, and do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens, although the nations are terrified by them; for the customs and practices of the nations are futile and worthless.”
As believers in Christ, we must fully separate ourselves from the futility and vanity of the world. We must not desire its accolades; we must not yearn after its treasure; we must not seek its rewards, for none of its trappings are of any eternal value.
All we must do is separate ourselves as completely from it as we can; we must keep our hearts and our minds and our vision fixed on Jesus, for we are new creatures with new aspirations.
And our aspirations lie at the Mt. of Olives where, as the angel said, “…This same Jesus, who is taken from you into Heaven, shall return in like manner as you have seen Him go,” Acts 1:11.
We must be separated from the world and waiting for Him.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Come, Blessed of My Father
July 2
“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.
“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?
“And the King will answer and say to them, Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me," Matthew 25:34-40.
The heart of love and mercy of our great God and King extends to all mankind. Our Jesus came to “seek and save the lost,” Luke 19:10. He didn’t say He came to seek and save lost westerners or lost middle easterners or lost Asians or lost Africans.
No. Jesus came “that the whole world might be saved,” John 3:17.
This concept is difficult for fallen man to wrap his mind around. Man, who draws lines of demarcation around people based upon nationality or skin color or intellectual ability or religious persuasion cannot fathom that God loves all men equally and sent the only holy Man who ever lived to be the Savior of all mankind.
As Luke 19:10 clearly states, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.” These few simple words make it quite clear that man is absent from his rightful place. Our eternal Father did not create us to live apart from Him in our lifetimes or to be separated from Him eternally by the sin that intrudes itself into the relationship He desires to have with the finest of His creation.
If the Holy One who inhabits eternity loves us so much that a Savior came from glory, according to the beautiful words penned by Eugene M. Bartlett in the wonderful old hymn, “Victory in Jesus,” shouldn’t we be receptive to His great and unspeakable gift of salvation? (see II Corinthians 9:15). Then, shouldn’t we focus the remainder of our lives, whether long or short, upon the sharing of the Gospel with everyone who will hear?
Shouldn’t we strive to please the great King who is touched by the Christ-like qualities described in Matthew 25:34-40? Shouldn’t we reach out to friend and stranger, rich and poor, kind and unkind, merciful and unmerciful, good and godless, loving and hate-filled—to all within our sphere of influence—with the life-transforming words, JESUS LOVES YOU! JESUS SAVES!
“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.
“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?
“And the King will answer and say to them, Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me," Matthew 25:34-40.
The heart of love and mercy of our great God and King extends to all mankind. Our Jesus came to “seek and save the lost,” Luke 19:10. He didn’t say He came to seek and save lost westerners or lost middle easterners or lost Asians or lost Africans.
No. Jesus came “that the whole world might be saved,” John 3:17.
This concept is difficult for fallen man to wrap his mind around. Man, who draws lines of demarcation around people based upon nationality or skin color or intellectual ability or religious persuasion cannot fathom that God loves all men equally and sent the only holy Man who ever lived to be the Savior of all mankind.
As Luke 19:10 clearly states, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.” These few simple words make it quite clear that man is absent from his rightful place. Our eternal Father did not create us to live apart from Him in our lifetimes or to be separated from Him eternally by the sin that intrudes itself into the relationship He desires to have with the finest of His creation.
If the Holy One who inhabits eternity loves us so much that a Savior came from glory, according to the beautiful words penned by Eugene M. Bartlett in the wonderful old hymn, “Victory in Jesus,” shouldn’t we be receptive to His great and unspeakable gift of salvation? (see II Corinthians 9:15). Then, shouldn’t we focus the remainder of our lives, whether long or short, upon the sharing of the Gospel with everyone who will hear?
Shouldn’t we strive to please the great King who is touched by the Christ-like qualities described in Matthew 25:34-40? Shouldn’t we reach out to friend and stranger, rich and poor, kind and unkind, merciful and unmerciful, good and godless, loving and hate-filled—to all within our sphere of influence—with the life-transforming words, JESUS LOVES YOU! JESUS SAVES!
