The Rich and Poor

“There is that makes himself rich, yet has nothing: there is that makes himself poor, yet has great riches.”(Proverbs 13:7)

These two paradoxical statements describing two men and their possessions fit two kinds of men in today’s world. One is rich in the things of the world but poor in eternal, spiritual matters. He is like the “rich fool” of Luke 12:16-21. Already rich, his crops have done extremely well and having no room to put his goods, he decides to pull down his old barns and build greater ones and lay up his treasure in the new, larger barns and then take it easy. He says nothing about giving any of it to the Lord’s work or to the poor or less fortunate. God called him a fool, saying this very night his soul would be required of him. “Then whose will those things be which you have provided.” (Luke 12:20) He made himself rich, but had nothing.

The other man is described best by the life of Jesus Christ.  The Bible says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might be rich.” (II Corinthians 8:9) Jesus Christ was a rich man, voluntarily making Himself poor, leaving the riches of heaven to come live among us, giving His life at Calvary to pay our sin debt. He made Himself poor, yet had great riches. Many are the missionaries on foreign soil, and pastors and evangelists on American soil and others whose names we do not know, who being Christ-like, have given their all for the Kingdom of God. They are poor down here but have laid up treasure in heaven.

The Christian Life: A Walk of Faith

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”  (2 Corinthians 5:7)

When Thomas, the apostle, saw the resurrected Christ on that second Sunday evening after the resurrection, he exclaimed, “My Lord and my God.” (John 20:28) And Jesus said, “Thomas because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) Then, peter says, “…Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see Him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” (1 Peter 1:7-8) We have never seen Jesus but we talk to Him in prayer. We sing of Him and to Him. The Christian life is a walk of faith. We receive Christ as our Savior by faith. We walk, “through valleys of the shadow of death, but fear no evil because He is with us.”( Psalm 23:4) We, by faith, “cast all our cares upon Him for He cares for us.” (1 Peter 5:7)

It was by faith that Abraham went out not knowing where he went.  The Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please Him.

I have never seen heaven but, I am trusting my Savior to take me there when this life is over.  The Christian life is a journey that begins with faith and ends in faith until we stand before Him and see Him face to face as He is.

Tell Somebody

“For you shall be a witness unto all men of what you have seen and heard.” (Acts 22:15)

Saul of Tarsus, better known to us as Paul the Apostle, was used mightily of God to declare the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. Not only did he give his verbal testimony, he wrote at least thirteen epistles found in the New Testament. He was imprisoned for his faith, was beaten and stoned. Paul died of beheading at the hands of an executioner. It is said by many that he is perhaps the greatest Christian who ever lived.

David Ring is a Southern Baptist Evangelist, who suffers from cerebral palsy. His father, who was a pastor, died when David was very young. Then his mother died when he was fourteen. He went into depression and attempted suicide. But, the Lord saved him and called him to preach. He is very difficult to listen to at first. He walks with an agonizing gait. In his testimony of how the Lord saved him and called him to preach, he says he had his nay-sayers who discouraged him, telling him not to embarrass himself by trying to speak before others. God has blessed his ministry in a marvelous way. He says in his testimony, “I have cerebral palsy. What’s your problem?”

A Christian will come away from having heard David Ring’s testimony and conclude, “I have no problem that would keep me from sharing the Gospel.” As Christians, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we have the responsibility, the privilege and the power to share our testimony of what we have experienced in Christ.

Be a Witness

But you shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

I heard of a little steam powered train engine that if it blew its whistle it had to stop. Our verse for today has to do with sharing the Gospel message and our witness for the Lord. How do you share the message God has given you? Let us not use all our “steam” tooting our own whistle.

I knew a blind man in Nancy, Kentucky who taught a Sunday school class of men. His Bible was in Braille. All his class notes were in Braille. He could not see his class members, nor could he see his material. He worked hard preparing his lesson Sunday after Sunday after Sunday. How do you share your Gospel message?

L.E. Leper was a preacher in Warren County, Kentucky. Brother and Mrs. Leper did a fifteen minute Gospel program on WKCT radio in Bowling Green on Saturdays for some time. He had helped my father in at least one revival in Bowling Green. When Brother Leper’s wife died he moved to California to be near his children. Then he was stricken with cancer of the larynx. Following surgery to remove the cancer, his voice was gone and he was no longer able to preach. Not ready to quit and not to be outdone, he learned how to communicate the Gospel in American Sign Language to the deaf and hearing impaired. He published a full length sermon in the Los Angeles Times entitled, “If I Could Preach One More Time.” In it he told of the Savior’s great love for mankind of His going to the cross, of His resurrection and how one can be saved.  How do you share the Gospel message God has given you?

