The Memory

  What do you remember?  I might ask the question a different way, “How well do you remember what is going on in your life? People often talk about their memory and refer to as two different parts.  There is the long term memory and the short term memory.  The part of the memory that is labeled as "short term" involves such things as where you put your keys about 2 minutes ago.  This is the one that often fails and causes us much concern.  The long term memory seems to be there for the most part.  That is, we can remember things that stand out in our minds from many years ago.  I can remember things about my childhood, my days in school, even the one room school. I can remember my life in the Navy and with A. T. and T. Company. My short time memory however, seems to be fading at times as I forget those things that are taking place right now and it seems that I am easily distracted. The Scripture speaks about our memory when it challenges us to remember certain things.  Second Peter 1:12-15 says, "Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.  Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;  Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.  Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance."  

          It does us good to remember certain spiritual things that have taken place in our lives.  Our short term memory will have a tendency to lose things if we do not purposely remember them.  It is good to remember every aspect of our salvation.  It is good to remember the Gospel message and how Christ died on the cross for our sins and it is good to remember how we came to know Him as our Lord and Savior.  It is good to remember how we were before we were saved and then how we came to hear the gospel message in the first place.  Then, it is good to remember how we were after our salvation experience and the changes that God made in our lives.  It is good to also remember how God has worked in our lives from the beginning of them all the way up to today.  You see, the remembering about your salvation becomes you own personal testimony that you can share with anyone that comes across your path. We will soon realize that God does have a wonderful plan for each and everyone of us and that He is actively working in our lives.  So, remember what God has done for you and then go on to Praise Him for His working in your life today.

The Unexplainable

      I have several containers in my basement that contains a lot of screws, washers, nuts and bolts of articles that have broken and have ended up in the trash can. Usually, when something comes up as not working anymore, I like to take it apart to see what happened. There is very little hope of me fixing it. It is more like a curiosity as to what is inside of it. It is amazing as to how many small screws, nuts and bolts are inside of the average computer. I doubt that I could even get it back together let alone fix the problem that caused its failure to work. When I end up with the little project, I still wonder as to how it operated in the first place. I am amazed to think about how many things are going through the air waves for radio, television and internet. Maybe I will understand it by and by. First Thessalonians 4:17-18 says, “ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

      The Second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ is one of the greatest mysteries to me. This is something that I don't have any idea how it is going to work. The Second Coming is often referred to in the Bible and even the Lord Jesus Christ reminded us of it in numerous passages in the New Testament. In John 14, Jesus mentions that He will come again. The Thessalonian passage describes what is going to take place even though many physical laws are broken. Jesus coming in the air seems impossible and my rising from the ground to meet Him in the air seems even more impossible since I find it difficult to even get out of the recliner, let alone rise any distance into the air to meet the Lord Jesus Christ. This particular passage is often referred to as the “rapture” passage even though the word itself is not used in the English language. The word, “rapture” is from a Latin word that was used for the “caught up” phrase in the verse, but how is it going to work? That will be another one of those things that I will understand perhaps by and by but certainly don't know how it will happen now. I don't understand how my TV works so that a picture can be transmitted thousands of miles and come up on a screen in my living room. I don't understand mother boards and central processing units, nor flash drives or SD cards but they all do what they are supposed to do and I accept them and use them on a daily basis. I also, don't understand how God does what He does which seems to violate physical laws, but He did what the Bible says and I accept it simply because God said it was so. I don't understand how God parts large bodies of water so people can walk through on dry ground, but He did. I don't understand how Enoch didn't die but just went to be with the Lord, but he did. I don't understand how Jesus walked on the water, but He did. I don't understand how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, but He did. I don't know how the rapture is going to work, but it will according to God's Word. None of us may understand how God is going to answer our prayers, or how He is going to work in our lives today, but we have confidence in the Word of God that He will and it will always be amazing. Praise God today for the fact that He does what seems to be impossible to us but is common to Him.

Hearts and Minds

 

         I am flooded with emails in the each day from all kinds of groups, most of which I delete and do not even open. I can tell by the subject line that I have no interest in them. At the same time, a number of articles pop up that inform me of the current news and if I am interested, I can click on a link that will take me to additional information. From my standpoint, most of them relate the truth of the Scriptures in regard to the condition of mankind in general. The worst information seems to be coming from the political news of the world even down to the local governments. While it is generally bad we can rightly assume that it did not happen over night. It took some time and the events of today are the fruit of decisions that were made years ago. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

          Francis Schaeffer wrote about how we had, as a people, crossed the line of despair in art, music, philosophy and our religion. It began centuries ago from the 1500's onward. It has gathered steam through the years and the longer we go, we worse it gets. In the 1930's the humanist manifesto came out, signed by our so called educated leaders who endeavored to put man at the top of things and left God out of the picture. Soon after, Bible reading was removed from the schools. Laws about removing the ten commandments in government building were put forth. The value of the sea turtle egg was soon above that of the human baby that was not yet born. We might say, “How much worse can things get?” Only God knows that answer. The Apostle Paul exhorted us to be involved in “mind renewal” in Romans 12:1-2. There are even believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who have the need to have their minds renewed as to what is right and just in the their own world. Paul also mentioned in Philippians 4:8 the things that should be the center of our thinking. Everyone is quick to claim their “rights” in the world in which we live. We feel that we have the right for all that the world could ever give us. In reality, I have no rights, only responsibilities from God. It is only by the grace of God that I am where I am and possess the things that I possess. It seems that everyone desires to sit by the fire, a book in our lap, a dog at our side and a cup of hot cocoa next to us but that is not the way things turn out. The Lord spoke through Jeremiah and pointed out the problem and it is with the heart. Things were very bad in Jeremiah's day and when he writes Lamentations through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you began to see the picture of total dismay that fell upon God's chosen people. What's the answer? Romans 12:1-2 exhort us after 11 chapters of doctrine, “ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” That word “transformed” is the same one used in the Mount of Transfiguration and in 2 Corinthians 3:18. As always, the answer lies in the Bible, the Word of God. We may be surprised and angered by the heart decisions of those around us and while not doing anything about our own hearts. The motto of a church with whom I was associated was, “Scripture and Prayer to conform us to the image of Christ.” It is a good formula for us today. May we take care of our own hearts and then pray for others to do likewise. Praise God that He is still in the business of changing the desires of our hearts.

