All This and Heaven Too

"Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me into glory."  (Psalm 73:24)

For the child of God, heaven and all its glory is a promised future reality. We think often of our friends and loved ones already there in that marvelous place, that land where there are no tears, no death, neither sorrow, nor crying and no more pain. (Revelation 21:4)  It is a place of rare beauty whose chief resident is Jesus, our Savior, the Lamb of God.

But, until we step over into that wonderful land, we have the Lord's presence to guide us and counsel us.   He goes with us through the valley of the shadow of death.

If you are one of His you can depend on Him to correctly counsel you by His Word and by His Spirit while you are down here and afterward receive you to that home He has gone to prepare.

"Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine; Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine."

Hide God's Word in Your Heart

When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness our Savior fought him with the Word of God, saying on three occasions recorded in Matthew and Luke "It is Written." (Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13)  The devil left Jesus and He was ministered to by angels.

One of the outstanding truths in that confrontation is that Jesus did not have to roll out a scroll of Scripture, search for a good verse and then read it to the devil.

The key lies in what the Psalmist said years and years before,   "Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." (Psalm 119:11) Jesus had hidden God's Word in His heart in preparation for His battle against Satan. 

There is no substitute for hiding God's Word in your heart through Scripture memorization.  It will help you to always be prepared to give an answer to those who want to know the secret behind your lifestyle. And when the devil comes calling, and he will, having God's Word in your heart will give you victory over discouragement, temptation and sin.

Find Buried Treasure

Many people have dreamed of one day finding buried treasure while digging in their garden or flower bed.  The only thing I have found there is a rusty nail, an old hinge and a broken piece of glass.

In the Spring of 2014 a couple in California were walking their dog on a trail on their property, something they had done many times before.  Only this time they saw some old tin cans protruding above the soil under a large tree.  In the cans were gold coins minted from 1847 to 1894.  Their estimated value was more than $10,000,000.  None of the reports I read said anything about the couple being sad for having found that treasure. Instead, they were very, very happy.

I saw a bumper sticker which read, "Find buried treasure: Read your Bible."

The Psalmist wrote, "I rejoice at thy Word, as one that finds great treasure."  (Psalm 119:162)

In the Bible is the treasure of God's love, Eternal Life in Jesus, the presence of the Holy Spirit, the guarantee of Heaven, knowledge that our sins are forgiven, the promise of the Lord's return and much, much more. That treasure in the Bible is worth a lot more that some tin cans filled with rare and collectible coins.  Read it for yourself.

Give Thought to Doctrine

Evangelist, Billy Graham once stated that he was questioning someone about church attendance.  The response was, "I go to such and such church. They don't believe in doctrine or anything."

I heard a very similar statement made at a youth meeting.  The leader said, "Just preach and teach Jesus.  Don't worry about doctrine." We had better give thought to doctrine when teaching about Jesus.  Is He the Virgin born Jesus, or some other?  Is He the resurrected, ever living Jesus or the Jesus who is declared by some groups to be dead, forever dead?  Is He the total Savior or just a partial Savior?

When the Bible is emphasizing its own value and purpose, notice the very first emphasis: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness..." (II Timothy 3:16)  And then the apostle says to Timothy, "Preach the Word."  Wonder if Timothy preached doctrine?  Hmm.

Our beliefs, especially our doctrinal beliefs, will determine our behavior. When someone says "Don't worry about doctrine," they are waving a flag over their Biblical illiteracy.

When a Child's Game Becomes Deadly

Did you play "gossip" as a child?   Someone starts the game by whispering a short statement to the first child.  Next, that child whispers to the next child what he thought he heard.  Then that child whispers to the next child and that one to the next one and so on until the last child speaks aloud what he/she heard or thought they heard.  It is then matched against the original whispered message.

Many adults who should know better have ruined numerous lives by gossip. God's Word prohibits gossip.  "Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people." (Leviticus 19:16) James gives much instruction concerning the tongue calling it, "an unruly evil, full of deadly poison," and saying, "Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing.  My brethren, these things ought not so to be." (James 3:8, 10)

Gathering up gossip that has been scattered abroad would be like trying to gather up feathers that have been scattered in a wind storm.  It was Jesus who said, "But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."  (Matthew 12:36-37) 

Gossip is not a harmless child's game. Gossip is generated, not from a heart of Christian love and compassion, but from a heart of venomous hatred.  If you are guilty it is a sin that needs to be confessed and let the blood of Jesus cleanse you of it.

