April 4
Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. This is a faithful saying: for if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. II Timothy 2:10-13
Jesus has done it all. Jesus has paid it all. Jesus has given it all. There is nothing that remains for errant man to do to obtain salvation than to receive what the Lord Jesus Christ holds out to him.
In his letter to Timothy, Paul affirms that he is willing to suffer all things for the privilege of taking the gospel of the Lord of Salvation to the pagan world. Paul, the most prolific writer of the Bible, served the Kingdom of Christ and His purposes at great personal cost. It was not without great sacrifice that Paul carried the gospel to the lost.
Paul, a man whose credentials were impeccable among his peers was reduced to being a prisoner in a Roman dungeon, chained to his guard, all for the reason that he placed the “knowledge of Jesus Christ and Him crucified,” I Corinthians 2:2, above all the accolades he had ever received, above his own safety, above his own life.
How could Paul, how can any man, give up prestige and honor, suffer even unto death, because of faith in Jesus? Paul answers that question in the introductory passage. It is because he knew in the depth of his being that if he were willing to die for the Lord, he would live eternally with the Lord.
Paul knew that the only thing that could rob him of the “unspeakable gift” (II Corinthians 9:15) of salvation would be his own act of denying Christ. Because Jesus is faithful, a person is secure in Him for time and eternity. If we are faithless in our walk with Him, He will still hold out His priceless, free gift to us.
Because He cannot deny Himself, He will not deny us. Only if we “deny Him before men will He deny us before the Father,” Matthew 10:33. May we never be so foolish or so fearful or so fraudulent in our dealing with ourselves to reject the perfect gift our Great God and Savior (see Titus 2:13) has purchased for us at such great price to Himself.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Thursday, April 3, 2014
The Path
April 3
“Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful,” Matthew 13:22.
Are you among the ‘choked word’ crowd? Have you heard and believed the Word of God and then allowed the cares of life and the pursuit of temporal gain to lure you from the path of faith? If you are, you are certainly not alone.
The Lord Himself said, “…wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and many there be who find it,” Matthew 7:13, 14. He also said in the same passage that the gate to everlasting life is narrow and few will be able to locate it.
Perhaps they don’t find it because they don’t care to look for it. Perhaps they are comfortable upon the wide path which is crowded with other people who are also pursuing success, pursuing pleasure, pursuing everything the world has to offer.
When walking in such a throng, ones view of a narrow passageway can certainly be obscured. Ones ability to search for such a poorly delineated location can certainly be diminished. Ones resolve to find the narrow path can be greatly reduced by the excitement of the broad way.
Which path are you on? Are you among those who will be caught up in the multitude of people whose comfort in the world is so profound that they have no need of an eternal hope of glory that is found only in Christ?
Expanding the passage, Paul is talking about a mystery, Colossians 1:26-29. This mystery has been hidden from the ages and from the generations but is now revealed in Jesus.
Are you among those willing to diligently unravel the mystery so it can become the foundation of your life or are you among those who prefer the revelation of power and wealth and fame that the world holds out to men who are blinded to the glories of Heaven?
Your Savior yearns that you be among those who seek and find Him who “is not far from any one of us,” Acts 17:24-28. He longs that you be not overcome by the cares of life and the pursuit of riches but that you be compelled by the promise of the treasure of Heaven to seek and to find the narrow path.
“Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful,” Matthew 13:22.
Are you among the ‘choked word’ crowd? Have you heard and believed the Word of God and then allowed the cares of life and the pursuit of temporal gain to lure you from the path of faith? If you are, you are certainly not alone.
The Lord Himself said, “…wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and many there be who find it,” Matthew 7:13, 14. He also said in the same passage that the gate to everlasting life is narrow and few will be able to locate it.
Perhaps they don’t find it because they don’t care to look for it. Perhaps they are comfortable upon the wide path which is crowded with other people who are also pursuing success, pursuing pleasure, pursuing everything the world has to offer.
When walking in such a throng, ones view of a narrow passageway can certainly be obscured. Ones ability to search for such a poorly delineated location can certainly be diminished. Ones resolve to find the narrow path can be greatly reduced by the excitement of the broad way.