Getting Over the Blahs

          Most everyone has at one time or another, days that I might label as being “blah” days. These days are not so exciting and it is usually cloudy outside with a little drizzle. It just seems like things are not too exciting on a “blah” day. I remember Chuck Colson giving a lecture at our school and he talked about the “prison shuffle.” The men just walk along with their heads down and their feet barely getting off the floor just sort of shuffling along like a flock of sheep, only the sheep would probably be more exciting to watch. What does it take to get us out of the “blahs?” Psalm 119:164 says, “Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments.”

         The Psalmist here praises God seven times a day because of God's righteous judgments. The words “righteous judgments” is one of the terms that the Psalmist uses to describe the Word of God. There are several terms that are used throughout this particular Psalm. There are 176 verses and all but 5 of those verses speak about the Word in one way or another. In all of the Psalm we soon learn about the Psalmist and his love for the Word of God. It is always amazing how the Word of God lifts you up when you are in a “blah” day. In this passage, the Psalmist says that he praises God seven times a day. Have you ever had that experience? How many times a day do you here yourself praising God? Something might take place that shows God's handiwork and we reply, “Praise the Lord.” A person might share what God has done in their life and we might answer, “Praise the Lord!” This Psalm also speaks about the fact that the person that loves the Word of God has great peace or how the Word of God is a light unto our path or how the Word of God can cleanse our own ways and that it is the Word of God that is instrumental in keeping us on God's path in our lives. The average believer today has no real reason for having a “blah” day as we have access to the Word of God in ways that were never before possible. We do have our personal, hard copy of the Word of God. It might be in our brief case or on the corner table filled with papers or other mementos of things that we don't want to forget. We can also have a copy of God's Word on our computers and not only that, we can have and probably do have a copy of the Bible on our precious telephone. Thousands of smart phones, tablets, lap tops and other electronic devices such as CD's all give us access to God's Word in a way that is unparalleled in other time period in history. Many of them sit dormant. Computers are resting in social media programs, phones are set to calendars and directions and sports events while we continue to have our “blah” day. There is no reason for it to be that way when the Word is so accessible to us. Assess however does not make it happen. Now, you don't have to wait for a “blah” day to discover what God is doing and what He is going to be doing in the future or even what He did years ago. The Psalmist said he praised God seven times a day. You might as well say that He was always praising God. You try to praise God seven times today and see if it doesn't chase away he “blahs.” You soon find yourself praising God for His love as seen in John 3:16 or for the fact you can do all things through Christ as seen in Philippians 4:13 or that God will supply your need as seen in Philippians 4:19 or that Jesus is coming again as sen in John 14:1-6 or that God's Word will accomplish what it was meant to accomplish as seen in Isaiah 55:11 You will find that God's Word will chase away the “blahs” before you even know it is happening. It might be that you will open your leather Bible or turn on your phone app that has the Bible in it or the verse that came to you in an email, but God's Word will excite you beyond your wildest imaginations. Praise God indeed for His Word and how it is working in your life today.

The Battle of the Thoughts

         Have you ever found yourself going through a battle with sin in your life? I think that most of us deal with that very thing very often. I get a little newsletter called, “Bible and Life” and this issue is dealing with that topic. It is interesting and applicable to my life even though I am 81 years old. I don't think you ever get passed an age where you don't deal with the sin that goes on and is a constant temptation in our lives. Anyway, I am in total agreement with the article and in it the writer shares 5 disciplines that are needed in overcoming sin in our lives. Second Corinthians 10:5 says, “ Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”

        I have this verse of Scripture printed out and placed in the folder where I put my sermons. Any time that I preach, this is the last thing I see before I go to the first page of the sermon. It is also the last thing I see when I close the folder after finishing the message. David Dunlap mentions that the first discipline is to have your heart fixed on Christ. That is sometimes easy to say but hard to do. The above verse speaks about casting down imaginations. I really associate with this verse because my imaginations run wild almost all of the time. The word is used only twice in the Bible and the other time is in Romans 2:15 where it is translated as “thoughts.” I won't say that I have a vivid imagination, but I can imagine all kinds of things that won't take place, haven't taken place and probably won't take place in the future. Nevertheless, I imagine them. Someone may be asked to do something. My thought is, “I wonder why they didn't ask me?” “Couldn't I have done it just as well?” “Am I not qualified to do it?” “Why am I being shunned in this area?” You can soon see that my imagination has taken me to the point of despair. The above verse exhorts us to cast down our imaginations, our thoughts that take us away from Christ and put ourselves in the in the forefront of the issue. Rather, we should be casting down the imaginations and bring into captivity all of our thoughts to the obedience of Christ. I think of the hymn, “Turn you eyes upon Jesus Look full in His wonderful face And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace.” The religious people of the world try to come up with things that you can do to alleviate the feeling of guilt as the result of sin but they are only temporary salves that come off in the wash and in the end do absolutely nothing. Paul reminded us to indeed fix our attention totally on the Lord Jesus Christ in all that we do. Remember to bring every thought into captivity. Praise God today for the victory that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Shortcuts