Tired of Waiting?

Waiting is sometimes difficult.  Going to town once a week was a big treat for country folks when I was a child.  Parents would go do the shopping, visit with neighbors who also went to town infrequently and catch up on world and community events.  Children would mingle with other kids and perhaps go to a cowboy movie.  We were told to meet at a certain place at a certain time and not be late.  We had chores that had to be done before dark. So we were at the place where Dad said meet him. It seemed that my father knew every farmer who had come to town and he was duty bound to talk to every one of them.  We would look way down the street and see him coming and we would wait and wait and wait.  It was difficult.

God, our heavenly Father, tells us to wait.  He hasn't told us how long to wait nor has He given us a timetable. He just says, "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." (Psalm 27:14)  One thing I have learned about waiting on God.  He is always on time.  As some of my Christian brothers sing, "He's an on-time God.  He's never been too early and He's never gonna' be too late.  He's an all time, on time God." 

I am looking for our Savior's return.  I don’t know when He will return; it will be when God says it is time.  "But until then, my heart will go on singing, until then with joy I'll carry on..."

Are You Christ-like?

I heard this in a sermon: "If you were arrested for being a Christian and you were being tried on that charge, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"

 The disciples of Jesus were scattered from Jerusalem as far as Antioch as a result of being persecuted. Those that were scattered went everywhere declaring the Gospel of Jesus.

 In Acts 11:26 the Bible says the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. Three things about the word "Christian:" First, it is used only three times in the Bible: Here, and Acts 26:28 and I Peter 4:16. Second, the Word Christian means "Christ-like." Third, it was given in derision as a derogatory term. The disciples, the true followers of Jesus, were a hated and despised people because they were like Christ. Notice, that name was given by others who observed the lives of the disciples.

Now, back to the question at the top of the page: "Would there be enough evidence to bring a conviction if you were charged with being a Christian?"

Don't Reject Your Only Hope

Job, from the Old Testament, gives us the picture and pleadings of a man who
needs and desires a mediator. He cries out in Job 9:33, "Neither is there
any daysman betwixt us, that might lay His hand upon us both." A "daysman"
is a mediator, one who intercedes.

The Daysman for whom Job was seeking is found on the pages of the New
Testament and is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The
Apostle Paul tells us in I Timothy 2:5-6, "For there is one God, and one mediator 

between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself a ransom for all..."

Without Jesus the Mediator, our prayers cannot be carried to the throne of
God. Jesus said, "No man cometh to the Father but by me." (John 14:6) If
one rejects Jesus as his Savior, he rejects the one and only mediator, thus
making it impossible to approach God. My advice and counsel is to receive
Christ in all His fullness as Savior, Mediator and Friend of Sinners.

Pray Believing

If our prayers are to be answered they must be accompanied by faith.

Hebrews 11:6 says, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for

he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of

them that diligently seek Him." 

Notice, we must believe two things.  First, we must believe that God is,

that He really exists.  Secondly, we must believe that He rewards those who

diligently seek Him.  If you don't believe he is real and that He will answer

you prayer you lack the faith necessary to please Him.

An old quartet song says:

Prayer is the key to heaven,

But faith unlocks the door;

Words are so easily spoken,

But prayer without faith is like

A boat without an oar.

If you would pray seeking an answer you must believe God and pray in faith.

Pray to be Saved Now

In II Corinthians 6:2 the Bible says "Behold, now is the accepted time;
behold, now is the day of salvation." Yesterday and last week are gone
forever. Tomorrow or next week may never come. The time to be saved is
today.

Romans 10:13 says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved." During my lifetime I have been in the presence of many people who
prayed a simple prayer of faith inviting Jesus to come into their lives as
they trusted Him. Some of these were in revival meetings, others were in the
privacy of their homes or in a variety of other places. These all prayed to
receive Christ and trusted Him for eternal life. Two elderly gentlemen I
remember in particular were near death's door, one in a hospital and the
other at home. Each received the Savior before it was too late.