If you have been saved you have the power of the Holy Spirit within. You have a message to share. Share it with someone.

What Are They Among So Many?

“There is a lad here, who has five barley loaves, and two small fish: but what are they among so many?” (John 6:9)

You are familiar with the story. About five thousand men besides women and children were fed by the miraculous hand of the Lord Jesus.  When they had finished eating they gathered up twelve baskets of food, one basket for each of the twelve apostles.

When I was about twelve or thirteen years old the Methodist Church close to our house hired me to be their janitor, which included building a fire in the winter in the big “pot-bellied” stove in the middle of the floor.  I learned how to build a fire.  I found out you don’t start a fire with a back-log. You start with small stuff, perhaps a few sheets of shredded paper, a few small twigs and some wood chips.

I have stated that we need a revival of the things of God in America. It won’t start with a huge crowd, a back-log. It will start with you and then the weak person next to you. Then it will gradually ignite me then someone else, and a few more, some not too promising, until the back-log has caught on fire. A Christian song from the sixties says, “It only takes a spark, to get a fire going, and soon all those around will warm up in its glowing.” “Experts” have been trying to set the back-log on fire. “Draw a big crowd and let’s have a revival.” It nearly always ends like a firecracker with a faulty fuse.

Jesus knew that He could take something small, weak and insignificant and supply everything needed. Would you let God use you to start a revival flame? If you are small enough He can use you.

Lord, Send a True Revival

“A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth: ‘Oh LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: Oh LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.’”(Habakkuk 3:1-3)

Habakkuk’s prayer was occasioned because he was greatly concerned that God was preparing the Chaldeans as a tool of judgment against Judah. He gives a description of the Chaldeans’ army and savagery in battle. (1:5-11). He asked God why He would use such ungodly and wicked people to bring judgment upon Judah. He reminded God that He was, “…of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look upon iniquity.” (1:13) Thus, in his prayer, the prophet was pleading with God to bring a revival. In just a few short years from this prophesy and prayer Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans conquered Judah and took them into captivity. One has to conclude that Judah had sunk very deeply into sin for God to use the wicked Chaldeans to bring them to judgment.

America desperately needs a revival, a spiritual awakening. Most of these three day events that churches call revival today are not spiritual awakenings. There is little or no repentance and genuine turning to God from the ways of the world. There is little, if any, holiness of life resulting from the average, so called revival.

The late Ruth Graham, wife of evangelist, Billy Graham said, “If America doesn’t repent and God doesn’t bring judgment on America, He will need to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah for His judgment upon them.”

Weeping Over Our Sins

“And Peter went out and wept bitterly.”(Luke 22:62)

If you are serious about your walk with the Lord and you want always to please Him in all things, there has probably been a time when you wept bitterly over some sin.

Peter loved Jesus. He had been one of the three with Jesus when the Savior restored life to Jairus’ daughter. He was with Jesus on the mount of transfiguration.  He was the one that suggested that they build three tabernacles: one for Jesus, one for Elijah and another for Moses. Peter was in the Garden of Gethsemane when they came to arrest Jesus. In his attempt to defend Jesus, Peter cut off the right ear of Malchus, intending to cut off his head. He had boldly said, “Though I should die with thee yet will I not deny thee.” (Matthew26:35) When his denial happened he was heart broken. He couldn’t believe it. These were not fake tears of the Hollywood kind. He wept bitterly. One can only imagine what Peter was thinking.

In an unguarded moment we are capable of doing the same or worse. God has let us know that forgiveness is available. God used Peter later on. He was not cast aside as worthless. Following the resurrection of our Lord, Peter was told by Jesus, “Feed my sheep.”(John 21:16, 17)  He wrote two outstanding epistles that bear his name through which millions of the Lord’s sheep have been fed. Legend has it that he died by crucifixion because of his devotion to Christ and His teachings.

When you and I sin we must remember sin is ultimately against the Lord. Peter did not cast his sin off lightly, nor should we.  Our sin nailed Jesus to the cross. Confess, repent and take up your cross and serve Him.