          Have you ever had the desire to take a short cut? While coming home from Northern Virginia a couple of years ago, my GPS alerted me to a shortcut and kept urging me to take that route. I left the three lane highway and set out on this short cut. The road was paved and two lanes. After a couple of miles it narrowed and the lines disappeared and then it became a gravel road. We came to a small creek and the bridge was nothing more than a slab of concrete with holes in it laying in the middle of the creek. We passed by small farms with goats, llamas and other assorted animals. We were going up and down hills in wooded areas and soon the GPS prompted me to take a right turn on this small road. The sign on the road said, “This road not for motorized vehicles” and had grass growing in the middle of the road. I stopped, turned around and endeavored to find my way back to my comfortable three lane highway. In the future, I will not be tempted to take shortcuts that have the word “hollow” in the road name. Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

         God often describes our journey in this life as a race and He describes many things that will occur on this race. Even in spiritual matters, we are tempted to try to take shortcuts. We would like to take a nap and wake up more spiritual than before because we put our Bible under the pillow. We know that it won't work but we try to come up with something that will speed us along so that we end up being a mature, loving, forgiving person in a matter of hours instead of the years of chipping away on a petrified character. My race and probably the races of many others are filled with uncomfortable obstacles and at some point or another, we have the desire to take a shortcut. In a real race, if you take a shortcut, you are disqualified and it will do you no good so you persevere with the aches and pains that comes with each step keeping your eyes on the finish line. Spiritually speaking, we do the same thing. Our eyes are focused on the finish line which in this case is heaven itself and so we persevere knowing full well that the outcome will be “worth it all.” We also notice that our focused is not on the aches and pains of the race but on the Lord Jesus Christ Who is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Because He completed the “race” that was set before Him, we, too, can finish the race that is set before us. If someone seems to offer you a shortcut in order to achieve spiritual maturity, don't waste your time on it as there is no shortcut. Praise god today that He is our Guide in all areas of our lives.

Keeping On, Keeping On

            Many of us have routines that we go through each and almost every day. There are some things in that routine that affect other people, but most of them do not. Occasionally, we find something that if ye skipped it there would be some consequences. When I joined up with the U. S. Navy, I soon learned about shining shoes. The shoes that they gave you were about as dull as dull could get. Your first job was to get those shoes shining so much that you could see your face in them. That was when I learned about “spit” shining a shoe. You kept spitting on the shoe and rubbing it with polish with one finger until your finger hurt. It was not easy thing to do. In the end, you could see your face in your shoes. The thing was, you had to keep on doing it as the shine wouldn't last long if you missed a day or so. You keep on shining your shoes each and every day because there is going to be someone who is going to look at your shoes and it usually took place in the first morning inspection of the troops. Spiritually speaking, there are many things that we keep on doing time after time after time. We may sometimes wonder if it is worth it all but then we come to a verse like the following one and realize that it is worth it all. First Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

            We soon find out in the work of the Lord that we are not doing it to please men. We are not doing it to please the church body of believers, or the ones with whom you have fellowship or your friends or your new acquaintances. Your work for the Lord consists of doing it because of One and that One is the Lord Jesus Christ. As my granddaughter once said, “It is for an audience of ONE.” Each and every day you might find yourself getting up, going through your routine, opening your Bible, reading your devotion, spending some time in prayer and then go out to start your day in the world. There might be that thought that crosses your mind now and then as to whether it is worth it all. Would it make any difference if you just quit doing it? Would anyone notice if you didn't do what you are doing? Well, right at the beginning, we realize that the Lord knows and He knows the moment you slack off. He knows the moment your work is not up to par or when you think you need a vacation from it all and just stop doing it altogether. The world may not jump up and say, “Hey! Where is my thought for the day?” They might miss eventually the work that you may be doing and may come up and say, “Didn't you use to do such and such?” You might reply, “Yep. I quit doing it a month ago.” While it may be true that the world will not care if you stop. They won't care if you stop praying. They won't care if you stop trying to do acts of kindness. They won't care if you stop reading your Bible and they won't care when you stop going to church. They won't care when you stop singing. In all of the things mentioned and much more, God knows and He cares. So, in affect, it is to an audience of ONE and that ONE is God Himself. As Paul said, “...Your labor is not in vain in the LORD.” Praise God today that we can work for Him each and every day.