There is a story in the Bible of a man who died and when he opened his eyes
he was in torments, obviously dying without being saved. When he arrived
there he prayed two prayers. He requested water in the first prayer to cool
his tongue, and in the second, requested someone be sent to warn his five
brothers lest they also come into this place of torments. Neither request
was granted. It was too late for prayers to be offered or answered. (Luke
16:19-31)

Don't take a chance with your soul and wait till it is too late to trust the
Lord Jesus for eternal life.

Pray from a Pure Heart

There is nothing more sad than someone who has learned the "mechanics" of
prayer, you know, the kneeling, the hands raised toward heaven, the eyes
closed and the earnest words and then to have the heavens closed overhead as
though the skies have become brass. Then there comes the pleading and the
crying.

So, we call for the Great Physician and He immediately finds unconfessed
sins lying dormant in the heart of the petitioner. The precious Word from
the Holy Healer reminds us that, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord
will not hear me." (Psalm 66:18) Notice that he did not say "cannot" hear
me. He "will not" hear me. So we keep lifting our hands upward in the
correct posture of prayer and discover in Isaiah 1:15, "And when ye spread
forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many
prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood." Read what the
Prophet Isaiah says in 59:1-15 concerning God's refusal to hear and answer
their prayers. There was a tremendous sin problem in Isaiah's day.

He calls for repentance from the worshipper. "Wash you, make you clean; put
away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn
to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless,
plead for the widow." (Isaiah 1:16-17)

Here is the promise to the penitent sinner: "The Lord is far from the
wicked: but He hears the prayer of the righteous." (Proverbs 15:29)

Certainly a sinful lifestyle and unconfessed sins and the harboring of
hidden sins are not the only reason for our prayers going unanswered, but if
upon personal examination you discover a problem with sin take it to the
Lord and claim the promise in I John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness."

Pray in the Word of God

I have known some prayer warriors in my lifetime.  Whether or not we are

ever known as a prayer warrior, I think most Christians desire that God hear

and answer their prayers. In previous studies we discovered that God cannot

answer prayers that we never pray.  Nor will He answer prayers that are not

in the will of God.  (I John 5:14)

Nor, will God answer prayers that violate His Word or the principles of His

Word, the Bible.  For instance, I don't have to pray about tithing because

the Bible teaches us that we are to do that.  It is stressed in many places.

Malachi 3:8-10; Matt 23:23; Hebrews 7:1-9 and others.  God is not going to

change His rules on tithing just because we have prayed about it.

Nor do I have to pray about sharing the Gospel with the lost.  God's Word

makes it very plain that we Christians have a command, a duty, an

obligation, a commission and a privilege of sharing the good news of

salvation in Jesus.  To tell you I have prayed and God said none of that

applies to me would contradict the Bible.

The tenth commandment, found in Exodus 20:17 says, "Thou shalt not covet

thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's  wife....., nor

anything that is thy neighbor's."

I knew a pastor with a wife and children and there was a woman in his

church with a husband and children.  They left their partners and went to a

distant city in another state and said they had, "prayed about it and God

told them to leave their mates and marry and start a new church in that

distant city." All of that is in strict violation of the Word of God. We are

safe in saying that God had nothing to do with their decision.  They may

have said words but God did not answer in opposition to His Word.

If you want your prayers answered get in the Word of God and stay there.

Read it, meditate on it, study it and live by it.

Pray in the Will of God

The question before us is "Why does God not answer our prayers?"  There are

some prayers that God cannot or will not answer.

The last time we met, we discovered that God cannot answer a prayer we

never offer up to Him.

In I John  5:13 the apostle writes, "These things have I written unto you

that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have

eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."

Following that blessed assurance of salvation he assures us of confidence in

prayer. "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any

thing according to His will, He heareth us." (I John 5:14)  Notice the

little word, "if" in that verse.  For God to answer our prayers, which He

desires to do, our prayers must be in the will of God.