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Be on Fire
July 1
Some of us live our Christianity by the "skin-of-the-teeth." In other words, some of us are people who just BARELY get into Heaven. The Bible is clear about the reality that some professing Christians live their lives on the edge. How do they do that? By the many compromises they make with the world instead of living lives that are fully surrendered to Christ.
Read, for example the words of I Corinthians 3:11-15 where Paul says, "For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on the foundation remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."
A.W. Tozer, an American pastor, April 21, 1897 - May 12, 1963, called such Christians "spiritual failures"
In his book, THE CRUCIFIED LIFE, he said, "It is possible to be a Christian and yet be a failure...Christians who have wandered 40 long years in the wilderness, not going back into sin but not going on into the holy life. Wandering in an aimless circle, sometimes a little holier, and sometimes very unholy, but never going on..."
Tozer goes on to elaborate on a "spiritual failure's" classic excuse:
"I've got to think about my family… after all…and God wants us to be wise…I can't push this thing too far. I can't become too spiritual because I've got to think about my family…It would cost too much…”
Tozer further declared, "For 40 years Israel wandered aimlessly about. God was with them. He did not destroy them; rather, He let them die one at a time. Occasionally He would punish them, but He did not destroy them as a nation. To me this is a terrible thing..."
In Matthew 7:21-27, Jesus expounds on this topic. Here He says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name and in Your name drive out demons and in Your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Go away from Me, you evildoers!
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
"But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
In Titus 1:16 the Apostle Paul is even more direct in his assessment of lukewarm believers. Here he says of them, “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.”
It is clear that living on the edge, being a ‘skin-of-the-teeth Christian, is not the way for a believer to go. In Revelation 3:15-16 Jesus made His position about half-hearted Christianity quite clear. He said, “I know your works, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were hot or cold. But because you are lukewarm, I will spit you out of My mouth.”
There is nothing we can add to that—except—BE ON FIRE FOR CHRIST!
Some of us live our Christianity by the "skin-of-the-teeth." In other words, some of us are people who just BARELY get into Heaven. The Bible is clear about the reality that some professing Christians live their lives on the edge. How do they do that? By the many compromises they make with the world instead of living lives that are fully surrendered to Christ.
Read, for example the words of I Corinthians 3:11-15 where Paul says, "For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on the foundation remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."
A.W. Tozer, an American pastor, April 21, 1897 - May 12, 1963, called such Christians "spiritual failures"
In his book, THE CRUCIFIED LIFE, he said, "It is possible to be a Christian and yet be a failure...Christians who have wandered 40 long years in the wilderness, not going back into sin but not going on into the holy life. Wandering in an aimless circle, sometimes a little holier, and sometimes very unholy, but never going on..."
Tozer goes on to elaborate on a "spiritual failure's" classic excuse:
"I've got to think about my family… after all…and God wants us to be wise…I can't push this thing too far. I can't become too spiritual because I've got to think about my family…It would cost too much…”
Tozer further declared, "For 40 years Israel wandered aimlessly about. God was with them. He did not destroy them; rather, He let them die one at a time. Occasionally He would punish them, but He did not destroy them as a nation. To me this is a terrible thing..."
In Matthew 7:21-27, Jesus expounds on this topic. Here He says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name and in Your name drive out demons and in Your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Go away from Me, you evildoers!
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
"But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
In Titus 1:16 the Apostle Paul is even more direct in his assessment of lukewarm believers. Here he says of them, “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.”
It is clear that living on the edge, being a ‘skin-of-the-teeth Christian, is not the way for a believer to go. In Revelation 3:15-16 Jesus made His position about half-hearted Christianity quite clear. He said, “I know your works, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were hot or cold. But because you are lukewarm, I will spit you out of My mouth.”
There is nothing we can add to that—except—BE ON FIRE FOR CHRIST!
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