Real Riches

            When I look back on my childhood, I come to the conclusion that we were not financially blessed. In other words, we were probably poor when compared to the people around us. Even in our poverty, my parents never stopped me from doing anything that I wanted to do which included going into music. It all began in the fourth grade with the “tonette” in a class of 35 or so kids playing this little black plastic instrument. That eventually led to a salesman coming to our home and persuading my parents that I had some musical talent that would be sufficient for me to play a real instrument. The clarinet was chosen and my parents paid the $139.00 over the next year. The involvement in the music program at school seemed to send me to social gatherings that I would not have been involved in without this black instrument called a clarinet. Financially, we were not that well off but that didn't seem to matter at that point in my life. In all of these experiences, God was faithful beyond the things of which I was aware. God always provided even when I didn't know what was going on. God was continually orchestrating my life from one day to the next and creating a tapestry that I couldn't even see from my side of life. Later on, I became a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and that is when the true meaning of riches became apparent to me. The true riches were not associated with the measurements of the world such as a bank account, a car and fancy restaurants. It now became apparent in the spiritual realm. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,”

         Ephesus was supposedly a banking capital in the Roman world and so they knew about physical riches. Paul seems to use this comparison to show them the value of spiritual riches which cannot even begin to be measured by worldly standards. The county in which I live tells me each year how much my home is worth and then taxes me on it accordingly. While God has never told me just how much my eternal home is worth, I know it is far above anything that the world can assess. My street in front of my house is paved with a substance called “slurry” which is a mixture of tar, rocks and other matter and then packed down to make a road. Obviously, it is cheap but last rather well. In contrast, my heavenly home is paved with gold. I won't have to worry about electricity as all lighting will be provided by the Lord Jesus Christ. I won't have to come up with taxes for my eternal resting place, nor rent, nor any annual fees. Everything has been paid for. I will have a new name and new white robes and I will be able to sing continually with perfect pitch while watching everything with perfect eyesight and will be able to hear with perfect ears all of the sounds and will no longer be limited to just a small spectrum of sound waves. There is no way in which I can measure the value of my “spiritual blessings” in the heavenly places. One thing for sure however, is that it has all been paid for at Calvary. You may still have problems making ends meet on your budget day to day in this life but if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, then you are rich beyond measure. Praise God today that He has provided all that we will ever need for all eternity.

To Put Off

     Sometimes a couple of words can have two different meanings.  It may depend on how they are used in a sentence.  Take for example, the words, "put off." In one sense, they speak about procrastinating. I might say, "I don't want to do this job right now, so I will put it off until tomorrow." We all understand what this means. Procrastination has become a problem in many lives. Soon, tomorrow becomes filled with too many jobs that have been left over from days before. But, the words, "put off" also have another meaning and one that is used throughout the Scriptures. This one speaks about "putting off" a certain way of life. Ephesians 4:22 says, "That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;" In these verses, the same phrase has an entirely different meaning. In this case, this is something that you do want to do. In the other phrase, to delay something until a more convenient time, you didn't want to do it. But, in this case, it is good, in fact, preferred, that you "put off" the former way of life and the sooner the better. The Scriptures here indicate that this act is something that you have to do and that it is much like taking a garment and either putting it on or taking it off. In fact, other Scriptures refer to putting on the new man and putting off the old man. Once you make the decision to "put off" the old man or the old way of life, then there needs to be that decisive moment when it actually takes place. You decide not to take a certain path any longer but you decide to take the other path that has been put into your life. It is much like a fork in the road where you make a definite decision to go either one way or the other. In the case of spiritual things versus worldly things, you decide to pursue after the things of God rather than the things of the world. So, this is a case where you need to put off the old way of life. But, it doesn't stop there. If you decide to put off the old way of life and do nothing to replace it, the old way of life will soon be back. This is why the Scriptures often speak of putting off something and then immediately putting on something. In this case, it is the "new man."And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:24). So, while "to put something off" can refer to procrastination, it can also refer to an act whereby we decide to change our lives from the old way of doing things to the way of God. Which way are you pursuing?  Praise God that He says what He means.

Doctrine and Itching Ears

          It doesn't take too long for crooks and thieves to figure out how to make money from gullible people. If you say the right words that people want to hear, you can probably be sure of getting some financial support from them. A true story was told of a missionary who had the gift of writing a convincing letter and how he needed to acquire a machine to make nails, so he could make a boat in order to reach an island of people who needed to hear the gospel message. He was convincing enough to raise the necessary funds but later investigation revealed that there was a ferry boat to that same island twice a day, seven days a week, while the missionary spent his time supposedly making nails in order to build a boat. I have most recently become aware of one of the missionaries that we supported for over ten years and who was not doing the ministry that we believed he was doing. He had, however, said the right words in order to invoke a desire to give to his ministry. What should our missionaries be doing? What should our church leaders be doing? What should you and I be doing in order to be involved in a ministry to spread the gospel? Second Timothy 4:2-4 says, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

         Paul gave instruction to Timothy that were important for him in his ministry and that are certainly important for us in any ministry in which we are involved. We are to preach the Word in season and out of season, in other words, we are to preach it all the time. If it is not in the Word, then we should not be doing it nor advocating it in the lives of others. Paul went on to remind us that people in general will not want to hear sound doctrine but would rather hear something that satisfies their “itching ears” and to be more ready to accept fables than sound teaching. Satan has used three avenues for temptation from the Garden of Eden, the temptation of Christ in the wilderness and even today in the lives of believers. They are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. It works for him and it still works today. Your sins can be traced back to these three avenues. It was true in the life Achan. He saw it, he desired it and the took it. Remember always the attitude of the people at the church in Berea where they searched the Scriptures daily as to what Paul told them. They compared his teachings to the Word of God. We should be doing the same and we are never too old to keep on doing that very thing. We used to have a lot of vinyl records many years ago and when they got a scratch on them, they would often get stuck and then keep playing the same two or three bars of music over and over again. Sometimes, the preaching of the Gospel may seem to some as a broken record. We keep saying the same thing over and over and over again. The truth however is in the Word of God and only in the Word of God. When we try to replace it with things to satisfy itching ears, we deviate from the truth of the Bible. Don't depend on a display of emotions, but depend on what God has said in His Word. Praise God for His Word today.

