“Without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
In this great chapter on Spiritual fruit bearing, Jesus tells His disciples that He is the vine and that they are the branches. Only by abiding in Him can they bear fruit.
Branches on a grape vine can bear fruit only as they are attached to the vine. Sever the branch from the vine and there will be no grapes.
The Bible tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith (or faithfulness), meekness and temperance. (Galatians 5:22-23)
All of our religious efforts come to naught and our “good” deeds are in the energy of the flesh, unless we abide in Jesus through prayer, the reading of His word, worship and coming to Him for strength. Otherwise, we will not bear fruit, just something counterfeit that somewhat resembles fruit.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Monday, January 30, 2017
Don’t be Deceived
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” (Proverbs 20:1)
For the past several months several small towns in the Commonwealth of Kentucky have been deceived and led astray by the liquor industry and those pushing for the privilege of selling alcohol in previously “dry” areas. They have used as their argument in their push for alcohol sales, “we can stop the bootlegger,” and “we can receive the tax revenue that is now going to places that have legal sales and use that in our town or county.”
Having lived where alcohol flows freely, I can say that one is being very naive if he thinks selling more alcohol will stop the bootlegger. Legal sales just make it easier for the bootlegger to get alcohol for resale. The second truth is that the clean up from the alcohol induced mess far out-weighs any incoming revenue that comes from alcohol sales.
Third, even if there were a windfall of money, the end does not justify the means. Using the argument of gaining more revenue from tax money on alcohol sales, one could just as easily say, “Let’s legalize and tax prostitution and use that money on education and health care.” May God have mercy on us. Don’t be deceived by beverage alcohol or the beverage alcohol industry.
For the past several months several small towns in the Commonwealth of Kentucky have been deceived and led astray by the liquor industry and those pushing for the privilege of selling alcohol in previously “dry” areas. They have used as their argument in their push for alcohol sales, “we can stop the bootlegger,” and “we can receive the tax revenue that is now going to places that have legal sales and use that in our town or county.”
Having lived where alcohol flows freely, I can say that one is being very naive if he thinks selling more alcohol will stop the bootlegger. Legal sales just make it easier for the bootlegger to get alcohol for resale. The second truth is that the clean up from the alcohol induced mess far out-weighs any incoming revenue that comes from alcohol sales.
Third, even if there were a windfall of money, the end does not justify the means. Using the argument of gaining more revenue from tax money on alcohol sales, one could just as easily say, “Let’s legalize and tax prostitution and use that money on education and health care.” May God have mercy on us. Don’t be deceived by beverage alcohol or the beverage alcohol industry.
Sunday, January 29, 2017
God’s Chastisement Indicates His Love for Us
“The LORD hath chastened me sore: but He hath not given me over unto death.”
(Psalm 118:18)
Praise God for His chastening hand. I know that He desires the very best from me and if I am acting like a misbehaving child He corrects me.
Only those who are His and are objects of His love receive chastisement from Him. Chastisement for a child of God is very similar to chastisement for a child of earthly parents. I have never chastened or spanked another parent’s child, but I have corrected and sometimes punished my children. God doesn’t chasten the devil’s children.
The psalmist acknowledged that he had been severely chastened. But the chastisement did not kill him and ignoring bad behavior could have been the same as giving him over to death. The Bible says, “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.” (Proverbs 19:18)
Thank you, God, for loving me enough to chasten and correct me even when it hurts.
(Psalm 118:18)
Praise God for His chastening hand. I know that He desires the very best from me and if I am acting like a misbehaving child He corrects me.
Only those who are His and are objects of His love receive chastisement from Him. Chastisement for a child of God is very similar to chastisement for a child of earthly parents. I have never chastened or spanked another parent’s child, but I have corrected and sometimes punished my children. God doesn’t chasten the devil’s children.
The psalmist acknowledged that he had been severely chastened. But the chastisement did not kill him and ignoring bad behavior could have been the same as giving him over to death. The Bible says, “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.” (Proverbs 19:18)
Thank you, God, for loving me enough to chasten and correct me even when it hurts.
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Trust in the Lord
“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.” (Psalm 118:8-9)
There were many people in Jerusalem who believed in Jesus when they saw the miracles which He did. But He did not commit Himself to them because He knew all men and had no confidence in them. (John 2:23-25) He had no confidence in Judas Iscariot, one of his followers because He knew that he would betray Him. He had no confidence in Pilate, this vacillating, untrustworthy leader in the Roman Empire because He knew that he was a pawn in the hands of both the Romans and the Jews.