Someone has correctly said, "Prayer is not asking God for what I want.  It

is asking God for what He wants."  In the Model Prayer we find these words

as an example of how we are to pray: "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in

earth, as it is in heaven." (Matt. 6:10) 

Jesus knew He was going to the cross.  He was well aware of the human

suffering He would endure.  On the evening before the crucifixion, while in

the Garden of Gethsemane   with His disciples Jesus prayed, "O my Father, if

this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done."

(Matt. 26:42)  It was the Father's will that the Son of God go to Calvary to

pay our sin debt. 

For God to answer your prayers make sure you are praying in the will of God.

Prayer: Asking and Receiving

Someone asks, "Why does God not answer my prayers?"

For the next few days if you will allow me, I want to offer some suggestions

as to why God often does not answer our prayers.

First of all, God cannot answer a prayer never spoken or never offered up.

We may have a desire, a burden, a wish, a longing for something that is a

very legitimate concern.  However, we never speak it to God in a prayer.

That need may materialize even though we never verbalized it to God.  But,

truthfully He answered the prayer of someone else who had the same burden.

God answered the other person's prayer, but not the prayer you never

bothered to pray.

James wrote in James 4:2 very plainly, "Ye have not because ye ask not."

I have heard well-meaning older Christians almost bragging that they never

asked God to help them with their problems.  God had bigger needs to take

care of they reasoned.  Consequently, they missed the blessing of answered

prayer because God does not answer the prayers we never offer.

Remember, if you want God to answer your prayers, the first thing you must

do is pray.

Having Something to Say

There is a big difference in having something to say and having to say

something. 

When Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration with Peter, James and John

there appeared with them Moses and Elijah.  Peter said to Jesus, Master, it

is good for us to be here.  Let us make three tabernacles; one for you, one

for Moses and one for Elijah: not knowing what he said. (Luke 9:28-33)  It

was a case of having to say something but not having anything to say. 

The three friends of Job had the same problem.  They felt like they had to

say something, accusing Job of multitudes of sins.  They had nothing to say,

but they spoke anyhow.

Later in Peter's life, he had something to say when he confessed, "Thou art

the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16) This time he had to

say something because he had something to say.

See the centurion at the cross witnessing the crucifixion of Jesus.

Hear him as he says, "Truly this was the Son of God." (Matthew 27:54)  He

had something to say.

Following the resurrection Jesus appears a week later on the evening of the

first day of the week.  When Thomas saw the resurrected Christ and the nail

prints in His hands and feet he exclaimed, "My Lord and my God."  (John

20:28)  He had something to say.

What about you and me?  If you are a Christian you have something to say,

and you have to say something.

Don't Put Out the Fire

Christians should pay special attention to the passages of Scripture that

give instruction to the saved.  In I Thessalonians 5:19 Paul writes to the

believers in Thessalonica telling them to, "Quench not the Spirit."  These

are words for all Christians everywhere.

The Holy Spirit is like a fire.  When He speaks to us it is like a burning

fire in our bosom, in our very being.  He may be impressing upon us to pray

for someone, witness to an unbeliever, or gather up some of our goods to

give to a needy person or family.  When we ignore that call or impression it

is like throwing water on embers of coal. We put out the fire.  We quench

the Spirit.

The thing about quenching the Spirit, or putting out the fire, it is easier

to put out the fire or quench the Spirit the next time, the time after that

and so on.  Respond prayerfully and obediently when you feel that burning of

the Spirit in your being.  Don't put out the fire.

The Cleansing Power of God's Word

Psalm 119:9 asks the question, "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his

way?" Then immediately we are given this answer: "By taking heed thereto

according to thy Word."

There are numerous temptations for young people, especially young men.

Often a young man will yield to these temptations and live to regret his

actions for many years. Look what alcohol, drugs, promiscuous sex and

pornography have done to so many.    So the question, "How shall a young man

cleanse his way and avoid the pitfalls?"  Not "Why?" but "How?"   The "Why"

should be obvious.  He doesn't want this guilt, shame and uncleanness

hanging around.

The Psalmist had lived life enough to know and had acquainted himself with

the Word of God enough to know there is but one way a young man may cleanse

his way.  It is by looking faithfully, frequently and fervently into the

Word of God and by applying its standards to the way he lives.