Languages

         Northern Indiana seemed to be a place where many people settled either from Poland or from Germany. One of the radio stations, WLOI, would broadcast some of its programs in either Polish or German during the day. Most households, however, only spoke English. My parents and grandparents, as much as I can remember, only spoke English except when Dad would want to call me a special name. English as does many other languages, has certain rules that need to be followed and I spent all of my years in school studying how to speak English. I recently read a set of instructions that I had received in the purchase of a “stick on” mirror for my car. It was obvious that the instructions were not done by a person who spoke good English as many rules had been violated in the small set of instructions. When Moses received his marching orders from God, Moses asked the question concerning God's name. Exodus 3:13-14 says, “And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”

         Moses was to say that “I AM” had sent him to the Israelites to lead them out of the land of Egypt. Any language would step up and say, “Wait a minute.” “Your tense is wrong.” We might think that God has messed up the tense of the verb and that it should have said, “I was” or “I will be.” The name however, was right on. It was so revered that Scribes didn't even prefer to write it. It was composed of four Hebrew characters, YHWH. Vowels were added later to make it come out, “Yahweh.” It was always “I AM” as God had no beginning nor no end and the name expressed the eternality of God. When the Lord Jesus Christ was involved in His ministry during those final 3 years, He associated with the word, “I AM.” Seven different times in the Gospel of John, Jesus mentions that He is the “I AM” in verses such as “I AM the bread,” “I AM the resurrection,” “I AM the light.” etc. We have to say that God is always right even when it comes to Hebrew grammar. Therefore, His Word is always correct in what it says and the way in which it is said. God said exactly what He wanted to say and in the way in which He wanted to say it, and He meant what He said. Rules in grammar become important when you think of the difference implied by a statement. For instance, a person “has” eternal life is quite different from a statement that says, a person “will have” eternal life. John 3:16 says, “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.” So the rule is in our favor when it says, “have everlasting life.” It is not “will have” but “have.” Biblical languages are a study in themselves and men and women spend a lot of time going over the manuscripts and the grammatical rules. The end result is a copy of God's Word that you can trust in each and every situation. Even though you may not understand every detail today, God's Word is always true and right. That is why we read, hear,study, meditate and memorize it throughout our life. Just read Psalm 119 and learn about the importance of the Word of God. Rest assured this day and in all the days to come that you can have complete confidence in the Scriptures. Just make sure you read them as much as you can. Praise God today for giving us His Word.

Immutability

        Certain spaces in our home seem to become cluttered with things. That is usually the time when I began to discard things that I no longer use. That doesn't mean everything hits the trash bin but if I haven't used something in over a year, chances are I am not going to use it tomorrow or at least I could get along without it and use something else in its place. I have a large electric skillet that is in excellent condition but with only cooking for a couple of people, it is too much to keep around and does take up a lot of space. Departure time is coming for the skillet. Many people, even believers, think that God changes His mind about His promises and if you don't measure up, they will get transferred to someone else. Isaiah 43:1 says, “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.” As I was reading this verse, I noticed that my Bible had a heading for this passage that said, “God comforts His church with His promises.” You notice that the verse specifically says, “O Israel.”

         There is a movement in the world today that wants to take all of the promises to Israel and to transfer them to the church. Some call it replacement theology. The group tends to believe that all of the promises that were made to Israel have been transferred over to the church since Israel hasn't responded to the call of the Gospel as they feel it should have responded. I am of the opinion that God doesn't change His mind over any group of people and that the rules stay the same from start to finish. There is a doctrine about one of the characteristics of God which is His immutability. Defined, it says, “The Immutability of God is an attribute that "God is unchanging in his character, will, and covenant promises." Now the Apostle Paul was sent out as a messenger to the Gentiles as we see from Acts 9 and 26. That meant that the Gospel was going out to them. I am glad that He was faithful to God's calling because I am of Gentile heritage. In other words, I am not an Israelite. God, however, is faithful to His promises no matter who the group is that has received the promise. We stand on the doctrine of God's immutability in that He does not change His opinion during the course of time. I am certainly glad that God doesn't change His mind nor will He change His mind in the future because I am counting on His immutability along with the fact that He has stated that He will never leave me or that the Lord Jesus Christ is going to return or that Christ is preparing a place for me in heaven. I am thankful for the promises that I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me. I am also thankful that God will supply my needs and that He alone can provide perfect peace. I am also thankful for His forgiveness and especially for the salvation that we have in Him. We also stand on God's holiness, righteousness, love, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence and judgment because of what is said in His Word. I am thankful that God will not change His mind tomorrow when I am not as faithful as I should be. I am thankful for the RIBS, (regeneration, Indwelling, Baptism and Sealing) of the Holy Spirit the moment I believed. I am thankful for the promise of salvation as mentioned in First John 5:11-13. He that has the Son has life. I am thankful that God will not change His mind over that truth. God's faithfulness in all matters of life as stated in His Word gives us confidence today, tomorrow and all the rest of our days. Praise God today that He won't change His mind about you and me.

Is That Aorist Tense or Present Tense?