We face some of the same kinds of people today. That is why God warns us that mankind in general and princes in particular cannot be trusted as the Lord is trusted. You and I have very private and personal things that we cannot, and must not, talk over with mankind because we cannot put confidence in man. But we can “talk it over with Jesus.”
The Bible encourages us to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5) Trust Him for eternal life, for leadership through the troubles and trials of life and for your daily provision of both spiritual and physical needs.
There were many people in Jerusalem who believed in Jesus when they saw the miracles which He did. But He did not commit Himself to them because He knew all men and had no confidence in them. (John 2:23-25) He had no confidence in Judas Iscariot, one of his followers because He knew that he would betray Him. He had no confidence in Pilate, this vacillating, untrustworthy leader in the Roman Empire because He knew that he was a pawn in the hands of both the Romans and the Jews.
We face some of the same kinds of people today. That is why God warns us that mankind in general and princes in particular cannot be trusted as the Lord is trusted. You and I have very private and personal things that we cannot, and must not, talk over with mankind because we cannot put confidence in man. But we can “talk it over with Jesus.”
The Bible encourages us to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5) Trust Him for eternal life, for leadership through the troubles and trials of life and for your daily provision of both spiritual and physical needs.
Friday, January 27, 2017
Our Immutable God
“Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.” (Psalm 102:25-27)
John saw in his vision recorded in Revelation “a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away.” Peter wrote of the present heaven and earth being on fire and melting with fervent heat in the end times. He said that we are looking for a new heaven and a new earth. But God never changes.
Our God, the Creator, is immutable. His creation will pass away but He is always the same. He is changeless. Garments fade, rot, get old and wear out, a description of God’s creation. But God never changes. You and I can depend on God.
John saw in his vision recorded in Revelation “a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away.” Peter wrote of the present heaven and earth being on fire and melting with fervent heat in the end times. He said that we are looking for a new heaven and a new earth. But God never changes.
Our God, the Creator, is immutable. His creation will pass away but He is always the same. He is changeless. Garments fade, rot, get old and wear out, a description of God’s creation. But God never changes. You and I can depend on God.
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Frail Children of Dust
“For he knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.” (Psalm 103:14)
We build houses of bricks, blocks, stone, wood, concrete and steel. We have seen houses and other buildings made of these materials devastated by floods, tornadoes and fire.
The first man was made of dust which God had gathered together, Then God breathed into the nostrils of that frail being made of the flimsiest material and man became a living soul. His word tells us that this “house,” or tent, groans and travails in pain. We are living in temporary “housing” which will go back to the dust of the earth.
God knows more about us than we know about ourselves. He knows our frailties and weaknesses. He has not forgotten that we are dust. He sees our strutting about and hears our prideful boasting. But he keeps on tenderly caring for us, even when we do not have a clue of how totally helpless these bodies of clay dust really are.
It would do us good to remember that we are helpless and dependent on our Creator and to remember that even though we are made of dust we can, “do all things through Him that strengthens us.” (Philippians 4:13)
We build houses of bricks, blocks, stone, wood, concrete and steel. We have seen houses and other buildings made of these materials devastated by floods, tornadoes and fire.
The first man was made of dust which God had gathered together, Then God breathed into the nostrils of that frail being made of the flimsiest material and man became a living soul. His word tells us that this “house,” or tent, groans and travails in pain. We are living in temporary “housing” which will go back to the dust of the earth.
God knows more about us than we know about ourselves. He knows our frailties and weaknesses. He has not forgotten that we are dust. He sees our strutting about and hears our prideful boasting. But he keeps on tenderly caring for us, even when we do not have a clue of how totally helpless these bodies of clay dust really are.
It would do us good to remember that we are helpless and dependent on our Creator and to remember that even though we are made of dust we can, “do all things through Him that strengthens us.” (Philippians 4:13)
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
THE LOVE OF GOD
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
No greater love has ever been known, nor has greater love been shown to man than the love that prompted Almighty God to send His Son into the world to live among sinners and to die a cruel death at the hands of sinners while nailed to the cross between sinners all for the purpose of saving sinners.
There is enough Gospel in our text to save the entire world from hell if sinners would just believe. However, everlasting life is a gift and a gift must be received.
Have you received the gift of everlasting life?
No greater love has ever been known, nor has greater love been shown to man than the love that prompted Almighty God to send His Son into the world to live among sinners and to die a cruel death at the hands of sinners while nailed to the cross between sinners all for the purpose of saving sinners.
There is enough Gospel in our text to save the entire world from hell if sinners would just believe. However, everlasting life is a gift and a gift must be received.
Have you received the gift of everlasting life?
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