Good From Afflictions

We do not know the human author of the  119th Psalm.  We do know that the

author was someone who knew life and who also appreciated the Word of God.

In verse sixty-seven he makes a confession.  "Before I was afflicted I went

astray."  It could have been King David who made this confession following

the terrible rendezvous with another man's wife, even bringing murder to the

woman's husband.  Following the chastening affliction that followed the sin,

he now says, "But now Have I kept thy Word."  Whoever wrote it describes the

sequence of events for many in our world.  The affliction that follows

disobedience is worth it if it brings us to God's Word and to obedience to

its principles.  It could have been you or me that wrote  Psalm 119:67.

He even states in verse 71, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted;

that I might learn thy statutes."  There are benefits from afflictions and

trials if we will let God speak to us through them.  The Apostle Paul tells

us that, "we glory in tribulations also; knowing that tribulation worketh

patience, and patience experience  and experience hope." (Romans 5:3-4)  It

was a huge price to pay and a bitter pill to swallow, but if the author is

King David we see a better man following his sin and affliction. 

We know from God's Word that "Whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges

every son whom he receives."  (Hebrews 12:6) Parents do not correct their

children because they hate them, but rather because they love them.

Someone said, "Sin will keep us from the Word or the Word will keep us from

sin." 

The Settled Word of God

It will do everyone good, saints and sinners alike, to know that God's Word
is settled in heaven.  If the unsaved person has doubts about the Bible he
will find it difficult to believe.  If the saved person, the Christian, is struggling with whether of not the Bible is God's Word and whether or not it is true, he will be forever hunting for "loop-holes" he can go through to excuse his disobedience.

Psalm 119:89 says, "For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven."

First of all, God's Word is settled as to its antiquity.  The word forever means without beginning or ending.  The Word of God reaches back beyond the
beginning and forward past the ending. God's Word tells us how things began
and we can look in its pages to see how things will end.

Second, God's Word is settled as to its authorship. The Bible says of itself, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God." (II Tim. 3:16) and, "Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."  (II Peter 1:21)

And third, God's Word is settled as to its authority.  The Word of God, the Bible, is the final authority on matters of eternal life, morality, doctrine and relationships among humans. 

Demas or Luke

The last time we looked at Paul's prison letter to Timothy, Paul is
reminding Timothy to come soon because winter is coming and opportunities for sailing the seas will be gone and Paul will never see Timothy again in this life. 

He laments the fact that, "Demas hath forsaken me." (II Timothy 4:10) Paul mentions Demas in two other letters as a servant of the Lord. To forsake means to "abandon." It's like the sailors who, a few months ago, abandoned the sinking ship to let the passengers make it the best they could. Or, like the soldiers who abandoned their posts letting the enemy take over. Many people, like Demas, forsake the Lord's servants in the greatest time of need. Why did Demas forsake Paul? The answer is, "Having loved this present world and is departed to Thessalonica." He was in love with this present world. Thessalonica, in all probability, was home for Demas. Many folks love
the present world and the comfort of home more than they love the Lord.

Paul mentions two, however, who stood with him. "Only Luke is with me." (II Tim. 4:11) And verse seventeen says, "Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me;"

Some Christian friends, like Luke will stand when others forsake you.  We
can always count on the Lord to keep His promise to, "Never leave you nor
forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)  

God's Word: a Lamp and a Light

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105)

In the days of the Psalmist lamps and lights were not great in "candle

power" as they are today.  In fact, they were more like the kerosene

lanterns my dad and brothers and I used when doing the chores at the barn

after dark or before morning light.  Sometimes visiting the neighbors or

hunting small animals would require the dim light of a kerosene lantern.

We could never see the path or trail more than a few feet beyond us using

the light of a kerosene lantern.  We would take a step in the light we had

and then another and another until we reached our destination.

God has not illuminated the entire path from salvation to Heaven's door.

He has not revealed all the trials, heartaches, and hardships along the way.

In His Word we have a lamp to our feet lest we stumble.  We have a light

unto our path immediately in front of us.  We must trust His precious Word

to give us all we need for the pathway.  He has designed our journey as a

walk of faith not a walk of sight.  If we will stay in His Word we will have

all we need for guiding our feet along the course to heaven.