            I happened to recently look at my Bible program on my computer and one of the references from A. T. Roberson said this... “...accusative of articular aorist middle infinitive of...” I thought to myself, “What on earth does all of that mean?” Many have said that that the Greek language was the ideal language for the New Testament due to its many shades of meaning and words that are used to express the ideas that God wants to transmit to us through His Word. I realize this and my limited knowledge of Greek sometimes leaves me wondering what a certain passage might mean. I know some of the words that were used in the above explanatory phrase, but certainly not all of them together. I am more inclined to jump up and notice the more simpler phrases such as the following. First Corinthians 1:17-19 says, “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

         Paul's use of the “wisdom of words” sometimes reminds me of those who like to show off their understanding of the Greek language to the point that their message is lost to most of the people. Certain commentators will do just that in their explanation of things that should be quite simple. Paul goes on in the Corinthian passage to explain what is the difference between foolishness and the simple message of the Gospel. Many have said that before they were saved, or born again, they had a hard time understanding the Bible but once they were saved, many things became a lot clearer. Before a person comes to salvation, they may regard the Gospel message as foolishness. A recent “smart” man in politics recently said that the supporters of the current president even believed in the story of Noah's Ark. His indication was meant to say that is how dumb they are. Well, I do believe in the story of Noah's Ark and the flood and Adam and Eve and the parting of the Red Sea and Elijah going up into heaven in a whirlwind like a chariot of fire and the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. I guess I am really dumb according to the “smart” people of this world. The smart people look the Biblical record as being nothing more than foolishness. In my estimation, the smart people should get their money back on their education, as they are not so smart after all. Paul went on to say that the preaching of the cross is the power of God to those who are saved. I may not understand all that is meant by the accusative of articular aorist middle infinitive, but I do know that the preaching of the cross is the power of God. When Paul preached, he preached the gospel which, according to First Corinthians 15:3-4 is the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. As the children's song says, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” I will cling to that message for today and everyday even though I don't fully understand the aorist tense of the Greek language. Praise God today that the message of salvation is simple enough for all to believe.

Are Picking and Choosing?

         Most restaurants have a menu. It is something that tells you what is available to eat at that particular place and is only good at the establishment. We recently walked into a restaurant for dinner and the waitress gave us a menu for us to pick something for our dinner. There was also another option at that place of business. It was a huge salad bar with well over 50 or more items. You could also make that as your primary choice for the meal. With so many items on the salad bar, there was no way you could eat all of them, so we got our plate and began to pick and choose which items we wanted and which ones we didn't want. Restaurants of all types give you a choice of what to eat. Psalm 119:105 says,”Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path”

        The Bible pretty much covers any event that is going to take place in your life. The Bible tells you much about God and how you can know Him and how you can find out what you should do in various situations that come up in your life. It tells you how to deal with anxiety, depression, discouragement, anger, and pretty much every other emotion that comes up in your daily experience. It tells you how to love. It tells you which things to shun. It tells you what is important in your life and what is not important. It tells you how to get to heaven. It tells you which things are going to be roadblocks in your life and what to do when they pop up here and there. Unfortunately, many regard the Bible as a cafeteria. That is, they desire to pick and choose which things they are going to apply to their lives and which things they are going to avoid. Many like to listen to the verses that they like to hear and avoid the verses that speak of a sin that is in their life. Instead of following those passages of scripture, they avoid them or try to rationalize them away by saying they are there in a different culture in which we live. I have even heard some say that a certain teaching was a “pet peeve” of the Apostle Paul and doesn't really apply to us today. Paul made a statement to the church at Ephesus that is recorded in the following passage from the book of Acts. Acts 20:27 says, “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” Paul taught everything that thee was in regard to the Bible and the lives of those that heard his message. Sometimes the impact of a message by a preacher is given at the glory line at the front door when a person says, “Great message, Pastor.” It must not have touched anything close to home in that person's life. There are others that might say, “Ouch” as they leave the church building. Paul spoke the whole counsel of God when he taught from house to house in the city of Ephesus and the school of Tyrannus. People have long clung to the verses that show the love of God and shun the verses that speak of judgment. Countless people speak of God's eternal love and heaven and refuse to believe that anyone would ever spend any time at all in a place of eternal judgment. Many choose the verses that speak of the blessings of God and refuse the verses that speak of shunning sin such as covetousness and fornication. In the end, we can say that the Bible indeed contains the whole counsel of God and that it is not a giant cafeteria line of Bible goodies that can either be taken or ignored. When the Holy Spirit pricks you heart in the days to come, and He will, you may find that you need to say “ouch” as you leave the door of the place of meeting. It could have been at a traditional church service, online, or even in your morning devotion when God's work spoke to you. Praise God today that He speak to us through the complete counsel of His Word.