Which path are you on? Are you among those who will be caught up in the multitude of people whose comfort in the world is so profound that they have no need of an eternal hope of glory that is found only in Christ?
Expanding the passage, Paul is talking about a mystery, Colossians 1:26-29. This mystery has been hidden from the ages and from the generations but is now revealed in Jesus.
Are you among those willing to diligently unravel the mystery so it can become the foundation of your life or are you among those who prefer the revelation of power and wealth and fame that the world holds out to men who are blinded to the glories of Heaven?
Your Savior yearns that you be among those who seek and find Him who “is not far from any one of us,” Acts 17:24-28. He longs that you be not overcome by the cares of life and the pursuit of riches but that you be compelled by the promise of the treasure of Heaven to seek and to find the narrow path.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Heirs to Christ's Victory
April 2
Our concept of victory is very temporal. We think of armies that conquer, of sports events that are won, of entrepreneurs who succeed, and relationships that flourish as victories. That concept is promoted by Hollywood movies that almost invariably depict a successful resolution to any scenario.
God doesn’t see victory in quite the same way and that is evidenced by the greatest victory that has ever been won—the death of Jesus on the cross. What appears to the world as His downfall, His utter humiliation and undoing, was seen by the Orchestrator of the scenario as the ultimate conquest of good over evil.
In the spiritual realm, when Jesus laid down His life to redeem man from the penalty of sin which is death, the scourge of humanity, the devil, was paraded before the captives in Shoal and demonstrated to be the ultimate loser in the conflict which he has chosen to wage with Almighty God. When we find ourselves engaged in conflict, we must therefore remember who the ultimate enemy is. It is the one that Jesus defeated when He went to the cross.
We must know that as with Jesus, “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but are mighty before God to the pulling down of strongholds” II Corinthians 10:4. We must further recognize that the great battlefield of this conflict is in our minds, for if the evil one can influence the way we think, he can influence the way we comport ourselves. It is imperative that we ever be mindful that we are heirs to Christ’s victory—the only victory that is eternal in scope.
Our concept of victory is very temporal. We think of armies that conquer, of sports events that are won, of entrepreneurs who succeed, and relationships that flourish as victories. That concept is promoted by Hollywood movies that almost invariably depict a successful resolution to any scenario.
God doesn’t see victory in quite the same way and that is evidenced by the greatest victory that has ever been won—the death of Jesus on the cross. What appears to the world as His downfall, His utter humiliation and undoing, was seen by the Orchestrator of the scenario as the ultimate conquest of good over evil.
In the spiritual realm, when Jesus laid down His life to redeem man from the penalty of sin which is death, the scourge of humanity, the devil, was paraded before the captives in Shoal and demonstrated to be the ultimate loser in the conflict which he has chosen to wage with Almighty God. When we find ourselves engaged in conflict, we must therefore remember who the ultimate enemy is. It is the one that Jesus defeated when He went to the cross.
We must know that as with Jesus, “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but are mighty before God to the pulling down of strongholds” II Corinthians 10:4. We must further recognize that the great battlefield of this conflict is in our minds, for if the evil one can influence the way we think, he can influence the way we comport ourselves. It is imperative that we ever be mindful that we are heirs to Christ’s victory—the only victory that is eternal in scope.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
April Fools' Day
April 1
Today is the First of April, April Fools' Day. Be alert for the little pranks your family and friends will try to play on you. Enjoy the fun of it, but don't let yourself get tripped up too many times in the trickery of the day.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember on this day which is dedicated to and a celebration of fools is that the Bible, the holy and inerrant word of God says, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God,'" Psalm 14:1.
In fact, when the unflattering term, 'fool,' is used in the Bible, it usually references a person who disdains the idea of God or His holiness or His lordship over man. An example is the story of the wise and foolish virgins. The wise young ladies were waiting for the arrival of the bridegroom with their lamps trimmed and their supply of oil fresh. The foolish girls had their lamps trimmed but had neglected to have spare oil. (See Matthew 25:1-14.)