O Taste and See

My introduction to cooked beets was as a six year old having them passed in

front of me at the evening meal. I refused them saying that I did not like

them. My dad said, "You don't know til you try one," whereupon he opened my

mouth and stuck a beet in.

Fast forward about seventeen years. I am a twenty-three year old pastor of

my first church. My wife and I are seated around a large table with a very

gracious older couple who have prepared a Sunday lunch fit for a King and

Queen. Every kind of vegetable you can imagine, including beets, which are

squarely in front to me. The lady of the house said, "Now don't be bashful.

Take whatever is front of you and pass it on." What would you have done? I

had not attempted to eat beets in seventeen years. I dipped out some beets

and ate them and took some more when they came back around. I discovered

that I liked beets.

Can I tell you about my Savior, my Lord, my King, my God. Can I tell you

about His grace? Can I tell you about what it's like to be saved, to have

your sins forgiven, to know that He has paid your sin debt? Can I tell you

how good an orange is? You must taste the orange for yourself. Likewise, you

must taste the Lord for yourself. Experience Him one on one. Come to Him

with all your sins, your doubts, your hurts and your guilt. The Psalmist

said, "O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that

trusteth in Him." (Psalm 34:8)

Amazing Grace

Grace is not a license to sin, nor is its purpose to allow us to live a

permissive lifestyle.  But there is another side to grace.  It is the side

that brings the favor of  God to the offending person. 

We see the offending person before he is saved: "Dead in trespasses and sin,

walking the ways of the world, led by the prince of the power of the air,

living according to the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the

flesh and mind and was by nature a child of wrath."  (Ephesians 2:1-3)  But

God, by His great grace, saves that person from the penalty of sin, makes

him a child of God, writes his name in the Lamb's Book of Life, forgives him

of all his sins and places His Holy Spirit within the person.

Not only that, but if through a temptation of the flesh and in an unguarded

moment he yields to that temptation, the Holy Spirit convicts him and

reminds him that, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to

forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I John

1:9)  Besides that, the Bible tells us that Jesus is seated at God's right

hand making intercession for us.  God's grace truly is amazing!!!

Grace is not a License to Sin

Now that I am a believer and saved does it matter how I live? Unfortunately,

there are some misguided folks who see the grace of God as a license to sin.

"We are not under law but under grace, so we can live any way we choose,"

the argument goes. But, why would a child of God choose to sin?

Jude, the half brother of Jesus, told his readers that there were some false

teachers who had crept into the fellowship unawares, who through their false

teaching, were turning the grace of God into a license to sin. Anyone who

teaches that kind of distorted grace is a false teacher.

The Bible says the, "Grace of God that brings salvation teaches us that

denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously,

and godly in this present world." (Titus 2:12) That doesn't sound like a

license to sin. We are saved by Grace alone, through Faith alone, in Christ

alone. We are not to see how far from God we can live and still claim to be

saved, but how close to God we can live now that we are saved.

Speak to the Lord in Prayer

When Lyndon Johnson was President of the United States they were having an

early morning prayer breakfast in the White House for the staff members.

Bill Moyers was the press secretary for Mr. Johnson.  He was also a seminary

trained and ordained Baptist preacher. 

President Johnson called on Bill Moyers to lead in prayer before the meal.

As he was praying President Johnson broke in and said, "Bill, You'll have to

speak up.  I can't hear you."  Without ever looking up and with only a short

pause Bill Moyers said, "I wasn't talking to you, Mr. President."

To whom are we speaking when we pray?  The Model prayer in Matthew 6

instructs us to pray, "Our Father, which art in heaven." (Matthew 6:9)  When

we pray at church are we more mindful of the people around us or of the Lord

to whom we are speaking?  Sometimes I feel that it is easy to get caught up

in attempting to impress the people around us with our prayers.  When we

pray even the President of the United States is small potatoes compared to

the One whom we are addressing. 

Dependability

When looking at the nine different elements of the fruit of the Spirit found

in Galatians 5:22-23 one is struck with how descriptive of Christ each one

is.  I think of one in particular just now and will perhaps take a look at

the other eight at another time.  Translated "faith" in the beloved King

James Version, some other translations have it "Faithfulness," or

"Dependability."