Lifted Up

        There are some things in life that would be nice, but are actually impossible to do. One of them is trying to lift yourself up by your own boot straps. There may be those who have tried it but it simply doesn't work no matter how much strength you have. The straps help get your boots on but that is as far as they go in giving you an assist in life. It seems that most people like to achieve some recognition in some area of their life but just can't quite get it so they keep looking until they can find it somewhere else. When we are headed for a fall we need to have help and to have it quickly. I was standing on a pier after my Father had rowed the boat to shore containing myself and my Mother. He placed me on the pier and got on the pier himself and then turned to assist my Mother out of the boat. I must have been half asleep as I slowly went backwards and headed for the water. I actually hit the water but my Father's hand grabbed the front of my jacket and my face never even got wet. That event became just one of a number of times my Dad lifted me up before I ever hit the ground. James 4:9-10 says, “ Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

          We often find ourselves in some situation that requires the immediate help of someone else and the more dangerous that situation, the more we need to have that assistance. The older you get, the more devices you have to give you assistance in just getting around in the house. We have glasses, hearing aids, canes, lift chairs, walkers, wheel chairs and even elevators to help us in just getting around. These all take care of the physical needs of life but what about those times when you need a quick spiritual life? James reminds us of the things in life that cause us to be cast down and perhaps a bit depressed and discouraged. We may think that if we win the lottery we will be able to get above it all but the fact is, that wouldn't help. James gives us the answer when he says that we need to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and give it all to Him and soon, if not instantly, we are lifted up before we even hit the bottom. There may be a lot of people who are discouraged today. Some of them are dealing with grief in the loss of a loved one and others are dealing with bad news about a new ailment that has been diagnosed in our life or the life of a loved one. We may try lifting ourselves with our own boot straps, that is, try to fix it in our own way but it just doesn't happen. James gave us the answer but it seems to be an answer afar off and we are reluctant to do what it says. James reminds us to “humble ourselves.” Who really wants to do that? How is that going to help? We soon find that we can indeed humble ourselves and give it all to God realizing that He Who created the universe and all that is in it, Is certainly able to take care of my problems today. You can't get this type of “lifting up” from Medline or the hospital. It comes from god Himself Who is always present as He has said that He will never leave us nor forsake us. So, let go of your boot straps and know that God is holding you up. Praise God today that He is doing the lifting up in our times of need.

Made by God

      Technology is coming up with some pretty amazing things these days. I admit that I have not personally been at any of these events, but I saw, via a video, a 3-D printer, print a boat in which people actually got in the boat while it was in some water. I saw another device that could print brick roads. I admit that our eyes can be tricked to see things that don't really exist and I may be skeptical of some of the articles that are published. I once took a picture of our family of about 13 people. I couldn't get one picture out of seventeen tries to be good enough. In each shot there either was a tongue sticking out, some eyes crossed a hand waving here or there so I took the picture apart by taking a head from one picture and moving it to another and changing a hand here and there. The result was a picture that was not 100% real in that the pose didn't really exist but was a combination of several different poses. It does look good, however, hanging on my wall. Psalm 139:14-15 says, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.”

         While we can do a lot of things with the technology that we have, we can't duplicate what God has done. The statement, “...I am fearfully and wonderfully made...” is a statement that is really not giving you all of the facts. It is like a summary statement that sums up your being but certainly comes far short of explaining all that there is about your own being. We can feel pain while at the same time scratch an itch while thinking about someone, having an emotional response to trouble, sickness, death and joy while having thoughts of what's for dinner and do I have a doctor's appointment today? I can stir a cup of coffee and hear sounds outside and if need be, I can thread a needle while thinking about the Grand Canyon all at the same time. Yes, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. As I have been formed in this way, I can also have the honor and privilege of speaking to God through prayer. His Word has informed me that He, God, knows everything about me that there is to know. This passage of Scripture goes on to inform us that God knows every thought that is on my tongue. I have to admit that is just a frightening thought. He also knows every time I get up or sit down. Sometimes, I don't even know or think about that. I just do it. Now that I know that God knows me in a very personal and complete way, I can surely trust Him for every detail, both large and small, that makes up my life. He knows every problem and everything that I am going through. He knows all of my emotions, my fears, my anxieties and my dreams. There is nothing that is hid from God simply because He is God. Therefore, I will praise Him today for His greatness and for His infinite knowledge of my being as well as every one that is around me. So, printing a boat that you can stand in is great, but making you and me the way we are is even greater. Praise God today simply for Who He is.

The Day of Epiphany and New Things

          You probably have been hearing a lot of phrases that point to the fact that we are in a new year and a new decade. New things are interesting for awhile. January 6 is a holiday in some religious circles and referred to as the Day of Epiphany. While in Spain, we were confronted with many traditions in connection with the Wise Men such as the Day of Epiphany. We found that they had a custom whereby they would bake a round cake, such as in a bundt pan and place a small plastic toy somewhere in the cake. The idea was that the person who got the toy would have good luck throughout the year if they didn't break off a tooth when they discovered the small plastic toy in their mouth. To the Spaniards in the 80's, Santa Claus was someone new and had the name of Papa Noel. Typically, the children would get their gifts from one of the wise men and not until January 6. That was new to us but they were getting more used to Papa Noel because they could get their gifts earlier instead of waiting until the Day of Epiphany. Some new things are not too important such as was the celebration of the new holiday. If you are from a more modern church that has a lot of old tradition attached to it, you also know about the holiday in January. Before arriving in Spain, this country baptist had no idea what the day of Epiphany was. I did know, however, about some new things in connection with the Christian life. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