They are indicative of the believer who is waiting for the arrival of the Lord but has lost the fervor, the passion of his initial expectation that Christ's return would be imminent. He no longer senses the presence of the Holy Spirit within his hearts he no longer anticipates the soon return of Jesus, he refrains from sharing his faith with the lost, he preoccupies himself with temporal pursuits. The Oil is gone.
Then there are those who spend themselves sharing the word of the Lord but they do it for selfish ends rather than for the purposes of Christ. They will be the ones who, on the day when all men's works are tried by fire will say, "Lord, didn't I prophecy in Your name?" "Lord, didn't I cast out demons in Your name?" "Lord, didn't I heal the sick in Your name?" And He will say, "I never knew you." (See Matthew 7:21-23.)
If we expend our energy on propagating the words of the Kingdom of Christ without the heart of Christ at the center of our motives, we are fools, for He is not interested in watching us succeed in propagating our own little religious fiefdom so that we may be aggrandized in the eyes of men.
Our Jesus cares about the souls of men and His desire is that we, "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature," Mark 16:15, not that we go into all the world to make a name for ourselves and accrue a fortune by selling God's unspeakable gift (see II Corinthians 9:15) for our financial gain.
Today, April Fools' Day, is perhaps a good time to assess ourselves, to discern the heart of who we are and the foundation of the faith in Christ that we profess. Today is a good day to lay hold of the only foolishness that is accounted to be wise--that of I Corinthians 1:25 which says, "The foolishness of God (that one Man would die for the sins of all men) is wiser than all the wisdom of men..." And that passage goes on to affirm, "...the weakness of God (Jesus crucified on a cruel Roman cross) is stronger than men," for in His weakness and in His foolishness, He enabled all who believe to become strong and wise.
Today is the First of April, April Fools' Day. Be alert for the little pranks your family and friends will try to play on you. Enjoy the fun of it, but don't let yourself get tripped up too many times in the trickery of the day.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember on this day which is dedicated to and a celebration of fools is that the Bible, the holy and inerrant word of God says, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God,'" Psalm 14:1.
In fact, when the unflattering term, 'fool,' is used in the Bible, it usually references a person who disdains the idea of God or His holiness or His lordship over man. An example is the story of the wise and foolish virgins. The wise young ladies were waiting for the arrival of the bridegroom with their lamps trimmed and their supply of oil fresh. The foolish girls had their lamps trimmed but had neglected to have spare oil. (See Matthew 25:1-14.)
They are indicative of the believer who is waiting for the arrival of the Lord but has lost the fervor, the passion of his initial expectation that Christ's return would be imminent. He no longer senses the presence of the Holy Spirit within his hearts he no longer anticipates the soon return of Jesus, he refrains from sharing his faith with the lost, he preoccupies himself with temporal pursuits. The Oil is gone.
Then there are those who spend themselves sharing the word of the Lord but they do it for selfish ends rather than for the purposes of Christ. They will be the ones who, on the day when all men's works are tried by fire will say, "Lord, didn't I prophecy in Your name?" "Lord, didn't I cast out demons in Your name?" "Lord, didn't I heal the sick in Your name?" And He will say, "I never knew you." (See Matthew 7:21-23.)
If we expend our energy on propagating the words of the Kingdom of Christ without the heart of Christ at the center of our motives, we are fools, for He is not interested in watching us succeed in propagating our own little religious fiefdom so that we may be aggrandized in the eyes of men.
Our Jesus cares about the souls of men and His desire is that we, "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature," Mark 16:15, not that we go into all the world to make a name for ourselves and accrue a fortune by selling God's unspeakable gift (see II Corinthians 9:15) for our financial gain.
Today, April Fools' Day, is perhaps a good time to assess ourselves, to discern the heart of who we are and the foundation of the faith in Christ that we profess. Today is a good day to lay hold of the only foolishness that is accounted to be wise--that of I Corinthians 1:25 which says, "The foolishness of God (that one Man would die for the sins of all men) is wiser than all the wisdom of men..." And that passage goes on to affirm, "...the weakness of God (Jesus crucified on a cruel Roman cross) is stronger than men," for in His weakness and in His foolishness, He enabled all who believe to become strong and wise.
Monday, March 31, 2014
HE Is Strong In Us
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.
“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.
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.
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