I was asked many years ago to conduct the funeral for an elderly gentleman

in our church.  I said, "If we could use one word to describe brother Frank,

that word would be 'dependability.' He was a dependable Christian, church

member, husband, father, neighbor and worker."  Dependability should be a

descriptive word for every Christian.

The old hymn, "Great is Thy Faithfulness," is based on Lamentations 3:22-23:

"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because thy

compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is thy

faithfulness." God's character is built around His faithfulness or 

dependability. If we bear the fruit of His Spirit we too will be dependable.

Comparatively Speaking???

"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with

some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves,

and comparing  themselves among themselves, are not wise." (II Corinthians

10:12)

Have you ever said or heard others say, "Well, I'm as good as he/she is.  I

wouldn't do something like that?"  I was talking with a man who used as his

excuse for not listening to the Gospel presentation I was giving him: "I've

drunk whiskey with some of those folks down at that church.  I'm as good as

they are."  Church members and professing Christians also somehow get caught

up in the "comparing themselves to others" business.  Apparently some folks

somehow feel that God grades on the curve.  The Bible says that they,

"comparing themselves among themselves are not wise." In other words, it's a

foolish game to play.

The Law of God is our measuring stick and only One has measured up.  The

rest of us have failed miserably.  We have come way short on all points.

True, some may have come closer than others, but no one has measured up.

The laws we have broken show us how desperately wicked we are and how

desperately we need the Savior.  Stop comparing yourself to others and be

saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Common People and the Uncommon Christ

And the common people heard Him gladly.  (Mark 12:37)

Some people wear themselves out trying to rub elbows with the elite, with

the "who’s who" of mankind.  But Mark records that the common people heard

Jesus gladly.

Common people are as common as the wayside grasses.  They are like the saw

briers and non-descript plants on the side of the road.  They carry no

pedigree in their pocket.  Common people love to be around other common

people.  They saw Jesus as a common man.  He could talk their language.  He

ate the same common food they ate.  He wore the same kind of common clothes.

He could sit by the side of a well and draw a common person into a

conversation about the water of life.  He could talk about farming, of

buildings on foundations, of grapes and figs.

I led a common man to faith in Jesus Christ.  There was nothing outstanding

about him.  A man of means said to me, "Preacher you need to be going after

the more substantial people of means."  I believe Jesus would have us

Christians to go after all men, the common men and women, the elites and all

the rest and bring them to Christ.  By the way, are you "common" enough to 

admit your need of Him and accept Him by faith?

Be Ready

A Scottish preacher by the name of McCheyne sometimes asked a new

congregation before he started preaching, "How many of you believe Jesus may

come back before I finish my sermon?"

Most of the time there was no show of hands.  Occasionally there would be

four or five hands raised. Then he would read or quote Matthew 24:44.

"Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of

Man cometh."

Are you ready for the Lord's return?

And the Lord Shut Him In

Our Savior believed the historical Biblical record of Noah and the flood.

So when you hear someone scoffing at the idea of the flood just know they

are waving a flag over their ignorance.

The flood is a picture of God's judgment.  The ark is a picture of

salvation in Jesus Christ.  Once inside the ark God's Word says, "...and the

Lord shut him in." (Genesis 7:16)  God's judgment was over all the earth but

Noah and his family were safe in the ark.

So it is today.  Those in Jesus, the ark of safety, are saved and safe, the

Lord having shut us in.  Those outside Jesus are, "...condemned already,

because they have not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

(John 3:18)

I invite you to find refuge in Jesus and be safe forever in Him.  Place your 

faith in Him today.

That We May Present Every Man Complete in Jesus

C.T. Studd said, "Some wish to live within the sound of

                                      Church or chapel Bell;

                                 I want to run a rescue shop,

                                      Within a yard of hell."

If the only word of warning your friends hear about hell is the word that

comes from you, will they have sufficient warning to flee to the arms of

Jesus?

Paul the apostle had this attitude about his presentation of Jesus Christ.

"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this

mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you the hope of glory:  Whom

we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we

may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." (Colossians 2:27,28)  Let us

faithfully send the word of warning to the lost who are dying without Christ.