         You don't need a calendar for this one. There are some wonderful things that take place when a person comes to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. This passage begins to summarize what has taken place and it is really a “new” beginning. I often think about the works of the Holy Spirit that take place the moment you believe in Christ as your personal Savior. I call it getting your RIBS. Four works of the Holy Spirit take place in the twinkling of an eye, the moment you believe. You are Regenerated, Indwelt, Baptized and Sealed by the Holy Spirit the moment you believe. The “regeneration” part is connected to today's verse in that we are a new creature, or a new creation. We indeed have new life. Old things are passed away and we have a lot of new things. We may even lost some old habits or even some of our old friends, or some of our old practices. They have all been replaced by new desires that we never had before. You may find yourself going to church a lot more than you ever did before and your reason for going has also changed quite a bit. You begin to discover what it is to worship God and the practice of looking good before others is not as prevalent as it used to be. I know of one man that went from a back porch grouch to a greeter at the front door of the church after he came to know the Lord. Everything had indeed become new. Things now take on a different perspective as you view them through spiritual eyes. You also find a new desire to find out more about God and His plan for your life as you begin reading the Bible. Yes, the believer is definitely confronted with a new life which begins the moment after salvation. The new believer also finds that this collection of new things never stops. It is a part of spiritual growth and just when we get to the point of thinking we got it all, something new pops up. When you think of the new year and the new decade and all of those things, just be reminded of the new life that you have in Christ. You are a new creation. The Book of Revelation also reminds us that we will have a new name. Praise God for His making all things new in the life of each and every believer.

Metamorphosis

          I recently saw a banana taped to a wall with duct tape. It was passed off as “art.” Unfortunately, that piece of so called art didn't last very long. Based upon that example, I might be considered to be an artist, but not really. My examples of art would be considered to be very primitive but not to the standards of Grandma Moses. I have tried painting and even a bit of sculpting but the results are almost humorous. Supposedly a sculptor once commented on how to create a horse out of stone and he simply said that he removed everything that didn't look like a horse. Sounds simple to us. There is a process that is going on right now in the life of every believer. Romans 12:1-2 says, “ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

         I recently mentioned the fact of being transformed from Second Corinthians 3;18. The Romans passage is the only other use of the word outside of the Gospels mentioning it in the Mount of Transfiguration. For the believer, the process doesn't end on this side of glory but is a continual process that goes on throughout your whole life. The word that is used in both the Corinthian and Romans passage is “metamorphosis. The definition is “a change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means.” The common examples in nature can be seen in the process of the butterfly. The worm goes into a cocoon and a butterfly emerges after a period of time. The Apostle Paul used this word in both the Romans and Corinthian passage to explain what is going on in the life of believers today. The Corinthian passage tells us what is happening and the Romans passage tells us where it is happening. I don't look any different when I look in the mirror yet there are transformations going on that I don't see and they are going on because of my focus in the Word of God. As I behold the glory of the Lord in His Word, I am being renewed in my mind. When will it all be complete? As Paul mentioned to the church at Philippi in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” In the meantime, while I am living here on this earth in this body, I still look forward to being “perfect” but that won't come until I arrive in glory. My physical and mental imperfections still haunt me day by day as I often fail to see the changes that are gradually taking place dependent upon my immersing myself in the Word of God. We have begun a new year in which we think we are beginning with a clean slate. We perhaps have set certain goals and may already find it difficult to make a worthwhile change in our lives. The process of the pursuit of holiness is not an easy one but we should be steadfast in our desire to have change. Some catechisms mention that the chief purpose of man is to know God and to enjoy His presence forever. Well, that pretty well sums it up and it is a life long process in our transformation as challenged by the Apostle Paul. Praise God today that He is still working in each and every one of us.

In Hot Pursuit (of holiness)

          Every now and then a book is published that is going to go down in history. It's a good book and everyone ought to read it. When I entered Washington Bible College, it was a common practice that everyone read “Balancing the Christian Life” by Charles Ryrie. In fact, there was a course on it and everyone had to take that course. I still have my copy along with a number of other books. A second book became high on my list and must have been viewed as important by others since it has been republished in several different formats. That book is “The Pursuit of Holiness” by Jerry Bridges. I think every believer who is trying to live the Christian life should read this book as it is very practical. Of course, the most important book to read in regard to holiness is the Bible, the Word of God. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:”

        The word “follow” in this verse has an interesting meaning. One book describes the word as, “to run swiftly in order to catch a person or thing, to run after.” The idea of this “chase” was brought home to me as I observed a Beagle dog chasing after a rabbit. If the rabbit dodged tot he left, the dog did too. If the rabbit jumped over a log and rant to the right, the dog did to. The eyes of the dog were steadfast upon that rabbit and nothing was going to stop the pursuit. This is how our own pursuit of holiness should be. Our eyes should not be taken off of the goal by anything and believe me, there will be plenty of interruptions to try to get you off the track. Remember that Satan does not want you to be holy and so will come up with as many roadblocks as possible in your Christian life. To be honest, I have never met a Christian who had the idea that they did not want to grow in Christ. I have never met one who wanted to remain where they were. Believers should have the goal of increasing in their spiritual life. We should be like the Beagle chasing the rabbit with our eyes steadfast upon the “holiness” that we want to achieve. Remember the three avenues of temptation that Satan used in the Garden of Eden and in the temptation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan still uses them today and you will find one or all of them probably on your first day of your own pursuit of holiness. Perhaps you will walk out of your time with the Lord in His Word and prayer and praise to Him only to find yourself confronted with your first roadblock. You keep pressing forward though with your eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ, not looking to the right or to the left, but steadfastly on Him. When Satan through the temptations out to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord answered from the Word of God. One again, as we have mentioned so many times before, the Word is the answer and where we should be in our own pursuit of holiness. We should remember not to try to outrun the Lord, or that we should try to guess which way the Lord is going to lead us and try to get there on our own, but that we should be following after Him. As always, we are to turn to the Word of God and learn about holiness; of being separated from the world and being separated to God. Praise God today that we can see His plan for our holiness in His Word.